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Asset Monitoring

Pest Control

Case Study - Rentokil

Background

Rentokil Initial is one of the largest business service companies in the world, operating in the major economies of Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Africa. Its services include pest control, package delivery, interior landscaping, catering, cleaning, washroom solutions and textiles.

With over 70,000 employees, providing a range of support services in over 40 countries, the ‘Rentokil’ and ‘Initial’ brands have come to represent consistent quality of service.

The Problem

Pestconnect is a Rentokil service that uses wireless technology to monitor pest control across Britain and, more recently, Europe. Pestconnect is a unique offering from Rentokil Initial and has developed into a market-leading proposition.

The Pestconnect detectors use infra red technology to detect a pest, which then activates the trap, closing the doors and releasing a measured dose of Carbon Dioxide. The device then communicates with the Rentokil Service Centre automatically to report activation.

In the early stages of its development it became apparent that Pestconnect needed a data communications specialist to assist with the development of the offering. It also needed a solution that could be managed efficiently to reduce administration time and cost.

The Solution

Wyless was selected by Rentokil thanks to its ability to offer a wide range of managed services and its expertise in wireless Machine-to-Machine (M2M) data communications.

Using a Wyless SIM, enabled with patented Private Fixed IP technology, Rentokil was able to implement a secure, easy-to-manage wireless network between its traps and service centres.

Communication begins at the Pestconnect trap, which contains a radio transmitter linked to a local hub. The hub contains the Wyless SIM, which transmits a GPRS message to a Rentokil server, indicating that a trap has been activated. This information is then broadcast to the nearest service engineer who can service the trap.
Activation SMS’s go to:
• Rentokil’s service Technician
• Customer
Activation emails go to:
• Rentokil’s Local Operations Manager
• Customer
The data is also reported on PestNetOnline, an electronic reporting system designed to allow easy management of pest control activities within a customer’s business.

The Result

The solution is flexible and can adapted as the Pestconnect system evolves. With international data networking capacities, Rentokil is able to quickly roll-out its Pestconnect system globally.

Although there is a business benefit to potentially reducing service times, the main purpose of the system is to benefit high risk customers.  Pharmaceutical and food processing businesses have very stringent quality control measures, and Pestconnect helps them to adhere to these.  For example, a UK customer recently upgraded their entire site to Pestconnect so that they would benefit from the highest score possible for Pest Control auditing.

Rentokil had previously operated traps in numerous locations that had required routine inspection by Rentokil staff - a time-consuming and expensive practice. The Wyless solution enables Rentokil to plan routes more efficiently, saving time and manpower, and overall has proved a cost-effective solution.

At the Rentokil Service Centre, statistics of trap activation are monitored to provide constant feedback, enabling Rentokil to evaluate their successes and make continuous improvements to their service offering.

The Internet-based Wyless Management Platform has proved an invaluable tool as it allows Rentokil to manage its account, SIMs and wireless network in real-time, providing time and cost savings.

Testimonial

“We were looking for a solution that will grow as our needs grow, and that will provide us with an innovative, reliable and cost-effective method of monitoring our traps.

We found Wyless to be very cooperative and flexible to our requirements. The Pestconnect program was developed with unlimited access to a bank of knowledge and expertise in M2M communications, which proved invaluable.”

Clara Bermingham, Head of Project Management and Strategic Insight from Rentokil.