Is an Automatic Floor Scrubber Right for You?
Thinking about purchasing an automatic floor scrubber? There are a lot details to think about. Not just the construction and reliability but also maneuverability, coverage, the floor surface being scrubbed, type of debris being removed from the floor and budget requirements. A person can damp mop about 5,000 square feet of floor area in an hour. Automatic floor scrubbers can do 5 times that and more and be an essential part of your floor cleaning program.
Cleaning a floor is labor intensive. Automatic scrubbers can increase productivity, reduce labor hours, increase efficiency, and clean better than a mop. Up to 90% of the cost of cleaning is labor. Everything you can do to reduce this cost affects your budget. The one time cost of a floor scrubber can easily be justified by the savings in labor. The larger the facility, the larger the savings in labor.
If you’re not sure which machine may be right for your application, remember this, the machine with the lowest price tag is not necessarily the best machine for the job. Look at the Return on Investment (ROI). Even though it may be more expensive, a larger machine capable of cleaning much larger areas may be a better investment. The larger the coverage area, the greater the productivity and efficiency and the bigger the savings in labor.
To determine the ROI is a relatively simple process. Divide the Cost of the machine by the monthly labor savings. For example, if the equipment cost is $8,000.00 and the monthly labor savings is $1500.00, divide $8,000 by $1500. The result means you will have the machine paid for in a little over 5 months. The typical lifespan of an automatic scrubber is approximately 7 years. If well cared for the life span can reach 10 years. That means you will be saving $1500.00 per month in labor for the next 9.5 years. That’s a labor savings of $171,000.00 over 10 years on an $8,000.00 investment. Once you realize how much you can save in labor you may be able to justify an even larger scrubber, or you may be able to add additional equipment to do an even better job cleaning and add to the labor savings.
Make sure you are selecting the right machine for the job. This is a long term investment and selecting the wrong equipment may be something you have to live with for a long time.
Determining the right scrubber for your application is only the first step in the process. Now you must determine where to purchase it. For most facilities finding an expert local distributor is the way to go. Local distributors typically have multiple lines of equipment from which to choose. They also have experts in the floor care industry and the local parts and service departments to back up the equipment after the purchase. Make sure to have a representative complete an in depth facility survey that takes into consideration all of your issues and concerns. Local distributors can then demonstrate the scrubbers that will do the best job and stay within your budget requirements.
For more information on the proper selection of an automatic floor scrubber contact us at the Rhiel Supply Company. We can help with expert knowledge, state of the art equipment, facility surveys and equipment demonstrations.
