Rise Of The Machines

Visiting a new public restroom is a bit like stepping into a George Orwell novel where the machines have brains nearly as powerful as our own.

The toilets flush themselves after use. Sinks know when to turn on and off for hand washing. And soap and paper towels are dispensed in a split second. Thanks to modern technology, the washroom is now a touch-free zone, and unlike nihilist Orwell, most folks think that’s a good thing.

Less than a decade ago, people used their hands to manually operate everything in the washroom without a second thought. Now it seems that everyone is highly aware of the presence of germs and bacteria, and expectations about public facilities have changed drastically.

Manufacturers of janitorial supplies unanimously agree that touch-free is the way of the future.

“Some day all public restrooms will be automated. The only question is when and who will sell the systems,” says Jerry McDermott, vice president of marketing and development for Technical Concepts in Mundelein, Ill. “Our most effective distributors are getting in front of the curve and informing their customers of the benefits of restroom automation, so the customer begins to see them as a source.”

By now, most distributors offer at least some touch-free product lines to their customers. It should come as no surprise. Manufacturers have been blown away by the success of this category.

Technical Concepts’ fastest growing category is touch-free restroom systems. McDermott believes it is because “they meet the growing public demand for clean, germ-free public restrooms.”

Bay West’s hands-free dispenser line now accounts for 60 percent of the Harrodsburg, Ky.-based manufacturer’s roll towel dispenser sales and 34 percent of its total dispenser sales. And American Dryer, Livonia, Mich., says its touch-free product line is so popular that the company may soon switch to manufacturing only touch-free products.

Selling Points
The primary reason touch-free products are so popular is their germ-fighting power.

“They promote hygiene and help prevent cross-contamination,” says John Drengler, senior segment manager, commercial and industrial, for SCA Tissue in Neenah, Wis. “With concern over employee absenteeism, infectious disease control, SARS, and more, customers are very keen to any products that address these situations.”

Hygiene is important to most businesses but is of particular interest to the health-care, food-processing and food-service market sectors. If you sell to these industries, be sure to push the health-promoting qualities of touch-free products.

“Cross-contamination accounts for up to 12 percent of all food-borne illness outbreaks,” says John O’Donnell, president of Georgia-Pacific North American Commercial Business in Atlanta. “Many concerns tied to cross-contamination can be prevented by reducing the number of touch points after someone washes their hands. This is why touchless hygiene systems such as faucets, and soap and paper-towel dispensers are preferred.”

Touch-free products are also more accessible for seniors and people with disabilities. Plus, they just look nice. Most of the high-tech devices have a sleek, contemporary design that many users perceive as clean and new.

“The vast majority of the population spend most of their waking hours in public facilities and are frustrated with the lack of cleanliness in public restrooms,” says McDermott. “Touch-free restroom components are the most cost-effective upgrades, and make the biggest impact for the investment to improve the overall image and cleanliness of a restroom.”

Worth the Price
Yes, touch-free costs more. Due to the electronic or mechanical technology associated with touch-free products, they often cost more than traditional washroom fixtures. But don’t write off touch free because of its higher price point. Many customers are willing to pay a premium because of the benefits these products offer.

“More and more distributors and end users are recognizing the value of higher-cost touch-free products,” says Greg Kampschroer, vice president of Palmer Fixture Co., Germantown, Wis. “The additional cost for the end user to install touch-free dispensers in their facility needs to be viewed as relatively inexpensive insurance against potentially expensive cross-contamination incidents.”

“Improved hygiene and better energy efficiency are attractive to many customers,” agrees Daniel Rabahy, president of American Dryer. “This gives the distributor a chance to increase sales and profit margins at the same time.”

Combine easy-to-use products with fewer germs and less sickness and you increase worker efficiency. Automated systems also allow for strict control of water, electricity and supplies. With energy costs soaring, conservation is a great selling point. Touch-free systems allow for close monitoring of water levels, and they eliminate incidents of sinks that are left running for hours. Also, reducing waste and extending stock saves time and money.

“Our touch-free dispensers allow a metered portion of toweling to be dispensed per each use, reducing the chance for unlimited use and waste,” says Mark Stanland, director of marketing for Bay West Paper. “This helps our customers and end users save money.”

The resulting cost savings may pay for the systems. “Touch-free restroom systems pay for themselves in two to three years,” says McDermott, who says his customers’ typical return on investment (ROI) exceeds 30 percent.

Remember, most manufacturers offer a range of sophistication in their hands-free line, each with its own price point. “Distributors and their end-user accounts can then choose what degree of hands-free technology will meet their needs at the best value,” says Kampschroer.

Bright Future
Although prices for touch-free products are higher than traditional systems, the price gap is decreasing.

“We have tapped into new technology to lower the price gap between touch and touch-free hand dryers. New products can now be designed with touch-free operation at about the same cost as a push button hand dryer,” says Rabahy.

Also, don’t discount touch-free products because of a bad brush with one of these products years ago. Things have changed since the first systems were introduced in the late 1980s. The first touchless hand dryers often came with unreliable sensors, and early touch-free faucets required users to step on a pedal.

“Touch-free washroom products should become more and more reliable and cost-effective with time,” says Kampschroer. “Don’t let a bad experience with some of the first electronic hands-free roll towel dispensers, for example, keep you from getting involved in this product category.”

Continued growth in additional washroom products, as well as expansion into other areas is likely, given the success so far of touch-free systems. There are already touch-free paper dispensers, soap dispensers, hand dryers, faucets and flushers. And Georgia Pacific recently introduced a new touch-free napkin dispenser. Dry times are being sped up and even the infrared motion sensor is being modified or replaced with more sensitive technology.

“In the future, even more added features will become more readily accepted,” says Drengler. “This could include data tracking, or recording how many times the dispenser is activated to monitor hand drying or assist in dispenser refill and maintenance.”

Worried that touch-free might be a flash-in-the-pan trend? That’s doubtful. The products are so popular that they have even affected how washrooms are designed. Many now have gone totally touch free, even down to the doors. This is one trend that is here to stay.

“I think we are all realizing now that people really don’t want to have to touch anything in the washroom,” says Kampschroer.

Bay West’s Stanland agrees. “The future of touch-free appears bright,” he says. “These touch-free products are becoming the norm in many facilities and will someday replace old washroom products completely just as paper towels have replaced the old cloth towels used many years ago.”

Help Is There
With so many options and so much change afoot, it can be difficult for distributors to stay informed about touch-free options. To help, most manufacturers offer various aids.

“As facility operators continue to recognize the many benefits touchless has to offer, they will ask more and more of these products,” says O’Donnell. “The distributor that has prepared for this will experience the most success and will move the most product. The future of washrooms is touchless. As demand from end users continues to increase, successful distributors will continue to seek the most reliable touchless products available to offer their customers.”

To address these demands, distributors should ask manufacturers for selling guides for their touch-free lines, as well as sales literature for each product. Some also offer custom brochures for distributors, as well as personalized training on products, services and sales techniques. Most manufacturers also have websites with product specifications and benefits and some have help line telephone support.

It’s worth the effort to get familiar with these products. We may not be that far from that Orwellian vision of the future where the only thing a person needs to touch in the washroom is a clean, new towel.

“If a distributor doesn’t inform its customers that it is a source for restroom automation, then the customer will probably call a local plumbing supplier,” says McDermott. “The customer gets an inferior product and the distributor loses a profitable sale.”

Becky Mollenkamp is a freelance writer based in Des Moines, Iowa.