"Cleaning Workforce Replacement Effect of 4 People"… Charging and Water Supply Managed Automatically by Cleaning Robot ‘Cleaver’

VD Company Participates in '2024 Building Maintenance Industry Expo'
Showcases Autonomous Cleaning Robot 'Cleaver'
Automatically Handles Charging, Water Supply, and Drainage

Among the large crowd, the cleaning robot wandering alone stands out. The liquid and stains left on the floor after the robot passed disappeared. Leaving the cleaned floor behind, the robot diligently moves on to somewhere else.

On the 21st, a cleaning demonstration of VD Company's cleaning robot "Cleaver" took place at the "2024 Building Maintenance Industry Exhibition" held at Ilsan KINTEX. (Photo by VD Company)

This robot, which appeared at the '2024 Building Maintenance Industry Exhibition' (FMX) held at KINTEX in Ilsan on the 21st, is ‘Cleaver’ by VD Company. VD Company, a serving robot company, has expanded into the cleaning robot market by launching ‘Cleaver’. Through participation in this event, they are expecting contracts with outsourcing companies.

‘Cleaver’, a commercial autonomous cleaning robot, features automatic charging, water supply, and drainage capabilities. When water is insufficient, wastewater is full, or power is low, it automatically returns to the workstation for water supply, drainage, and charging. It supports ‘4 in 1’ multi-cleaning modes including wet cleaning, dry cleaning, sweeping, and mopping.

Additionally, with automatic position recognition and navigation functions, it can be controlled remotely, and an automatic report is generated upon completion of cleaning for immediate confirmation by the operator. It is possible to monitor the robot’s location and cleaning data via mobile phone or computer. It is explained that it can clean any floor environment, from marble to carpet.

This shows remote control of the cleaning status via mobile through the dedicated 'Cleaver' app (Photo by Yeom Dayeon).

Lee Sang-hyun, team leader of the Cleaning Robot Team at VD Company, said, “Cleaver can replace the cleaning work of 3 to 4 people,” adding, “It allows for more detailed site management and efficient store management.”

VD Company also emphasized their efforts for systematic after-sales service. The team leader said, “In most cases in the industry, there are very few A/S staff for cleaning robots, but VD Company has about 100 service staff, ensuring excellent management.”

With growing interest in cleaning robots recently, inquiries about ‘Cleaver’ are increasing. Cleaver has been introduced at Mokpo Ocean Hotel, Yeosan Rest Area, Ballios CC, Friends Screen, and others. It is currently being piloted at Novotel Dongdaemun, CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall, and major stores of Electron Land. The team leader said, “It was launched last August, and more than 40 units have already been sold,” adding, “The sales target for this year is 500 units, and we believe it is fully achievable beyond that.”

VD Company is conducting proof of concept (PoC) programs targeting about 10 medium to large customers including large department stores and outlets, logistics warehouses, factories, university hospitals, and large government office buildings. Ham Pan-sik, CEO of VD Company, said, “With high inflation, minimum wage increases, and labor shortages overlapping, service robots are becoming an indispensable important automation solution,” adding, “We hope that many businesses can achieve store operation efficiency and cost reduction based on VD Company’s autonomous cleaning robot ‘Cleaver.’”