TOTO Announces a Collaboration with Comcast’s MachineQ on Smart Restroom Integration

TOTO’s IoT-Enabled Smart Restroom Products Soon to be Available in More Locations Across the U.S.

(Morrow, GA) January 5, 2023 — TOTO, the world’s largest plumbing manufacturer with more than $5.45 billion in annual sales, announced today that it is collaborating with MachineQ, a Comcast Company, to increase its IoT smart restroom products’ installation opportunities in high-traffic public restrooms across the U.S.

“For more than 100 years, TOTO has improved public restrooms with revolutionary products and technologies that provide a consistently clean, comfortable experience for people,” said Hidemi Ishikawa, CEO of TOTO USA. “Utilizing MachineQ’s fully integrated device-to-cloud platform enables TOTO to further increase the value our IoT smart restroom products provide to facilities managers. With MachineQ’s LoRaWAN^® network, which interoperates easily with other networks, TOTO’s IoT-enabled products easily integrate with facilities’ smart restroom monitoring systems or building automation systems across the U.S.”

Whether these facilities are airports, stadiums, hotels, or office buildings, MachineQ’s cloud-based IoT connectivity platform will enable TOTO’s smart restroom solutions to help more facility managers solve real-world business issues. With TOTO’s IoT-enabled smart restroom products, facility managers can better supervise their workforce by reducing needless restroom audits, significantly decreasing restroom downtime, and increasing employee efficiency while managing costs. This solution can increase consumers' satisfaction with their public restroom experience, regardless of where they travel for work or play. 

Steve Salata, vice president and general manager of MachineQ adds, "We're thrilled to work with TOTO. TOTO's innovative restroom products expand the available offerings within the connected restroom space, benefitting customers seeking modernized, ‘smarter’ buildings. With our robust platform and network management in place, TOTO can focus on further delivering exceptional public restroom experiences.”

TOTO’s Smart Restroom Solutions
TOTO offers an array of IoT-enabled products for smart, fully connected public restrooms, which include:

• IoT-Enabled ECOPOWER® Smart-Sensor Flush Valves for Toilets,
• IoT-Enabled ECOPOWER Smart-Sensor Flush Valves for Urinals,
• IoT-Enabled ECOPOWER Smart-Sensor Faucets, and
• IoT-Enabled Auto Soap Smart-Sensor Dispensers.

TOTO IoT-enabled products are designed to connect seamlessly with GP PRO’s KOLO™ Smart Monitoring System, a facility’s smart restroom monitoring platform, or building automation system to provide real-time updates on their status to a dashboard that facility managers monitor via phone, tablet, or computer. For example, facility managers and their custodial staff will receive real-time updates or alerts on:

• the number of toilet and faucet activations and their water consumption,
• operational abnormalities such as leaks or product malfunction,
• user safety, alerting staff to check a toilet stall when an occupant has remained in it for more than 30 minutes, and
• consumer traffic to determine optimal periods for cleaning and repairs.

Facility managers can harness this information to dramatically increase consumers’ satisfaction with their public restroom experience and solve real-world business issues to manage their workforce better and manage costs in their restrooms’ operation.

Plumbing Functions’ Independent Operation
TOTO IoT-Enabled Products’ plumbing functions operate independently of their IoT capability. That is, if a facility’s Internet service is lost and WIFI communication is disrupted between a TOTO IoT-enabled plumbing product and the IoT monitoring system, or an IoT hardware issue occurs, the TOTO smart-sensor flush valves, faucets, and soap dispensers continue to function properly as high-performance plumbing products with no loss or disruption in functionality.

ECOPOWER Technology: TOTO’s proven smart-sensor ECOPOWER technology creates its own electricity every time water spins a small internal turbine (no need for hardwiring to a building’s electrical system or for routine disposable battery replacement, which is costly and toxic to the environment). There is no minimum daily usage requirement.

Because TOTO ECOPOWER faucets and flush valves generate their own energy, they continue to operate without interruption if the building loses its electricity. If the building’s internet service goes out, they continue to collect data on their usage to be transmitted when the internet connection is restored.

Journalists’ Note: High-resolution digital images of the IoT-Enabled ECOPOWER Smart-Sensor Flush Valves for Toilets, IoT-Enabled ECOPOWER Smart-Sensor Flush Valves for Urinals, IoT-Enabled ECOPOWER Smart-Sensor Faucets, and IoT-Enabled Auto Soap Smart-Sensor Dispensers are immediately available upon immediately upon request.

About TOTO
TOTO USA is headquarters for the Americas Division of the TOTO Global Group, which was established in 1917 with the founding of TOTO, Ltd., in Kitakyushu, Japan TOTO is the world’s largest manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and fittings, with $5.45 billion in annual sales (calculated using the average exchange rate per quarter). For more than 100 years, TOTO has been the recognized leader in innovation, technology, performance, and design with products that enhance the luxury bathroom experience. Today, the company maintains 33,800 employees in 19 countries and owns manufacturing facilities around the world in countries as diverse as Japan, Mexico, Germany, the USA, India, and China. Guided by its corporate philosophy, the TOTO Global Group strives to create a great company trusted by people worldwide, which contributes to the betterment of society. Dedicated to engineering products that respect the environment while meeting people’s needs for comfort, beauty, and performance, TOTO is the sole plumbing manufacturer to maintain a research and development center devoted to universal design, advanced science, and technology. Consumers enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing they purchased a brand that innovates to improve people’s quality of life. Winner of numerous domestic and international awards and recognitions, TOTO is the only plumbing manufacturer honored as Water Efficiency Leader by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The company continues to raise industry standards and consumer expectations about what is possible in the bath space, as TOTO believes a high-quality bathroom is an experience and an everyday luxury people value and appreciate.

For more information, consumers may visit www.totousa.com or call 1.888.295.8134, Option 5. Follow TOTO on Twitter (@TOTOUSA) and Instagram (@TOTOUSA) and become a TOTO fan on Facebook.

About MachineQ
MachineQ, a Comcast Company, makes it simple for enterprises to build, connect and deploy long-range, low-power IoT solutions at scale. Utilizing LoRaWAN® technology, our fully integrated network connectivity platform delivers enhanced security and reduced total cost of ownership while giving customers a single provider for technology, development, service, and support. Our partnerships with leading IoT solution providers address a wide range of business challenges in key markets such as real estate, food service, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, government, and agriculture. For more information,  visit www.MachineQ.com.

LoRaWAN® is a mark used under license from the LoRa Alliance®