Summary Reader Response Draft 2

GERMii's article on "How tech can ease the cleaning industry's manpower crunch" published on GovInsider (2021) discusses the integration of technology along with the demand for manpower in the cleaning industry in Singapore. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased demand in the cleaning industry (Haltren, 2021). There is a need for cleanliness and hygiene in order to decrease the cases of COVID-19 not only in Singapore but also across the globe. The article mentioned the goal for the implementation of robots and the transformation with the integration.

Haltren (2021) discusses the aim of implementing robots into our everyday lives. Most people would presume that robots would replace humans in the workforce as they may be more efficient than employees. However, it is evident that rather than replacing, the robots can take care of more menial tasks such as mopping and sweeping while cleaning staff can dedicate their time to disinfecting services which are much more sought after during the pandemic. Moreover, companies can embrace the evolution of the integration of man and machine in the workforce. In order to ensure that both robots and humans can coexist harmoniously in the workforce, many companies are spending money to up-skill their workers by sending them to courses to educate them on how to operate these robots safely and efficiently. In addition, workers are sent to attend more lessons for deployment for more customer-centric jobs within the organization.

The adoption of cleaning robots integrated to meet the cleaning industry's needs has a positive impact on the cleaning industry in terms of efficiency and further enhancements have been made to cleaning robots making them multi-functional. In addition, cleaning staff can benefit from this as they can learn and develop new skills such as how to manage the cleaning robots.

The pandemic has led many to better appreciate the benefits of a high standard of cleanliness and hygiene in public areas (Lam, 2021). Changi Airport deployed cleaning robots back in April 2018 (Lim, 2019). In partnership with Globotix, Changi Airport would be deploying robot cleaners which would reduce costs as well as increase the productivity of the cleaning teams. Avidbots Neo allows us to offer our customers like Changi an advanced robotics product that delivers industry-leading cleaning plans and detailed reports, all of which can be accessed through a highly sophisticated web app (Quek, 2018). Utilising the web app that provides real time analytics for operations and cleaning teams, Changi Airport would make flying a much enjoyable experience (Sheikh, 2018).

Robotics plays a very important part of how we are going to transform the economy (Masagos, 2020). Several multi-purpose robots which not only clean floors but also disinfect lift panels are being tested at Tampines Round Market (Choo, 2020). Tampines Town Council stated that these cleaning robots relieve the repetitive tasks of cleaners so that they can perform higher-value roles such as maintaining these robots. 

A study by Oxford Economics stated that up to 20 million manufacturing jobs will be lost globally to robots by 2030 (Chong, 2019). With workers in Singapore displaced by technology, employees would have to be more adaptable to evolving demands. Stated in an article by The Straits Times, there is currently a total of 13 cleaning robots deployed at Circle Line stations which can clean faster up to three times in comparison to their human counterparts (Kok, 2021). 

However, SMRT stated that the goal for the deployment of cleaning robots is aimed to allow more time for cleaning staff to improve their skills instead of replacing them. Cleaners will be trained to manage several cleaning robots, in turn allowing them to perform other duties such as disinfecting high-contact touch points. These cleaners would be trained to manage these robots which includes troubleshooting minor issues. In addition, these classes has made working with the robots simple and new skills learned could potentially aid him in his career progression. (Velu, 2021)

In conclusion, the implementation of cleaning robots that are integrated to fulfil the needs of the cleaning industry has been put into operation and produced fruitful outcomes. These articles show that cleaning robots are filling in the shortage of manpower in the industry and complementing the cleaning staff. 

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