Robot cleaners at your service: How the Internet of Clean is changing the image of the cleaning industry

Imagine a hotel where all cleaning operations are monitored and managed
remotely, maintenance is predicted, uptime is optimized, and trouble-shooting
solutions are just a click away.
Automation and equipment connectivity is transforming efficiency and effectiveness
of cleaning and hygiene regimes in kitchens, guest rooms, laundries and public
areas. With tightening labor markets and at the same time, owners and guests
each looking for more value from hotel management groups, new technologies are
emerging to change the game to drive improved productivity and results. Many
governments are now engaging with business to offer incentives and support to
adopt technology that empowers a leaner way of working. This article shares
insight into the next epoch of cleaning and hygiene and how governments and
businesses are forming alliances to support the latest in cleaning robotics,
remote monitoring and cloud based information intelligence.

The evolution of cleaning in Asia
Pacific has been rapid. Let’s call the first epoch “Mops and Buckets”. Ten
years ago, mops, rags and buckets, together with the strong backs of workers,
cleaned most surfaces. Then came the second epoch and we can call it “Tools and
Materials”.  Over time, cleaning
companies used customized tools and materials that dramatically improved
hygiene and cleaning levels, and to a degree, productivity. Micro-fibre
replaced rags, pre-wet mops replaced buckets, and customized trollies and
cleaning machines helped ease the stress on those sore backs.  However, the perception of potential workers
regarding cleaning is still stuck in the Mop-and-Bucket epoch. Also, the
productivity and hygiene improvements rendered during the “Tools and Materials”
epoch have largely been maximized.

The third and next epoch is an
exciting one and we would like to call it the “Internet of Clean”.  This is where the game is changing and
perceptions are shifting.  Cloud-based
data, remote monitoring and measuring, and robotics will not only drive the
next leap in productivity but will also help to forever shift the perception of
cleaning from that of a Mop and
Bucket  to one that is knowledge-based
and  more desirable to potential
employees.

Like many other industries, the
cleaning industry is undergoing a facelift through disruptive technologies that
are driving greater automation. While this trend is reducing the amount of
physical labour needed for cleaning jobs, it is at the same time enhancing the
productivity and efficiency of workers in this industry.

In Singapore, the government is
looking to improve standards and productivity within the cleaning sector
through the implementation of a cleaning licensing regime[1].
It emphasizes the need for cleaners to hone their skills and expertise by
participating in workforce skill qualification courses and learning how to operate
specialized cleaning machines, such as robotic cleaning machines to improve
productivity.

A productive cleaning industry
that is also at the same time sustainable, makes good business sense. Smart
cleaning technology across different equipment and platforms can help
businesses be more sustainable and efficient by reducing water and chemical
usage, strengthening chemical dosing accuracy, improving hygiene compliance and
raising labor productivity and safety.

For example, the use of the right robotic
cleaning machines will not only reduce water and chemistry waste, but also
increase productivity through the planning of cleaning routes in advance. While
a typical cleaner would be able to clean 300 square metres of floor area per
hour, a robotic cleaning machine is able to clean three times the area in the
same amount of time, without the need for breaks. The robots can also be
programmed to travel along the planned route, sensing and reacting to obstacles
along the way. With this, cleaners can be re-deployed to perform other cleaning
tasks and re-trained to perform higher skilled tasks, while the robots take
over the large-scale routine cleaning tasks that typically require many hours
of manual labour. Currently, Intellibots – Sealed Air’s robotic cleaning
machines – are deployed at places such as Changi Airport and Marina Bay Sands
in Singapore.

Robotics is just one facet of the
next epoch of cleaning which will be an exciting journey ahead, as more
emerging technologies define the future of cleaning.

At Sealed Air, we are defining
this future through the  Internet of Clean™ (IoC), which is a
platform that connects machines, dispensers, sensors and other smart devices. While
not all cleaning tasks can be replaced with connected solutions, technological
advances can be further developed and customized to meet the needs of the
cleaning industry and transform businesses from reactive to proactive and
predictive. Cleaners and robots of the future will be working hand in hand to
meet the ever-increasing standards of cleaning.

The Internet of Clean is Sealed Air’s
vision of a future that involves workers working with smart technologies in
highly connected facilities. It is already defining the future through a wave
of innovations that include the Intellicare,
which helps to monitor hand hygiene to prevent infection and improve working
productivity; Intellidish,
a cloud-based monitoring system that offers a customized and connected approach
to industrial dishwashing; Intellibot
floor cleaning robots; and IntelliTrail, a remote cleaning fleet management tool. Smartview
is another IoC technology that has been deployed in thousands of sites in
Europe, and in Asia, it is already in use by a hotel in India for real-time
monitoring and reporting of cleaning tasks in their rooms.

The inclusion of robotic and
internet technology within the cleaning industry will help to enhance the image
of the cleaning industry, to one that is professional and productive, thereby
bringing about a gradual change in attracting younger and technically qualified
workers into the industry, whilst making our environment greener for the
future. Indeed, it is exciting times ahead for the industry.