1. Introduction

Milan, October 19 – 22; The expectations were high and were also realized. Prominent innovations in robot technology and automation were shown for the first time for a broad professional audience at this International fair. The most eye-catching innovation came from the Netherlands. The newly established Laundry Robotics company presented robin; the first industrial laundry
robot, for the folding of bath linen. In addition, innovations were presented by Inwatec, Denmark aimed at the automatic sorting of industrial workwear and there were in the RFID technology field or automated information processing and process control, the necessary new developments.

2. WOPCOM

The WOPCOM – World of PTC Community was launched at Expo Detergo International (October 19 – 22, 2018)! A new online platform where partners of professional textile care come together & find information on business development. WOPCOM is a digital community platform and as such not a competitor to other information services, trade fairs, associations, trade magazines or consultants. They are all invited to use WOPCOM as the digital platform of the Professional Textile Care Industry worldwide.

The main benefits of WOPCOM are the following:

• WOPCOM provides neutral, objective and reliable PTC information of high quality – proofread by the WOPCOM Committee – provided by numerous professionals and organizations from within and outside the PTC industry.
• Connect with PTC professionals on an online platform accessible to any type of stakeholder. With a subscription fee affordable to any successful manager in the world you will be part of a network of experts. You can discuss pressing issues and ask questions, WOPCOM will connect you to consultants and experts that provide answers.
• Easy accessible information through any device (Smartphone, tablet or desktop) with convenient navigation and filters, recommendations for further reading / watching and a account page to customize settings to your preference.

Which results can you expect?

• Professional Q&A; start discussions and get answers to problems and other pressing issues that trouble your mind today! PTC is a global profession executed everywhere in the world with similar technology developments and customer demands. Learn from other markets through the network of business experts and consultants on the WOPCOM platform.
• Gain a competitive advantage in your market! Generate new ideas for business development of your own company that result in competitive advantages! WOPCOM provides the following type of info to get you going:
  • Marketing articles (including country reports)
  • Technical articles
  • Scientific research papers
  • Analysis of business cases (including the Global Awards nominees)
  • Expert visions from industry peers and stakeholders related to PTC
  • Conference presentations over the past years
  • Video recordings from workshops & webinars
  • Consultants that can provide training and / or execute assignments to aid your business
• Materials to support your business strategies, sales pitches and decision making processes with references to (scientifi c) research, market studies, expert opinions and objectively analysed new technologies.
• Information to benchmark your business to others in the PTC industry. Are you applying technology and service concepts that fi t best within your market? See how others perform in your (or comparable) markets and make sure you innovate to stay ahead of the competition!
• Data to make sure you don’t miss out by keeping up to date on the latest industry developments and innovations! Constant content production and development of the WOPCOM platform will make sure you can let the information come to you upon your request.
• Be invited for WOPCOM events, workshops and webinars; a couple of times per year the members of the community will be invited for networking events in real life where themes will be addressed that seem to be pressing within the community.
• Grow the total market size of PTC services, also in your own market! A bit noble to formulate it like this but by joining this community you will be part of something bigger. Your contributions aid to speed up the pace of innovation for PTC worldwide and as a group of industry representatives we will grow the market together!

Register now! www.cinet-online.com/WOPCOM
WOPCOM contact details:
email: wopcom@cinet-online.com
Phone: 0031 (0) 344 65 0430.

3. Innovations in Retaill Textile Cleaning

3.1 New cleaning techniques
3.1.1 SafeChem
Safechem introduced the modified alcohol SENSENE, now 2 years ago at TexCare 2016 and has grown  considerably during that time. From a start-up to a company with many customers all over the world with more than 300 machines that now run on this relatively new innovative solvent. On their stand you could read the stories of satisfied customers from various parts of the world.
Safechem also introduced a renewed perchlorethylene: DOWPER Pure Power. Dowper Pure Power is a special brand for a product with improved purity and quality for the dry cleaning industry with high quality requirements.

3.1.2 Salad: Purely Natural and a fantastic result!
Salad is a liquid of unique botanical waters for the care of fur, leather and textiles. A new recipe and recovery technique from the knowledge of times past that contains only natural and safe components such as Siberian herbs, roots and flower extracts. A brand new cleaning system has been developed from this. Ecologically completely safe for customer and employees. Salad products are ideal for cleaning delicate leather, fur, wool and mixed clothing of any size and complexity. It gives a natural freshness smell of clothing and is naturally environmentally friendly. Salad is easy to apply, because you only require a table, sink and dryer.

3.1.3 Results Solvetex VI, benchmark professional wetcleaning
Introduction
The aim of the project was to evaluate the performance of wet cleaning processes by setting a minimum of performance requirements to give an actual picture of the quality of the current wet cleaning technology. Quality aspects incorporated were stain removal, greying and dimensional change. Wet clean processes meeting the minimum requirements are rewarded with a statement
of achievement by CINET. The statement of achievement is a proof to the market that the rewarded wet cleaning system meets with the quality standards of CINET for textile care processes for sensitive garments. The standards for the quality aspects, as defined by CINET, are as follows:

• For stain removal, the standard is that the sum of the stain removal in %, as defined in equation 1, for all non-watersoluble stains should be >100 and the sum of the stain removal in % for all watersoluble stains should be >125.
• The standard for greying is that the greying, as defined in equation 2, should be < 10 after 10 cleaning cycles.
• To pass the assessment of the visual appearance, all aspects should be assessed 1 or 2 after 3 cleaning cycles.
• The dimensional change of the garments should be 2% or less after 3 cleaning cycles. The dimensional change is measured after finishing.

Results
The performance of the processes of 6 suppliers were tested by an independent test institute and are presented here. All suppliers used wet cleaning processes and equipment representative for the day-today wet cleaning practice. All processes were modern dry-to-dry processes with processing times of 70 minutes and less. The results for stain removal are presented below in figure 1.

The results for greying after 10 cycles are presented in figure 2.

The results for the dimensional change of the garments after 3 cycles are presented in figure 3.

Test results & Conclusions
For none of the tested processes the appearance of the clothing after cleaning and finishing was assessed with a 3. So, concluding, the results for stain removal, greying and the visual appearance after cleaning met with the standards for the quality of wet cleaning as set by CINET. The dimensional change of the jackets, 100% wool and polyester/wool, also met with the standards as set for the quality of wet cleaning.

The dimensional change for the sweater showed somewhat larger values. This is probably due to the fact that, contrary to the practice in industry, the sensitive sweater was cleaned and dried together with the jackets and therefore the drying and cleaning procedure for jackets and sweaters together cannot be optimal for both and that the finishing process with applied pressure was set to be identical for all partners and could therefore not be adapted to the demands of the specific cleaning process . An optimal setting of the cleaning and drying process for the sweater together with an optimal setting for the finishing process of the sweater should be able to lead to improved results for the dimensional change of the sweater.
CINET is therefore pleased to announce that the cleaning processes of the following suppliers met the quality requirements for wet cleaning set by CINET:

• Alliance
• Büfa
• Cole & Wilson
• Electrolux
• Kreussler
• Seitz

CINET therefore awarded these suppliers the wet cleaning certificate that was handed over to the participants at the workshop of 21 October, 2018.

For more information, a complete rapport is available.

3.2 New machines and systems

3.2.1 Böwe
Böwe can now build on 70 years of experience in the dry cleaning machine market. After the takeover, already about 10 years ago by the Fam. Ziermann, a wide product program is being produced in Germany and China. The Black Forest Edition multisolvent machine, which was also presented on Clean 2017, stood prominently displayed. Böwe machines are exclusively equipped with Capacitive sensors. These sensors detect the filling level for distillation, drystat drying controller, the water separator and the sludge barrel. Where the goal is to measure the exact load of the machine and to prevent ‘overdrying’. The most important innovation that was presented was the “Automatic Turbidity measurement”. This sensor can detect how clean / pure the solvent is by means of light reflection. A laser shines through the liquid and a detector detects how much of it passes through. This enables you to set a certain percentage where you believe distillation is required. Otherwise, the solvent is pumped back through a filter, to the work tank. This ensures a more efficient use of your solvent, allowing you to save energy.

3.2.2 Electrolux
Electrolux presented the New Line 6000 machines.  Research has been done on a way to remove the most hysical burdens for employees. This “ease to use” principle means that the workload for employees is less, which improves productivity. In addition, a dryer was presented that you hardly notice when it is switched on. Because it has no extraction, it is also easier to move. All this is easy to follow on their app where you can keep track of everything from a distance. This app makes it possible to have a better understanding of usage, and to improve efficiency through the deployment of staff in the times when this is most needed. This makes it possible to wash more often with an optimal load. By using more maximally filled machines, you can save energy, water
and manpower. Usability is the most important for this app.

3.2.3 LG
The LG stand had innovations for the washing machine. “Sell More, Service Less”. More efficiency, more convenience, and more intelligence in a washing machine with a few ‘Core Benefits’. Such as: An LG Inverter Direct Drive MotorTM. This engine is not driven by a belt, which means better reliability and durability. It also has a Gyro Balance System (GBS), which gives optimal performance through an advanced algorithm. Thereby a better stability and thus less energy loss because of the vibrations of the whole machine. It also has the ability to clean the machine from the inside with a push of the button. And it can connect to your phone or computer to keep you up to date about the status.

3.2.4 Yamamoto
Yamamoto was at the Expo Detergo with a washer / dryer combination. It is a fully automatic system that offers the wet-cleaning industry a dry to dry option. It would be suitable for many textiles: Wool, Kashmir, Silk, Rayon, Leather and Linen. This combination saves on m2 space, labour, time and maintenance while maximizing efficiency.