januaryfebruary2021 - 37

TECHNOLOGY
a removable and washable metal mesh
pre-filter to block dust and particles
which extends the life of the HEPA
filter.
Further, anti-microbial wall guards,
built specifically to fit under the wallmounted dryers, have a special coating
that protects walls from water droplets
and inhibits the growth of bacteria,
mold and mildew.

need to consider a product's form and
function and how it makes user's feel
about interacting with it.
Certainly, touch-free restroom
fixtures can alleviate fears of germtransmission, as can signage that Excel
Dryer, Inc. provides to accompany new
product installations that communicates
the hygienic efficiency of their products.

KEY CONSIDERATION 2:

Sustainability

Cost

The hand dryers provide a 95 percent
cost savings versus paper towels and
provide a typical return on investment
in less than one year from installation.
This is accomplished by decreasing
the frequency of supplies purchased
while simultaneously decreasing costs
associated with labor, maintenance and
waste.
When they replace paper towels
with hand dryers, facilities instantly
eliminate all the latter's associated tasks.
That means no more paper towels to buy,
no dispensers to constantly monitor and
restock, and no scattered, soggy paper
waste to pick up and dispose of - not to
mention far fewer plumbing calls. The
maintenance demands of paper towels
can add hours of extra daily labor daily,
requiring enough available staff to cover
them.
According to the Alliance for
Water Efficiency (AWE), paper towels
and disposable seat covers are the most
common cause of clogged toilets, which
many facility managers cite as the most
problematic and costly issue they face
in the realm of restroom maintenance.
Beyond its regular staff, a company may
be calling in plumbing services, adding
extra bills and unexpected hours for all.
With high-speed, energy-efficient hand
dryers, you've got a sanitary solution
that requires no supplies and keeps a
restroom looking great - and that
translates to a dramatic reduction in
operating expenses.

KEY CONSIDERATION 3:

User Experience

Certainly, restroom aesthetics are of
concern, however, optics have changed
a bit in light of the pandemic. Restroom
patrons must feel comfortable when using
a shared space, so facility executives

KEY CONSIDERATION 4:

Unfortunately, sustainability may not be
a top consideration as hygiene, cost and
user experience are considered. With
hand dryers, as previously stated, one
consideration need not be sacrificed at
the expense of another. Excel Dryer,
Inc.'s XLERATOR reduces the carbon
footprint of hand drying by up to 75
percent when compared to traditional
hand dryers and even 100 percent
recycled paper towels, making hand
dryers the clear winner on this front.
The XLERATOReco Hand Dryer
takes the matter of sustainability a step
further, using 80 percent less energy
than conventional hand dryers and
running on 500 watts or less.

REAL WORLD CASE STUDY 1:

Luis Muñoz Marín
International Airport

The Luis Muñoz Marín International
Airport is located in Carolina, Puerto
Rico, three miles south of San Juan.
Seeing over four million passengers a year,
it is the busiest airport in the Caribbean.
Constructed in 1959, the airport has
seen substantial renovations over the
years, most recently the addition of a
new terminal in 2016, and with ongoing
renovations and improvements since.
" Puerto Rico has always been
interested in going green, but since
Hur r icane Mar ia, ef for ts have
increased. We're part of a movement
as a country and as an organization.
We opted to install XLERATOReco
[hand] dryers from Excel because they
were ecofriendly and could save us
money. We have been happy with the
results and would recommend them
to other airports. " Paul J Rodriguez,
PJ Distributors, Inc. said on behalf
of Aerostar Airport Holding, LLC
that manages the Luis Muñoz Marín
International Airport.

REAL WORLD CASE STUDY 2:

Madrid-Barajas Airport
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas was the
first airport to be constructed in Spain
and is the fifth busiest European airport
and the fifteenth busiest in the world by
passenger traffic.
A i r por t leader s have long recognized that high-speed, energyefficient hand dryers make for easier,
more cost-effective maintenance, but
wanted to add a level of protection with
regard to hygiene to combat COVID19. To that end, in 2020, they upgraded
the subassemblies of their existing
XLERATOR units to add HEPA
throughout the airport. In addition
to offering users peace of mind with
99.999 percent of viruses filtered from
the airstream, they also improved the
overall user experience with adjustable
sound, speed and heat controls.
Being such a busy airport and seeing
so many passengers, facilities managers
needed a solution to handle traffic and
the XLERATOR has proven to be a
sound choice since their installation.
When the pandemic hit, the decision
was made to keep the XLERATORs in
place and add HEPA. Now, the terminal
is handling traffic and heightened
hygiene.

REAL WORLD CASE STUDY 3:

Canary Islands' Airports:
The Aeropuerto de
Menorca & Aeropuerto
de Fuerteventura
XLERATORs likewise have benefited
both the Aeropuerto de Menorca and the
Aeropuerto de Fuerteventura, two busy
airports located in the Canary Islands
seeing over five million travelers a year.
Like the Luis Muñoz Marín International
Airport, sustainability was of concern as
was a solution's ability to capably handle
the foot traffic. These are just two more
examples of facilities who found the
considerations they were seeking in
products from Excel Dryer.
We'll all come out of the pandemic
stronger and more educated. A lesson
to learn in the here and now is how to
address matters of hygiene, cost, user
experience and sustainability with hand
dryers. 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 37

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januaryfebruary2021

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