ISSA/INTERCLEAN Innovation Award Winners

The final part of this four-part article examines award winners from the show.

On the opening day of ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam, Michelle Marshall, chairperson of the Innovation Award International Jury, announced the winners of the coveted Innovation Awards during a ceremony hosted by Dutch TV personality Pernilla La Lau. This year’s program had a record-setting 110 nominees. From there, a short-list of nine products, chosen by the jury, competed in three categories, as well as for the overall award.

Sealed Air Diversey Care’s Augmented Reality, Suma Revoflow won the overall award, as well as the “Cleaning Management And Training Solutions” category. Augmented reality is a far-reaching technology being brought to the cleaning sector for the first time. The application can be used on smart devices to self-train, self-troubleshoot and get remote support directly from Diversey Care. The jury thought that with the use of augmented reality, cleaning staffs can tackle a number of the problems associated with high employee turnover, including training, knowledge transfer, skill development and cleaning mistakes.

In the category of “Equipment And Tools For Cleaning, Care And Safety,” the winner was Werner & Mertz Professional for their Quick and Easy System. The jury was impressed with the ultimate portability, simplicity and practicality of the product. The operator wears the system on a belt and can move from room to room with five different chemicals, interchanging between them quickly and easily.

In the “Machines, Accessories And Components” category, Cleanfix was recognized for its RA 660 Navi. The jury voted this robot as the winner of this category because the company has worked closely with users over many years to develop a machine that is now in use across Europe. The jury was particularly impressed with its navigation system, efficiency in mapping rooms and ease of use for the operator.

And lastly, for the “Visitor Choice Award,” Kärcher’s BRC 40/22 C carpet extractor was recognized. Traditional carpet extractors operate backwards, so a walk-forward machine will bring about significant productivity gains. There were nearly 6,000 votes for this award, of which Kärcher earned 45 percent.

The international jury consists of editors and publishers from media organizations — including Sanitary Maintenance Publisher Rob Geissler — as well as industry experts.

Proceeds from the nominations went to supporting Amref Flying Doctors — earning a 16,500 euro donation for the organization.