- Language :
FAQ
Karn Phetchvaroon
General Manager
Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting (2nd Class Honor) - Chulalongkorn University
Question : Who are your main customers?
Our main customers are those hotel establishments with lodging capacity exceeding 50 rooms. This is due to the fact that our machinery and equipment are all of high-capacity models and specifically designed for industrial uses. Therefore, our target customers need to be those hotel establishments with large lodging capacity and high occupancy rate. These hotels are in great need of professional commercial laundry services that are reliable, punctual and of good standard.
Apart from handling variety of hotel clothes such as bed linen, towels of all types and F&B clothes/textiles, our laundry services are also extended to hotel guest garments and hotel staff uniforms. The diversified service range enables us to run our business as a fully integrated laundry service provider to hotel establishments.
Question : What criteria do you use for making a good choice of laundry machinery and equipment?
Over three decades in the commercial laundry industry, we have developed and maintained strong business relationships with quite a number of laundry machinery and equipment agents. We are always approached by the representatives of these enthusiastic agents. Actually, we acquire information and updates on new technology in the industry through our agents. We apply what we learn from them to our machinery and equipment purchase and development decisions. We are deeply indebted to all these generous agents and we would like to take this opportunity to appreciate their continued help and unwavering support.
In general, all laundry machinery and equipment are developed for the sole purpose of providing quality and timely laundry services to customers. Certainly, different particulars may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. We, as a professional commercial laundry service provider, are committed to equipping ourselves with necessary information through the help and support from our agents and also through our own search/learning efforts. This technique helps us make a well-informed decision when we purchase any laundry machinery and equipment.
Question : How do you choose the most suitable chemical products for your laundry business?
Phuket Laundry chooses Ecolab laundry products. When making a choice, we consider Ecolab's status of international specialist company, its continued R&D efforts, which extend to studies on virus and bacteria harmful to human health, energy and natural resource conservation, and potential impacts of their technology. All these factors in combination make Ecolab products safe and highly efficient.
One of the most important factors that we consider is the fact that our customers are all 4-star and 5-star hotels and that they require the best laundry services. Ecolab is a brand with a long established reputation in global laundry industry and among hotel establishments around the globe. Because of these strong points, our choice of Ecolab products is one of the many factors that contribute substantially to the trust our customers place in us.
Question : What about your approach to human capital management?
As a laundry company, we are fortunate that many of our staff members have worked for us for a long time. Therefore, they have developed and acquired functional understanding and skills over long service years. Newcomers are subject to learn about their work commitments right from the foundation of the job under close supervision and guidance of their supervisors. Although we are a large laundry company with a large workforce, a sense of generosity is embedded in our corporate culture.
This is especially evident in the work relationship among our management, supervisor and operation staff members. This such practice facilitates a friendly work atmosphere among all men and women here. When our staff members encounter problems in their jobs, they can have heart-to-heart talks with their supervisors. The openness of communication helps retain our valued people. In addition, Phuket Laundry provides educational support to the children of a certain number of our staff members who are in need of financial help.
The help is provided on the grounds that education can contribute tremendously to the overall social development.
Question : Can you give me a sketchy idea of today's laundry industry landscape in Phuket?
Phuket depends on tourism for much of its income and, for this reason, there are many hotel establishments throughout the island. Consequently, many commercial laundry service providers exist in the market, which is characterized by relatively intensified competition. In the marketplace, there is always information available to customers. However, it is important for them to use their judgment to differentiate fact from non-fact information.
This is just to make sure that they are to make well-informed purchase decision. In the past, the tourism industry in Phuket suffered a host of adverse impacts as a consequence of different uncontrolled circumstances: from the outbreak of SARS and Avian Influenza to Influenza A (H1N1) and various forms of large-scale political movements. The most fatal incident that Phuket experienced in its recorded history is the devastating tsunami in 2006. Back then, the Phuket hotel industry saw a sharp decline in occupancy rate. This unfavorable situation inevitably resulted in a dramatic drop in demand for commercial laundry services on the island. At present, the overall market situation has regained its stability. It is against this background that we have decided to increase our business presence and production capacity.
This move is aimed to capture more market share and also to respond to the unmet demand in Phuket's growing hotel industry and its increasing occupancy rate. Before making the final decision to purchase a laundry service, hotel business operators usually make a comprehensive comparison in terms of quality and cost. This is typically followed by a request for a plant tour to form a part of their final purchase decision. At Phuket Laundry, we keep abreast of customer needs in any given period while also trying to identify their extra requirements. Furthermore, we closely monitor the industry situations to get updates on newly launched market/service innovations. Developments among other laundry service providers are also of interest to us. All these factors in combination enable us to develop our business in the direction and manner that effectively keep pace with our customer needs.
Question : Besides providing services to hotel industry, are you active in any other service range?
Apart from the hotel industry, we launched our internally developed retail laundry services in early 2008. At present, we operate two laundry stores for the retail market (in addition to other stores located in hotel compound) under three brands: Lagoon, Beyond and Phuket Laundry. Lagoon deals with clothes worn in everyday life and a variety of textiles.
Unlike Lagoon, Beyond engages in clothes worn on special occasions such as evening dresses, wedding dresses and fancy dresses. As most items handled by Beyond require dry cleaning treatment and meticulous care, Beyond is therefore ideal for high-end customers with personalized laundry needs and delicate clothes in need of extra care. Both Lagoon and Beyond are created to respond to different customer needs and to give our customers more choices that best meet their personal preference.