Industrial cleaning robots

Can a robot really replace well-trained specialists?

No, absolutely not! That’s not the point at all. Our approach is forward-looking: we want to delegate repetitive, monotonous tasks such as floor cleaning to robots, so that our skilled staff can focus on more demanding cleaning tasks. That way, in the future, when there are no longer enough staff available, we can at least have a small proportion of the work taken over by a robot. And what’s more, we can guarantee that the quality will always remain consistent.

With Robomatic Marvin, you’ve purchased a semi-autonomous robot. Why not a fully autonomous model?

Believe me, I’ve tested about half of all the cleaning robots on the market that were worth considering – across the board, both fully autonomous and semi-autonomous. Robomatic Marvin struck me as the most practical and technically advanced. Many of the fully autonomous robots are too large and bulky for our applications. Robomatic Marvin, on the other hand, has a very compact design – it fits through all doors and manoeuvres nimbly through narrow corridors. What’s more, I can use it in a hybrid way: as a robot or, at times, as a standard scrubber-dryer – one machine to do it all. I wouldn’t have that flexibility with a fully autonomous robot. I also like the ‘Teach & Repeat’ approach: I can show the robot the route and it copies it – without any programming or mapping. This is a major advantage in the premises where we use it: the end customer often changes the layout, and suddenly partition walls are in different places in the room or new obstacles are in the way. With a fully autonomous robot, I’d have to call in a technician every time; with Marvin, however, I can simply ‘show’ it the new route myself. Another point: most of our customers aren’t yet ready for fully automated solutions.

What does that mean in practical terms?

Customers either do not have the right environment for a fully automated machine or do not require the high cleaning frequency needed for a robot to be cost-effective. A fully autonomous robot is not worth the investment if it is only used to clean the floor once a week. Furthermore, in many customer premises, there would be no space for the docking station etc., or there would be no lift available. Furthermore, I need someone on site to clean the suction lips, maintain the docking station, repair a leaking siphon or clear debris from the drain grate, etc. The robot cannot do this and is therefore, once again, only suitable for use in a limited scope. A robot’s full autonomy is often touted as a key to success, but I see it as the biggest weakness: it makes us dependent and inflexible.

In Furtmeier’s self-imposed ethical charter, a focus on innovation is one of the cornerstones. Did this focus also play a part in your decision to purchase a robot?

Yes, definitely. Our guiding principle is ‘For your success’ – which means that every day we do everything we can to ensure our end customers are satisfied and successful. And to achieve that, it’s an advantage to make the most of new technologies.

How does the semi-autonomous robot work?

It’s very simple! I simply guide the robot over the floor area to be cleaned once. The device saves the route. The next time I place Robomatic Marvin at the starting point, it cleans the route it has learnt completely on its own. It’s a bit like a cassette recorder with a record and play button.

In which facility are you using the robot?

Robomatic Marvin cleans the floor of a manufacturing company that produces equipment for production and automation tasks. It couldn’t be more fitting: the robot cleans the floors in several halls where its fellow robots are housed. There are three halls, each measuring around 1,000 square metres, with floors coated in epoxy resin. Incidentally, the end customer’s staff are always delighted when Marvin rolls into the hall. On one occasion, he broke down, and everyone jokingly asked whether ‘Marvin’ was ill (laughs).

What sort of dirt does the robot have to deal with in the halls?

Typical industrial dirt – dust, oils, greases, wood shavings, pallet debris, rubber residue and coffee stains.

What do the staff do whilst the robot is cleaning the floor?

Everything the robot can’t do! That means: cleaning edges and corners. On top of that, there’s all the work above floor level, such as emptying bins, restocking towels and toilet paper, cleaning surfaces and removing cobwebs. The big plus: all this work is now carried out at the same time as the floor is being cleaned.

Where do you use the robot manually as a hand-operated scrubber-dryer?

As we only clean the wooden floor in our client’s canteen by machine from time to time, ‘teaching’ Robomatic Marvin in robotics mode doesn’t make sense here. That’s why we use the robot manually for this purpose several times a year, just like a conventional scrubber-dryer. The big advantage is that, in the case of stubborn dirt or dried-on stains, this allows us to go over the same spot several times. We also use Marvin in manual mode on an ad hoc basis for spot cleaning small areas (e.g. toilet blocks) or for minor special cleaning tasks in the hall.

How long did you test Robomatic Marvin before deciding to buy it?

38 minutes (laughs). After that, it was clear to me that we needed this robot. We’ve been using Wetrok’s Discomatic Mambo scrubber-dryer for years – with great success. Incidentally, it’s one of the few scrubber-dryers on the market that delivers the necessary brush pressure for really stubborn dirt. When I heard that Robomatic Marvin was based on this machine, I had immediate confidence in it – and my curiosity about this robotic development was piqued.

So, does the robot clean just as thoroughly as the Discomatic Mambo?

Absolutely! In fact, we now even have to clean the edges more often because Marvin leaves the floor so spotless – otherwise you’d notice the difference straight away. If we had to issue a job reference for our new robotic team member, we’d sing the highest praises of its cleaning quality and efficiency. Fortunately, though, robots don’t need job references just yet (winks).