How times have changed

The first scrubber dryer is attributed to Clarke Floor Equipment who launched the first gas and propane floor scrubber in 1956. This was followed in 1958 by the first battery powered floor scrubber the Clarke-A-Matic BP20. Prior to this, daily cleaning of large floor areas was a huge manual task involving gallons of water, mops and manual labour. In practice standards were much lower than today. So what of those early scrubber dryers?

 

History lesson

The Clarke-A Matic BP20 was a heavy beast, at least 50% heavier than current models. Many of the components for the first scrubber dryers were sourced from terrazzo grinding equipment and wet tank vacuums. These scrubber dryers were built for function with no traction drive, manual controls and very little regard for operator comfort.

Innovations in materials in the 1950’s saw the development of polypropylene and high density polyethylene which led to the use of new plastics in many manufacturing processes. Large scale production of these new materials reduced costs considerably. 

Water conservation was not a consideration and water recovery systems were very basic and inefficient. The only types of material available to manufacture cleaning brushes were natural fibre or steel wire. Natural fibre was not a durable product and steel wire was too expensive and aggressive for most floor surfaces. Using a scrubber dryer in the 1960’s was a chore and very different to the scrubber dryers on the market today.

 

Here’s a look at the development milestones over the last 50 years:

1960’s - Development of brush assisted traction 

1970’s - Water tank construction from rotational moulding plastic

1970’s - Development of grit brushes and synthetic fibre cleaning pads

1980’s - Development of electronic speed controls

1990’s - The era of improved ergonomics – integrated controls, electric lifting of brushes

1990’s - Electronic deck pressure control

1990’s - The introduction of ride on scrubber dryers for increased productivity

2000’s - Environmental era, water metering, reduced noise, efficient motors, precise controls

2000’s - Tanks became the body of the machine, reducing size and weight

2000’s - AGM maintenance free batteries replaced some of the old lead-acid versions

2000’s - On board detergent dispensing systems – the end of glug glug!

2000’s - On board electrical diagnostics and on board chargers

2010’s - Burst of power functionality for heavily soiled areas and economy mode for light duty

2010’s - The telematics era – machine location tracking, real-time usage and performance data

Looking ahead

At Nilfisk-Advance we believe that socially aware decision makers will increasingly seek out sustainably manufactured and environmentally efficient equipment. Our goal is to minimise the impact on the environment and accomplish more with less by simultaneously reducing costs for customers whilst improving their environmental behaviour. The Nilfisk CS7000, a hybrid scrubber/ sweeper combination machine, reduces the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) due to lower fuel consumption on engine powered variants and higher running times on battery variants as well as lower running costs. 

There has also been a big increase in the development of on board consumable monitoring systems. The Nilfisk Ecoflex system for example reduces power and water consumption to match the level of clean required. The Ecoflex system recognises that cleaning without chemicals is not always possible, and offers a burst of power and chemical to spot clean tough dirt on high traffic areas.  

More recently the market has seen the development of Fleet Management Telematics Systems that provide customers with the ability to precisely and remotely monitor the variables that affect cost and performance elements of their fleet. Keeping track of valuable equipment and monitoring usage are benefits that provide the transparency that a well informed and cost conscious customer is looking for. The Trackclean telematics system is an example of this type of innovation intended to reduce the total cost of ownership, lower risk and improve profit margins.

The highest contributor to the total cost of cleaning however is still labour. Our industry has been on a slow journey towards more efficient cleaning and labour reduction since the first building needed cleaning. Going forward, developments will not be driven by product development alone – to achieve success in the industry, manufacturers must be able to provide customers with solutions too.