The new TASKI six-machine range, each with its own functions and capacities to suit the specific needs of the existing and prospective customers in the Middle East, has been developed following extensive quantitative and qualitative market research over the past two years. From the single disc machines to the scrubber drier machines, each one has been built with the region’s customer requirements in mind, with these solutions focusing mainly on five specific sectors such as BSC, retail, healthcare, hospitality and industrial.

“We are tremendously excited about the response we received from our customers,” said Peter Kanneth, Marketing Operations Manager, Middle East and North East Africa (MENEA). “We achieved over US$600,000 in sales at the event and based on comments from our customers, we know that this product line will be extremely successful in the MENEA marketplace. We already have orders from a string of customers including Intercare in Dubai and MSTA, Oman.” “We expect to close on another US$400,000 in sales from this event in the next few weeks,” said Somer Gundogdu, Vice President, MENEA, Sealed Air. “This means we will sell over US$1 million of machines from the launch event alone Rarely have I seen such a response and excitement in the marketplace over a new product portfolio.” In total, the team sold 70 Ergodisc HDs, 10 Swingo 4000s, 15 Swingo 760E models, 10 Swingo 760 B models, 8 Swingo 1260B models and 7 Swingo 1660B models.

Elaborating on the research and development of the Middle East range of machines during the launch event, Jon Altenberg, Vice President, Portfolio & Marketing Operations, Asia, Middle East, Africa & Turkey (AMAT) said, “We saw the need to look at the emerging markets, specifically the Middle East, and understand the requirements as the market here moves to mechanisation. In this region, many of our customers face unique challenges and requirements when it comes to cleaning and hygiene. The high frequency of pedestrian activity in public areas and unique environmental conditions such as extreme sunlight, temperature and dust create challenging floor-care cleaning requirements. Effective cleaning means that floor care machines need to be built and designed from scratch to meet these unique challenges. And this is what we had in mind while designing the new Taski machines.”

Somer Gundogdu said, “We are offering a fully integrated floor care solution that delivers a superior suite of tools to meet the floor care needs of customers in the Middle East. We have built on the Taski legacy by developing a new line of machines for this region. This is the first time we are taking a regional approach. Middle East is one of our key strategic markets for Taski growth and we are excited to deliver to a winning solution that combines technology, quality, reliability and service to customers. We have been quite active in all the key markets including the Middle East for quite a number of years. Historically, the company has always looked at establishing the best cleaning performance through our global practices. Then we started to look into each and every key market to differentiate the customer needs of those markets.”According to Gundogdu, the research was aimed at understanding the environment the customers in this region are operating in; and in what manner the expectations of their customers in the Middle East differ from that of the customers in other parts of the globe. “

The key differentiators that were identified in the Middle East were the climatic conditions and related issues – the physical environment we are operating in here is fundamentally different from the ones we are operating in other parts of the world. The second finding was that apart from some similarities in terms of expectations of our Middle East customers as compared to others, there were some unique expectations in the strong feedback we received.

We tried to retain all the innovations in the machines from our normal range and introduce certain new features to have them tailor-made for this market. As a result, we came up with these specific solutions,“ he added. Compared with conventional floor care machines, Taski machines reduce cleaning time by up to 15 per cent and improve productivity up to 40 per cent by eliminating repeat cleaning, incorrect dosing and backtracking to pick up excess water, according to Diversey. A key feature is the patented Inteliflow system which dispenses the right amount of cleaning solution and water onto the floor in line with the speed of the machine, reducing the consumption of water and chemicals up to 50 percent.

Other key features include the V-shaped and W-shape squeegee system that has a 99 per cent water pickup rate and is also effective in removing all the dirt; simplified, color-coded parts for easy maintenance; and the ergonomic designs reduce user fatigue and improve employee productivity.

The range includes the Taski ergodisc HD, the single-disc machine built with a resilient metal chassis and extra weight to handle the most challenging floor surfaces. The Taski swingo 760, with a 40-litre tank, is available as a battery-powered (760B) or cable-powered (760E). The Taski swingo 1260 B has a 60-litre tank, but is easily manoeuvrable in congested spaces.

The battery-powered Taski swingo 1660 is 85-litres and helps reduce filling stops during cleaning. The Taski swingo 4000 is the largest ride-on model with a 200-litre tank and the fastest cleaning speed of 7.5 kms per hour, making it suitable for large floor areas.