Industrial Floors - a growing opportunityfor smaller cleaning contractors?
October 1st 2005 Today's contract cleaning market is becoming increasingly competitive due to a growing number of mergers and acquisitions amongst the larger players. Consequently pressure is mounting on smaller contractors who are having to find new ways of differentiating themselves to remain competitive. With an increasing number of old buildings, such as factories and warehouses being renovated or converted for use as offices and even new residential dwellings, 'industrial flooring' offers a growing opportunity for smaller contractors. In addition, the trend amongst today's designers opting for industrial flooring surfaces over traditional floorcoverings, such as vinyl and carpets is also fuelling the demand for specialist cleaning services and with it specialist cleaning equipment writes Simon Collins, national sales manager of Truvox International
For those new to the sector, industrial flooring poses quite a challenge simply due to the large variety of different flooring surfaces available. According to the Market and Business Development UK Industrial Flooring Market Research Report 2004, industrial flooring is defined as all types of surfacing products that are laid on concrete, sand and cement, granolithic or equivalent bases. These sub-floors can be covered with a wide variety of materials including ceramic tiles, chemical resistant bricks, epoxy resins, polyurethane, screeds and seamless flooring. To deal with these types of flooring contractors need specialist equipment.
For smaller contractors already working with industrial flooring and maybe undertaking specialist stripping and resealing tasks for larger contractors, affordable machines such as the Truvox Orbis 200 single disc rotary offer an excellent starting point. Superbly balanced with a unique decoupling system which reduces vibration and maximises user comfort, the Orbis 200 makes easy work of scrubbing and stripping tasks.
Cleaning of industrial floors, particularly older floors covered with years of dirt and grime, can be a tougher proposition. In addition, many surfaces require the removal of stubborn debris such as the icing sugar stuck to the floor of bakeries to impacted grease and soil on old factory floors. Multipurpose floorcare machines such as Truvox's Cimex HD can take the strain out of heavy-duty cleaning tasks due to a scarifying action that effortlessly breaks down stubborn contaminants such as grease, paint, swarf, tyre rubber or adhesives. With its three brush technology and unique contrarotating action, the Cimex HD easily cleans or scarifies floor surfaces in a wide range of industrial environments from manufacturing plants, printworks and warehouses to garages and paint shops.
The use of three-brush technology is also excellent for the ongoing maintenance of industrial floors. The Truvox Cimex Cyclone series of scrubber polishers, is ideal for cleaning almost any floor type including concrete, wood, vinyl rubber, carpet and tiles. It also features the unique Cimex contra-rotating action where its three brushes are driven in one direction, while the carrier disc rotates the opposite way. This gives the Cyclone a vigorous cleaning action capable of cleaning in all directions, making it ideal for areas such as the grouting between tiles and around the contours of rubber studded non-slip floors.
The development of triple brush technology has enabled contract cleaners to carry out a larger variety of industrial cleaning projects with greater ease. Contractors are increasingly looking towards a new generation of floorcare equipment, that combines high performance, versatility, ease of use and low operating costs.
Health, safety and ergonomics are further factors that contractors need to consider when specifying cleaning equipment. Welldesigned machines, such as the Cimex HD and Cyclone offer excellent manoeuvrability and high levels of stability during operation, particularly on tough or uneven surfaces. Safer use is enabled with the contra-rotating action of the three brushes which naturally deflects power cables, while the machine's simplicity of operation means that even cleaners with minimal formal training can produce outstanding results in most situations.
Maintenance is another key requirement, which is crucial to the overall performance of any equipment used, particularly if a contractor has a tight budget. All Cimex three brush machines feature an automatic reverse system that changes the direction the brushes rotate every time the machine is switched on, which combined with a centrally mounted motor ensures that even downward brush pressure is maintained, preventing unnecessary wear and prolonging brush life.
Cleaning industrial floor surfaces should not prove tough if contractors invest wisely in the appropriate heavy-duty floor care equipment. In particular, investment in machines that utilise triple brush technology will not only save significant costs by increasing productivity, it will also help contractors to take advantage of the growing market for cleaning industrial floor surfaces. More articles from Truvox International Ltd: | 
