In this month’s Cover Story we would like to focus on textile care sector manufacturers, a variety of businesses belonging to different market segments, from chemistry to textile, from washers to dry-cleaning machines, from professional ironing equipment to accessories, logistics and automation, all facing a difficult situation generated by the global spread of COVID- 19. The psychological repercussions of the pandemic have been inevitable. The crisis is reflected by production, work and consumption because the world stopped with the arrival of the pandemic. The fear of the future derives from a strange mix of disorientation and disillusionment. Let us have a closer look at the textile care sector and see for ourselves what the actual situation is.
To begin with, we are going to talk about mega machines for laundries such as tunnel washers, tunnel finishers, folding machines, ironers, dryers and disinfection systems. The market (like many others) is strictly connected to consumptions. Today, the manufacturers of machines are facing serious vulnerability. On the one hand, it would be necessary to focus on innovation by investing in technological development but, needless to say, it is complicated right at this moment. Also, the business model of client companies will need to change as it won’t be possible to make considerations in terms of massive productions any more. Covid has led us to thinking and working differently. We will have to work in the market whose quality standards and welfare will be completely different, starting from the realization of solutions for new clients and improving aspects relating to companies’ services. Companies will need to be re-designed also from an organizational point of view, modelled upon higher standards as far as efficiency goes. These recent months have significantly raised the final users’ awareness when it comes to hygiene, sanitizing and disinfection. Many laundry machines, chemical washing formula apart, have always showed an optimizing approach to sanitization. What is more, technical and technological innovation has constantly followed 
the innovation of chemical products. Clients have started enquiring more about an industrial washing process and what it really consists of. There is undoubtedly a positive aspect to it, a commonly spread one, showing clients’ growing awareness and involvement from the technical point of view. Clearly, there is and there will be a decrease in work volumes. At the same time, clients demonstrate the necessity to increase the profitability and the operative results, which are not determined by the volumes of the treated linen alone. The added value of the machine in the process of sanitization derives from the capacity of the machine itself to meet the essential requirements in terms of time and the creation of the most suitable mechanical washing action as well as the reduction in time involved in the entire washing process (e.g. the time it takes to fill the compartments with water, the necessary time for the steam to heat the temperature, etc.). By increasing the active time of the process while working on the mechanical aspects of the valves or the dimension of the drum, its design and the machine’s itself, the downtime can be reduced which will determine a significant competitive advantage for clients.
What about the professional ironing field? These businesses also found themselves divided between the smart working formula and the selective closure of the activities. Selective stands for the fact that some companies remained open to assist clients (more than the commercial network) who often expressed the necessity of receiving support and advice to defend themselves and their customers from Covid.
Speaking straightforwardly, professional ironing has been subjected to a significant decrease in orders. What we have noticed is that the figure is less negative in Italy than what we could have expected. Also, as far as the EU countries are concerned, there seem to be some real signs of recovery linked to different geographical areas. Some ironing equipment producers (and not only) started the production of Ozone cabinets, while others had already introduced the product into their range. A common approach that businesses demonstrated was supporting their clients, laundry owners, considering that, emergency apart, any kind of an investment cannot be wrong. The business realities in question are the artisan dry-cleaning shops searching for quality, durability and the reliability of machines. Clients were helped directly by companies in the de-codification of safety protocols coming from the Ministry of Health because following the guidelines was a necessary requirement to keep the activity running. Producers focused on the design of sanitizing systems that would neutralize bacterial contamination. Obviously, all the companies producing ozone would apply different technology. Moreover, there is the production of steam machines provided with dry steam generators. Steam at 170/180 degrees is able to destroy bacteria and 
viruses. It is however also true that, in terms of safety, some companies doubt that steam is efficacious at every occasion as “a garment cannot undergo a steam treatment for 20 minutes (necessary time to sanitize a garment), also because it is not suitable for some types of fibers”, adds a sector operator. Research and development, a common denominator for many businesses, are in full progress given the re-opening and operating at full speed again, also because of the upcoming trade shows next year. Spare parts and technical assistance have been available to meet any request. It is clear that there will be a critical queue from the economic and social point of view until businesses restart at their full capacity. In spite of everything, the ironing sector is looking at the future with optimism, “many projects are still in standby but they will hopefully start again and give oxygen and lymph to the market of machines”. The differences that can be noticed during this delicate moment do not only concern solid and less solid businesses. They also relate to companies that can only count on a market within a limited territory in comparison to others that are present all over the world instead. What will happen to work volumes? Shops and dry-cleaning laundries at shopping malls, closed during the lockdown, observed an increase in the workload after having re-opened. That was due to the change of season, therefore the change of wardrobe, which later resulted in the workload becoming steady again. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how the percentage relating to the smart working formula will actually affect the work volumes that laundries of the future will need to handle considering that a shirt represents from 40 to 50% of the total garments treated by a modern laundry both in Italy and in Europe.
Let us move on to washing and dry-cleaning machines. What emerged from the pandemic is a great need to change and revolutionize the service. Covid has done nothing else but to accelerate this process. We are witnessing clients’ requests for laundry revolution and the demand for clean garments that should not be separated from the concept of wellbeing, nor the cleaning from sanitization. Disinfection needs to be conceived as a service offered by a dry-cleaner that treats clients’ garments totally, sanitizing included. During the moments of crisis like the current one, there are times where opportunities grow. “Immediately after eating, the next most intimate thing is what we wear”, a sector operator declares. Some companies of the sector developed machine lines dedicated not only to cleaning but also to a certified sanitization thanks to the collaborations developed with universities and their microbiology departments. The results of the collaborations have led to changes that the machines have undergone not only in terms of garments cleaning but also disinfection. The changes concern both new and older machines, already in use. “We have seen extraordinary improvements where a solution was given to a problem. There are machines in use that, if not maintained regularly, could become incubators of bacteria, so? “We have developed a system that cleans the machine automatically which will help clients avoid problems in the future. The system has been developed for all the known solvents on the market today (perc, hydrocarbon, Sensene™ etc.)”
How are the chemical producers reacting to the fear generated by the viral pandemic? By developing ad hoc protection programs for commercial and industrial laundries. Currently, we are witnessing a great interest in registered chemical products and disinfectants. For a long time now, some chemical producers have supported the washing cycles validation operations (a microbiology lab measures the presence of bacteria and viruses after washing in laundries) in relation to safety regulations and protocols. In this way, businesses can safely contact the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes and the workwear sector, presenting themselves on the market with disinfected and certified linen. Treating reusable fabrics in this way, we can rest assured about safety whereas the disposable materials have turned out to be unhealthy for many different reasons, last but not least, due to the fact that should a virus get attached to a surface of a disposable material, it would continue to circulate undisturbed. Textile producers working in strict contact with the tourist sector and restaurants have been most affected by the repercussions of having to close their activities and by the restrictions they were subjected to when re-opening the operations. The world has turned upside down today. Covid has frozen the holiday industry. As we have underlined many times before, tourists will always choose those structures that are able to completely demonstrate the hygienic measures applied, especially in relation to a hotel’s linen treatment.
Many textile producers consider the topic of environmental sustainability as more currently relevant than ever. Coronavirus has also highlighted the importance of the hygiene and sanitization of surfaces that we are in contact with, especially at restaurants. Choosing the disposable and paper is not considered adequately correct nor immune to risks. It is not possible to assure an adequate sanitization of surfaces and the consequent elimination of bacteria between one client and another. Instead, the reusable textile table cloths are sanitized after every use by industrial washing systems. What makes us feel better and safer is the environmental protection and the correct sanitization of textile table cloths.
As far as management systems and logistics in laundries and dry-cleaning businesses are concerned, automation, digitalization and relying on an efficient management system will inevitably lead to innovation of processes. In spite of economic difficulties that have undoubtedly affected the sector, the idea to improve the services making them more efficient and reliable seems to have become a reality for several sector operators. It is essential to believe and invest in quality in order to make a difference. As a matter of fact, a correct management and the organization of production are crucial to avoid, e.g. loosing a garment or damaging it which would lead to loosing a client or to a relevant damage in the image of the business. Also, the development of interactive systems in laundries allows for a complete exchange of information between producers and clients in order to optimize processes and minimize inefficiencies.
by Marzio Nava
DETERGO MAGAZINE
July/August 2020
