CHICAGO — As North America’s largest textile care exhibition, The Clean Show attracts self-service laundry owners and investors from around the world to see the newest and most advanced products the industry has to offer.
But with the pandemic making large-scale in-person shows prohibitive, the event originally planned for this summer was pushed to next year.
No Clean Show ... no problem!
While awaiting Clean’s return in 2022, American Coin-Op is filling the temporary void with its own distinctive take on an industry trade show, featuring the magazine’s 2021 display advertisers through June.
These fine companies are using this opportunity to introduce themselves and their products and services, and perhaps even offer a glimpse of some things to come.
All of the entries were submitted by the exhibiting companies. Any claims made in this feature are those of the participants, not American Coin-Op.
The ribbon’s been cut and the floor is open!
SETOMATIC SYSTEMS
Setomatic Systems has been supporting the coin laundry industry for over 53 years. It says it was the first company to introduce electronic digital drop coin meters in the early 1980s, then introduced credit card payments in 1994.
At the 2009 Clean Show, it revolutionized laundry payments once again with the introduction of SpyderWash. It was the industry's first hybrid credit/debit payment system, both wireless and cloud-based. Since then, Setomatic-SpyderWash has continued to rapidly grow and innovate, the company says.
SpyderWash helps laundry owners increase revenue and profits with ease of payments for their customers and simple-to-use loyalty programs that do not require customers to purchase a separate card, download any app or supply any personal data. SpyderWash is also the only payment system that offers a free-wash or free-dry program using the customer’s own credit/debit card, Setomatic says.
Handling of money and cash can spread germs and viruses. SpyderWash-equipped laundries have helped customers stay safe and secure during these trying times. Customers can quickly pay for their laundry using their contactless credit/debit card, or with their mobile phone via Apple/Samsung/Google Pay directly at washers and dryers. Contactless credit/debit card usage has grown over 200% in the past year, Setomatic says, because it allows customers touchless operation.
D&M EQUIPMENT CO.
For more than 55 years, D&M Equipment Co. has been a leader in bringing laundromat equipment solutions to the Chicago market. Veteran owners and new investors alike have leaned on the expertise of D&M’s staff to help them increase efficiency and revenue, while maximizing profitability. In addition, the company has distinguished itself through a well-stocked parts department to help owners keep their equipment up and running in the event they require service.
That commitment has taken a major step forward with D&M’s recent sale to Alliance Laundry Systems. This factory-direct access brings not just a wealth of advantages to laundromat owners and investors, it also makes available a suite of incredible technology tools.
D&M is excited to represent the Speed Queen line of ultra-reliable laundry equipment. It is eager to introduce its valued customers to this cutting-edge equipment and show them how Quantum Touch controls and Speed Queen Insights tools can combine to help them deliver a truly differentiated customer experience to their markets.
MOUNTAIN ELECTRONICS
During the 22 years that Mountain Electronics Inc. has been repairing circuit boards for the commercial laundry industry, it has emerged from each national and global crisis stronger and better than before, and the pandemic is no exception, the company says.
Closing for a few weeks in April 2020 proved to be an excellent opportunity to redesign its workflow. The new and improved remanufacturing process is more efficient than ever. Mountain Electronics says it’s able to repair more circuit boards in shorter time, while maintaining high-quality repairs and decreasing the warranty return rate. The productivity increase has also allowed its engineers to focus on research and development of new simulators to test the newest generation of laundry circuit boards.
Another exciting venture was the purchase of ALJ Electronics in October 2020. Founder Al Johnson pioneered laundry electronics repair in the 1980s, and the Mountain Electronics team is honored to carry on the Johnson family’s tradition of innovation and quality. Mountain Electronics acquired many cores which it has remanufactured and is now selling online along with the parts it repairs.
The website also offers a newly streamlined shipping label form, enabling customers to create and print free UPS shipping labels to send their computer boards to be repaired. These recent developments help Mountain Electronics meet the needs of its customers and continue to be the industry leader in laundry electronics repairs, according to the company.
SPEED QUEEN
Since its launch, Speed Queen’s Quantum Touch control has helped laundromat owners experience new levels of profitability by enabling them to give customers complete control of their laundry cycles, the Alliance Laundry Systems brand says.
The touch-screen control directs customers with user-friendly on-screen instructions and positions highly profitable cycle-upsell options, with descriptions, for easy selection. Store owners have reported that modifiers are selected a high percentage of the time and contribute to increased revenue.
As a leader in the laundromat industry, Speed Queen says it has continued to provide laundromat owners with a variety of resources to help them adapt their operations over the last year-plus to the new reality of a COVID-19 world. From best practices guides and signage to new “sanitize” cycles, it has maintained a leadership position by helping laundromat owners keep their essential businesses safe and profitable.
To learn more, visit the Speed Queen website today.
CARD CONCEPTS INC. (CCI)
Family-owned and -operated, Card Concepts Inc. was born from over 40 years of experience in the vended laundry industry. It combines that experience with an in-depth knowledge of the latest payment trends and technologies to bring you tools that make managing your laundromat or laundry room easier.
CCI gives store owners all the tools they need to succeed in one, integrated system. LaundryCard™, FasCard™ and FLEX allow laundromats to accept any combination of coins, credit/debit cards, mobile payments and loyalty cards; reduce cash collections; manage employees; market their store; and much more.
During 2020 and continuing in 2021, CCI has spent countless man-hours advancing its contactless and coinless payment options. It also expanded to an even larger tech support team and started developing a software training program to coach owners on all the marketing and management tools that are included in their CCI systems. The company remains devoted to helping current and future customers make the most of their laundromats through quality hardware and software that is engineered, manufactured and tested in the United States.
The world of payment is constantly changing and CCI is always innovating to give its owners the best!
ROYAL BASKET TRUCKS
Royal Basket Trucks Inc.® believes that carts should be made to fit into a variety of environments to improve workflow and process efficiencies. Its innovative product line offers a variety of features and ergonomic benefits to keep laundry operations running at the highest level. Often, a divided, two-compartment or elevated cart can provide great impact. Organizing becomes easy with mobile storage solutions. Sorting, collecting, cleaning, transporting ... Royal Basket Trucks’ marketplace solutions are endless and crafted to meet the needs of many applications, the company says.
Located in Darien, Wis., Royal® has been manufacturing carts for nearly 40 years and has become a recognized brand in the industry. It specializes in, and is committed to, providing high-quality cart solutions and world-class customer service. The company says its service and solutions, along with customization capabilities and modifications, sets Royal® apart from others in the industry.
Every cart is manufactured to order and ships within seven business days, allowing the customer to receive their product on a short timeline.
VEND-RITE
Vend-Rite has been supplying vending equipment to the coin laundry industry since 1953, manufacturing venders designed to dispense single-load or coin vend laundry products. It has machines that can vend anything from a single-load vend box up to a 75-oz. bottle of detergent or bags of laundry pods, eliminating the need for over-the-counter sales. Other machines vend drinks, candy, snacks, even fruits and sandwiches. Vend-Rite has also developed drop-off laundry items and coin laundry signage.
The VendMaster 120nb is a four-column electronic vender that can be expanded to 8 or 12 columns. The MDB platform allows for multi-pricing and easy connectivity to any coin, bill acceptor or card reader system.
Self-diagnostics assist in identifying and resetting a troubled vend. Reliable optic sensors approve coin acceptance, determine product availability, and confirm delivery.
The product selection buttons illuminate when product is available, blink while vending, and go dark when the column is empty. The large blue LED display is easy to read and scrolls a friendly, informative message when the vender is idle.
The all-steel welded cabinets and internal components are powder-coated for a superior finish and durability. The three-point locking system and locked cash box provide security. Pedestal bases and security guards are available for all three models.
Vend-Rite says its Vision vender has helped many store owners convert from over-the-counter sales to vended sales. Laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, custom-printed nylon laundry bags, lint rollers, even personal protective equipment (PPE) can be dispensed, eliminating the typical “retail” exchange.
Our “show floor” opens again Thursday – check back to tour another group of exhibitors
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].