TOTO announced that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport with more than 107 million annual passengers, is the first facility in the world to offer the Smart, Fully-Connected Restroom System. Thanks to a collaboration by TOTO and GP PRO, the airport is now testing the tools and connected products it needs to help ensure its busiest restrooms are always clean, comfortable, and fully operational.
(l to r) Mike Slawson, Vp of connected devices for GP PRO, Shinya Tamura, CEO of TOTO USA and Dr. Kofi Smith, president and CEO of Atlanta Airport Terminal Company, discuss Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s significant improvements in sustainability, labor efficiency and restroom operation costs as a result of its new Smart, Fully-Connected Restroom System, thanks to a collaboration between TOTO and GP PRO.
“For more than 100 years, TOTO has improved people’s bathroom experience with revolutionary products and technologies that provide a consistently clean, comfortable experience,” said Shinya Tamura, CEO of TOTO USA. “As we confidently embark on our next 100-year cycle, we will continue our pioneering work by expanding our core competencies through collaborations with leading-edge companies, like GP PRO, whose inventive technologies and innovative business models redefine the commercial restroom experience.”
Public Restroom of the Future Takes Flight
To help ensure its passengers enjoy a clean, comfortable restroom experience every time, Hartsfield-Jackson has installed TOTO and GP PRO’s smart, fully-connected restroom solution. Leveraging the Internet of Things, the award-winning KOLO™ Smart Monitoring System uses wireless communication technologies, cloud-based processing and data storage, and cutting-edge sensors and sensing technology to provide timely, customized and secure communication between connected restroom fixtures and facility managers and their custodial staff through smartphone, tablet, and desktop apps.
Installed on TOTO’s EcoPower® flush valves and faucets and GP PRO’s enMotion® and Compact® paper towel, toilet tissue and sanitizer dispensers in the busiest restrooms (B Concourse) at Hartsfield-Jackson, the technology monitors product usage, jams, outages, and leaks, alerting the airport’s custodial staff in real-time so that problems are addressed immediately — long before weary passengers encounter them.
For Hartsfield-Jackson, a bad restroom experience can affect its bottom line. A JD Powers’ study (2015) found that for large airports (at least 30 million passengers per year), “delighted” passengers spend up to 190% more in the airport than disappointed ones. Since the Atlanta Airlines Terminal Company (AATC) installed the KOLO Smart Monitoring System and connected products by TOTO and GP PRO in Concourse B, its busiest restrooms, the AATC has enjoyed improved sustainability, increased labor efficiency, and increased costs savings in restroom operation. Further, the AATC has seen an increase in custodians’ job satisfaction and has reduced waste.
“At Hartsfield-Jackson, we strive to provide our passengers with a world-class experience — one that truly delights them. Not simply because it improves our bottom line, but also because it has a positive impact on their perception of our airport and our city as a whole,” said Dr. Kofi Smith, President and CEO of the AATC. “In the past, our public restrooms were a major source of passenger frustration and complaint. However, since we installed the KOLO Smart Monitoring System in B Concourse — our busiest restrooms — we have elevated our passengers’ experience and seen a significant positive impact on our custodial staff and bottom line. It’s truly transformative technology.”
In the future, TOTO believes that consumers will be able to experience clean, comfortable public restrooms wherever they travel for work and play—airports, restaurants, office buildings, train stations, hospitals, retail spaces, and stadiums. The smart, fully-connected restroom solution comprised of the KOLO Smart Monitoring System and connected products by TOTO and GP PRO is customizable and a smart investment for small, medium or large facilities.
“Our KOLO Smart Monitoring System provides consistent tracking and monitoring across a site’s entire restroom environment, be it a single building or a multi-building campus,” said Mike Slawson, Vice President of Connected Devices for GP PRO. “It offers benefits that help meet the facilities’ critical needs, including improved sustainability, improved labor efficiency, and increased cost savings in restroom operation.”
By remotely monitoring and analyzing restroom conditions and responding in real-time to potential problems, the KOLO Smart Monitoring System helps maintenance and custodial teams ensure that the right staff are performing the right tasks at the right time, and consumers enjoy a clean, comfortable experience every time.
