RoboClean
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- HKR0219
RoboClean
Thomas Lee doesn't claim to be a green advocate, but he nonetheless knows more about air pollutants than most people.
Improving indoor air quality is his business. Nine years ago he quit his job at a Swiss company that specialises in cleaning services to set up his own firm, RoboClean, to clean air conditioner ducts.
"It was at the time when health-based air quality standards were commonly applied throughout the U.S. and Europe, but hardly any were heard of locally," he said.
Convincing businesses that they needed to clean their air ducts was a hard sell. Because air con ducts are out of sight, they are also out of mind. "What the eye can't see, the mind doesn't worry about," he said.
To show clearly the state of air ducts, Mr Lee would use remote control robots that ventured into the network of ducts video taping the walls -- hence the name RoboClean. He would also offer potential clients detailed indoor air quality (IAQ) laboratory tests to let them see for themselves the real picture inside their company's air ducts, and then recommend ways that they could improve their IAQ.
"The location of a company, its business nature, construction materials ?all affect IAQ. At first, not many proprietors I approached saw a need for air duct cleaning due to a lack of awareness or tight budgets," he said.
But with more public education and the governments drive to inform people about indoor air quality, both employers and employees are increasingly concerned about the air they are breathing in the workplace.
"Clients have altered their mindsets and regularly have their air ducts cleaned as they can see fewer employees call in sick because of the improved indoor air quality," he said.
In the nine years since its conception, RoboClean has gone from being a one-man-band to an employer of more than 30 staff today.
"I would be a salesman in the morning quoting and promoting the services to clients. In the afternoons I'd be a secretary typing reports, following up and doing the paperwork. I was even a cleaner at night brushing and removing dirt from the air ducts at the cleaning sites," Mr Lee (left) said.
To date, RoboClean is contracted by government hospitals and buildings to clean air ducts, as well as a continually increasing number of private clients.
In addition to cleaning services, Mr Lee now also offers customers a total solution to improving indoor air quality. These include fitting ultraviolet anti-bacteria lights and anti-odour air purifiers in air ducts, among others.
He expects his business will continue to grown on the wave of greater awareness of environmental concern, and is already looking to service his Hong Kong clients' operations in the Mainland.
