Kemco Sets New Standard for Facilities Management Industry

AN OVERVIEW

Responsible for Cleanliness at a Top 100 Hospital

Kemco Facilities Services, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, manages cleaning services for over 100 buildings, covering well over a million square feet of space. Among these facilities is a prominent orthopedic hospital, with over 75,000 square feet of cleanable space, ranked as one of the top 100 hospitals in the country.

In their commitment to maintaining the highest cleanliness and efficiency standards, Kemco adopted ICE Cobotics' autonomous scrubber, Cobi 18, to enhance their cleaning operations at this hospital.

CHALLENGES

Achieving High Levels of Clean & Labor Issues

Maintaining a spotless and hygienic environment in a hospital setting is a complex and demanding task. Robbie Medley, VP of Sales at Kemco, highlights the challenge:

"The hospital is open 24 hours a day, with people constantly moving about. Ensuring that all team members show up every day is crucial because you need a certain number of people to clean that much space. When someone is absent, it disrupts our ability to meet our contractual responsibilities to the client."

Labor challenges are another significant concern in the facilities management industry. Medley emphasizes,

"Labor is always the biggest challenge—getting people to show up, ensuring all tasks are completed efficiently and on time can be challenging."

Wesley Littlefield, VP of Building Services at Kemco, adds,

"We face many challenges and opportunities as Building Service Contractors (BSCs) in maintaining cleanliness and providing our customers with safe and healthy work environments. Our largest challenge is our labor force. Retention is a hurdle in our industry, and keeping customers happy and buildings clean revolves around people."

In the hospital, maintaining a high standard of cleanliness is non-negotiable. Littlefield continues,

"There is a much higher standard of cleanliness in a medical facility. We have standardized processes to maintain a very high level of cleanliness to keep all occupants, patients, and nurses safe, keep customers happy, and ensure our team members are also safe. Cobi has been instrumental in helping us achieve these standards."

SOLUTIONS

Adopt Autonomous Scrubber Cobi 18 by ICE Cobotics

Kemco's decision to incorporate automation into their cleaning process was driven by a desire to support their team members and improve overall efficiency. Medley recalls,

"We used automation in the past in some office buildings and we really liked it. When we were planning for the hospital, we were looking for ways to handle extra tasks like once-a-month dusting, cleaning vents, and elevator tracks—tasks that aren't done daily but are still essential."

By implementing Cobi 18, Kemco aimed to complete these additional tasks without overburdening their staff.

Medley explains, "It allowed us to use robotics to show patients that the hospital is serious about cleaning, which in turn made them feel safer. More importantly, it helped us complete those extra tasks without pulling regular full-time employees from their usual duties."

Littlefield elaborates on their decision-making process:

"Our deciding factor for bringing on automation was to support our team members. Our greatest asset is our team members in the field. To support them, we invested in various technologies over the years. After researching many different scrubbers, we felt that Cobi 18 was the best fit for our company due to its price point, ease of maintenance, and performance."

Training staff to use Cobi 18 was crucial for its successful deployment. Littlefield notes,

"Now that we’ve deployed it and trained our team members on it, we see that it has been the best fit for our company. It has boosted our confidence with customers, improved customer relationships, and helped with employee retention as they see us investing in them."

RESULTS

Increased Cleaning Efficiency and 4 Hours Saved Each Day

The introduction of Cobi 18 has significantly improved Kemco's operations at the hospital. Medley states,

"It’s helped 100%. Tasks that would normally take us a month to complete can now be done in a week. Even with a full staff, we can use Cobi in areas where it wasn't initially intended, like ceramic tile floors. We’re now planning to bring on two more Cobi units."

Littlefield highlights the positive impact on employee retention and morale:

“Investing in Cobi 18 has helped boost our retention. Our employees see us investing in new technology to make their jobs more efficient and to help cut down on potential injuries. It has resulted in a happier, more motivated workforce."

Moreover, the use of Cobi 18 has enhanced customer confidence. Littlefield explains,

"Bringing something new to the table in automation helps us stand out from our competition. Customers notice our commitment to maintaining high standards of cleanliness."

The most significant benefit, according to Littlefield, is the improvement in efficiency:

"Automation allows our cleaning technicians to focus on more detailed work, such as disinfection and detailed cleaning, while Cobi handles the mundane tasks like mopping. This not only reduces the risk of injuries but also demonstrates to our team members that we care about their well-being."

Incorporating Cobi 18 has allowed Kemco to save hours every day. Littlefield points out,

"The most mundane processes in our industry are vacuuming and mopping. With Cobi handling the floor scrubbing autonomously, we’re gaining hours back every single day, which our team can use for more detailed and value-added work."

Robert Yaegel, Director of Environmental Services for Kemco works at the hospital and oversees the Kemco EVS staff that are regularly onsite. Yaegel points out that Cobi helps because

“we can focus on other tasks while Cobi is cleaning the floors.”

Medley estimates that implementing automation with Cobi 18 has freed up significant time for the team:

"Probably about four hours a day. We're able to utilize that time in different areas we hadn't thought of before. Initially, we got it to ensure the hallways were scrubbed more often, but now we can do that multiple times a day and handle tasks that used to be monthly on a more frequent basis. The customer is absolutely thrilled about it."

When asked why he would recommend Cobi 18 to other facilities, Medley highlights labor savings:

"It doesn’t get sick, doesn’t call in, shows up consistently, and doesn’t complain. It’s not about replacing employees but getting some time back to complete extra tasks. I highly recommend it; it's been a phenomenal addition for us. Customers have even named the robot Joe, giving it a name tag and everything."

Medley also shares that the Cobi 18 has exceeded their expectations in terms of quality and ease of use:

"The quality of the machine and the minimal maintenance required have been surprising. It’s easy to operate, which is important because people often fear new technology. It’s far superior to a normal walk-behind scrubber, requiring much less time for maintenance."