Awards
City Cleaning Awards
Dirk Niesen, Head of Sales along with Nicole Rodwald, Export Area Manager at R+M Suttner booth
Middle East Cleaning Technology Week had launched in 2015 a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region – the City Cleaning Awards to recognize the dedicated services provided by the outdoor cleaning staff in the Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah.
Excellence Awards
It is not every day that the people behind the scenes who ensure that hotels, facilities and linen are spick-and-span are lauded on such a large scale as the Excellence Awards! Since the past four years, the Excellence Awards has been a continuous effort towards bringing together these ‘celebrities’ of the cleaning industry.
The categories included Soft FM Attendant, Soft FM Team Leader, Laundry Attendants, Laundry Team Leader, Housekeeping Room Supervisor, Housekeeping Public Area Team Leader, Housekeeping Room Attendants and Housekeeping Public Area Attendants.
Trends
Green is the key as many exhibitors confessed. There is a stark shift in preference towards environment friendly products and a visible concern over water and energy consumption while choosing products. The Middle East is moving towards more specific training mechanisms, increased understanding of quality versus cost and gearing up for a clean, green and modern future.
At the same time, there is increased emphasis on new technology and innovative products keeping in mind the basics of cleaning operations. While the demand may be similar whether it is laundry or cleaning, there is a distinct difference in the operations where UAE and the rest of the world is concerned.
In this regard, smart solutions with mobile apps and cloud based options are going popular. Smart laundries are catching up. Specific solutions like use of nano technology and high pressures in cleaning and car wash made its mark at the shows too.
An interesting observation made by an exhibitor was the demand for bottled liquid detergents by many contractors, besides tools and equipment with multiple applications.
At the home front, manufacturers and exporters in and around Dubai are looking at India as an opportunity besides countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and few countries in the Far East.
Mohana M
