Going virtual
Technology to be topical at this month’s virtual Manchester Cleaning Show event, says Jim Melvin, Deputy Chairman of the British Cleaning Council.
The role of innovation in producing advanced cleaning and hygiene technology to assist in protecting people from Coronavirus is sure to be one of the most interesting topics at the virtual conference and exhibition which sadly replaced the Manchester Cleaning Show, which takes place this month.
The continuation of, and concerns from, Coronavirus are significantly increasing the demand for cleaning robots and co-bots, which are designed to work with humans.
This pandemic has put the spotlight on cleanliness and hygiene in a way I’ve rarely seen within my career in the business. Higher standards, visibility and transparency within cleaning are being implemented across the world in order to reassure people that it is safe to go about their daily lives.
Cleaning robots and co-bots are playing an important role in achieving that, with a few examples springing to mind:
• Luton Airport has introduced innovative robotic cleaning and sanitising equipment into its daily cleaning operations.
• Walmart, America's biggest retailer, is using robots to clean floors.
• A Danish firm making ultraviolet light disinfection robots has shipped hundreds of its machines to hospitals around the globe.
Rather than replacing people, robots are often being used in addition to the human workforce to help reach the standards required. The collaboration can work in a number of ways:
• Floor cleaning robots free up cleaning operatives to concentrate on touchpoints.
•
In hospitals, UV rays produced by robots are making certain that places cleaned by human workers are as germ-free as possible.
• Robots are being used to help provide highly visible daytime cleaning.
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Whilst there will continue to be a place for cleaning and hygiene operatives as people always like to deal with other people, we could finally be seeing the rise of the robots which has been predicted for years. The pandemic could prove to be a tipping point after which cleaning robots and co-bots become commonplace, working alongside their human colleagues.
The role of technology is one of the subjects covered in the recorded presentations which are part of the package this month’s virtual conference and exhibition offers. The presentations feature expert industry figures and high- profile business leaders discussing a wide range of topics which are relevant to everyone from within the cleaning and hygiene sector.
National and international exhibitors will include some of the world’s biggest and most innovative cleaning and hygiene suppliers. The event will showcase the vital work our sector has played in tackling Coronavirus and highlight how the industry can continue to support the economy to reopen safely. All told, it should be a fascinating, unmissable occasion for anyone working in or connected to the cleaning and hygiene industry.
Of course, we would have preferred to have been able to go-ahead with the physical event, and everyone within the British Cleaning Council was sad to have to postpone the Manchester Cleaning Show until September 2021, but it was undoubtedly the right course of action.
We had hoped the local lockdown in Manchester might have been lifted this month. Instead, and understandably, the Government introduced new restrictions in response to the alarming increase in infections. In those circumstances, the health and wellbeing of attendees and staff will always be number one.
I have to apologise to anyone who has been inconvenienced by this decision, but I’m sure they will agree that this was the only sensible thing to do.
We must hope that by September 2021, when the show returns, the threat of Coronavirus will be behind us. It will be a pleasure to meet people in person, catch up on news and discuss business face-to-face, all of which are such an integral part of the Manchester Cleaning Show.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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