Future Machine Labs: Full-service cleaning on autopilot

According to the Federal Guild Association, the building cleaning sector is the craft trade with the highest employment rate in Germany. Around 700,000 people work in this sector. Nevertheless, like most craft trades, this industry is also struggling with a severe shortage of skilled workers. Autonomous cleaning machines could at least take over the most monotonous tasks and thus relieve the burden on employees – but many companies shy away from the high investment costs, complex commissioning, and maintenance costs for the robots. The Berlin-based start-up Future Machine Labs (FM-Labs) wants to remedy this with its “Machine-as-a-Service” business model.

"Even the best machine is useless if it just sits in the corner because no one can maintain it or respond quickly to malfunctions," says FM Labs founder Nick Nidens. That's why the young company offers autonomous cleaning machines with comprehensive support, preventive maintenance and a service promise of maximum availability. 

Nidens already had experience with equipment leasing and remote maintenance and applied this concept to the cleaning industry when he founded Future Machine Labs in early 2024. FM-Labs purchases autonomous cleaning machines from various manufacturers and leases them to hotels, retail chains, and logistics companies. As part of an all-inclusive package, the company takes care of the entire commissioning of the robots: mapping areas, programming cleaning routes, installing docking stations for fresh water and electricity.  

An 80-strong service team at ten strategically selected locations throughout Germany guarantees response times of no more than two hours. The technicians clean the machines weekly, replace wear parts, and ensure that the devices are always ready for use. Customers thus rent the license for a machine that works at all times - without investment risk and without their own maintenance costs. 

An important element in this business model is connecting the robots to the internet. Future Machine Labs installs a Deutsche Telekom IoT SIM card in each machine. An integrated radio module continuously transmits operating data such as water flow, filter status, battery level, cleaning agent consumption, and cleaned area via the mobile network. These values can be viewed on a dashboard, enabling the FM-Labs service team to perform predictive maintenance. If, for example, the water flow falls below a threshold value due to a clogged filter, the team schedules a service call before the machine breaks down. „Connectivity via Telekom's mobile network is our service enabler,“ says Managing Director Nidens. „We receive all information in real time and can take preventive action instead of waiting for calls from customers.“ Telekom's national roaming ensures that the machines are connected to the best available network wherever they are. 

Connectivity also enables demand-driven cleaning. Based on the measured data, it becomes clear where contamination actually occurs – and where cleaning is unnecessary. If, for example, a machine in a hardware store cleans areas that are hardly dirty instead of concentrating on heavily frequented areas, Future Machine Labs can optimize the cleaning routes specifically for the benefit of customers. This saves operating costs and increases efficiency. “Ensuring that surfaces are clean is important for business – dirt is not an option in hotels or supermarkets,” says Nidens. The data also shows when planned and actual cleaning areas do not match, for example because an aisle in the beverage warehouse was blocked.  

Mobile networking also enables remote access to the machines. Technicians can read and fix errors remotely without having to be on site immediately. Over-the-air updates install new features and firmware on the machines. This reduces downtime and ensures that the devices are always up to date. Customers receive transparent proof of cleaned areas and can use consumption values for water, electricity, and cleaning agents for their controlling purposes. According to FM-Labs, autonomous cleaning costs about half as much as conventional cleaning by humans. Importantly, „In a labor market situation where many positions remain unfilled, our machines do not replace cleaning staff, but take over monotonous tasks such as vacuuming carpets in hotel corridors,“ says Nidens. „This allows employees to focus on more value-adding activities such as cleaning vertical surfaces or more complex tasks.“ 

„At first, most customers want the machines to run at night so they don't disturb anyone,“ says Nidens. „But positive experiences have led to the devices being used more and more often during the day. Children, for example, are thrilled when a little robot like this drives through the supermarket.“ All manufacturers that Future Machine Labs works with are also certified according to the European Machinery Directive, meaning that their machines can be used safely in environments where people are present. The devices feature dynamic obstacle detection and emergency stop switches. Their driving speed is always slower than the average walking speed of humans.  

FM-Labs currently has around 380 machines in use at 350 German customers. The market potential is considerable and the business model is scalable. The first hotel customer has already established a Europe-wide service – made possible in part by Telekom's globally available IoT network.