Small Floor Scrubbers Provide Opportunities For Distributors

Part three of this three-part article details the reasons end users may be interested in micro scrubbers.

With labor costs higher than ever and end users being tasked to clean more in less time, the opportunity is rife for jan/san distributors to help end users automate their floor cleaning processes. Because end users are cost conscious when it comes to large expenditures, distributors must offer tools that are effective, produce valuable results and give customers the best returns on their investments.

“Labor is typically the highest expense in the cleaning process,” says Widseth. “Most custodial and janitorial staff spends 50 percent or more of their effort cleaning floors. Moving to an effective floor-cleaning machine can greatly increase productivity, reducing overall labor costs. The machine is a key investment when looking at total cost of ownership and total cost to clean.”

When end users invest in equipment, they look to partner with a jan/san distributor that can meet all of their needs — not only equipment and service, but chemicals, tools, training and support. As a result, when it comes to selling floor equipment, distributors should consider what will truly be the best fit for the customer’s needs.

In conjunction with highlighting low weight, commercial performance and ease-of-use, manufacturers say it is important to demo the tool and then allow the end user to have a hands-on experience with it in the setting in which that end user hopes to use the machine.

“When the end user feels how easy the products are to use, and sees how quickly it helps them accomplish the task at hand, they’ll experience how it will increase productivity while mitigating liabilities,” says Chochinov.

If end users are still using mops and buckets in their facilities for tasks that can be accomplished with micro scrubbers, Fussy says distributors should do a side-by-side, on-site comparison of both tools.

“Showing how these machines clean the floor, the proof is in the recovery tank,” says Fussy.

Besides demos, another selling tip is to focus on the true benefits of these smaller machines, says Chochinov.
 
“They are ideal for small-area, high-traffic, quick, unplanned cleaning,” says  Chochinov. “They are also easier to operate, often requiring very little training, and easier to maintain. The smaller machines take up less storage and are faster to deploy than larger machines or the traditional mop and bucket, which can disrupt the area during operating hours.”

There goes the notion that bigger is better.

Nick Bragg is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee. He is a former Deputy Editor of Sanitary Maintenance.