Signature Associates

Swiss company boosts floor-cleaner production at Toledo facility

Posted By: Toledo Blade on July 10, 2026.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

When TASKI, which produces industrial floor-cleaning machines, acquired Toledo-based NSS in 2023, the company’s leadership was looking to expand its operations in the North American market.

Since acquiring NSS, Switzerland-based TASKI has begun manufacturing several product lines at the company’s South Toledo facility, positioning the operation as its North American headquarters, distribution center, parts hub, and factory.

The company had been manufacturing all of its machines in Switzerland and then shipping them to customers overseas, said Van Walter, the company’s national service manager.

“The goal was … to give us a footprint in North America so that we had a hub for manufacturing, but also for parts distribution,” Mr. Walter said. “Otherwise, the TASKI [product] line was being supported directly from Switzerland.”

NSS also had several products that complemented gaps in TASKI’s line of cleaners, which have continued to be produced in Toledo. However, over the past two years, TASKI has moved several of its most popular products to Toledo for easier entry into the North American market.

The move to the United States saves the company on the logistics of producing in Switzerland and shipping the cleaners overseas. Many of the models are still manufactured in Switzerland, but most end up in Toledo to be paired with batteries, scrubber pads, and other accessories before they are shipped to customers.

TASKI can also ship tens of thousands of parts for NSS and TASKI machines from the Toledo parts warehouse, allowing them to reach North American customers in a matter of days instead of weeks.

TASKI’s first product line to be made in Toledo was the Swingo 1650/1850, a walk-behind floor scrubber about 90 percent of which were already being sold to U.S. customers.

The Ultimaxx 1900 line, which has the company’s latest technology, is also being produced in Toledo, and the company recently began U.S. production of its brand-new Ultimaxx 360 after launching that model in Europe. Plans to bring the 360 model to Toledo were fast-tracked due to its immediate popularity in Europe.

“We accelerated the plan to bring production here to the U.S. because the sales volume in Europe was so high,” said Mike Dilley, TASKI’s supply chain director. “They’re anticipating strong sales in the U.S., and we’ve already seen that, but we’re still catching up to the demand at this point.”

The company’s flagship Ultimaxx line allows owners to access a live dashboard and track the health of machine components, view a timeline of the machine’s operation, predict maintenance costs, and view the location and error status of the machines remotely. Mr. Walter said the computerized machines set them apart from competitors.

“We can see how often the machine is being used, the frequency throughout the day, and for our customers, they can actually prove that their facilities are being cleaned,” he said. “One of the things we like to talk about is the Swiss design and engineering, and these things are really, like, the Cadillac.”

Another change TASKI has made in Toledo is the production process. NSS previously built most of its machines using assembly lines, but TASKI has converted the entire factory into cells that each manufacture one product. Several employees work on assemblies within a cell, eventually piecing the entire machine together.

When TASKI bought the company, union representatives were hopeful that the company would continue to recognize the union, which they did. No workers were laid off during the transition, and Dave Patlin, the shop’s chairman, was optimistic about the company’s intention to grow production.

“You’re concerned that they’re buying it to make it go away,” Mr. Patlin previously said. “But their idea is to expand it.”

In the fall, TASKI and the union members agreed on another three-year contract. As the company continues its growth in the U.S., the leaders plan to continue production at the Toledo facility in addition to using it as a hub of its North American operations.

Being in close proximity to the facility has been convenient for businesses like Gordon Food Service in Maumee. Saeed Aguilar, the store’s manager, said Gordon is beginning to switch over to the TASKI machines for their efficiency and ease of use.

The store’s previous floor scrubber was clunky, hard to maintain, and expensive to service, he said. The TASKI machine has color-coded components that help employees keep up on nightly maintenance, and Mr. Aguilar said the machine cleans the store much more quickly.

“It definitely saves on labor because it doesn’t take us as long to run the floor machine on our whole store, and it also saves on expenses because we’re not constantly having somebody come out, replace parts, and perform maintenance on it,” he said.

The store’s proximity to TASKI’s facility in Toledo has been useful the few times Mr. Aguilar has needed help. When he couldn’t figure out how to replace the squeegee blades, Mr. Aguilar said a salesman offered to bring the parts to the store.

“I called Joe at TASKI, and he said he happened to be coming into my store, … so he went to the warehouse personally, got the squeegee blades, and came back and showed me how to do it — that kind of service is top notch.”