~ To provide End-to-End Linen Management Services in India ~

Toyota Tsusho, a renowned global trading company within the Toyota Group, has teamed up with Tokai Corp, a specialist in hospital linen supply and medical peripheral businesses in Japan, to launch Valabhi Hospital Services in India. It will provide comprehensive end-to-end linen management services to hospitals in India, with the aim of revolutionizing hospital linen management and offering an improved hygiene in healthcare institutions. Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Tokai Corporation have collaborated to offer comprehensive linen management services to hospitals in India, with a 55% and 45% stake respectively.

Valabhi Hospital Services will operate in Bangalore alongside its partners, Adityavani Facility Service Private Limited and Vashkleen Laundry Services Private Limited. The venture plans to expand its operations in other peripheral services in interstate cities and neighbouring states in the near future.

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Toshiaki Asai, Representative Director, Sr. Executive Director, TOKAI Corp, said, “Ensuring the provision of clean and hygienic linen is crucial for maintaining high standards of patient care. Nurses stay overwhelmed with their nursing duties and, mishandling and mismanagement of linen can significantly increase the risk of infections for patients and hospital staff alike. Hospital linen encompasses a wide range of items including bed linens, pillow covers, blankets, towels, curtains, doctors’ coats, theatre clothes, and other materials that are used in outpatient departments, inpatient wards, staff rooms, and office areas. The laundry management process is a comprehensive one that involves estimating the required stock of linen, identifying and segregating soiled and dirty linen, labelling for identification and traceability, collecting and transporting them in covered trolleys to the laundry, thoroughly disinfecting and sluicing the soiled linen, washing, drying, repairing, calendaring and ironing, and finally delivering, sorting, and storing the clean linen. I am happy that we are bringing in the technology and philosophy that Tokai Corp. has developed for infection control over last 69 years in India and shoulder the responsibility towards supporting medical facilities and developing public health in India.”

Mr. Hiroyuki Shinoda, Managing Director, Valabhi Hospital Services, said, “Hospitals rely on their linen services staff to ensure that patients have access to hygienically clean linen and uniforms at all times. However, healthcare-acquired transmission of infections remains a significant risk and cost for healthcare environments worldwide. To mitigate this risk, it is crucial to improve operational procedures for HAI prevention, including the management of hospital linens. Contaminated linens can become a potential source of cross-contamination. With this in mind, we are proud to introduce Valabhi Hospital Services, a solution that provides hygienic laundry and linen management services without compromising on quality and reliability. We have based our business on three features – Linen Rental Model to free the hospital management from capex expenditure, RFID Tag System for ease of ground level staff and End-to-End Linen Management Service to avoid any dysconnectivity between person to person. As the Indian Government prioritizes healthcare infrastructure, we are confident that our services will help safeguard patients and staff from the risk of infections. Linen services staff are the unsung heroes of the hospital, and we are committed to supporting them in their essential work and become more patient-centric.”

Mr. Hiroshi Yonenaga, CEO Food and Consumer Services Division, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, said, “We have a deep understanding of the critical difference between visibly clean and hygienically clean linen in hospitals and our aim is to be the Right ONE for all our partners, stakeholders and society. Our experience at Sakra World Hospital in Bangalore since 2014 has enabled us to enhance the quality of linen management services, improving infection control and operational efficiency through continuous innovation and improvisation, in partnership with Tokai Corp. Our experience has taught us how to address operational challenges with the help of our local partners. We are confident in our ability to provide secure, high-quality clinical and infection-control services to make other hospitals’ management more efficient in the city and across India.”