ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION
The critical factor in cleaning technology success
Peter Smyth, Director of Innovation & Technology at Bidvest Noonan, on why human judgement determines whether technology delivers value or sits idle.
Technology adoption across the cleaning sector is accelerating. Companies are rolling out autonomous floor scrubbers, occupancy sensors and digital operations platforms.
At Bidvest Noonan, we’re at the forefront of this, and data supports the trend. The International Federation of Robotics reported 34% growth in cleaning robotics installations last year, and our own research validates this continued interest, with expectations of increased investment across facilities management technologies in the coming years.
However, technology is only as good as the people making decisions around it. Sophisticated equipment won’t deliver value without proper deployment decisions, team preparation and clear leadership objectives.
Decisions, not demonstrations
The difference between a robot that adds value and one that sits idle comes down to deployment decisions. Which areas should it cover? When should it run? How does it fit with the existing team’s workflow? These are operational questions requiring understanding of the site, service requirements and team dynamics.
The difference between occupancy sensors that improve service and ones that generate meaningless data comes down to someone interpreting what the numbers actually mean for that specific site. The difference between a digital platform that enhances operations and one that creates admin burden comes down to how someone configures it for their team’s reality.
Technology vendors will show you impressive demonstrations, but what works brilliantly in a busy office may not work as well in a shopping centre or manufacturing environment. The human operator, the human leader, brings context that no algorithm has.
What we’re seeing in practice
In our operations, cobots handle repetitive floor coverage work. What’s made them effective is that our cleaning teams can now spend more time on touchpoint cleaning and supporting busy areas during peak periods. That’s where visible service quality actually lives.
The employment question always comes up. In my experience, cobots haven’t eliminated roles in the way they have in other industries. They’ve improved efficiency, helped us raise service quality, added resilience to our teams and improved team satisfaction because the work is less physically demanding. The real benefits we’ve been able to achieve for our customers include improved productivity,
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better service consistency, improved sustainability and enhanced operational resilience.
Implementation determines outcomes
As early adopters, we’ve seen deployments that worked brilliantly very quickly, and others that have taken a little more time to get right. The difference wasn’t the technology: it was how well we’d prepared the team, how clearly we’d defined the operating model and how effectively we’d managed the change process.
We see time and again the value of good training. It’s critical that when organisations are planning technology deployments, they invest as much thought and resource into training and change management as they do into the technology itself. Hardware and software are important, but they’re only enablers: people determine whether they actually deliver value.
“Technology amplifies capability when used well.”
Successful deployments share a pattern: senior leadership who understand that technology is a means, not an end. Teams who are brought into the planning process early. Clear expectations about what will change and what won’t. Ongoing support as people adapt.
Looking ahead
The next wave brings more integration – sensors talking to robots, robots and management systems generating vast amounts of data. Cleaning will increasingly adapt to real building usage, supporting by digital twins and remote oversights.
This doesn’t reduce the need for human judgement: it increases it. The organisations that succeed won’t be those with the most advanced tools, but those that understand technology should serve people and operations, not the other way around.
The 34% growth in cleaning robotics is significant, but it doesn’t guarantee outcomes. Those are determined by how thoughtfully technology is deployed, how well teams are supported and whether leadership prioritises service quality over efficiency metrics alone.
Technology amplifies capability when used well. When used poorly, it creates problems. The difference is human judgement.
www.bidvestnoonan.com
x.com/TomoCleaning
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