Photo: Joe Wludyga; Wikimedia Commons/CSIRO
Rentokil Initial is collaborating with Google and PA Consulting Group (PA) to launch its digital pest control products, Rentokil revealed in a news release. In the future, the companies plan to develop “next generation” services that offer customers improved and proactive risk management against pest infestation threats.
Rentokil developed its range of connected rodent control products particularly for customers in tightly regulated food and pharmaceutical industries, and more than 20,000 of those digital devices are currently being used in 12 countries. Existing and prospective customers can expect full roll out of the services in Q4 2016, according to Rentokil.
The digital pest control services use connected rodent devices with embedded sensors and mobile connectivity. The units communicate with Rentokil’s online “Command Centre,” and when the device catches a rodent, the technician is automatically alerted. The technology is built on Google’s Cloud Platform and the Internet of Things (IoT), and is delivered by PA using the firm’s Agile and digital expertise.
“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 innovative new services for our customers,” says Rentokil Initial CEO Andy Ransom. “This is the ‘Internet of Things’ in action. We have 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.”
Rentokil plans to leverage Google’s Cloud Platform and machine learning to ultimately deliver Big Data and predictive analytics. The company says its vision is to be able to offer its customers predictive advice and connected solutions that, for example, map weather patterns with rodent behavior or map swarms of insects as they cross territories.
“Rentokil’s digital pest control platform is a fantastic demonstration of how IoT can bring tangible business value to Rentokil and their customers, delivering an innovative end-to-end customer experience that is transforming this industry,” says Preston Holmes, head of IoT solutions for Google Cloud Platform. “This opens up an incredible opportunity to predict and proactively address their customers’ pest control needs on a global scale.”
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