ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

From the nine finalists for the Amsterdam Innovation Award 2012, the category winners and overall winner have now been selected by the international trade jury. The winners will be announced on the first day of the exhibition, Tuesday May 8.

This year's competition attracted over 70 entries. There are three categories:

Machines, accessories and components

Nilfisk-Advance for the CS7000 - This sweeper-scrubber hybrid, powered by battery or LPG, is said to be greener and smarter than existing models. Claiming to be the industry's first hybrid combo, the company claims that cost of ownership can be slashed thanks to the 30 per cent fuel cost reduction. The CS700 is equipped with the Ecoflex system and heated cleaning water to improve cleaning performance without adding more detergent. The retractable offset deck and breakaway squeegee make it easy to use, and easy to service. And it has been designed to cut down on maintenance costs.

Kärcher for the B 80 W - Featuring the Intelligent Key operating system that enables every user to set up an individual profile. The key can be used to set varying levels of authorised access by means of colour-coded keys (yellow for operator, grey for facility manager, red for service technician). It is used to transmit the settings to the machine and all the operator has to do is use the rotary switch to select the appropriate cleaning programme.
For more energy efficient and environmentally conscious cleaning, the Eco!efficiency mode can be selected.

Wetrok for iMatic Vive - With the iMatic Vive sustainability leads to profitability says Wetrok. It maximises performance with a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) used in Formula 1 cars. This enhances autonomy because braking energy is led back to the batteries. Together with features as speed adjusted water supply and chemical dosage, this Vive configuration is claimed to lead to between 25 and 60 per cent more autonomy. The dosage
system takes into account the viscosity of chemicals and the moving speed, so no water is ever wasted.

As the iMatic Vive is fully computer operated it can be completely configured by service engineers. The client can decide to what extent the operator can change the settings, however it is essentially a 'touch and go' machine.

Equipment/tools for cleaning, care and safety

Vermop for the Mag System - The Mag System stands for a completely new way of attaching mop covers to the holder says Vermop. The system uses natural magnetism to facilitate attachment of the mop. Magnets in the holder and metal disks in the mop come together practically by themselves. Moreover, one Mag holder can be used with four different types of mop. This significantly reduces both the training and set-up time in the premises.

The classic mop holder is done away with, instead the Mag system has a flexible interior that gives it optimum stability when mopping. The Mag holder can accommodate the Mag Twixster double mop, Mag Sprint flat mop, Mag Scandic dry mop and Mag Aquva wet wiping mop - making it possible to carry out all mopping tasks with just one handle and holder.

Rubbermaid for the Hygen Clean Water System (CWS) - Rubbermaid's Hygen Clean Water System (CWS) is a floor mopping system that incorporates a filter mop bucket/wringer, a mop handle, frame and a variety of double-sided microfibre flat mops. It says the integrated water filter improves productivity, and reduces water and chemical usage.

The water filter allows the operator to mop with one full bucket for the entire shift, eliminating trips to refill - says Rubbermaid. In fact it says water and chemical usage can be reduced by up to 75 per cent. The bucket also has built-in mop scrubbers that clean the mop as it goes through the wringer. And CWS mops can be laundered up to 1,000 times.

CWS boco for the Washroom Information Service (WIS) - CWS boco claims to be optimising employment of washroom resources with its Washroom Information Service (WIS), which allows wireless transmission of cotton towel dispenser data.

Data received is transformed into real-time information exclusive to each customer ('dispenser empty', 'dispenser defect' etc). Staff on-site can then react immediately and long term reports regarding consumption and frequencies produced for analysis, control and planning.
Reports are transmitted automatically via a defined media (eg, mobile phone, email) and within a certain timeframe.

Cleaning management and training solutions

Alpheios for the Infection Prevention Monitor (IPM) - IPM provides healthcare institutions with an overview of how they are dealing with protocols for infection prevention. Independent hygienists doing rounds with an IPM app on an iPad provide a full report with directly implementable advice for performance improvement. IPM looks beyond hygiene and cleaning: for example, it also looks at the handling of patients, wound care, medication and food handling.

IPM indicates whether staff are complying with the protocols of infection prevention and offers practical advice on improvements in order to combat the risk of infection. The system is based on modules.

Diversey for iMap (new and improved) - iMap is a data collection and reporting solution, now available on most smart devices (phones, tablets, laptops, etc). It is a multi-lingual system with enhanced capabilities for audit creation, photo capture, email alerts, corrective action planning, online reports, dashboards and data analysis. Applications include food safety, cleaning quality, equipment service, corporate sustainability and more.

The audit creation tool offers flexibility to create complex question trees with custom scoring methodology. Underlying issues of non-compliance can be captured at the time of inspection. And individual results, analytical reports and dashboards of KPIs are available within minute of upload. Report views and access are filtered based on user profile and authorisation level.

Ecolab for ProTec Maxi Quik Fill -The Protec Maxi Quik Fill is a safety concept for transport, handling and storage of cleaning chemicals connected to the Maxi Quik Fill scrubber dryer filling station. It integrates a pallet, a collection container and a suction lance in one barrel. This allows for a faster and safer change of the barrels that stand under the Maxi Quik Fill station.

The originality of the system, says Ecolab, is in the design that integrates the pallet into the leakage collector tub of the drum. This allows for a drum change within 30 seconds without real physical effort. The suction lance is built into the drum to avoid product dropping when exchanging the drums.

There is no packaging waste as the empty ProTec drum is returned, rinsed and reused. And no product spillage means increased safety for the operator, along with the ability to move drums without lifting them.

New for this year is Visitors' Choice award, whereby all registered visitors get the opportunity to vote for the new product which they believe is the most innovative this year. To have your vote visit http://www.issainterclean.com/amsterdamen/innovations-awards/Pages/Visitors-choice-award.aspx

The big announcement will be made next Tuesday, May 8, at the Elicium. All Innovation Award entries can be recognised around the exhibition by the floor sticker on their stands. Visit the ECJ website at www.europeancleaningjournal.com on the day of the awards ceremony and read about the winners there first.