Founded in 1962, St. Joris Textile Service (St. Joris) is a Belgium-based industrial laundry employing around 180 people. It provides on-premises laundry (OPL) services for hospitals, aged care, factories and the public services sector, and boasts a throughput of 40 tons of linen per day.
St. Joris aims to offer its customers quality and innovation, which is why the business model clearly outlines replacement of all its laundry machines every four years. In 2015, the laundry service was looking to replace its washer extractors and tumble dryers and was approached by a Tolon product distributor, Washtech, to give Tolon a chance. Gino Marroccoli, Head of the Technical Department at St. Joris comments:
“We had heard of the brand Tolon before but didn’t know much about the company or its products, so of course we were a little hesitant to begin with. There are perceptions that brands and products coming from Turkey are inferior, so we were unsure about trying Tolon.”
Put to the test
After some initial conversations with Washtech, St. Joris took a chance and put Tolon’s solutions and services to the test. At St. Joris, all new machines are trialed for six months to check performance and reliability of servicing. If the trialed machines don’t meet the performance criteria, the search begins for a solution that meet the needs of the laundry.
During the trial period, the team at St. Joris was unsure whether Tolon machines would match the same quality of other familiar brands in the industry, but they passed with flying colors. Gino says:
“I can say with certainty that the machines comply with European standards and are not at all inferior to other well-known brands. We made the right decision to trial Tolon.”
Better working conditions
The laundry machine operators at St. Joris are also satisfied with the decision to use Tolon at the site. The initial feedback from operators has been positive, with many commenting that the controls are easy to use and show a detailed overview of all of the programs available. In the event of errors, the operators say that the process to rectify the error is a smooth one.
With all of the spinning, steaming and cleaning that happens in large industrial laundries, the noise can be a little hard to bear. Gino adds:
“These Tolon tumble dryers make less noise when compared with the previous brand we used. The machines have led to a calmer and nicer working environment for our employees.”
Good service makes a difference
Along with good working conditions, another priority for industrial laundries like St. Joris is to ensure continuous operation of the machines. For large-scale technical issues that require service technicians to arrive on site, a fast resolution is essential. Gino says:
“In the past, we were not helped immediately, or we had to wait at least a couple of days before we heard anything. The service we get from Tolon is much better than the service we received four years ago with another brand.”
This is part of the reason why when the four-year replacement cycle came around again, St. Joris chose to stay with Tolon. Gino comments:
“We could have replaced the machines with another brand like we normally do, but we wanted to continue our positive partnership with Tolon. We are also convinced that the price/quality ratio of the machines is very favorable.”
St. Joris’ current industrial laundry setup includes some of the latest Tolon solutions, including:
Washer-extractors
• 2 x TWE40
• 5 x TWE24
Tumble Dryers
• 6 x TTD60
• 4 x TTD20
Want to become a partner? Tolon aims to be the best possible partner in the laundry machine solutions industry. Contact us today to find out how.