Situated in the quaint town of Taumaranui in New Zealand's North Island is a local New World store that has been a community fixture for 65 years. Owned and operated by Aiyed Khan, the store recently transitioned to a cutting-edge NZ$14 million facility, 40 percent larger than its previous layout and designed to enhance customers' shopping experience.
At the Taumaranui New World, technology integration and innovation have become a norm for the store to complete daily operations.
Due to the small size of Taumaranui, finding a reliable cleaner posed a challenge for Khan, especially one available outside regular hours and capable of managing the store's 2000-square-meter space. Recognising the difficulty in maintaining consistent cleanliness and managing unpredictable human hours, Khan sought an innovative solution—an in-store cleaning robot distributed by leading robotics company Mode Technology.
Conversations between Khan and Mode Technology began when the store was within a temporary space and struggling to find a cleaner. The new Taumaranui New World was designed specifically with a cleaning robot in mind, influencing floor finishes, shelving design and layout of the new state-of-the-art supermarket.
The in-store cleaning robot was a solution that presented the Taumaranui New World with many and various benefits. Khan was able to have a cleaning budget every month, improving cost efficiency, and the robots provided consistent, high-quality cleaning without any spots or areas missed. If the robots were, for one reason or another, incapable of accessing an area to clean, they would notify the Taumaranui New World team, who could then loop back and clean the area.
The cleaning robots also provide the added benefit of being able to work around the clock, taking approximately one hour to clean the entire 2000sm space, which would take a cleaner anywhere between 12 to 16 hours.
Cleaning robots also have a reduced risk of accidents and injuries compared to when cleaning is completed manually through human labour, and they are easy to operate and use. Six members of the Taumaranui team have been trained on how to operate the cleaning robot and haven't had any issues.
The team at Taumaranui New World were offered Mode Technology’s specialised knowledge and expertise for the cleaning robot. Mode Technology also offered a quick proof of concept, which gave the store time to test the cleaning robot in-store before committing to the concept.
Khan praised Mode Technology's innovative approach, offering the store a sale and service solution with a fixed-cost leasing agreement. The Mode Technology team also maintained regular contact and communicated with Khan throughout the process to ensure the smooth integration of the robot into store operations.
Read more from the November issue of Supermarket News below:
