Laundry operators and suppliers recently have dusted off the term “new normal” that gained favor during the COVID-19 pandemic and applied it to a new challenge: Maneuvering around a range of trade barriers—from an off-and-on war in the Middle East to inflation—especially in fuel costs—and a broad sense of uncertainty regarding textile or hard goods orders that may or may not arrive as planned.

“We believe the industry has entered a ‘new normal’ rather than a return to pre-2020 conditions,” says Jenny Shi, senior supply chain manager – North America, for Alsco Uniforms. “Some pressures may moderate, for example, some ...