100% hygienic with Cool Chemistry

Only the best is good enough. This is not only true for us, but also for our partners. One of them is Christeyns: started after the Second World War as a soap trader, now grown into an international partner in chemistry for companies. Johan Rooijakkers, Application Manager Processes at Christeyns, and his colleague Matthijs Zuurman, Account Manager, join in a conversation about hygiene, quality and partnership.

How did your partnership with Nedlin come about?

Johan: ‘I have known the De Win family personally since 1989. Around 2000 Nedlin approached us with two questions: provide us with a washing process we can trust, and provide us with knowledge. These questions remain unchanged, but the focus has shifted more and more towards saving water and energy. That was one of our main pillars already. Everybody can sell soap. I’ve come to solve a problem’.

Matthijs: ‘We want to help our customers continuously to improve their processes. Christeyns has translated washing with raw materials to Cool Chemistry. The chemistry has changed. But for such a trajectory you need a lot of laundries who want to meet the challenge together with you’.

Johan: ‘Nedlin certainly was a leader in that. But the company wanted proven techniques. The bar is high: Certex has guidelines for the Colony Forming Units (CFU) that laundries must comply with’. Nedlin said: ‘That’s all good and fine, but we want our number of CFU’s to be even lower. Lower than customers in the Netherlands and – stricter – Belgium demand.’

What solution does Cool Chemistry offer? Is it 100% hygienic?

Johan: ‘Cool Chemistry is a concept of producing chemistry on site. With this chemistry we can claim a disinfection guarantee on site. This process must be supported by other products. We do this with enzyme technology, which used to be a bit of a suppositious child in the industry; we studied it and managed to implement it’. Matthijs adds: ‘You wash at low temperatures. This also means: less wear. And less energy consumption’.

Does the technique also have consequences for water consumption?

Johan: ‘Because we use less heavy chemistry, the process becomes simpler. There is less need for rinsing, so we use less water. For Hospitality we assume a target value of 3 litres per kilo of laundry maximum. And because we can establish a link between Hospitality and Healthcare, not a drop will go into the sewer from Hospitality’.

What does Cool Chemistry mean for the Industry segment?

Johan: ‘At Industry pollution is many times higher and more focused in character on pollution from the food processing industry. The detergent is therefore enriched with enzymes even more. With the construction of the new laundry in Hoensbroek, we switched from a traditional process at 80 degrees and with basic chemistry to Cool Chemistry. There is a spacious chemistry room with a wall for storage and a wall for dosing technique. You can walk around safely here, you feel comfortable because it has been designed spaciously. Through 150-metre tubes all materials are transported to the machines with air. That is a continued development of the existing systems at Hospitality’.

Matthijs: ‘We work with a continuous process with our latest dosing technique behind it. The process is always running. Any malfunctions can be solved from a distance’.

Johan: ‘The chemistry solution is absolutely state-of-the-art. It is a good thing than Nedlin does not skimp on any costs here. That benefits continuity. The company demands the highest standard and is also prepared to invest in it’.

What about the other segments?

Johan: ‘At Healthcare we are mainly dealing with protein pollution. We can use the same chemistry – bleach disinfection – also at lower temperatures. This process has been registered and thus proven safe. We lay down what requirements clean laundry must meet and test this continuously. We have developed a tool, the Process Guard, which monitors every batch from prewash to the last rinsing, to see if it meets the parameters. These are recorded online and shared with the customer.

At hospitality pollution is minimal, but customers do want a fresh scent. Hygiene is very important to all customers.’

What characterises the collaboration with Nedlin?

Johan: ‘The main thing is that they set the bar high and keep challenging you. That is good for myself as well. Nedlin challenges you in a fair way. Senior sometimes puts the finger on the sore spot. And when you succeed, you think: “Yes, it is possible after all!” A fine example is the water project at Hospitality and Healthcare. That takes time and that time is given to you. You go through the process together’.

Johan: ‘Nedlin is a family business. The commitment is enormous, which we appreciate tremendously. It reinforces the partnership and eventually yields the best result’.

Matthijs: ‘I’m really impressed by the huge level of knowledge. Nedlin understands the process, employees study the subject thoroughly and this way, we really form a partnership. The company is investing continuously, in turbulent times too’.