November 7, 2018 — GP PRO, a division of Georgia-Pacific and provider of advanced dispensing solutions for commercial facilities, and TOTO USA, an international plumbing manufacturer, just announced a collaboration to deliver a complete connected restroom management solution. The collaboration is enabled by the KOLO Smart Monitoring System, winner of the 2018 ISSA Innovation Award in the Services and Technology category. The system is GP PRO’s new open architecture communication platform that provides reliable, customizable and secure monitoring and analysis of connected away-from-home restroom fixtures.
Mike Slawson, vice president and general manager, Restroom Services and Connected Devices, for GP PRO, stated:
GP PRO has invested two-and-a-half years developing what we believe is the most dependable, insightful and scalable smart restroom communication system available to help facility managers deliver a better restroom experience. We are thrilled to introduce this industry-changing innovation, and we are equally excited to work with TOTO as this collaboration pairs two industry leaders known for reliability in a quest to create an unprecedented vision for the restroom of the future.
Using secure, proprietary, cloud-based wireless technologies and cutting-edge sensors and sensing technology, the KOLO system allows for timely and customized communication between connected restroom fixtures and facilities managers (FMs) through a mobile and web application. As exemplified through its collaboration with TOTO, the KOLO system’s open architecture enables it to integrate with smart devices beyond GP PRO’s core product portfolio to provide a more robust and complete connected restroom management solution.
Shinya Tamura, CEO of TOTO USA, commented:
GP PRO is not only a leader in paper products, but, like TOTO, is a leader in innovation — the kind of innovation that powerfully solves real customer problems. We are excited to integrate GP PRO’s KOLO system into our smart sensor hydropower faucets and flush valves and, together, connect the entire bathroom ecosystem so as to improve the bathroom experience for facility managers, custodial staff, and users alike.
The KOLO system provides a number of key benefits to FMs, including:
- Improved user satisfaction: Custodial staff can remotely monitor and analyze restroom conditions in real time so they can quickly and proactively respond to potential problems and outages, which helps improve user satisfaction and reduce complaints.
- Greater labor efficiency: Consistent tracking and monitoring across the entire restroom environment within multiple facilities means the right staff are performing the right tasks at the right time, which helps improve labor efficiency and productivity.
- Improved sustainability: The KOLO system monitors paper and soap levels to help avoid partial paper rolls or soap bottles being discarded by well-intentioned staff too early. When paired with TOTO plumbing fixtures, the KOLO system also monitors water usage to identify potential leaks and overflows.
The KOLO system is currently available on a number of GP PRO dispensers, including select enMotion and enMotion Flex paper towel dispensers, Compact Quad tissue dispensers, and enMotion soap dispensers, as well as on TOTO’s EcoPower sensor faucets and flush valves.
To learn more about the KOLO Smart Monitoring System and GP PRO’s and TOTO’s commitment to providing a better restroom experience, visit the respective websites. The ISSA Innovation Award Program site also offers a KOLO Smart Monitoring System product video.
