ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION The future of cobot cleaning


Bradley Reames, Managing Director at Peartree Cleaning, looks forward to what's in store for the cobotics market.


Collaborative robots, or ‘cobots’, have become increasingly important to the commercial cleaning industry. Unlike traditional industrial robots, which require isolation from human workers, cobots are designed to safely work alongside people, augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them.


Cobots can perform repetitive, time-consuming tasks, freeing cleaning operatives to focus on higher-value activities. However, like any new technology, there are pros and cons which need to be considered.


Automating labour-intensive tasks


As a leading commercial cleaning company, technology is crucial to our business. We’ve fully embraced new and innovative cleaning solutions that deliver efficiencies for us and our clients, and there’s no doubt cobots can help us achieve these. We recently invested over £200,000 in new ZAKO X1000 cobots to use specifically at our open plan office contracts, meaning we can free our workers to take on more value-adding tasks.


Limited operational benefits


For other companies who specialise in office cleaning, cobots may offer limited operational benefits. While they’re excellent at performing repetitive and structured tasks, they struggle with real-world environments. Cobots can’t open doors or navigate complex environments like offices with obstacles like chairs, cables and clutter. They’re also significantly slower than people, lacking the dexterity to perform simple cleaning tasks such as wiping down surfaces and edges, cleaning windows or emptying bins, which require fine motor skills and adaptability – tasks our cleaning operatives perform on a daily basis.


For many clients, our cleaning teams have worked at their offices for years and have formed great working relationships. Our people often address specific ad- hoc customer needs, respond to questions and provide assistance beyond cleaning duties. Cobots, while efficient, lack the human touch.


High investment costs


As we’ve found, cobots represent a significant upfront cost which many small- to mid-sized cleaning companies may struggle to justify. These costs stem from advanced sensors, software and safety mechanisms needed to ensure cobots can work safely alongside humans. Additionally, initial setup, programming and training expenses add to the upfront investment. While cobots are generally easier to program than traditional industrial robots, they still require skilled labour to integrate them into existing workflows.


Despite these high initial costs, cobots can offer a positive return on investment over time by increasing efficiency,


40 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING


reducing labour costs and enabling flexible automation. For companies with limited capital, this initial expense remains a significant challenge, potentially delaying their adoption.


Energy consumption and


environmental impact Cobots generally consume less energy than traditional industrial robots, making them an eco-friendlier option. Despite their efficiency, the environmental impact of cobots still includes the energy required for their production, as well as the materials used, including metals and plastics. While they can potentially reduce the use of cleaning chemicals and water, cobots require electricity or batteries to operate. This is a big consideration for businesses committed to reducing their energy consumption or carbon footprint.


Finding the right balance


We believe the key to success for commercial cleaning companies lies in finding the right balance between automation and people. We’re wholly committed to using technology to help us work smarter, shown by our recent investment in ZAKO X1000s and our bespoke quality management system. Peartree 360 fully revolutionises service tracking for clients, allowing them to gain access to real-time data encompassing various aspects of their account, such as health and safety, sustainability, quality audits, management visits, PPMs, staff training records and invoicing.


As technology continues advancing, cobots will likely play a more prominent role in commercial cleaning. However, whilst they can arguably improve efficiency in certain tasks, at the moment they come with eyewatering investment costs, and more importantly for us reduced flexibility in environments we specialise in.


While they’re unlikely to replace cleaning operatives in the near future, cobots can be a valuable tool in supporting them. By automating repetitive tasks and enabling human workers to focus on more complex responsibilities, we believe they can help cleaning companies create safer, cleaner and more sustainable environments for everyone.


www.peartreecleaning.co.uk x.com/TomoCleaning


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64