About Us

CLS today is the culmination of more than 20 years of dedication and passion to build not only a company from the ground up but to introduce innovation to an old fashioned industry.

Established in Hervey Bay (Queensland, Australia) in 1990 without a single customer, founders Neville & Morena Roberts began seeking market share in earnest. Persistence over these early years resulted in CLS becoming the predominate linen service provider to the local area.

To keep in check spiralling labour and energy costs – a common foe to our industry – CLS embarked on a path to automation. To justify the capital outlay needed, additional volume was sought and CLS began to grow beyond the city limits of Hervey Bay.

Many of the new regions that CLS began to service had never previously enjoyed a dedicated supplier that delivered on-site. By committing to infrastructure and putting in place reliable logistics, CLS was successful in many towns and cities where others had failed.

Some History

In 2003, a Continuous Batch Washer was installed capable of washing 2 tonnes of textiles per hour.

In 2004, CLS merged with a Sunshine Coast based laundry called Crystal Linen Service in a strategic move to add further volume to a highly efficient processing plant. Crystal Linen Service was transformed into a large-scale “dry” distribution centre and assumed the CLS banner.

On the back of this successful merger, CLS then created a new model for supplying textiles to remote regions that combined the CLS processing efficiency and buying power with local service and knowledge. Independent Distributors were established in 2 regions under this model with both successfully operating to this day delivering quality linen to customers who enjoy peace of mind knowing that their textile supply is close at hand.

In 2008 another large scale plant upgrade was undertaken which included a total plant water recycling system and a primary ironing line capable of processing more than 2,000 sheets per hour. This ironing today is regarded by industry peers as being the world’s fastest ironing line yet can still deliver unrivalled quality.

In 2010 a second Continuous Batch Washer was installed increasing wash capacity to more than 4 tonnes of textiles per hour.

Today, CLS services more than 500 customers across a service region of around 100,000 square kilometres. The CLS plant can process 200 tonnes of textiles per week.

The Roberts Family remains at the helm with CLS becoming a 2nd generation company. All three Roberts sons actively work each day backed by a 100 strong team.