British Cleaning Council publish cleaning industry data

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The British Cleaning Council (BCC) has produced a summary report into the state of the UK Cleaning Industry.  The research collates the latest available information and research findings from the Labour Force Survey and Office of National Statistics data, and is available from the BCC at a charge to non members.  The UK data will be aggregated with information from other European countries as part of a European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) publication, available at a later date.

The report summarises data under the SIC 81.2 Cleaning Activities, based on information available for 2014 and details turnover, employment, labour market, qualifications and the top 10 market leaders.

As a member of the BCC, ICMMA has been able to  share headline findings with its members.

To purchase a copy of the report please contact Pat Wherton, BCC Secretariat.

 

 

Distortion concerns flagged over Energy Labelling Framework review

DECC Logo ClearICMMA have written to DECC to outline concerns about the Energy Labelling review, particularly regarding the limited number of products that will have an entry of compliance in the newly built transparency platform following market surveillance. A positive compliance check can be utilised as a marketing tool by tested manufacturers leading to distortion of competition against manufacturers/products that have not been tested by market surveillance.

All eyes and ears on Copenhagen for next steps on standardisation for robotic cleaning machinery

StandardsAt the ICMMA Technical Committee in February it was confirmed to members that the first opportunity to progress the work on standardisation for robotic cleaning machinery would be through the tabling of a proposal at the IEC SC 61J meeting taking place in Copenhagen next week. We are grateful to Chara Freed, Head of Standardisation and Compliance at Nilfisk, for representing ICMMA and ensuring that this subject matter was placed on the agenda. We look forward to a de-brief after the meeting and are hopeful that ICMMA members will be in a position to set up an ad-hoc working group with the purpose of putting together a New Work Item Proposal (NWIP).

Should the NWIP be accepted then ICMMA members could be involved in reviewing the draft and whilst the timeline pans out, come together to draft their own guidance and standards that can be endorsed and shared across the industry thus ensuring that their interests are encapsulated.

Kevin Webb, Chair of the ICMMA Technical Committee, will take a lead on organising a UK meeting as soon as papers from the IEC SC 61J are received. A conversation with the ISO/TC 299 Robots and Robotic Devices committee has not taken place but will do once the outcome of next week’s meeting is known.

Fimap leads Young Cleaning Professionals Seminar at Interclean

Nicola at ISSANicola Flores, FIMAP Project Manager leading on FLOBOT, presents ‘Robotic developments to meet facility needs’ with Gabriele Cesari, Director at Manutencoop.

FIMAP were invited at ISSA/INTERCLEAN as guest speakers for 2 sessions about the new Robot project FLOBOT. Nicola Flores, Project Manager, also led an informal meeting about the future of robotics in the cleaning industry to RAI Young Cleaning Professionals.

Robert Stelling, Product Manager at RAI said ‘Nicola spoke about the FLOBOT project and led discussion around robotics and their future in the industry with the Young Cleaning Professionals.’

‘The aim of the session was to give the young professionals opportunities to expand their professional horizon and learn directly from the players in the market who can set innovation and pave the way for future trends.’

The Flobot project aims to create an autonomous, robotized, professional scrubber dryer. The project is supported by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 Programme (H2020-ICT-2014-1, Grant agreement no: 645376). For this purpose a consortium was created, involving not only universities and research centres but also end users and facility service companies.

Member’s Innovation Award successes at Interclean

Well done to Cleanfix. The Interclean Innovation Award jury voted their Robot RA 660 NAVI winner of the Machines, Accessories and Components Category. The jury applauded the company’s close working with users over many years to develop a machine that is now widely in use across Europe. The jury were also particularly impressed with its navigation system, which uses laser, and its efficiency in mapping rooms, putting in place virtual walls, ease of use for the operator and its ability to clean the narrowest of corners.

The Cleanfix RA 660 NAVI winner of the Machines, Accessories and Components Category of the Innovation Award.

The Cleanfix RA 660 NAVI winner of the Machines, Accessories and Components Category of the Innovation Award.

Congratulations also to Kärcher, who in addition to nominations in both the ‘Machines, Accessories and Components’ Category and the ‘Management, Training Solutions and Related Products’ Category were successful in securing the Visitors Choice Award for the industry’s first walk-forward carpet cleaning machine – the BRC 40/22 C.

Karcher BRC 40 22 C

ISSA’s Flooring Trends Report

ISSA is investigating pulling together annual reports into commercial flooring trends in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Although in the early stages it is envisaged that the flooring trend report will include base data for certain types of flooring in various commercial spaces, growth by flooring/facility type etc. For example: “30% of vinyl floors are installed in health care facilities, but the trend is that these facilities are going to polished concrete,”

ISSA EMEA is investigating what it would require to gather similar data for the UK and other nearby countries and is working with ICMMA members to determine the scope of what is reasonable to collect in this region and will report back to members in late 2016 on its progress.

ICMMA’s contribution to the HSE’s new health and safety system strategy

HSE StrategyICMMA have responded to the HSE’s call to trade associations to support the delivery of the new #HelpingGBWorkWell strategy.

At the HSE’s Cleaning Industry Liaison Forum (CILF) ICMMA’s representative, Hazel Langley, tabled a discussion document aimed at promoting collaboration between the HSE and the cleaning industry.

Hazel said ‘the HSE have given a lot of thought to and consulted widely in the development of the new strategy.  They are looking to us, as a group of industry experts and representatives, to put forward our ideas for bringing the strategy to life.  In my opinion this represents a great opportunity for us to extend our thinking beyond cleaning companies and our employees and consider the wider, positive impact that the delivery of our services has on the health and wellbeing of the general public, customers and client’s employees.’

The six themes within the strategy are:

Hazel added ‘I am confident that our ICMMA manufacturer and associate members can demonstrate forward thinking and action that supports each of the HSE’s six strategy themes.  I am sure that other parts of the industry could also retrospectively shoe-horn activities under one of the headings too.  However, in order to truly take the Health and Safety agenda forward this represents an opportunity to work alongside the HSE to creatively demonstrate the industry’s wider value and that takes leadership, collaboration and action.’

4800 lung cancer deaths per year from asbestos and silica dust exposure

Through its participation in the HSE’s Construction Dust Partnership, ICMMA has become involved in a campaign to prevent asbestos and silica dust exposure. The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are looking for businesses to pledge support for their ‘No Time to Lose’ campaign to take action to avoid the human toll and premature and unnecessary loss of skilled and experienced people from our workforce due to work-related cancers.

NTTL IconBy joining the growing number of businesses already signed up ICMMA members will be supporting the campaign.

More information on the campaign can be found here.

Click on the No Time to Lose image to hear Dr. Lesley Rushton on work-related cancer in the UK, meet some of the people affected by carcinogenic exposures, and find out what IOSH is calling for as part of the No Time to Lose campaign.

Sign your company up here.

ICMMA Moves Operational Management to ISSA UK

London, United Kingdom – ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and The Building Futures Group have reached agreement to immediately transfer Industrial Cleaning Machinery Manufacturers Association’s (ICMMA) operational management to ISSA’s UK membership portfolio, with continued oversight by the group’s Secretariat, Hazel Langley.
DiannaSteinbach
Dianna Steinbach, ISSA Director of EMEA Services, said: “We are honoured to welcome ICMMA’s members into ISSA’s UK family. We see this agreement as another way that ISSA can fulfil our promise to help the commercial cleaning industry increase appreciation of the value it brings – boosting members’ business success as a result.”

ICMMA is a long-established UK trade association for manufacturers of commercial and industrial cleaning equipment. Its members represent some of the most prominent manufacturers, producers and distributors of cleaning machinery and equipment to the British commercial cleaning and facilities management sector.   Management of its operations and its secretariat function was previously provided by The Building Futures Group.

Sarah Bentley, Chief Executive of The Building Futures Group said: “I am delighted that this arrangement will enable ICMMA’s members to continue to deliver their ambitious plans and access the added value of the benefits that ISSA membership provides.”
 
Kevin Webb, Chairman of the ICMMA Technical Committee said: “News of this announcement is a positive, strategic move that recognises the value of ICMMA’s agenda and positions our members at the heart of the industry.”
 
ICMMA will host its next technical meeting 9 February in Northampton. Companies interested in joining ICMMA can visit cleaningmachines.org.

As the leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide, ISSA is committed to helping its members change the way the world views cleaning. ISSA promotes the vision that cleaning is an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line.

The association has more 7,000 members worldwide, including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, building service contractors, in-house service providers, and associated service members. ISSA helps increase professionalism and member success by offering business tools, educational products, industry standards, publications, events, and legislative and regulatory services that specifically focus on the professional cleaning industry and the value it provides.

Media Contact:
Chris Klopper, Mulberry
+44 7710 326899

Cleaning machinery manufacturers to shape standards and protocols for their robotic projects

Existing ICMMA members Numatic, Karcher, Taski, Fimap, Sebo and Denis Rawlins have this week welcomed Makita UK Ltd, Cleanfix and Nilfisk onboard as new members. All are keen to participate in the robotics themed activities which will be kicked off by their representation at the Members Technical Committee taking place at Sealed Air in February 2016.

Whilst not alone in the robotics cleaning equipment market, long standing ICMMA member and meeting hosts, Taski, are taking a pivotal role in bringing the industry together. Their president, Dr.Ilham Kadri will be joining the meeting, leading industry collaboration on standards and sharing insight into TASKI® Intellibot®.

Members will also hear about the FloBot project and as an industry partner to the FloBot project ICMMA members can expect to be involved in the setting of safety and operational standards as well as hearing about other manufacturer’s philosophies about the use of robotics in cleaning machinery manufacture and operation. A wider industry perspective will be led by Dr. Ilham Kadri, alongside other Member manufacturers active in the development of robotic machinery.

Kevin Webb, Chair of the ICMMA Technical Committee said:
“We are delighted to welcome Cleanfix and Nilfisk back to ICMMA and that Makita UK has decided to join us to be part of our activities. So many of our members have robotics projects under-way in some guise or another and we are coming together through ICMMA to develop recognised operator safety standards. To do this it is important that the key players are represented to shape protocol and encapsulate their own interests. We are grateful to Taski for hosting us and spear-heading this industry collaboration”

“It is not too late for cleaning machinery manufacturers with a stake in the agenda to become involved and all will be welcomed” said ICMMA’s Secretariat Hazel Langley. To join ICMMA please visit our membership page.

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