Let’s not turn back around too much, for both: industrial and commercial laundries, the last 18 months have been very complicated. Certainly, for the industrial laundries that work mainly with hotels and restaurants, it was terrible, so much that, the Pubblic administration had to intervene to stem (partially and insufficiently), the ongoing tsunami. The commercial laundries have managed too keep their business open all the time, but they had to deal with the halving of the tourist numbers combined with the restrictions regarding the mobility of people during the year of the pandemic, that has affected the activity of restaurants and hotels and the use of different items of garments.
The closure of the ski resorts has reduced the necessity for the maintenance of the technical clothing, the cancellation of events and ceremonies has reduced the use of quality clothing, on which greater use of laundry dry-cleaning services is required. The explosion of smart working has given the craft activities the final blow. But let’s just not limit ourselves on licking our wounds. The global vaccination plan and the recovery plan, gives us a glimpse of some potential recovery for the future. Below we give space to a comparison with the producers of textile maintenance, which in addition to an examination of the situation, each one for their own area of activity, highlight the countermeasures and the direction to be taken.
We talked to Alessandro Rolli, the CEO of Kannegiesser Italia based in Opera (Milan), a german company who’s core business is in the industrial laundry: “incentives 4.0 represents a great opportunity to renew plants, innovation, in fact can no longer be procrastinable and everything will revolve around efficiency and will pass through the ergonomics of the work spaces, so that the operator will return to working and production process, because a worker who works in a more ergonomic way, has a higher performance. We are pushing towards robotization, especially in the towels area, that means, anything that can be done without an operator, is no longer a project, a prototype, but can be translated into real machines in the laundry.
These months of reopening, our customers are trying to recover the inactivity time, however there are other companies thinking about exploiting the industry 4.0, and planning investments by the end of the year. There is a medium-term investment perspective coming from the more structured companies. We will see companies that will increasingly focus on efficiency and undertake a path in terms of innovation.
The pandemic has led to an increase of costs regarding the raw materials, for example plastic has risen by 80%, a significant costs increase for our customers that are using the plastic to pack and delivery the linen.
With rising raw material costs, customers will need to recover efficiency and ergonomics, is one of the fundamental keys to maximize the efficiency of the production process. In this sense there are interesting annual Inail announcements rewarding the companies investing in the wellbeing of employees and in reducing the risk of the acccidents.
Efficiency passes through the ergonomics of the operators. Our study on ergonomics is preparatory to the marketing that we are making on a particular type of an EMR feeding system (for medium large garments) that has been shown to reduce postural efforts in a consistent way” concludes Rolli.
Professional ironing has always been an indelible trait of Made in Italy, we talked about with Paolo Fumagalli, president of the company Pony SpA, located in Inzago, at the gates of Milano. “This year just passed, caught us off guard to face a very difficult global sanitary situation, from which we are now emerging. Covid 19 has left us with a greater awareness than in the past, of the immediate need to adopt new lifestyles : the importance of sanitation and personal hygiene in respect of the others; environmental sustainability with reduced consumption and waste.
We can no longer take anything for granted, but everything is the result of precise and well-considered choices. Unfortunately, the lockdown restrictions have forced the closure of several activities (including our sector). Governments are commited to find and propose facilities to allow the business restart for companies that have resisted until now. The tax relief called “Industry 4.0” also allows small italian production companies to introduce advanced machinery and technologies in their organization.
During the lockdown, PONY also invested in a new machine for cutting the metallic sheets, new forklifts (connected by remote with the company producer, for maintenance) and new vertical warehouses for quick handling of parts and components.PONY used this time to improve its product. Our machines are ready to help customers face the challenges of the future. PLC touch screen technology has been implemented, allowing remote control of productivity, consumption, maintenance, work programs and many other activities.
PONY shirt finishers are equipped with an efficient integrated hot air recovery system, a patented H.A.R.S. system, which allows a reduction of the energy consumption, limiting the heat dispersion into the environment (therefore healthier for the operators) and reduces ironing times. The energy consumption can be further reduced according to the desired/required productivity.
Steam distribution has also been improved on the trousers toppers and has been introduced the model with autonomus built in boiler. In this way it is possible to feed an ironing table combined with a topper allowing a single operator to be autonomous in a small space.
An important space has been dedicated also to the improvement of machines for the sanitization of garments and envirnoments. Pony offers a complete range of products for both: ozone and steam sanitization. The OZOCAB cabin is ideal for garments and accessories sanitization, using ozone, while the handy and portable OZOCUBO has been designed for the professional sanitization of environments. SANI-PRO is mixing high pressure steam with sanitizing products, using steam to clean and sanitize large surfaces”.
Moving on to Renzacci SpA, a manufacturer of proffessional washing machines, located in Città di Castello, near Perugia, we met Marco Niccolini, General Sales and Mkt Director, who emphasizes: “from our point of view, both in Italy and abroad, in a transversal way, there is a great change of perspective regarding the concept of cleanliness, which must be intimately linked to that of well-being and sanitization.
The customer has the “wow” effect when you positively impress and amaze it, and therefore the laundry must not be limited only to cleaning but must become the center that takes care of the customer’s welfare, and not only for what it is wearing, but also in relation to all other services, as for example disinfection for strollers, helmets, bags, suitcases, curtains, sofa covers etc. This is the new mission mark and therefore the strategic direction of the laundry cleaning.
But how is this goal pursued? We start from the assumption that it is necessary to equip a washing center with tools and machinery that can guarantee a wide-range service, without adding manpower, but also safeguarding the essential characteristic of craftsmanship of the laundry cleaning. We are convinced, adds Niccolini, about the efficiency of natural cleaning technologies that use natural solvent. In few words, at Renzacci we must focus on biodegradable and hypoallergenic dry cleaning. As company, we provide machines with a high level of automation and monitoring, which means that the machines guarantee a faster, more homogeneous and safer service, but the role of the professional in this process remains essential.
Craftsmanship does not mean improvisation but is combined with the know-how and the ability of the person. Craftsmanship in the 4.0 version is combined with an intelligent and appropriate use of technology. If we think that 38% of european laundries are buying domestic machinery and use domestic detergents, is the opposite of professionalism. As concerning the desinfection, i would like to mention the new SENTINEL™ system, using ultraviolet rays, installed on Renzacci’s bio drycleaning machines, that allows an effective virucidal and bactericidal action. The customer’s indifference curve, even in our sector, is deeply changing, so that consumption choices are dictated on one hand, by the protection of the environment, and on the other hand by the well-being of the person”, concludes Marco Niccolini.
Returning to the production of professional ironing machines, we met Michele Battistella, Sales Manager for Battistella B.G. based in Rossano Veneto, province of Vicenza: “the viral pandemic that struck us last year, has definitely disturbed our way of living and has also significantly influenced the market, especially due to the lack of the raw materials and the prices increase.One of the most important sectors in our field which, due to the different closures last year, has increased the cost of services and the transportation.
Battistella B.G., in order to keep these costs down, has recently designed an ironing table that stands out for its ability to close itself in 3 very simple steps, and occupy 70% less space. In fact, thanks to this feature, it is possible to put 4 of these ironing tables in one single pallet, allowing them to be shipped all over the world with very low costs. In addition to the economic savings during shipping, the simplicity in closing means that even once installed it can be closed again in order to save space. This product is named Archimede, after the physicist and inventor, and it is an innovative ironing table covered by an international invention patent.
Although it is a very easy ironing table to close and move, it stands out as it meets all the requirements of an industrial table. It is able to satisfy the different requests of the customer as it is available without boiler, with a 3 liter 2 kw boiler for a semi-industrial use, or with a 6 liter 4 kw boiler for an industrial use. Both versions, with built in boiler, are equipped with our control panel allows to switch on the table and control all its functions with extreme simplicity. As in all the other models of our range, it is also possible to combine various accessories (such as ironing arm, steam gun) and it is available in the suction or suction/ blowing versions”.
We met Barbara Bertaggia Klos, Internal Sales Manager for Brentareno Srl based in Asolo (Treviso), manufacturer of professional laundry equipment. She says: “as it concerns the self-service laundries, which is our core business, we are very happy as Brentareno.
We have managed to set up 63 laundries since the beginning of the year. We forecast to close the year with more than 100 laundry business open, which would be an extraordinary result. We don’t just supply machinery, we offer a complete turnkey service. As for the other areas of production and the other initiatives we will participate to Host Fair Milan in
October 2021 and also to Fiera Cavalli Verona in November: an important showcase for the supply of the professional machinery dedicated to riding schools.
Regarding Pets, we are working to ensure a professional sanitation service for veterinary hospitals. As for the industry and particularly for the Ho.Re.Ca supply, we opened three large industrial plants, in Vietnam, Qatar and Italy in Cagliari.
We provide sanitary barrier washing machines as well as other machines that cover all markets and needs at 360 degrees. As concerning the sanitization, we have washing machines that are using the disinfecting action of ozone inside the machine itself. We forecast for the foreign markets to open up more in 2022, (although many negotiations are in progress and in the process of being defined), when it will be possible, we hope to achieve greater international mobility, concludes Barbara Bertaggia Klos.
Trevil, located in Pozzo D’Adda (Milan), is a company that boasts forty years of experience in professional ironing. Co-owner Corinna Mapelli explains her point of view and that of the company she manages: “From our point of view, the situation for our sector continues to be rather stationary, in the sense that in our area of activity we have not noticed any great signs of awakening in demand.
There has been and continues to be a replacement market linked to essentiality, but we still don’t see any market linked to investment, which needs other certainties. This situation applies to both Italy and abroad, concerning the ironing sector in which we mainly operate. It is also difficult to make predictions at the moment. Towards the end of the year it will take place the Texcare Trade Fair in Frankfurt, and it will be the first trade fair in the sector in attendance, after almost two years of pandemic, we hope for a flywheel effect, which in normal situation always happens.
Looking forward on short term, we are planning to prepare ourselves for the next trade show, and regarding the recovery we are thinking to focus on several fronts. We are continuing to roll out the new touch screen that we introduced few years ago, but which we are extending to the entire range of automated products. We are also working on Industry 4.0 as we have seen, that thanks to the tax advantages, an interesting market demand is being created.
From this perspective, and in particular regarding the ironing automation, we have some interesting innovations on the pipeline, that we will reveal and present towards the end of the year in the same time with the Frankfurt Trade Fair,” concludes Corinna Mapelli.
We talked to Matteo Bertacchi, Sales Manager for ICT Group, a company located in Reggio Emilia that provides software solutions for laundries. “Despite the general downturn of 2021, as ICT Group, we were able to move forward with our projects and get substantially positive feedback. We have completed a number of projects in both catering and healthcare, with our dedicated platforms.
In the last month we have also received positive signals from the hotel sector, which had been at a standstill for a long time. For example, we have a software for sterilization units, for which we are the market leader, which has never suffered any particular downturn, on the contrary, I would say that it has produced excellent results. We work also in some other sectors such as food as well as for the facility sector for hospital services (cleaning, sanitizing, etc.), services that didn’t suffer any crisis in the last months.
In the second half of the year, we expect a consistent recovery in demand, relevant mainly to industrial laundries dealing with catering and hotels. In terms of product, we have defined new modules for the use of our digital platforms for logistics management and especially linked to delivery systems using a particularly innovative app. A great product that received an excellent feedback and on which we are counting on a lot.”
In conclusion, with this reportage we have taken a snapshot of our market, very diversified, composite, where very different segments are coexisting but in which I have forseen a common denominator: the will, the wish and the expectation, always more feasible, of a relaunch of the sector. •
By Marzio Nava
DETERGO MAGAZINE – July/August 2021
