1. Can you please share with us your current position/job and profile of the organization you work for?
I am currently the Director of Laundry Network Pte Ltd, based in Singapore. Laundry Network is a professional consultancy and solution-provider specializing in commercial, hospitality, healthcare, and institutional textile care operations across Southeast Asia. Our work covers the full lifecycle of professional textile care operations — from concept planning, equipment selection, system design, automation, RFID integration and performance optimisation. We work closely with hotel groups, healthcare operators and industrial laundries to help them improve productivity, sustainability, and cost control. Beyond projects, we are actively involved in industry training, and international knowledge exchange, working with global manufacturers and institutions to raise professional standards in the region.

2. In which countries and market sectors of Professional Textile Care did you work and did you gained experiences?
While our business is focused in Singapore, we are also engaged for laundry projects in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Middle East. The key market sectors include:  Hospitality (hotels, resorts, integrated resorts, airlines)  Healthcare (public and private hospitals)  Workwear & Uniform services (corporate, industrial)  Commercial and linen rental laundries

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?
Hygiene assurance and sustainability are now core expectations. With rising labour costs and shortage in manpower, operational decisions are geared towards automation and growing use of data and digital tools. In Southeast Asia, we see strong growth in tourism and healthcare expansion. With rising service expectations, customers demand for strict hygiene standards and ESG compliance. Competition among operators is differentiated through professionalism rather than price alone.

4. What do you see as the most important success factors for today’s PTC companies?
Hygiene assurance and long-term sustainability embedded into operations. PTC companies operate in increasingly competitive and regulated markets, so success depends on having a well-defined value proposition, focusing on core strengths, and leveraging on technology to optimize operations and integrate ESG principles.

5. What are your organization objectives and when would you consider your organization to be successful?
We aim to help our clients improve operational efficiency and reliability through better system design, automation, and workflow optimization. We encourage the adoption of data-driven and system-based management, including digitalisation and RFID technology where appropriate. I would consider us successful when our clients achieve measurable performance improvements with profitable growth and are recognized as their trusted partner.

6. What do you consider the most important future demands of clients in PTC markets?
Transformation of laundry by leveraging AI technology to modernise and scale the laundry business model. This involves transforming what has traditionally been a labour intensive, low-margin industry into a data-driven, operationally optimized platform. The results are higher efficiency, improved margins and scalable growth through smarter automated washing, sustainable cleaning, consistent quality checks and improved customer support.

7. What are key issues for the PTC companies to fulfill future demands of clients and PTC markets?
Digital transformation and technological integration are essential. Clients increasingly expect speed and seamless digital interaction. PTC companies must adopt automation and AI-driven solutions to remain competitive and responsive. ESG integration and sustainability expectations are rising. Clients prefer responsible business practices, transparency, and sustainability commitments. PTC companies must embed ESG into strategy rather than treat it as a compliance exercise. PTC companies that successfully combine digital capability, strong governance and sustainable practices will be best positioned to meet future client and market demands.

8. How important is sustainability / circularity for your current business performance and what do you do to improve your performance as an organization?
Sustainability is integral to business performance today. Many of our customers and partners now evaluate environmental and social performance as part of their procurement and partnership decisions. To continuously improve our performance as an organization, we focus on implementing technology and data analytics to optimise operational efficiency and reduce waste. We also implement sustainable procurement by working with suppliers who meet defined environmental and ethical standards. We also work closely with clients to improve outcomes together. This includes offering water and energy efficient equipment, heat recovery and process optimisation, right sizing capacity to avoid waste.

9. Do you see sustainability as an important driver for (new) business or as a factor for saving costs?
We see sustainability as both an important driver for new business and a key factor for cost savings. Initially, sustainability often starts as a cost-saving initiative (water, energy, labour) and over time, it becomes a business driver to strengthen strategic competition for bigger market share.

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?
Yes, technical innovation enables us to improve productivity, reduce reliance on labour, and control operating costs through better use of automation, digitalisation and data. It also supports consistent hygiene performance, improves service reliability, and helps customers meet sustainability and compliance requirements. In an environment of rising costs and labour constraints, technical innovation is essential for maintaining competitiveness, financial growth and delivering long-term value to our customers. Key technologies include AI-based automation and robotics, and sustainability-enabling technologies such as emissions tracking systems and efficiency optimisation software. However, technology must be fit for purpose and supported by training.

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?
AI-assisted process optimisation with higher automation and autonomous material handling will transcend traditional operational boundaries. End-to-end automation and intelligent workflows will streamline operations, reduce manual processes and gear towards greater efficiency. This will not only improve performance with lower cost structures but also redefine competitive standards in the industry.

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?
We fully agree that the future of the PTC industry will be more customer-driven and IT enabled. Our policy is to adapt proactively by evolving from a traditional supply- or equipment-focused model to a solution- and performance-driven service model.

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?
Yes, while the PTC industry is seeing a strong increase in scale and consolidation, there will continue to be attractive opportunities for smaller companies provided they are clearly positioned and professionally managed. Smaller operators can succeed by focusing on niche markets requiring flexibility, high quality services, or special handling and service-oriented customers who value responsiveness and reliability over pure scale as well as local markets where logistics, turnaround time, and relationships matter.

14. How do you feel the PTC industry can take more market share in the markets of textile cleaning, compared to domestic washing?
The PTC industry can increase its market share by clearly demonstrating value beyond what domestic washing can deliver, particularly in terms of hygiene, reliability, time saving, convenience, and sustainability.

15. What do you see as major opportunities for the professional laundry and cleaning industry for the longer term future?
The professional laundry and cleaning industry has strong long-term growth opportunities in  Healthcare sector  Hospitality growth and premium travel Rising hygiene and safety standards will continue to drive demand for professional laundry, especially in healthcare. Aging populations across developed and emerging markets are increasing demand for healthcare services. As life expectancy rises and chronic conditions become more prevalent, there is sustained expansion in:  Hospitals  Outpatient and surgical centers  Rehabilitation facilities  Long-term care and nursing homes  Assisted living communities Each of these facilities generates high volumes of regulated, hygiene sensitive laundry and cleaning needs. Healthcare environments require strict compliance with infection prevention protocols. International tourism continues to expand, particularly in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Higher occupancy rates directly translate into increased laundry volumes. Luxury and lifestyle hotel segments are growing faster than economy segments. Premium positioning increases washing frequency and quality requirements, benefiting professional providers. As hotel groups expand internationally, laundry partners often grow alongside them.

16. What do you see as major threats for the PTC industry in the coming years?
The major threats to the PTC industry are labour constraints, margin pressure, rising costs, increasing regulatory demands, and the risk of operational instability The industry remains operationally intensive despite automation. Persistent labor shortages, rising minimum wages, and increasing social charges in many markets may pressure margins, increase employee turnover and limit capacity expansion. Environmental scrutiny is intensifying globally with stricter rules on water discharge, chemical usage, carbon emmission and waste management. This could increase compliance costs and require significant capital expenditure. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how sharply hotel occupancy — and thus laundry volumes — can decline during global disruptions.

17. What would you say industry (inter-)national associations should do to support the PTC industry professionally, now and in the future?
Industry associations should raise standards, develop skills, represent the industry, enable innovation, provide benchmarking, and clearly communicate the value of professional textile care.

18. What is your vision on the future perspective of the industry?
The future of the professional textile care industry will be more professional, data driven, and system-oriented, moving well beyond traditional laundry operations. PTC will increasingly be recognised as a critical service industry, supporting public health, hospitality, healthcare, and sustainability goals. The industry will also continue to professionalise and consolidate, with stronger operators growing through scale, partnerships, and managed service models, while smaller players succeed through specialisation and service excellence.

19. What is your key-message to your professional PTC colleagues for now and in the future?
The future of our industry depends on professionalism, discipline, and long-term thinking. Investment in people, systems, and technology is essential to remain relevant and resilient. By sharing knowledge, raising standards, and supporting one another through associations and partnerships, we can ensure the PTC industry remains respected, competitive, and future-ready.

TP Chan