About Zeplin
Zeplin uses technology-based solutions to improve workplace productivity and comfort by optimising real estate utilisation, improving workspace availability, and monitoring indoor air quality.
The Opportunity
Reducing the risk of COVID transmission by monitoring indoor air quality has introduced new challenges for commercial environments, from offices to schools, to optimally manage real estate costs and facilities use.
The IoT Solution
Zeplin’s IoT-enabled workplace management solutions deliver data-driven insights that let customers make informed decisions to:
- Get the most of their meeting rooms, workspaces, and employees
- Create safe, comfortable working environs
- Manage costs
- Optimise real estate utilisation.
The most significant workplace management challenge in commercial offices
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started sweeping the globe in early 2020, one of the most universal shifts in workplace management was the move to a hybrid workforce. Now, as governments ease restrictions and employers encourage teams to return to office-based work, employees have mixed feelings.
A 2021 study by Statista shows 73 percent of employees want flexible work arrangements to continue. On the other side of that coin, the same survey revealed 66 percent of business leaders are considering redesigning workplaces to manage long-term hybrid workers1.
This example underlines one of the biggest workplace management challenges faced by organisations that use commercial office space: managing the cost and utilisation of real estate with an evolving workforce.
The importance of creating a COVID-safe workplace
As employers prepare for a hybrid return to work, indoor air quality and ventilation to create a COVID-safe workplace is also top of mind. In April 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a Roadmap to improve and ensure good indoor ventilation in the context of COVID-19.
The roadmap states, “The risk of getting COVID-19 is higher in crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected people spend long periods of time together in close proximity. These environments are where the virus appears to spread by respiratory droplets or aerosols more efficiently, so taking precautions is even more important.”
Research shows that high levels of carbon dioxide (C02) concentrations are a reliable indicator of an increased likelihood for COVID-19 to spread indoors. Monitoring C02 levels helps businesses improve indoor air quality and reduce the risk of many health concerns, including preventing the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading inside.
Justin Appi, Director at Zeplin, saw an opportunity to help companies improve indoor air quality and meet growing regulatory pressure to provide a COVID-safe workplace with technology-based solutions and the Internet of Things (IoT). All while assisting firms to save money on expensive real estate and enhance workspace utilisation and comfort.
Zeplin: saving companies money by optimising real estate and workspace utilisation.
Since 2014 Zeplin has partnered with innovative software companies to create and deliver workplace management solutions that transform commercial office operations’ efficiency, productivity, comfort, and cost.
Today Zeplin and its partners delivers technology-based solutions to improve:
- how teams book meeting rooms, desk space, catering services, vehicles, and car parking spaces
- navigation across large commercial campuses with digital and positioning technology
- visitor management, with a secure, automated, contactless registration process that generates visitor badges
- data-based insights that enable management to make informed decisions about workplace utilisation.
Zeplin expands portfolio with indoor air quality monitoring sensors.
The most recent addition to Zeplin’s solution suite is IoT-enabled indoor air quality monitoring (IAQ). Core to the new IAQ monitoring solution is IoT-enabled sensors and a software platform that measures and reports data points on a range of criteria at regular intervals. Each sensor shares data captured over the Thinxtra 0G Network with a central data management console.
Indoor air quality monitoring criteria include temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. Implementing effective IAQ solutions to improve indoor COVID-safety starts with initial measurements and ongoing, continuous monitoring.
Appi says, “The world of IoT and sensors is rapidly evolving, and we believe it offers an invaluable means to improve operational efficiency for years to come. IoT-enabled IAQ monitoring was an obvious extension to our solution suite. We partnered with Thinxtra for easy network connectivity to its national 0G Network. Thinxtra has a solid performance track record and shares our ethos for customer service, innovation, growth, and providing solutions that create business value.”
The superior connectivity of Thinxtra’s 0G Network for IoT monitoring sensors
The 0G Network is a low-power, wide area network dedicated to connecting IoT devices over long distances. Thinxtra’s 0G Network connects devices in places where traditional network options, such as WiFi, are unavailable or unstable, or simply demand too much investment or maintenance
Together, Zeplin and Thinxtra have created solutions for a range of customers across various industries. Recently a blue-chip multinational engaged Zeplin to install 3,700 desk occupancy monitoring sensors connected to Thinxtra’s 0G Network across multiple office locations.
The future is bright for Zeplin
With the potential Zeplin sees for IoT-enabled devices to unlock data that inform better decision-making for significantly improved business efficiencies, the future is bright. Over the coming months, the team have plans to offer food safety monitoring solutions using the IoT. Most Australian hotels, restaurants, food service providers, and retailers must monitor food safety to prove industry procedures are followed and compliance standards are met.
Nicholas Lambrou, Thinxtra Chief Executive Officer, says, “Helping companies transform manual or nontransparent practices to reveal new business value is what the 0G Network enables best. We prioritise partnering with innovative companies like Zeplin who introduce real, economically viable solutions that help customers save time and money, improve resource utilisation, and create safer, better environments. The plug-and-play nature of our 0G Network makes it possible for any company with the right use case to realise fast time-to-value.”
The 0G Network is pervasive Australia-wide, which is a critical success factor for any IoT-enabled solution we take to our customers. Connection to the network is fast, simple, reliable, and incredibly cost-effective. The 0G Network runs completely independently of a customer’s network environment so no additional hardware or cabling is necessary. That network independence also means there is no red tape to navigate access protocols. We highly value that Thinxtra is Australian-based, so we can pick up the phone and talk in real-time to support our customers
Justin Appi, Director at Zeplin
About Zeplin
Zeplin partners with best-of-breed solution providers whose sole expertise is to make workplaces more pleasant, efficient places to work. Our solutions are chosen by a range of businesses, from small and medium firms to global enterprises, seeking to save costs and improve productivity. Whatever your workplace management needs, we customise our offerings to target your specific requirements and provide maximum benefit.
Visit Zeplin website for more information.
