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5 Themes & Highlights From ISSA 2019

February 26, 2020 9:50 AM by Tennant Company

Posted in Robotic Cleaning Machines,  Industry News & Trends, 

In November 2019, over 16,000 cleaning industry professionals attended and exhibited at ISSA Show North America, the industry’s premier event, in Las Vegas, Nevada. There were over 700 exhibitors, including Tennant Company, sharing innovations from paper towel dispensers to robotic cleaning machines. ISSA is an opportunity for all manufacturers to share their latest and greatest equipment with customers and prospects.

As important as it is for manufacturers to display their innovations, it’s also important to understand what is happening in the industry as a whole to get a feel for upcoming trends, new approaches, and other insights into customer behavior to help better serve our customers.

Here are 5 cleaning equipment themes we noticed at ISSA 2019:

  • Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR): Robotics continues to be most cleaning equipment manufacturer’s main focus. We noticed at least 13 exhibitors with robotic cleaning machines in their booths, with more manufacturers promoting upcoming product releases. Manufacturers are also looking into new spaces that robots can clean, and therefore are considering smaller, more versatile, more agile robotics cleaning machines.

  • IoT: Internet of Things (IoT) offerings among major equipment manufacturers generally have similar core capabilities, but there’s a growing number of software companies that are providing cleaning management services. The ability to integrate data from multiple vendors and sources is an important factor for customers who use several types of equipment with data management technology.
ISSA 2019 Tennant Tradeshow Booth with T7 AMR, iMop and floor scrubber displayed

Tennant booth at ISSA Show North America displaying floor cleaning products including the T7AMR robotic floor scrubber.

  • Battery Technologies: Lithium-ion battery technology presence increased at ISSA, with product offerings from both manufacturers and battery suppliers. TPPL and new charging technologies also made an appearance at the show, which indicates that batteries with life-extending capabilities are gaining credibility and importance in the cleaning industry. Another very important driver is they are maintenance-free.

  • Small Space Offerings: For many small spaces, mop and bucket is still the primary mode of cleaning. To help transition from manual cleaning to mechanized cleaning, there is an opportunity to design and introduce products to this market that are smaller, lighter and more maneuverable, while also being price-conscious.

  • Carpet Care: Most manufacturers have a carpet care offering, and cordless products are continuing to gain momentum with the increasing number of Lithium-ion battery options. New vacuums on the market focus on lithium-ion batteries, sound level, weight, and in the near future, robotic vacuums will be in the market. 

These themes are all related to the floor cleaning equipment segment of the cleaning industry. There were dozens of other themes and innovations in different segments of the industry that are positioned to help facilities stay clean, protect visitors and guests, and make cleaning operations easier for business owners. You can learn about the innovators of the industry by learning more about the 2019 ISSA Innovation Award winners.

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