Drycleaning finishing

Equipment to match markets worldwide

4 March 2008



Finishing equipment trends vary greatly according to country. Kathleen Armstrong talks to suppliers about the way the markets are developing round the world


The appearance of the finished garment will often dictate the customer’s opinion of the business and so it is extremely important.

This way of judging a drycleaner’s efficiency differs little from country to country, but the finishing methods used by drycleaners vary widely, according to equipment suppliers.

Roland Fleischmann from Ghidini says that in southern European countries such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal small family businesses are the norm. They have little space and little money, and are most comfortable with ironing tables as they are not expensive and have low running costs.

Blowing tables are becoming more common – but some cleaners are still reluctant to move over to such “modern” equipment.

In Greece, Fleischmann says, they are still ironing on manual presses in many shops and are not interested in upgrading, unlike drycleaners in Northern Europe who are attracted by the latest automated equipment.

At Pony, Massimo Sanvito says that to understand drycleaners’ needs, manufacturers and suppliers must take account of various elements such as quality required, production volumes, investment capability, and, on an international level, the labour costs in the local market.

Establishing a rule for a single country or for customers is difficult, but generally speaking, high volumes require automatic machines, such as presses, cabinets and formers. Sanvito sees presses as a universal tool that can guarantee high volume.

Sanvito believes that the best way for manufacturers to meet customers’ needs, in particular in balancing productivity and quality, is to spend time listening them, even visiting their site. Manufacturers must also listen to distributors to match developments to particular markets.

Mutlu Alkan from Malkan says that in her Turkish home market, small family-run shops mainly want smaller, budget-priced air-blowing finishing tables, and occasionally spotting equipment.

But in recent years the growth of drycleaning in hotels, and the opening of chain outlets in shopping malls is leading to investment in equipment. Clothes are drycleaned in factories rather than in the shops.

The Turkish market is seeking more sophisticated equipment – ironing tables that offer air blowing, vacuuming and steam; semi-automatic spot cleaners and formers.

In Iran, Malkan says, people wear suits rather than jeans and drycleaning is in demand.

The country is attracting more visitors from the Middle East. More hotels are being built so investment in drycleaning is increasing. Whereas finishing was once mainly manual, businesses are now looking for sophisticated technology to provide a good quality finish.

High-tech automated finishing equipment dominates the market in Pakistan where drycleaning shops are drop/off collection points for work processed in large factories filled with unskilled labour.

Further east, in Vietnam, the main need is for simple ironing tables with generators. Demand is low as only the rich can afford or need to take their clothes into the drycleaner. But, says Mutlu Alkan, the level of drycleaning has begun to build in the last four or five years.

Tom Bolan from Hoffman-New Yorker says that in China more and more private drycleaners are beginning to open up. Catering mostly for executives, they look to form finishers and presses rather than hand irons. Two-, three- and four-star hotels want equipment, such as the steam tunnel finisher, that will steam and relax staff uniforms that are made mainly from polyester. In contrast five-star hotels will hand press everything, says Bolan.

Japan is an unusual market, says Sankosha’s Ken Uchikoshi, since 90% of the population take their clothing to the drycleaner and expectations of the quality of finish are high. Prices are kept lower by high-volume, automated production with low-skilled labour, so drycleaners want machines that can do everything and are simple to use.

The trend towards the deskilling of drycleaning finishing processes is one that is sweeping the world.

Even in the smallest shops, low skilled, often migrant, cheap labour is becoming the norm and keeping prices low. These employers need easy-to-use machines that deliver good results.

Tom Bolan says there are two types of drycleaners in the USA: the “$2 cleaners” that process drycleaning in an industrial laundry and use form finishers and steam tunnelling to steam and relax garments; and the high quality cleaners who will put in the time to hand-press garments to achieve the high standard of finish their customers want and will pay for.

The USA drycleaner’s choice can also depend on the location. In the New York area, high volumes mean that drycleaners will invest in a tensioner/form finisher to achieve a good finish.

In Texas while a drycleaner may attract high-end customers, the volume will not justify investing in such specialist equipment.

The type of clothing that will be processed also influences the choice of equipment. In Texas and Oklahoma, Bolan says, the fashion for western-style clothing means Hoffman-New Yorker sells lots of legger toppers, though this is less common in other areas.

However, tensioning equipment for jackets and general wear is one of the main sales trends in the USA and it is driven by a move back to more natural fibres that started around 10 or 12 years ago.

Hoffman-New Yorker is also selling more pleated shirt units in areas where production volumes for such garments are higher.

UK demand for drycleaning has dropped and many businesses have taken on other services such as laundry to survive. This presents a different aspect to finishing, says Tony Dickens from BMM Weston.

“Many drycleaners will press laundered work with a drycleaning press,” he says, “but they can get a much better finish on flatwork with a polished head press.” He is starting to persuade a few cleaners that this is what they need if they want to produce a good quality finish on the sheets, pillowcases and curtains that are brought in to them to clean.

There is also a move in the UK toward more automated equipment that relies less on the operator’s skill and more on the equipment itself.

While nothing can top a skilled hand-finish, the quality of finish delivered by a good machine has improved immensely. Modern equipment can produce a finish that is difficult to distinguish from that produced by hand-pressing, especially as hand-pressing relies greatly on the operator’s skill.

The much-anticipated move to multi-finishers has yet to take a firm hold, although demand is increasing. According to Piermatteo Sabatini from Silc, it is hard to change established habits, especially in the USA or in Arabic countries where presses are traditional. ”

Even in Europe, he says, in countries such as Italy and France where ironing tables predominate, there is some resistance to multi-functional, automatic equipment. However, Silc’s latest developments, the S/MSP trouser finisher, the S/MSG form finisher for jackets, and the S/MPC shirt finisher, all incorporate microprocessor technology that provides a high level of automation.

Pony has responded to what it says is an increasing trend toward the purchase of shirt finishers with the introduction of four different models ranging from a basic design to one that is fully automatic with photocell operation and pneumatic devices developed for maximum production and quality. While not neglecting other markets, it is paying special attention both to the shirt sector and to laundry presses, where it has introduced a new line of hot head models with a wide selection of different buck shapes and sizes. These will complement its established ranges or drycleaning and laundry presses.

But not everyone can afford such high-tech equipment. Some drycleaners will look to buying second-hand but Corinna Mapelli from Trevil thinks this is short-sighted and can cost more in the long run as equipment may have lower energy efficiency and higher maintenance costs.

It is important to buy the right equipment and maintain it properly, to ensure good performance throughout its life.

For the budget market, Trevil has developed a trouser topper that is a “no frills” version of its regular range.

For those medium- to larger-sized businesses, there is the Princess Ultra, an enhanced version of the Princess Deluxe, which Mapelli says is easier

to use, faster and provides a better finishing quality on a larger range of garments. Equipment should be an investment, Mapelli advises. Automation may have high initial costs but it will save on labour, increase productivity and provide better quality.




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