Wagtail Giant Gets Two Interviews

The Wagtail giant pictured here slinging a squeegee on the side of the old Wagtail warehouse in Sydney, with Willie Wagtail on the right.

This interview was taken from Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine Issue # 3 (December 2012). Remember, you can re-read older issues of window cleaning business owner online here for free.

 When I was asked to interview Willie Wagtail, owner of Wagtail Pivotal Tools, it was like asking a soccer fan if he’d like to interview Pele or a baseball fan if he’d like to meet Babe Ruth! I’ve owned every one of Willies squeegee’s since they’ve arrived on the scene & I’m besotted with them! It’s now my squeegee of choice – I always carry an 14” & 18” Wagtail on every job when I’m not using a WFP.  The time saving that window cleaners gain are tremendous & without the loss of quality to boot.  The French/Colonial windows I used to hate cleaning have now become enjoyable to clean using just one of his tools, the 6” “Flipper” & I’m finding a whole range more of possibilities when I normally reach for the WFP. Yes – they are that rapid! Being relatively easy to master, they are the must-have tool for any window cleaner worth his salt. The range of Wagtails are usually mastered within an hour even for the slowest window cleaner.

When Willie mentioned on one of the forums that he had signed up a booth for the ISSA show in Amsterdam earlier in 2010, it was my excuse to go over & meet him. You couldn’t meet a nicer guy, his excitement for the products & people he meets shows through. It was a hard task to get to talk to him because his booth at the trade show usually had around twenty people queuing up waiting to try out his Wagtails. He had some pretty impressive prototypes on display as well – some of which you can read about below. Many window cleaners don’t know that his tools are also famous for cleaning floors as well as cleaning windows. If you haven’t tried one yet, you can find Wagtail tools just waiting to be bought in the WCR shop. Don’t delay, these tools will UP your speed & give you increased earning power over the competition & embarrassingly so, as well.

When did you start window cleaning & when did you leave to become an inventor of squeegees?

I started window cleaning in 1979 after I returned from a two year working holiday in Europe.

Do you still keep your hand in & go out window cleaning in Sydney with your brother Peter now & again?

Once a year I go out window cleaning with my brother’s crew and once a year with my friend Eugene from “No Streaks Window Cleaning.” The sole purpose is to keep up with techniques and try out new inventions.

So the Wagtail squeegee was named after a famous Australian bird? Does it have a deeper meaning?

It definitely has a deeper meaning; the Wagtail bird constantly wags its tail similar to the action of my squeegees. Secondly, my nick-name since birth was Willie and the bird is properly named the Willy Wagtail.

What was your thought process behind designing the Wagtail squeegee?

Since I was primarily a shop window cleaner, the use of poles was essential. To get a perfect result, continual horizontal strokes were needed i.e. the S - stroke on a pole and also by hand. From this, the Wagtail Pivot was invented!

The switch to make Wagtails to a lighter plastic more than traditionally used metals was a touch of genius. Was that a Eureka moment?

I started window cleaning in my 20’s and by the time I was 30 I started getting arm and wrist strain due to the heavy tools, so I started buying really cheap lightweight squeegees and converting them to be strong and durable. My Eureka moment came when I was using one of these squeegees and my new invention “the multi lockable pivot“broke and resulted in this loose constant pivot.

How did you come up with the idea for a pivot handle?

I saw the advantages of a swivel handle but I was unimpressed with these as a hand held. They were either too loose or too tight, so I obsessed with the idea of a controllable pivot.

Was ergonomics a major process in your thinking when you designed the squeegee or was it solely for speed?

I had five guys working for me and we were all about 40 when we all developed different forms of arm strain. My carpal tunnel was so bad that I sold my business to these guys and opened up a retail store with Indonesian furniture and artefacts. This store was unsuccessful so I needed to return to window cleaning. I was 40 years old, broke, injured and aging so I needed an edge to regain my window cleaning business.

Within a week I developed the Wagtail Pivot; I gathered my brother Peter and a team of professionals and entered a business plan competition at a local university. We won the five thousand dollar first prize and my invention was selected to be exhibited at the new technology museum in Sydney (Powerhouse Museum).

I see the Wagtail is banned from speed window cleaning events – are you annoyed?

The Wagtail squeegee is undoubtedly faster than any other squeegee so yes, we are extremely upset. I was even prevented from entering a T.V. Show; “Guinness World Records” after the producer was informed by the Guinness Book that only fixed squeegees can be used. In one way it is proof that we are the unfair advantage by providing a pivot.

Thousands of window cleaners now have relief from wrist, shoulder & arm pain – is this something you would like to be remembered for?
My father was a doctor and so to develop a tool that prevented injuries was the pinnacle for me being “the black sheep of the family.” Unfortunately he died just before we won the business plan and International awards.
 
Where do you keep all your international trophies & awards for the Wagtail? Above the fireplace?
I keep my gold medal in an Antiquarian Leather Book Case but all the other awards are in a box ready for when we own a factory with a beautiful foyer.

Would you say a Wagtail is all a traditional window cleaner needs in his arsenal to clean windows?
Absolutely, they are more versatile, lighter and faster. Sometimes when there is pole work on narrow windows above thirty feet you need to tighten the pivot for the straight pull. For this reason we developed the adjustable tension in the pivot mechanism.

High-rise window cleaners cottoned on to the Wagtail long before the rest of us – why?
My brother Peter owns a large high-rise window cleaning company and he became very successful due to the fact that all his employees outperformed competition due to using the Wagtail. Peter will state that reach is all important when you are abseiling and the Wagtail has more reach than any other squeegee. 

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai (tallest building in the world) started using your squeegees – that was a coup! Did you send them Wagtails?
In Australia most high rise window cleaners use Wagtails and it was an Australian company that was commissioned to clean this building first. Luckily, they used their Wagtails for the television reporting of the cleaning of the building’s windows.

How many variations of the Wagtail squeegee do you have now?
Orbital, Blue Ribbon, Flipper, One Pass, Whirlwind, and Swoop makes six.

I thought the “Blue Ribbon” squeegee was a major improvement over the previous. Why the change in design?
Although the first Wagtail was lighter than other squeegees, it was still a little heavy for older window cleaners like my self. Also the channel was wider and did not fit into the BOAB so I set out to design a strong ultra light squeegee that was capable of using other brands of channels.
 
The Wagtail “Whirlwind” came with a change of pad. Was that a design change to provide more scrubbing power?
The jury is out for this one, the Whirlwind is really good at scrubbing and water retention however it is slightly heavier than the Flipper. I think the Whirlwind is the ideal tool for the really dirty windows encountered on high-rise and residential windows.

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What brand of squeegee did you use before the Wagtail & why? Ettore squeegee were the only professional squeegees available in Australia when I started. They were robust good squeegees for that time, but heavy! 

You have a new “one pass” squeegee (the Swoop) about to be released, how does this differ from previous Wagtails? Apart from weight I think that glide is very important to prevent what I call cigars (little water lines at the end of a swirl). The new Swoop, provides more glide and hence more washing power in a single action. I believe this to be the Holy Grail of the Squeegee. Additionally there is always a need to pre-wash the very top edges and corners of a window and for this we provide the pad to flip in front of the squeegee blade similar to the Flipper. This new tool will wash and wipe simultaneously due to the one inch wide base extension. 

How long has the “one pass” Swoop Wagtail been tested for? How much quicker is it than the previous Wagtail design? Is this a “game changer” for window cleaners? Years of research have gone into this tool but we have only field tested this since the release of a very successful launch at ISSA Amsterdam of just the prototype!! It is faster and more versatile than all previous models. I think it is the pinnacle of all the tools designed by Wagtail. 

How long does a product you invent take to get from drawing board to release normally? The “Pivotool” (a dual purpose domestic window/floor tool) took three years of constant design (in house university trained designer) and prototype work. Prototypes were more than ten thousand dollars and tooling were tens of thousands of dollars. This tool failed in the television infomercial world and all that money was lost. Now it is my job to make prototypes and we only go to a designer when we are absolutely sure of its potential. It takes now about a year to get into production since our “Pivotool” misadventure. 

Who is your tester for Wagtail products? Does he work with your brother Peter in Sydney? New inventions are tested comprehensively by a professional window cleaner in Sydney for domestic homes and storefronts and the “Window Cleaning Company” of Sydney for high-rise. However most of my friends are window cleaners with very interesting backgrounds. One was invited to and rejected Mensa, another quit university after receiving distinctions and my brother Peter studied Engineering in Switzerland. When I give these guys my latest inventions I get amazing feedback. 

I’m a big fan of some of your other products, namely the “Angle Arm” & the “Bucket Clip.” Why do window cleaners not hear about these so much? The “Angle Arm” is a huge success for us, but we are not noted for our marketing and when a product is not received well by our distributors - like the “Bucket Clip,” we are unable to get it into the hands of a window cleaner.  The “Bucket Clip” is my most underestimated invention as it serves two huge problems; one keeping the bucket handles higher, thereby not having to bend down to far to pick up the bucket and the built in extractor holds the squeegee or applicator upright and extracts water when needed. 

I’ve actually tried the Wagtail “Whirlwind” on floors myself – it became huge in Australia – why not the rest of the World? Standards of floor cleaning around the world are appalling if you think about it compared to window cleaning. I believe hospital diseases such as MRSA are due to poor floor and bench cleaning hygiene. We have some really large organizations and hospitals interested but they take forever to change their habits, one day the world will clean floors with a squeegee. 

The Wagtail “Pivoting Wet Scraper” is another time saver, what sizes are they supplied in? The “Pivoting Wet Scraper” is being trialled and if successful we will introduce the final version and in different sizes. 

When I saw your new “bucket-on-a-belt” prototype at the ISSA show in Amsterdam you were thinking of calling it the “close to me bag,” because of its snug fitting. We laughed because it could get known as the Colostomy bag. Have you got a new name for it yet? Funny, we did not have the courage to call it the “Close to Me bag” but all the guys using them call it this! The official name is “Hip Dipper” and it will be released later this year with new stronger plastic. 

This will be the lightest “bucket-on-a-belt” ever seen – did you plan it this way? Weight is always important but the squeezing of solution to the middle of the mop is the best quality of this invention. Comfort of a flexible bag also was important. 

Who do you admire in the window cleaning world? Other manufactures are not my idols, they just copy, but guys like Karl Robinson, Lambrinides brothers and Mark Henderson are taking the profession of window cleaning to new levels. 

What’s the one window cleaning invention you wished you had thought of? I really struggle with this one but I suppose the whole water fed pole industry is moving at great new levels each year. I wish we were more involved. 

Are there any other tools that you are working on for the immediate future? I would really like to divulge this one but there are too many creative window cleaners out there. Being obsessive I am working night and day on something really simple but to engineer it is a nightmare. I have made working prototypes but manufacturing this concept is the sticking point. 

If you weren’t a window cleaner/inventor what do you think you would have ended up doing? Stockbroking or a real estate agent was my goals. 

Where do you see window cleaning in ten years time? The future of window cleaning is what I work on day and night so I can only see the Wagtail pivoting tools being the major window cleaning equipment for the professional. 

What do you find time for outside window cleaning? We live right on the Sydney harbour so most of my spare time is either on our kayaks, walking the dogs or I take my daughter Hannah to Equestrian competitions. I also own and deal in antiquarian books specializing in leather bound English authors. 

Do you clean your own windows? Or do your daughters get put to use? Believe it or not I do clean our windows at least twice a week but not for the view, just to test new concepts.

Willie Erken relaxing at home on the waterfront in Sydney, Australia.

Willie Erken of Wagtail speaks to Window Cleaning Magazine: Wagtail Cleaning Tools became established in 1998 by inventor and window cleaner Willie Erken, Australia. Since then, Wagtail has took the world by storm with the innovative idea of a patented ‘wag’ motion together with light materials that offers the user an ergonomic dream. Wagtail squeegees are regarded as the fastest window cleaning tools in the world! The Wagtail range continues to expand with the latest squeegee released, the Wagtail PC. We catch up with Willie to ask him about the PC, but first we dive a little into the history and thoughts of this great inventor. Lee Burbidge from Window Cleaning Magazine UK asks the questions..

WCM: Hi Willie, thanks for taking time out to speak with us. Wow, what a journey you have had. Did you think your tools would have the high worldwide recognition as they do today? Are you surprised at the success of the Wagtail range?

WE: The Wagtail Squeegee has taken a long time to be recognized but in the last year it has become almost impossible to keep up with supply. The action of a Wagtail Squeegee is very different to all other squeegees and so it takes the cleaner a while to get used to the faster motion and free moving pivot until they have mastered it.

WCM: The Wagtail is an excellent tool, however, it comes into its own fixed to the end of a pole for storefronts. This is no accident since you window cleaned storefronts for many years, right?

WE: I cleaned storefronts for twenty years before I had the courage to take on abseiling work. I guess most of my experience and what I relate to is the larger panes of glass. That said, it was a huge surprise to me that my pivoting squeegee designed for a pole was equally as good as a hand held tool.

WCM: The reaches of these tools are amazing.

WE: This is one of the most under rated benefits and it is difficult to demonstrate how much extra reach you get. Especially for tall window cleaners because when they bend down it is fatiguing but for us shorties it is nice to reach further.

WCM: There must have been a time when you made your first ‘crude’ test squeegee to use on your storefronts or did you go straight into properly manufacturing test samples for refining?

WE: I made literally hundreds of prototypes (still do) and once I was happy, I engaged a product designer. When I first started this it was really expensive because prototyping and designers were a rare commodity.

WCM: Briefly, give us the benefits of your tools.

WE: The benefits of Wagtail squeegees are several; They take the effort out of the “S” Stroke by

assisting the turn with a well-positioned pivot. Pole work becomes precise and easy. Overwhelmingly they are a faster action squeegee. The weight of a squeegee is very important if you think that a window cleaner cleans at least two hundred panes of glass each day so we keep our squeegees as light as possible.

WCM: Where did the pivot idea come from?

WE: When I started window cleaning I came up with a very crude universal joint for a washer and others quickly copied this. Then 3M produced the Doodle Bug and that was my lesson learnt. I fixated about different types of universal fixtures and realised that changing the angles created huge benefits. However my first squeegee invention was actually an angled pivot with a series of locks, these broke within ten minutes and I was left to clean with this broken squeegee until I realised it was

actually better “this was my pivotal moment”.

WCM: “Pivotal moment”, we love that. What did you think when you got the idea to work? I mean, it is hard to improve things sometimes. Thinking out of the box must come with some satisfaction?

WE: Unbelievable satisfaction and being a dreamer I thought I would be a billionaire (wish now I stuck to my day job) Seriously, I knew it was a great idea so I entered a post graduate business plan course with a team of five and we won the state prize worth five thousand dollars. From there we made some huge business mistakes but the squeegee was still the best squeegee around and so I just stubbornly stuck to my guns and kept producing window cleaning equipment.

WCM: Tell us why Dr Austin S Adams of The University of New South Wales carried out an independent ergonomic report of Wagtail tools?

WE: We applied for a government grant to produce professional window cleaning equipment and part of that criteria in order to be accepted was to convince the judges of the ergonomic benefits. Dr Austin Adams, Senior Ergonomics Lecturer was engaged to write a report just so that we could get a grant. The really exciting thing that happened here is that this academic actually saw the benefits and requested to take this report to a world ergonomic symposium. He said that if he could take this report there would be no charge, eureka!

WCM: The great thing about the Wagtail range and the design is, not only does it assist in preventing injury but it is also designed to make you more money used in your window cleaning business. Tell me about that - was that an accident?

WE: Window cleaning, when I started, was all about money per hour (productivity) and when the average wage earner was getting eight dollars per hour we were getting thirty. It then became sixty with the faster equipment. From the very first day I started window cleaning my only obsession was to improve tools and their functions.

WCM: The report is very interesting and very detailed, may we put this in our document resource file for WCM readers to access and read from our WCM website?

WE: Dr Austin Adams has become a great friend and I am sure that he would be honoured to see his work become recognized in a non-academic arena. He is now retired with a huge amount of prestigious work behind him. It would be our honour if this report he did for us would become world

recognized.

WCM: What was the process that you undertook with getting your first Wagtail to market and how well received was it initially? Window cleaners sometimes have a resistance to change or new ideas…. If it ‘aint broke why fix it, attitude?

WE: Actually, we had an amazing start. We took the tools to Amsterdam (Interclean 1998) where ALL the big guns of window cleaning wanted to buy the rights. Henry Unger, Michael Schmalik (Ettore), Julio Guizo (Pulex) and several others came to our stand. I am a stubborn bloke who thought he could do it all with the help of brother Peter and others. Unfortunately soon after our launch we needed too much capital to access the huge European and American markets. I spent the next ten years trying to regain that momentum.

WCM: How did the design and materials change over time? What were the stages?

WE: We changed the designs over the years to use lighter weight materials. The original nuts and bolts we used were made of brass and were too difficult to assemble and so I changed these to stainless steel. The extra benefit was that window cleaners could tighten (or loosen) the pivot on the job. Lighter weight slimline squeegees were introduced for extra ergonomic gain. Materials for washers changed as the micro fibres improved and we concentrated on weight reduction.

WCM: Had you ever sustained injury from fixed squeegee use?

WE: I certainly did, it almost ruined my career. I think that is what will affect most of your readers eventually. Using inferior muscles to do fine motor skills will always damage muscles and fixed squeegees all use these muscle groups.

WCM: So what is in the current range of tools?

WE: We now have an extensive range of tools, all relating to the pivot. Bucket clips, extractors, Pole Tips, Clips, Hip Dippers etc all assist the pivot action and ergonomic advantages.

WCM: Why so many variations of the tool?

WE: Every tool we make starts from a real need. My biggest aim is to deliver glide and ease. The squeegees are either Slimline for lightweight appeal and Orbital for rugged and floor work. Both squeegees have attachments to assist in glide and simultaneous wiping.

WCM: When it came to the rubber for the tools, what did you come up with and was there any unique challenges you had to over come?

WE: Rubber is so important because this is what a company is judged on and we set out to deliver a long lasting and gliding rubber. We had to overcome the marketing of all other brands that promised softer rubber when we in fact delivered harder rubber that lasted longer and had more glide. It stands to reason that the harder the rubber the better the glide but the message out there was the reverse. The final formula for our rubber is a closely held secret.

WCM: How do you test your products and how long do you test them for? I bet you have the cleanest windows at your home in Australia, don’t you? (Laughs)

WE: We live on the harbour and so our windows at home constantly get dirty but unfortunately we have an old federation house with the crappiest windows. I do clean them but our neighbour benefits most because I always clean their windows for our videos. I usually get a friend and obsessive window cleaner (with a very delicate touch) to test products before we make a decision. Peter Erken

my brother is the final hurdle; seriously, if he accepts an invention then it is celebration time.

WCM: What does it take to come up with an invention?

WE: Asking the question is the biggest inspiration. If there is a problem then I obsess and I mean obsess until I have a solution. I used to play chess with my sisters partner and we played for a whole day one match and this sort of direction is needed for invention or at least it is for me. Helen Erken sitting next to me now mentions also waking most nights with a new concept.

WCM: Your tools are used for floor cleaning as well. Can you tell us about that and what that range consists of?

WE: The Wagtail Orbital Squeegee is just the best floor squeegee ever and if you combine this with a mop then you have a tool that is as good on a floor as on a window. I invented the Pivotool that went on TV in England and America but because it was made in China it really did not have the industrial quality to interest industry and this is where you get credibility. We tried other manufacturing but we do not have the resources to compete with the multi-nationals.

WCM: Does Joe public by your tools or is it all professionals?

WE: Joe public were our main focus after a poor business decision to allow Australia’s largest cleaning supplier to be exclusive distributors. We went to all the Home shows in Australia but eventually I realized that it was the professional who will demand a tool that delivers. We quickly changed our components to the best we could find and now we are truly focused on professionals.

WCM: How many staff do you have as part of your team and where is your office based?

WE: Difficult to answer because we use outsourcing for most components. Assembly is in house until we make the necessary jigs to deliver a perfect outcome with Supported Employment factories. Plastic moulders are all over Sydney and we have a huge investment in tooling at various moulders. Aluminium is extruded and cut in Sydney. Our factory has a secret location due to the amount of intellectual property we are always working on. We have a very small and select team but the need to employ at least five more specialist are urgently required.

WCM: Tell us about the structure of the company. Is it still very much a family business?

WE: Wagtail is a proprietary limited company that is registered but really it is very much a family business.

WCM: You were trialling a pivotal wet scraper last time Karl Robinson interviewed you for WCBO (US), how did that go?

WE: Great, but we only sell these to the Japanese in large quantities. I think I have nailed the perfect scraper but we need one more month to re-launch this tool.

WCM: Tell us about other window cleaning products you guys sell.

• The Hip Dipper is a squeezable BOAB Bucket clip and extractor is essential if you
• have a rectangular bucket.
• Pole Cap is the only one that is fast to release and secure in work.
• Erkenomic Pole Tip probably the biggest breakthrough but in combination with the Curved Pivot Scrubber.

The working combination of these tools creates the world’s first 3D cleaning system.

WCM: Would you ever consider getting into the water fed pole business?

WE: Short answer? Yes.

WCM: Cool, we smell another exclusive for WCM on that. What other stuff are you working on?

WE: The most exciting thing ever - a 3 dimensional cleaning system and the most effective ever floor management tool.

WCM: Wagtail is a winner of many awards. It has won six International Product and Design Awards. What other awards have you guys won?

WE: Years ago, I was told by a business guru to get awards. So we did. They were easy because we had the courage to invent. International awards, Government Awards and business awards that were supported by ethical standards. That said, we just entered into a National Cleaning Association Award for Australia (with the PC) and we were overwhelming favourites with votes of five times our nearest rival until we were told that voting had no bearing at all in the judges decision. We withdrew our entry and we will never enter for awards again.

WCM: Speaking of the PC. We have been waiting to get to this point. You have just released a new tool called the Wagtail PC Pivot Tool. Can you talk us through this product?

WE: The PC is the most advanced squeegee ever; it delivers a better performance with an overhead nylon pivot and a selection of pivot ranges. The pivot range locator is also about to be included into the existing Wagtail Squeegees.

WCM: This squeegee has ‘gears’, why?

WE: The brass squeegee is still (unbelievably) the biggest selling squeegee in the world and we want to educate these users by introducing training wheels. The first locators are to give just a small advantage and by opening up the pivot range increases your speed. Limiting the pivot range can be a benefit for the user in many applications such as cleaning windows higher than six meters or cleaning the opposite side of a glass fence from above.

WCM: Tell us about the new Erkenomic poles?

WE: These poles have a compound angle (in fact three angles) to assist in turning, ledges, working lower than usual and giving a cranking advantage to the user.

WCM: We cannot wait to see the PC and Erkenomic pole up close for our readers. Again, many thanks for this interview and we look forward to speaking with you again.

Thanks to Lee Burbidge & Window Cleaning Magazine for supplying the interview.