2009 Hot News in the Laundry and Dyeing Industry

The "National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee" Approved by the National Standardization Committee
The "National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee" proposed by the Laundry Professional Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce was approved by the National Standardization Committee in August 2009. According to the requirements of the National Standardization Management Committee's "Notice on Approving the Establishment of 98 National Professional Standardization Technical Committees including the National Forestry Pest Control Standardization Technical Committee" (Standard Committee Office Comprehensive [2009] No. 110), the Ministry of Commerce is responsible for organizing the establishment of the National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee. Its secretariat is hosted by the China General Chamber of Commerce, and the Laundry Professional Committee undertakes daily work.
The main tasks of the Laundry Industry Standardization Committee are to investigate the current status of domestic and international laundry industry standardization work; collect and organize relevant standards of the domestic and international laundry industry; formulate the national laundry industry standardization work plan; initiate and formulate relevant standards for the laundry industry; complete the standard work assigned and entrusted by the National Standardization Committee and the Ministry of Commerce. Currently, the preparatory work for the National Laundry Industry Standardization Technical Committee has begun. The Laundry Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce is, according to the "Management Regulations for National Professional Standardization Technical Committees" issued by the National Standardization Committee, combined with the specific situation of the national laundry industry and consultations with relevant parties, comprehensively considering and recommending candidates for the National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee members, submitting them to the Ministry of Commerce and the National Standardization Committee for review and approval, and issuing appointment letters. Meanwhile, the Laundry Service Sub-Technical Committee of the National Laundry Standardization Technical Committee has also been approved, and its preparatory work is underway.

The First China International Laundry Festival Successfully Held in Beijing, China
The "China International Laundry Festival" is a thematic event organized by the China General Chamber of Commerce to promote the healthy and orderly development of China's laundry industry towards internationalization and branding, strengthen foreign exchanges, gradually align with international peers, create an industry exhibition brand, improve the overall industry level, expand domestic demand, and stimulate social laundry consumption and laundry equipment markets. The first China International Laundry Festival was held in Beijing, China, in September 2009. Its main activities included the "2009 (10th) China International Laundry Industry Exhibition," the "2009 International Laundry Industry Conference (Beijing)," and the "6th National Laundry Industry Vocational Skills Competition." The theme of the China International Laundry Festival is: Exchange, Cooperation, Win-Win, Development.
The "10th China International Laundry Industry Exhibition" featured participation from more than 150 well-known brands from 12 countries and regions including the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The exhibition area exceeded 6,000 square meters with nearly 200 booths. The exhibition and forum activities attracted nearly 7,000 visitors from 28 provinces (cities, districts) in China, as well as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Among them, domestic visitors (including those from Hong Kong and Taiwan) reached more than 6,500, and foreign visitors numbered nearly 400.
The "International Laundry Industry Conference," with the theme of "Exchange, Cooperation, Win-Win, Development," further consolidated and deepened the connections among laundry industries of various countries through enhanced dialogue, exchange, and cooperation, providing a platform for increasing mutual benefit exchange and sharing. The conference hosted nearly 60 guests from countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, Romania, Japan, and South Korea, and about 60 domestic representatives including guests from Taiwan and Hong Kong. More than a dozen domestic and international expert representatives delivered wonderful speeches. The conference also formed a consensus on cooperation and development between Chinese and foreign laundry industries, established a common mission and development and implementation plan, and on this basis issued the programmatic document "Beijing Declaration."
The "6th National Laundry Industry Vocational Skills Competition" included five skill competition projects: "Front Desk Garment Collection," "Stain Removal," "Clothing Ironing," "Clothing Mending," and "Leather Care," sponsored and named by Tianjin Chaoli Laundry Co., Ltd., Shanghai Elephant King Laundry Management Co., Ltd., Beijing Sanyo Dry Cleaning Co., Ltd., Shanghai Green Ring Laundry Co., Ltd., and Beijing Jiebao Italian Leather Chemical Materials Specialty Store respectively. The competition went through regional preliminaries and a national final. The national final featured 19 teams with more than 140 contestants from various provinces, regions, and large enterprises. Fifteen contestants won first, second, and third places in each individual competition. The Beijing Laundry Industry Association, Shanghai Laundry Industry Association, Tianjin Laundry Industry Association, Dalian Laundry Industry Association, Qingdao Laundry Industry Association, Beijing Funait Laundry Service Co., Ltd., and Kangjie Laundry received the "Excellent Organization Award" for this competition.

Launch of the National Occupational Standard Development for Leather Care Workers
In November 2009, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security held the 12th batch of new occupational information release conference in Shanghai, officially releasing information on eight new occupations in the production operation and service sectors in recent years, including leather care workers. The new occupation of leather care worker was proposed and established by the Laundry Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce. With the cooperation of the Laundry Committee, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized experts to strictly evaluate according to the new occupation evaluation standards and procedures, and confirmed through online public notice. This occupation has a mature background and practical significance. Separating leather care from "Laundry Worker" and establishing a new occupation of leather care worker is necessary to standardize industry development and to promote leather care towards standardization and specialization, which is also an inevitable trend. This is of great significance for regulating industry practitioners' behavior, improving their professional skills, and promoting the healthy and rapid development of the industry. After the release of the new occupation information for leather care workers, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security entrusted the Laundry Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce to organize the formulation and compilation of corresponding national occupational standards, related teaching materials, and assessment question banks. The Laundry Committee signed an agreement with the Occupational Skill Appraisal Center of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security for drafting the national occupational standard for leather care workers. Relevant experts have begun drafting the new standard, which is expected to be issued in the first half of 2010.

Comprehensive Upgrade of the National Laundry Industry Management Information System
In 2009, the Laundry Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce made every effort to build the national laundry industry management information system. The new version of the China Laundry website (www.chinalaundry.cn) was included in the national plan and invested by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. The "China Laundry" website is built into a comprehensive information website for China's laundry industry. Through interactive communication on the website information platform, it gradually realizes online surveys, data aggregation and analysis, releases related policies, laws, and regulations; carries out online training and exchange activities; disseminates professional knowledge and good consumer concepts to reduce laundry disputes; achieves online office and online inspection, improving work efficiency while reducing costs. Following the principles of cooperative development, resource sharing, and non-profit operation, the website is gradually built into a safe, reliable, well-expandable, open, and authoritative national laundry industry management information system to promote the informatization of China's laundry industry. The website began trial operation at the end of 2009. The revamped "China Laundry" website integrates news, information, communication, training, advertising, and other functions, becoming the most authoritative large-scale comprehensive website in the national laundry industry and a powerful engine for promoting the informatization and networking of China's laundry industry.

The "China Laundry" Journal Fully Revamped and Presented to Readers
Since its inception, the journal "China Laundry" has been widely recognized, loved, and supported by colleagues in the laundry and dyeing industry. To better serve internal needs and external promotion, and to establish "China Laundry" as a leading and authoritative publication in the industry, the Laundry and Dyeing Committee made a grand revision in the third issue of 2009. Compared with the original version, there have been significant breakthroughs in publishing philosophy, overall style, column settings, and visual effects, giving readers a fresh experience. The committee plans to upgrade "China Laundry" to a bimonthly publication when conditions permit and strives to make it a major industry journal integrating "information carrier, technical consultant, and industry communication" functions.

2009 Asia Beijing International Textile Professional Processing (Laundry) Exhibition held in Beijing
The biennial "2009 Asia Beijing International Textile Professional Processing (Laundry) Exhibition," organized by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and China National Building Materials & Light Industry Machinery Group Corporation, was held in October 2009 at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. The exhibition covered nearly 10,000 square meters, with 135 exhibitors and 5,785 visitors. Exhibits included laundry, dry cleaning, ironing, washing and dyeing machinery, equipment and installation technology; laundry, ironing, dry cleaning cleaning, disinfection and dye chemical products and equipment; fabric and accessory rental services; laundry chain brand stores or service providers; metering, environmental protection, and recycling instruments and systems; laundry plant design and construction services; organizations, associations, and media.

China General Chamber of Commerce awarded ten senior experts the title of "National Laundry and Dyeing Industry Meritorious Figures"
In 2009, to commend senior experts who made outstanding contributions to the development of China's laundry and dyeing industry and to promote their dedication, hard work, lifelong devotion, and exemplary character and spirit for industry progress, the China General Chamber of Commerce, after joint recommendations from laundry and dyeing industry associations nationwide and approval, decided to award Chen Youqing, Wen Lisheng, Wu Jingmiao, Yan Chuanfu, Qiu Zhipeng, Ding Shuilin, Ma Guozong, Shao Zuguang, Wang Dezhong, and Qiao Yan'en the title of "National Laundry and Dyeing Industry Meritorious Figures." During the China International Laundry Festival in September 2009, the Chamber's Laundry Committee held a special commendation ceremony to present plaques and certificates to the ten senior experts.

The first national-level vocational skills competition "National Laundry and Dyeing Industry National-level Referee Training Class" held
According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's requirement that national-level vocational skills competitions must be officiated by national-level referees, to ensure fairness and smooth conduct of future national laundry and dyeing vocational skills competitions, the China General Chamber of Commerce Laundry Committee held the first National Laundry and Dyeing Industry National-level Referee Training Class in Beijing in March 2009. The training was fully supported by the Ministry's China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center and relevant departments of the China General Chamber of Commerce, and actively responded to and cooperated with by industry associations and enterprises. Over 100 pre-selected qualified laundry and dyeing industry professionals nationwide received training and took the national referee qualification exam. Most trainees passed and became the first batch of national-level referees in the laundry and dyeing industry, officiating at the 6th National Laundry and Dyeing Vocational Skills Competition held in September 2009. This marked the establishment of a national referee team in the laundry and dyeing industry and a significant step toward standardizing national vocational skills competitions.

Laundry and Dyeing Professional Committee 2009 Director Work Meeting held in Qingdao
The 2009 Director Work Meeting of the China General Chamber of Commerce Laundry Committee was held in December 2009 in Qingdao, Shandong, attended by 24 directors of the Laundry and Dyeing Professional Committee and the Laundry and Dyeing Industry Expert Committee. The directors heard reports from the Laundry Committee Secretariat on the main work and financial status of the 2009 Laundry and Dyeing Professional Committee and discussed and finalized the 2010 work plan.
The meeting held that the directors' meeting is not only a regular meeting but also a briefing, summary, decision-making, and planning vision meeting. This meeting made attendees feel the changes in enterprises and the industry. On the understanding of "improving service skills, having ability to have position, and having position to do more," laundry professionals must "shoulder social responsibility, which is also a productive force that generates social and economic benefits." The meeting reached unprecedented consensus on promoting industry development. After the meeting, the China General Chamber of Commerce issued the "2010 Work Points of the Laundry Professional Committee" in its name.

National Vocational Skills Appraisal Evaluator Training Class for Laundry and Dyeing Industry held in Qingdao
To further promote the standardization of national vocational qualification certificate appraisal, regulate vocational skills appraisal management, ensure appraisal quality, strengthen the vocational skills appraisal team, and improve the policy and business level of vocational skills evaluators, entrusted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's Vocational Skills Appraisal Guidance Center, the China General Chamber of Commerce Vocational Skills Appraisal Center, the Laundry Committee, and the Ministry's China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center cooperated to hold the "First National Laundry Industry National Vocational Skills Appraisal Evaluator Training Class" in Qingdao in December 2009. Over 130 people passed the training and appraisal, obtaining national vocational skills appraisal evaluator qualifications for the laundry industry.