Introduction
In order to sell a product or service well the Salesperson should have an in depth knowledge of all aspects of the Industry. This involves a knowledge of how the industry evolved. It's important to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the company he/she represents, its history, the product/service features the company provides, and the benefits these will bring to the prospective client, as well as knowledge of market competitors, including their strengths and weaknesses. The notes below outline how our company has evolved.
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The history
 George & Elizabeth Plowman
The commercial laundry industry is a very old one. Possibly the earliest commercial laundry has been discovered in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. While the means of laundering may have changed since then, the concepts have not. The modern laundry developed from the introduction of the commercial "steam" laundries in the 1850s. These became common in most large cities and catered mainly to the hospitality industries, although most large hospitals also had their own steam laundry facilities. By the 1850s the first motorised washing machines were built and by 1937 the first fully automatic washers were introduced. From there, these machines have evolved into the technologically sophisticated laundry equipment used by the industry today.
The towel rental service dates back to the 1890s when The Lincon Steam Laundry in Nebraska started a dedicated towel delivery route supplying rental towels to mostly retail businesses. This franchise route was subsequently purchased by George Steiner who formed the Lincon Towel and Apron Company, and continued to grow the business, expanding to Salt Lake City, then throughout the US. By 1910 George and Elizabeth Plowman introduced the towel rental concept into New Zealand. By the 1940s the company had expanded into the Uniform Rental Business and by the 50s had introduced the modern cloth towel cabinet, In the 60s dust control mats were introduced. In 1980 an Australian division was formed under the name of Enhance Systems. This was started as a specialist Mat Rental Company in order to exploit the undeveloped potential for this service within Australia. The company grew rapidly, progressively branching out to supply Washroom and Garment Rental Services, and expanding with five branches, into all Eastern States. In 1998 both the Australian and New Zealand operations were purchased by a large US based multi national company, who incorporated them under the Alsco Brand. Austraian Uniform Service In 2001 George and Elizabeth Plowmans' great grandson, Peter Plowman purchased an existing laundry in Brisbane and Australian Uniform Service was formed, with the desire to provide services to meet the unresolved garment rental needs of potential Eastern Seaboard clients. Taylor’s Apparelimage was primarily at that time an industrial garment plant with both water washing and dry cleaning facilities. Over the following 3 years the plant went through a major refurbishment where traditional dry cleaning and hand press methods were replaced with water wash and steam tunnel technology. AUS Qld now provides garment rental programs to the greater Brisbane CBD & Gold Coast regions covering an area of approximately 100klm radius. AUS Qld has continued to grow and produces high quality garments and associated products to a wide variety of industries. In 2008 two laundries were purchased in Sydney, Blue Ribbon Uniform Service and ACE Overall Service. These were both long established firms with significant customer bases. Both were amalgamated into the Rydalmere site and the businesses were restructured to focus on the growth of the AUS core product range. In 2009 AUS purchased MWS Linen. Previously a linen facility it serviced the greater Melbourne CBD. More recently AUS has realigned its linen operation in Melbourne with its core products in textile rental. AUS Victoria now operates as a fully functional industrial textile rental laundry. In 2011 all companies were united under the one banner of Australian Uniform Service. In 2012 AUS purchased Tiger Workwear , previously owned by Rentokil Initial located in Leichhardt and also amalgamated them into Rydalmere. In 2014 Fresh & Clean Uniform Services located in Marrickville was purchased and amalgamated into the Rydalmere Branch. This year due to our continued growth, construction has commenced on a brand new plant on the Rydalmere site allowing us to bring state of the art facilities into play to better service our growing customer base. 
As you can see, when it comes to Australia’s uniform needs, we’re highly experienced. Our business specialises in uniforms for everything from Heavy Engineering to Food Services and Pharmaceutical Companies, Overalls, shirts, trousers, high-visibility garments and traditional work wear for all industries, as well as a full range of Mats, Wipes, Towel services and "Plans" to suit every business.
Australian Uniform Service is 100% Australian owned and operated, reinvesting all profits back into the Australian economy. Our existing customers have recognised the extra benefits of our unique service packages, allowing Australian Uniform Service to grow and thrive throughout the Eastern States of Australia. “We are dedicated to assisting our customers’ growth and prosperity by delivering defect-free products and services on time, every time.” |
