Huge Expo, Networking at Frankfurt Show Drive Member Enthusiasm

Germany rolled out the red carpet for visitors from overseas and nearby countries for the revival of Texcare International, the industry’s most extensive expo for English-speaking linen and uniform service operators. The Nov. 6-9 event, reappearing in Frankfurt after an eight-year COVID-prompted absence, provided them with exhibits of the latest laundry technologies and facilitated TRSA networking and education activities.

Most noticeable in the latter respect was a reception staged by TRSA and the Textile Services Association (TSA-UK) that drew more than 150 participants. The turnout for the standing-room-only event at the Hilton Frankfurt City Centre exceeded the association partners’ expectations, with attendees attesting to the value of making the trip to Texcare to explore such an expansive display of options for upgrading their plant systems.

TRSA’s registration for the reception indicated attendance by representatives of 14 operator member companies and 24 supplier partners. The event renewed personal relationships and fostered new ones among members who acknowledged the show floor’s vibrance. Many testified that in the two years since the industry’s last major expo (Clean ’22, August 2022, Atlanta), suppliers’ offerings had advanced noticeably, enough to make it worthwhile to dedicate the time and money to travel from North America to Europe.

Exhibitors reported operators’ exceptional turnout at the show (yet to be quantified at the time of this writing), noting brisk activity in their displays during the first two show days. More than 300 exhibitors from 32 countries took part, with 72 percent of them coming from outside Germany, the nation with the most. Rounding out the top 10 exhibitor homelands: Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, China, Belgium, Türkiye, Great Britain, Switzerland and Spain.

TRSA was a Texcare Forum presenter, providing attendees with an update on the North American linen, uniform and facility services market. The one-hour presentation covered:

• Where linen, uniform and facility services operators are taking the industry to achieve greater heights, citing Robert W. Baird & Co. investment analysis reports
• Who is growing: linen, uniform and mixed-market competitors, private and public companies (Baird’s latest operator survey and conclusions)
• How the industry’s competitors are promoting their sustainability and hygiene; and operating more cost-effectively to sustain their growth (TRSA research, certifications)
• Why operators can maintain their growth and profitability as TRSA advocates for them in the public sector and promotes them with customers in the private sector (TRSA advocacy report)

TRSA presenters were President and CEO Joseph Ricci; Kevin Schwalb, VP, government relations; Ken Koepper, director, member and industry relations; and Jack Heaviside, senior consultant, specialty markets, Sunburst Chemicals. In addition to reporting on Baird’s findings and interpretations, the presentation covered TRSA research that verifies operators’ perpetual success in promoting their sustainability and cleanliness.

Schwalb’s government relations report examined potential implications of proposed federal heat injury and illness protocols and standards for PFAS content in drinking water. He noted prospects for TRSA success in prompting federal and state governments to mandate healthcare facilities to maintain standard operating thresholds of reusable protective textiles. Such legislation would tip the currently heavily lopsided balance of hospital inventories of isolation gowns away from disposables, ensuring a larger share for reusables.