Earlier this summer, Richard Comer, Nilfisk’s Mid-Atlantic Senior Region Manager, participated in a video interview with Maureen Paraventi, Editor-in-Chief of Workplace Material Handling & Safety. They talked about cleaning assessments, types of cleaning equipment available for warehouses and distribution centers, and the latest advances in autonomous cleaning machines.
Watch the full video or read an edited summary of the Q&A below.
COVID has prompted companies to prioritize cleanliness and hygiene. What’s the first step in deciding what kind of cleaning equipment to use?
Every facility has a unique set of environments and microenvironments. But when it comes to cleaning equipment, we recommend that everyone start at the same place -- with an assessment to determine what’s working well and where there’s room for improvement.
Nilfisk offers free cleaning assessments where our reps will visit a facility to determine the cleaning challenges, answer any questions, and provide machine recommendations.
Request your free cleaning assessment.
In a warehouse or distribution center, how would you use a hot water high-pressure washer? What are the benefits? Is it hard to train employees to use it?
Hot water has been a tried and true cleaning method for decades. Studies have shown that at 140°F, bacteria is reduced by 90%; at 176°F, bacteria are reduced by 97%.
In most cases, hot water is also a very efficient solution. The faster you can clean a surface, the less water you use. In addition, you can clean many surfaces using just hot water, with no chemicals, so it’s better for the environment overall. Of course, if you want to sanitize, you need to use a sanitizer, which you can also do with a hot water high-pressure washer.
In terms of training, many facilities have pressure washing equipment installed in a utility room with the controls mounted remotely. Using it is just a matter of turning on and off a couple of switches at the control pump. Nilfisk has reps across the country who are available to provide training to make this equipment as easy to use as possible.
What about steamers? Are they effective? When should they be used?
Depending on the application, a steamer can be as effective as a high-pressure washer. What tool to use should be determined on a case-by-case basis. Nilfisk offers a wide variety of options, and our direct sales force can help you assess your needs and find the right solution.
Floors are big repositories of filth in warehouses and distribution centers. How can Nilfisk help companies keep them clean?
Floors are an area of high concern for cleaning and safety. Nilfisk specializes in both hard and soft surfaces, and we have a full portfolio of industrial and commercial sweepers and scrubbers, including walk-behinds, stand-ons, and ride-on options.
We’re also one of the largest global manufacturers of industrial vacuum cleaners, and we offer a range of accessories to clean hard-to-reach places, like under racking or stacks of pallets, as well as overhead pipes, walls, and ceilings.
Again, we would start by looking at the facility -- aisle widths, walkways, loading docks, etc. -- to determine what equipment is the best fit.
Automation is making big roads in all industries, including warehousing and distribution. Can you tell us about Nilfisk’s intelligent cleaning solutions?
Nilfisk has always been at the forefront of cleaning innovation, and we’ve embraced the move toward autonomy. A big benefit of autonomous cleaning is that it allows operators to focus on tasks that require a human touch.
We currently have an autonomous stand-on floor scrubber on the market, the Liberty SC50. It’s fully autonomous, third-party safety certified, and designed to deliver consistent results with minimal oversight, and it has multiple operating modes so its movement can be customized for the facility. Soon, we will be introducing a ride-on option, the Liberty SC60, which has a wider scrub deck as well as some increased capabilities.
Air quality is a big concern, not just for COVID but for respiratory health in general. What products does Nilfisk offer to address air quality and dust control?
Nilfisk has focused on this issue for quite some time. Our industrial vacuums have multi-stage HEPA filtration, and these are true HEPA filters, which means they’ve been independently certified and third-party tested for quality. Some of our sweepers also have HEPA filters.
For dust control, many of our floorcare machines include DustGuard, our patented dust management system, which uses misting to keep dust from becoming dispersed into the air.
What kind of support does Nilfisk offer to make sure customers get a great ROI?
The most important step is the cleaning assessment. Once we have eyes on your facility and understand your business, we can make recommendations that are aligned with your cleaning goals.
We have several programs to support customers after purchase through our nationwide service network. For example, for our vacuums, we offer free 40-point inspections every quarter to make sure the machines are operating optimally.
We offer a couple of training options to help customers deal with turnover, which is persistently high, especially now. Our reps are available to train new operators, and we also have Nilfisk University, a digital platform where operators and their supervisors can learn more about the equipment via informational videos, demonstrations, and more. It’s free and the app is available for any device. We encourage all of our customers to use it.
