Due to exhibitor concerns the show has now been rescheduled to April 2022. Please find a short statement from the organisers of the CleanEx exhibition in the UK by clicking on the button below:
More details can be found here.
The voice of the cleaning and hygiene industry will be heard more loudly
The Textile Services Association (TSA) has joined the British Cleaning Council (BCC) as an associate member.
The TSA represents commercial laundries in several sectors and textile rental businesses serving the hotel and hospitality, healthcare and workwear markets. The textile care services industry contributes over £1.3 billion in GVA and supports some 28,000 jobs in the UK economy. It has become the 22nd member of the BCC, in a move which benefits and strengthens both organisations.
BCC chair Paul Thrupp said, “I am delighted that the TSA has joined the BCC and I very warmly welcome them. Working together with the TSA makes the BCC and the whole cleaning and hygiene sector that much stronger. It is important that the cleaning and hygiene sector pulls together to present a unified front if we are to make our collective voice heard as loudly as possible.
“Textile services is a significant sector of the economy. There are also considerable synergies with the cleaning and hygiene sector as represented by our members, particularly in the health and hospitality sectors. The TSA’s work lobbying the Government to move towards multi-use gowns for healthcare is something that dovetails well with the work of our members on the environmental agenda and their work on skills also supports our drive to create an accredited training and apprenticeship.
“We have many issues of mutual interest and I look forward to collaborating in the future. “
The TSA represents commercial laundries in several sectors and textile rental businesses serving the hotel and hospitality, healthcare and workwear markets.
TSA CEO David Stevens said, “We are delighted to join the BCC and work collectively with so many like-minded organisations. We have so many harmonised agenda points I think the collective power of the BCC can really help drive these topics to some of the key decision makers in Government. I see real benefits for our membership and improved momentum on some of our key project areas such as training, linen recycling and energy efficiency incentives, including the climate change agreement.
“An individual trade association can find it difficult to get space on the lobbying platform. Working with the BCC will be a great way of sharing and supporting a single message, benefitting all members.”
If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.
24 March 2021
Laundry chemical and engineering specialist Christeyns UK has helped Eton College in Windsor meet its environmental goals with a new water filtering system.
Eton college, the prestigious boarding school in Berkshire, has been educating for the future for over 600 years. Founded in 1440, this outward-looking institution with over 1300 students, has a proud history and rich heritage, yet embraces innovation in its pursuit of excellence and the provision of a well-rounded education.
However, it is not only forward thinking in its educational goals but also in the operational day to day running of the college and its commitment to sustainability.
In 2017 the college cut its energy costs by replacing lamps and fixtures that led to a reduction in their carbon footprint by 61%. Earlier this year the college tackled the issue of water saving with the installation of a new storage and filtering system, Lint X.
Renowned for its innovative water and energy saving systems, Christeyns installs equipment in commercial and on-premise laundries across the UK and Ireland that complement the use of its patented Cool Chemistry and other detergent programmes.
Eton College has had a laundry on site since 1881 and has been using Christeyns’ chemistry for almost a decade. A dedicated team of 30 run and maintain the laundry that processes 50,000 items per week which includes everything from rugby kit to chef’s outfits. Items are sorted, washed, ironed and then individually repacked for each boy.
“As a whole, both the school and the pupils are focused on improving our environmental commitment,” states Facilities Manager Paul Bayley. “Addressing water usage was one of the initiatives that came out of a recent meeting, realising that the old tank system was way beyond being efficient.”
Christeyns Water and Energy specialist Brett Cartwright analysed the current provision and needs of the College and a Lint X Compact was installed and up and running ready for the students return post lockdown.
The new unit will save the site around a third of their water usage which over the course of a year will represent a considerable saving and go a long way towards meeting the College’s sustainable targets.
Lint-X Compact comprises a pair of tanks for storing and filtering used water from the washing process, typically water from the press tanks and rinse water tanks of the CBW’s.
The unit operates between three to five pumps and a freshwater valve in order to supply several washing machines with filtered, but used water, thus reducing the freshwater consumption in a laundry.
Paul continues: “Christeyns carried out a very professional installation of the Lint-X unit despite the challenges imposed due to lockdown. The whole process went very smoothly and I look forward to seeing the longer term impact on our water usage.”
Sustainability is a way of life, not just relevant to laundries. With the help of Christeyns, Eton College is setting the right example for other educational institutions, for its pupils and for the wider community.
Of course it’s good that the furlough scheme has been extended to September. We’re happy that the Chancellor has also announced a new recovery loan scheme, the investment incentives are a definite plus so there are some positives.
Having said that, we’re very disappointed that the Chancellor didn’t see fit to expand the recovery net. Commercial laundries are still in this enormous black hole outside of the government’s support bubble. We aren’t eligible for business rates relief or for recovery grants, VAT reductions and so the list goes on. We will see minimum wages increase at a time when we will be struggling to pay any wages!
Yet again the service support sector has been totally overlooked despite being part of and dependent on the hospitality industry who have been receiving support throughout the pandemic – it’s simply not fair. This is not a good budget for our industry.
With support we could survive. Without it, commercial laundries, and the 24,000 people they employ, remain in real jeopardy.
If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.
We were delighted to announce the date of TSA’s Knowledge Network Open Day in our January and February TSA CEO updates. 17th March 2021 will be packed full of great topics and panel discussions all through the day. The 2020 KN Open Day was the last in-person event we were able to host before the lockdown. We hope to carry on the same enthusiasm and engagement this year as well. The virtual event provides us with flexible options where we can invite targeted audience for the topic of their interest at specific time slots. We will also have a TSA web landing page where you will see all the details and registration links. We hope to cover topics such as Managing CTWs Safely, Healthcare Processing Standards, Energy Efficiency, Diversity, Apprenticeship etc.
Please share this with your colleagues and teams for whom the topics below may be of interest.
Please note, WebEx has changed their registration form slightly, therefore when you have clicked the registration button below for your chosen session, please ignore the meeting password and click straight on the blue register button as show in the image below. If you have any issues registering, please call Emma on 0754 322 0302.
Day Programme and How to Register:
Time and Topics | Register |
|---|---|
9:15am (20 mins) Opening Session (relevant to all): • Welcome • Technical & Projects Updates • Future projects • Current projects | Register Here |
Time and Topics | Who is it For? | Register |
|---|---|---|
9:45am (60 mins) Health & Safety: • Latest Statistics • CTW Management • TSA Resources • Managing Covid-19 related H&S claims • Q&A Session (TSA Steering Group) | Senior Managers Transport Managers Engineer / Managers Health & Safety Teams Production Managers General Managers | Register Here |
11:00am (60 mins) Driving the Healthcare Standards • Implementing BS EN 14065 • Preparing for certification • New Opportunities | Quality Managers Production Managers General Managers Business Development Managers | Register Here |
12:30pm (40 mins) Circular Economy – End-of-Life Textiles (Recycling) • Why do this project? • TSA Survey results • Logistics (Circletex?) • Marketing the key messages | Senior Managers Quality Managers Transport Managers Marketing Managers | Register Here |
2:00pm (45 mins) Energy Efficiency • Climate Change Targets (Jacobs) • Grant funding / Carbon Trust • Energy audits • Latest technologies | Engineer / Managers Energy Procurement Teams Production Managers General Managers | Register Here |
3:00pm (30 mins) Inclusion and Diversity • Women in the industry • Diversity • Mental Health | HR Directors Change Managers Senior Managers | Register Here |
3:45pm (45 mins) Apprenticeship • Role of TSA’s Trailblazer group • Online training delivery • End point assessment | Senior Managers Training Managers HR Managers | Register Here |
As mentioned, please forward this on to your colleagues and teams for whom the topics above may be of interest. Each session is going to be managed separate to one another. You are free to attend all the sessions. However, the day programme is designed for the attendees to be selective.
We look forward to seeing you there.
If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.
26th & 27th September 2021
With the exciting news, in the UK, that large gatherings can commence from 21st June. We can confirm CleanEx is planned for 26th & 27th September.
This is a motivating time for exhibitors and visitors to CleanEx and Hospitality Expo.
For those looking to exhibit there are just a few stands remaining and if you are looking to get out and network, CleanEx and Hospitality Expo will be one of the first industry events where you can meet friends, colleagues, find prospective new business, network, see innovative new products, machinery and so much more…
Let’s make this event a celebration of our industry!
For stand enquiries, please click here.
or to attend, please click here.
More details can be found here.
“The future recovery is being put at risk” – the government is failing commercial laundries
Lincoln Laundry highlights holes in government support of hospitality industry
Lincoln Laundry, based in North Hykeham, Lincoln, is a family run business employing 15 people that provides high quality laundry services for a range of industries, including hotels, restaurants and catering, education and healthcare, as well as supplying workwear and a range of specialist services. Its experience of the Covid-19 pandemic is that of many commercial laundries, having been denied much of the financial support provided to other industries. “The government says it understands the importance of the hospitality industry, but it’s leaving the businesses that support the industry to their own devices,” says Ahmed Hassan, director of Lincoln Laundry. “And the longer it goes on, the harder it gets.”
Lincoln Laundry is a member of the Textile Services Association (TSA), which has been increasingly concerned by the reports of its members at the lack of support they are entitled to. With 24,000 people being employed by the industry, decisive action is required to save those jobs. The TSA has been lobbying the Government for more help alongside organisations such as UKHospitality.
Like many of the businesses that have come forward to provide evidence for the TSA’s argument, Lincoln Laundry is a victim of circumstance. “In early March 2020 we had just finished moving into new premises,” says Ahmed. “We needed the extra space to help continue growing the business, although there were expenses with preparing the building and buying new equipment, we were well positioned to have a good year.”
But when lockdown was introduced at the end of March, all their customers closed and business dried up. The move to new premises had put them just over the threshold for higher rates. While Lincoln Laundry has been able to access the furlough scheme to help pay staff, they have been left out of the other measures put in place to help the hospitality industry, like rate relief and grants. “The government hasn’t been looking at the big picture,” says Ahmed. “They’re responding to the loudest voices in the room, but they’re not providing any help to the sectors that support the businesses that are getting financial aid.”
The local authority has done what it can, but “their hands are being tied by the government, with no room to consider cases like us.” With no rates relief, the business has had to go on a payment plan. “Our fixed costs don’t change whether we’re open or closed. With 95% of our customers closed, we burned through our reserves just keeping things ticking over in the first lockdown,” says Ahmed. “No business can hold a full year’s income in reserve! Things looked up during the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August, but slowed up immediately after.” With the second lockdown started in November, and the post-Christmas lockdown once again shutting its customers, Lincoln Laundry has seen its income shrink to almost nothing.
“The lockdown has also meant a lot of our debtors aren’t able to repay what they already owe, and we’ve seen a few customers go bust already. It all adds to the pressure – we’ve had to put in considerable amounts of our personal savings. It’s been enormously stressful but we’re doing everything we can to ensure we’ll be able to continue supporting our customers when they begin reopening, as well as saving the jobs of our staff,” says Ahmed. “They’re like family to us, some of them have worked here for years and the depth of experience they have is a huge part of our success. They would be impossible to replace.”
Commercial laundries have always played an important (if hidden) role in the hospitality and foodservice industries. With the increased focus on hygiene and cleanliness, as a result of the measures required to control the spread of Covid-19, laundries will be vital for a smooth recovery when lockdown restrictions are able to be relaxed. “We know we’ve got a viable business once things start opening up,” says Ahmed. “But the longer we’re left to look after ourselves, the harder it’s going to be to survive.
“In Scotland and Wales a much higher percentage of laundries are getting help, but in England supply chain businesses like us are being abandoned. Central government sets the rules, and the local authorities’ hands are tied. We did qualify for a small grant in November, but that barely made a dent in our costs, and barely even covered our rates for the month,” says Ahmed. “Even when we do reopen, our customers work on a 60 day cycle to pay their contractors, so it will take nearly two months before we get paid again. Not having a sensible policy in place to support businesses like Lincoln Laundry is going to put the wider hospitality industry in a less stable place at a critical time.”
The TSA has been working with other trade associations to urge the government to provide the same level of help to commercial laundries supplying the hospitality industry that other businesses in the sector have been receiving. This includes amending guidance given to local authorities on discretionary grants, allowing more commercial laundries to qualify for rates relief, deferment of VAT until payback is viable, extending the terms of government loans until laundries can afford to repay them, and making more loans available during the bounce back.
“At the end of the day, we’re just asking for fairer treatment. Many businesses in other industries have been getting huge grants while they haven’t even had to close, but companies like us, in the supply chain, have seen 95% of business stop for a year, and we’re getting short shrift,” says Ahmed. “The government knows how important the hospitality and service industries will be to the future recovery of the country, but as it is they’re creating more problems by not supporting the supply chain that supports the industry. If the supply chain goes under, the hospitality industry won’t be able to function.”
If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.
