Middle East Cleaning Technology Week 2017

The recently concluded Middle East Cleaning Technology Week 2017 organised by VIS along with it Italian partner Afidamp Servizi srl, yet again saw a turnout of over 4,000 quality visitors seeking newer innovations and technologies. Leading brands from across the world in cleaning, laundry and car care products and solutions participated in the three-day exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Center from November 7 to 9. More than 130 exhibitors from 15 countries closed on-the-spot deals with buyers from across the Gulf countries, Africa, Far-east and India.

The show was inaugurated by HE Butti Saeed Al Ghandi, Second Vice Chairman of DWTC.

This year, too, the exhibition had three knowledge-sharing seminars – the International Cleaning & Hygiene Conference focused on Health & Safety and the opening address was given by Dorothee Stein, Head-Facility Care, Dubai Airports. The Gulf Laundrex- Linen Care Conference focused on the standards driving the industry and was opened by Tim Bacon, Director Middle East, and Africa, General Manager, Alliance Laundry Systems BVBA (Dubai Branch). The Sustainable Waste Management Conference, which was launched this year focused on the latest trends and practices in the industry.

The Green Zone – sponsored by Diversey Gulf – was a one-of-a-kind initiative that attracted visitors to check out the various eco-friendly certified products available across all three industries.

MECTW 2017 offered a platform to international workshops. The International Detailing Association held a one-day Detailers Certification Course for auto-detailers in Dubai. ISSA also held a two-day CMI certification course in association with MECA and MEATAC.

KNOWLEDGE-SHARING INITIATIVES

International Cleaning & Hygiene Conference 2017

The International Cleaning & Hygiene Conference 2017 was in its 5th edition and focused on Health & Safety. Environment, Health & Safety – these three key words are the cornerstone of any cleaning and maintenance operation. But it is not as straightforward as it seems – does ‘environment’ only refer to green products or does it also apply to the right practices that aid in eco-friendly cleaning? Do ‘health’ and ‘safety’ refer to just that of the user – or does it also involve the operator and the building? This is what was addressed by the panelists and speakers at the ICHC Conference this year.

Gulf Laundrex-Linen Care Conference 2017

The laundry and dry cleaning industry has seen an impressive growth in recent years, both in terms of commercial performance and in its approach to training, technology, and professional development. The growth has, in turn, created opportunities in the industry to actively develop new solutions, increase capacity to support demand, and undergo changes to become more sustainable. The laundry business is now more about being more cost-effective and efficient to its clients and they are doing so by constantly working on their standards and expanding their skill base.

The third edition of the Gulf Laundrex Conference addressed just this. With the theme as ‘Standards Driving the Laundry Market’, the half-day conference witnessed a packed house with many experts talking about the various ways and means of improving the overall standards in the market and also what kind of solutions/technology are aiding this movement.

Sustainable Waste Management Middle East Conference

Middle Eastern countries are amongst the highest per capita waste producers in the world, as recent figures indicate. Ninety-five million tonnes of waste was generated in the GCC region in 2015 and this is expected to reach 120 million tonnes by 2020. One cannot emphasize enough the need for sustainable strategies and solutions to deal with the region’s growing environmental requirements.

The forum focused on the key theme of ‘Sustainability’ and brought together prominent local and international professionals in the waste management industry. Government and private sector experts, and other stakeholders discussed the latest trends, emerging topics and lead interactive sessions on waste recycling in different segments.

Unsung City Cleaning Heroes Awards

The Unsung City Cleaning Heroes Awards were presented to the best outdoor cleaning staff, including street cleaning and waste management staff working at various municipalities across the UAE including Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. The awards ceremony was held during the Middle East Cleaning Technology Week. The awards including a certificate and cash prize were presented to the 20 best city cleaning staff nominated by different municipalities and other entities.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Lauding Excellence in Cleaning

The cleaning staff is the most important asset of any facility. It is the cleaners who are the first point of contact for customers when it comes to their environment and ambience. It is the cleaners who are constantly in and around customers and who are responsible for the end result of the environment within the facility.

Recognising the importance of these cleaning attendants – who are looked upon as assets across the world, Clean Middle East Pulire Expo in collaboration with the UAE Professional Housekeepers’ Group, has consistently recognised these unsung heroes from the hospitality industry since three years through the Excellence Awards. The Excellence Awards are a one-of-a-kind concept that recognises and lauds ‘The Difference Makers’ in the housekeeping industry.

This year, the 5th edition of Clean Middle East Pulire organised the Excellence Awards 2017 at Za’abeel Hall 3, Dubai World Trade Centre on November 9, 2017.

Exhibitors’ Speak

Samit Sanyal, Director – Marketing, Diversey Gulf:- ‘We have been participating in CMEP show for the past four or five years and we are fairly happy about the way the show has evolved and with how the organisers have been committed not only to the show but also to our overall business for the cleaning industry. The UAE is an evolved market and you see a lot of international visitors as well as expats from various parts of the world living here. For the upcoming editions, we would like to see more consumer bodies involved to spread the awareness of cleaning and hygiene to the general public.”

Venkatesh Manjeri, Divisional Manager, Intercare Ltd:- “The show has definitely attracted more number of suppliers and customers, and over the years has grown in size and probably in importance too. Businesswise it has always been useful to have such shows. However, it would be helpful to have a longer gap between the editions to entice more participation. Also an award for companies, etc would help and generate more interest.”

George Oommen, Managing Director, Excel International:- “We have been participating in this show for a few years now, and we get exposure for the innovative products we introduce every year and they are well received. Due to the size of the show the number of visitors varies every year. This year, the number of visitors seems to be less compared to last year – but we are happy with the quality of visitors.

Ryan Essenburg, President, Avw Tommy Car Wash Systems:- “The biggest thing is that in the past year we launched a franchise offering and that has been very well received. We have massive growth happening now on the franchise side because most people need training, marketing support, operational expertise and the knowhow of how to run a car wash. So we’re seeing a massive growth in that area sand that’s an international need.

“The other continuing trend that we see is that of moving away from in-bay automatic rollover car washes because they process so slow – only eight cars per hour typically. We are certainly making good contacts here as an exhibitor; we’ve met a lot of people, more on the institutional side – government agencies or taxi companies, car dealerships and a little bit of independent developers as well. I think the car wash segment is not big enough at the Show. I think it would help us if we grew more car washing in the show.”

Nacho Verdes, Key Account Manager- Market Development, Istoba:- “After participating at the Gulf Car Wash-Car Care Expo, I have found it to be more interesting because we are directly in contact with professionals. This has been a good experience for us and the people that came to visit us were interested in cleaning and automatic car wash. Many of them told us they knew we were coming to the show so they came to visit us. So I think the organisers did a good job in communicating.”

Tony Kerr, Sales Director- Emea, Xeros:- “This is the first time we have participated in the Gulf Laundrex show. We came with the intention of meeting people in the laundry industry and introducing our products. We’ve achieved that. We have met some people who we believe will take machines, and overall the show has been good.”

Tim Bacon, Director – Middle East & Africa, Alliance Laundry Systems:- “Alliance is proud to have partnered with Gulf Laundrex-Linen Care Expo powered by Expo Detergo and MECTW for the third time. Alliance is one of the largest producers of commercial laundry globally. We manufacture machines and apply it to the hospitality arena, healthcare, FM and laundries.”