CEE-TEX 2017: Dynamic development of the PTC sector in Central and Eastern Europe

The 4th edition of the CEE-TEX Summit took place from 12 to 14 October, in Poland. With more than 250 visitors from 15 countries, the exhibition was a great success and a meeting place for the professional textile care industry in the Central and Eastern Europe region. CEE-TEX 2017 was organized by the Polish Laundry Association (Stowarzyszenie Pralników Polskich) in partnership with CINET. The event was supported by 8 national associations and organisations from the CEE region (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania & Slovenia). The expo proved to be the biggest event for textile professionals in Poland and CEE.

In two days at the Windsor Hotel in Serock, Poland, textile professionals operating in Central and Eastern Europe had the opportunity to showcase the dynamic of the Professional Textile Care (PTC) sector in the region, but also to strengthen the cooperation between companies, their suppliers, national associations, as well as individual professionals and experts. CEE-TEX’s objective is to strengthen the professional textile care industry in the Central and Eastern Europe region through a knowledge platform and information package specially developed for the region.

The conference program consisted of 22 presentations on innovation and sustainable development in the textile care sector provided by companies, associations and knowledge institutes including the Technology Knowledge Center Textile Care on energy saving opportunities and trends in the textile industry. In addition, CINET presented information on the 2018 Global Best Practice Awards, sustainable development of innovation and business models for textile service companies. In addition, a discussion panel was held with experts from the region on innovation, cost efficiency and staff. CINET members can view the presentations at CEE-TEX here!

 

Laundry visit Prawol
The dynamics of the PTC industry in the region were emphasized by the visit to the Prawol laundry in Warsaw. This modern family laundry was present at the Global Best Practice Awards 2016, organized by CINET, as Poland’s best laundry, and finished in the 7th place worldwide. Prawol has a strong reputation in Warsaw as one of the best laundries in Poland for hospitality and healthcare. The laundry has an impressive list of customers, especially when it comes to the catering segment. Well-known hotel chains such as Ibis, Radisson, Sofitel and Hilton are part of their clientele. It is quite a performance for a laundry that has launched just in 1983.

Prawol adopts a philosophy of working with reliable suppliers and well-trained and stable staff. Over seventy percent of employees has been working for more than ten years for the company. This approach, along with the use of sustainable innovations are its key success factors. In addition, the importance of energy and water consumption in both cost and sustainability is an important factor. For example, rinse water is reused in the laundry and the washing process takes place at low temperatures. Furthermore, modern vehicles with low CO2 emissions are used and transport of cleaned items to customers is organized after peak hours, to avoid high and unnecessary fuel consumption. During the visit to the laundry, presentations were given in collaboration with suppliers about the way Prawol developed throughout the years and about how to maintain its position in the coming years.