1. Can you please share with us your current position/job and profile of the organization you work for?

President of the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers. Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Consultant (Semi-retired).

2. In which countries and market sectors of Professional Textile Care did you work and did you gained experiences?

Managed and owned laundries in the UK and consultancy work in 19 countries for international hotel groups.

3. Could you please describe the most important characteristics and trends of the current PTC markets in terms of customer/market demand characteristics and trends?

PTC has many segments. Growth varies: domestic laundry is increasing, dry-cleaning is declining, and large groups dominate rental markets.

4. What do you see as the most important success factors for todays PTC companies?

Service and quality at a profitable price.

5. What are your organization objectives and when would you consider your organization to be successful?

Profitability and future planning.

6. What do you consider the most important future demands of clients in PTC markets?

Reliability and cost of service.

7. What are key issues for the PTC companies to fulfill future demands of clients and PTC markets?

Rising operating costs and market growth.

8. How important is sustainability / circularity for your current business performance and what do you do to improve your performance as an organization?

Important; industry focuses on reuse and efficiency but does not communicate it well.

9. Do you see sustainability as an important driver for (new) business or as a factor for saving costs?

Mainly sustainability; customers care more about results than sustainability.

10. Do you see technical innovation as a key factor to enhance your business performance, and what technologies are essential to provide sustainable and profitable PTC services in the future?

Automation, robotics, water reuse, and energy efficiency.

11. What do you see as the most important innovations of the (near) future and how do you believe these innovations will change the way the industry operates?

Automation, IT systems, RFID, and recycling systems.

12. According to many publications, a transformation of the PTC industry towards more customer and IT driven processing, is seen as essential to be successful in the future. What is your policy to adapt your business/service model to changing market demands?

Shift to IT and AI-driven operations led by large groups.

13. We have seen an enormous increase in scale of operation of PTC companies. Do you see there will be attractive opportunities also for the more smaller companies and what is needed for small companies to be successful?

Small companies struggle but can compete locally with flexibility.

14. How do you feel the PTC industry can take more market share in the markets of textile cleaning, compared to domestic washing?

Better promotion, consistent quality, and home delivery services.

15. What do you see as major opportunities for the professional laundry and cleaning industry for the longer term future?

Growth driven by hotels and hospitals.

16. What do you see as major threats for the PTC industry in the coming years?

Decline in workwear and retail cleaning; rising costs and labor shortages.

17. What would you say industry (inter-)national associations should do to support the PTC industry professionally, now and in the future?

Stronger national and international representation.

18. What is your vision on the future perspective of the industry?

Industry will grow but with fewer players; automation will increase.

19. What is your key-message to your professional PTC colleagues for now and in the future?

Be professional; service and quality are key.