The prevalence of optimism for continued business growth among industrial launderers and linen suppliers indicates that 2012 could be a good year for them to experiment with product diversification. Investment analyst Robert W. Baird & Co. (Milwaukee) predicts this will occur with hygiene chemistry. The firm cites recent M&A activity and notes its conversations with industry participants “centered around desire for a platform with broader product and service offerings and an emphasis on vendor consolidation.”
 
In other words, launderers seem willing to sell cleaning chemicals (multipurpose, foodservice, warewashing), in addition to core textile services, in part because ...