Cleaning Under Pressure: Five critical challenges impacting industrial cleaning —and how to stay ahead of them

Your facility relies on efficiency to operate at peak performance—that means utilizing the best people and planning to hit goals for your business. Part of that planning is also facility upkeep, which means that cleaning needs to be just as much of a focus as productivity. 

There are five major challenges that industrial facility managers face when selecting and implementing cleaning solutions:

• smart investment;
• equipment reliability;
• safety concerns;
• accountability;
• sustainably meeting goals.

Each of these challenges can be easily tackled with the right mindset and tools. 

Challenge 1: Finding the Right Cleaning Machines and Equipment at the Right Price

Understanding equipment costs and cleaning requirements starts with a solid grasp of the facility’s daily cleaning needs. Capital investments like cleaning equipment often create budget pressures, making cost-benefit analysis an ongoing balancing act. To navigate this challenge effectively, focus on these three key areas:

Making Your Budget Work. The first step in cleaning setup is knowing your spending limits on industrial cleaning machines, including what you can expect to have on hand in the future. While it might seem logical to focus on short-term expenses, remember that having to replace worn-out equipment every few years can lead to higher costs than an upfront investment in more durable machines and components. Remember to think about facility expansion as well: what satisfies your current square footage could easily become inadequate as your floor space—or locations—grow. 

• Try This: Investigate rental programs or reconditioned equipment in addition to new purchases. These programs are particularly helpful for facilities with short-term volume needs, such as seasonal warehousing or new site openings. 

Potential Benefits vs. Immediate Results. A clean, well-maintained facility offers clear benefits over time, but those aren't always initially convincing on paper. It's important to outline the less-obvious upsides to efficient, reliable cleaning equipment to decision makers that might typically rely on a more limited scope. Clean floors might not break down into a cost savings-per-square-meter the way material costs do, so a different framework may be needed.

• Try This: Implement logs and records that track metrics like time saved on maintenance tasks versus manual labor. Add in reports that compare new or rental equipment performance against existing (potentially outdated) equipment as well; this will help make the case for upgrades and replacements more clearly. 

Worker Support and Safety.  An ongoing concern for insurance coverage, legal compliance, and even staff availability, worker safety is crucial in a well-run facility. Utilizing cleaning equipment made for the tasks, surface area, and usage schedules appropriate to your facility needs can help avoid worker injuries or slip-and-fall accidents on the floor. 

• Try This: Keep meticulous downtime reports and solicit worker feedback on any machines and equipment used on the floor. Common issues like clogging, malfunctions, and overheated components may be overcome during a shift, but remain otherwise unnoticed by management without these check-ins.

Challenge 2: Floor Scrubbers and Equipment Your Team Can Rely On

While the ideal facility maintenance routine would remain predictable with consistent levels of resources, the reality of business demands a different approach. As industrial facilities take guidance on lean staffing and practices from office-based approaches, the need for floor scrubbers and sweepers to remain functional and high-performance has never been more important.  It might not seem disruptive to take a "wait and see" approach to test your cleaning equipment reliability, but are you really factoring in all the unseen expenses? 

Operational Issues: 

• Schedules are disrupted by a broken or malfunctioning machine, leading to missed cleaning cycles and/or potential worker harm having to rush through unfinished tasks, or holding up other reliant teams. 

• Additional strain and operating hours are placed on working machines to compensate for the missing one(s), leading to shorter equipment life for your tools.

Financial Issues:

• Consumables (e.g. squeegees, brush heads, etc.) are wasted on failed cleaning cycles, contributing to greater costs.

• Time-based needs like emergency equipment repair or replacements siphon budget from other areas of your facility.

• Non-operational machinery represents a sunk cost, as well as a potential storage concern while awaiting repairs or, for larger equipment, appropriate disposal/recycling measures. 

Instead, avoid these problems by implementing solutions such as: 
 
Selecting cleaning machines with a proven track record, even if that means a larger investment up front. While a lot of operational financial planning focuses on immediate costs, repeated maintenance concerns and downtime will quickly negate a lower purchase price. 

Opt for models with built-in troubleshooting capabilities. When considering models for new machines and equipment, look beyond the sales sheet. The user manual, particularly the troubleshooting modules, will give you great insight into how user-friendly diagnosing issues on-site will be. 

Partner with brands and companies that offer excellent product support. If you do encounter an equipment need that basic troubleshooting can't clear, you'll want to be operational as soon as possible. Working with equipment providers known for their customer service and product support will help minimize potential downtime quickly and efficiently. 

Challenge 3: Supporting Your Team with Safety

Often requiring long shifts in huge spaces, industrial space maintenance is a demanding job for the cleaning professionals that make it happen. With the right equipment, however, a better balance of effort and risk can be achieved, all while lowering the risk of workplace injuries. 

How the right floor scrubbers and sweepers work for your workers: : 

• Built-in drying capabilities on certain cleaning machines make the floor safer for employees to cross while en route to other tasks.   

• Machines designed to efficiently use solvents and chemicals reduce spills and exposure, helping to reduce turnover from employee exposure-related health issues. 

• A machine-based approach to cleaning tasks versus manual tools help improve operator comfort and reduce likelihood of injury.

In general, keeping your employees in mind while selecting cleaning equipment will lead to a more successful implementation for everyone. Consider prioritizing ergonomic controls, ride-on or velocity-assisted equipment that minimizes pushing and pulling, and simple interfaces that reduce training time and complexity.

Challenge 4: Data Transparency and Actionable Steps

Managers rely on their staff to work hard, report issues, and overcome obstacles; the same holds true for the equipment in your industrial space. Choosing equipment that offers real-time data and flags potential anomalies ensures your staff is supported every step of the way. To put it another way, whiteboards can be accidentally erased, checklists can be forgotten on a shelf, and verbal reports can get lost in the shift-shuffle. Automatic data linked with your on-site devices is consistent, permanent, and more reliable for informing operational decisions.  Incorporating automatic machine-collected data into your planning and processes offers several benefits beyond team accountability as well, such as:  

• Easier performance audits and compliance certifications.  

• Fewer overall missed tasks and coverage areas, leading to better cleaning consistency.

• More efficient shift-based routines, as duplicate tasks due to miscommunications are eliminated.

• Full reporting ensures better visibility for efficient planning, and fast discovery of underserved areas.

To ensure you're getting the most out of these benefits, add machines to your maintenance roster that automatically log data like routes, hours in use, and maintenance needs. A data-driven dashboard, combined with a service provider invested in data-centric cleaning technology, is a powerful benefit for your business. 

Challenge 5: Balancing Sustainability with Performance

Finally, the world outside the warehouse walls comes into play.  Sustainability expectations, particularly in EMEA, are becoming a growing opportunity for managers looking to optimize their operations. With scrutiny coming from all directions, including regulatory groups and investors, the focus on circular, low-impact operations are at an all-time high. The complexities of cleaning, including the strain of older equipment that demands heavy water and chemical use, seem almost incompatible with that goal. Thankfully, modernized equipment design and a collaborative attitude from your equipment provider will make it more than achievable.

How are Tennant industrial cleaning machines centering sustainability?

• Significantly reducing or even eliminating chemical use through efficient, targeted performance and the use of alternate methods, such as Tennant's ec-H2O NanoClean® technology, which uses electrically-converted water versus chemical solvents.     

• Smart in-use designs ensure water is not overused or wasted, even in debris-heavy environments.  

• Fully electric-powered equipment that runs on lithium-ion batteries, eliminating the environmental pollution that gas or oil-powered models can cause.

• Self-reporting machines that signal the need for maintenance or troubleshooting before they become a wasteful issue, as well as providing operational reports for compliance and fine-tuning. 

Even though facility maintenance is constantly evolving, your best defense against inefficiency and wasted budget is partnering with an equipment provider aligned with your needs. Tennant has the industrial cleaning machines and support to help you move forward with confidence. Download our free e-book “Cleaning Under Pressure” or request a site consultation to get Tennant Experts directly at your location.