Promote the steady development of the association's work with the concept of service cooperation

(Speech by Pan Wei, Executive Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Laundry and Dyeing Committee, at the 2009 Annual Work Exchange Meeting of the China General Chamber of Commerce)
 

The Laundry and Dyeing Professional Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce (referred to as the Laundry and Dyeing Committee) began preparations in 2001 and was officially approved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2004 as a branch of the chamber of commerce. Since its establishment, it has adhered to the principles of united cooperation, serving members, and standardized development, enabling steady growth. It now has over 200 member units, covering laundry service enterprises, laundry equipment and auxiliary material manufacturers, local laundry industry associations, and related institutions across 27 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide. It has established influential brand events in the industry such as the China International Laundry Industry Exhibition, the National Laundry Industry Vocational Skills Competition, and the China Laundry Industry Summit Forum. It also founded the internal journal "China Laundry" and the "China Laundry" www.chinalaundry.cn network information platform.
1. Advocating Cooperation to Promote Harmonious Industry Development
According to preliminary estimates, there are currently about 250,000 relatively standardized laundry service enterprises or laundry shops in China, employing over 1.25 million people, with an annual turnover exceeding 50 billion yuan, making it a relatively small industry. The small circle leads to fierce competition and many conflicts within the industry. After the establishment of the Laundry and Dyeing Committee, it first proposed the concept of win-win cooperation within the industry, telling everyone that China's laundry industry is just starting, with relatively small enterprise scales, and must follow a path of cooperative development; only cooperation can achieve win-win results. Over the years, the association has carried out a large amount of concrete work around the goal of promoting harmonious industry development, enhancing its authority and gaining the trust and respect of industry insiders.
Through multiple mediations and coordination of internal industry conflicts, we have realized that neither party involved in a conflict wants it to escalate; at such times, what is needed is a trustworthy intermediary to mediate. The association has timely played this role.
Over the years, the Laundry and Dyeing Committee has also acted as a matchmaker in various ways for buyers and sellers and enterprises seeking partners, facilitating many good outcomes.
2. Creating Brands to Guide Standardized Industry Development
First, striving to establish industry brands and provide a platform for good brands to showcase. The laundry industry must cultivate a batch of decent brands and lead the industry's standardized development through branding. Over the years, the Laundry and Dyeing Committee has selected and recommended more than twenty brand enterprises such as Funait, Rongchang·Yiersa, Elephant King, Sea Lion, Blanche, Toply, Sunlight, Sanyo, Keyipi, and Kabo, promoting and commending their achievements on various occasions, organizing training and exchanges, introducing their entrepreneurial philosophies, and setting examples for standardized industry development. These enterprises have grown healthily and rapidly while providing more support to our association's work, enhancing the association's prestige in the industry.
Second, creating branded association activities to enhance the Laundry and Dyeing Committee's industry influence. For the association to have influence and recognition in the industry, it must have branded activities recognized by industry professionals. At the association's inception, we established the "China Laundry Industry Exhibition," which has been successfully held for ten sessions as of last year, despite many hardships. With strong support from the leadership and laundry industry professionals nationwide, the committee has persisted in building the brand and service, with results improving year by year; the tenth exhibition made breakthrough progress. Following the exhibition, the committee also founded the "National Laundry Industry Vocational Skills Competition," which has been held six times and included by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security as a national category II competition. The committee also established the "China Laundry Industry Summit Forum," providing a platform for high-level management in the laundry industry to exchange ideas and broaden horizons. These three major events have become branded activities of the Laundry and Dyeing Committee, gaining high recognition in the national laundry industry. Many industry professionals have come to know the China General Chamber of Commerce Laundry Professional Committee through participation in these events.
The Laundry and Dyeing Committee has also cooperated with the China Employment Guidance Center to carry out training projects such as "Laundry Trainer Training," "National Vocational Competition Judges," and "National Vocational Qualification Assessors," which have become national branded training programs in the laundry industry.
Third, focusing on standards construction to establish rules and regulations for standardized industry development. An important measure of a good brand is whether it complies with standards. Years ago, President Zhang Shuping proposed the concept "He who controls standards controls the world." The Laundry and Dyeing Committee has always regarded the construction of laundry industry standards as an important task. The committee has cooperated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Commerce to organize the formulation of industry standards or regulations such as the "National Occupational Standard for Laundry Workers," "Laundry Industry Management Measures," "Laundry Industry Service Quality Requirements," and "Laundry Industry Service Operation Specifications," some of which have been promulgated and implemented. This year, the committee will also start formulating occupational and industry standards such as "Leather Care Worker," "Basic Terms of Laundry Services," "Methods for Resolving Laundry Service Consumer Disputes," and "Laundry Service Contract Clause Specifications." Meanwhile, through the committee's unremitting efforts, the "National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee" has finally been approved by the National Standardization Committee, with its secretariat to be set up at the Laundry and Dyeing Committee. The achievements in standardization work have been recognized by the industry, enhancing enterprises' cohesion toward the association.
3. United Cooperation Extends Association Functions
From all aspects, the laundry industry is a small industry, and the Laundry and Dyeing Committee has very limited manpower and functions. To accomplish more, it must make full use of external resources. For example, the "First China International Laundry Festival" held in Beijing last September included themed events such as the "10th China International Laundry Industry Exhibition," "International Laundry Industry Conference," and the "6th National Laundry Industry Vocational Skills Competition," lasting a week. The entire festival attracted over 100 laundry industry organizations from more than 20 countries, with over 7,000 participants. The "International Laundry Industry Conference" was co-planned with the China Association for Friendship. The International Drycleaning Association, composed of laundry industry organizations from over 30 countries, holds annual meetings rotating among countries. Influenced by China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics, they expressed their wish through the Friendship Association to hold their 50th anniversary meeting in China, and the three parties quickly agreed. Leveraging the Laundry and Dyeing Committee's influence in China's laundry industry, the Friendship Association's international event experience, and smooth foreign affairs channels, the conference was successfully held. With controlled attendance, there were 120 Chinese and foreign guests, including over 60 foreign guests. Foreign participants said: This was the largest and most splendid meeting since the founding of the International Drycleaning Association; such a large laundry industry event is unique worldwide. After the conference, the International Drycleaning Association highly praised the event in its special publication titled "Greetings from China."
The Laundry and Dyeing Committee also utilized the Friendship Cooperation Center's channel for sending trainees abroad, cooperating to select and dispatch laundry industry employees to Japanese laundry enterprises for training. Over the years, the committee has sent 22 trainees to Japan, with 16 having completed their studies and returned, cultivating a group of technical backbones for the laundry industry.
At the same time, the Laundry and Dyeing Committee also attaches great importance to contact and cooperation with various chambers of commerce and related associations, as well as communication with relevant institutions such as the Ministry of Commerce, the National Standards Committee, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, leveraging the strengths of all parties to extend the functions of the association.