Increase Productivity With Oscillating Floor Machines

Given the fact that floor care accounts for roughly 50 percent of a department’s time spent on cleaning functions, incorporating more efficient equipment can really help streamline the department and increase productivity.

“Oscillating equipment takes conventional floor cleaning productivity to the next level,” says Louie Davis, Jr., senior territory manager at Central Paper Co., Birmingham, Ala.

In fact, distributors emphasize three areas where this equipment directly results in increased productivity.

First, the solution tank in an oscillating machine does not have to be filled nearly as often as traditional equipment when performing routine cleaning. These machines use 50 to 70 percent less water than their rotary counterparts. Believe it or not, this environmental attribute will also increase productivity.

“This will save more time than managers think,” says Davis. “Every time workers take a break to refill the water or chemical, they inevitably stop to use the restroom or chat, wasting 20 minutes here and there. If you can cut out three or four of those refills, you have probably added two to three hours of productivity.”

Second, compared to the more traditional rotary machines, manufacturers claim that the battery run time on these oscillating options are increased by 25 percent.

The combination of less water usage and reduced pad pressure enables the machines to utilize the motors and battery pack more efficiently, increasing the run time compared to similar scrubbers, resulting in increased productivity for workers.

“Some machines come with on-board battery chargers so you don’t have to keep up with charging or taking the equipment out of rotation,” says Davis. “Workers can complete tasks without starting and stopping.”

According to one distributor on the West Coast, if run time is increased, one can claim that there will also be a reduction in battery replacement costs and the environmental impact of battery recycling.

Third, departments using the oscillating equipment will often experience quicker cleaning times and extended pad life, too.

“These scrubbers clean at speeds of 10 times that of conventional scrubbers and attack dirt from multiple directions,” says Davis. “That allows workers to cover more ground quicker and minimizes the need for pad pressure while achieving the same cleaning result.”

Reducing the pad pressure extends the life of those pads. The rectangular shape of the pads also allows workers to reach into areas circular equipment can’t, eliminating starting and stopping to change equipment.

Manufacturers tout that the combination of high-revolution-per-minute scrub action, in conjunction with reduced pad pressure can extend the life of floor pads by up to 40 percent.