ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The 2010 ISSA/INTERCLEAN Innovation Award was presented during a gala opening ceremony on the first day of the exhibiton. Here, ECJ takes a closer look at the overall  winner - the Travelator Cleaner from Baudoin - and the category winning products from Kärcher and Alpheios.

The Travelator Cleaner from Baudoin Wash-Systems was declared the best innovation for the professional cleaning industry at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN exhibition in Amsterdam last week. It was chosen to be awarded the overall prize from the three category winners – the other two being Kärcher and Alpheios International.

Chairman of the jury judging the award Michelle Marshall – editor of European Cleaning Journal – explained why Baudoin was declared the winner. “The sheer originality of this product was what impressed the judging panel most,” she explained. “The Travelator Cleaner brings mechanised cleaning to an entirely new sector of the industry – large expanses of glass which are hard-to-reach and difficult to tackle for cleaning staff. This new machine makes this
task infinitely more ergonomic and it makes more sense in terms of productivity and cost-efficiency.”

Winner in the category ‘Machines, accessories and components’ category was Kärcher for its stand-on scrubber dryer BD 50/40 RS. In the category ‘Cleaning management and training solutions’ Alpheios International won with its Vive Sustainability Scan.

Baudoin Wash  Systems - Travelator Cleaner

The Travelator Cleaner runs on a battery which allows it to  be used for a full day before requiring re-charging. The first step in cleaning the black marks and dirt on glass is to place the machine on a non-operating travelator. The side panels will hydraulically slide out and be placed on the glass at equal pressure. The panels automatically adjust to the different travelator heights. The six round microfibre pads start rotating cross wise and, if you activate the spraying system, the pads will start cleaning the glass.

The high-quality spraying system sprays a very thin film of aqua pure water with glass protector which in combination with the microfibre pads will easily clean the most heavily polluted surfaces and provides a spotless result. The Travelator Cleaner can be used for a full day without requiring refilling thanks to its five litre reservoir.

Kärcher  - BD 50/40 RS 
This compact product with 50 cm working width and a maximum speed of 5 km/h is able to clean areas between 700 – 2500 m² productively and energy efficiently. The small turning radius of 1.2 m enables the cleaning of and turning in very narrow corridors. The field of vision starts only 30 cm from the front end of the machine and extends as far as the user’s eye can see. The system persuades with clear, well-arranged operating elements.

The operating functions such as deep cleaning, maintenance, transport drive as well as the environmentally compatible Eco mode are easy to understand. In Eco mode, for instance, cleaning is automatically very quiet. The unique pivoting squeegee system provides added value. The squeegee pivots on the brush and ensures the complete absorption of water.

Alpheios  - Vive Sustainability Scan

The scan offers organisations a concrete implementation plan. It quickly highlights which areas an organisation is or is not cleaning sustainably and whether strategic goals are being achieved in daily operation. The scan includes a cost/benefit analysis so customers can choose which investments in methodology, resources and training will enable them to improve the sustainability of their cleaning. It provides a step-by-step implementation plan by means of which sustainable cleaning can be implemented. The Sustainability Consultant analyses, trains and supervises the cleaning staff  and their managers.

• Read the ECJ review of the exhibition