#50 Jeff Schrantz: Cleaning with Autonomous Mobile Robots

Episode #50

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Griffin Hamilton  

Welcome to another episode of The Modern Facilities Management Podcast, brought to you by FlowPath. I'm your host Griffin Hamilton, this is the show where I interview industry experts who share their stories, strategies and insights into modern day facilities management, from hospitality to commercial real estate, and everything in between. We'll learn what it really takes to succeed as a facilities manager. Welcome to another episode of the modern facilities management podcast. Today, I've got Jeff Trance. Jeff, how you doing?

Jeff Schrantz

Doing well, Griffin. Thanks for having me today.

Griffin Hamilton  

Of course, thanks for coming on. And I'm excited to dive into the topics that we're going to cover with robotics and how technology is really impacting Facilities Management from that standpoint. But before we get into the details here once you give the audience a little bit of context on who you are and how you got into the space.

Jeff Schrantz  

Hey, be happy to do that, Griffin. So, I am the Global Head of Sales and Marketing for Avidbots. We're an organization based out of the Kitchener Waterloo area in Canada. Now, Avidbots has been in business really since 2014, designing, manufacturing, selling, supporting fully autonomous robotic floor scrubbers. And for those folks that are not familiar with Avidbots, you know, we have what we feel is the premier force Greber on the market and we call it Neo. It's our multi-application robot, it's chosen by leading organizations around the world. So, you may bump into Neo in airports, schools, hospitals, retail establishments, shopping malls, warehouses. I mean, almost anywhere that there's a hard surface floor to be cleaned, there's a good chance you may bump into one of our machines.

Griffin Hamilton  

That's incredible and going into just like the overall like what it does, so you're mentioning robots and you know, floor scrubbing but I'm sure there's a lot more capabilities there and some nuance to it. So, I'm just curious more, more so on the technology behind it and how it really operates.

Jeff Schrantz 

Yeah, so you know, that's really what we talk about in terms of autonomous cleaning. And so, it kind of by definition, if you want to get geeky here, you know, autonomous cleaning is the automation or the use of robots to clean and disinfect areas. And as I mentioned, you know, Neo is a multi-application robot. So not only do we scrub hard surface floors, we also have the ability to disinfect high touch 3d surfaces. So, we're one of the few multi-application robots out in the marketplace. And you know, the reality is, you know, cleaning floors, it's not the sexiest job in the building but it's a requirement. It's an absolute requirement because it's the second largest space in the building next to the ceiling and you know, nobody's worried about cleaning ceilings right now so you know, we clean the floors.

Griffin Hamilton  

Interesting and so, you mentioned 3d surfaces as well. So, I mean, I do kind of want to get geeky here, how does it know where to go? How does it move around? I mean, I imagine there's a lot of sensors involved in it and there's a lot that the facilities manager technician can do to have this technology kind of complement what they're doing day in and day out. But I'm just curious about you know, the logistics there on operating that thing.

Jeff Schrantz  

So you're right, there are a lot of sensors on the machine, Griffin. But we're creating a map of the facility and Neo understands the facility and then on a daily basis determines the best way to go through that facility based on the environment that it's presented with on that particular day. But what doesn't change is the location of doorknobs, handrails, park benches, water fountains, you know, high touch surfaces that require you know, some disinfection capability. And we're able to do that with a mounted disinfection unit on top of our floor scrubbing machine, we pull right up to the to the object, we spray it with a disinfectant solution and then we move on.

Griffin Hamilton  

And with that, you mentioned that being a big part of it right and over the last couple of years, don't have to go into detail about the impact of COVID. But peace of mind is something people are searching for surrounding their facilities, how clean are our facilities? Are the occupants safe? Are we doing the right thing, so we have the right strategy in place and so how does just looking at autonomous mobile robots and that strategy like, how does that really lead to that peace of mind as opposed to me personally going out and you know, scrubbing every doorknob disinfecting every square inch of the building?

Jeff Schrantz  

Absolutely. So Griffin, a lot of times this cleaning and disinfecting is done at night when nobody's there but there's a big push now to be visible with these activities. So what's happening now is that, you know, our machines are running during the daytime and some of the largest retailers in the world, some of the busiest airports in the world. And what folks are looking for and what folks are experiencing is a consistent and efficient clean. Secondly, what they're getting is a measurable clean that can both be quantified and qualified. I want to stop there for just a second because I was visiting with a senior executive of a fortune 100 company. And his exact words to me were Jeff, we can neither quantify nor qualify what takes place in terms of cleaning our facility when either (a) nobody is there or (b) people are there but nobody's paying attention. And so, a measurable clean with reporting capability to show what was cleaned, when it was cleaned, how it was cleaned, who it was cleaned by is very important. But this human labour, reallocation to other higher value activities that you know, I mentioned earlier that require human dexterity and decision making. Well, you know, let's face it, that's where humans should be working not on manual tasks, such as scrubbing floors or are wiping off the tops of trash cans, we are also able to assist with the current labour shortages. Look, this great resignation that's taken place, you know, our machine never calls in sick, it never misses a shift, it doesn't ask for a pay raise or you know, a day off. The reality is, this is the value of robotics and most people are able to find a very nice return on investment as a result of you know, the move to this technology.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah. And so, as an executive, if you are looking at deploying this type of strategy, you mentioned data and that collection there. What are the specific data points that people are requesting and what are they doing with that, what can I do with that type of data? 

Jeff Schrantz

Yeah, so here's an example. We're in a food processing facility up in the Northeast United States. You know, a building that as you can imagine, you know, the FDA comes in repeatedly and you know, inspects the cleanliness of the building. So in the past, what they might have been looking at is a eight and a half by 11 sheet of paper that's got Griffin’s initials on it, that says, yeah, I cleaned the building. Now, they're able to look at a full detailed report with mapping of exactly what was cleaned, when it was cleaned, how much water was used, you know, what day it was use, what areas were missed and why. And so, this level of accountability is really important for folks that, you know, have those needs for inspection and accuracy. But if you don't have those requirements of inspection and accuracy, you're still interested to know what was cleaned, when it was cleaned, how many square feet per hour were cleaned. And if you've got some, you know, green initiatives, you probably want to know how much water we used, all of that information is available on our reporting and it's available at the moment, the absolute moment that the cleaning has been completed. So, it's not something that you've got to wait hours or days or weeks for, the second that that cleaning operation is complete the reports available for you.

Griffin Hamilton  

So, you're telling me not only is it just that part is taken off, that workload is taken off the plates of the technicians around the building but you're getting that real time data? And beyond that, it's you know, your metrics on those green initiatives, right, because that is something that we've talked about on this show before. If that green movement that's occurred over the last couple of decades and really trying to cut costs specific to water usage and that is something where you are capturing that in real time? Correct?

Jeff Schrantz 

Absolutely.

Griffin Hamilton  

And so with that, have you seen any differences in usage from the actual manual processes versus having autonomous robots going out and doing this on their own?

Jeff Schrantz 

What the reality is, you don't really know how much water has been used when you know, it's a manual machine that's been, you know, manually filled. So you know and then manually, you know, emptied so we believe, you know, that with this level of autonomy, we're using less water. And you know, it can be managed and it can be monitored. I mean, there are different settings on our equipment that you can, you know, lay down more water, let's say that, you know, it's at the front of a retail store in the middle of the winter and it's sloppy and salty and messy at the front door. You probably want to put a little more water on the floor, you have the ability to do that, scrub it and then suck it up through our vacuum into the dirty water tank.

Griffin Hamilton  

Interesting and I imagine beyond the metrics and data that you're capturing as well, I mean this is industry agnostic, correct? 

Jeff Schrantz 

Yeah. 

Griffin Hamilton  

It's just a building, anything that is there to be cleaned. And so, what have you seen from different industries adopting this type of strategy and how like the secondary benefits beyond just okay, we have a labour shortage that we're all facing right now. And that's being automated to supplement our current labour force, we're capturing this data so now we can make strategic decisions based on this data. But beyond that, what auxiliary benefits do you see across different industries there?

Jeff Schrantz

Well, it's really a message that you know, that a business owner or a business in general is sending to their workers or a message that they're sending to their consumers. So, as I mentioned, you know, we're in some of the largest retailers around the world and these machines are running during the day. So, imagine that you're shopping in this facility and you know, you've got concerns over cleanliness or you know, hygiene or you know, COVID, whatever the case may be and you see this robot going around the building, that scrubbing the floor, sweeping the floor and you know, you've got to clean surface. Well, you might not be so terrified to you know, have your child sit on the floor while you finish your shopping. But I can tell you, I talk to a lot of Chief Human Resource Officers as well because you never really know what somebody's motivation is in purchasing this piece of equipment. And you know, Chief Human Resource Officers have told me that, you know, their exit interviews of people leaving the business was because they didn't feel like their environment was healthy and safe, you know, for them to operate in. So, dusty, dirty environments, people having respiratory problems so you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as it relates to robots. And you know, sometimes we're talking to engineers, sometimes we're talking to facility managers, sometimes we're talking to you know, human resource officers, sometimes we're talking to store managers. So, it just depends on you know, who has this strategy on clean and who places this higher level of importance on the cleanliness but overall, the cleanliness of facilities has never been, you know, more front and centre in terms of you know, people's awareness and the desire to either work in or shop in the cleanest environment possible.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, and a point you made earlier was respiratory issues, right? And how we've talked about on the show before the importance of indoor air quality and making sure you're on top of your PMS on filter replacement programs. But now you're taking to that next step of dust and allergens, you know, on the floor so now you're getting on both sides of it. And I mean, we've talked about it with schools and you mentioned children here earlier about just their kids, right, they're going to roam around and sit on the floors and put their hands everywhere and knowing that not only what they're breathing is going to be clean, fresh, healthy air but the surfaces, you know, that's that peace of mind that we're referring to. And that goes to, you know, the schools you're talking about, retail, where consumers are walking around. So that is another complement to what we're trying to do and move the industry forward and having that focus on, you know, the health of the occupants in each and every building.

Jeff Schrantz 

Yeah, and the last thing I'll say on that, Griffin. I mean, you know, we have robots cleaning the floors in a lot of school systems. But think about what takes place in those school systems, kid puts their backpack on the floor, takes their backpack home, puts that backpack on the kitchen table, a couple hours later, we're having dinner on that same table, right? Forklifts driving through a facility, kicking up the dust, right and so as forklifts are going through facility, that dust is getting kicked up, guess who's breathing that in, the forklift driver? So, you know, the floor is the second largest surface area in the building, second only to the ceiling. And you know, we haven't figured out how to clean the ceilings yet with robots but we're cleaning the heck out of those floors.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, no kidding. And I guess on that, you mentioned several good points there as far as the initiatives that we've got and just, you know, the impact that this could have, right? I guess my question there would be surrounding, like how you deploy this strategy. So, we've gone over the benefits of it and there's several different technologies out there that can help automate these processes but from a strategic standpoint, how do you go from okay, I'm fully manual and to now supplementing my workforce with autonomous vehicles?

Jeff Schrantz  

Yeah, so first and foremost, do your homework, right? And so, there's just a lot of technologies out there and you need to figure out you know, what options are available depending on exactly what you're looking to accomplish. And Avidbots we really pride ourselves on our customer success program and that is a team of experts at Avidbots that are with you know, our customers from day one. And going forward to make sure that Neo delivers the best clean every time you press go because that's why you purchase a robot. You want to push go and you want it to go and do what your expected outcome is and we also assist with onboarding, training, implementation and then optimization. So, I would say, you know, if you're thinking about deploying the strategy, you're looking for a company that you know, to partner with that can support your organization through the entire process from deployment. And then long after the sales process, whether it's maintaining the equipment or optimizing you know, what the equipment's doing. There's a lot of tools out there, there's a lot of places that you can go and do your research but you know, you need to do your research.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yep and that is something else that we've talked about on the show many times is just doing your due diligence, where it's what works for you, right? And not only for you but in the current time but looking ahead, right, what initiatives do you guys have? And how can this technology that you're looking to adopt and the strategy that you're looking to implement, how does that have the impact of certainly doing your due diligence there? And with that, I know we're talking a lot about different technologies available that haven't necessarily been available to facilities managers in the past, how does this type of technology complement the tech stack that has been more commonly used across the space?

Jeff Schrantz

Yeah, great question, Griffin. So, we believe it's important that when you are implementing an autonomous cleaning solution that it's got to play well with the other AMRs in the building that you know, might already be in place. So, our particular piece of equipment, Neo is self-contained, it works very well alongside other AMRs. Now, and this has been done by design but here's the reality, you know, you've got to make sure that you're looking at technologies that can coexist and function alongside other technologies. So you know, the more automation that comes into an environment, the more important it's going to be that they all get along. And they all you know, can operate independently of one another but also working alongside and with one another.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, and that's where I get excited about where we're going as an industry is just how these are going to be more and more common to use technology, adopt technology and make us, not replace us but make us a lot more efficient, right? And what we're made to be doing on a day in and day out basis and eliminating a lot of the manual processes that we are currently struggling with, especially once again with that labour shortage we're fighting right now.

Jeff Schrantz

Yeah, you know, the biggest challenge that we experienced, Griffin is you know, we'll go into a place and somebody will see a robot, you know, starting to be deployed and they'll say, well, I guess Griffin is going to be losing his job? Well, you know, the reality is, we have no desire to replace humans with robotics, we have a desire to make you know, the human capital actually more productive and more effective and more valuable in the organization because now they can move on to more valuable task. Now, cleaning the floors is important, it's not the most valuable task in a facility. And so, let that be done by automation and let those humans you know, with the dexterity and decision making that only humans have, you know, work on the higher value task.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yeah, absolutely and that is an important point to make where we do see people are reluctant to adopt technology, especially if it's something they've never used before. And that could easily be one of the many reasons why they may be a little reluctant to engage in that type of conversation but it is something where if you take a step back and you look at your day in and day out and what you're doing not just professionally but even personally, there's so much technology that we just take for granted that we're already automating a lot of things that weren't previously automated. And prior to hitting record, you brought up the self-checkout line and that you know, to your point, it's a robot and that's something that we've embraced. And we're looking at more efficiency there and with you know, looking at grocery stores, now their employees can go focus on higher value task.

Jeff Schrantz

Stocking shelves, like when I'm out in the marketplace, I don't see anybody purposely standing in a long line. So, a human can grab everything in their shopping cart and slide it across the scanner, people make a beeline for the self-checkout lane and guess what, that's a robot? And the people that are not standing on that cash register are restocking shelves or they're you know, moving materials around the building. So, you know, robots are everywhere, just in different forms. If you look, you know, they're all around us. And you know, we spend a lot of time educating our customers on how you know, our robot can work seamlessly alongside their organization and their employees.

Griffin Hamilton  

Yep, that's great and Jeff, this has been a great conversation. I'm glad that you've been able to come on and explain just this new technology, new or technology that is really helping out a ton of facilities, organizations out there, once again, be more efficient with their time and resources. But before I do let you go, I've got one final question I asked everybody but who or what has had the biggest impact on you and your career?

Jeff Schrantz

I worked for a guy named Chris Bortkiewicz. at ADP. I spent 12 years of my career; Chris was our senior vice president in the sales then went on to be the president of National Accounts services at ADP. He was a no-nonsense guy and a lot of things I learned from Chris over the years that I had the pleasure of working with him have really, you know, framed and guided me in my career. So, I'd have to say, you know, he's one of the biggest impact that has had on my career.

Griffin Hamilton  

That's great and it's funny, everybody has a quick answer to that, where you know, there's always that one mentor that comes to mind. And you know, it's interesting to hear different responses as we've gone through and I think this is going to be episode 50 being released. So, you're lucky number 50 but that's incredible and again, Jeff, I certainly appreciate you coming on and provide a little bit more context on these new technologies out there. But that's really all I've got and like I said, thank you for your time, your expertise and it's been an absolute pleasure.

Jeff Schrantz 

Griffin, thanks for having me on today. 

Griffin Hamilton  

Of course. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of The Modern Facilities Management Podcast. Make sure to subscribe for future episodes and follow us on LinkedIn for more facilities management content.

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