Case Study: Robotic Scrubbers Help Albert Automate its Floor Cleaning

Background

Albert, one of the leading retail brands in the Czech Republic and a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, operates 330 stores nationwide and employs over 20,000 people The company sought to further advance its cleaning operations to yield more efficient, consistent, and high-quality results that would surpass its already exceptional standards.

Solution

Albert initiated testing of several autonomous mobile robots in 2021. Together with Tennant Company (Tennant) and Brain Corp, Albert worked collaboratively to define the optimal robotic solutions, which are able to operate effectively and safely alongside employees and customers while delivering the best cleaning performance tailored to Albert store surfaces and requirements. After a successful pilot program, Albert decided to deploy 40 BrainOS®-powered Tennant T380AMR and T7AMR autonomous scrubbers in its national stores by the end of 2022.

“AFTER AN EXTENSIVE PHASE OF RESEARCH, WE ELECTED TO DEPLOY BRAINOS-POWERED TENNANT AUTONOMOUS SCRUBBERS, WHICH PROVED TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE MACHINES FOR OPERATING EFFICIENTLY AND SAFELY IN OUR STORES”

– Pavel Klemera, Operations Support Manager at Albert Czech Republic.

With the combination of best-in-class equipment from Tennant and Brain Corp’s advanced AI automation platform, BrainOS, the autonomous robots are not only able to clean while safely and efficiently navigating within dynamic public retail environments, they also provide a suite of fleet management tools.

“The advanced robotic scrubbers are easy for our team to operate, creating a higher level of consistent and trackable cleaning,” said Klemera.

Results

Since deployment, Albert has used its autonomous robot fleet to clean over 20 million square meters of its retail space and distribution centers in the Czech Republic, completing over 92,000 cleaning routes.

“OUR FLEET OF BRAINOS-POWERED TENNANT T380AMR AND T7AMR AUTONOMOUS SCRUBBERS CLEAN PRECISELY, DON’T SKIP ANY SPACE AND HELP OUR EMPLOYEES TO SAVE THEIR EFFORT, SO THEY CAN USE THE TIME TO ELEVATE OUR CUSTOMER’S EXPERIENCE,“  

– Pavel Klemera

Given its early success, Albert has already decided to almost double its fleet of autonomous robots operating in their stores during 2023.

Conclusion

When compared to conventional cleaning methods, Albert recognized an opportunity to shift both its thinking and approach to achieve unprecedented cleaning efficiency and higher consistency. The successful deployment of BrainOS-powered Tennant autonomous scrubbers has enabled Albert to revolutionize its traditional cleaning practices and paved the way for further innovation. By combining the top-performing equipment and AI technology, Albert can now ensure that all of its retail stores are cleaned to the same higher standards with proven tracking results and their employees can focus on customer experience in the stores.

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