Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
A welcome return and a novel machine
Making a welcome return after too long an absence from this show, is British manufacturer Dowding & Plummer and its Victor floor cleaning machines. Mention this manufacturer and its brand to anyone who’s been in the industry for any time and they will immediately picture a rotary floor cleaning machine, so what surprised us was rectangular shape of the machines on display (as you can see for yourself in our image which also features the Managing Director Barney Dowding.
Both Barney and cleaning industry stalwart John McCormick, who has recently joined the company, explained that the Victor LMX Excel is designed to change cleaning. Once we’d learnt how the machine worked, we couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been entered into the Innovation Awards…
One thing this battery-operated machine does which a rotary doesn’t, is clean right up to the edges. It’s also very easy to handle, as we discovered when we tried it for ourselves. We can understand why John said it required virtually no training!
Using a series of pads and cloths specifically designed to deliver the best possible cleaning results, the machine uses minimal water and is ideal for anything from removing black scuff marks as part of a daily maintenance routine, to periodic heavier scrubbing jobs. It has a scrubbing sponge pad at the front to deliver a deep scrubbing action that removes most dirt and stains and which is particularly effective on black scuff marks. Sitting just behind this pad is a drying pad that absorbs any water, dirt and residue released by the sponge. Fitted under the machine, a microfibre cloth delivers excellent cleaning performance when used dry for dust control or damp for cleaning sensitive environments.
“We’ve kept it as simple as possible,” explained Barney, who said that a lot of work had gone in to controlling the vibration one often associates with a hand operated floor cleaning machine. “It offers great results, is safe and easy to use and it’s gone down very well with those who’ve trialled it.
“One particular advantage is that it’s a modular system in as much as if budgets are low or there isn’t much space to store cleaning equipment, the different sized heads can be purchased separately from the rest of the machine and interchanged to suit the job in hand.”
The machines are currently offered in three sizes which denote the cleaning width in centimetres: The LMX 40 , LMX 60 and LMX 80. Each has approximately two hours’ runtime and a six hour charge time. And of course a spare, charged battery or two can be taken to the job to extend runtime if required.
Barney revealed that the company is seeking distributors both in the UK and overseas.
I can’t leave this part of my write-up without thanking the company’s Phil Broderick for kindly helping me up the stairs with my heavy suitcase as I was leaving the exhibition (having arrived straight from the airport). Thank you Phil!
T: (UK) 0121 765 2345 / (International) +44 121 765 2330
7th May 2014