Hako UK

The Opportunity to Do Things Better

Hako has always taken sustainability seriously. As a UK subsidiary of a global German manufacturer, the business supports customers through the full lifecycle of their floor cleaning equipment, from indoor and outdoor machines through to aftercare, consumables, and beyond. More than 55% of the plastics in Hako's new machine tanks come from recycled materials.

But consumables were a different story. The detergents Hako supplied were imported from the Benelux region. In the context of a UK market that's increasingly tuned into sustainable solutions, and against the backdrop of rising import costs following Brexit and COVID-19, the picture was shifting.

Before Brexit, shipping a container of machines to the UK cost around £1,200 to £1,300. By the time those pressures had fully fed through, the same container was costing around £3,500 - a near-threefold increase. Lead times stretched to two to three weeks, making it harder to respond to customer needs quickly.

The case for change was building. What was missing was the right partner to make it happen.

The Right Fit, Found Twenty Minutes Down the Road

The connection came through We Are Wakefield, a business community that brought Hako MD Sylvie Giangolini and soluCLEAN's Helen McDonald together at a sustainability workshop in 2024. 'They were as passionate about the environment as us,' says Sylvie. 'It was an opportunity to make a change, one that we could control internally.'

soluCLEAN manufactures its Solupak pre-measured daily cleaning pods in Wakefield - twenty minutes down the road from Hako's operation. That proximity translates directly into faster replenishment, the ability to collect stock directly when needed, and the elimination of bonded pallet and hazardous handling complexities.

UK-based manufacturing means a meaningfully reduced carbon footprint compared with continental imports. And for Hako's customers, the ability to point to a British-made, sustainably produced cleaning solution carries real weight.

Discussions around distribution began in early 2025. By July 2025, Hako had launched soluCLEAN's Scrubber Drier floor cleaning products as part of its offering. The partnership was live.

A Two-Pronged Approach to Changing Behaviour

Introducing a new product into an established business and customer base requires more than listing it on a website. Hako and soluCLEAN recognised early that conversion would need to work on two levels simultaneously.

For the people using the product day to day, the case is intuitive. soluCLEAN's pre-measured concentrate pods eliminate the guesswork and waste of traditional liquid concentrates: the uncontrolled 'glug' of chemicals that leads to overuse, inconsistent results, and higher cost-in-use.

But users are rarely the decision-makers. Procurement managers, operations leads, and sustainability officers need a conversation built around cost analysis, sustainability evidence, and measurable proof. soluCLEAN provides that evidence; Hako's sales and customer support teams deliver it.

Every new pedestrian machine that leaves Hako's operation includes a free soluCLEAN trial pack. Engineers are prompted during service visits to discuss detergents, demonstrate the pods, and leave samples.

Committed Internally, As Well As Externally

At Hako's annual company conference in January, attended by the whole UK business, soluCLEAN was the only non-Hako department given a platform. UK product trainer Mark Foster presented the product's benefits and ease of use to colleagues across every function.

'We saw the penny drop for people,' says Sylvie. 'That was a real highlight.' soluCLEAN's branding and samples have featured at Hako's biannual engineer cluster meetings, and Hako has launched an e-commerce platform with soluCLEAN products listed.

Early Results and What's Coming Next

While it's still early in the partnership's commercial life, several enterprise customers are actively evaluating broader adoption, with change approvals working their way through internal processes. The structural timelines of large organisations mean that the biggest numbers are still on their way.

The foundations are solid. The sampling activity has been extensive. The internal champions are in place. The e-commerce infrastructure is live. Both companies are expecting to see a material step up in commercial impact by Q3 2026.

A major forklift truck company has expressed strong interest in the soluCLEAN solution - a signal of the proposition's strength.

A Partnership Built to Last

The story of Hako and soluCLEAN is, at its core, a story about alignment. Two businesses that operate in complementary spaces, share a genuine commitment to sustainability, and have found in each other a partner that makes the day-to-day easier rather than harder.

'The technical and commercial support has been super easy,' says Sylvie. 'It's been great from start to finish.'