New time in the market of the machinery of road cleaning

One of the main tendencies that appreciate in the market of the machinery of road cleaning, as in a lot of other fields of equipment, is the one to incorporate, increasingly, electrical models or hybrids. This has to fundamentally to the capacity that offer these versions to save in the consumption of fuel, when reducing or avoid totally the dependency of the energetic resources fossils.

“In Grau Machinery have bet clearly by the electrical vehicle, amongst other reasons because the city councils are giving explains that with these models can give the same services that were giving up to now obtaining a greater saving, what in time of crisis like which live at present, is a big advantage”, signals Mª Angels Laughed, commercial manager and of marketing of Grau Machinery.

Also appreciates like this in Casli, whose boss of product of Environingingment in the division of machinery of the company, Javier Herráiz, confirms that “the tendency in the machinery, already are sweepers, water washers or others, is the one to have electrical versions, although it still remains way for visiting in this field to win in autonomy, in performance and in available price with regard to the versions instrumented with conventional engine”. In this sense, Karcher (signature that represents Casli) already has begun to offer the different modalities of propulsion (petrol, diesel, liquefied and electrical gas) in his sweepers industrial to go extending these options to the rest of the range.

From Nilfisk-Advance, his commercial director for the line of distribution in Spain, Antonio Miguel Hernández, gave an aim additional in this sense: “With machines instrumented with hybrid motors are attaining savings of until 33% in the consumption of diesel”.

To the economic component of the electrical vehicles and hybrids adds also a high ecological value since they contribute to the conservation of our environingingment with minors or invalid broadcasts of CO₂ and acoustic. This appearance, as it remembered Mª Angels Laughed, earns increasingly importance: “Up to now perhaps it spoke a lot of this but really no gave him the importance that deserved. However it seems that in these last years the people is increasingly concienciada of the importance of the ecological value and, to the hour to decant by a machine or another, has it more in account. Following this tendency, our last development, the UrbaPlus that present in Tecma, is an entirely electrical vehicle (realises the municipal services with an inferior consumption to the 2 euros to the day, presents an autonomy of 100 km and loads in an enchufe of 220 V)”.

In this line, Antonio Miguel Hernández aimed another important appearance to take into account to the hour to purchase a team of road cleaning. “All the machines that we have presented in Tecma are articulated (except a), have traction to the four wheels and instrument industrial engine Tier 3, that allows to fulfil with the valid rule, removing the psychological fear of the Euro 5 and Euro 6, which besides put up the price of the product. We consider that the customer can enjoy with this engine of a lower consumption of diesel and avoid to have to incorporate in our compact versions motors that are allocated to machinery bigger”.

Another tendency that appreciates clearly in the market of the machinery of road cleaning is the one to have of products with dimensions increasingly compact. “The cities take care increasingly his historical centres, places many times of difficult access for the machinery of road cleaning. In Grau Machinery have taken into account these needs and with the new electrical vehicles no only have won in access and in manoeuvrability to act in narrow streets, but we also facilitate the can work of silent form”, says Mª Angels Laughed.

Of the same mind is Antonio Miguel Hernández, the one who contributes the data that 70% of the machines of road cleaning that sell at present in Spain correspond to compact versions of 2 m³ downwards.

By his part, Javier Herráiz, aims that, in spite of the growth that appreciates in compact models, the ones of greater size will follow having his gap in the market because “for the cleaning of big streets can not employ sweepers so small but greater versions of 4-5 m³. Each barredora has his specific application and in the case of the compact, are especially indicated for small populations or in those that have numerous streets peatonales”.

The own Javier Herráiz signalled to the polivalencia of the machines like another of the main tendencies, with able products to realise diverse works exchanging only his implementos or accessories. “The customer looks for a product that allow him sweep, desbrozar, remove the snow of the streets, cut the lawn, transport material, etc. Authentic multipurpose vehicles that allow him realise all these tasks purchasing an only machine. Karcher Has worked in this and account already with equipment that no only offer this polivalencia but they do it of a simple form for the operator, to the hour to exchange these accessories and to handle them”, indicates.

Very versatile is also the new electrical vehicle of Grau Machinery, to whose tractor trucks unit (UrbaPlus) can add a wide variety of semirremolques (UrbaClic) to face up to numerous works (barredora, containers for collected selective of waste, tank of water of 1.000 litres, aerial platform, transport, etc.).

Regarding Nilfisk-Advance, his last creations also go in this line of polivalencia. “Our machines are entirely modular, with capacity to exchange of diverse simple form implementos and with this, can work no only in the streets of the city but also in parks and gardens or in industrial polygons, amongst other places”.

Like the big majority of sectors, the one of the road cleaning also is seeing seriously affected by the economic situation of Spain and, more specifically, by the difficulties by which cross the city councils and by the dilatation in the payments to hire them that they realise the urban services.

This situation, as it signals Antonio Miguel Hernández, has reflected in the month of May in a fall interanual in the sales of machinery of road cleaning of 72%, and with some forecasts of registration for all the 2012 that hardly will arrive to the hundred of units.

“No intuimos that it go to produce a change of tendency in the short term. While it do not inject money to the contractors that still have not earned, will be complicated to think in possible renewals of park of machinery. Instead, what yes are appreciating in the market is an increase in the demand of secondhand equipment, as it has occurred in other parts of Europe”, resumía the manager of Nilfisk-Advance.

“There are city councils that hardly have of money to purchase new material – indicates on the other hand Mª Angels Laughed-, by what consider that it can give a process of change of mentality. The customers, in place to face up to the new economic situation requesting units used of the same type to which came employing until hour, can bet for changing his system of work and incorporate another type of products more economic. Besides, we think that another commercial formula that goes to win presence in this market is the one of the rent of machinery, activity that already are studying in Grau”.

From Casli, Javier Herráiz also aims in the same steering: “The city councils follow having to a lot of money to the service companies, by what to think in a recovery of the market is indispensable that firstly there is a saneamiento in these administrations”. Besides, it signals that this problem is not exclusive of the cleaning of streets but also it has extended to the works of saneamiento of the beaches, where Casli is a reference. “When the economy was upward, renewed the machinery for the cleaning of beaches in a half term of six years but, with the irruption of the crisis, have lengthened these times. Now it loans a greater attention to the maintenance of the machines and to the learning of the operators to look for a greater useful life of the equipment. To level of sales, has experienced a fall of market of the machinery for cleaning of beaches, in the last 4-5 years, near to 60%”.

Grau Machinery carries near of 40 years in the market of the machinery, first with small equipment for the construction and later incorporating the line of road cleaning. It is importing and also develops own products like the Urba Plus/Click.

Nilfisk-Advance Is a company of Danish origin, with factories in Europe, U.S., Asia and Sudamérica. The thickness of his turnover proceeds of the cleaning of interior and, in these last years, also has won presence in urban cleaning.

With regard to the fear that can cause that the economic crisis comport to lose the stray terrain in mechanisation of the works of road cleaning, from Casli, Grau Machinery and Nilfisk-Advance refuses the idea. “Once that realise the services with machinery is difficult to change the chip to the people, even to the operario. After all, employing this type of equipment dignify the work of these people, by what see difficult that go back to formulas more traditional”, indicates Antonio Miguel Hernández.

“Do not think that the tendency was the one to recover manual methods, rather what will happen is that the customers will go to machines every time less sophisticated, that give fewer problems of failures and simpler to use. Machines, in summary, more reliable”, adds Mª Angels Laughed.

And like conclusion, Javier Herráiz indicates that “the operario on foot has been, is and will be a fundamental part of the road cleaning, an indispensable figure in different works, by what never will disappear”.