Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
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Connected Cleaning: Karcher focuses on digitalisation
Understanding that more transparency ensures greater efficiency in building cleaning, Karcher is focusing increasingly on its digital range for building cleaning under the title of 'Connected Cleaning'. As a first step, two systems will be merged onto one platform, providing greater transparency of workflows and machine use.
This gives the operator an entirely new information base, which can aid in decision-making and help increase the profitability of the business.
The first element of the new platform is Karcher Fleet: the fleet management system is based on the installation of a mobile communications unit in the cleaning machine. It regularly sends an extensive range of machine data, from localisation to operating times, battery status and maintenance status, to an online customer portal, where a clear graphic representation of this data is provided. Using this information, the facility's manager can, for example, increase machine utilisation or reduce downtimes. There is also the possibility of receiving notifications on a smartphone when unexpected events occur.
The second element - Karcher Manage - allows cleaning processes to be recorded with a barcode scanner. This makes it possible to determine the time spent on any type of room (e.g. office, corridor, kitchen, stairwell, toilet) to which specific cleaning activities have been assigned.
This is useful both for the final costing of contracts, and for the preparation of new quotes.
At the same time, the completion of work is also documented. As an additional option, Karcher Manage allows the facility's manager to conduct quality control of the work using a smartphone app: using a simple colour coding system, the cleanliness of individual rooms can be assessed.
Connected Cleaning is based on the ongoing process of digitalisation and the developments arising from this, such as the Internet of Things or machine-to-machine communication. Dr Friedrich Völker, Head of Digital Products at Karcher, points out the potential of the new solution:
"With Connected Cleaning, we are laying the foundation for utilising future developments in building digitalisation for the efficient execution of cleaning tasks. If, for example, the lift reports the number of people on each floor, or a certain vending machine is used particularly frequently, cleaning can be performed based on need rather than a rigid cleaning plan.
"Connected Cleaning from Karcher is a new concept for networked cleaning. From now on, digital products and services will interact more and more, creating the basis for optimisations and efficiency increases in the daily tasks of building service contractors."
12th May 2016