consultant’s corner Brought to you by ICAN Innovations By: Bill Griffin Achieving goals and fulfilling prospects is much easier if you have the right tools and equipment at your disposal. For The Ages not aware of. Amazingly, one little tidbit of information can make all the difference in the world. Here are a few tidbits that I came across that you may be able to use. ■ Riding dust mop This is a great idea for any location that has a lot of long, wide hallways. If you are still pushing a dust mop the old fashioned way, you are wasting time and money. The next generation of these innovations may do away with the microfiber mop and use a vacuum in its place. ■ Robotics You have to let go of the past in order to move into the future. Again, if you have wide-open or large, long spaces, a robotic autoscrubber or vacuum will make the work more productive and less costly. Just think about purchasing an employee that doesn’t complain, won’t ask for a raise, cannot call in sick or go on vacation and will never get hurt on the job. ■ The “Poor man’s autoscrubber” This is a real production and quality enhanc-er at a reasonable price. This product — essentially, a mop bucket on steroids — has a 50-foot hose, a power-ful vacuum and a small enough footprint that it can fit in the back seat of a compact car — American-made, of course, as European varieties are far too small. Using this is an effective method to, among other tasks, keep grouted restroom floors clean and maintain odor-free foodser-vice spaces. ■ Diamond polishing pads Fast, easy and cost effective — I haven’t been able to find any down side to these products. Several manufacturers offer them, and some are better than others. The technology is pretty new, but it is one process that you should take a look at, especially since you probably already have the equipment you need. ■ Square buffing machines If you are still using a standard rotary floor machine on a square room, you are wasting at least 30 percent of your time. Now, eliminate the stripper, detergent and water, and you may be able to reduce your floor care costs by as much as 65 percent. There are several variations of this technol-ogy on the market, so contact your supplier and inquire. ■ Bucketless mopping Old habits die hard; but, the mop, bucket and wringer are three items you need to let go. Certainly, bucketless mopping doesn’t work in a kitchen, automotive garage or machine shop, but where you are trying remove light soil from smooth floors, buck-etless mopping will save you time, trouble and money. I It’s that time of year again when some of us feel inclined to evaluate what we’ve accom-plished over the last year and give some thought to what we want to accomplish in the next year. It’s a ritual with me; I do the same thing at the end of each day, each week and every month. I wish I was better at doing it consistently and in writing. I know from personal experience, from talking to others and from studying success-ful people that setting goals is a key factor in one’s personal and business success. As I have done before, I will find a soft swivel chair so I can comfortably look back and forward at the same time. One of my goals for this year is to do a better job of documenting my goals in writ-ing before the New Year begins. Please join me in this exercise, and when our paths cross over the next year, let’s compare notes. Goals are like a road map — okay, maybe a global positioning satellite (GPS) because nobody uses physical road maps anymore — they help you get where you want to go and their importance should not be taken lightly. Cheers To 2013 That’s it for this month. Here’s wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2013. Bring it on and let’s do everything we can to make it the best year ever. Keep it clean and stay safe. CM Bill Griffin is president of the International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN) and owner of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc. Comments and questions are encouraged: (206) 849-0179; [email protected] www.cmmonline.com New Product Highlights In my travels over the last year, I have come across a number of new products that I thought were worth remembering and pass-ing on to others. Many times, one’s ability to do a better job or be more competitive doesn’t lie in working harder, but in working smarter, which often translates into knowing about a product or process that your competitor is 17
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