AI & tech shaping a cleaner, safer hygiene future
1. Description of the Challenge
Diversey is a global leader in cleaning and hygiene products for B2B markets. This means that Diversey products and solutions are used in hospitals, food production plants, restaurants, hotels etc., ranging from trigger spray type ready-to-use cleaning products through to plumbed dispensers providing specialist, concentrated cleaning products as well as cleaning machines such as sit-on floor cleaners. Good hygiene is essential to most industries, and for many of our customers, cleaning is a key activity in providing their products/service (think healthcare, food etc.). These customers look to Diversey as the experts in cleaning to do it better, quicker and more sustainably (e.g. less energy and water use).
AI and Digital Technologies have only been adopted in a limited manner in cleaning and hygiene products (e.g. robotic cleaners and internet connected dispensers). The insights that could be derived to improve compliance and efficiencies for cleaning processes and the customers core activities have only started to be explored. With the rapid advancing of AI and Digital technologies, how might this feed through to the future of cleaning and hygiene?
Cleaning is an activity that few people want to do but everybody has to do. The implications of not doing it or doing it poorly can be significant, even deadly. This is illustrated by infection driven mortality, particularly in developing countries, occasional headlines about food-born illness or food product recalls etc. Near-misses can often go unseen as the implication of doing it poorly is often only appreciated at these tipping points. The tools are there to clean effectively, even for pathogens that are resistant to pharmaceutical treatment (so good cleaning practices, particularly in healthcare settings is also important to reduce the burden on antibiotic medicines) - the challenge remains to know that the cleaning is being done comprehensively and cost effectively.
2. Expected Outcome
Enhanced cleaning products, solutions and practices through AI/digital technologies that allow cleaning to be done more comprehensively and cost effectively.
Solutions may be driven by data collected directly through cleaning activities or indirectly through other information systems already in use (e.g. footfall/movement data)