A new trend seems to be ahead in the US. For some time now, healthcare providers have been changing into rental goods , although US hospitality customers still seem to stick to owning their goods – the so-called customer-owned goods (COG). It is not a only a matter of how has the pandemic affected this tendency, but also what might be the consequences for laundry operations?
Experts in the American PTC industry have seen various directions regarding COG vs. rental. In the food and beverage/hospitality for instance, a switch in hotel work from COG to rental is being noted. One reason might be that COG wash is a complicated process that demands a lot of attention to tracking and historical detail than washing rental goods, or even more. COG garments have to be singled out on arrival and then be tagged and chipped. Only then will the items enter the normal processes. Apart from that, not all garments are suitable for COG washing or can sustain the industrial laundry wash process.
On the other hand, rental linen seems being less affected by these issues. Before the pandemic it had already been proven that rental is a good alternative. However, COVID-19’s impact on labour and supply chains has even emphasized the difference between the two systems.