INTERNATIONAL
Due to the impact of Covid-19 on its customers, the Jensen-Group has announced, in a report released 11 August, it achieved a revenue of €130.1 million in the first half of 2020, a decrease of 26.8% compared to the same period in 2019.
The company also announced it is launching a new concept for feeding garments into the handling and sorting area, which is particularly interesting for laundries processing patient gowns and other healthcare garments.
Pictured, right: Installation of a highly automated garment finishing and handling area at Bardusch’s laundry in Basel, Switzerland
Lockdown effect
Jensen explained the lockdown phases due to Covid-19 were differently timed around the globe, but from a business perspective, however, the lockdown and closing of many businesses have had the same tremendous impact on the laundry industry.
Markets
Governments are working hard on finding a good balance between supporting the tourism industry and trying to avoid a second wave. The outcome of this summer season will be an important indicator for hospitality laundries. Most laundries around the globe are still coping with the aftermath of Covid-19, but we start to see an increased market activity.
Fortunately, said Jensen, the public healthcare segment continues to invest, even though at the beginning of the lockdown, many hospitals cancelled elective surgery. The linen volumes in healthcare laundries are in many countries close to the level before Covid-19 hit the world. Also, laundries processing garments for the healthcare industry and for the F&B segment stayed busy.
Innovations`
Jensen is now launching a new concept for feeding garments into the handling and sorting area, which is particularly interesting for laundries processing patient gowns and other healthcare garments. With the new MetriQ feeding station, operators can always feed ‘button-to-the-front’, strongly increasing the PPOH and workplace ergonomics. This new feeding approach allows mixed production and simplifies the washing process – an efficiency improvement that will benefit healthcare laundries in these challenging times.
Robotics and laundry automation will remain key for the near future: the automated sorting of garments on the soil side with the Inwatec solutions are on the most advanced ways to protect operators in the reception area against exposure to infected linen. The automatic separation of garments with the Thor robot avoids direct contact of the operator with the linen. Reducing the human interaction to an absolute minimum, results in fewer physical injuries and infections.
Investments for a successful post-Covid era
It is impossible to make any predictions about the future. The much-needed recovery could be halted by a second or even third wave. Agility and the willingness to adapt to new economic frameworks and new social rules are now more important than ever before. In times of uncertainty and an economic slowdown, laundries trust on Jensen for its successful machines, its local presence and because they trust the brand that has been leading the industry now for 60 years: With a stock-quoted company like the Jensen Group, customers around the globe get full, immediate transparency on our financial structure. This gives us a clear performance advantage over straightforward machine manufacturers.
In addition to launching new products and solutions, the Jensen Group is strengthening its presence in certain markets with larger service teams, particularly in the German-speaking countries and in Scandinavia.
“As a machine supplier to the laundry industry, it is our obligation to provide laundries with consultancy and new solutions to protect their clients as well as their business. We are committed to support our customers in these difficult times and look forward to a speedy recovery of our businesses,” said Jesper Munch Jensen, CEO of the Jensen Group.
