North America’s First Sea-Lion Tunnel Washer to Land in Boston

Sea-Lion America conducted a virtual ceremony in its Clean Show exhibit July 31 to mark its first tunnel washer installation in North America at Wash Cycle Laundry’s new Boston facility.

With Chairman Hong Chen and Deputy GM Aaron Zhang representing the company’s Chinese owners online, and President Ed Kirejczyk and VP Caroline Wojcicki presiding in Atlanta, Sea-Lion welcomed Gabriel Mandujano, Wash Cycle founder and CEO, to their exhibit. His colleagues online included GM John Lowrey, board member John Moore, plant engineer Francisco Deras, controller Alex Samaras and Coral Despradel, customer service manager.

The companies exchanged gifts including Sea-Lion’s presentation to Wash Cycle of a ruyi, a glass- enclosed statue given as a good-luck charm.

Wash Cycle was founded 11 years ago in Philadelphia as a socially conscious operation to meet the needs of smaller businesses downtown. Deliveries were made exclusively on bicycles. Working closely with community groups, the company hired individuals who needed a second chance at employment, facing high barriers to getting hired such as previous incarceration, homelessness and reliance on public assistance. Acknowledging the importance of the company’s environmental, social and governance principles, also participating in the ceremony was Immani Burg, Wash Cycle’s social impact manager.

When the company expanded to Washington, top management marked the milestone by taking a weekend to cycle there from Philadelphia. Operations remain in place in those two cities today with bicycle deliveries. “Bikes still work well for downtown deliveries of one to three bags, to a fitness studio, for example, or wherever there’s no parking lot,” Mandujano noted.

Expansion to Boston materialized in 2018 when investors suggested the operation could thrive by serving hotels in the area. Operating from Chelsea, MA, volume would be much greater, produced by 13 washer/extractors: three 275-lb. and 10 100-lb. machines. Airline business could supplement hotel work. “Routes” are typically out and back deliveries to a single customer, although some may have two or three stops. The fleet consists of straight trucks and sprinter vans.

The Sea-Lion tunnel will be installed in Wash Cycle’s new 24,000-square-foot Boston-area facility (Lynn, MA), a former dairy-distribution plant. Will the business grow substantially beyond the hotel and airline markets? “Post-pandemic conditions suggest some diversification beyond hotels is attractive from a business perspective but probably harder from a production standpoint,” Mandujano said.

“We are really excited to take this step with Sea-Lion, a manufacturer who’s committed to ensure its success,” he added.