INTERNATIONAL
As the doors were readied to swing open on the biggest textile care event Europe has seen since 2018, the organisers of EXPODetergo set out their stand saying that 250 exhibitors will present solutions and technologies to support laundries in tackling high bills that include:
• A show built around three main goals: sustainability, digitalisation and sanitisation
• Four days of networking and updating, dedicated to a fundamental sector that ensures quality and hygiene in hotels, restaurants, bars, hospitals and operating rooms
• The size of the Italian market: a turnover of 1.7 billion euros and more than 20,000 employees for industrial laundries; 1.3 billion euros and 48,052 employees for artisan laundries.
Linens from 2 million hotel rooms, tablecloths from 184,000 restaurants, sheets from 211,000 hospital beds and more than 600,000 uniforms of healthcare workers: these are the figures that summarise the yearly activity of industrial laundries (source: Assosistema 2022), without taking into account the contribution of neighbourhood businesses offering a service of high added value to each one of us. An essential industry for the continuity of some key sectors of our economy, that today, like so many other energy-intensive realities, is suffering the consequences of high energy bills and urgently calls for solutions to optimize its costs.
This is the context of the 2022 edition of EXPODetergo International, said the organisers, one of the world's most important events for the sector, dedicated to equipment, services and products for the textile care industry, 21 to 24 October at Fiera Milano.
“EXPOdetergo International 2022 will take place in a complex historical moment, in which our industry is particularly sensitive to the increase in energy costs. That’s why we need to act now, to prevent these critical issues from affecting essential public services such as hospitals and nursing homes, for which we are in the front line every day,” explained Marco Sancassani, president, EXPODetergo International – “However, I’m certain that concrete answers will come also from the exhibition: the new machines, together with more innovative processes, are designed to use less energy, allowing savings between 30% and 40%. In these times, having the courage to invest in innovation means being competitive in the market.”
“EXPODetergo International returns after four years to give voice to the best of world production. With 250 exhibiting companies, in fact, it reconfirms itself as a reference point for the sector, globally recognized as an event not to be missed. In the coming days, operators from all over the world will gather to discover what’s new in the field of laundries, because this is the place where the market can do business and networking,” added Simona Greco, exhibitions director, Fiera Milano.
Thanks to the presence of companies from all over the world (250 exhibitors, 33% of them from 22 foreign countries [to Italy]) and representatives from associations for the Italian market - Assofornitori, Assosistema, Assosecco, CNA and Confartigianato who bring their know-how to the exhibition, EXPODetergo International promises to be an unmissable moment for operators wanting to understand ongoing changes and develop new strategies.
The Italian scene
With a turnover of 1.7 billion euros and more than 20,000 employees, the world of industrial laundries represents an important sector for Italy, but above all it ensures the continuity of key sectors of our economy - tourism and catering - and provides essential services to hospitals. The numbers speak for themselves: in one year the sector sanitizes linens for 2 million hotel beds, manages tablecloths for 184,000 restaurants and, in the health sector, sanitises more than 211,000 beds and provides dresses to more than 600,000 health workers.
But the world of artisan laundries is no less important: in a country like ours, that has always prided itself on excellence in ironing and dry-cleaning technologies, there are 19,752 neighbourhood businesses, with 48,052 employees and a turnover of 1.3 billion euros (Source: Confartigianato Studies Office). A world often made up of one-man businesses - more than 6 in 10 are artisan businesses - that thrive on experience, expertise and the ability to manage customer relations.
The exhibition proposal
Three main topics characterise the exhibition proposal: sustainability, digitalisation and sanitisation. Nowadays, laundries are called upon to make a big change, which sees attention to the environment, digital evolution and guaranteedhygiene as the three cornerstnes that can contribute concretely to the growth of the sector.
Doing more with less has been the main goal of textile maintenance for some years now. Sustainability means maintaining maximum efficiency, hygiene and productivity with the lowest possible expenditure of energy, water and detergents. At the exhibition, many brands will focus on environmentally friendly and energy-saving solutions. Considering the actual increase in utility bills, today more than ever these solutions coming from investments in R&D and innovation are essential to ensure continuity for every business, whether small or large. From individual washing machines to big, automated lines, from detergents to chemical additives, the entire exhibition will describe the advantages and potential of an increasingly green business.
But that’s not all. Today's latest generation machines are increasingly connected, able to reduce or eliminate the possibility of human error, to plan the management of an item from its arrival to delivery, to manage maintenance even remotely. Digitalisation, which is increasingly present due to the strong development of the sector, will characterise a large part of the proposals, ensuring ever more efficient operations and the possibility to keep the same personnel costs while increasing productivity.
The sense of health and wellness that we all feel when faced with cleanliness is a real contribution to one's well-being: the last few years were a clear example of the importance of this dimension, that becomes essential especially when dealing with hospitals and nursing homes, but also hotels and restaurants. The same goes for sanitisation, that has always been fundamental and has become even more essential today: the combination of latest generation machines, detergents and washing techniques will be described at the exhibition. A guarantee that is not just determined by existing regulations, but that has become a decisive element for its strong influence on customer's choices.
The exhibition will display the entire offer available on the market at international level: super-fast and energy-saving washing machines, ergonomic and more energy-efficient ironing systems, fully digitalised machines able to manage the washing/ironing chain even remotely, highly effective and environmentally friendly professional detergents, up to textile proposals (bedding and table linen) of high quality fabrics for rent.
Constantly focused on new and high-performance products, that are the result of investments in R&D in recent years, EXPODetergo International confirms its vocation: giving space to excellence with a proposal dedicated to the best solutions in the world for cleaning, sanitizing and fabric treatment. A showcase that, as always, will also allow operators to have a look at various machines in operation.
