Laundry & vending
Alliance Laundry Systems
Alliance Laundry Systems manufactures commercial and residential laundry equipment from its headquarters in Ripon, Wisconsin. Its brands include Speed Queen, Huebsch, UniMac, and IPSO, covering vended and multi-housing laundry rooms, on-premises laundries, and home machines.
Equipment is sold through local distributors rather than directly by the manufacturer, and the company points buyers to a distributor for availability, since not every brand is offered in every market. It also publishes investment resources for operators planning a laundry business.
The company traces to Barlow & Seelig Manufacturing, established in Ripon in 1908. Speed Queen became the brand name in 1928, the first automatic washer followed in 1953, Huebsch was acquired in 1978, UniMac in 1994, and IPSO in 2006; the company took its present name in 1998. It reports investing more than $100 million over the past five years in research, development, and manufacturing capability.
Operations extend well beyond Wisconsin, with offices in Brazil, China, Thailand, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. Because sales and service run through distributors, pricing, lead time, and warranty support depend on the local distributor rather than the factory.
Best for
Owners specifying durable machines for an apartment laundry room, campground bathhouse, or on-premises laundry who will buy and service through a local distributor. Operators wanting a route operator to own and run the equipment should look elsewhere.
What they do
- Commercial washers and dryers
- Vended and multi-housing laundry equipment (Speed Queen, Huebsch)
- On-premises laundry equipment (UniMac)
- IPSO-branded laundry equipment
- Residential laundry appliances
- Distributor sales and service network
- Laundry investment resources for operators
Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1908 |
| Other offices | Guangzhou, China, Chonburi, Thailand, Coslada, Spain, Saint Priest, France, Brescia, Italy |
What stands out
- Founded in Ripon, Wisconsin in 1908 as Barlow & Seelig Manufacturing, and renamed Alliance Laundry Systems in 1998.
- Speed Queen became a brand name in 1928; Huebsch was acquired in 1978, UniMac in 1994, and IPSO in 2006.
- Reports more than $100 million invested over the past five years in research, development, and manufacturing.
- Equipment is sold and supported through local distributors, and not every brand is available in every market.
- Operates offices in Brazil, China, Thailand, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates.