Manchester remains on track for clean station
August 1st 2003

Manchester Piccadilly, one of Network Rails top 10 stations, has given the green flag to Walter-Broadleys Challenger 1000 scrubber dryer. The battery-powered ride-on scrubber dryer was chosen by Initial Transport Services, which was awarded the station-cleaning contract in April 2002, after a number of other machines had been trialed Initials site manager Steve Titterton said that he was familiar with Challenger machines and with the quality of after-sales service provided by Walter-Broadley but that it had been appropriate to appraise competitive products. We chose the Challenger 1000 because it was the right size for the job it has a 1000mm scrubbing width - it performed extremely well, it is easy to use and maintain and we know how good the service by Walter-Broadley is, he said. For us, the name Walter-Broadley speaks volumes. After a major refurbishment last year, Manchester Piccadilly resembles an airport terminal more than a station. An extensive retail area, whose many units include a Yates Wine Lodge, Sainsburys and W H Smith, has a terrazzo floor, while a satellite area is laid to quarry tiles. The Challenger 1000 is used to scrub the floors, after dust-control mopping, three times every 24 hours, and more frequently after spillages or heavy rain. Some 90,000 people walk through the station every day so it is not hard to imagine how dirty the floors would become if they were not frequently and thoroughly cleaned, said Steve Titterton. The Challenger 1000 provides an excellent scrub but it also has very powerful suction. This means we can turn the water on full to achieve a good clean and still be sure that the floors will be left virtually dry. This is very important in a concourse used by thousands of people. Leaving the floor as good as dry eliminates the risk of slipping. Because the Challenger 1000 incorporates all the latest safety features, it can be used at the station during the day despite the heavy pedestrian traffic. It is only at exceptionally busy times that cleaning is briefly suspended. The Challenger 1000 is a long running, hard working and versatile scrubber dryer with a robust and durable rota-moulded body. It has simple controls for ease of use and training and large capacity solid-wall tanks of uncomplicated design which give long running times between fills. The seating position is comfortable and gives good all-round visibility. An alternative scrubbing head option is available. Its twin cylindrical brush action, which collects debris and deposits it in a hopper, is particularly well suited to textured floors. Cordless high speed burnishing A new battery-powered high-speed burnisher, which has big performance but is small enough to operate in areas inaccessible to larger machines, has been launched by Walter-Broadley Machines. Trialled with by one of the UKs leading non-food retailers, the Zippy 380 (15), part of the Challenger Cordless range, has a powerful, direct-drive motor which provides 1500 rpm on the pad, ensuring a high-gloss, wet-look finish. A floating pad drive gives full pad contact so that a smooth, even finish on any hard-floor surface is achieved. Like other Challenger Cordless machines, the Zippy 380 can be used safely during normal working hours, when the public is around, because there is no mains cable to present a trip hazard. In addition, its small size means it can burnish effectively in inaccessible areas such as lifts. Highly manoeuvrable and easy to use, the Zippy 380 features an integral solution dispenser, which obviates the needs for separate solution application. A dust skirt removes the need for dust mopping after burnishing. The Zippy 380 is designed for use on all hard floors, including vinyl, wood, marble, terrazzo and homogenous tiles.

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