From a family-run company to a global player

Hamburg, 1899: A businessman and boco founder Bernhard Burmeister supplies hotels and private customers with freshly laundered linen. Fifty years later, using quality products from Switzerland, Conrad Wolfgang Schnyder launches his 'CWS Waschraum- service' (Washroom service) company. In 2001, the two companies merge to produce the global player CWS-boco International.

Right from the outset, outstanding levels of innovation and service have been the key to success both for boco and CWS.

CWS-boco International, headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, is one of the leading single-source suppliers of professional washroom hygiene solutions and textile services.

The company has subsidiaries in 17 European countries as well as China and is a subsidiary of the Haniel group, one of the largest family-owned companies in the world with an annual sales of 27.4 billion Euro (FY 2010) and more than 50,000.

CWS-boco Ireland is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CWS-boco International. Employing over 350 people across 6 locations nationwide, CWS-boco is a leading provider of washroom hygiene solutions and textile rental and laundry services in Ireland.

CWS-boco Ireland, previously known as National Linen and Connacht Court, has been providing laundry and rental services throughout Ireland since the early 1980’s. In 2005 National Linen including its subsidiaries Connacht Court and Micron Clean was acquired by CWS-boco International. After completion of a comprehensive restructuring programme in March 2010, the company changed its name and became known as CWS–boco Ireland.

1980 Connacht Court was established providing linen, workwear and mat services to customers in the west of Ireland.

1998 National Linen was established providing linen services to customers in the south and the east of Ireland.

2003 Acquisition of Connacht Court Group by National Linen.

2005 National Linen and its subsidiaries Connacht Court and Micron Clean were acquired by CWS-boco International.

2007 All assets and employees of National Linen and Connacht Court were transferred to CWS-National Linen.

2009 CWS-National Linen changed its name to “Linen Supply of Ireland”. In September, Linen Supply of Ireland was placed into examinership and went through a comprehensive restructuring programme allowing the company to implement a sustainable cost structure.

2010 In March 2010, Linen Supply of Ireland completes its restructuring programme and emerges from the examinership successfully. The company’s name was changed to CWS-boco Ireland Ltd.

2011 CWS-boco Ireland reports a profit in FY 2011 (first time since FY 2005). The company implements a new customer service organisation and a cloud computing based customer relationship management system.