Clean with hybrid drive

Appliances work more quietly and save fuel

The machine works with a battery that is powered by a combustion engine. This type of drive, which at first glance appears cumbersome, has a whole range of advantages. For example, up to 30 percent savings in fuel consumption, with a simultaneous increase in effective operating time and very low operating noise. In addition, the machine can be operated purely electrically for short periods in indoor areas where a combustion engine may not be used.

Kai Schreiber from Gegenbauer Service GmbH is also convinced of the benefits of hybrid technology. Schreiber, who as Regional Manager for the Franconia region also looks after ZF Friedrichshafen AG in Schweinfurt, was looking for a cleaning machine that could cope with the dimensions of a plant of this size and also work in an environmentally friendly and, above all, economical way.

Cleaning process does not disrupt production

For ZF Friedrichshafen AG, it was particularly important that the technically sophisticated driveline and chassis technology products could be manufactured in a clean environment. And, of course, the cleaning process must not disrupt ongoing production. The 50 Gegenbauer cleaning specialists deployed at ZF are supported by various modern cleaning machines. Kai Schreiber describes the decision to use a hybrid combination machine here as follows: "I thought about how we could optimally clean the industrial floors in the short time available to us. A hybrid machine that can sweep and scrub at the same time was just what we needed. And the extremely long running times are perfect for the project."

They are completely satisfied with the new hybrid combination machine (from left): Peter Neumann (Nilfisk consultant), Lutz Förstenberg (ZF foreman), Roland Karg (ZF facility management) and Kai Schreiber (Gegenbauer regional manager).

The path to these amazing performance data is not all that revolutionary. Nilfisk hybrid technology dispenses with hydraulic components as far as possible and replaces them with intelligent, electronically controlled and electrically operated motors. This is not only more efficient, but also minimizes the maintenance effort that can occur with conventional combination machines. The battery in the Nilfisk CS7000 used by Gegenbauer is powered by a combustion engine running on liquid gas. This is considered to be particularly environmentally friendly and is therefore the preferred model variant for indoor use.

Liquid gas version is sufficient for two to three shifts

In the liquid gas version, one tank filling is sufficient for up to 20 hours of operation. In a six to eight hour day, this corresponds to tank change-free operation over two to three shifts in different production areas. Thanks to the remarkable mechanical brush performance, the use of cleaning chemicals is largely dispensed with. A point that is very much in line with the environmental awareness of Gegenbauer and ZF. And the service provider's verdict after more than 350 hours of work: "The customer is very satisfied. There was a clearly visible improvement in all affected production areas." In the past, ZF had cleaned the floors itself using different machines as required.

Cleaning according to plan

Today, cleaning with the Nilfisk CS7000 is carried out according to a fixed plan in 124 or 154 centimeter wide lanes. 154 centimeters is the sweeping width and 124 centimeters is the scrubbing width. At a maximum speed of 8.9 kilometers per hour, the combination machine can theoretically sweep or scrub almost 11,000 square meters per hour. And as Kai Schreiber enthuses: "With a running time of 20 hours, the machine could sweep more than 200,000 square meters or scrub over 150,000 square meters with just one tank of fuel". These figures are purely theoretical and do not correspond to practice, but they clearly show what a hybrid drive could achieve. And for Roland Karg from ZF Facility Management, the machine has another clear quality feature: "The transmission of the drive motor of the Nilfisk CS7000 is a product of ZF Friedrichshafen AG.

Kai Schreiber's conclusion after the first six months with a Nilfisk hybrid machine is quite clear: "We had very specific expectations with this investment - these have been fully met." And the fact that product development at Nilfisk is continuing is demonstrated by the presentation of a Nilfisk CS7000 with fuel cell drive at the last CMS in Berlin. A clear indication of the goal that Nilfisk's development engineers are pursuing: Even more effective, even more economical and even more environmentally friendly.

Dieter Schulz

Contact:

Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co KG 10117 Berlin Tel.: 0 30/4 46 70-0 E-Mail:

Nilfisk GmbH 25462 Rellingen Phone: 0 41 01/3 99-0 E-mail: [email protected] www.nilfisk.de