The Horizon Program to Bring to Market Autonomous Cleaning Solutions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Copenhagen, Denmark & Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania − October 4, 2016. Nilfisk today announced The Horizon Program, a pioneering global program that will deliver the most intelligent and technologically advanced cleaning solutions in the industry. Working with Carnegie Robotics, LLC, the leading provider of advance robotics sensors and software, Nilfisk’s Horizon Program is a strategic, long-term program of multiple product launches, the first to be released in 2017. These new products will provide the full spectrum of autonomous capabilities, so customers can experience self-operating, driverless cleaning options that meet their every need.

The Horizon Program focuses on bringing state-of-the-art, autonomous cleaning technologies to market, enabling customers to deploy unmanned floor cleaning with accuracy and precision.

In its 110-year history, Nilfisk has blazed the trail at every turn, bringing ingenuity together with practical applications to serve customers and their business objectives. The program is dedicated to developing intelligent and connected cleaning products, giving customers greater control and more flexibility, and fundamentally changing the way they clean. The Horizon Program will set the standard and lead the way for all intelligent equipment going forward in the commercial cleaning industry. 

“With The Horizon Program, our sights are set on bringing about fundamental change in cleaning. Consistent with our history Nilfisk is continuously responding to the changing needs of markets and customers with innovative products and solutions. With The Horizon Program we are setting a course for a long-term, strategic program of autonomous and connected cleaning solutions and putting forth the most sophisticated technology that will completely redefine how we look at productivity and total cost of ownership. Our view of the future is one that makes incredible strides in cleaning technology,” said Jonas Persson, President and CEO of Nilfisk.

Nilfisk’s work with Carnegie Robotics is like no other partnership in the industry. This team brings together the highest levels of expertise in robotics and commercial cleaning to design and develop state-of-the-art autonomous cleaning solutions.

“With Nilfisk and Carnegie Robotics, we are combining a century of cleaning expertise with machine vision and autonomous technologies proven to work safely in unstructured environments such as military operations, agriculture and mining. From the beginning, our partnership has focused on thorough, intensive research and exhaustive, rigorous testing to develop the most sophisticated, highest functioning autonomous cleaning products the industry has seen to date,” said Steve DiAntonio, President and CEO of Carnegie Robotics.

The first product to launch in Spring 2017 in select markets will feature an optionally manned scrubber/dryer—one that can be, at the customer’s choice, autonomously or manually operated. It will include highly refined features designed to increase productivity, its design promises reliability and safety, and the product is very easy to use. With only three buttons, there is minimal training required to operate it.  Nilfisk will showcase this first product in The Horizon Program at the ISSA Trade show October 26-28, 2016 where customers will have the opportunity to experience it live.

ABOUT NILFISK

Nilfisk is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment. For over 100 years, Nilfisk has been committed to making the world a cleaner place, and the company offer only the very best in cleaning solutions and technologies to millions of businesses and homes around the world. Nilfisk has sales companies in 45 countries, and its products and services are used in more than 100 countries across the world. Nilfisk is a part of the NKT Group. Learn more at www.nilfisk.com

ABOUT CARNEGIE ROBOTICS, LLC

Carnegie Robotics, LLC (CRL), is an ISO 9001:2008 certified supplier of reliable and advanced robotics sensors and platforms for defense, agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and commercial applications. CRL has grown steadily since its founding in 2010 by fulfilling the increasing demand for reliable and environmentally robust components that provide perception and intelligence for autonomous systems. In addition, CRL partners with major equipment suppliers to deliver disruptive, automated systems to traditional markets. For more information on CRL, visit www.carnegierobotics.com.  

Advance SC6000™ Rider Scrubber Provides Unparalleled Productivity, Sustainability and Durability

Advance, the brand known and trusted to introduce productivity-enhancing innovations in the industrial cleaning market, proudly introduces the Advance SC6000™ Rider Scrubber. Engineered to withstand the toughest cleaning challenges in distribution centers, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and more, the mid-sized SC6000 combines improved productivity and enhanced sustainability in an easy-to-use, compact machine.



More specifically, the SC6000 features a larger battery capacity for up to 30 percent greater run-time; SmartFlow™, which automatically adjusts solution flow with speed to reduce water and chemical usage by 50 percent; and an offset scrub deck to provide high-quality edge cleaning. Optional features include DustGuard™, which minimizes fugitive dust generation and provides optimal sweeping performance, and Advance’s EcoFlex™ System, which provides operators a flexible cleaning system with intuitive modes of operation to fit their needs. The SC6000 also boasts heavy-duty steel doors to protect the scrub deck from impact damage, heavy-duty bumpers, an extended-life cylindrical deck, and an impact detection system. Collectively, the SC6000’s features give operators the ability to quickly, effectively and safely clean even the most difficult environments.

“The SC6000 was specifically designed to provide the level of productivity, sustainability and durability required to reduce costs while safely and effectively cleaning the harshest industrial applications,” said Marty Makowsky, vice president of Industrial Sales at Nilfisk-Advance.

The SC6000 is available in 34- and 40-inch disc or 36-inch cylindrical models.

About Nilfisk

Nilfisk is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment with approximately 5,500 employees and an annual turnover of EUR 918M. Based on a century of cleaning expertise, the company develops and manufactures high quality products that represent the latest technology and innovation and offer the broadest product portfolio in the industry. Nilfisk has sales companies in 45 countries around the world as well as a strong distributor network and markets and sells its products in more than 100 countries worldwide. Nilfisk is a part of the NKT Group.

Advance is a brand of Nilfisk. For more information on the new Advance SC6500, call 800-253-0367 or visit www.advance-us.com • Smart Cleaning Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Google+.

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Advance SC500™ Walk-Behind Scrubber with EcoFlex™ Provides Improved Productivity and Sustainability

Advance, the brand known and trusted to introduce productivity-enhancing innovations in the commercial cleaning market, proudly introduces the Advance SC500™ Walk-Behind Scrubber. By combining efficiency, ergonomics and ease of use, the Advance SC500 is specifically designed to provide more productive and sustainable daily cleaning for a wide variety of facilities, including hospitals, schools, retailers, grocers, offices, athletic facilities, and hotels.

“Advance has a proven track record of providing our customers with cleaning technologies that meet their productivity, efficiency and sustainability needs,” said Jonathan Kingsbury, vice president of Commercial Sales with Nilfisk. “The SC500 is yet another example of that. It is ideal for cleaning professionals who need a quiet, easy-to-use walk-behind scrubber that can improve productivity and, at the same time, enhance sustainability.”

The SC500 features Advance’s innovative flow regulation system that adjusts the solution flow rate based on the machine’s speed. The system ensures consistent cleaning results, reduces water and chemical usage, and results in less downtime. The ultra quiet SC500, which operates at 63 dBA, also boasts a Quiet Mode of 60 dBA. Quiet Mode allows for true daytime cleaning in even the quietest environments. And, the SC500 includes EcoFlex, which allows the operator to effortlessly switch between chemical-free, water-only cleaning and varying degrees of detergent use.

Additional features and benefits of the SC500 include its ergonomic and easy-to-use design, such as a pressure-sensitive control panel; single-button solution, vacuum and brush deck activation; a foot pedal to engage the squeegee; and effortless propulsion, all of which make the SC500 easy for virtually any operator to use and control.

The 20-inch, 12-gallon SC500 replaces Advance’s Adfinity 20-inch scrubber line. It is available in both disc and orbital REV™ models.

Nilfisk to Move Americas Headquarters to Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Nilfisk, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment, today announced that it is moving its Americas headquarters from Plymouth, Minn., to Brooklyn Park, Minn.

For the past 28 years, Nilfisk has maintained its Americas headquarters in Plymouth, most recently in a 216,000-square foot facility located near the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 55 and 21^st Avenue North. With its current lease set to expire in April of 2016, the company has opted to build a new 182,000-square foot facility in Brooklyn Park’s Northcross Business Park.

“With our lease expiring, we saw an opportunity to assess our needs as it relates to production capacity and work flow and determine if our current facility was sufficiently meeting those needs. In the end, we decided that a new custom-built facility would serve us better, not just for today but for well into the future,” said Diane Lapp, CFO of Nilfisk Americas. “Not only will our new facility better serve our employees, but it will allow us to further enhance our ability to provide world-class products and service to our customers.”

Lapp added that the move, which will begin in the fourth quarter of 2015 and be complete by the first quarter of 2016, will include all current Plymouth-based employees, approximately 300, and all operations as they exist today, including manufacturing and production, sales and marketing, R&D and product management, and corporate services.

Northcross Business Park is located at the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 610 and U.S. Highway 169, just 12 miles from Nilfisk’s current location. Nilfisk is working with United Properties and Pope Architects to develop and design its new space.

About Nilfisk

Nilfisk is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment with around 5,250 employees and an annual turnover of EUR 881M. Based on a century of cleaning expertise, we develop and manufacture high quality products that represent the latest technology and innovation and offer the broadest product portfolio in the industry. Nilfisk has sales companies in 45 countries around the world and with an additional strong distributor network Nilfisk markets and sells its products in more than 100 countries worldwide. Nilfisk is a part of the NKT Group.

Nilfisk-Advance Changes Corporate Name, Brand to Nilfisk

Nilfisk-Advance, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment, today announced that it has changed its corporate name and brand to Nilfisk. The change is designed to create a stronger alignment with the company’s global product brands while increasing brand awareness for Nilfisk customers.

“In changing our name, we are reducing complexity in our branding and simplifying our overall brand hierarchy to make it easier to understand for our end-customers and dealers across the world,” said Jonas Persson, president and CEO of the Nilfisk Group.

According to Jeff Barna, senior general manager and president of Nilfisk-Americas, removing Advance from the corporate name and brand in no way diminishes the importance of the Advance product brand. “We will continue to leverage the strong heritage and history of the Advance, Clarke, and Viper brands as we market and sell them throughout the Americas,” he said. “This new corporate identity provides an exciting opportunity to support Nilfisk’s future market strategy and further position the company as a global market leader.”

Barna added that the change does not impact the company’s current product brands or brand names, nor the company’s go-to-market approach with dealers and end-users.

A new Nilfisk corporate visual identity will be unveiled in April; over the course of the year, Nilfisk will update websites, marketing materials, back office systems, legal conditions, etc. to reflect the change.

Nilfisk is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment with around 5,500 employees and an annual turnover of EUR 918M. Based on a century of cleaning expertise, we develop and manufacture high quality products that represent the latest technology and innovation and offer the broadest product portfolio in the industry. Nilfisk has sales companies in 45 countries around the world and with an additional strong distributor network Nilfisk markets and sells its products in more than 100 countries worldwide. Nilfisk is a part of the NKT Group.