Krebe-Tippo is a company with almost 70 years of experience in industrial washing machine production, and their products can be found in laundrettes almost all over the world. One of their biggest innovations is a smart drum that enables the machine to automatically choose the right washing program.

The story of Krebe-Tippo started in 1956 with the company HIMO, which launched the production of domestic washing machines in Maribor. HIMO later evolved into Primat, a Yugoslav state-owned company, and in 1993 a part of it became Krebe-Tippo, specializing in industrial washing and processing equipment.

"So, we are building on a tradition going back almost 70 years and continuing as a family-owned business," CEO Mojca Krepek has told the Slovenian Press Agency.

They manufacture industrial washing machines of two types; barrier washing machines developed specifically for high standard hygienic purposes, e.g. in healthcare institutions, and front-load washing machines that are meant for different needs and mostly of a more commercial nature. In partnerships with other companies the company also supplies all equipment needed for all kinds of laundrettes.

They say that all their machines are designed to ensure the best quality of washing results with minimum consumption of water, detergent and energy.

"We have three types of customers. We work through distribution channels, key-account partners and we have a special part of business reserved for original equipment manufacturer partnerships. This way we work globally and are able to equip several laundry systems," says Krepek.

Their latest innovation is 516 Smart Drum which enables the machine to read radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags of linen and operate accordingly. By detecting the content of the drum, the machine knows which washing programs are suitable for the laundry and will find the right programs for it. "This invention is patented, which we are very proud of," adds the CEO.

"As a producer we are competing with the biggest players of this industry quite successfully, even though we are one of the smaller ones present. Starting last year, we equipped first three nursing homes in Slovenia with barrier washing technology, which is a first and a very big step towards better understanding the importance of high hygienic standards in this country," Krepek says.

"Looking globally, we equipped three laundrettes operating in the pharmaceutical industry with the most demanding laundry standard existing for which we needed to equip our products with a variety of new solutions," she adds.

Krebe-Tippo employs around 75 people. The production with all offices and services is located in Maribor, Slovenia. It exports machines and equipment to as far as South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand.