Clients

Gareth Hodgen of White Label dry cleaners in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland is probably one of very few people with cause to be thankful for the volcanic ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano that grounded air traffic throughout Europe last April. It meant that he had an extra pair of hands in the shape of Renzacci UK’s senior engineer, Jerry Jones, to help in painting and decorating his premises prior to opening.

In similar circumstances, many engineers would have simply put their feet up. Not so Jerry. He was over in the Province to install a range of dry cleaning equipment supplied by Renzacci UK. When he realised he was stranded and could not get back, he set to with a paint roller and helped out. Says Gareth: “Jerry’s helpful and proactive approach is typical of the sort of service level we have come to expect from Renzacci UK and it is the reason we chose them to supply all our equipment”.

Rewind six months and Gareth, together with his business partner, is running a very successful wedding suit hire company in Banbridge. Obviously, that calls for a regular dry cleaning service which, at that time, they outsourced. When Gareth did his sales projections and analysed the local market for retail dry cleaners, he spotted that there was an opportunity to save money on his suit cleaning costs and at the same time establish a successful retail business – and so it turned out. Within a few months, and with no prior experience of the industry, Gareth had laid down a detailed business plan, researched his requirements and leased the premises next door.

His initial approach was simply to search the internet for ‘dry cleaning machine manufacturers’, which came up with Renzacci UK, amongst others. In stark contrast to his competitors, Gareth was surprised that he immediately got through by telephone to Managing Director, Jason Alexander, and within an hour had an outline proposal emailed to his PC. “None of the other suppliers I spoke to were anywhere near as responsive” says Gareth. “In some cases, they did not even bother to return my call. By way of contrast, Jason himself flew over to see us personally and to assess our requirements first hand.”

Unbeknown to Jason, in a skilled piece of detective work, Gareth spotted the telephone number of another Renzacci customer, Dry Clean Plus in Newark, Nottinghamshire. He called them for a reference and was pleased to receive a glowing recommendation from owner, Russ Langthorne.

Shortly after, the equipment specification was finalised and Gareth was satisfied that Renzacci UK were the only company to go with. And so it came about that in mid April this year, Jerry Jones arrived in the Province to install a range of equipment that included a Renzacci Progress 35 dry cleaning machine, configured to White Label specifications, including Gareth’s request for three tanks and two filters. The equipment inventory also included a Cosmos ‘E’ rotary finishing cabinet, a Pony Silver-SV Finishing Table, a Pony spotting table, a reconditioned flat head press, a washer and a tumble dryer. Since installation, Gareth has also purchased an additional Pony Silver-SV finishing table with dual controls and an Intelli Control HS6017 washer to cope with the workload and also to progress into Wet Cleaning.

The installation and machinery training proceeded in a straightforward manner, but Jerry was unable to leave for home because of the ash cloud. So, rather than lounge in his hotel room or go sightseeing, Jerry helped out with the décor. Gareth had chosen the striking theme of a garment label to decorate his premises, which tied in with the name ‘White Label’ and made a stylish statement about his business.

The final piece of the jigsaw was staff training in drycleaning. Renzacci UK plc runs an exclusive 5 day course for its clients, engaging leading specialist, Roger Cawood, who works exclusively for Renzacci UK in the new start dry cleaning market. He was due to fly out to train Gareth and his staff, but of course, he was similarly delayed by the ash cloud. Vanessa King, operations manager for Renzacci UK, had to make last minute alternative arrangements for him to travel by boat to Belfast and thence by car to Banbridge. The comprehensive training course went ahead as planned and it gave White Label staff the confidence to deal with a wide cross section of stain treatment issues and pressing techniques.

Six months on, Gareth is delighted with all the equipment, which is working perfectly and White Label is exceeding the figures laid down in his business plan.