Perfection at a price

What will the future of the international drycleaning market be? The answer may encompass far wider issues than drycleaning technology alone.

At Union in Italy, Gabriele Cuppini observes:“We are now accustomed to introducing new technology that is instantly demanded, in ever shortening timescales, by economic fashions and styles and trends.

“Fashion has especially challenged us in recent years with gorgeous dresses, tailored with special fabrics, many of which are damaged if not processed with suitably developed new drycleaning techniques. Some of these fabrics cannot even be processed with water let alone organic solvents,” he adds.

Additionally, launderers and drycleaners in every country are faced with escalating operating costs, high rents, increasing labour costs and other such expenses which influence a business’s profitability.

Union has responded with technological changes in its machines to meet changing needs. While there is no perfect system suitable for every garment, drycleaning problem and country, there can be a system that is relatively better than another because it can be adapted to meet a particular set of requirements.

These requirements do vary from country to country. For example, there was a strong resistance against the use of perc in Germany, even before legislation against this solvent came into effect in 1990. This resistance did not stop the use of perc in Germany, even if the machinery and running costs were made higher than elsewhere. But it is important to remember that advanced technology in machine manufacturing has helped.

Manufacturers are now producing user-friendly systems that are safer for operators, more environmentally friendly and more economical.

In the USA, there are currently approximately 33,000 laundry shops in a very solid and consolidated market. The use of perc has declined by 90% since the 1970s and is still decreasing.

Cuppini believes that if the current generation of perc machines been available in 1985, perc would not be viewed so negatively as it is today.

Giovanni De Muro of AmaLind agrees and says. “Perc was the solvent more used during the last twenty years. Then a campaign took place that linked perc to potential health risks and its non-biodegradable feature. But at the same time, machine manufacturers made remarkable improvements to the performance of their machines and installed systems that avoid environmental pollution.”

As the start of 2005, probably 85% of drycleaning machines are still designed for perc. Despite the criticism levelled against this solvent, it holds its dominant position. Union believes it will retain that dominance while machine manufacturing technology keeps up with legislative controls.

Designed for perc

Consequently the company has continued to develop its perc range. Its XL and XP series machines are supplied with a range of filtration systems and the Dialog computer system automatically selects the right filter for the chosen program. A further refinement has been the introduction of the Recuper Active carbon filter which removes the final traces of solvent vapour before the door is opened.

The machines are also designed to assist maintenance with programmed reminders to the operator to carry out basic tasks to allow the machine to perform to its optimum. The Dialog system has been extended with Dialog Plus which memorises individual settings is now standard on the L&P 800 and U2000 series.

It also has a full range of hydrocarbon machines from 14kg to 60kg, and a full range of machines suitable for the GreenEarth solvent, each built to meet the strictest regulations of the country where it will be used.

AmaLind’s De Muro believes the cleaning power of perc is superior to hydrocarbon solvent.

The adoption of hydrocarbon solvents forced the manufacturers, for security reason, to install devices on their machines against deflagration (due to the low flash point of the solvent). This makes hydrocarbon machines more expensive than their perc equivalents of the same size.

At Texcare last year the company introduced a new generation of machines including both perc and hydrocarbon machines. These introduced faster drying technology as well as space-saving designs.

Replacing machinery

Without doubt, the biggest obstacle to the future of the drycleaning industry is the capital cost of replacing old and obsolete machinery. A pretty close second will be maintaining sufficient skilled operators, particularly ones who can effectively treat and remove stains. Without these in place, no drycleaning outlet can survive, making the debate over what solvent they should use academic.

Certainly investing in multi-solvents machines has its advantages and makes sense.

Valerio Gatti of Firbimatic agrees there is currently a lot of interest in alternative solvent in many countries. He says that between 40% and 50% of sales in the US market are for multi-solvent machines, the same does not apply to Europe.

The majority of Firbimatic’s sales of alternative solvent machines are to Germany, the first European country to legislate against perc, and to Austria, Holland and Scandinavia. In other countries, perc remains the best seller while in Italy and Spain, sales of alternative solvents machines are rare.

The company’s technical developments take note of these trends and it aims to offer a choice. For example, it has introduced the Pure Water 22 system as an option for perc models to satisfy the water purification regulations that apply in some countries.

It continues though to develop alternative solvent machines. The Eco-Pro AM soft-mount multi-solvent machines are claimed to eliminate the difficulties of using alternatives. They have a suspended basket and a spin of over 300G to reduce cycle time. Gatti also believes all manufacturers should focus their attention on supporting distributors and customers.

Ian Hearle, general manager for Böwe Ltd in the UK puts a slightly different slant on the choice open to drycleaners. “The wise purchaser will compare carefully the machines in the same price and capacity brackets. Factors such as cage volumes, tank and still capacities, control capabilities, consumptions and longevity are as important as the initial price.”

Perc continues to be the solvent of choice in the UK, says Hearle. The company is currently marketing its 6th Generation range of perc machines. These are dimensionally smaller, larger in capacity, lower in energy and water consumption and lower in price than previous equivalents. The CS3000 computer control is used throughout and options include solvent refrigeration, emission-free rakeout, and an electronic balancing system.

The Power Drying system with smooth airflow, higher extraction and dynamic cage perforations has reduced cycles greatly.

With the latest multi-solvent machines, Böwe no longer differentiates between HC and other alternative solvents, the series being suitable for all class A III chlorine-free solvents with a flash point greater than 55C and that are lighter than water.

By simply changing software settings, all functions and processes are adjusted to the solvent chosen.