Cleanliness within washrooms is of paramount importance, and as the world shifts towards connected devices and sustainable practices, hand-dryers are having to become more energy-efficient and Smarter, and this British company has taken it to a whole new level.

SAVORTEX® is a UK-based manufacturer of innovative, eco-friendly and worlds first IoT connected hand-drying technology. The company’s smart dryers report usage data and use footfall stats to alert cleaners to washroom inspections, now that’s Smart! Their latest innovation, the adDryer™ has an in-built screen and shows a full motion video message as users dry hands in retail washrooms, which generates ad revenue per dry!

With over 400 projects deployed worldwide to multinational clients such as Gatwick Airport, RBS and Rolls Royce to a new a few, the company is going from strength to strength. Its visionary leader wants to transform wasteful corporate washrooms into sustainable, hygienic, connected and revenue generating assets. We caught up with the founder and CEO, Syed Ahmed, and examined the firm to understand more about their success as the ‘UK’s Most Outstanding Hand-Drying Company of the Year’ for 2019, awarded by SME news.

Determined to transform wasteful corporate washrooms into sustainable, connected and revenue generating assets, SAVORTEX is a British, multiaward-winning hand drying technology manufacturer using IoT tech. With over seventy million washrooms worldwide, the firm are aiming to replace costly, unsustainable paper towels with smart hand-dryers that offer much more than simply dried hands.

Challenges within the hand-drying industry are present, and the SAVORTEX Smart and energy saving hand dryer range offers the solutions for building owners who really care about meeting their long-term sustainability targets, and not just short-term price-based decisions.

High costs, inefficient brushed motors, maintenance and energy consumption levels within washrooms can make them tricky to manage for property owners, but the firm are working to solve multiple issues at once.

As the world shifts to become eco-friendlier, Smarter and more sustainable, the team are also working to establish green alternatives to prevalent and expensive paper towels which significantly impact the environment in both manufacture and disposal.

In partnership with technology giants Intel®, SAVORTEX has co-developed the world’s first, and most environmentally advanced, internet-connected hand dryer range which report usage and washroom footfall data in real time for analytics.

These hand-dryers are powerful, incorporate the most advanced digital brushless motor technology, offering ten times more life than traditional dryers, are energy-efficient and deliver a quick-dry in 11 seconds, whilst running on just 550 watts, which is 1/3rd of the power compared to traditional hand dryers, such as Dyson, ensuring true sustainability with low levels of energy consumption.

Utilising their innovative technology, the two main offerings from SAVORTEX include the EcoCurve™ 550D Smart and adDryer™.

The former, of note, is currently being utilised as a developed solution in Gatwick Airport, following a successful trial that resulted in a 60% energy reduction per dry.

“The SAVORTEX EcoCurve 550D smart hand dryer supported our client, Gatwick Airport’s sustainability strategy.” Dr. Zainab Dangana, Wates Smart Space.

Each of the two hand-drying solutions have in-built sensors that report each dry to the web, wirelessly alerting cleaners to washrooms on footfall stats.

The solutions come with a connected washroom management system that reduces clients’ operational costs by facilitating effective and responsive washroom cleaning.

“This is Intel’s first foray into the hand drying sector. We are proud to work with SAVORTEX, co-developing a product which we can bring to market to drive great customer experiences”
Rod O’Shea, EMEA IoT Group Director.

Through their latest innovation, the revolutionary adDryer™, SAVORTEX use an in-built screen and connection to a content management system in order to show full-motion, tailored video messages in response to users drying their hands.
This generates advertising revenues per dry, which is shared with the building’s owner, transforming washrooms from a cost centre to a profit centre.

The adDryer installation at Camden Market, in its first month, saw 19 out of the 30 high value retail advertisers on site sign up to pay-per-view advertising at a rate of 5p per impression on 3 to 6-month contracts, demonstrating the potential scale of this hyper local advertising platform.

It’s an all-round win for supplier, client, community and environment.

“It is fantastic to see a British company leading the way in technological innovation. SAVORTEX is a forward thinking and dynamic company with a product range that will revolutionise the washroom sector.” said Martin McCourt ex-CEO – Dyson, now SAVORTEX’s senior advisor.

Overall, SAVORTEX have designed a smart, sustainable, clean and smart hand-dryer range that is fit for commerce in the twenty-first century.

The firm is set apart within the marketplace, having secured worldwide IP rights for its hand drying and data communications technology, they have firmly placed themselves as leaders of a smart, energy saving, digital revolution.

The drive for constant innovation at SAVORTEX has resulted in a number of high-profile accolades and achievements, such as:

  • UK’s Most Outstanding Hand-Drying Company of the Year’ for 2019, awarded by SME news.
  • A British Manufacturers Award for its Smart innovation and transforming an industry to a service led business model
  • Guinness World Record for ‘Most Energy Efficient Hand Dryer’

Originally published in SME News Magazine

VIEW ARTICLE