ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The B60/10 C MopVac from Kärcher was declared the best innovation for the cleaning industry when it was announced as the winner of the Amsterdam Innovation Award at today's opening ceremony for ISSA/INTERCLEAN 2014 in the Netherlands.

It was chosen to be awarded the overall prize from the three category winners - the other two were Wetrok and ECMR.

The results of this year's competition were announced at a gala ceremony hosted by Dutch television celebrity Pernille La Lau. Chairman of the judges Michelle Marshall, editor of European Cleaning Journal, revealed the winners.

The winning product fills the gap between the scrubber dryer and the bucket and wiping mop for daily intermediate cleaning of hard floors. Key to the system is the mechanical pump for vacuuming waste water, which means there is no need for electricity or batteries.

Michelle Marshall explained: "The judges voted the Kärcher B60/10 C as the overall winner of the 2014 Amsterdam Innovation Award because the company has shown great understanding of its market and customers' needs in developing a brand new floor cleaning solution. By developing this MopVac Kärcher has filled the gap between the mop and bucket and scrubber dryer.

"It can clean open areas five times faster than a regular mop however it is much more economical and cost-effective than a scrubber dryer. And the fact there is no need for electricity or battery power - the floor is dried using a vacuum pump - makes this tool ultimately simple and cost-effective to use and maintain, as well as being eco-efficient."

Marshall concluded: "Very importantly, the B60/10 C potentially opens up new markets around the world to more cost-effective and professional floor cleaning. For example cleaning operations which may currently be using mops but cannot justify the investment required for a scrubber dryer may be able to move up to the level of the new MopVac and improve the quality of their service."

Winner in the category Machines, Accessories and Components was Wetrok for the Discomatic Mambo compact scrubber dryer, and in Management, Training Solutions and Related Product the award went to European Cleaning Machines Recycling (ECMR) for its cleaning machine recycling service. The Kärcher B60/10 C was the category winner in Equipment/Tools for Cleaning, Care and Safety.

For more detailed news about the winners see the June/July edition of ECJ. Click here to register for your copy.