The Professional Cleaner

Nilfisk is a global leader in the field of professional cleaning equipment and full cleaning systems. The company was founded 115 years ago on a vision of producing and selling products of the highest quality worldwide. In Hungary, Nilfisk has been present for two decades.

Norbert Kalocsai, Managing Director of Nilfisk Production Ltd. explains to Diplomacy&Trade that “for more than a hundred years, Nilfisk has adapted to the changing needs of markets and customers with innovative products and solutions. With a global sales force and proven sales channels, we have established strong and valuable customer relations and partnerships across the world and we strive to be at the forefront of technological advancement to drive future customer needs. Today, Nilfisk offers an extensive range of premium cleaning products and a trusted aftermarket offering to the professional market. Our main product lines are floorcare equipment, vacuum cleaners and high-pressure washers, and a wide range of domestic vacuum cleaners and high-pressure washers to consumers worldwide. In Hungary, we are the biggest production hub for Nilfisk and producing all main platforms for the group.”

The company’s largest production facility
It was almost exactly two years ago that Nilfisk moved to the local industrial park in Nagykanizsa in southwestern Hungary and established its largest production facility there. As to why Hungary and why Nagykanizsa, the Managing Director points out that Nilfisk has a 20-year-long presence in Hungary already. “The new site in Nagykanizsa marks a significant milestone in the consolidation of our production set-up. As a result, we today manufacture our products at fewer, but larger sites located more closely to our key markets. With the opening of a new site, we have strengthened our production footprint in Hungary as a whole, which is largely due to the talented colleagues in the region, the great network of suppliers and not least the proximity to our key European markets.”

IT Innovation and Business Support Hub
Apart from production, Nilfisk also has a shared service center here in Hungary. Norbert Kalocsai highlights that the company’s IT Innovation and Business Support Hub was born to support value added activities within Nilfisk. “Our biggest area is IT development but other functions like, HR, Finance, Master Data and Customer Service also joined the initiative and started utilizing the talent pool, which can be found in Budapest.

Four dimensions of clean
One of the slogans at Nilfisk is ‘Cleaning is changing’. Speaking about the latest trends in professional cleaning and how Nilfisk can keep pace with them, the Managing Director stresses that “the pandemic has led to a paradigm shift in the way we think about cleaning. Cleanliness is now business-critical for all industries, and the process of cleaning is moving from backstage to center stage.”
Nilfisk has identified four dimensions of clean that define this new reality:
(1) “The new scope of cleaning: cleanliness has become synonymous with safety. No matter what segment you are in, Nilfisk can support you with the right solutions.”
(2) “Tech-enhanced cleaning: the pandemic has inspired new technologies designed specifically to tackle current challenges. The right equipment can help the effective cleaning, and Nilfisk can provide that.”
(3) “Transparent and visible cleaning: people want proof that any space they’re entering is clean. Nilfisk’s cleaning experts can provide guidance on technologies, from autonomous machines to low-noise equipment, that will help you earn trust by meeting the demands of today.”
(4) “Sustainable cleaning: as a provider of cleaning equipment, we are responsible for developing products that are even more sustainable than the ones on the market today so our customers can clean to a higher standard without harming the environment.”

Service solutions
Nilfisk does not only sell pieces of professional cleaning equipment but also provides service solutions. “Nilfisk Service Solutions help ensure that cleaning equipment is ready to perform whenever customers need it, with maximum performance and minimal downtime. With the help of our skilled technicians, we can maximize the long-term viability of the cleaning operation across the entire equipment lifecycle – and business moving,” Norbert Kalocsai says.
Nilfisk offers three distinct service packages that provide ideal support for operations of any scale. Each package leverages the advantage of Nilfisk-certified technicians and original-quality spare parts from the company’s own warehouses, helping to control maintenance costs while safeguarding the performance, customers expect from Nilfisk equipment.
With the help of a Nilfisk Service team member, customers can easily determine which Nilfisk Service offering fits their needs.
‘Service Solutions Pro’ provides professional maintenance in which contract encompasses two yearly maintenance visits and 72 hours of response time. Breakdown visits and spare parts are billed separately.
‘Service Solutions Plus’ means optimized performance. With the Plus solution, the customer has a firm grip on maintenance while knowing that machine performance is never compromised, only optimized, as we preventively cover basic consumables during the preventive visits.
‘Service Solutions Premium’ offers maximized uptime. The response time is down to 24 hours. “If uptime is absolute top priority and key concern for a customer, Service Solution Premium is the best choice. A quarterly maintenance visit is included, and there are no sudden financial surprises.”
Receiving regular service and maintenance from Nilfisk means ensuring optimal performance over the lifecycle of the cleaning machine. A service agreement maximizes and protects the value of the investment, while also keeping costs under control – increasing return on investment. The benefits include optimizing uptime with proactive maintenance, timely repairs, and effective restoration – all from skilled, experienced trained people; protecting the equipment’s value with documented service and Nilfisk-certified spare parts; and keeping maintenance costs low and predictable as well as extend the equipment lifespan.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals
Nilfisk is a part of the United Nations Global Compact. Regarding the measures the company put in practice to achieve a more sustainable world, the Managing Director highlights that “the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide guidance for our work within CSR, ensuring that Nilfisk works towards more sustainable development in the future.”
Nilfisk specifically contributes to SDG number 3 (Good health and well-being) to reduce illness and death from hazardous chemicals and pollution; to SDG number 12 (Responsible production and consumption) by sustainable management and use of natural resources, reducing waste generation, encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices and sustainable reporting; as well as SDG number 13 (Climate Action) to integrate climate-change measures into policies and planning and to reduce the company’s carbon emissions.