VDMA and EUnited Cleaning director Peter Hug on training, diversity, women in engineering and the need for data-driven cleaning.
Peter Hug began his career in 1993 at VDMA, the German Engineering Federation, and later became managing director of the German association of cleaning machine manufacturers and of EUnited Cleaning. It is the export-oriented machinery business that strikes him most. Together with development agency GIZ, he started schools for cleaners in India, training more than 20,000 young people so far.
Working in diverse teams is enriching, Hug says, not only in terms of gender but also age, background and experience. Within the India programme he launched a project for the empowerment of women from poorer regions. Because commuting very early or late proved dangerous for women, the organisation also became a strong supporter of daytime cleaning.
At industry meetings, Hug still meets far more men than women; engineering and machinery technology appear to attract young men more. He hopes sustainability can become a topic that draws women into the sector. VDMA established a green cleaning label and performance standards that weigh the cleaning result against the consumption of energy, water and chemicals.
Hug believes the industry should look more at performance than at head count. ‘Cleaning takes place in an eco-system where there are already many sensors and a lot of information. The existing data can be used to make cleaning processes more efficient.’ Good training remains essential: skilled people are more productive, deliver better results and are more motivated.
