AUSCLEAN Pulire 2015, held 20 and 21 October at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast, was a stand-out show with the atmosphere alone creating the perfect networking environment. Exhibitors and visitors alike appreciated the open-plan floor space; barista coffee cart; the business lounges for client meetings; the networking drinks after day one of the show; and of course the delicious complimentary canapés that kept everyone well-fed for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea across both days.
On a busy day one of the show, INCLEAN editor Kim Taranto accompanied guest judges John Taylor from The Cleaning Supply shop and Kevin Schilling from Lynch’s Cleaning Service and board member of the Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) Qld division, to judge the INCLEAN Innovation Awards.
Criteria for the Innovation Awards are that the nominated product should be ‘evolutionary’ in terms of delivering improved performance, on-site productivity, safety and/or environmental sustainability; and the last requirement is that it is readily available in the Australian marketplace.
The judges visited each nominated product at its stand to select the winner of each category – cleaning agents; equipment; services and technology; and janitorial. There were no entries into the paper and dispensing category this year. The judges deliberated for four hours, having to revisit particular stands as they found it difficult to select an overall winner from the successful category victors.
The 2015 INCLEAN Innovation Award was presented to Willie Erken for the Wagtail Water Fed Cleaning System, comprising of two water fed pivot action tools for ease and speed in cleaning windows. “The water-fed precision squeegee cleans to the edge of the window without the need for detailing,” explained Willie. It was this small design change that grabbed the judges’ attention.
“Creating a squeegee that details cleaning right to the very edge of the window might seem like a small and insignificant thing, but it certainly is ‘evolutionary’ when it comes to window cleaning,” remarked John Taylor. “The minutes saved by each cleaner would add up over time to become a significant efficiency which increases productivity and saves the contractor money.”
With our industry taking leaps and bounds in I.T. software advancements and robotic machinery, it is sometimes the smallest of innovations that makes the cleaners’ job easier and Willie’s precision squeegee is testament to that.
Congratulations to all INCLEAN Innovation Award winners!
WINNERS
Cleaning agents category: Wee-Off by Bio Natural Solutions
Equipment category: Drymatic II by Drymatic
Janitorial category: Wagtail Precision Glide Water-fed System
Technology: JGID Software by Just Get It Done
INCLEAN Innovation Award winner: Wagtail Precision Glide Water-fed System (Squeegee)
For all AUSCLEAN Pulire 2015 images go to INCLEAN’S image archive