ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION
Cleaning, connected
Alexander Manafi, Co-Founder and CEO of ToolSense, discusses the benefits of having all machines, tools and robots in one central hub.
Managing machines, equipment and tools is a massive challenge for cleaning companies – especially when it’s still done manually. Introducing a centralised Internet of Things (IoT) platform as the foundation for a modern, vendor-neutral fleet management system can help to streamline operations and improve transparency.
Challenges in the cleaning industry
The cleaning sector is facing multiple pressures: rising costs, growing customer expectations, increasing documentation requirements and a shortage of skilled labour. At the same time, the range of equipment types – from traditional machines and handheld tools to autonomous robots – is growing rapidly.
Digital technologies like IoT are becoming increasingly relevant to address these challenges. They offer the ability to monitor, control and optimise processes and devices – but only if they are implemented in a way that breaks down silos and enables data to flow across the organisation.
Fragmented systems and manual effort
Despite advances in other areas like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or quality control, equipment and fleet management in many cleaning companies remains fragmented. Information is spread across Excel lists, paper checklists, individual OEM portals and sometimes even WhatsApp chats.
This fragmentation is particularly problematic in the context of robotics. While autonomous machines are gaining traction due to their potential to address labour shortages and cost pressures, they often come with separate apps and portals that don’t integrate with existing workflows. As a result, robots become yet another isolated system, instead of contributing to a more integrated operational setup.
42 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING A common real life example
A robotics technician at a well-known cleaning company in Germany and Austria shared that his daily routine starts with logging into seven different apps to check whether any cleaning robots failed overnight. If an issue is detected, a chain of manual coordination follows: calling the site manager, troubleshooting remotely, potentially traveling to the location and contacting the manufacturer directly – often by email or phone. This process is time-consuming, error-prone and results in extended machine downtimes.
Core problem areas
Two central challenges make holistic digital fleet management difficult in practice: 1. Too many systems, no central view
Cleaning companies often operate equipment from multiple OEMs. Each of them typically provides its own telematics solution, but these are rarely compatible or connected. Real-time monitoring, cross-vendor reporting or centralised decision making is often impossible. As robotic systems are added into the mix, the complexity further increases – along with the risk of duplicating work and missing critical alerts.
2. No IoT coverage for small or older devices
While high-value machines or robotics units increasingly have built-in connectivity, this is not the case for smaller assets such as vacuum cleaners, single-disc machines or aging equipment. Without basic runtime or location tracking, these devices remain blind spots in fleet planning and usage optimisation.
One central platform for everything
A way forward lies in creating a single platform that consolidates machine, tool and robotic data – regardless of manufacturer, type or age. This not only reduces complexity for site managers and technicians, but also allows for more consistent processes across the organisation.
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