"We are everywhere, but hardly anyone knows us," summarizes François-David Tourneur the positioning of Elis Group, a multinational occupational clothing service provider based in France whose Germany and Austria business he has been leading for about a year: "When you stay in a hotel, the linen provided and processed by us significantly contributes to whether you sleep well or poorly. During surgical operations, our surgical gowns and drapes protect both the medical staff and the patients from contamination. And in cleanrooms, our protective clothing consistently ensures that even the most sensitive components remain undamaged."

Data-driven process optimization comes into focus

How innovative can a business area be that primarily focuses on seemingly ‘simple’ products?

"Many innovations particularly lie within the range of services we offer – and here we have been able to set important benchmarks lately, especially in digitalization and further improving our sustainability record through our commitment to Science-Based Targets," reflects François-David Tourneur on recent developments.

Since its founding years in the late 19th century, the company has adopted a classic workwear rental model: Elis takes over the investment in occupational clothing for its partners and prepares it in its own laundries for the next use – a process that yields important data which are also significant for further efficiency increases for Elis’s care and industrial customers: "From the flow data of textile articles in a company or facility, important insights can be derived regarding the necessary stocks and further reduction of CO₂ emissions, to work more cost-effectively and environmentally friendly. We will certainly also use AI for this in the future," explains François-David Tourneur.

Safety and Responsibility

Just a few weeks ago, the company launched an application in cooperation with the startup Sizekick that now allows all employees of the corporate clients of Elis to have a digital fitting of their workwear. 'With hundreds or even thousands of employees, the effort has been enormous up until now. Since a few weeks ago, we have been able to depict this process much more stringently,' François-David Tourneur is convinced. Especially in the strong customer orientation of his company, he sees an indispensable asset for the future: 'We see ourselves responsible for the well-being and safety of all users of our products and take this task very seriously. Eventually, AI will take over process management – but our expertise and our service awareness remain our unique selling point.'