During the pandemic, the facility care team at Nellson Nutraceutical dropped from 34 to 14 associates and has remained at those lower staffing levels today.
“Part of the challenge is that people hear the word ‘sanitation worker.’ What do they automatically think? ‘I’m going to be cleaning restrooms or something like that here at Nellson,” said Daniel Hernandez, Sanitation Manager for Nellson Nutraceutical. (photo right - Nellson Nutraceutical Facility Care Team)
Nellson Nutraceutical started looking for ways to remain efficient with fewer people. During a discovery meeting, WAXIE Sanitary Supply, a BradyPLUS company, listened to Nellson’s challenges, asked questions, and introduced the company to an innovative cleaning solution: robotic scrubbers to address their labor shortage.
Following our assessment, Nellson Nutraceutical purchased a robotic scrubber for its Anaheim, California location. We conducted in-person training on how to use the robotic scrubber, map areas for the autonomous portion, and perform machine maintenance. The training enabled the company to properly use the robotic scrubber to clean floors while freeing up staff to perform other duties.
“We thought of this as a way of keeping our workforce small but being just as efficient as if we had a larger workforce,” said Hernandez. “So, this worked out perfectly for us.”
Previously, the company’s custodian spent about three hours per day cleaning the 286,000-square-foot warehouse with a manual scrubber.
“By using this machine, we'll be able to give him back three hours of the day and hopefully get more done,” said Hernandez. “We just hit a few buttons and let it clean the facility by itself.”
In addition to the time savings, the company estimates the robotic scrubber will save them $40,000 per year, the equivalent of one person’s salary on the cleaning staff.
“We found that within a year and a half, the unit should pay for itself,” said Hernandez. “So, it's definitely an investment, but in the long run, it'll pay off.”
Since Nellson Nutraceutical provides products for human consumption, including powder supplements and nutritional bars, the company must meet higher standards for cleanliness and sanitation. Hernandez says the robotic scrubber helps them clean the facility more efficiently and effectively than a human-operated machine.
“We do have a lot of regulations on how clean the equipment has to be and what kind of testing we need to do,” said Hernandez. “The main benefit of this machine is that it'll help clean the floors, with less chance that we spread any bacteria that may be on the floor.”
In addition, the company dealt with ongoing maintenance issues with the previous manual scrubber. However, the robotic scrubber provided by BradyPLUS is part of a maintenance package, so our team works to ensure that Nellson Nutraceutical always has a functional machine available to meet their cleaning needs.
“They’ll come out every three months to check the machine to make sure everything is working right, and they’ll replace the squeegees as needed,” said Hernandez.
Nellson Nutraceutical has been so impressed by its first robotic scrubber that the company is now looking to purchase another robotic scrubber for its Ontario, California facility later this year.
“Anything we can try to automate, that's what we're looking to do,” said Hernandez.
Is a labor shortage making it challenging for your company to meet its cleaning needs? Contact BradyPLUS; our industry experts will identify the right automation products and equipment to increase efficiency and lower costs for your business.