Multifunctional solutions

Industrial cleaning equipment was one of those services that traditionally was short-term hired when a facility became unacceptably dirty. Warehouse and facility managers simply made a call and in came an unnamed machine often with an open-ended termination date. In most cases this meant short term hire rates merged with the materials handling equipment schedule and a hefty price for delivery and collection. If the time period ran over or someone forgot the machine was in the corner then costs continued to escalate.

It is understandable given the nature of the task in hand. Time and staff pressures, stock control and health and safety issues are all high on a warehouse manager’s agenda. Keeping the site clean is just an additional headache. 

Permanently sited equipment

Recent years however have seen a move towards permanently sited cleaning equipment available for cleaning on a daily basis. Daily cleaning improves standards, reduces slip hazards and saves money from both a machine and logistic cost perspective. Additionally, the development of multi-functional equipment means that one machine may meet all site requirements.

Fit-for-purpose

In reality of course traditional short term hire machines were not always fit-for-purpose. Often ordered in a hurry, what was available on hire stock simply had to suffice. New product development over recent years has significantly improved all elements including productivity, energy usage, maintenance costs and of course all-important performance.

Now, companies such as The Nilfisk Group have developed multifunctional equipment suitable for long term hire in the industrial sector – environmentally-sound equipment, designed to reduce the cost of operation, labour and maintenance, whilst effectively increasing fuel economy and runtime efficiency.

Sweeper-scrubber

Nilfisk's CS7000 combination sweeper-scrubber, for example, is available in three models: The LPG-Hybrid and ePower Battery versions are designed for indoor use whilst the Diesel-Hybrid engine driven machine is suitable for outdoor use. New productivity standards of 7756m2/h are claimed. A feature of the CS7000 is its hot water scrubbing facility which allows efficient cleaning of highly soiled areas. Water is heated to 55° and can be used with or without concentrated chemical as required.

The CS7000 uses state of the art electric drive technology, enabling reduced emissions with the LPG and Diesel models and emission-free indoor operation with the E Power technology on the battery models. The electric Hybrid technology means that the engine drives a large alternator to generate electricity and a 36 volt battery pack provides energy storage. This Hybrid system is said to provide a fuel saving of up to 30%.

Other features of the CS7000 include:

•  1540mm sweeping path, 1245 mm scrub width

•  Up to 182 kg of brush pressure for tough applications

•  High pressure washer

•  Hot water scrubbing to 55°

•  No tools replacement of consumable parts

•  Ecological option of the Ecoflex system

•  5.4 hours run time on the ePower battery version

Day-to-day scrubber dryers

Ride on scrubber dryers form the product backbone for daily warehouse cleaning. The Nilfisk BR1100S ride on scrubber dryer, for example, has a large variety of disc and cylindrical scrubbing decks that are easily interchangeable. Users can choose from 1100 or 1300mm cleaning widths with the cylindrical side brooms eliminating the need for manual sweeping along the edge of the racks.

 The BR1100S has a capacity of 265L, a working speed of 9km/h and one touch controls. Water pick up is a critical issue on site and Nilfisk says this unit provides 100% water pick up even on tight turns. The BR1100S comes complete with the Eco Dosage Solution (EDS) system which eliminates water and detergent waste. The system works by reducing water consumption and ensuring correct dilution ratios thereby saving chemical product and cost.