Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Nexaro's new industrial cleaning robot vacuum system increases efficiency while saving money
Rising wages, a glaring shortage of labour and the stigma of a supposedly unattractive profession: the industrial cleaning industry is undergoing a profound transformation that makes the use of new technological approaches more necessary than ever.
Today, autonomous or semi-autonomous cleaning machines and their digital control are already an integral part of tenders from numerous clients. The greatest potential is offered by robotic systems that complement traditional cleaning services and allow flexible use so that operating times and cleaning priorities can be adapted to customer needs.
For a significant increase in efficiency, however, this requires, on the one hand, reliable, autonomous operation of the machines - and, on the other hand, integration into a digital overall system which facilitates uniform coordination, control and documentation of cleaning services.
Accordingly, the uniform cobotics approach takes centre stage in the forthcoming Nexaro offering from Wuppertal, with the launch in October of the NR 1500 industrial cleaning robot vacuum system and associated Nexaro HUB software. The system, which will be available for delivery from April 2023, is a genuine collaboration between people and state-of-the-art robot technology, which not only facilitates an increase in efficiency and quality while reducing costs, but which also reduces the workload on cleaning staff.
The central components of Nexaro's system, which is certified for industrial use, are the robust and variably deployable robot vacuum Nexaro NR 1500 and the digital platform Nexaro HUB, which combines all functions of cleaning objects and controls them individually as required - irrespective of whether a single Nexaro NR 1500 is in operation or an entire fleet. And it pays off: model calculations show a cost reduction of around 35% compared to conventional structures with traditional staff deployment.
Nexaro's guiding principle is to complement rather than replace. This is because cobotics stands for genuine cooperation between people and state-of-the-art, autonomous robot technology, which relieves the cleaning staff by eliminating the particularly strenuous floor cleaning and work during off-peak hours. As a result, the staff can concentrate on performing more demanding tasks.
In addition to cost reduction and increased cleaning quality, Nexaro customers also benefit from higher flexibility. The Cobot performs its work fully autonomously and can be used flexibly at all times - be it at night or, thanks to low noise emissions, during daytime business hours. A laser sensor is installed for mapping and orientation. This ensures maximum data security, unlike vacuum robots with camera-based navigation.
The Nexaro HUB is responsible for controlling the cobots. The uniform software solution not only guarantees reliable and autonomous work of the cobots, but also facilitates the coordination, control and documentation of all cleaning services and thus ensures a significant increase in efficiency. Only German servers with multi-tenant architecture are used for the Nexaro HUB, so that the technology is fully GDPR-compliant. Reliable connectivity is ensured by an integrated 2G/4G M2M mobile connection - so the device is permanently online, ready for use and remotely controllable without a WLAN connection. The cost of mobile data usage is included in the price of the system.
For maximum flexibility in the design of the costs, customers can choose between two different licensing models for the cobotics system: The Nexaro NR 1500 is available either with a Pro.Multi license of the Nexaro HUB, which has to be paid monthly, or as a bundle with Nexaro NR 1500 and Nexaro HUB at a package price including a 24-month license fee for the Pro.Multi licence.
Behind the cobotics approach is Nexaro, an independent start-up company within the Vorwerk Group. The Nexaro team not only has extensive expertise in the field of cleaning technology, robotics and building cleaning, but was also able to refer to the know-how within the group of companies when developing the cobotics approach. The Nexaro NR 1500 and the Nexaro HUB were developed jointly by Nexaro and Vorwerk Elektrowerke in Wuppertal. Technological highlights include the maintenance-free, brushless high-performance blower motor, which was developed and is produced at the Wuppertal motor factory, and the AI-based mapping technology, which was developed at the Vorwerk Innovation Center in Wuppertal. At the same time, Nexaro has all the freedom it needs to successfully develop the business model and become a driving force for the professional cleaning industry.
The first major customer is already convinced of this. Nexaro has entered into a long-term partnership with the facility service provider Vebego and is supporting the company with its cobotics approach on the path to digitalisation and automation of its services. Vebego was founded in 1943 and today employs more than 40,000 staff in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland. At the same time, Vebego is also involved as a development partner of Nexaro and has contributed the specific know-how of an industry giant to tailor the Nexaro NR 1500 and the Nexaro HUB exactly to the needs of professional cleaning services.
Nexaro is a globally active group with revenue amounting to EUR 3.38 billion and almost 12,000 employees in more than 60 countries (as per Annual Report 2021). As an independent company within the Vorwerk Group, Nexaro benefits on the one hand from the mutual transfer of knowledge and technology and on the other hand has the necessary freedom to develop its business model and become a driving force in the cleaning industry with the innovative Nexaro cobotics approach. Intensive research and development work as well as cooperation with leading companies in the industry have made the development of the Nexaro NR 1500 and the Nexaro HUB software solution possible. In addition to the focus on the highest quality, another focus at Nexaro is on the topics of data security and sustainability.
Since its foundation in 1943, the family-owned company Vebego has developed into a powerful collective. Its more than 40,000 employees work in facilities services and care for clients in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.
15th September 2022