NORTHBROOK, Ill. — The Round Table of Launderers and Dry Cleaners recently held their annual “Fly-in” conference at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile. The fly-in is a three-day session where leaders of dry cleaning, laundry, linen, and industrial cleaning companies convene to exchange best practices, critique the operation of the current Round Table Chairman and receive a sneak preview of the organization’s 2025 convention, which will kick off Sunday, March 16, 2025, at the Shima Kanko Resort in Japan.
The 2024 fly-in was hosted by Tom Zengeler, president of Zengeler Cleaners and the current Round Table Chairman. That meant Zengeler’s operation experienced a comprehensive critique from industry peers. That process was facilitated by the sharing of detailed financial information, a deep dive into Zengeler Cleaners’ operating philosophy and review of both delivery services and human resource management. the process also included a tour of each of the company’s seven physical locations.
During the store tours, Zengeler Cleaners showcased its recent investments in infrastructure and eco-friendly new equipment, along with store makeovers and rebranding. The “star” of the tour was Metalprogetti’s Giulietta system at the company’s Northbrook location. Giulietta is a compact dry cleaning auto bagging machine designed to make order assembly more dynamic after the washing, pressing and sorting processes. The automated clothing bagging machine bags the order for delivery to the customer, integrated with the store’s labeling machine to print bag ID labels by using bar codes generated by the cleaners’ point-of-sale system.
The Giulietta system just went “live” at the Northbrook location on Sept. 16. “We are very excited about the benefits Giulietta now provides,” says Zengeler. “A key strength of Giulietta is that the system is modular, meaning it can be used as a standalone process or integrated with other equipment. That flexibility allowed us to leverage our existing equipment and as a result, we are already enjoying significantly improved operating efficiency in Northbrook.”
The Round Table is built on the foundation of an open exchange of ideas as the lifeblood of the organization. Each participant’s “price of admission” includes an understanding that confidences remain inviolate, thus creating an atmosphere that allows an open exchange of priceless “best practices” for its members.
The Round Table was founded in 1940 by Herb Koch, Lee Workman and Barrett Finn, industry leaders of that era, who called a “Sales Managers Pow-Wow” in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The meeting subsequently became known as the Laundry Management Group until 1950, when the name was changed to the Round Table Conference and has remained that way since.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].
