With tons of industry knowledge and experience between them (Pete entered the industry in 1998 and James in 2003), they understood what customers needed and saw an opportunity in the marketplace.

Wanting to do things their way, they thought, “if we are going to do this, we better do it together”. Pete and James formed Solent Laundry Solutions (SLS) in 2011, which soon became a top dealer for renowned brands such as Miele – even being awarded the brand’s coveted accolade of Professional Partner of the Year in 2016. Keen to take things even further, WASHCO was subsequently born in 2019, with Pete as managing director and James as sales director. The company is now one of the UK’s leading commercial laundry specialists, working with clients up and down the country to transform their laundry operations.

On their industry career …

Pete: I actually ended up in the industry by accident. I was selling commercial dishwashers at the time but fell in love with the concept of laundry. It’s since kept me invested in the industry for 20 years.

We’ve built a team at WASHCO full of like-minded people, and now our focus is on looking at how far we can reach and how widely we can provide great products and best-in-class service to the whole market.

James: My career began with an apprenticeship in laundry with Electrolux before moving on to work with Miele. It gave me a great understanding of laundry processes and technology, but I thought I could go one better.

Once I met Pete and realised our approach was aligned, we decided to take the leap and do our own thing. We’ve never looked back.

On how to get people into the industry …

Pete: Let’s face it, laundry isn’t exactly sexy. It’s not glamorous for 16 year-olds leaving school to think ‘I’m going to fix washing machines’. Entering technical trade has become a little lost in the digital world. There are not enough trained technical people to deal with the amount of work there is in the UK’s laundry industry – the industry has to wake up and start building new resource. We’re investing in expanding our team with the development of a new training centre, which will open in December this year.

Apprenticeships and transferrable skills are really important to us. We’ve even recently trained a Gas Safe engineer that used to be a mechanic – he’s amazing. We support our staff really well; it’s an inclusive environment, with a lot of benefits beyond just paying a salary. The people that work here are here to help us move towards great outcomes but they also feel valued and connected.

James: Our rapid expansion and position at the frontline of the latest innovations (including bringing the first connected devices into the sector) allows for a lot of career development. Because of that, it makes WASHCO an exciting place to work.

On sustainability …

Pete: The industry needs to lead the way in sustainability. Electric vehicles, solar PV, removing single-use plastics from packaging and working closely with customers to support them in developing more efficient processes, are all things we can do to make a change for the better. Sustainability is at the forefront.

The revolution has started. It’s an expanding area and will only become more prevalent. I remember a Top Gear episode from years ago, which was filmed during a high point in global fuel prices. Believe it or not, they found that a performance car was more economical than a Toyota Prius. The Prius was pitted against a BMW M3, where both were sent around the test track at race pace with one gallon of fuel to see which ran out first. Surprisingly, it was determined that the M3, which was powered by a 414 BHP, four-litre V8 engine, got two miles per gallon more than the Prius. It proved that it’s not necessarily what you drive, but how you drive it. This is what we’re trying to achieve in the laundry sector, by educating customers on how to use their machines more efficiently.

Sustainability is at the forefront. The revolution has started. It’s an expandingarea and will only become more prevalent

On their clients’ challenges…

James: Staffing is a clear challenge for a lot of our clients at the moment, especially in the hospitality and care sectors. The right machine capacity and efficiency will help with the labour shortage and energy crisis, as we’re finding that most laundries are operating more than they need to.

With the smart laundry equipment that’s now available on the market, users can adjust machines and reduce cycle times, gaining a cycle per day/month. There are ways a connected device can make fact-based decisions about labour, saving an hour a day and money.

On the future …

James: The biggest gamechanger in laundry so far, and one of the innovations making the biggest impact when it comes to sustainability, is smart technology like WASHCONNECT. Machines like this use the latest industry technology to deliver complete visibility of laundry processes through a simple cloudbased system.

The good news is that there’s so much more to come in the future too and we’re really excited. Think predictive maintenance – machines that tell you they’re about to fail before they do. Watch this space!

Pete Hosking

James Holmes