Show reflects growing confidence in the market

PulseFlow technology will always be a prime feature on the Pellerin Milnor stand but during Clean 15, the company was also keen to talk about developments in its large capacity, open-pocket machines and in particular the 724065M5K tilting machine. This 700lb (318kg) washer has a hydraulically controlled and improved tilt action and its active balance controls avoid problems with out of balance loads.
Thierry Lambermont, managing director of Milnor International, said the company had renewed its interest in the heavy-duty washer-extractor market and the range also includes machines with capacities of 220 and 120kg.
To support this range, Milnor has developed its MilTouch-EX controller so it can be used here. MilTouch-EX will allow greater flexibility in programming but importantly it will connect a line of machines so that a loading and unloading sequence can be set up to maximise productivity and make optimal use of the dryers.
Lambermont said that in southern Europe, the main sales for the range would be to workwear and textile sectors. In Eastern and Northern Europe, he would expect the range to appeal to the mat market. Textile companies in the Middle East and Bangladesh would also find the range helpful.
With regard to PulseFlow he said that this technology now accounted for 99% of tunnel washer sales and the company had developed the systems for draining and water recovery in some PulseFlow models,
To complement the tunnel washers Milnor had introduced a press that uses a waterless membrane. The press is designed so that the ram turns 10 degrees on each press to extend the membrane life and keep it working efficiently. Milnor has also simplified the hydraulic system to reduce operating costs.
Jensen held a press conference at the show, to highlight some of the recent developments.
This started with an overview of 2014, which had been a very successful year, with revenue increasing by 8.2% to 239.6million Euro. Operating profit had increased by 31.2% year-on-year to 19.7million Euro. A good flow of orders throughout the year had brought a 13% rise in back orders at year end, giving a good start to 2015.
The company has continued to expand worldwide and in February 2015 it acquired its Spanish distributor Boaya and established a sales and service centre for the country. Speakers then talked about the innovation for the various sectors of the laundry.
For the sorting section, the Combisort is a modular system that has features to limit the manual intervention and improve accuracy. These include electronic weighing with optional display, semi-automatic load release and automatic routing to maintenance for bags that fail to open or close. Tunnel washer improvements included a quick soak function that has been available for some time and the EcoTune system, which was being launched at the show. A MaxiLine tunnel was on the stand to demonstrate both features.
The EcoTune control and monitoring system allows processes to adapt to individual linen categories. Astute software includes a rotary encoder for the drive motor that adjusts the mechanical action for each program by adjusting the drum angle. Pressure sensors on the drums give more precise control of bath levels. These two measures allow the tunnel washer to produce excellent results on both delicate linens and heavily-soiled, robust fabrics as the processes for each category are precisely controlled. EcoTune has the wider benefit of reducing wear and tear on the drive motor, producing a smoother action. Energy consumption is precisely matched to each process so that the laundry's costs will reduce over time.
For the finishing line, Jensen highlighted the Viking 2000 auto separator and the Jenfeed Express, which has been upgraded to a three-station machine. It allows cornerless feeding and makes it possible for three operators to feed a total of 1,800 pieces per operator hour.
Reflecting on the event, Gerda Jank, head of communications, said the booth had been crowded from the start. Live demonstrations had been a strong feature of the display as seeing equipment in use is very helpful for visitors. Many machines had been upgraded but there were also some that were completely new such as the small to medium size washer-extractors and dryers.
The company also showed the Jenway Laundry Logistics system for the first time.This demonstrates that the whole is much more than the sum of its parts.
It also highlights the importance of automation and materials handling in increasing productivity.

Establishing a US company
Lapauw had recently opened a US company and its president, David Bernstein told LCNi about Lapauw's progress in the US market. He explained that laundries had wanted to buy Lapauw equipment but they also wanted the reassurance of support from a local presence.
As managing director he had been discovering more about customers and their requirements. Their interests went beyond high throughput to focus on quality. Lapauw can supply both.
Bernstein said he wanted the stand display to help visitors recognise what Lapauw USA represented for the market. By the time of the next show in 2017, the company will have a much higher profile.
Visitors to this year's show may have been surprised to see some of the equipment that Lapauw makes. "We have four video screens, each one dedicated to solutions for a different product sector: washing, barrier washing, ironing, garment finishing plus a fifth that shows all sectors." The company had just two machines on its stand, the TurboFan ironer and the HotStream tunnel finisher.
Bernstein said that these machines had important features that he wanted to highlight. The TurboFan technology means that the ironer is 20% - 30% more efficient than most gas ironers on the market, for example.
He added that Phillipe D'heygere and Steven Renders, president and CEO of the parent company, believed strongly in research and development, backed by engineering skills and customer sales and support. It was their vision of how the company would grow that had attracted Bernstein to the opportunity to lead Lapauw USA.
On the Lavatec Laundry Technology (LLT) stand Mark Thrasher, who heads LLT USA, and Wolf-Peter Graeser, LLT's owner, said that the company's progress had been good. Not only had LLT retained the existing customer base it had expanded it. They were now aiming to expand the variety of equipment. Initially the company had focussed on larger laundries but was now seeing smaller laundries becoming interested in operating a tunnel washer as they could see its advantages in terms of costs, utility consumption and labour saving. The interest in the total cost of ownership was increasing.
The partnership with Girbau, announced at last year's Detergo exhibition, was going well for both companies, giving Girbau a wider tunnel range and allowing Lavatec to offer high quality flatwork finishing equipment.
Thrasher said that the North American market was now very active and since the middle of last year, there had been a sharp increase in purchases and installations and this had continued in 2015.
The North Eastern region was perhaps the strongest region but the company had projects on both East and West Coasts and even in South American countries such as Brazil and Columbia.
The Clean Show was proving very active and a lot of industrial laundries were coming as they were ready to invest in equipment.
Atlanta is perhaps not as big a tourist attraction as the show's other venues, so visitors are prepared to spend more time at the exhibition. Thrasher said this was a contrast to the last two Clean Shows where people had been looking rather than buying. Summing up the company's state of play, Wolf-Peter Graeser said that the company was still growing in Europe.
Worldwide LLT has a presence in the American markets, and the next goals were the Middle East and China.
Pere Girbau, president of the Girbau Group, confirmed that the partnership with LLT was going well and expected to bring benefits. It has brought the company into more market sectors, particularly into higher capacity equipment as evidenced by the wider tunnel range that is now available from Girbau Industrial.
He was also very positive about the Clean Show saying that this year's event was probably the best for several years and was attracting visitors from Europe and beyond as well as from the US and North America. Asked what the company expected to achieve, he replied that the aims were growth and increased market share. There was also a benefit in being able to show all its technological developments such as those in ironing systems, and in its washer-extractors, where it was introducing the RMS610, a 10kg hard-mount medium spin washer.
Girbau has always emphasised that its focus is on solutions that would help customers rather than individual machines and the stand included two examples. The Express Laundry Center offers investors in coin-op businesses a highly efficient laundry that uses less gas, water and electricity.
The Poseidon System is the company's solution for those businesses that want to offer a specialist wetcleaning service. It includes both a washer and a dryer.
Girbau's industrial division had introduced developments in tunnel washers, ironing systems, including a compact design and also in dryers.
Pere Girbau said the group was marking several anniversaries this year including Girbau's 55th year in laundry, and the 20th anniversary of its US company Continental Girbau. It was also the 15th anniversary of Girbau Middle East.
At Vega Systems, Huub Hoffmann, international sales manager, told LCNi that the company was continuing to grow and to develop its range. It was introducing a small piece folder/stacker for the US?market. This could produce a lateral fold or alternatively pieces could be draped over a bar.
Hoffmann also said that the US market favours large tunnel washers and so it was showing a 90kg (220lb) tunnel. He stressed that this was designed with double units for all pumps and water valves, so if one should suddenly fail, back-up was always available.

Commercial sector
Alliance Laundry Systems is the largest manufacturer of equipment for the commercial laundry market.
It has factories in the US, Belgium, the Czech Republic (through its acquisition of Primus), in France, China, India and Brazil.
Rick Pyle has been with the company for 17 years and took over as president last year.
He said that the Primus acquisition has helped to fill some gaps. Primus had a new line of washer-extractors that had been redesigned and was highly efficient.
Primus had also had an experienced management team, another gain for the Alliance group.
Alliance had spent and time and effort before the acquisition making sure that the customers in other brands were very clear about what the Primus name represented.
At all exhibitions Alliance has two clear aims: To demonstrate its support for customers and to promote product developments. The size and scale of Alliance made both aspects very important. As a group, it focusses on OPL, coin-op laundromats and multi-housing businesses and it is also growing aggressively in the home and consumer sector.
Product highlights included Czech-built washers that would support all group brands with different products.
The company was also very proud of a new small-chassis, front-loading Speed Queen washer.
Speaking early on the second day, Pyle said he felt quite pleased with the first day of the show.
Bernard Jomard of Danube International agreed with the view that this Clean Show could be the best since the 2008 crisis. "This is a good place to see companies from the South American market," he remarked and generally he was quite satisfied. Jomard and export operations manager Nathalie Chevrier had seen a lot of distributors not only from South America, but also from Asia and the Middle East.
Danube has developed a microprocessor control that is easier to use and this now features on washer-extractors and barrier washers.
As well as being easier to program, the control allows more traceability and also allows machines to be switched from OPL to coin-op operation. Extra functions, such as integrated weighing, can also be added.
The company was also showing two additional machines for its barrier washer range. Medline 50 and Medline 66 had already been introduced to the European market at Detergo but were now being launched for the American markets. Danube recently became a member of the Onnera marketing group and Jomard said this was going quite well.
The Spanish manufacturer Domus is also an Onnera member and Eduard Colomer said that joining had been interesting for the company in helping to promote it and raise its image.
"We co-operate with other brands but each has its own philosophy" he said. Domus specialises in the commercial and coin-op sectors while other member are more focussed on hotels or hospitals. The group's new microprocessor gives a lot of possibilities for saving water and energy.
Domus was introducing its air recycling system for its dryers and a drawer style lint filter, both of which had already been introduced in Europe.
Colomer said the Clean Show was of great interest for dealers in South American countries and in Asia. It also allowed European companies such as his to see what American manufacturers were doing.

Developing the right formulae
Christeyns, the European-based chemicals and utility manager specialist, established a US company in 2012 and the company's aim at this show was to raise its profile in
the US market. Charles Betteridge, vice president Europe, said Christeyns had always known this development would be slow due to the scale of the market and the company wanted to be sure that it could provide customers with both products and service support.
He explained that the company was trying to sell fully-built laundry chemicals while to a large extent the market was still focussed on caustic soda and chlorine systems.
He said that at the last show in 2013, there was a lot of interest in Christeyn's systems but the cost per drum was higher although this was offset by the ability to use less. Fully-built products could be used with low temperature processes, another cost saving. He also stressed that Christeyns offered applications expertise as well as products.
Rudi Moors, who runs Christeyns USA, admitted that America represented a completely difference culture. It has started locally in New England and was moving step-by-step to be active throughout the whole region, through Virginia, Texas and the mid Atlantic.
An important development is that it now has an American supplier that makes to Christeyns formulae although his company still imports a few specialist lines. The approach was gradual. "We start with the basics, We want to implement the way we wash" and let customers see the results."
Giving its views after the show, Ecolab reported that its innovations had created "quite a buzz" and that demonstrations of its OxyGuard 40 next generation low temperature processes for the hospitality sector and its Restora process for the healthcare market attracted large crowds. The Restora formula (patent pending) removes the marks left by medical tapes, including adhesive residues, during the wash process.
The stand attracted visitors from Central, North and South America and also from Canada, Africa, China, Australia, Germany and Italy. As well as viewing recent innovations they had a chance to preview Ecolab's enVision, a central customer intelligence portal that will change the way laundries monitor, measure, process and control their operation and goods.
Other innovations, all trademarked, included TurboSolve, a solvenated detergent that can tackle heavy soiling but that does not contain volatile organic compounds, Nonylphenol, NPEs, or aromatic hydrocarbons and Luminate, an NPE-free formula to help food and beverage and hospitality laundries to remove organic soiling while also producing superior whiteness and brightness. Water and energy management systems now include the Aquabatch filter system designed to remove hair and lint from tunnel washers and AquaDrain, a bag filtration system to remove solids from the back flush water from the Aquabatch.
Xeros has developed a wash-system based on polymer beads rather than water. Jonathan Benjamin president of its US company said that was now aiming to bring polymer science to relevant markets internationally. So he would be spending time in the UK and Europe as well as the US.
At the last count it had 80 installations worldwide but Benjamin said the number was now well ahead of that figure. To date the target markets include industrial laundries, retail drycleaners, hotels, and fitness centres. The focus has been on making sure that every business that adopts the Xeros system stays with it. "We're a service company as much as a technology business."
Every machine needs the right package, and Xeros already has a detergent for use with the system. Benjamin said other additives might be available in future but that these would have to be approved by Xeros. It's important that we interact with customers, he added.
Although Xeros only has one size of washer, Benjamin stressed that the machine could cope with different load sizes.
It has also recently launched a dryer for the system as many customers were enquiring if one were available.
The dryer has 80lb (36kg) capacity and is well featured. As the company's strategy is based on being "green" it is said to be "state of the art" in that respect.
It uses a smaller burner (130kbtu compared with conventional designs, typically 250 - 300). Insulation helps to retain more heat. It operates on an axial flow.
Micross, the UK-based specialist in laundry logistics software enjoyed a very successful show.
Owners Janet and Nick Nelson said that by the third day they had prepared 11quotations.
One of the star projects in the last year had been the automating systems at Holy Cross Laundry in Brisbane, after the owners had moved to a new plant about three times the size of the previous site. This had been carried out in partnership with the conveyor specialist Dunnewolt.
Since the last Clean Show Micross had introduced a protocol that improves communication between washers and conveyors and allows full data exchange for the cost on an internet call.
The company will be using this in future installations to reduce costs.
Denis Begasse at Fanafel by Valmet was very happy with this show and said there had been many visitors to the stand.
Under the Valmet ownership it was business as usual. The company had shown a full range of ironer textiles, including ironer clothing, which includes heavy-duty, high-air permeability needlefelts. In particular Fanafel was presenting a development in ironer and feeder belts that had given these items a better grip.
As well as the textile products, the company can supply the consumables that are necessary for the ironer line.
Technische Textilien Lorrach?(TTL) manufactures synthetic needlefelts and other products to support the ironer line for the international market.
Managing director Thomas Lais said the company was exhibiting at the Clean Show for the first time and it was keen to establish a presence in the USA.
Talking to LCNi early on the third day, he said the first two had been quite good. "We are looking for distributors" and this is a good time to present ourselves and meet people. He said that after the show he would be in a position to see the best way to present the company on this continent.
Fred Luiks, sales manager, international, for Thermopatch was positive about the show and the venue. "I have met most of the people that I wanted to see."
The company produces labelling systems including printers and heat sealers and also a range of identity products. It celebrated its 80th birthday last year.
Luiks said he was excited about the potential for the company's TC HiQ thermal label. Components in the top coat help to prevent dye migrating into the label when the textile is cleaned. This development makes the label easier to scan as well as more presentable to the customer.

Kannegiesser
"Our company has a complete range of laundry equipment and systems but much more importantly, we can integrate, communicate, transfer data and synchronise functions within the line," said Martin Kannegiesser.
He explained that much of the company's work with customers was aimed at helping them maximise the logistics of the line. As an example he said that in UK laundries, on average only 50 - 60% of operatives' time is productive. "We need to raise that to 70 - 80% and this is a worldwide issue. Every interruption in a customer's operation is a "disaster" because each such event interrupts the whole chain of supply."
Martin Kannegiesser also stressed the importance of paying due attention to ergonomics and safety in the laundry production line. He said that this was not just a matter of philanthropy but of optimising productivity and he also pointed out that in some companies there could be legal implications if an employee became sick because the management had neglected these aspects of the workplace.
Phil Hart, president Kannegiesser USA, said that his company's team had increased in preparation for the show. "We've added personnel in sales and service and also in our parts organisation. Healthcare continues to be a prime focus but we also added customers in the key industrial laundry sector." He felt that the show had marked a strong resurgence in investment as laundries looked to automation to solve problems with both the availability and cost of labour. Summing up he said that this had been one of the most successful Clean Shows in over 20 years. This applied both to the numbers of visitors and the interest shown in terms of specific projects that these companies were involved in.
John Hacker, director of sales, Asia Pacific said more Chinese were travelling outside their homeland as they wanted to see how laundries in the west were operating.
Kannegiesser was expecting large numbers of Chinese visitors to the stand and highlighted recent trends in this market.
The number of central laundries is growing rapidly. Old laundries have problems as they can no longer use coal-fired boilers so installations of gas-heated ironers and dryers are increasing and this is making laundries more efficient in terms of energy use and processing times. The trend has been developing since autumn last year,
Exhibits covered all areas of the laundry and emphasised logistics and automation. Key areas included a 110kg ( 240lb) batch,
twelve-compartment tunnel washer - the sides had been removed to show detail. In finishing, the FMX cornerless feeder was set up to replicate a healthcare application that could achieve 1,300ppoh, and the Speedline towel folder was also an important feature.