Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/125252
Brands manufactured by Alliance Laundry Systems, LLC » Speed Queen: Sold for vended, on premise, multi-housing and consumer markets » Huebsch: Sold for vended, on-premise, multi-housing and consumer markets » IPSO: A premium brand in Europe, it is sold for vended and on-premise laundry » Cissell: Sold primarily for on-premise laundry » Unimac: Sold primarily for on-premise laundry » D'Hooge: Sold for heavy-duty industrial laundry operations Alliance Laundry Systems President and CEO Mike Schoeb and Chief Financial Officer Bruce Rounds enjoy a little levity. for example, if the machines are using too much water, or send a offering a version of its Speed Queen line, which it text message to a college student waiting for an open machine in the says has a useful life two-and-a-half times longer college dormitory. than other consumer washers or dryers. The Speed Queen brand appeared in 1938 with the introduction "It could very well be the last machine that of stainless steel washtubs and by 1952, the company's machines were someone ever buys," Schoeb says. fully automated. Organically and through acquisition, the company To put that in perspective, the typical home has grown substantially, and now provides equipment under six brand laundry machine is designed to last 3,000 to 5,000 names with manufacturing facilities in Ripon (Fond du Lac County) cycles. Alliance designs its machines to last at least and Belgium (Europe). Alliance Laundry Systems sells equipment 10,000 cycles. to three primary segments of the commercial stand-alone market: » On-premise laundry such as hotels, hospitals, nursing homes or prisons » Laundromats, referred to in the industry as vended laundry » Multi-unit housing such as apartment complexes, universities and military installations – Bob Baudhuin, vice president of engineering at Alliance Laundry Systems While its forte is commercial laundry equipment, Alliance reentered the consumer market in 2004, having been excluded after it Alliance's focus on building superior machines was sold off by Raytheon in 1997 when that company divested itself of has produced a superior balance sheet. The all non-defense industries. Raytheon prohibited sales in the consumer company's revenues in 2012 topped $500 million, market when it sold off another of its consumer products divisions. capping a two-year run in which it surpassed The Alliance leadership team is optimistic the company can the sales figures it posted prior to the Great reclaim and exceed its previous share of the consumer market by Recession, which saw the company's [continued] » "The dirty laundry never stops coming. Our clients can't afford to have machines that don't work." w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m M a y 2 013 • Insight | 25