A trip to the USA in the mid-1980s brought the turning point: It was there that Gerhard Eder came into contact with a special form of leasing business for the first time – that of dirty mats. The idea of offering mats with service was taken over by the managing director of Matten Eder in Luftenberg and became a pioneer in Austria.
In the past financial year (as of December 31), Matten Eder, like numerous other companies, suffered the corona crisis: “Establishing contacts with new customers was difficult. In addition, many stores were not even allowed to be entered by customers.” In 2019, the group achieved sales of around 15 million euros: in the previous year it was around ten percent less. The laundry of the same name in Linz-Urfahr, which has existed since the 1930s, is still part of the company. 180 people are employed in the group.
Today the mat business accounts for 90 percent of sales: Eder supplies 30,000 customers in Austria – from large companies to small boutiques.
The mats are used at the entrance or in other heavily used areas (kitchens, in front of vending machines). They can also be designed as desired and printed with photos, for example.
Around 65,000 mats are in circulation: 50 percent of these are used for rental, the rest is the property of the customers. Service is always there. The mats are picked up at the agreed interval and brought to Luftenberg for cleaning. “The customer doesn’t have to worry about anything,” says Eder.
Mats with a chip
Every mat is chipped: This means that the employees know about the degree of soiling and the type of cleaning. They are washed in huge washing machines with eight drums: “A large part of the water is recovered,” says Eder. Machine dry only briefly. Then the mats, attached to hooks, “drive” through the hall and dry on the train. Up to 19,000 mats circulate daily.
By using mats, a company saves a lot of money in cleaning costs and because floors wear out less, says Eder, who is also known in the sports scene for the cycling jerseys he designs. The fourth generation is also in the starting blocks: Eder’s twin sons are 22 years old. Both should join the family business.
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