Johannesburg, a city in a continuous development, is the place in which the PTC market is flourishing. Facilitated by SATSA (South African Textile Services Association), CINET’s visit to Johannesburg included an agenda full of meetings, company visits and presentations focused on manners in which the region’s market potential can be unleashed.
CINET greets SATSA
At the SATSA meeting Peter Wennekes presented the evolution of the laundry market, the latest market trends and developments in professional textile care, benchmark study results (Solvetex), The World of PTC Business School and last but not least the new Global Best Practices Awards Program for 2018. On this occasion, Peter Wennekes renewed the invitation to members in the region to apply nominees for these prestigious awards.
Mr. Ian Harris receives book 5 of The World of PTC from Peter Wennekes
South Africa: Attractive new developments
Analysing the evolution of laundry markets internationally five phases can be distinguished. the labour intensive period, a phase of more machinery, followed by improved logistics and ICT solutions, the scale of growth and the future of the textile service (total solution provider).
South Africa focuses on cost effective solutions with efficient laundry processing and pursues a higher quality of the end-product. This is organized through: improved laundry layouts, a more optimized flow and step by step updating of machinery. A continuous attention for education and training to build up knowledge and expertise for operators and plant managers is needed, as key factors for increased efficiency and the quality of the services. The suppliers are important facilitators when it comes to technological development and optimising the products and services. South Africa is the most developed professional textile care market on the African continent, but there is room for growth and professionalization.
Just like elsewhere in the world, African professional textile care companies are creating growth strategies either focusing on economies of scale (large plants, more automation, low cost per kg), or specialised strategies, focused on niche segments where prices are not so much under pressure.
South-African laundries are increasingly professionalizing it’s processing techniques
Looking to the future with optimism
The market is developing, the industrial laundries are actively looking for new market segments as well as developing their service concepts for retail (convenience) and for industrial laundry (specific demands). A big country, with a unique set of advantages, deriving from its strategic position and vast resources.