Texcare – the world’s leading brand for modern textile care marked its entry in India through a dedicated forum on laundry, cleaning and textile rentals organised by Messe Frankfurt India and Virtual Info Systems. The conference that was scheduled on 20 January 2018 at Bombay Exhibition Centre alongside the Laundrex exhibition in Mumbai, successfully brought important decision makers, potential investors and enthusiastic trade professionals together under one roof from leading countries around the world.

High level panel discussions were held during the conference on subjects such as online laundry business, start-ups and strategising success through technology leading to share of information, ideas and knowledge pertaining to the industry while drawing the business outlook for the future.

The launch edition witnessed a notable presence of over 170 attendees from over 120 companies. The eminent panel of speakers including business leaders, technology experts and sector specialists from India and abroad such as Mr Elgar Straub, Managing Director, VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies; Mr Guillem Clofent, General Manager, Girbau SA; Ms Ruth Lorenz, Vice President Technology, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH; Mr David Stevens, Director, NewGen Business Services, UK; and Mr John Hacker, Director of Sales Asia Pacific, Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH. Other notable speakers who shared insights about new approaches taken up by start-ups in this industry included, Mr Edward Menezes, Director, Buzil Rossari Pvt Ltd; Mr Anup Poddar, Director, Beepee Enterprise Pvt Ltd; Mr Balachandar R., Founder & CEO, Wassup Laundry and Mr Rachit Ahuja, Co-Founder, Quick Dry Clean Software.

“The potential of the Indian market brings us here for Texcare and it has been a very pertinent platform addressing issues that meet market needs. While the speaker line has been very professional, the audience has kept us interested in understanding the different ways in which India works. We will take back a lot of insights from here,” shared Mr Xavier Salas, International Sales Director, Girbau SA.

Also addressing the crowd and as key member present at the launch, was Mrs Ruth Lorenz, Vice President Technology, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, who shared: “It has been a fantastic interaction and a satisfying first edition. Europe and Indian markets work very differently. We see a very good opportunity in the Indian market and I am keen to learn the demands of the markets here. As a show organiser, I would like to inform our exhibitors globally about the need to adapt to different markets.”

Delegates attending the conference had a cross-section of decision makers and directors from sectors like railways, hotels, hospitality, and healthcare; from institutions and entrepreneurs; and from industry suppliers of equipment, linen and chemicals for laundry, dry-cleaning and textile care. Some of the key attendees include Central Railway-Nagpur, North Western Railways (NWR), Southern Railway, German Engineering Federation (VDMA), CINET - the International Committee of Textile Care, SB Fabcare Pvt Ltd, Flying Laundry, Fabric Spa Laundry, IRIS Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Solutions, Refnol Resins and Chemicals Ltd, Hollywood Dry Cleaners, Shanghai Sailstar Machinery (Group) Co, Ltd, SDC International Ltd, Spark Automobiles, Sparkle Quick Wash, Synergy Corporation, The Laundry Walla, The Sparkle lounge, Xpress Laundromat and Guardini.

Attending this key business event Mr Sisir Reddy, CEO – Founder, Safe Wash, shared about the challenges this sector faces and his views on Texcare Forum being launched in India. He said: “One of the biggest challenges we face in this sector is skilled labour. There are no proper institutions for teaching laundry techniques, their operating systems and the technology being used. Many eco-friendly technologies and new technologies such as wet cleaning and other variants are entering the market, which I am sure will help the sector grow. This is an unorganised sector and forums and associations like Texcare and Laundrex will help bring the launderers and dry cleaners together.”

Overall, the conference proved to be a knowledge forum and learning platform for covering most pertinent subjects and issues such as Global Best Practices, Trends in Laundry, Dry-Cleaning, Textile Care, Sustainability, Resource Efficiency, Process Automation and Software.

Texcare Forum India is a sister event of Texcare International, the world market for modern textile care. Every four years, Texcare International provides an international venue for the textile-care sector in Frankfurt, Germany. The upcoming Texcare International will be held from 20 – 24 June 2020.