For an industrial laundry, the software that plans the work, tracks the linen, and keeps every order moving needs to behave the same way on a busy Monday as it did on the quiet Friday before. Behind that reliability sits a discipline that rarely gets the spotlight: quality assurance. At ABS Laundry Business Solutions, it is led by Sebastian Toader, Quality and Support Manager.
In this conversation Sebastian explains what quality assurance really means for a mature and highly customizable laundry platform, why deep knowledge of the laundry business matters as much as the testing itself, and what reassurance industrial laundries can take from the care behind every release.
Knowledge specific to the laundry business is what differentiates us from any other company.
Quality assurance at ABS covers far more than a final check before release. It combines a clear testing strategy across every software product with a support structure that keeps existing customers running smoothly. For industrial laundries, the result is software that stays stable, adapts to the way each operation works, and is backed by a team that treats every reported issue as a chance to make the next release stronger.
The role sits on two sides at once. On one side is the quality strategy, covering both automated and manual testing across all software products. On the other is support, where the maintenance, database, and reports teams work alongside every other team to help existing customers resolve whatever issues they meet.
Two things make quality assurance at ABS distinctive. The first is the nature of the product itself. ABS software is a mature, proven platform, refined continuously since the early 2000s, and it is built to be highly customizable. That combination means there is a great deal to protect against regression on every deliverable, and that protection extends steadily as new satellite applications join the platform.
The second is business knowledge. According to Sebastian, understanding the specifics of the laundry business is what sets ABS apart, and that understanding runs right down to the purpose of each feature.
There is a further dimension Sebastian is keen to stress. During development, the quality engineer acts as an advocate for the customer, holding the customer’s perspective in the room and asking whether each feature will truly work on a busy laundry floor. It is a responsibility the team takes on with real pride, because the software helps customers deliver services that keep businesses, hospitals, and institutions running every day.
During development, our role is to be the voice of the customer in the room.
Sebastian notes that expectations differ from one laundry to the next, shaped by size and location and by whether an in house IT team is involved. Put together, three needs stand out.
From first idea to the moment it reaches a laundry, quality assurance is present at every step rather than bolted on at the end. Sebastian describes an approach he considers standard for a mature software company.
Over the past several years the automation effort has grown steadily, and Sebastian has watched the quality of releases climb in both test coverage and customer feedback. Every release now passes through end to end tests, unit tests, and smoke tests before it ships.
Years of investment
Critical paths covered
Three test types
The biggest challenge follows directly from the size of the platform and its legacy. The team continually decides where automation adds the most value, focusing effort on the areas that matter most to customers on a platform of this size.
A core principle in testing is focusing your effort where it protects customers most.
The answer is deliberate focus. A specialised QA team dedicated to automated testing works with Sebastian to review the roadmap and decide where a new automated test will have the most impact on each release. A second focus is keeping pace with the steady stream of new products, and this is an area where Sebastian sees AI further accelerating an already strong process.
Looking ahead, Sebastian sees AI enhancing every stage of testing, supporting the people who know the product rather than replacing them.
Validate requirements
Build test data
Generate test code
Check the results
Compare code to design
Free up expertise
For an industrial laundry, the real question is simple: can each update be trusted? Sebastian points to a robust release process built to answer exactly that.
The message for industrial laundries is one of steady, tested progress. Quality assurance at ABS blends disciplined testing, deep laundry knowledge, and a release process that keeps stability as the priority, so that each new version arrives ready for the demands of a working laundry floor. The team is proud to play its part, diligent in its work so that customers can rely on the software to deliver products and services that are vital to businesses and society every day.
Every release goes through a lengthy validation process.
And that's just the beginning!
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