The weather forecast for Skåne promised mostly wind and rain when it was time for the first member visit of the year, a trip across central Sweden on January 7-10, to Östersund, Falun via Sundsvall, Gävle and ending in Västerås. It was nice to leave the stingy wind behind for a light trip in a beautiful snowy landscape that brought to mind a Donald Duck Christmas in the best format. Expectations for the insights that the visits would provide were, as usual, high and were met with flying colors.
First stop was Östersund which after a day of travel welcomed us during several member visits. Excellent and knowledgeable guide on the first stage was Sten from National laundry who owned and sold two of the pending laundries in Östersund: The press studio and current Textilia Östersund.
A heartwarming visit
But first it was off to Woolpower. In from the snow to a waiting meeting with Ulrika. With a value chain from sheep to garments, Woolpower manufactures warm base layers, reinforcement garments, accessories and socks in the factory in Östersund. From yarn to finished garment under one roof. Not only were the garments a warm experience for a frozen Skåne resident, but the entire meeting, which revolved around sustainability work and fair working conditions.
Here we were met by Tvätt-Rut
The next stop on the trip was the historic Pressateljén, which started with dry cleaning back in the 1930s and today in a modern environment does everything from whitewashing, dry cleaning, carpet cleaning and ironing. Niclas and Janne welcomed and presented the business. After the association's powerful work for Tax deduction on laundry It felt satisfying that the laundry could use it as an argument in its communication with the large circle of private customers.
Today's second Niclas welcomed Textilia, which meets the laundry needs of hotels and restaurants in an efficient flow. He was able to point out a sustainability focus that leaves its mark on the entire business.
Coffee with the entire staff
The day ended with dinner with Sten and a waiting train for the onward journey to Sundsvall. From there it was a morning train via Gävle to Falun. Kristian at Bergeå served coffee with the staff and a good meeting with conversations about the past and future of dry cleaning and water cleaning in Falun and Dalarna.
Restores after fire and water damage
Kristian also went to the claims handling company Ocab, which washes insurance goods in its laundry facility in Falun. They have a different washing solution where the water in the machine is pressed through the goods to remove compounds after fire and water damage, with a technology that works for textiles as well as leather goods such as bags and shoes. Lasse and Rasmus at Ocab explained the sustainability and economic benefits of being able to restore damaged goods through washing instead of throwing them away and buying new ones.
What a fantastic width
Friday train to Västerås and Rikstvätt Västerås/Forslunds for a meeting with Frida who told us about the focus on hotels, conferences and restaurants. Then on to TvättNet with Camilla at the helm to end the membership journey with a company that offers everything from household laundry to laundry service to small and large companies.
The breadth of our industry is undeniable and there were valuable insights that came home to the association's office. The creativity, service spirit and entrepreneurship are incredibly interesting to take part in. The last part of the trip, the return journey via Arlanda and Copenhagen, provided the opportunity for many positive reflections. A fantastic big thank you to all of you who showed your businesses, not least Ulrika, Lasse and Rasmus, and to Stone, Niclas and Janne, Niclas, Kristian, Frida and Camilla .
