Modern drycleaning machines are much more efficient, use less solvent and energy and can bring significant benefits to a drycleaning business. The key is to choose the right machine for the business.
Since the Solvent Emissions Directive (SED) became law in the UK, drycleaners have had to ensure that their drycleaning equipment meets the regulations or face the threat of being refused a licence to operate.
Although the need to comply with the SED has been one of the chief reasons for machine replacement, Paul Higgs at Dane Realstar says that drycleaners are now purchasing new machines with a view to reducing running costs.
However, he adds that: “The present economic climate has reduced the number of “new-start” shops as finance for this type of business is increasingly difficult to obtain.”
Nevertheless, James Holt of Parrisianne Drycleaning Solutions thinks that the situation has improved in the last few months. Amongst those customers deciding to enter the drycleaning market for the first time, there is a growing segment of people who look at bringing the drycleaning function into a shop that was previously used as a reception/collection point.
Jason Alexander of Renzacci UK is in no doubt that SED is leading to a greater professionalisation of the industry, ensuring that those who are left in the business are those who will do the job properly, including complying with environmental regulations.
However, he does point out that it would be a mistake to assume that all currently installed drycleaning machines comply with the SED requirements.
He believes there is still a small number of drycleaning machines being operated that have so far escaped detection because the councils do not know that these businesses exist. He adds that in some cases, the environmental health personnel do not know enough about the drycleaning machines to ascertain whether the solvent consumption of a particular installation meets the requirements.
“However, councils are becoming more and more educated. We are seeing a number of drycleaners being forced to change their machines when it becomes apparent that their current equipment does not comply,” he says. “In some cases, drycleaners are being forced to close until they have installed replacements. Fines have been imposed in court for persistent non-compliance.”
He believes that the SED has been good for the industry. “Drycleaners will see that modern machinery is far more efficient, both in terms of energy and solvent usage and in terms of production times and the quality of the result.
He adds that it is a very simple exercise to show a drycleaner that by replacing a 15year old machine they will probably make more money each month, even taking the weekly or monthly finance repayments into account. Using a modern machine will allow the business to reduce energy, water and solvent bills, have less damage to garments and to process a wider range of garments.
Greater efficiency
Whilst machine choice may be guided by several factors – the need for greater efficiency, the type of solvent used and the level of after-sales support – operators may be tempted to make a decision based on price alone.
Higgs from Dane Realstar says that the answer to this is to explain all the benefits but with emphasis on the cost savings. “In our opinion price should not be the prime reason as the support and service of a well established company is worth that bit extra.”
According to Alexander at Renzacci UK there are encouraging signs of a consistent number of entrants to the market. “These are what I call “business minded people” – they do not have a shop-keeper mentality but have a plan to expand and grow the business, looking outside the initial catchment area.
“A real businessman who owns a drycleaners will look at all factors – greater efficiency leads to lower costs leading to better bottom-line profits,” adds Alexander.
One of those factors will be which solvent to use. Drycleaners upgrading their machines may want to review their choice of solvent. Businesses will be fully aware of the greater consumer demand for sustainable and environmentally-friendly drycleaning solutions.
Solvent of choice
However, at a time when drycleaning revenues have been hit by recession, can cleaners afford to switch from perc, the industry solvent of choice, to an alternative cleaning system?
Paul Higgs at Dane Realstar says that whilst all solvents have their place, “many drycleaners stay with perc as it has good cleaning properties and modern drycleaning machines are very efficient in terms of solvent and energy usage.”
He continues: “GreenEarth and hydrocarbon are a good solvents but require careful preparation of the garment before it is cleaned.
“With the longer process time the replacement machines tend to be of a larger capacity than the existing machines. Drycleaners are taking this extra cost into consideration before moving away from a well established solvent such as perc.”
Dane Realstar has recently added the Vision machine to its product line. Designed for use with alternative solvents such as hydrocarbon and GreenEarth, the Vision is a true immersion drycleaning machine that does not require steam or water. It has several features that enable drycleaners to process any type of garment, regardless of colour. It is controlled by a Pulsar microprocessor system that can memorise 20 different cleaning programs. Drying and solvent temperatures can be programmed for any cycle, eliminating the need for manual adjustment. Drum speeds are controlled by an electronic inverter drive motor, a standard feature of all Realstar machines. The Vision machine also has a dual filtration system that allows the cleaning of darks and lights without the need to change the solvent. Each solvent tank has its own individual dedicated filtration system, solvent lines and pump.
James Holt of Parrisianne says that most of the drycleaning machines sold in the UK are perc machines, although hydrocarbon is gaining in popularity in other parts of Europe. Parrisianne recently launched an energy-efficient hydrocarbon machine, the Union Nova, a low-cost machine, which is completely air-cooled, does not use water and, according to Holt, uses less than 4kW electricity per cycle.
Parrisianne has also recently launched the Union 8010. This is a 10kg drycleaning machine designed as a low-cost and compact alternative for those wanting to get a start in the industry. It has all the features currently available in the Union 800 range.
The company’s best sellers continue to be the three-tank and two-tank XL and XP range of machines.
Jason Alexander of Renzacci UK says solvents will comply with current SED regulations if used in a machine that is up-to-date and is well-maintained.
Solvent choice
In his view perc continues to tick all the boxes – it is a brilliant cleaner, it is cheaper to purchase and is tried and tested. “With the Renzacci Progress range, the level of control we have over this solvent is quite astounding – we can now clean many items in perc that only a few years ago would have been impossible to clean. The disadvantage is that perc can be a bit aggressive for certain items.”
Of the alternatives, Alexander personally favours hydrocarbon solvent, which is gentle to the clothes whilst retaining good cleaning power.”
But he adds that he would only specify a hydrocarbon model as the only machine in a business in exceptional circumstances – for example in a business or industry with a high volume of delicate garments. The downside to hydrocarbon is its cost – it is more expensive than perc and it costs more to process garments in terms of energy and water consumption.”
Does he feel that perc is perhaps compared unfavourably with other available solvents? Alexander argues that “green” solvents cost more to purchase, cost far more in terms of energy and water consumption and are still classified as VOCs so a drycleaner should look carefully and be aware of all these options before making a commitment.
On the subject of GreenEarth cyclosiloxanes solvent, Alexander says: “It is my personal opinion that this solvent costs a drycleaner more to process garments that hydrocarbon could easily handle.”
He adds:”If a client wants a machine with just GreenEarth solvent I will insist that we supply a multi-solvent machine to allow them to switch back to hydrocarbon if they choose. He claims that in every case where the company has supplied a GreenEarth machine, the client has switched back to hydrocarbon within six months.
“I think that this proves my argument that this solvent’s very low Kauri-butanol value (cleaning power) leads to more re-cleans, more spotting and as a result more energy and water consumption – as well as long cycle times.”
There appears to be no demand in the UK for multifunction machines. None of the suppliers in this country is currently promoting such machines to customers and suppliers say that they cannot see a market in the UK for machines that offer wet and drycleaning in the same machine.
Higgs says: “These machines are still in development and we don’t see a realistic use for them at the present time
Alexander adds: “To have one feature, you have to compromise on another – so you will not be getting the best of both worlds. I think that it is far better to have two stand-alone systems that work specifically with one method rather than trying to be a “jack of all trades. I cannot even remember having being asked to quote for one.
Value for money
Higgs at Dane Realstar believes that a drycleaner should be looking for a machine that gives value for money – not just a cheap machine. They need to get equipment that suits the business both now and in years to come he says.
Alexander agrees. “Renzacci UK only supplies the top end of the market machinery and these machines are designed and built, not only to last and be more efficient than any other machine, but also to allow the operator to carry out their tasks to the best of their abilities.”
Renzacci UK is also able to offer the industry a comprehensive financing solution – it has very close links with leading underwriters and banks, as well as expertise in processing Carbon Trust loans. Alexander says that these are increasingly becoming more and more popular.
The Carbon Trust offers
interest-free loans to small- and medium-sized businesses for upgrades to more energy-efficient equipment, where it will lead to real energy savings.
“Naturally the barriers to entry are now a lot tougher, but we usually can find a solution to help a drycleaner with their new purchase,“ says Alexander.
He also points out that Renzacci UK has always prided itself on its unrivalled after-sales support – whether via the telephone support facility offered to customers or via its engineering teams.
“Naturally it costs a bit more to have an after-sales force like this in place but this is where the real businessman will see through the cheap machinery and the often poor after-sales service. If your drycleaning machine is out of action for three days or more waiting for an engineer or a part, think how much this costs the business.
“These are all details that the drycleaner should look at when making their minds up about a new machine – a cheap price does not in the long term lead to savings – as the saying goes “you pay for what you get!”