MaintenanceSuppliesMag.com |

A questionnaire conducted by AlturaSolutions Communications in January 2009 asking facility managers about their 2009 cleaning equipment purchasing plans apparently struck a chord with respondents.

Several requested to be notified of the results after they were tabulated.

“Since starting surveys more than two years ago, this has happened occasionally,” says Robert Kravitz, president of AlturaSolutions Communications. “However, never [before] have so many people asked for the results.”

Kravitz attributes the interest to difficult economic conditions — an issue covered in the questionnaire — and the desire of facility managers to understand how their peers are dealing with the situation.

These were among the economy-related responses:

• When asked about their top cleaning concern in 2009, half of the respondents said, “Dealing with a tight or shrinking budget”; coming in second, 30 percent reported, “Cleaning without harming the environment.”

• Questioned as to how they currently stretch their cleaning budgets, 80 percent reported they select equipment that improves worker productivity.

• Although larger automatic scrubbers usually improve worker productivity, 27 percent said they are "most likely to delay purchasing" automatic scrubbers in 2009.

Online Activity Surveyed
The facility managers were also asked how they currently purchase cleaning equipment and how they plan to purchase products in the future.

Sixty percent indicated that they now purchase products online from a janitorial distributor or manufacturer, and the same number said this will continue in 2009.

In addition to online purchasing, nearly 80 percent said they find online equipment training videos helpful, and 60 percent said they thought a blog addressing equipment service issues would also be beneficial.

However, when service and repair issues surfaced, 60 percent indicated they prefer to “call the manufacturer/distributor,” while only 30 percent said they would communicate via email.