Video: Rotherham company developing waterless washing machine

AN AMBITIOUS Rotherham company is aiming to be as big as vacuum giants Dyson after developing a waterless washing machine.

Xeros has developed the environmentally friendly breakthrough, which reduce the carbon footprint of laundry and save billions of litres of water a year.

Clothes are simply dampened before loading them into the machine, where small plastic beads act as the cleaning agent to remove dirt.

Chief executive Bill Westwater said that the company, based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, will begin in the commercial market—but could become a global household name.

He added: “Our ambition is a bit like Dyson. As long as this technology delivers the advantages we think it’s going to, this might become the new technology platform for laundry cleaning.

“That’s our ultimate ambition within the company.”

The technology also removes the polymer beads from the laundry, making the process as convenient as the conventional method.

The beads can be re-used hundreds of times and far less electricity and detergent is required.

Chemistry textiles professor Stephen Burkinshaw developed the technology over 30 years at the University of Leeds.

The move to the Rotherham last year will boost the firm’s bid to break into the laundry products market—worth about $50 billion a year.

Xeros was was given a development grant from Yorkshire Forward, and the Government has invited the company to visit the cream of the world’s cleantech companies at Silicon Valley in the US.

Mr Westwater said: “This is an exciting time in our plan to offer the world a greener washing system and gives us an impressive location to demonstrate the technology to potential partners.

“We have received tremendous support from the team at the AMP and hope that working alongside industry innovators and international brands at the Park will open up new opportunities.”

Xeros aims to have a commercially viable product ready by the end of this year.

Hotels, care homes, and high street laundry services will be targeted first, and the technology will then be licensed to domestic machine manufacturers.

Mr Westwater said: “Once our reputation is established and the technology is proven, we will hopefully be able to expand and start to produce machines for homes.”

The company now calls the AMP’s Evolution building home.

Investment manager Pippa Hedley, from South Yorkshire’s Advanced Manufacturing & Metals team, said: “Xeros’s decision to move to the AMP is further evidence that the development is the right calibre to attract world-beating innovators.”