Tekst | Nienke Ledegang

Redmer Aarnink has been active in the laundry industry for many years. Raised in his parents‘ laundry and with a long track record in the laundry industry, Redmer knows how simple steps can help laundries save costs and achieve greater profits.

Redmer, how did you get into the business? 

“As a child I was closely involved in the laundry of my parents. It almost went without saying that I would end up in the laundry industry. After my parents sold their own company,   I entered the profession. In the beginning I was mainly concerned with the technology in laundries. I helped companies to operate more efficiently, for example by advising overhead bag rail systems or conveyor belts, so that human actions could be avoided. I flew all over the world, and everywhere I went I helped laundries – large and small – to optimize their processes.’

How are you currently applying your knowledge? 

‘Now that I am an independent consultant, I have the opportunity to apply my knowledge widely. From giving advice to actively implementing improvements in practice. The result? More profit, often without additional investments.’ ‘Optimization can be done in many processes on the shop floor. The laundry industry consists of a lot of manual work. 40 to 50 percent of the costs consists of labor costs. If you can save on that, it will quickly pay off. But there are many more buttons that come into play: Energy, transport, chemistry, your fixed costs and good housekeeping. Because I have worked for many years as a technical director at laundries, I am able to quickly see where things can be improved.’

How can laundries be improved? 

‘What strikes me is that business results can be boosted without too much investment. Of course, if you are going to automate, it will cost money. That can be a bump. But you can tackle other matters very easily and quickly. After a two-hour company visit, I can point out savings, for example on transport costs. And that means: more profit.”

Can you tell us more about that? 

“The transport costs, for example, are one of my specialties. I map out exactly how much a transport costs, and whether that is in proportion to what it yields. Some laundries have a route management system and know almost everything about their trucks: how many kilometers they drive, which route and how much fuel they use. However, the factor that is unknown is whether those trucks work efficiently. While you can easily make that clear, even without an advanced route system. I have a method with which I can divide the transport costs and turnover per route, customer and truck and portray the percentage costs, very clearly in a color scheme. This way, the company will be able to see what the status is. That is information that really helps you.”

How would you describe your approach? 

“My approach is down to earth. I prefer to walk into a laundry and see how things can be improved. That’s the beauty of my job: I enjoy meeting people from the laundry industry, listening to them and showing them different tricks, to improve their business.

Therefore, you are always welcome  to contact me for a      no-obligation appointment and quick scan.’