How Man & Machine Work Together at this California-based Company
Staffing Shortages Remain After the Pandemic
During the pandemic, the facility care team at Nellson Nutraceutical dropped from 34 to 14 associates and has remained at those lower staffing levels today.
Like many companies across the country, the California-based powder supplements and nutritional bars provider has been dealing with hiring challenges and a lack of available workforce.
“Part of the challenge is that people hear the word ‘sanitation worker’. What do they automatically think? ‘I’m going to be cleaning restrooms or something like that here at Nellson,” said Daniel Hernandez, Sanitation Manager for Nellson Nutraceutical. (photo right - Nellson Nutraceutical Facility Care Team)
Enter the Robotic Scrubber: “This Worked Perfectly for Us”
Nellson Nutraceutical started looking for ways to remain efficient with fewer people. During a discovery meeting, WAXIE Sanitary Supply, an Envoy Solutions company, listened to Nellson’s challenges, asked questions, and introduced the company to an innovative cleaning solution: robotic scrubbers to address their labor shortage.
Following our assessment, Nellson Nutraceutical purchased a robotic scrubber for its Anaheim, California location. We conducted in-person training on how to use the robotic scrubber, map areas for the autonomous portion, and perform machine maintenance. The training enabled the company to properly use the robotic scrubber to clean floors while freeing up staff to perform other duties.
“We thought of this as a way of keeping our workforce small but being just as efficient as if we had a larger workforce,” said Hernandez. “So, this worked out perfectly for us.”
Improved Cleanliness to Meet Regulatory Standards
Since Nellson Nutraceutical provides products for human consumption, including powder supplements and nutritional bars, the company must meet higher standards for cleanliness and sanitation. Hernandez says the robotic scrubber helps them clean the facility more efficiently and effectively than a human-operated machine.
“We do have a lot of regulations on how clean the equipment has to be and what kind of testing we need to do,” said Hernandez. “The main benefit of this machine is that it'll help clean the floors, with less chance that we spread any bacteria that may be on the floor.”
Maintenance Worries? Not Anymore
In addition, the company dealt with ongoing maintenance issues with the previous manual scrubber. However, the robotic scrubber provided by Envoy Solutions is part of a maintenance package, so our team works to ensure that Nellson Nutraceutical always has a functional machine available to meet their cleaning needs.
“They’ll come out every three months to check the machine to make sure everything is working right, and they’ll replace the squeegees as needed,” said Hernandez.
The Next Robotic Scrubber is Coming Soon!
Nellson Nutraceutical has been so impressed by the first robotic scrubber the company is now looking to purchase another robotic scrubber for its Ontario, California facility later this year.
“Anything we can try to automate, that's what we're looking to do,” said Hernandez.
Is a labor shortage making it challenging for your company to meet its cleaning needs? Contact Envoy Solutions directly below, and our industry experts will identify the right automation products and equipment to increase efficiency and lower costs for your business.
