Maintaining a high-traffic restroom is always demanding – particularly at a bustling university with many weekly visitors and a widespread campus. Faced with supply chain struggles and an overwhelmed staff, one large West Virginia university needed help identifying long-term maintenance solutions.
The university partnered with Kimberly-Clark Professional and their distributor under the OMNIA Partners cooperative contract to rethink their restroom management strategies. By implementing the ICON™ dispenser system, the facility team was able to improve the restroom experience and add creativity to everyday operations.
The Challenge: Managing High-Traffic Restrooms Efficiently
The campus facilities team is responsible for many integral pieces of university infrastructure. However, few of those pieces require as much maintenance as the restrooms. With increasing traffic, ongoing inventory struggles, a growing backlog of work orders and strict budget constraints, restroom upkeep had become an operational burden.
Labor shortages further complicated the situation, making it difficult to keep restrooms consistently stocked and properly maintained. Without a proactive restroom management strategy, issues like supply shortages, maintenance delays and lack of cleanliness became recurring problems.
The university needed a solution that would improve efficiency and enhance the overall restroom experience for students, faculty and visitor.
The Solution: SKU Standardization and a Touch of School Spirit
To address these challenges, the university partnered with Kimberly-Clark Professional and their distributor under the OMNIA Partners cooperative contract.
After evaluating the university’s needs, the team identified the ICON™ Automatic Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Dispensers as ideal solutions. By installing ICON™ dispensers in their public restrooms, the university consolidated its towel and tissue system to a single SKU per unit, significantly reducing inventory complexity and streamlining purchasing.
Additionally, the custom faceplate feature provided a unique opportunity to showcase team pride. They swapped out standard faceplates for options that showcase the school colors to boost school spirit across the campus community in a simple yet impactful way.
Measurable Impact: Efficiency Gains Across Campus
The rollout of more than 1,000 ICON™ dispensers delivered tangible benefits across the university’s restrooms:
- Extended towel life and fewer refills – The transition from a 700-foot roll towel to a 1,150-foot towel (nearly the length of four football fields) drastically reduced stockouts and minimized refill frequency, freeing up staff for other critical maintenance tasks.
- Simplified inventory management – Standardizing to a single SKU for towels and tissue reduced purchasing complexity, optimized storage space and created a more predictable supply chain.
- More efficient maintenance – High-traffic restrooms benefited from the ICON™ dispenser’s intuitive design which allows staff to service units quickly and effectively, minimizing downtime and enhancing cleanliness.
A Game Changer for Higher Education Facilities
All in all, the ICON™ Dispensing System has transformed the university’s approach to restroom maintenance, increasing efficiency and adding an extra injection of school spirit. With improved operations, reduced maintenance demands and a streamlined inventory system, the campus facilities team has been able to enhance both productivity and user experience across campus.
About OMNIA Partners & Kimberly-Clark Professional
Kimberly-Clark Professional partners with you to create exceptional workplaces, making them healthier, safer and more productive. We create full-service solutions tailored to your needs and leverage our unmatched portfolio of trusted brands to elevate the way people experience your business and what it stands for. Kimberly-Clark Professional products are available to participants of OMNIA Partners through your favorite distributor's contract. Kimberly-Clark Professional brands include Kleenex®, Scott®, Cottonelle®, WypAll®, Kimtech™, and KleenGuard®. To view the entire OMNIA Partners contract portfolio, click here. Not a participant? Become one today!