Press Release

Dear members of the press,

Today marks the start of the final day of CMS Berlin, with a focus on housekeeping and hospital cleaning. You can look forward to concise updates on trends and best practices, as well as numerous opportunities for discussion.

The focus is on the shortage of skilled workers: in an expert talk, concrete approaches will be presented – from close cooperation with employment agencies to speed dating between job seekers and companies to information events with brand ambassadors.

You can also experience autonomous cleaning machines in action and gain insights into the latest developments in AI and robotics.

The topic of sustainability is also coming to the fore: manufacturers will present stronger environmental standards – from optimised recipes to more transparent supply chains in which European raw materials are gaining in importance.

We wish you an inspiring and successful day at the trade fair.

Your CMS Berlin press team

New trends in AI and robotics

CMS Berlin is considered a barometer of trends in new building cleaning technologies. This was particularly evident at the Purus Innovation Award (PIA). On Tuesday evening, a panel of experts selected the winners in six categories. One of these was robotics/AI.

The winner in this category was the KIRA B 200, an autonomous scrubber-dryer robot. Developed by Alfred Kärcher (Hall 3.2, Stand 100), it is designed for use on large surfaces, such as in logistics centres and airports. It operates mainly independently, but can also be controlled manually. After around four hours of operation, the machine recharges and refills with fresh water and discharges dirty water at its docking station. It then continues working. It can clean up to 23,000 square metres per day.

The HYTRON Bathroom Cleaning Robot from Primetech AI (Hall 3.2, Stand 220) has also made it to the final. Thanks to its 3D laser scanner, this Singaporean robot can clean toilets, sinks and mirrors calmly and precisely. As can be seen in the daily live demonstrations at CMS Berlin, the cleaning robot changes its brushes independently. One unit takes between eight and ten minutes to clean.

Also nominated was the RV3 from Robovox (Hall 2.2, Stand 128). This commercial cleaning robot sweeps, vacuums and mops. It is suitable for different floor coverings. Thanks to its compact size, it can also be used in confined spaces and corridors. It supplies itself with water and can be cleaned at its workstation. The cleaning process can be monitored via an app.

Tennant (Hall 1.2, Stand 221) is demonstrating how easy it is to programme the X4 ROVR cleaning robot in live demonstrations every day. Once familiarised with the local conditions, the scrubber-dryer can clean floors independently. Any faults are reported via mobile phone, and the collected data is stored securely in the German cloud. The display can be set to different languages, making the X4 ROVR suitable for international teams.

Organic surfactants, probiotics, weeds and new supply chains: cleaning products are becoming even more sustainable

The label 'sustainable' has long been almost indispensable, especially for cleaning products. This year's CMS show has seen many innovations that demonstrate the increasing sustainability of cleaning products. These products exceed the requirements of eco-labels by a considerable margin and are more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly, setting an example for the industry.

An example is the winner of this year's Purus Innovation Award (PIA) in the cleaning products category: MILIZID ONE from Dr. Schnell. This sanitary cleaner contains 100 per cent raw materials from renewable sources in Europe, including methane sulfonic acid from mass-balanced biogas, non-ionic surfactants from insect oil from fly larvae, and perfume raw materials such as lemon oil from Italy or Swiss stone pine oil from Austria.

"This ensures fair working conditions, strict EU environmental regulations for raw material extraction, and short logistics routes," says Dr Axel Schlossbauer, Head of Product Systems at Dr. Schnell. After all, transport can also be a source of emissions. MILIZID ONE is also sustainable in terms of land use for raw materials.

"Oil palms yield around 350 kilograms of oil per hectare, whereas insect larvae yield around 100 tonnes per hectare per year. Therefore, surfactants from insect oil require more than 250 times less land,' says Schlossbauer. Many of the components are being used in professional cleaning products for the first time, and some have even been developed specifically for MILIZID ONE. ‘We hope this will encourage the industry to move away from fossil-based components, palm oil and sugar cane,’ says the Dr. Schnell expert. ‘That's not because we want an EU Ecolabel in gold, but out of conviction.’

CO₂ emissions reduced by half

Wetrok, a Swiss company and finalist in the Purus Innovation Award, calls its Novaline ‘the most sustainable cleaning line ever’. Comprising six products ranging from an all-purpose cleaner to a special toilet cleaner, it is produced entirely in Switzerland. Novaline also uses organic surfactants instead of conventional surfactants derived from mineral oil, palm oil or other vegetable oils. These fermented organic surfactants are obtained from waste products from the food industry. According to Wetrok, this resource-saving process reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 50 per cent.

Novaline products are particularly sustainable thanks to their renewable, biodegradable raw materials, short transport routes and recycled plastic canisters. There is also an increasing demand for this among customers, says Katja Bühlmann, product manager at Wetrok. “Sustainable cleaning is a flagship product and an image factor.”

Wiping with weeds

“TAWIP neo” floor care from Tana-Chemie is also a PIA finalist and scores highly for innovation. Well, sort of. Instead of using environmentally harmful, petroleum-based polymers, it is based on innovative, water-soluble and completely biodegradable biopolymers. These biopolymers are extracted from the chicory plant. “It grows on the roadside right next to the exhibition centre, so it's basically a weed,” explains Bianca Nerowski, Head of Product Management at Tana-Chemie. It has blue flowers, looks like a dandelion underneath, and has a thick root from which the polymers are extracted,” explains Bianca Nerowski, Head of Product Management at Tana-Chemie.

Chicory is also used in Caro coffee, for example. ‘I always say, it's so natural you could drink it,’ Nerowski jokes. The biopolymers impressed with their excellent cleaning performance, making the floor appear fresher and rendering micro-fine damage, such as scuff marks, invisible. ‘This helps maintain the value of the floors, which is sustainable,’ says the Tana expert.

Probiotic surface cleaning

The MAXX Synbiotic product line from Ecolab Germany innovatively combines probiotics, prebiotics and biodegradable surfactants. The range includes all-purpose, toilet, floor and sanitary cleaners. While conventional products achieve an immediate cleaning effect, MAXX Synbiotic also ensures long-lasting cleaning. “The probiotics eliminate dirt like Pac-Man, while the prebiotics act like Red Bull,” explains Ecolab chemist Jonas Rödder.

The result is deeper, longer-lasting hygiene, thanks to the approximately 50 billion microorganisms per litre of cleaning agent. “The combination of probiotics and prebiotics leaves no room for bacteria, allergens or bad odours, and reduces the risk of recontamination,” says Rödder. This reduces the need for frequent deep cleaning, which is another sustainability factor.

Jobturbo for refugees – building cleaners as pioneers

The German government's 'Jobturbo 2024' programme aimed to help refugees find work quickly. Several member companies from the building cleaning trade were involved in the pilot project. What were the outcomes? What worked well, and what could be improved? How can companies and employment agencies collaborate more effectively? These issues were discussed by experts at the CMS Practice Forum.

Wolfgang Molitor, the managing director and chairman of the Federal Guild Association of Building Cleaners' board, spoke about the 50,000–100,000 job vacancies in the industry. This is another reason why Jobturbo was met with high hopes. “If there is one industry experienced with and open to migration with low barriers to entry, it is ours,” Molitor said.

Tanja Čujić, board member of the Federal Guild Association of Building Cleaners, also expressed her optimism about the pilot project, in which she participated with her Berlin-based company. Cooperation with the job agencies had been consistently positive, with many suggestions for potential employees. “But they all came by post. The letter only contained the candidate's name, not their contact details,' said Čujić.

Contact only by letter

Data protection regulations prevented her from contacting the applicants directly. She had to wait for potential employees to contact her after responding to the employment agency. “I stopped counting at 230 suggestions. But only four of them responded.” Not a single new employee joined her company through Jobturbo. “The whole thing could work if we had the opportunity to contact applicants directly,” said Čujić.

Carina Knie-Nürnberg, Managing Director of Operations at the Berlin-Brandenburg Regional Directorate of the Federal Employment Agency, also identified the method of contact as the biggest hurdle. ‘We have learned from the project that we can no longer work via the mailbox function,’ she said. The new approach is to invite companies and potential employees together to the employment agency, trade fairs, or directly to the company.

Tanja Čujić held many discussions with employment agency staff at the CMS. She concluded that ‘we must remain in dialogue, especially about what our industry needs’. Some of the refugees she has successfully employed were referred to her directly by individual employment agency staff who contacted her while the applicant was present. This made it possible to arrange introductory meetings with a low barrier to entry and overcome language barriers. Another idea is to send brand ambassadors to employment agencies on specific dates to inform applicants first-hand about working as a cleaner.