ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Christian Bouzols reports from France on how the use of drones for high and low pressure of cleaning high-rise buildings is now a reality.

Samsic Facility, a major provider of services to companies based in Rennes, Britanny, has just acquired a specialist in communication systems, Technic’Art Drone, based in the Paris area. This company had recently diversified into the development of inspection systems for buildings and other hardly accessible areas where drones promised to offer solutions, particularly for cleaning tasks.

“This acquisition will allow Samsic Facility to consolidate its position as a leader in the provision of services to companies and give its clients novel and flexible solutions enabing them to intervene very safely on sites that are often difficult to reach,” said Guy Roulleau, president of the company.

Having acquired Technic’Art Drones (subsequently renamed as Sam’Drones), Samsic Facility will be able to use state-of-the-art equipment to apply novel solutions in the various areas of its service offering, particularly for the high pressure cleaning of high rise buildings.

The main innovation brought about by the inclusion of Sam’Drones into the Samsic group will be the deployment of drones capable of carrying out high and low pressure cleaning tasks on buildings.

Developed by Vivien Consulting, a specialist firm based in Paris, these drone based machines can perform spraying and cleaning tasks at pressures of 130 bars and temperatures of 90°C at heights of 40 metres of more. “The use of drones on sensitive areas also presents great advantages in terms of health and safety by reducing risky situations,” adds Roulleau. 

A number of partnerships are currently being discussed and the drone based systems are being put into operation. The cleaning division of the Samsic group is fully confident of the success of these systems as the number of high rise and difficult to access buildings is on the increase in France, as well as in the rest of Europe and the world.

However, the handling drones for cleaning tasks will require well trained people and specific permits. Indeed, the use of drones in France is highly regulated, particularly in urban areas, and it is necessary to obtain exemptions from the civil air authorities
before being allowed to launch a single drone.