Choosing a solution that suits your business

12 August 2014



With the wide options now available to textile care professionals, suppliers are working closely with cleaners to help them identify which machine is right for their business. Tony Vince reports


The purchase of a drycleaning machine represents a long-term investment. Although the 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 look to make a decision based upon cleaning ability.
Perchloroethylene (perc) remains the solvent of choice for the majority of the UK's professional cleaners. They can also now choose from cleaning systems that are based on silicone, hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide (CO2). In addition wetcleaning is gaining favour.
One of the major factors in deciding on which machine to purchase should be the quality of service and cost of spare parts, according to Alex Reid, the UK-based laundry and drycleaning specialists. Many clients focus on the cost of the purchase and do not take into consideration the "lifetime" cost of the machine, says the company.
These costs can vary considerably and could run into thousands of pounds over the lifetime of the machine.
Matt Dowse at Parrisianne Dry Cleaning Solutions recommends that where the budget allows for the acquisition of a new machine, then this is the best route for cleaners to take. "This is your most important piece in the jigsaw," he says.
Sheila Higgs from Dane Realstar advises cleaners to purchase a good quality machine, backed by good service and spares part support.
"Purchase from a reputable company, a company that is part of the SLEAT (Society of Laundry Engineers & Allied Trades) Code of Practice, for peace of mind!" she adds.
Price is still an important issue, says Jason Alexander, managing director at Renzacci UK. "We advise customers not to compromise on quality. There are numerous ways to finance investments and coupled with tax breaks investing in new machine can be more than manageable. At Renzacci we offer our customers finance option where they can pay monthly for their equipment over fixed terms. This allows customers to start using the machinery to work for them and generate income which helps to pay for itself."
The choice of processes available in which to clean textiles has increased, which is good for the drycleaner, says says Martyn Lewis, special projects manager at the Textile Services Association (TSA). "The manufacturers are certainly more than able to supply a machine to clean garments pretty much with anything. The issue is what suits the drycleaner and their capabilities to adjust to process changes."
Feedback from drycleaning members indicates that the UK market is finally showing indications of improved turnover in line with high street spending says Lewis. "Curtains are being cleaned, garments cleaned before putting away as the weather has improved, and with it the nights are warming up so duvets are undergoing laundering. The bell weather of the high street is basically indicating that things are indeed getting better."
Lewis says most new start businesses would be best advised to look at machinery using the latest technology. However, funding still remains an issue.
"Generally we are hearing that the key is a sound business plan with a reasonable personal investment from the borrower, thereby ensuring that the bank is not being over exposed to the risk of failure," he says and cautions: "It pays to shop around for the best deal whilst making sure the business is borrowing the minimum amount it can reasonable affords to pay."
Lewis says the issue of environment and ethics continues to have a bearing on the industry, which has made massive inroads into reducing its use of solvents, led by legislation and closely followed by more efficient machinery.
"The biggest issue facing anyone looking to either setup in drycleaning or looking to replace an existing cleaning machine is what solvent they should use," says Lewis. "On a global scale, whilst perc has been under attack for a considerable number of years, there is still no sign of it either being banned or production ceasing. So the general thought is that the industry still has a rolling 10-year period to use perc, underlined by the Solvent Emissions Directive." Mainland Europe appears to be moving towards the greater use of hydrocarbon or aqueous cleaning, or wetcleaning, says Lewis. "Whilst here in the UK we have been aware of the increased use of hydrocarbons and wet cleaning, this has not been in the same scale as mainland Europe. We also have the benefit of using the GreenEarth process, which whilst expanding into mainland Europe is more prevalent in the UK," he adds.
No popularly used solvent is 100% green, according to Jason Alexander at Renzacci UK, who says that there has been increasing conversations within the industry regarding greener processes over the last 18 months.
"We still stand by the fact that perc is still an outstanding cleaning agent," he says. "We constantly remind our customers of the importance of regular maintenance and servicing of machines to ensure they comply with legislation. Perc and other alternative solvents like hydrocarbon, GreenEarth and SystemK4 are classed as volatile organic compounds (VOC) and therefore fall under the Solvents Emissions Directive.
"At Renzacci we constantly strive to provide our customers with the right information to make informed decisions," he adds.
Claire Butteriss, the owner of Castle Dry Cleaners in Bournemouth chose one of Renzacci's Nebula machines "as a way increasing potential business by promoting a greener alternative." It was installed after she decided to replace an existing aging perc drycleaning machine. Claire Butteriss says she looked into a hydrocarbon machine because they use a gentler solvent but also wanted a good price for the equipment. "We loved the modern look and design of the Renzacci Nebula, with the lights being especially attractive and eye catching to our customers. We also like the fact that the machine has touch screen controls and many high spec features. The machine helps us bring our business into the 21st century."
Jason Alexander added: "We were delighted to work with Castle Dry Cleaners and ensured we gave them the right amount of information to be able to make an informed decision. The Nebula is a fantastic machine with very little maintenance requirements and can reduce the running costs to £1 per load, which is outstanding value."
The choice of machinery used to clean the garments is one of the most important decisions that a business owner must make, according to Matt Dowse at Parrisianne. A cleaner has several considerations to take into account - the initial cost, installation cost, spare parts and servicing and whether a business should opt for new or refurbished machinery. If drycleaning is preferred over wetcleaning, should the solvent be perc or an alternative?
"Method and chemicals are just part of the decision," he says. "It is also important to think about economy and efficiency of the machine and of course the longevity."
Parrisianne supplies a solution for all types of cleaning, perc and multisolvent drycleaning machines as well as wetcleaning systems.
Traditionally perc has been the choice of solvent but in recent years the emergence of new alternative solvents such as SolvonK4 and the growing popularity of wetcleaning have seen a shift in mindset for many cleaners.
Parrisianne's partnership with Union of Italy dates back to the 1980's. The company is recognised as a leader in the field of drycleaning, says Dowse, renowned for its leadership in the field of research and development for new products and processes.
The 8000 series of Union drycleaning machines are available in 10-25kg capacities in both perc and alternative solvent format, with slim or wide, two tank versions or wide three tank versions offered.
The latest addition to the 8000 series is the K range, originally designed to work with SystemK4 solvent and soaps developed by Kreussler, but more recently proving its worth as a true multisolvent with the capability to work with hydrocarbon and cyclosiloxanes (D5/GreenEarth).
Parrisianne currently has five Union 8000 Series K Range machines working in the UK with a further two due.
Union's Nova is the company's most economic machine currently available, incorporating two independent cleaning systems in a single machine, the first for cleaning dark garments and the second for lighter coloured or white garments.
As solvent distillation is not required, there is no distillation unit. The Nova also has an extremely low electrical consumption - a 35lb machine is said to use 4.9kw per cycle compared with up to 16-18kw for a perc or standard multisolvent machine.
One Parrisianne customer, Mr Khalid Zuberi of Kesgrave Cleaners, Suffolk switched from a perc machine to the Nova series and is delighted with the choice he made.
"My perc machine was using up to 26kw electricity and 280litres of water per cycle including extra drying," he says. "Now I only use a maximum of 5kw electricity and no water - as a result, my utility bills are £300 per month cheaper."
Alex Reid supplies a wide range of drycleaning machines from Firbimatic, the Italian manufacturer.
The Firbimatic F range with a smaller capacity of 10kg to 15kg is available in both perc and alternative solvents, with both slimline two tank and wide three tank versions.
The larger capacity Vortex range of drycleaning machines (all solvents) start at 18kg and extend up to 60kg.
Vortex technology significantly increases the induction flow of both air and solvent vapour into the recovery chamber. This gives shorter overall cycle times and increased production.
All of these machines are fitted with the Firbimatic's automated chemical injection pump that can be programmed. The Smart-10 microprocessor provides operators with controls for fully automatic operation of cleaning, drying and distillation cycles.
The Firbimatic Ecogreen Saver multiple solvent series is designed to maximise savings by lowering utility usage such as water and electricity. The Saver uses an innovative cleaning technology to bring out the best results in dark and white garment cleaning using two separate and independent filtration systems.
The machine uses a high-tech filtration combination of nylon spinning disc filters and a special decanter with filtering powder to purify acids. Because the Saver filtration system does not use conventional distillation, there are further savings in labour, electricity, water and maintenance costs.
The Saver range can be supplied in capacities from 10kg - 40kg. After-sales support is all-important and Alex Reid employs 13 service technicians who operate from fully equipped, satellite tracked vans that carry a large stock of key parts. The service desk is manned five days per week with out of hours support via a standby service and includes full weekend service coverage. The team uses the latest engineering support software from Red Zebra, which provides comprehensive scheduling and parts tracking capability.
Alex Reid says it stocks over £400,000 of "affordable" parts that can be dispatched direct to the customer on a next day service and provides customers with an efficient service and parts solution at affordable prices.
Sheila Higgs from Dane Realstar says there are signs of growth but customers are showing extreme caution when purchasing new machines. She suggests that a new start drycleaner "is better off starting with a new machine because it's the latest technology."
The ethical stance on which solvents to use is a valid one, says Higgs but adds that the drycleaner needs to be realistic on maintenance procedures.
"If he is prepared to be vigilant with hydrocarbon or GreenEarth, these solvents are felt to be more environmentally friendly," says Higgs. However, perc machines are still the option mostly considered by the drycleaners, she adds. "With the current technological advances on perc machines, this is the solvent with the best cleaning properties."
Andrew Cullen, who has an existing drycleaners in Buckingham, did extensive research when opened a new shop in a Sainsbury's supermarket site in Bicester.
He ordered the equipment from Dane Realstar after several meetings with Nicholas Higgs, havoing also contacted several existing satisfied Dane customers for references.
The equipment supplied for the new site is a Realstar R215 perc machine with Sidi Mondial finishing cabinet, press and spotting table. The site uses a Metalprogetti conveyor, also supplied by Dane Realstar. "I looked at various companies before purchasing my new equipment," says Cullen. "I liked the equipment offered by Dane Realstar and found that they had a good reputation within the industry.

REPLACING A PERC MACHINE: The team at Castle Dry Cleaners in Bournemouth replaced the store's existing perchloroethylene drycleaning machine with the Renzacci Nebula machine pictured

 

REPLACING A PERC MACHINE


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