Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Soapbox: real innovation at last!

Glyn Sands, now a retired member of what he describes as being 'our great cleaning industry', writes in response to the Cleaning & Support Services Association's recent article in Cleanzine: 'CSSA's Innovation & Technology Executive Bulletin examines battery technology' (thecleanzine.com/pages/)

"It's not before time that a new type of battery - lithium - is being developed for the industry (and my golf trolley, which now runs approximately four hours or maybe five on a bad day!) that can also be 'opportunity charged', which is a great benefit if the unit being used is sold for the correct reasons.

I have talked - or rather, debated - with battery manufacturers at many cleaning shows over the past 20 years about this and finally, development is on its way.

The present costs are outrageous (my golf trolley costs almost double, using lithium). However I do understand that development takes time and I wonder which way developers are asked to use their great knowledge... Is it 'While costs are high we will develop batteries that facilitate longer use'? versus 'We need to develop a lighter, quieter, more powerful unit that can be 'opportunity charged' and give longer time use'? What would benefit our industry most?

Shall we ever see a battery that will give power and noise reduction for longer than 90 minutes, available for our industry?

Another 20 years perhaps?

I realise that many different industries across the spectrum are welcoming this development, but I am selfish and the need to bring more safety, opportunity and effective cleaning in the shortest time into the cleaning industry, has got to become a priority - especially when I read in the magazines that the industry is now an £multi-billion industry.

We talk about cost-effectiveness, the utilisation of equipment and our staff being productive... All these points together they eventually bring the industry to increase its meagre profit margins.

Sadly, my fear is that neither the clients, nor the cleaning companies, dare go down the innovation route with enough vigour. With all this development going on, the industry is almost bullied (I shall stand corrected!) and just tries to get more cleaning from the cleaner just to make more meagre profit.

C'mon on you bright and enviable people! Let's have this new technology developed, which will make the equipment quieter in use, and then maybe, open the possibility for each cleaning company, that dares to offer daytime cleaning to the thousands of daily cleaned offices and buildings presently cleaned first thing in the morning and last thing at night, to do more than make a meagre profit.

A lighter, quieter, no cable, powerful, battery-operated machine which can run for up to four hours, reasonably priced, could open this door of opportunity and at the same time open the door to a 'new' workforce who may have the time during the day, to do the work.

Excellent article - thank you!

PS it's great to see progress and innovation but I do not believe that I shall see this change in my life time, or will I?"

4th August 2016