The definition “self-service laundries” concerns the laundries where customers use professional washing machines and dryers by themselves after purchasing a coin, according to the Law Decree of 26 March 2010, number 59, article 79, paragraph 1 bis. However, after more than a decade, the Decree would probably need to be revisited and updated given all the new additional services that a coin-op can offer today.
Self-service laundries, according to the producers, have managed to resist the
pandemic tsunami a bit better than other businesses.
Certainly, also the coin-ops needed to reinvent and re-launch their business at some point, and not only because they needed to face Covid 19. Way before the arrival of Covid, the producers had been offering new products, such as the sanitizing ozone cabinets used to sanitize everyday objects that cannot simply be washed in a washer. In this month’s Focus, all the interviewed companies are going to present functions such as automatic sanitizing cycles which, considering the times we are living, is a guarantee of obtaining hygienically clean linen.
Let us however focus on the producers
Grandimpianti I.L.E. Ali S.r.l. has been operating in the laundry industry since 1972 producing washing and drying machines, ironing equipment, and focusing on linen treatment in general. The pandemics has determined more than just a few problems in the self-service sector because it has stopped transfers almost completely. “While it translated to a stop of activities for many, – says Giuseppe Carrera, the Sales Director in Italy – it became an occasion for Grandimpianti instead. We could take and advantage of the IOT technology, which our machines have been equipped with since 2017.”
Thanks to a control system called Wavy, connected to TheMindCloud service, it is possible to actually remotely monitor and manage not only one or two machines but more than one laundry, too. The bi-directional data communication system allows to control the functioning of machines and to transfer their programs, cycles updates and set-up without any limitation. “The functionality allowed us to follow, also during the lockdown, all the stages of the start of new activities both in Italy and abroad.
The new self-service laundry by Centro Group Professional TM in Timisoara has been the most recent one – continues Carrera. – We followed all the preparatory stages there as well as the start of the activities directly from our headquarters: from the pumps set up to the creation of special washing cycles. Everything was done without physically leaving our offices.”
“In the current times of the pandemic”, says Marco Niccolini, the Sales Director at Renzacci S.p.A. “that has obviously had consistent and negative effects on the market demand, Renzacci S.p.A, as a producer of machines, has faced the problem of guaranteeing safe washing cycles in terms of hygiene and sanitizing at self-service laundries. A self-service laundry is a “non-guarded” type of a shop, meaning that the owner is not there while the business is running, therefore it is necessary for us, producers, to make a further effort. Renzacci S.p.A has been trying to do our best to convince, attract and, first of all, inspire trust in customers. It is necessary for customers to know that they can find the maximum level of washing hygiene and efficiency (and not only) at a self-service laundry.
So, how can we inspire trust in customers at this particular time when everyone worries about the spread of the viral pandemic?
First of all, safety needs to be guaranteed for both business owners and customers.
Customers need to be reassured that all the garments and linen they bring in, are going to be washed and disinfected, and that the hygiene translates to wellbeing and sanitizing.
Renzacci is working on different sanitizing guidelines for both washing and ozone sanitizing. Thanks to the I-Genius ozone cabinet by Renzacci, it is possible to sanitize a vast number of objects at a particularly reasonable cost”.
Niccolini also underlines that “at the end of a washing cycle, our self-service washing machines carry out an additional washing cycle with an anti-bacterial and anti-viral product which constitutes a further hygienic guarantee for everyone. What is more, we have thought about the organization of a self-service laundry and how we can maximize it: we achieve laundry efficiency by combining machines and chemical products which means that we obtain garments disinfection and sanitizing.
When we offer our machines to clients, we show them how this process takes place, with the chemical product actually entering the machine. All this is combined with the last generation computer, Acquatron Renzacci, thanks to which the machine is used in a simple and intuitive way. What is more, Renzacci does not forget about water and energy saving. We are also very careful about the precision in dosing chemical products. Renzacci pays great attention to all the anti-Covid solutions and to the protection of the environment”.
Carlo Miotto, the CEO of Imesa S.p.a. based in Cessalto in the province of Treviso, underlines that “today, everyone speaks about the importance of correctly carried out washing cycles in laundry, and about sanitizing and hygiene which translates to a SAFE LAUNDRY#SAFELAUNDRY”.
Who can we talk to about a safe laundry?
“The professionals of the sector, without doubts. They provide last
generation, professional machines, therefore they can guarantee
the quality of a service”.
What does the quality of a service mean?
“It means assuring the treatment of the garments at the right temperature, that necessarily starts from 60°C in order to reduce the risk of contamination, protect the characteristics of the fibers and avoid damaging the garments”.
Washing temperature influences the amount of electricity used in a washing cycle. Water heater is the most relevant device when speaking about the consumptions of a washing machine. If I want to save energy, reduce the cost of a domestic washing cycle and sireduce the pollution, I really will need to reduce the water temperature and actually miss the safe laundry principles.
How can we solve the problem?
“Self-service laundries equipped with washing machines and dryers by IMESA guarantee washing and drying following the guidelines of a SAFE LAUNDRY#SAFELAUNDRY”
What does #SAFELAUNDRY mean?
“It means washing and drying garments at a minimum of 60° C.
Professional washing machines by IMESA that self-service laundries are provided with, offer washing cycles at high temperatures, yet shorter than the cycles carried out by domestic washing machines.
This translates to less water and energy consumption.
Consuming less water and energy means NOT POLLUTING and not polluting means not only being principled but competitive, too. The laundry of the future needs to improve the services under the perspective of environmental issues. IMESA S.p.a guarantees efficient machines in this regard.
As far as garments drying goes, it is carried out in professional drying machines that work at correct temperatures from the hygienic point of view without, however, “burning” the garments nordamaging them.
The loading capacity of machines makes self-service laundries ideal when it comes to washing large and heavy items such as bed covers, duvets, curtains or sofa and cushion covers that are impossible to wash at home”, says Carlo Miotto in conclusion.
One family, one company. When we speak about Brentareno, a company based in Asolo near Treviso, we immediately think about a typical story of an Italian small-medium business that often has family connections. “The company”, says Marzio Klos, the Sales Manager at Brentareno, is specialized in the production of laundry machines, the assistance and realization of self-service laundries as well as industrial laundries and ironing stations.
Let us however focus on self-service laundries. “The business has been growing constantly”, says Marzio Klos. “Thanks to our 40 years of experience and more than 1000 self-service laundries opened around the world, we offer a thorough technical knowledge acquired directly from experience.
From the experience to the family/company, Brentareno has developed a franchising system that translates to a network completely based on clients’ needs.
In 2020, we achieved great results in spite of Covid. Every year, we design about 40-50 self-service laundries in Italy and abroad, and we have been updating and revisiting our machines in order to guarantee the maximum levels of hygiene and sanitizing.
We work on sanification both in the chemical and detergent field.
However, I am not going to deny that we have been considering the use of ozone inside washing machines to obtain hygienically clean, guaranteed results.
Our ozone cabin called EcOzono (also available in Self version), apart from eliminating mites, viruses, bacteria and mold, has recently obtained (in November 2020) an anti-Covid certification by IRTA University (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology) and by CRESA (Animal Health Research Center), both based in Barcelona, for the elimination of the bacteria up to 99,98%, which has constituted a great satisfaction for all of us”, concludes Marzio Klos.
AGA C.O.M. Srl, a producer of industrial laundry machines, is specialized in the design, production and realization of selfservice laundries in Italy. Over the last years, the business has expanded significantly all over the world. Francesco Ciaponi, the General Manager of AGA C.O.M. explains, “we have created a new brand that is dedicated to energy saving. It is called Eco-Logic (a virtuous combination of eco-compatible products with a reliable, smart service). It offers energy saving machines that consume 40% less water if compared to an average model present on the market. It all translates to costs saving for laundry owners and to saving the environment. We have already designed two laundries, one in Spain and the other one in Milan.
The brand promotes the use of detergents with natural, nonpolluting surfactants.
The eco-friendly element is actually crucial to us in every single
aspect of washing and our mission is always looking for the best solutions while making the investment in a self-service business successful. The attention to detail has led us to creating a laundry philosophy that goes beyond the market standards, creating unique, one of the kind self-service laundries.
What is more, we need to consider that the pandemic has made us even more aware of the quality of our products, in particular, the detergents. We use detergents whose hygienizing power is activated already at 20 degrees. Also, all our machines carry out a sanitizing procedure at the end of every washing cycle”.
In conclusion, Ciaponi underlines, “in spite of the pandemic, we have opened 40 laundries in and out of Italy, highly customized shops because customizing is an essential and characteristic element for AGA COM. We give every laundry aspect a familiar touch.” •
by Marzio Nava
Detergo Magazine February 2021
