Introduction
Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is a large school with 80 classrooms spread across 9 buildings. The floor surfaces are both carpeted and hard floors that require vacuuming each day to maintain the cleanliness of the school.
The school needed an innovative solution to maintain high cleaning standards while improving efficiency without increasing costs.
The aim of the robotic trial was to introduce the best innovative solution to ensure that the whole school was vacuumed to a high or even higher standard each day whilst improving efficiencies and without increasing costs.
Overview – Original Issues
- Maintaining the correct number of staff to vacuum the school each day was a recruitment issue and seconding agency staff to make up for the shortfalls in cleaning operatives was unreliable. This led to the cleaning operatives being under increasing pressure to complete the task to the required standards.
- The time taken to vacuum each classroom was taking a considerable and disproportionate amount of cleaning operatives time when they could be better deployed in more skilled tasks.
- The effort required by the cleaning staff to move them to where they needed to be and to use the tub vacuums was exhaustive. As well as having to move them from room to room, having rolled up the electric cable exacerbated this effort. Often the vacuum would need plugging in twice in one classroom to cover the floor area.
- The noise of the tub vacuums was irritating to the teaching staff who often worked at their desks during the vacuuming process.
- The vacuums being used needed regular repairs and maintenance as well as the purchase of waste bags and replacement hoses needed purchasing on a regular basis.
- The electricity consumption and of course the related CO2e for the vacuums were high in this ever utility conscious environment.
3-day Performance Trial
A 3-day trial was conducted using Abbee robotic vacuum technology to evaluate performance across efficiency, cost reduction, and cleaning effectiveness.
The key trial objectives were as follows*:
Key Results
The key results from the trial confirm that the introduction of the Abbee automated vacuuming solution will produce the following results:
Savings
- Staff Time Reduced – Time spent managing the vacuuming process reduced by 84% per day.
- Staffing Cost Reduction – A £21,780 staff cost reduction for time spent vacuuming per year.
- Flooring Micro Organisms reduction – A reduction46% in pathogens after just 3 days of trial.
- Cleanliness Improved – A reduction of Circa 50% in residual dirt remained in the carpet.
- Utility Saving – Minimum electricity energy cost reduction of £995.00 per year.
- Environmental – Minimum reduction of 1,072 (KG) CO2e per year.
Other key benefits
- Fixed budgetary expenditure with no capital investment required.
- No long-term rental commitment.
- No servicing costs or call out charges for non-damage issues.
- No consumable costs.
- Free on-site staff training and ongoing coaching included.
- Annual servicing included.
Conclusión
Torquay Boys’ Grammar School’s transformation demonstrates the tangible value of intelligent cleaning automation. In just three days of trial implementation, they achieved remarkable results that translate into substantial annual benefits:
Financial Impact:
- £22,775 total annual savings (£21,780 in staffing costs + £995 in electricity savings)
- Zero capital investment required with flexible service agreements
- Elimination of consumable costs and maintenance expenses
Operational Excellence:
- 84% time savings allowing staff redeployment to higher-value tasks
- 50% cleaner carpets with consistent, thorough coverage across all 80 classrooms
- 46% reduction in harmful pathogens creating a healthier learning environment
Environmental Leadership:
- 1,072 kg CO₂e annual reduction supporting sustainability commitments
- Significant energy efficiency gains contributing to environmental goals
The evidence is clear: traditional manual cleaning methods are no longer the most effective or economical solution. Abbee robotic cleaning technology delivers superior results while reducing costs, improving health outcomes, and advancing environmental responsibility.
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