Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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SoftBank Robotics EMEA signs strategic partnership in UAE
SoftBank Robotics EMEA has signed a strategic partnership with Jacky's Business Solutions, a leading B2B solutions provider in the UAE.
Under the agreement, Jacky's will now offer Whiz, Softbank Robotics EMEA's first industrial cobotic vacuum sweeper, to its facilities management and cleaning contractor clients.
By implementing Whiz into their cleaning operations, Jacky's can help its clients to significantly improve cleaning performance and drive efficiencies. Importantly, Jacky's can demonstrate innovation and deliver the new approaches contractors need in the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
"We have been a leader in the supply of robotic solutions to our customers and can see huge potential for Whiz to make a real difference to our clients,” says Ashish Panjabi, COO at Jacky's Business Solutions. “There is a genuine hunger to deploy innovation in our region as well as increase cleaning performance and improve hygiene as a result of Covid-19 measures and guidelines that have been put in place by governments. The UAE has shown that businesses, exhibitions, conferences, retail and hospitality can stay open safely during a pandemic.
“Whiz will enable our customers in the FM and cleaning contractors sector meet and exceed service level agreements and provide the data to demonstrate this. We're delighted that we can now bring them Whiz."
Whiz is a simple to use and reliable self-driving cleaning solution designed for vacuuming. It works alongside commercial cleaning teams, taking over repetitive, heavy-duty vacuuming of large areas of flooring, and freeing up workers to focus on high value tasks which make a real difference to service delivery and client satisfaction. For example, the sanitisation of hard surfaces, such as door handles and lift buttons, which is critical in preventing the transmission of Covid-19.
Whiz can clean up to 500 m? per hour and covers 1,800sq.m on a single charge. It delivers greater efficiency and consistency in cleaning performance than traditional approaches, where cleaning teams deploy a 'spot cleaning' method to clean large areas of flooring.
This is the latest in a series of new partnerships that Softbank Robotics EMEA has signed over the last three months, across EMEA, as demand for Whiz continues to grow. Already, Whiz is believed to be the world's number one professional autonomous cleaning robot, based on sales, with more than 16,000 units now in operation globally.
Stefano Bensi, General manager at SoftBank Robotics EMEA, says: "We always look to work with forward-thinking cleaning solutions providers that are committed to delivering innovation and business value to their clients - and to helping them navigate these extremely challenging times. Jacky's is extremely well regarded in the region and we're very excited to be working with its talented and experienced team.
"We're seeing a real surge in demand for Whiz amongst FM providers and cleaning contractors across the whole region as the pandemic continues to disrupt economies and businesses. Contractors are facing huge pressure to deliver improved cleaning performance and consistency, to ensure buildings are safe and hygienic, and to encourage people back to work, as and when lockdown restrictions are eased. Whiz has a big part to play in this, freeing up cleaning staff to focus on high-traffic, high-touch areas, and picking up the slack when team members are absent."
The new partnership brings together Jacky's market-leading experience, knowledge and understanding of the industry right across the UAE, with SoftBank Robotics' heritage and intelligence within technology and innovation.
www.softbankrobotics.com / www.jackys.com
29th April 2021