1. Write down what “cleaning the enclosure” actually covers
Two buyers asking the same question often mean different jobs. Before any labour figure means anything, list the scope on one sheet: flat outer panels, ribbed or corrugated surfaces, wheels and drive guards, the top surface where dust has settled, and any interior cavity that can be reached without disassembly. Note whether panels must stay in place during cleaning, and whether electrical parts, belts or bearings sit close to the surface being washed.
That list decides everything after it. Flat panels that can be sprayed and wiped need a very different crew than an enclosure covered in dried oil, and a labour figure per square metre is meaningless until the surface type and soil type are agreed between the teams being compared.
2. Count the manual baseline honestly
For a wipe-and-spray crew, record the real time per machine: walking to the water point, dragging hose, pre-rinsing, applying detergent, waiting for the detergent to act, scrubbing, rinsing, wiping dry, and waiting for the surface to drain before the line restarts. Add the finishing pass that is nearly always left out of the estimate, and add the time two people spend on one machine when it sits in a walkway and cannot be reached from one side.
Write down what those operators are not doing during the same window. On most sites the same people cover routine inspection and changeover support, so cleaning hours are production-support hours, not spare hours. A method that looks cheap per labour hour can still be expensive if it pulls those operators away from the line.
3. Compare the machine's working fluid, not just its price
Labour differences come from how a machine breaks soil loose. A high-temperature, high-pressure unit lifts soil off a surface instead of requiring it to be scrubbed off. The fixed steam cleaning machine PowerDe HW02 is specified at a steam temperature of 160°, a vapour pressure of 0.8 MPa and 6 kW of heating power, with an 80 L SUS304 tank, dry-steam and wet-steam modes, and a vacuum cleaner included. Those parameters change the operator's task: fewer scrubbing passes, less detergent, and less free water left on and around the machine.
When you compare suppliers, ask each one for the same four figures — steam temperature, pressure, heating power and tank volume — and put them side by side. A unit with lower temperature and lower pressure is not simply a cheaper machine; it is a different cleaning method that moves work back onto the operator's arms and hours.
4. Score the site constraints that change headcount
The same machine can need one operator in one building and two in the next. Check each line against these constraints:
- Power and water at the point of work. The HW02 runs on 220 V mains with a tap-water inlet, so an outlet and a hose run close to the line keep one operator moving. If the supply is tens of metres away, a second person is effectively watching a cable.
- Aisle width and machine footprint. The listed HW02 dimensions are 1,200 × 800 × 1,200 mm including handles. Measure your aisle before assuming a unit of that size can be moved into place and worked around by one person.
- Water handling. Heavy rinsing floods floors, needs squeegee work, and creates a slip risk near electrical areas. Steam modes that use less water reduce that follow-up work, which is usually where the hidden hours are.
- Restart time. If the line cannot start until the enclosure is dry, cleaning time and downtime are the same number. Compare methods on total time to restart, not on spray time alone.
- Built-in protection. The HW02 page lists leakage protection, short-circuit protection, high-temperature protection, high-voltage protection, water-shortage protection and high-voltage explosion protection. This is a labour question as well: supervisors supervise more, and operators use the machine less, when they are unsure it is safe.
5. Put both options on the same short trial
Ask the supplier for a demonstration on your own equipment, then measure three things: operator minutes per enclosure, minutes from start to line restart, and how many repeat passes the dirtiest enclosure needs. Run the trial on the worst machine in the shop rather than the cleanest one, and record the numbers with the crew you actually employ, so the comparison uses your data instead of a brochure.
If the trial shows that enclosure geometry, plant voltage or shift pattern does not fit a catalogue unit, that is a configuration question rather than a compromise. Customised steam cleaning equipment is one of the services we list for exactly this situation.
6. What to send us so the comparison is specific
To get a labour comparison that reflects your site rather than a general estimate, send photographs of the enclosures, the number of machines per shift, the current cleaning routine and how long it takes, the voltage and water connection you have available, and the restart window you have to work within. With that information the cleaning method, the steam mode, and the realistic operator count can be matched to your line.
Shenzhen PowerDe Automation Precision Equipment Co., Ltd — Longhua District, Shenzhen — sales@powerde.net — +86 13023198376.
