Study: How 
IoT impacts cleaners’ work

One example is Tork EasyCube – a digital service with connected devices that provide cleaners with mobile access to real-time information about cleaning and refill needs. The service was showcased in beta mode at ISSA in 2014 and has since been finalized and implemented at facilities ranging from amusement parks to industrial sites.

“While others are still in development or beta phase, we have solutions in place on the market, used by numerous customers. This gives us the possibility, and perhaps also responsibility, to investigate the impact Internet of Things can have on the work done by cleaners and facility managers”, says Anna Königson Koopmans, European Marketing Manager for Tork Solutions.

To investigate changes in ways of working, Tork has carried out a unique before and after study of Tork EasyCube – based on observational studies complemented by data from the system. The study has been carried out at IKSU Sport, northern Europe’s largest sports facility, in Umeå, Sweden. A 22,000 sqm facility with 1,500,000 yearly visitors and a team of 30 cleaners. In total, 300 connected dispensers have been implemented in toilets, changing rooms, gyms, sports halls and other areas.

Instead of static cleaning rounds the team has shifted to need-based cleaning, resulting in increased efficiency. Knowing in real-time what’s needed, when and where have for example enabled the team to reduce dispenser controls by 77%. These kinds of effects has also made it possible to reallocate cleaning activities to where they matter most to achieve a noticeable higher quality. From a situation where complaints about cleaning quality and empty dispensers occurred frequently they now don’t occur at all. The study also shows a boost in staff’s motivation thanks to increased control, less stress and more focus on what matters most. 

“The system makes the job more dynamic and meaningful, I feel like I have the energy to do more when I know that everything I do matters” says André Söderberg, cleaner working at IKSU.