Not just towels
August 1st 2007 Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Universal Towel Company is perhaps now something of a misnomer: with an expanding washroom offering, it provides a lot more than just towels.Brendan Coyne reports
Although its roots lie in the cabinet roller towel sector, UTC aims to become more of a complete laundry, washroom and janitorial supplier. And after a successful Cleaning Show,Managing Director,Mark Rue, says people are beginning to realise just what the company can do for them.
"Our philosophy is not just to work to benefit our customers, but also our customers' customers," says Rue. By way of example,managing director,Tony Filer, cites the company's 'Anti Bac' linen range, on which work first began in 1997.
"The R&D was carried out at the Spring Grove plant in Shepherds Bush, in collaboration with Nottingham University,"explains Filer."To bring the product to market we spun Amicor fibre into cotton to create a 70/30 mix.The result was an anti-fungal, antibacterial material that never needs to be retreated even after 200 wash cycles the product is still active. So it is beneficial to the customer's customer, the end user, in that it is antibacterial but it is also beneficial to the customer, the laundry, because it won't black-spot." While the product was originally approved by the NHS for use in bath and hand towels, it was never adopted (due to cost). Not a firm to give in easily,UTC is now looking at weaving Amicor into hospital curtains."Curtains are acknowledged by the NHS as a medium by which MRSA is transferred from outpatient to patient," says Rue.
"Research has shown that the bed curtains only come down every 10-12 weeks." Returning to the Cleaning Show and the janitorial market, Rue says customers were genuinely surprised that its Marplast hand towel dispensers didn't mean sticking to one paper manufacturer's products. "The show taught us a number of things: firstly that people are genuinely interested in Marplast's style and design ethos, rather than just seeking out any product that is utilitarian and fit for purpose, and secondly, that many people want open systems.
"It now seems blindingly obvious, but we had wondered why the paper market was so difficult to enter: Chiefly because the paper converters the big tissue manufacturers give their dispensers away for free as a filtering mechanism for their product. But when we explained to visitors at the Cleaning Show that the Marplast products are open systems and that they can buy the paper they like, when they like, from whoever they like people absolutely loved that.And we're keen to promote open systems throughout the business." The open approach is now being implemented throughout UTC's operation, according to Rue."It's not just about what you see on the website or in the brochures, but telling us what you want," he says.
"We're bringing in product from all over the world and have the ability to procure items that are not on our product list if that's what the customer wants. It's a simple, sales-led approach: tell us your need and we'll try and satisfy it for you." Another example of keeping customers happy and adding value is the UTC's willingness to offer bonded goods on customer's premises.
"In a growing company, the issue of cashflow is very much to the fore," says Rue.
"Where we have a good trading relationship,we are happy to put bonded stock on customer's premises fragrances, laundry bags, janitorial products etc.Where a customer can give us a two or three month forecast we will order the stock in, deliver it and invoice them when they start to see revenue from it. It's not a facility we offer to just anybody but for those we trust it provides a tangible benefit: it becomes less of a commodity product because we are seen to be adding value." The flipside is that UTC isn't running 'hand to mouth' in terms of stock ordering, and frees up more space in its 10,000ft2 facility in Tunbridge Wells."It also brings us physically closer to the customer,we understand both their needs and their business," adds Rue.
With the linen operation enjoying strong growth, UTC is now pushing the fragrance line."There are two or three main players in the UK fragrance market, of which we are one, and while one of our competitors is experiencing difficulties in terms of manufacturing and supply,we hold copious amounts of stock here in 11 fragrances and we view the entire supply chain," says Rue. "It means we pay slightly more, but if you order in China and get it wrong, your customers won't want to wait two months before you put it right.
Now we want to convert those customers who are taking our dispensers and not our cans, and vice versa. It's a gap we'd like to close, so alongside our work with Marplast, that will be an area of increased focus." While the likes of the Super Magic MK4 (UTC's first saleable laundry product) may be consigned to the history books, UTC's expanding product range and service approach bodes well for the future.
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