In Profile
Cleanfix: art and machine manufacturing
Flying in to Zurich from out of the clouds, the first-time visitor to Eastern Switzerland is immediately struck by how unexpectedly green the country is. The patchwork of fields is not dissimilar to England which we had left behind us only a little over an hour previously.
In some respects, Switzerland and the UK have many similarities between them in that both countries are geographically quite small, both are independently-minded, each operates its own world-respected and internationally traded currency founded on banking, finance and manufacturing, and both are home to companies that are not only leading names in their field but also major global players.
One such is Cleanfix Reinigungssyteme AG. In this edition of In Profile, Cleanzine takes a look at the company, its manufacturing facility (where modern art adorns the walls, and even, some would say, the production line itself!) and at some of its latest ideas.
Founded by Christoph Loosli in 1975, Cleanfix has grown to become both a leader and a global player, with branches throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Benelux countries, distributors in Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the Russian Federation, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, South Africa, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia. In addition there is a new distributor partner in Poland where Cleanfix owns part of the business.
Phew! Quite a list!
The company traces its beginnings with carpet cleaning when Mr Loosli bought and sold his first American-built carpet extraction machine, and the company naturally still maintains a strong presence in this sector, since branching out into scrubber driers, single disc machines, tub vacuums, wet & dry vacuums, and even pressure-washers and steam-cleaning machines.
But it was from understanding the market and fully appreciating that alternative, quality engineered machines built in Europe could sell against the new American imports, that proved to be the catalyst for growth of the company that would eventually become known as Cleanfix, with a current annual turnover of €50M in sales to cleaning contractors, end-users and to other cleaning industry manufacturers.
Mr Loosli is still involved in the company as Chairman, but the management team is these days spearheaded by Managing Director Patrik Mueller, who many people in the industry will know from his years as head of sales and marketing at Cleanfix, with many appearances at Interclean Amsterdam and at many other trade events around the world. The sales team is now led by Dutch national Roland de Korte who took up the role of Sales Director after implementing a successful new strategy in Holland.
Today, despite plenty of overseas competition, much of which is only based upon price, the focus of Cleanfix is still very much on producing quality built machines, in a modern facility led by responsible management and using the latest manufacturing technology. With the exception of certain component parts, the entire process remains in-house, from design, to research and development, and on to full flow production including injection and roto-moulding, machining and assembly.
It typically takes two years to plan, design and develop a new machine all the way through to production, but in some instances it can take only half that time, as we saw in the factory showroom (which has one of the most impressive floors you can ever imagine as you can see from our picture!). The case in point is the new SW21 wet & dry vacuum launched this Summer at Pulire in Verona.
Similar in many respects to the SW20 that preceded it, the parts commonality between the machines meant that the new model took less than a year from concept to production, but much of that time was actually taken up with the design for a unique (and we do not use the word lightly) funnel-shaped anti foam float valve (shown by Sales Director Roland de Korte, right).
Designed with floor-stripping tasks in mind, the new anti foam float valve was further refined by having pre-production models put through their paces in a transparent test rig so that the flow of water mixed with chemical could be closely observed in reality rather than relying entirely on computer simulation, and any resulting foaming successfully eliminated. The end-result is that when used for suction of floor-stripping chemicals from off the floor the funnel valve guarantees that foam cannot expand into the motor.
The SW21 has a 20 L capacity so that with the easy pour grip it is "still emptyable"; there are four big wheels so that it is very stable; it is easy to transport as it readily fits into a car, and there is also the possibility of attachments for other tools. This machine looks set to be a big seller.
Stepping out from the spacious and gleaming showroom into the production areas, the sense of light and space is hardly diminished, with ample natural daylight falling through the many roof lights and large modern windows. The complex has expanded considerably over the years and a new block was completed only recently to house additional roto-moulding machines, machine and spare parts centre.
Along each production line the same type of machine is always assembled per belt so that the same components are always required in the same place. Each production line is responsible for its own supply chain and production is depending on volume of orders continuous 18 hours a day, six days a week.
Production is arranged in batches from customer orders, so for example 100 blue vacs for another manufacturer, and 100 red for Cleanfix customers will be produced in turn, meaning that wherever possible the maximum efficiencies will always be obtained.
Product improvements are continuous, so often go unheralded. For instance, 40,000 rpm single stage motors are
now used as standard instead of the previous 27,000 rpm 2-stage version. The new motors are not only more reliable and more efficient, but the smaller size enables for more compact machines.
There is also less metal in Cleanfix machines these days, as metals do rust or oxidise. Where there is metal, for example in the handles, there is a stronger, better weld and improved adjustment facility. Side clips on scrubber drier water tank bodies are avoided as they can snag, and conveniently, any re-set buttons are always on top of the machine, plainly visible to the operator.
All this is in line with the Cleanfix philosophy of 'Simply Clean.' Simply Clean means fewer controls, less complication, and less to go wrong.
As even the best machines do eventually develop a fault, there are no printed circuit boards, or other complicated electronics to worry about, (or spend weeks waiting on replacements for), just simple relay switches that not only provide the operator with fingertip control when the machine is cleaning, but also the service engineer with only a simple wire to fix should something occasionally not work. Because of this approach it's only natural that Cleanfix machines last for years.
As production is arranged in batches directly linked to customer orders, there is hardly any stock-holding of completed machines. Everything goes from production to pre-despatch warehousing where it is held ready for when the customer's total order is completed and ready to go out. Lead times run at typically only 2-3 weeks and a walk through the shipping area on any given day illustrates the global reach of the company, with address labels heading for every continent.
All plastic parts are Cleanfix-manufactured from base granules so that production managers have complete control over the crucial balance between robustness of the end product against flexibility. Polyethylene (PE) comes ready coloured, but polypropylene can be mixed to match any required company colours.
Injection moulding is continuous, with batches produced one week, machined robotically, then on to the assembly line the following week. The injection-moulded parts are produced utilising 600 kg per square cm of pressure at 260 degrees C so that the plastic flows into every minor detail of the mould.
In the roto-moulding process it is the combination of rotate / rotate & heat / rotate & cool (click image left to see the movie) that creates the necessary strength needed for the bodies of machines that will be expected to endure heavy duty knocks and bashes in many industries, including manufacturing, where production is similarly continuous, but where cleaning must often take place at the same time.
As part of the finishing process PE bodies are flamed to polish them. This is surprising if you have never seen it before, but inexplicably (although we're sure someone, somewhere can explain it) the flame from a blowtorch not only makes the plastic shell gleam brightly (shown right) as if someone has painstakingly burnished the surface by hand, but it's worth end-users knowing about, as flaming even repairs most scratches and can make good UV affected dulled finish.
Aluminium die cast components are also shaped and machined in-house.
On the assembly line, machines are built from the top down for easier service access. We looked at the chassis assembly of the Power Disc machine. Here, the housing is PE reinforced with glass fibre and is so robust that Roland has "never seen a broken base of a Power Disc."
Testing is continuous at every stage, with individual component parts subject to random tests, while assembled machines are each tested thoroughly. Additional extreme tests on different operating functions of the machines are also carried out periodically, i.e. wheels are tested 10,000 times simulating being bounced up and down stairs (click image right for movie). 
Luckily, Cleanfix wheels are injection-moulded in-house!
Other tests will be lifting a handle up, and setting down, repeated many thousands of times over. The test of a brush housing that we witnessed (click image below left for movie) has to endure a minimum of 100,000 cycles before it can be considered up to Cleanfix standard.
For according to Roland, "Just saying Swiss-made doesn't make it happen. We have to know for ourselves and at all times that the end-product is the best that can come out of our factory."
When asked if the company has ever thought about setting up in China to reduce unit costs, Roland explains that with only seven minutes being taken to assemble an entire vacuum cleaner at Cleanfix, savings on production time are certainly "not an issue."
Then there are the set-up costs, training, and transport to be considered, so that relocation of production for any part of the range would not likely be a cost-effective exercise for the company or for its customers.
And then there is the cachet of being 'Swiss-made.' "This is far too valuable to lose!" says Roland.
Cleanfix has new products, new distributors, a new distributor partner in a new country, and a new web site.
Somehow, something new at Cleanfix, doesn't really seem such a surprise anymore...T: +41 71955 4747
F: +41 71955 4740
E: patrik.mueller@cleanfix.com
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25th October 2007