Electrolux's new system
Swedish manufacturer Electrolux yesterday launched its new wet-cleaning laundry system called "Lagoon" and said it was confident the system would be a success here and throughout the world amid stricter global controls on using dry-cleaning chemicals.
Chris Sisternas, worldwide marketing director of Electrolux Laundry Systems, said yesterday that dry-cleaning usually required Perchlorene, an environmentally damaging ingredient.Many countries, particularly in Europe, have initiated regulations to strictly control the use of the dry cleaning solution. In Germany, for example, laundry shops providing dry-cleaning services have decreased from 6,000 to 300 in six years. Electrolux Thailand's general manager for Laundry Systems Tavin Chuanromanee said the dry cleaning sector in Thailand was in the same situation. The market has stopped growing since 1997. Lagoon is a complete wet-cleaning system that washes, dries and irons using water-based biodegradable solutions instead of Perchlorene. The system contains four machines. Each set requires a Bt2-million investment. Tavorn said the cost was the same as current dry-cleaning systems. Thailand is the first country in Asia that Electrolux has launched Lagoon. Tavin said the company would spend Bt10 million on marketing by purchasing advertising in magazines, arranging training courses for laundry shops and offering information kits at businesses that install the system. Electrolux will later launch Lagoon in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China and expects to see 75 laundry shops in Asia and 150 shops in Europe replace their old system with Lagoon per year. Nitida Asawanipont, The Nation
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