Presto DryCleaners taps on RFID technology for productivity gains

RFID technology to cut down manual and time-consuming work processes

Presto DryCleaners is one of the fastest growing dry-cleaning & laundry specialists in Singapore. Its core business is to provide personalised dry-cleaning and laundry services to the public and institutions.

Earlier this year, the company adopted the Dry Cleaning Retail Management System, an RFID-based system which automatically tracks garments, and improves laundry sorting for delivery. Prior to this, the company had to contend with manual tracking and sorting of the large laundy output on a daily basis.

As a result of the technology adoption, time-consuming tasks such as tracking and sorting laundry became less so for the employees. For instance, employees would have taken between three and five days to find misplaced garments before the RFID tags were put in place. With the new tracking capability, overall search time is reduced by as much as 75 per cent. More information on the technology that Presto adopted is in the link of A*STAR press release at the bottom of this article.

Mr Chan Chek Yeow, Chief Executive Officer of Presto Drycleaners said, “With consultation with A*STAR and the new RFID system, our business operations have improved tremendously. In addition, support from agencies such as e2i and SPRING Singapore have made this technology more accessible for SMEs like us. We have reduced time wastage and improved efficiency among our staff, which means we can provide better quality customer service and work on business expansion plans. The system is also easy for our mature workers to use, which is important as they make up about 35 per cent of our staff.”

Minister S Iswaran said, “Presto Drycleaners is an excellent example of a local Small-and-Medium Enterprise (SME) that is using technology to improve its productivity. We hope more SMEs will harness technology to upgrade their capabilities to help them deliver better business outcomes.”

Developing RFID Technology for Broader Adoption

“To encourage more companies to come onboard, I am pleased to announce that the Government will adapt the RFID-based garment counting system into a ready-to-go (RTG) package under the Technology Adoption Programme (TAP) for use by hotels, restaurants and fitness clubs. This will enable more SMEs to benefit from the available technology. For funding support, they can tap on Government schemes such as the Capability Development Grant (CDG), administered by SPRING Singapore,””, Minister Iswaran added.

Dr Tan Geok Leng, Executive Director of the Science and Engineering Research Council, A*STAR, said, “A*STAR’s multi-prong engagement strategy with SMEs has helped many companies develop new products and improve processes. A*STAR will continue to work closely with industry to help local SMEs access technology for greater productivity.”

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ABOUT National Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Innovation Platform

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) has launched the National Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Innovation Platform through the National RFID Centre (NRC) to position Singapore as an early adopter of RFID technologies. The platform was announced on 1 February 2008.

Supported by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the platform encourages organisations in both the public and private sectors to conceptualise and pilot process innovation projects leading to greater cost efficiency, higher productivity and better service standards. A sum of $4.5 million has been set aside over four years as part of this platform to co-fund 30 RFID pilot projects.

The platform is expected to expand the RFID industry by growing existing and new home-grown RFID companies, as well as attracting Multinational Corporations to be based in Singapore. This move will also stimulate further research and development in advanced RFID technologies through collaboration between industry, A*STAR and local universities. Stronger interests in the RFID technology will stimulate the growth engines across different industries.