The launch of a new model should be a major event for any floorcare equipment manufacturer because it offers innovations and advances that deliver better value and results for customers. The new TASKI AERO 3500 ?icro (micro) ride-on vacuum sweeper is no exception. This is the first machine of its type in the extensive TASKI range, combining new concepts with recent innovations from TASKI to deliver new capabilities and new levels of value and productivity.
Vacuum cleaning and sweeping are such a basic part of everyday building care that it is all too easy to take them for granted. Removing dust and debris helps to maintain the appearance of the facility and keep it looking ?clean?. But in commercial settings there are practical reasons why keeping the floor clean is important. Dust or debris can cause long-term damage. On carpets, for example, it can work its way deep in between the fibres, making it much harder to remove, spoiling the appearance, and degrading the materials. Hard floors can suffer excessive abrasions that dull the appearance and remove material that is not always easy to replace or repair. Regular vacuuming and sweeping can therefore remove or delay the need for time-consuming remedial action and extend the periods between expensive intermittent maintenance tasks and replacements.
There are plenty of places where building care teams need to clean large floor areas regularly: office buildings, hotels, conference centres, airports and other transport hubs, educational facilities, and hospitals and care homes. Floorcare can take up a relatively high proportion of the cleaning team's time in facilities like these. It also represents a large proportion of overall costs because the person doing the work is usually the most expensive part of the operation. Improving productivity is always going to save costs.
Saving Costs and Improving Results
Manual processes using conventional equipment such as upright, tub, or backpack vacuum cleaner for large areas will give good results. But they can be time-consuming and inefficient. Industry norms for a conventional upright vacuum cleaner suggest an operator will clean 100m2 in about 20 minutes, or 300m2 an hour, using a typical 12in/30cm machine.
Making cleaning team members more efficient and productive will deliver a quick return on investment. Switching from manual to mechanical processes can deliver an immediate step-change in productivity. In fact, the new ride-on TASKI AERO 3500 ?icro combines a sweeper to collect debris and a vacuum to pick up dust and particles. It can cover over 3500m2 an hour and is up to four times more productive than a conventional vacuum. That is a considerable boost when many other advances in the cleaning industry are measured ? and justified ? in single-digit percentages.
Productivity Supports Service Innovation
The cost-justification for a ride-on machine for large areas should be relatively easy to make. Manufacturers like TASKI offer modelling tools and calculators designed to identify potential operating costs and savings. These are often based on information collected from real-world applications in similar settings.
Discussions about productivity can sometimes seem a bit ?mathematical?. But the reality is that increased productivity means cleaning team members will complete their floor cleaning tasks more quickly. That gives them more time to do other jobs, including ones that are noticed and valued by customers and guests.
Using a ride-on machine should also be less tiring which will always be appreciated by busy cleaning team members who put so much effort into their work. The new TASKI machine features an ergonomic operating position which is fully adjustable to make it as comfortable as possible for each person who uses it. It should also reduce the risk of operators suffering from everyday aches and pains as well as longer-term conditions that can be caused by tough repetitive work. And once they move on to those other tasks, they should be able to work more efficiently.
Productivity Through Integrated Cleaning
TASKI has championed the idea of integrated cleaning for many years. When it reimagined the cleaning trolley a decade ago the result was the modular TASKI Trolley system. This enables an almost infinite variety of configurations to support more ergonomic and efficient cleaning processes, and the new TASKI AERO 3500 ?icro employs a similar approach.
The machine can be equipped with a range of cleaning tools and accessories to supplement or complement the primary floorcare task. Accessories include a set of hand tools for manual cleaning, an extendable vacuum hose and nozzle for cleaning hard-to-reach spots, and a box for transporting microfibre mops and cloths. Fitting these transforms the machine from a highly efficient vacuum sweeper into a mobile cleaning platform. Team members can carry out additional tasks within a three to six-metre radius whenever needed and without leaving the working area. Nor do other team members need to stop what they are doing to come and complete the task instead. Either way, this integrated approach to cleaning reduces wasted time and promotes overall productivity.
Another aspect of integrated cleaning is working when people are present. The new machine incorporates TASKI's Whisper technology, previously introduced on its growing range of hand vacuums, to reduce sound levels by nearly 40 percent compared to industry averages. That helps to remove the risk of disturbing customers and guests but also makes it a more pleasant machine to use for cleaning team members. The machine is also available with a high-efficiency HEPA filter that removes more particles and creates the best possible air quality.
Design Efficiency Promotes Productivity
The design of the machine can also help to make the overall cleaning operation more efficient and productive. The new sweeper is based around the same platform as the TASKI 2100 ?icro scrubber drier. The main chassis and many of the major components are common to both machines. One advantage of this is that drivers who are familiar with scrubber driers will quickly adapt to using the vacuum sweeper, even if they have never used one before. That can be useful in any setting but especially with large fleets because it will be easier to integrate the new machine into everyday operations and train team members.
Like all other TASKI machines, all the service points on the new vacuum sweeper are bright yellow. This makes it easier and faster to identify them, and encourages team members to carry out routine daily, before and after use, checks. There is no reason to miss something.
Service Productivity
The overall design of the machine and commonality of components between models also helps when a service engineer is needed. Because fewer parts are needed to maintain a range of machines, the service engineer can keep a higher proportion in their on-site workshop or support vehicle. That makes it much more likely that they can deal with any machine outage during their first callout or site visit. Machines are returned to work more quickly and there is less downtime and disruption to the ongoing cleaning operation as a result.
The new TASKI AERO 3500 ?icro vacuum sweeper is an exciting new model that offers many benefits to operators who need to clean and maintain large floors. Its combination of TASKI's recent innovations and new concepts provides a powerful solution for standalone applications which can also be integrated easily into fleet operations.