Healthcare Partners with Tennant’s Autonomous T7AMR

As a world leading manufacturer and innovator of cleaning solutions we have seen increasing demand in robotic adoption when it comes to facility cleaning. From autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) which was widely used in industrial applications, to now autonomous mobile robots (AMRs); the difference between the two is that AMRs are fitted with sophisticated on-board artificial intelligence (AI) systems that enable AMRs to not only follow complex processes and make intelligent decisions about how to proceed on a task, but also to safely navigate in dynamic indoor spaces.

 

Adopting a robotic solution helps deliver value not only for employers and employees, but also for customers. The increasing demand for businesses to implement a robust and stringent cleaning program from a health and safety perspective is important for customers, employees and employers across all industries. 

 

Approaching a robotic floor scrubber as a ‘Co-Bot’, also known as a collaborative robot doesn’t mean a business is replacing existing  cleaning staff; rather it’s about the reallocation of labour allowing custodial staff to spend more time on high-touch, high-value tasks that

only humans can do. Embracing robotics can also mean staff are more engaged in their roles and eager to take on different responsibilities and expand their skillsets to include robotics training and machine management

 

Cleanliness has always been essential in healthcare. But today, with the rising risks, expectations and standards, all healthcare organizations are being impacted and recognize the critical need to adjust to heightened cleaning demands. 

 

Common operational cleaning challenges facing healthcare facilities today include;

All these pain points can be addressed through the deployment of robotic floor cleaning machines. Facility cleaning that includes frequent and consistent floor scrubbing plays a key part in the cleaning protocols of healthcare facilities. As hospitals operate 24/7, regular

cleaning of high traffic areas become an operational challenge during peak hours. With the rise of cleaning expectations, it means a growing task list to be completed each shift. Site managers and cleaning staff are then left with the dilemma of whether they should clean the floor, or focus on high touch surface areas. 

 

Robotic floor cleaning is emerging as one means to support enhanced cleaning performance and protocols, helping healthcare organizations unlock consistent cleanliness and operational efficiencies. T7AMR Proof of clean and coverage is visible and validated in the form of Tennant customer dashboard reporting. Implementing a co-bot approach will mean that healthcare facilities can be more confident in their cleaning program; floors are consistently clean, whilst high-touch disinfection and sanitization are addressed.

 

With hospitals known for long hallways, otherwise known as long ‘dragway aisles’ it means that when it comes to floor cleaning, the job can become monotonous and repetitive in nature. Staff are less engaged and areas can be missed. Instead of having the cleaning staff manage and operate a machine solely, it allows staff to focus on high touch point cleaning, such as door handles, railings etc., particularly to address the cleaning challenges due to COVID-19.

 

The NSW public health system is world-class. It is the biggest public health system in Australia with 228 public hospitals and 114,000 dedicated staff (FTE) who make up the health workforce. Each year, NSW Health cares for millions of people and oversees investment worth billions of dollars in patient care, building, equipment, technology and research. Wyong Hospital had been using the Tennant brand of equipment for several years, however with the COVID-19 pandemic heightening cleaning demands and efficiencies from a health and

safety perspective, there was an opportunity to expand the fleet.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving a landscape shift and has heightened cleaning demands and operational efficiencies from a health and safety perspective. This fundamental change has prompted some Environmental Services teams to respond to the changing needs and look to robots to help address several key challenges.

 

Choosing a technology partner in Tennant Australia to deploy a T7AMR unit can realize a lower dollar investment versus an annual labour cost input while being able to achieve consistent cleaning results with the same if not higher quality expectation. Ensuring that the T7AMR can be seamlessly scaled across future buildings or additional wings to maximize its return on investment is also an important consideration for healthcare facilities.

 

Facilities are having to find efficiencies to free up and or reallocate labour for the new tasks and provide proof of cleaning. The T7AMR provides a reason-to-believe with its cloud generated reporting from detailed route heat maps generated on a daily and weekly basis. “The T7AMR footprint was ideal for Wyong Hospital site from a safety perspective with busy corridors, receptions & common areas.” AMR Specialist, Keegan Hendricks, who leads the Technical Advisory Centre (TAC) of Tennant’s robotics unit and also AMR deployment training

 

Tennant Australia works closely with our Global Product Management Team in North America and continuously look to bring new and innovative products into the Australia and New Zealand market. One of our major focus points for 2020 and beyond has been the expansion of our AMR family to ensure we have a suite of robotic [cleaning] solutions suitable for different customer needs, applications, and environments. Our dedicated robotics team is passionate about our customer’s robotic journey and strive to ensure the Tennant customer experience is fully supported.

 

Tennant Company has deployed more than 5,000 autonomous floor scrubbers and currently has three robots in their line, including the T380AMR, the T7AMR and the recently launched T16AMR. With these three models, Tennant has a robotic cleaning solution for customers of all sizes. The robots have a variety of modes, but most operators opt to teach the machine themselves by driving the robot on the desired route, and then repeated autonomously.

 

The Tennant ‘Care for Customer’ system ensures Tennant provides an unparalleled customer experience across the entire Tennant journey. Part of the T7AMR customer value proposition is dedicated service support and that’s why we implemented our Technical Advisory Centre (TAC).

 

The operation team at VISY was provided with full TAC support during pre and post deployment with comprehensive on-site operator training on how best to setup and utilise the T7AMR as well as continued assistance with post deployment reporting and analysis. A passionate and dedicated TAC manager oversees all Tennant AMR customers to ensure every part of the T7AMR journey is supported - from setting up the machine to deliver optimal performance, to on-going support and troubleshooting when required.