Jimmy Nilsson, CEO of PODAB, examines the challenges and innovations in developing drying cabinets for fire brigades to meet safety and efficiency demands
Can you tell us about your background and your journey to becoming the CEO of PODAB?
My journey started back at university.
My group and I wrote our final paper, not specifically about drying cabinets as a standalone product, but about how we could change the business model for PODAB.
After that, the current CEO at the time, who was also the owner, hired me as a business developer.
I stayed in that role for about three or four years.
Then he asked if I could step in as CEO.
I didn’t dream of laundry machines, drying cabinets, or tumblers when I was a kid, but it’s a really enjoyable industry to work in.
You build long-term relationships with customers and suppliers and there’s even a friendly atmosphere between competitors.
That’s something I really appreciate.
You can be competitors, but you still need to treat each other with respect.
What is PODAB’s overarching mission and how does the development of drying cabinets for protective garments align with this mission?
Based in Sweden, we cover everything related to laundry.
We distribute Alliance Laundry Systems and Schulthess machines, a Swiss brand, for the Swedish market.
Internationally, we produce and sell our own drying cabinets.
PODAB’s overarching mission is rooted in commitment, competence, innovation and sustainability.
The development of our drying cabinets fits this mission perfectly, especially with sustainability and innovation, as it’s still a young market and product that continues to evolve.
This aligns well with specific niches, like fire brigades, where protective gear needs to be dried efficiently.
We started developing drying cabinets for protective gear after being approached by a part of the French fire brigade.
They wanted a more efficient way to dry their protective clothing.
Back then, no one was talking about the cancer risks that we are more aware of today.
They simply wanted to take better care of their uniforms and asked if we could develop a faster drying solution.
So, we sat down, discussed it and realised the key to drying gear efficiently was to dry it from the inside out, especially since these garments are designed to repel both heat and moisture.
In 1997, we developed the first dual heating system for drying cabinets.
At that time, drying cabinets were relatively unknown in many countries, though they were commonly used in Sweden, Finland and France.
In Sweden and Finland, we even use them domestically, not just in professional settings, because we prefer to hang dry clothes.
That’s how we ended up creating a specialised drying cabinet for fire brigades.
Why is decontamination of protective garments such a critical issue for firefighters?
First, it’s crucial to wash the gear to remove oils and contaminants, but then you also need an effective way to dry them.
The increased risk of cancer for firefighters was first widely addressed by a Swedish organisation called Healthy Firefighters.
They quickly realised that using a tumble dryer would wear out the protective gear much faster, so a drying cabinet became the better option.
If you’re washing and drying clothes frequently, as Healthy Firefighters recommends — after every single exposure to smoke — our drying cabinets became essential for following that process.
While the washing process removes most of the harmful substances, the drying process also plays a role.
It can help eliminate some bacteria and it strengthens the fabric in a way.
For instance, we have a feature called a “Layer 3 impregnation phase,” where the temperature in the drying cabinet is raised to about 87 degrees Celsius.
For instance, we have a feature called a “Layer 3 impregnation phase,” where the temperature in the drying cabinet is raised to about 87 degrees Celsius.
If you’ve added impregnation during the wash cycle, this phase helps repel water but also keeps dangerous substances from penetrating the protective textiles.
What specific technologies or processes are incorporated in your drying programs to reduce wear and tear on protective textiles?
Wear and tear on protective gear can be caused by several factors, with temperature being one of them.
The most harmful part of the drying process is the mechanical action that happens in a drying tumbler.
In a tumbler, the clothes are constantly moving and rubbing against each other, which causes friction.
In a drying cabinet, the clothes hang still, so there’s no mechanical action at all.
This makes a big difference in reducing wear and tear.
You can measure the difference with a test called the “polka dot test.” While protective gear is heavy-duty and more resistant to wear, lighter materials, like silk, can be destroyed quickly in a tumbler.
The same principle applies to heavy-duty gear — elements like Velcro and reflective strips can degrade in a tumbler, but this doesn’t happen in a drying cabinet.
At PODAB, we were the first to introduce a dual heating system, which dries the gear from both the inside and outside.
This is crucial because, without drying from the inside, certain areas of protective gear can remain damp.
You could flip the garments inside out to dry them, but that’s a heavy, manual process, especially when the gear is wet straight from the wash.
Our system eliminates the need for that extra step, making the drying process much more efficient and gentle on the gear.
What were some of the key challenges in developing these advanced drying cabinets?
The story goes back to 1997 when the French fire brigade asked us to find the most efficient way to hang dry protective gear.
We realised that to dry the gear effectively, we needed to pay close attention to how the textiles were arranged.
If you used a regular hanger, the clothes could touch each other, making it harder to dry them properly.
So, we designed a fixed six-hanger system with a dual heating feature.
This system blows hot air into the garments through the hangers themselves.
That’s how we developed the first drying cabinet for protective gear.
Back then, no one was talking about the harmful substances or cancer risks like we do today.
It was simply about finding the most effective way to dry the gear, and the technology has evolved from there.
I’m not sure what generation we’re on now, but the product has certainly developed over the years.
At the time, the drying cabinets were quite basic.
We had just two programs and used overpressure, meaning we pumped so much air into the cabinet that we had to lock the doors to keep them from flying open.
Nowadays, we use underpressure, which allows us to control the airflow in a more efficient way.
We also constantly measure the moisture levels in the air to ensure the gear dries evenly.
The early models were much less efficient and inconsistent when it came to determining whether the clothes were fully dry.
Today, the cabinet’s computer manages the process, making it far more precise.
The shift from overpressure to underpressure has been one of the biggest changes.
It reduces the energy needed to run the drying cabinet and provides a more accurate drying process.
How has the market responded to your drying cabinets?
I’d say it all started with Healthy Firefighters, but now, country by country, research is being done and everyone’s becoming aware of the increased cancer risk for firefighters.
What’s really striking is that firefighters are generally healthier than the average person when they start, but within a year or two their cancer risk increases dramatically.
This awareness has spread globally and the demand for solutions that allow fire departments to handle their own laundry has grown day by day.
We went from being almost the only company in Europe offering this type of drying solution—along with some competition from the US.—to now seeing nearly everyone working on some kind of laundry solution like our drying cabinets.
But we view competition as a positive thing.
It helps spread the message about the need for this kind of product.
As long as we stay ahead with new ideas and advancements, we’re confident that we have the best solution for drying firefighter gear.
Are there any upcoming innovations or developments in the pipeline for PODAB’s drying solutions?
We’re in the process of developing the next generation of drying cabinets, with a strong focus on enhancing both flexibility and safety.
As we work to make our systems more adaptable to the evolving needs of different regions, we’re also refining precise temperature control, allowing users to safely dry a wider variety of equipment, from standard gear to more specialized items.
Firefighter safety is a priority for us, and we’re committed to designing solutions that contribute to a safer and healthier working environment.
Though we can’t reveal everything just yet, safety remains a key driver in our development process as we strive to meet the needs of firefighters worldwide.
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.