Lapauw, the Belgium-based manufacturer of heavy-duty laundry equipment, is driven by the wish to be at the forefront of technology.
The family-run firm was founded in 1933 by Camille Lapauw to make water pumps and compressors for the flax industry. It made its first laundry equipment in 1945 – a 500mm ironer that introduced the innovative concept of a flexible chest, to give better roll-to-bed contact and improve productivity and quality, to the market.
Later his son Romain joined and today he and his sons Yves and Dominique are all chairmen of the company. The family tradition continues as Yves’ daughter has just started in the accounts department. Further, it remains an independent company, and one that is still technology-led.
“We are a small group,” says Dominique Lapauw. “We take care of customers, making high quality equipment. It’s not our desire to become multinational.”
“We have been in the forefront of technology, the first with a flexible chest ironer, using a hinged design that is still employed today on steam heated models, and the first with a large roll ironer (1,200mm) and later with a 1,600mm roll machine.” In 1995 it produced the first gas-heated ironer.
Both the Lapauw brothers have an engineering background and are very involved with the whole business of production, often devising engineering-based solutions to meet a specific customer’s requirements.
This personal control over production is a strong part of the business strategy.
All machine components that are specific to the company’s designs – chests, rolls, side frames, springs and washer-extractor drums are made by Lapauw.
This is not only because the company wants the highest quality but because it allows a more flexible approach to service.
Much of the machinery used in manufacturing process has been adapted by the Lapauws.
For example, Lapauw’s larger ironers use individual springs and both the machines that drill the holes and attach the springs have been designed by the Lapauws.
Wim Demayer, export sales manager says: “We use individual springs first because it keeps the vents clear, and second because if a spring is damaged, an individual spring can be replaced without having to replace a whole length.”
This engineering-based approach combined with the company’s complete control over the manufacturing process contributes to a main strength of the customer service. For it means that Lapauw can respond to individual requests as and when they occur, on a one-off basis. “We don’t have to wait for similar requests.” Indeed, this individuality extends to the way production is arranged. Machines are made to order, and not kept on stock for two or three years.
The company’s business has grown. Its ironer range, available with steam, gas or electric heating includes two/three roll models of 600mm and 800mm diameter and ironers of 900mm, 1,200mm and 1,600mm diameter in one, two and three roll versions.
The flexible chest is employed throughout. Steam heated models use the original hinged design, as the chests need to be made of thick material as they are subject to high pressures and steam is corrosive. Gas and electric heated machines use thermal oil circulation and therefore are not subject to corrosion or heavy pressures. For these, a one-piece chest, thin enough to be flexible, is suitable.
Lapauw’s range includes washer-extractors from 40kg to 300kg, including one to three pocket machines, and both standard and barrier types. It also produces both front-loading and side-loading, Pullman-type machines. It also produces finishing machines; tunnel finishers; feeders and folders; and trolley washing and disinfection machines for laundry carts.
Lapauw serves the heavy-duty market, but it has a sister company Laco, founded in 2000, that provides the smaller machines for the OPL market.
The customer base is wide. The company’s machines are sold in over 40 countries including USA, Russia, Japan, Asia and the Middle East, where it equipped the hotel laundry at the Jumiera beach hotel.
It is, of course, very strong in Europe and has an agent and strong sales in every European country. Its biggest export markets are Spain, France and the UK (where it is represented by Armstrong).
So what do their customers like about Lapauw?
Wim Demayer explains a strength with the customer is that the machines, although technically advanced, are robust and simple to maintain, using many standard components.
When asked about what the company hopes to achieve over the next five years, the answer seems to be a continuation and expansion of the present achievements.
For the Lapauws, says Wim Demayer, the job is like a hobby in that it is a passionate interest. They want to make the best and because of this strong interest they actively seek out new technology.
“We are always looking for something new,” says Dominique Lapauw. “We want to achieve quality, to make things the market has not seen. You are not looking at a manager in a suit who just sits in an office.”
