Drycleaning finishing

User friendly, efficient with quality results

1 June 2010



Drycleaners want finishing equipment that is easy to use and helps to achieve high productivity but there is also renewed emphasis on quality. Janet Taylor reports


Two trends seem to dominate the UK drycleaning finishing market.

In recent years drycleaners have increasingly made ease of use a priority, seeking equipment that relatively unskilled staff can be trained to use in a short time and that is capable of achieving high production rates. Now, however, suppliers are noticing some return to a more traditional approach to attain the quality customers want.

There are several types of equipment and Stephen Pick at Sermac, the UK distributor for Veit in Germany, says that the choice is a personal one that depends on the cleaner’s type of business, the staff’s skills and the customers’ requirements.

Many high street drycleaners still favour the traditional scissor press and in the hands of a skilled operator it is a versatile piece of equipment that can produce top quality results.

Veit has recently re-introduced a range of automatic presses in both a traditional scissor style (model 8910) and “fastback” design 8920). These are available with universal or legger bucks.

Some drycleaners will prefer an ironing table as operators can be trained to use them more quickly and may find them easier to use.

The Varioline ironing table is a recent introduction to the Veit range, which provides excellent value, says Pick. It follows the modular style of the company’s established CR2 model but has manual controls for suction and blowing.

Smaller dress boards or a square table can be fitted as an option.

A further choice is the rotor cabinet, which can finish jackets and trousers to a reasonable standard. It is compact and encloses the garment when steaming but the garments will need further attention after steaming to achieve the best results. This applies particularly to jacket linings, says Pick.

Formers, such as the Veit Multiforms, and trouser toppers used alongside an ironing table will allow inexperienced operators to achieve high productivity and high quality standards.

Paul Higgs at Dane Realstar, which distributes Sidi finishing equipment, says that user friendliness has been a longstanding trend that began with the introduction of what he calls “the plug-in shop – the drycleaning machine, the cabinet and the ironing table.”

Recently though, Higgs has seen a slight shift to “old fashioned” standards where quality of finish is top priority. Many shops are now installing formers and presses to give their customers a much higher standard of finish and many operators are re-training in the use of the press.

Jason Alexander of Renzacci UK also believes there has been a change of attitude.

Where once cleaners wanted “anything to get the job done” they now have a more professional approach with a greater focus on quality of the result as well as ease of use for the operator.

Alexander’s company is seeing greater demand for professional spotting tables, such as the

Pony Jolly, as drycleaners are more knowledgable about the correct installation and usage requirements for such machines. A good result requires not only that the garment is well finished and presented but also that it is stain-free.

James Holt of Parrisianne Drycleaning Solutions also recognises that drycleaners want equipment that will make their life easier and the business more cost effective. Holt says his own answer is that garments are always easier to finish if they are pre-conditioned before the final finish.

He points to two particular options – the Ghidini Rotor cabinet, which can handle trousers, jackets, top coats, skirts or dresses, or the Sankosha DF100 rotary former for jackets, coats, dresses etc plus the Sankosha 740 trouser topper.

Both sets of equipment are easy to use, even by operators who are new to the job as they can be quickly trained to a standard where they produce excellent results and achieve high production rates, says Holt.

The main difference between the two is space. The Rotor cabinet will take-up slightly less space than the former and topper and it can also be supplied with its own boiler which is available in element ratings of 12 – 18kW.

The Sankosha DF100 Rotary former is a high quality machine.

It features a double tensioning system which the operator can select to assist if required.

This will hold the garment in position for steaming and drying cycles and this may be considered an advantage over the cabinet where the garments are simply hung then left to finish.

The DF100 also provides automatic tail clamping with four different settings. The former’s rotary function allows the garment to be turned by 180degrees then back again, allowing the operator to inspect both the front and rear of the garment before the cycle starts.

The former’s height can also be adjusted either to accommodate longer garments or to help operators load it more easily.

At Renzacci UK, Alexander believes that customers want equipment that can be used for several types of garment.

The company distributes the Pony range of finishing equipment and Alexander highlights in particular the Silver SV finishing table which has a large buck and also provides vacuum, blow and steam functions as well as including a professional steam-heated iron. It can be used for a wide range of garments from dresses to overcoats to jumpers and also for providing a shirt service.

Alexander also says that his company is starting to see more demand for presses to be installed to use alongside a finishing table.

Presses are more expensive to run and also need more skill and training to operate but with the right operator they produce excellent results and this is in line with the return to quality.

For cleaners that want to use a cabinet finisher, he recommends the Pony Cosmos-E cabinet which is economical to run and also produces a good result.

The cabinet will handle most types of garment – jackets, coats skirts, overcoats and trousers. It is simple to use.

Garments are loaded at the front, the revolving door is turned 180degrees and then the full steaming, forming and relaxation processes are carried out automatically, either using a pre-set program or one that has been set manually by the operator.

At the end of cycle garments will be 95% crease-free and all that is needed is a final touch-up on the ironing table and in the case of trousers to iron-in the crease.

Dane Realstar’s portfolio of Sidi equipment includes automatic and manual presses in line with the greater demand for presses that the company is now seeing.

Presses are available either as a self-contained unit with electronic boiler or they can be connected to a central boiler.

Presses can also be supplied with an iron and all-steam or steam-electric irons are available.

The Sidi range also offers a large selection of ironing tables.

This includes the Venus range of electrically-heated tables, the Nova range of tables with both vacuum and blow functions and the

TA792 model which allows the table’s height to be adjusted to suit the operator.

Higgs says that the Sidi S931S tables are a popular choice with many drycleaners. The S931S offers vacuum only and vacuum/blowing options while the top of this range offers a steam function as well as vacuum and blowing.

All tables can be supplied with steam/electric or all-steam irons.

Pick at Sermac outlines some of the features that are proving popular on the Veit machines. The CR2 and Varioline tables both provide a powerful suction that sets the ironed finish into the fabric before it has a chance to degrade.

The blowing function is equally powerful and allows delicate items such as jacket linings to be ironed without leaving any marks.

The 8356 Multiform will handle jackets or polo shirts and also coats up to 160cm in length.

The 8741 trouser-topper provides tensioning during steaming to produce a quality result. It has a built-in drive system that allows the degree of tension set to be repeated accurately.

An anti-stretch function is standard on the length and optional on the waistband.

The clamps can be fitted either inside the hem or outside depending on whether jeans or more formal trousers are being finished.

Choice of equipment can also be influenced by factors such as available space, delivery times and of course supplier back-up

in respect of training and maintenance. Many suppliers will train operators on site and may provide more intensive training where necessary.




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