Together professionals can make a difference

The Professional Textile Care (PTC) industry worldwide now recognises that there is a strong need for modernisation and greater professionalism in developing more services and business concepts.

There is still a perception in some quarters that drycleaning has become synonymous with a lack of service and isn’t environmentally-friendly, given the industry’s use of solvents.

Laundry is seen as the world’s second oldest profession and the term is viewed as old-fashioned.

Within individual countries the PTC industry seems a pretty small business but we have to realise that it is a global industry where practitioners worldwide clean similar types of material, using very similar processes, mainly with the same machines and using the same solvents. Throughout the world it represents a substantial turnover and investment.

Global market

North America and Europe are similar both in terms of market size and number of outlets. Japan has a considerable market with almost 38,000 outlets. China is growing rapidly and now has over 60,000 outlets with a combined value of b8billion.

In round terms, the global PTC industry, excluding parts of Asia, South America and the African continent, has over 210K outlets and a turnover of Euro20billion.

Last year, in co-operation with the national associations, the European Textile Services Association undertook a study on textile services and estimated a European market size of b10 billion is the largest market followed by Germany, France and the UK.

In Italy the average consumer spend on drycleaning is over b20 per inhabitant each year, which is approximately double that of other European countries.

Eastern Europe represents only 10% of the turnover. These countries were growing rapidly before the economic crisis but there has been a severe fall since.

The Italian market still has a very large number of outlets. Numbers in other countries are much lower, but the size of the businesses is much larger. The largest companies are found in Germany where the turnover averages b286,000 per unit per year.

The size of the companies in Eastern Europe is also considerable.

In summary, Western Europe has relatively mature markets. Here companies are developing additional products and services such as specialisation in specific treatments and the handling of other textiles as well as garments. There is also a sharper focus on fresh market segments – for example, services to business to business customers, homes for the elderly, the hotel sector and public services.

Direct contact with customers is a key driver in the market and professionalism is becoming more and more important.

Large franchise organisations such as 5àSec, Pressto and Fornet have developed into international companies with hundreds of shops and are still growing in spite of the economic crisis.

Fresh competition is coming from businesses such as the Lever Industrial (a supplier of household products worldwide), Lindegas (liquid CO2 marketing concepts) and Men’s Wearhouse (USA garment retailer).

At the same time, government regulation is increasing and is heavily focussed on health, safety and the environment. This environmental pressure tends to lead to an increase in processing costs and as there is also a continuous pressure on prices, there is a need for larger scale operations.

The textile care industry also needs to improve its image so that more customers see professional textile care as a modern service industry.

The situation in Eastern Europe is quite different from that in the West. Until the present financial crisis, market development was booming. These countries are still investing in perc and also other technologies, though still on a much smaller scale compared with Western Europe. However, investment will also be very difficult for these countries in the near future.

Nevertheless, Cinet believes the current crisis will not last long and that the recovery will start in 2010 – 2011, though the rate of recovery will be slower than that of the downturn.

Drycleaning processes

Perc is still by far the most important solvent in Europe. Hydrocarbon has well established presence in some countries.

The environmental pressure in Western Europe will encourage the use of hydrocarbon, liquid CO₂ (in Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries) and cyclosiloxanes such as GreenEarth (in the UK and Belgium).

It will also lead to growth in wetcleaning. In spite of the economic pressure, the environmental influence will grow rapidly, especially in the mature major European PTC markets and the industry cannot ignore this influence for much longer.

PTC innovation

In the circumstances outlined, the PTC industry needs to adapt its approach.

Looking at market opportunities and innovation, Cinet sees a big development in business concepts that specialise in specific user groups, market sectors and services.

This will require entrepreneurs to decide which businesses can be developed to ensure growth and a profitable future. They will have to choose between investing in higher quality or concentrating on lower prices. Businesses will have to decide whether or not to adopt new solvents and cleaning technologies and in less labour intensive finishing. They will have to decide whether they want to handle new textiles and if so how they should do so. They will need to look at developing different logistic solutions such as pick-up and delivery systems and RFID labelling.

In the mid- to long-term, Cinet forecasts that customers will demand guaranteed quality in the service provided, with certification as a proof of quality.

So there will be more businesses committed to delivering services that satisfy customers and this will lead to greater professionalism.

PTC organisations will operate on a much larger scale and with greater objectives, aiming to present themselves as professional suppliers delivering innovative services to both consumer and business-to-business customers.

One example of the many initiatives set up to develop the PTC business, was the study carried out last year in the Netherlands by the international accountancy company Ernst & Young. This study developed a tool to support the process of business strategy development for individual companies. Looking at how the PTC industry might operate in 2015, it identified the following factors as key drivers:

•customer ownership

• textile cleaning’s share of the consumer’s budget

• and the economic perspective.

Fashion care

Based upon this study, the Dutch drycleaners’ association Netex established a project to set up a FashionCare & Corporate Image Forum, in line with the FashionCare concept developed in Germany. The project’s main focus is to improve the industry’s quality and its professional image. It involves co-operation within the supply chain. Drycleaners, retailers, manufacturers and their respective trade associations will have to commit to agreed standards in their relations with the public and in their own performance.

In this Dutch agreement the PTC industry is committed to sustainable processing by guaranteeing safe environmentally-friendly working methods, energy-saving programmes and the step-by-step phasing out of perc from 2010 to 2025.

This open agreement requires improved applications and implementation of web-based commercial initiatives and tools similar to the ones existing on many USA websites.

Further, the FashionCare Forum will require its members to meet certain standards in business design and presentation to promote a professional quality image country-wide.

Cinet supports developments of current and future business

models by providing information on these developments, which addresses key issues as

how to deliver and set up a PTC service guarantee.

One example is an initiative by the Spanish association Gremi de Tintorers i Bugaders which was presented at the PTCA Conference at the Jet show in Paris.

E-Dryclean

So how can quality performance be guaranteed? How can sustainability be determined? How can we introduce safe working procedures and standards for health and the environment that will be applicable to the whole of Europe? The European project, E-Dryclean was established to address these questions. Its aims include:

• establishing a European reference for safe and environmentally-friendly working conditions

• establishing widely available

web-based educational/training modules

• compliance with legislation in Europe – the VOC directive as well as a new soil directive, which is being prepared

Cinet is working on the E-Dryclean project with 14 partners in seven countries, including:

• textile research institutes

• international textile and solvent organisations

• national and European drycleaning associations

• a training centre in textile care

• and machine producers.

Cinet strongly believes in the benefits of joining forces and combining resources to take advantage of the many new opportunities in the future. Together we can make a difference.

North America and Europe are similar both in terms of market size and number of outlets. Japan has a considerable market with almost 38,000 outlets. China is growing rapidly and now has over 60,000 outlets with a combined value of b8billion.

In round terms, the global PTC industry, excluding parts of Asia, South America and the African continent, has over 210K outlets and a turnover of b20billion.

Last year, in co-operation with the national associations, the European Textile Services Association undertook a study on textile services and estimated a European market size of b10 billion is the largest market followed by Germany, France and the UK.

In Italy the average consumer spend on drycleaning is over b20 per inhabitant each year, which is approximately double that of other European countries.

Eastern Europe represents only 10% of the turnover. These countries were growing rapidly before the economic crisis but there has been a severe fall since.

The Italian market still has a very large number of outlets. Numbers in other countries are much lower, but the size of the businesses is much larger. The largest companies are found in Germany where the turnover averages b286,000 per unit per year.

The size of the companies in Eastern Europe is also considerable.

In summary, Western Europe has relatively mature markets. Here companies are developing additional products and services such as specialisation in specific treatments and the handling of other textiles as well as garments. There is also a sharper focus on fresh market segments – for example, services to business to business customers, homes for the elderly, the hotel sector and public services.

Direct contact with customers is a key driver in the market and professionalism is becoming more and more important.

Large franchise organisations such as 5àSec, Pressto and Fornet have developed into international companies with hundreds of shops and are still growing in spite of the economic crisis.

Fresh competition is coming from businesses such as the Lever Industrial (a supplier of household products worldwide), Lindegas (liquid CO2 marketing concepts) and Men’s Wearhouse (USA garment retailer).

At the same time, government regulation is increasing and is heavily focussed on health, safety and the environment. This environmental pressure tends to lead to an increase in processing costs and as there is also a continuous pressure on prices, there is a need for larger scale operations.

The textile care industry also needs to improve its image so that more customers see professional textile care as a modern

service industry.

The situation in Eastern Europe is quite different from that in the West. Until the present financial crisis, market development was booming. These countries are still investing in perc and also other technologies, though still on a much smaller scale compared with Western Europe. However, investment will also be very difficult for these countries in the near future.

Nevertheless, Cinet believes the current crisis will not last long and that the recovery will start in

2010 – 2011, though the rate of recovery will be slower than that of the downturn.

Drycleaning processes

Perc is still by far the most important solvent in Europe. Hydrocarbon has well established presence in some countries.

The environmental pressure in Western Europe will encourage the use of hydrocarbon, liquid CO2 (in Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries) and cyclosiloxanes such as GreenEarth (in the UK and Belgium).

It will also lead to growth in wetcleaning. In spite of the economic pressure, the environmental influence will grow rapidly, especially in the mature major European PTC markets and the industry cannot ignore this influence for much longer.

PTC innovation

In the circumstances outlined, the PTC industry needs to adapt its approach.

Looking at market opportunities and innovation, Cinet sees a big development in business concepts that specialise in specific user groups, market sectors and services.

This will require entrepreneurs to decide which businesses can be developed to ensure growth and a profitable future. They will have to choose between investing in higher quality or concentrating on lower prices. Businesses will have to decide whether or not to adopt new solvents and cleaning technologies and in less labour intensive finishing. They will have to decide whether they want to handle new textiles and if so how they should do so. They will need to look at developing different logistic solutions such as pick-up and delivery systems and

RFID labelling.

In the mid- to long-term, Cinet forecasts that customers will demand guaranteed quality in the service provided, with certification as a proof of quality.

So there will be more businesses committed to delivering services that satisfy customers and this will lead to greater professionalism.

PTC organisations will operate on a much larger scale and with greater objectives, aiming to present themselves as professional suppliers delivering innovative services to both consumer and business-to-business customers.

One example of the many initiatives set up to develop the PTC business, was the study carried out last year in the Netherlands by the international accountancy company Ernst & Young. This study developed a tool to support the process of business strategy development for individual companies. Looking at how the PTC industry might operate in 2015, it identified the following factors as key drivers:

• customer ownership

• textile cleaning’s share of the consumer’s budget

• and the economic perspective.

Fashion care

Based upon this study, the Dutch drycleaners’ association Netex established a project to set up a FashionCare & Corporate Image Forum, in line with the FashionCare concept developed in Germany. The project’s main focus is to improve the industry’s quality and its professional image. It involves co-operation within the supply chain. Drycleaners, retailers, manufacturers and their respective trade associations will have to commit to agreed standards in their relations with the public and in their own performance.

In this Dutch agreement the PTC industry is committed to sustainable processing by guaranteeing safe environmentally-friendly working methods, energy-saving programmes and the step-by-step phasing out of perc from 2010 to 2025.

This open agreement requires improved applications and implementation of web-based commercial initiatives and tools similar to the ones existing on many USA websites.

Further, the FashionCare Forum will require its members to meet certain standards in business design and presentation to promote a professional quality image country-wide.

Cinet supports developments of current and future business models by providing information on these developments, which addresses key issues as

how to deliver and set up a PTC service guarantee.

One example is an initiative by the Spanish association Gremi de Tintorers i Bugaders which was presented at the PTCA Conference at the Jet show in Paris.

E-Dryclean

So how can quality performance be guaranteed? How can sustainability be determined? How can we introduce safe working procedures and standards for health and the environment that will be applicable to the whole of Europe? The European project, E-Dryclean was established to address these questions. Its aims include:

• establishing a European reference for safe and environmentally-friendly working conditions

• establishing widely available web-based educational/training modules

• compliance with legislation in Europe – the VOC directive as well as a new soil directive, which is being prepared.

Cinet is working on the E-Dryclean project with 14 partners in seven countries, including:

• textile research institutes

• international textile and solvent organisations

• national and European drycleaning associations

• a training centre in textile care

• and machine producers.

Cinet strongly believes in the benefits of joining forces and combining resources to take advantage of the many new opportunities in the future. Together we can make a difference.