Rentokil Initial has announced a collaboration with Google and PA Consulting Group that will lead to its digital pest-control products becoming available globally.
The collaboration will also help develop “next generation” services for customers, offering higher protection against pest infestations.
It is an amalgamation of Rentokil’s proprietary connected products and global pest-control expertise, Google’s core infrastructure, data analytics and machine learning, plus PA’s digital expertise as a Google global partner in the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Google’s Cloud Platform.
“We have brought together the very best organisations in their respective fields to deliver the power of cloud storage and big data,” says Rentokil Initial CEO Andy Ransom.
“We are already leading the field in digital pest control through the use of our connected devices, and now have the partners and scale to help us to learn from the data, and in doing so provide further innovative services.”
Ransom says Rentokil has worked with Google for several years to become one of the world’s largest users of Google Apps, Hangouts and G+. “Now we are expanding that relationship into the Google Cloud Platform and data analytics.”
Milestones
Rentokil has been rolling out its proprietary range of connected rodent-control products in particular to clients in the tightly regulated food and pharmaceutical industries. Rentokil has more than 20,000 digital devices in the field in 12 countries, with more than 3 million pieces of data received.
The new digital pest-control services use connected rodent traps with embedded sensors and mobile connectivity. When a rodent has been caught, the unit communicates with Rentokil’s online command centre, alerting a technician while customers are kept informed through the online portal MyRentokil.
This allows a rapid response to emerging problems on site before they take hold, and also enhances productivity by directing activity to where it is most needed. In addition, the devices provide continuous status information such as quality of mobile signal and battery life.
Overall, the result is a more effective and efficient pest-control service.
Next generation
With the expected widespread deployment of digital pest-control services, such as connected rodent or insect traps on customer premises, Rentokil will receive millions of pieces of data.
With this partnership, all this information will be hosted securely by Google. PA’s digital data and visualisation expertise will help Rentokil leverage the Google Cloud Platform and machine learning to deliver big data and predictive analytics – ultimately creating a new generation of pest-control services.
“Rentokil’s digital pest-control platform is a fantastic demonstration of how IoT can bring tangible business value to Rentokil and its customers, delivering an innovative end-to-end customer experience that is transforming this industry,” says Google Cloud Platform head of IoT solutions Preston Holmes.
“This opens up an incredible opportunity to predict and proactively address the pest-control needs of Rentokil’s customers on a global scale.”
Rentokil’s vision is to be able to offer customers predictive advice and connected solutions, for example by mapping weather patterns with rodent behaviour or mapping swarms of insects as they cross territories, says Ransom.
At the heart of this will be the Command Centre, where Rentokil can view data from across the world, right down to each individual trap.
Ransom says the collaboration will change pest control significantly, giving customers unique, powerful tools to maintain high standards of pest control while complying with legislative requirements.
For more information contact Rentokil on 1300 761 947 or visit their website.
