Intelligence in building cleaning

Summary

Club Future from June 5 to June 6, 2024, initiated by RAL Gütegemeinschaft Gebäudereinigung, is an innovative platform dedicated to the future of the contract cleaning industry. This regular event attracts professionals from across the industry to discuss new technologies, methods and trends that can drive efficiency and effectiveness in commercial cleaning.

RAL GGGR and Club Future

The RAL Gütegemeinschaft Gebäudereinigung itself is an organization dedicated to ensuring high standards and quality in the cleaning industry. It offers its members a certification that serves companies as a guide to best practice and as a benchmark for quality and professionalism. Through its work, the RAL Quality Association helps to strengthen trust between service providers and customers and at the same time promotes innovation by establishing clear and demanding criteria. In addition, the Quality Association is strongly committed to passing on sound specialist knowledge to service providers in order to promote the overall quality aspect of the industry. For example, members are offered training and tutorials as well as workshops on how tenders can be made incontestable without foregoing an assessment of quality criteria. Since 2023, HBC has been a certified member of the RAL Gütegemeinschaft Gebäudereinigung, which, in addition to the long-standing ISO certifications, represents further proof of high-quality services.

Club Future 2024 took place last week in Neumünster and was a special event that focused specifically on the topic of "Intelligence in commercial cleaning". The focus was on how artificial intelligence (AI), automated systems and smart technologies can not only optimize cleaning processes, but also contribute to the creation of sustainable and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. The event provided a unique opportunity for industry professionals to network, learn from experts and discover innovative solutions that could change the landscape of commercial cleaning.

Club Future 2024 in Neumünster

Focus topic: Intelligence

This year's Club Future event placed a special focus on the topic of "intelligence". Following on from this, there was a keynote speech and "power presentations" in which the RAL GGGR's supporting members were able to introduce themselves.

Keynote

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Walter was invited as keynote speaker. Walter, a former member of the German astronaut team and payload specialist on the German D2 Spacelab mission, now teaches and researches at the Chair of Astronautics at the Technical University of Munich. Walter also advises the Bavarian State Government as a member of the Ethics Council.

In his keynote speech, the graduate physicist dealt intensively with the topics of artificial intelligence and robotics. He shed light on issues such as the current state of AI, its development in conjunction with robotics and whether AI could ever be on a par with human intelligence or even surpass it. In doing so, he conveyed some fundamental facts that often remain hidden in superficial discussions of the topic of AI. He explained that (human) intelligence consists not only of logic, but also of social intelligence, for example, which machines are unlikely to achieve in the coming decades. With regard to existing systems such as chat GPT, Walter made it clear that they are only really useful if they are used correctly and very specifically. He encouraged the audience to try out new technologies, but to always question the results with common sense.

Power lectures

As part of 18 power presentations, each no longer than 3 minutes, RAL GGGR sponsoring members were given the opportunity to present their companies and products. These "pitches" offered valuable insights into the current state of technology and development from a wide range of providers, some of which had very close links to (artificial) intelligence. However, the topic of sustainability, which is of great importance to the industry, was also frequently brought to the fore, which repeatedly underlined its significance.

Following the power presentations, the companies had the opportunity to present their products in exhibition areas on three floors of the IGEFA building in Neumünster.

Assessments on the key topic of intelligence

The discussions and assessments at the event made it clear that the use of AI in commercial cleaning is still in its infancy. It was emphasized that mature solutions are needed and that targeted use for specific applications is desirable across the board. The general mood was optimistic, but also realistic with regard to the current challenges and opportunities. Many participants emphasized the need for continuous research and development and the importance of pilot projects to test the practicality of new technologies.

Link to building cleaning

The participants agreed that AI and intelligent technologies have great potential to make building cleaning more efficient and sustainable. Automated systems can take over repetitive tasks, which not only increases efficiency but also improves working conditions for cleaning staff. At the same time, smart technologies offer the opportunity to minimize resource consumption and implement more environmentally friendly solutions. However, further research and development is needed before these technologies can be used across the board. In addition, it was clearly emphasized in the keynote speech, among other things, that cleaning itself will be done by people for a long time to come and will merely be supported by autonomous machines.

How does HBC deal with the topic of AI?

HBC is committed to testing new technologies in pilot projects and deploying them when they are found to be useful and effective. This approach demonstrates HBC's commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation while ensuring quality and professionalism. HBC has already carried out several pilot projects to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its processes and plans to expand these initiatives further.

Conclusion

The Club Future 2024 event was a complete success and provided valuable insights into the future development of the building cleaning industry. The discussions and presentations showed that it is important to continue discussing and advancing the topic of AI in the industry. The findings from the event underline the importance of innovation and technological advances in order to continuously improve quality and efficiency in commercial cleaning. HBC remains a pioneer in the use of new technologies and uses them in a targeted manner to maintain the high standard of its services. Participation in Club Future 2024 has once again demonstrated the importance of exchange and cooperation within the industry in order to jointly master the challenges of the future and develop sustainable solutions.