Strict norms from the Pollution Control Board, increasing use of standards and controls in all processes of production and rising demand for less toxic substances for industrial cleaning will see the industrial cleaning equipment market progress positively. The Indian cleaning equipment market currently stands at $6.93 billion, and what makes it a prospective market is that it is still an emerging one, observes Neellohit Banerjee.

 

India being one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a GDP of more than 7 per cent, be it manufacturing, automobiles, infrastructure, hospitality or healthcare, there are abundant investments in every segment. From electric mobility to mobile handsets, many new facilities are being set up every day. All these facilities require cleaning solutions to maintain their hygiene standards and to provide a safe work environment.

 

Factors for growth

With over 360 malls and about 100 airports coming up in the next few years, the evolving Indian cleaning industry is poised to grow by at least 30 per cent every year. The demand for industrial cleaning equipment will only keep growing more and more. This is the reason behind the existence of international companies in India.

 

People have now realised that mechanisation is the only way forward to ensure proper cleanliness. Now, things are completely different and the awareness regarding the use of industrial cleaning equipment has increased than before. There is also a rising demand for less toxic substances which is identified as one of the primary growth factors for the market.

 

With the increasing use of standards and controls in all processes of production, keeping a plant free of pollutants of any kind has become mandatory. This has been a boost for the cleaning equipment manufacturing and services industry. Manufacturing processes, no doubt, make for a major component of any industrial plant. Equally important, however, is the maintenance of the plant, which includes keeping it clean and safe. It comes as no surprise then that the industrial cleaning equipment sector is growing in tandem with the growth of the Indian industry.

 

Currently, the Indian market stands at $6.93 billion in which $526 million is of cleaning chemicals, which is a small portion of the global markets’ worth. But this should not be considered as low market potential and rather as a market where so much can be done, since rest of the developed countries are reaching their saturation point. Also citizen mentality and government schemes such as Swatch Bharat Abhiyaan have also given the much desired push to the industrial cleaning market as a whole.

 

Personality:- Right now steel and power have the highest demand. This is because of the new norms that have come into the picture from the Pollution Control Board.

Manan Vadher, Director, Vacunair Engineering Company Pvt Ltd

 

Where the opportunities lie

Rising awareness on health and hygiene and growing demand from the application industries are the major drivers for the market. Moreover, the market for industrial cleaning equipment is set to grow at an impressive pace in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in India.

India’s contract cleaning sector is not only poised for fast-paced growth but also promises the creation of a large number of jobs. With offices, malls and other commercial establishments preferring to outsource cleaning jobs, the cleaning sector is going through a positive growth trajectory.

 

Manan Vadher, Director, Vacunair Engineering Company Pvt Ltd (which manufactures vacuum pumps, bag filters, blowers, among others), names three industries where there are a lot of opportunities for bag filter and dust collector manufacturers. He adds, “Majorly woodworking industries and process industries, wherein they make powder material and they collect it in the bag filter. Then there are steel plants, due to dust collection. Right now steel and power have the highest demand. This is because of the new norms that have come into the picture from the Pollution Control Board. They have been quite strict with this and controlling air pollution is necessary to operate a plant. The manufacturers are also getting educated in terms of the kind of atmosphere they should provide to their manpower. Otherwise the dust, if not collected, affects the health severely. There is also demand in the food processing industry.”

 

Technological development

The emergence of augmented reality in industrial cleaning is one of the latest trends that will gain traction in the industrial cleaning services market. With the usage of augmented reality, industrial cleaners will offer end-users a better view of facilities by using computer-aided simulation. Moreover, augmented reality also uses Internet of things (IoT), smart sensors and cloud computing that assist in cleaning remote areas of an industry. The inclusion of augmented warehouse and augmented assembly line also enables the maintenance of cleaning services while also ensuring quality.

 

“Right now reverse pulse jet cleaning is in trend. The reason being, it does not require any manual intervention for cleaning. As and when the filters choke, the suction stops. If that is not cleaned regularly, the system will not perform efficiently. In this automatic system, the cleaning is done in line and you do not require to put the filter offline,” informs Vadher.

 

Another such innovation is the CS140 Twin Action developed by Comac that cleans without any need for water and totally filters all the air sucked up. It is a street sweeping machine with a 1,400 mm working width and is ideal not only for cleaning streets, squares, car parks or industrial areas but also foundries and cement factories. The machine’s innovatively combined twin action system includes a central brush and two screw conveyors which operate simultaneously with the vacuum operation to guarantee maximum efficiency in dirt collection.

The mechanical action collects solid debris while vacuuming up dust. It also makes it possible to work on uneven surfaces. The CS 140 Twin Action is environmentally friendly because it ensures reduction to the bare minimum of water consumption, with a saving of as much as 1,00,000 litres of water per year. Dust is removed from the air by an extremely large filtering surface, which is therefore less likely to become clogged and which allows the capture of the most minute and hazardous particles, preventing them from being released back into the environment. In fact, technology is enveloping associate functions of the industry too. For example, Nilfisk India has introduced a fleet management system called TrackClean that monitors fleet operations and transmits the equipment operation data to a secure web portal.

The data includes the machine working time, the machine downtime, time of day that each activity occurred, the geographic location of the machine and as an option can include information about the operator. With the TrackClean fleet management system, irrespective of the size of cleaning equipment fleet, one can leverage the power of cloud-based data reporting in real time to optimise resources and productivity. It results in more cleaning time, more facilities cleaned and more satisfied customers.

 

When asked about some of the technologies used to manufacture its products, Vadher says, “The filter that we manufacture is a fabrication item. We have our state-of-the-art fabrication facilities with CNC profile cutting machines, hydraulic press etc.”

 

Hurdles ahead

One of the major problems which the industry faces is the local vendors whose sole purpose is selling their products at minimal price and not focusing on the concept. Till the time there will be only price wars and parameters such as the efficiency, health, safety, proper service, are neglected, this sector will not see an organic growth.

 

Despite such obstacles, there are certain companies which are seeing a positive side and planning ahead. “It is a huge market right now and we are planning to expand. These cleaning equipment are very bulky in size and currently we have some space constraint in our workshop. When we move to a bigger space, we may be able to expand the range of the product line,” reveals Vadher.

 

Again, India majorly relies on western or Chinese innovation for technology but in terms of service, some innovations are happening in India for safety and environment friendly approach.

 

There is more focus on imports of equipment with very few names on the export list from India. The sector needs to be organised if organic growth has to be achieved, for which international players have to directly invest in India. Also, educating the end users about the cleaning and hygiene importance both immediately as well as in long term, will accelerate the growth.