For the coming period, we will present you week by week, the most outstanding PTC showcases that were officially nominated for The Global Best Practices Awards Program 2018. The profiles of these companies are also present in the WOPCOM platform, which you can access here.
Mr. Shoes (China) – Special Awards for Extraordinary Business Development at GBPAP18 – Retail Textile Cleaning.
Taking innovation in dry cleaning to the next level
An Internet of Things (IoT) connection between the different stores to effectively track every move and a washing machine with camera that can identify all kinds of footwear… with the adoption of intelligent platforms & strategy, Mr. Shoes takes innovation in dry cleaning to a next level. And that is not all! Both the machines and intelligent platforms are developed with a strong focus on the environment. Enough ingredients for a leader in the Chinese dry cleaning industry, one would say.
Chain of laundry service stores
Mr. Shoes is a chain of laundry service stores and employs a factory model with front stores. The business model is build around Haier’s clothing network platform strategy, which aims to help traditional washing companies to realize full-scale customization of IoT upgrades. The strategy exists of 6 pillars: 1. Shared laundry room (hence the factory model); 2. Upgrading of traditional laundry mergers & acquisitions; 3. Washing business school; 4. Internet of Things device platform; 5. Big data cloud system platform; 6. User traffic marketing platform.
The adaptation of this strategy allows for both B2B and B2C services. To Business: providing one-stop solutions for upgrading traditional laundry businesses, by redesigning the laundry area, reviewing the capital budget, and focusing on the desired effects. To Consumer: providing users with more quality and brand trust in laundry, the washing of shoes, luxury care and other comprehensive care services, by integrating high-quality laundry with upgrades and empowerment.
Marketing benefits
For marketing and promotion, Mr. Shoes can also reap the benefits of the adaptation of its supplier’s platforms. Through a free user channel, the 200 million home users of the technology can find nearby laundry service stores. Furthermore, the scale of the supplier allows for exclusive strategic promotion cooperation, both online and offline. By carrying a well-known trademark, the Mr. Shoes stores also enjoy the benefits of this promotion.
Quality control through IoT
Mr. Shoes ensures high quality through the optimization of: 1. Employee self-discipline; 2. Standardization of equipment operation; 3. Digital control. Employee initiative and responsibility are encouraged through different mechanisms. Through IoT connections Big data is gathered and can be analyzed to track every move of the production process. In addition, user feedback is entered into the analysis process as well. This way, every aspect of the process can be attributed to the individual employee that handled it. In addition to this form of digital control, employees of Mr. Shoes are encouraged to develop their talents by going to the supplier’s ‘Washing College’, where they follow a multi-dimensional training in management, skills and risk control.
Internet of Things is not only used for digital control of employees, but also for operational standardization. ‘From the cloud’, operation of the equipment by staff is controlled. For instance, the combination of chemicals for the automatic dosage function of the machines is entered into the IoT data cloud and can be checked and corrected real time in the cloud as well.
Furthermore, in addition to tracking individual moves of the employees, the intelligence platforms are used to closely monitor & assess risks. The system combines employee operation data, production data and customer feedback for analysis. For optimal use of the system, Mr Shoes has recently created two new positions: an entry clerk, responsible for entering data that is not automatically being gathered by the system, and a quality inspector, responsible for checking quality analysis outcomes.
Sustainable redefinition
With the help of its supplier, Mr. Shoes is sustainably redefining the traditional laundry service. Traditional industrial washing machines are replaced with more advanced equipment. The Twin washing machine saves 27% of electricity and 14% in water consumption for the same pile of clothes. Washing times are brought down from 20-30 minutes to 12 minutes and the machines are designed so that they save floor space and have an increased washing capacity of 20%.
Thereby, 32% of detergent is saved by an automated measuring and dosage system. In addition, the detergent residue rate is lowered significantly, contributing to decreased sewage pollution. This is also achieved by cooperation with manufacturers of more environmental friendly washing materials and sewage purification equipment. Another environment friendly innovation is the recovery of waste heat of the equipment for the thermal use of the drying room.
Safety first
Mr. Shoes has several practices in place to ensure the safety of the employees and to prevent hazardous material from entering the environment. The washing equipment has an automatic measuring and quantitative release function to avoid leakage, overflow and excessive problems of daily used chemicals. Clothes are automatically placed in the machines after types and numbers automatically have been identified. Also, the storage of detergents is preserved in a leak-proof, corrosion-resistant pallet box. The storage rooms are also equipped with hardware security such as air density content detectors, temperature detectors and fire detectors. There also is a fresh air purification system in place to exhaust gas filtration in the stores.
Smart camera machines
Besides upgrades with regards to sustainability, there is another innovation that cannot go unmentioned. Whereas the earlier mentioned identification of clothes is established by the use of chip technology, this is impossible for most types of footwear. For this, the supplier has developed machines with AI image recognition technology. The machine’s camera can accurately identify brand, size, type, fabric and other data that is relevant for the washing