ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Today was the first day of Interclean Amsterdam Online - Innovation Day - where the four category winners of the Amsterdam Innovation Award 2020 were announced. Interclean Amsterdam was due to take place this week, however it has been postponed to November because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the current situation impacts the entire world everyone has become more focused on hygiene and cleaning. The Amsterdam Innovation Award highlights all the latest developments and innovations in the professional cleaning sector.

The winners are:

Machines, accessories and components - LeoBot by LionsBot. The jury voted Leobot by Lionsbot as the category winner because the family of floor cleaning robots is capable of performing a range of tasks. This socialised robot is able to build a relationship with human cleaners through continuous interaction with the environment. This way, LeoBot elevates the cleaners' status and motivation, helping them to take pride in their job. The robot brings cleaning out into the public domain in a fun and positive way.

The other finalists in this category were Whiz by ICE and Softbank Robotics, and ERA PRO from Sprintus.

Equipment, detergents and washroom - VacuTronic by Hermes. A new part of the Hermes system, the VacuTronic aids every area of façade cleaning - all while catching the wastewater created by this process.

The jury was impressed by the simplicity of this tool and the potential impact on the operators' tasks. An affordable, easy-to-use system with many applications, Hermes's wastewater collection tool can be used for all types of façade cleaning. It is a practical solution to a widespread problem; protecting the environment by preventing contaminated water from seeping into the ground.

The other finalists in this category were Zero Waste Cleaning: Reduce + Reuse + Recycle by green care Professional and TWT Solar System by TWT.

E-Cleaning - ToolSense IOT & ToolSense NOW by ToolSense. ToolSense aims to eliminate sub-optimal machine use and failure through the digitisation of cleaning processes at a fraction of the cost of other systems.

The combination of practical and affordable solution for digitising cleaning machines was a decisive factor for the jury. It can be used with any brand of cleaning machines and operates across all manufacturers' products. The system is easy to apply to both large and small cleaning machines and captures a wide variety of smart data. Large or small, it is accessible to all cleaning operations.

The other finalists in this category were TASKI IntelliTrail Analytics by TASKI, Diversey and TORK Digital Cleaning Plans by Essity.

Related Products/Services - Tork Virtual Reality Clean Hands Training by Tork (Essity). An interactive hand hygiene training simulation, Tork Virtual Reality Clean Hands Training puts users in the role of a nurse or physician - gaining feedback on their hand hygiene compliance.

The jury was highly impressed by this user-friendly method of maintaining hand hygiene compliance in healthcare settings. The accessibility of ensuring ongoing training on-site in order to improve standards is a true innovation. The Virtual Reality approach is essential to stimulate behavioural change in a fun and engaging way.

The other finalists in this category were Recycle Factory by Spectro and Kärcher Battery Universe by Kärcher.

Michelle Marshall, chairman of the jury and ECJ editor commented: "Once again this year we on the jury have been given a fascinating, and sometimes challenging, task. There were so many diverse products to evaluate and compare - from all sectors of the market - that selecting the final nominees was complex.

"We can see three main themes emerge time and again - digitisation, robotics and sustainability. The vast majority of products we have chosen to be finalists in our four categories highlight one or more of those trends.

"It's encouraging to observe that the solutions developed by our finalists are focusing on their clients' needs against the backdrop of those global trends. The goal is clearly to offer meaningful benefits within the context of an everyday cleaning operation. It's all very well to generate vast amounts of data through digitisation, but how can it be used to impact on productivity and profitability? What can a robotic cleaning machine offer that a human being cannot, when the investment is relatively high? How do we differentiate what a ‘sustainable' product or service is, and does it hold up under scrutiny? These are questions we must all ask.

"Alongside these ‘megatrends' we must always remember that people are at the centre of any cleaning operation and it was encouraging to see our finalists have really considered the needs of the operatives who will be using their products and solutions. What we see here is a group of solutions that aims to make the job of the operative more streamlined, less labour intensive and more ergonomic - achieving an all-round ‘smarter' way of doing what can be a challenging and fatiguing job."

She added: "Of course we cannot talk about our sector without mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented event has brought cleaning out into the public consciousness in a way we have never seen before. As plans are made around the world about how we move forward, the industry will undoubtedly have a crucial role to play in sharing expertise, developing strategy and managing the practicalities of safeguarding hygienic environments.

"Maybe now is the time the cleaning industry will finally have the recognition it deserves."

The overall winner of the Amsterdam Innovation Award will be announced during the live exhibition from November 3-6. Meanwhile, there is a programme of events taking place online throughout this week. The Healthcare Cleaning Forum takes place tomorrow (Wednesday).

Click here to register.