Autonomous scrubber cuts warehouse cleaning labour at Nabuurs
Nabuurs Supply Chain Solutions is using autonomous cleaning technology to reduce the labour burden of maintaining a large, busy warehouse. A Tennant T16AMR floor scrubber has been operating at the company’s 60,000m² facility in Oosterhout since July 2025.
The equipment works alongside conventional cleaning operations and has reduced the estimated labour requirement for routine floor cleaning by 60–70%. The objective was not to improve cleaning quality, which was already achieved with the existing machine, but to reduce the operator hours needed each day.
Automation built around the existing operation
Before the project, Nabuurs used a Tennant M17 ride-on scrubber. It delivered the required results, but needed a dedicated employee for several hours daily. Following a trial and return-on-investment assessment, the logistics provider selected the autonomous T16AMR.
The machine combines autonomous and manual operation, cylindrical brushes and BrainOS navigation and safety functions. This co-bot approach allows staff to intervene when required while leaving repetitive routes to the machine.
Nabuurs’ internal cleaning team played a central role before deployment. During the trial, employees programmed and tested every route, adjusted schedules and became familiar with operating the equipment. That preparation meant the scrubber could enter routine service quickly once the investment was approved.
Designed for mixed warehouse traffic
Operating safely around vehicles and other warehouse activity was a key requirement. BrainOS updates allow operators to define temporary stopping points in high-traffic areas and configure warning signals for junctions and crossings. These features helped Nabuurs build confidence in autonomous operation on busy routes.
Usage data shows the T16AMR cleans an average of 1,774m² per day, or about 12,420m² per week. It operates autonomously for an average of 5.57 hours weekly and more than 24 hours per month, representing almost 63% of its total usage time.
Nabuurs and Tennant have worked together for around six years. The Oosterhout results are now prompting discussions about extending autonomous cleaning to other Dutch sites, while Nabuurs examines how the approach could standardise routine tasks across its network.
