THIS year Amaranath Cumaraswamy completes 50 years of continuous service in the laundry and dry-cleaning field in Sir Lanka. He started his career 50 years ago in 1973 in the laundry department at the first five-star hotel in Sri Lanka, the Hotel Ceylon Inter-Continental.

Here he had the opportunity to work in the first fully automated state-of-the art laundry and dry cleaning plant here. Trained under Xavier Salhani, an Italian who was the director for laundry and dry cleaning for Asia Pacific Inter-Continental hotels, he was trained in all aspects of professional laundry and dry cleaning work. In 1974 he won the first ‘Employee Of The Month’ award for his outstanding service in the hotel’s laundry section.

In 1976 he was transferred to the Riyadh Inter-Continental Hotel in Saudi Arabia and in 1978 he joined the Ramada Hotel Chain as a laundry manager and served for 12 years in Abu Dhabi, Jabel Dhanna and Dubai. In 1988 he returned to Sri Lanka and joined the then Ramada Renaissance Hotel. Colombo (present Cinnamon Lakeside ) as laundry manager There he was responsible in opening of the drive-in laundry counter specializing in creases and pleats. This facility is today considered the best professional laundry and dry cleaning service outlet in town.

After a long stint in the industry at both local and international hotels, he retired in 2008 and a year later joined Sri Lankan Catering as management consultant for laundry and dry cleaning. This was an opportunity for him to share his vast knowledge and experience in opening the laundry and dry cleaning facility at Sri Lanka Catering at Katunayake. The laundry service named Aero Clean was equipped with the best state-of-the-art branded laundry and dry cleaning equipment in the world. The facility at its peak processed approximately 10,000 kgs of linen per day.

It provides direct employment to 85 people, most of them school-leavers trained by Cumarswamy, servicing Sri Lanka Airlines and other international airlines round the clock. It also opened an outlet providing laundry and dry cleaning services to outside customers.

After completing his consultancy agreement with Sri Lankan Catering in 2012, he joined the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITM), formerly known as Ceylon Hotel School, as Laundry Manager/ Lecturer. The opening of the well equipped and fully- automated laundry and dry-cleaning facility there saw the launch of the country’s one and only laundry & dry cleaning training center. SLITHM has pioneered a three-month management level theory and practical course in professional laundry and dry cleaning operations.

Cumaraswamy states the future prospects of the laundry industry in Sri Lanka look bright and this sector now plays a formal role in providing a professional service for individuals as well as corporates. There is huge potential for growth in the laundry industry in Sri Lanka and the anticipated boom in the tourism industry has fueled further growth.

Students who successfully completed the laundry course have already found employment in five- star hotels in Colombo and overseas. The main aim of the course is to train more youngsters to take up job opportunities in the field exploiting opportunities at home and abroad. Since a few more star class hotels will open in Sri Lanka soon, SLITHM expects to provide them professionally- trained laundry personnel to take up positions in new hotels. This specialized course is only conducted by SLITHM and it is envisaged to provide trained personnel to work in big hotels, catering services, hospital and commercial laundry and dry cleaning plants in Sri Lanka and abroad.

Cumaraswamy is very optimistic about the future of the laundry industry in the county and would like to see more youngsters taking up jobs in this field. A member of the International Fabricare Institute of USA, he has trained over 400 staff in this field. Some of them are working as laundry managers In Sri Lanka, Middle East and Maldives for five-star hotel chains and commercial laundries.

Those who wish to follow a career path in this fiedl now have an opportunity to make use of the specialized course provided by SLITHM inlLaundry and dry cleaning operations and be sure of a job opportunity in this booming industry in Sri Lanka and abroad, Cumaraswamy said. He urged that this Industry needs some recognition in order to stimulate interest of the country’s youth to join this industry as there is a proven career path.