American Laundry News - February 2017

Uniform provider creates mobile app

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Gallagher Uniform recently created its own mobile application, G-Trak Mobile, to provide its customers and every uniform wearer with personalized, live access to uniform delivery tracking and service requests, the company reports.

“Customer service impacts customer loyalty. We take service very seriously here at Gallagher Uniform, which is why we use technology to improve communications at every level for our customers,” says John Gallagher, president of Gallagher Uniform.

G-Trak Mobile was developed to integrate with Gallagher’s internal garment tracking system, the company says. Utilizing bar codes and radiofrequency identification (RFID) chips on each individual garment, uniforms can be identified and tracked at any point in the rental cycle.

According to Gallagher, G-Trak Mobile handles requests for repairs, replacements and size changes; what’s getting delivered next; garment history; cancel collection; and more.

Customers and uniform wearers get communication and direct feedback via text or e-mail notifications depending on their preferences. ALN

Milwaukee-based hospitality linen service adds equipment, capacity

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Hospitality Linen Service (WHLS) has been a growing business since it first opened its doors in 1996.

Keith Scheffler, CLLM, general manager, says that the service was originally designed and built to launder 3 million pounds of soiled hospitality linen annually.

The service quickly grew to 5 million pounds.

By 2016, WHLS was processing 10 million pounds of hospitality linens, including sheets, towels and restaurant linens—and further growth was on the horizon.

The company underwent a $2.3 million equipment expansion,

which it opened with a “sheetcutting” ceremony in December. The expansion will enable the company to double its current capacity.

“At WHLS, we are excited to expand,” says Scheffler. “We were working at capacity with the 10-mod tunnel washer and wanted to improve efficiency in staffing.”

WHLS provides commercial laundry services for Marcus Hotels & Resorts’ Wisconsin properties, as well as for other hotels in the Midwest. Scheffler says the company services 13 customers, all of which are hotels that provide rooms, spas and food-and-beverage services to guests.

“The new equipment, including an additional (tunnel) washer, dry-

ers and finishing lines, will position us to double our capacity over the next five years,” says Tom Mason, senior vice president of Marcus

Lessening linen replacement through today’s technology, usage strategies

mize laundry throughput and reduce other factors like labor and utility usage. That includes linen loss.

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — Linen replacement is a top recurring operational cost for the healthcare and hospitality industries.

Unfortunately, the equipment used by laundry and linen services can contribute to linen degradation.

“(Linen loss) is caused by the mechanical action of all washers and high pressure from extrac-

tion presses,” says Keith Ware, vice president of sales for Lavatec Laundry Technology. “Overdrying in a dryer can be a potential cause of linen damage. Not properly titrating your chemistry in the washers and routinely monitoring for residual chemical, especially bleach, can also cause linen damages.”

Fortunately, today’s laundry equipment is engineered to maxi-

“Technological advancements over the years have contributed to unit and linen longevity,” says Rick Murphy, sales manager for Whirlpool Corp. Commercial Laundry. “In turn, high-efficiency washers are manufactured to provide a powerful, yet gentle, wash performance, while dryers are engineered with features to help reduce dry times—helping to increase linen life and reduce utility costs.”

These technological advancements in washers, dryers and finishing equipment, coupled with proper usage, can help ease wearand-tear on linens and lengthen linen life.

“The industry expectation is to increase garment life by approximately 20%,” says Jeff Frushtick, CEO of Leonard Automatics.

WASHERS

Washing requires four elements: mechanical action, chemistry, temperature and time. Identifying

Hotels & Resorts, who oversees WHLS operations.

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

Columnist at Large Eric Frederick discusses the value of the upcoming Clean Show.

Proper use, maintenance vital in avoiding linen loss via machinery, say experts

Production, productivity have increased as planned with expansion, GM says

A Wisconsin Hospitality Linen Service employee tries out the new 10-module tunnel washer, which has doubled processing capacity. (Photo: WHLS)

Panel of Experts Our experts discuss employee safety, equipment maintenance.

OELWEIN, Iowa — CITY Laundering Co., which offers rental uniforms, mats, towels, restroom supplies and corporate image wear throughout Iowa, recently spent two four-day weekends completely replacing washroom equipment and upgrading its original dryers.

The company says it upgraded its original 1993 dryers to two 15,000pound dryers and installed three new 10,000-pound washers.

The installation took place over a four-day weekend in November and another in December.

To meet the company’s unique needs, CITY says it worked with commercial laundry equipment manufacturer Pellerin Milnor Corp. to build the custom equipment.

“We have had significant growth in the past couple of years, and we expect that trend to continue,” says Colin Wetlaufer, vice president and general manager of CITY. “We knew we needed larger-capacity washers, and you can’t install larger washers without having equally large dryers.”

Milnor worked alongside CITY’s Maintenance Engineer Jamie Randall to work out the specifics of each piece of equipment.

“Our washer-extractor is a 700-pound rated capacity machine, whereas CITY’s older washers were 500-pound rated capacity machines,” says Brock Pellerin, Milnor’s regional sales manager.

According to Pellerin, the new equipment will increase CITY’s processing capacity while lowering its carbon footprint by increasing the airflow, drying each load more effectively in less time and using less energy overall.

“As our volume increases, we don’t just want to be able to process the garments, but we want our plant to be as efficient as possible,” Wetlaufer says.

He also says that everyone at the plant had to alter their schedules to make the installation work.

“Production had to come in at odd hours and our entire service department had to change their workweek, but we have a great team and everyone knew what needed to be done,” says Wetlaufer.

Overall, he says, the installation on both projects went as well as possible.

“We are already seeing the benefits,” Wetlaufer says. “The new equipment has already paid off based on a quality and speed standpoint. It was the right move at the right time.” ALN

EAU

western Wisconsin and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, has received the Textile Rental Services Association’s (TRSA) Hygienically Clean Food Safety certification for laundries that provide uniform services to the food manufacturing and processing industry, the company reports.

The certification is awarded according to standards and practices set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Huebsch Services says the certification ensures that textile products laundered for businesses meet key disinfection criteria. It verifies that uniforms cleaned in such facilities meet hygienically clean standards and best management practices for servicing animal processing, dairies, fruit and vegetable suppliers, bakeries, grain and other food and beverage firms.

Jim Vaudreuil, chief executive officer, says Huebsch Services registered exceptionally high scores—98 points out of 100—following inspections of its Eau Claire, plant, which included analyses of company procedures and laboratory testing of its laundry practices.

“The certification is a testament to the diligence and commitment of our employees,” Vaudreuil says. “Based on this certification, our customers know that an objective third party has certified that we meet the highest standards for cleanliness and food safety.”

In addition to food manufacturing and processing, Huebsch Services says it serves thousands of companies in a wide variety of other industries, including retail, healthcare, hospitality, property management and others.

The company has more than 100 employees. It is headquartered in Eau Claire and also has a plant in Eagan, Minn.

Publisher

Charles Thompson

Phone: 312-361-1680

E-Mail: cthompson@ ATMags.com

Editorial Director

Bruce Beggs

Phone: 312-361-1683

E-Mail: bbeggs@ ATMags.com

Editor

Matt Poe

Phone: 231-740-2842

E-Mail: mpoe@ ATMags.com

Digital Media Director

Nathan Frerichs

Phone: 312-361-1681

E-Mail: nfrerichs@ ATMags.com

Advisory Board

Jim Buik • Richard Griffin

Greg Gurtler • Phil Hart

Janice Larson • Tom Marks

Gerard O’Neill

Richard Warren

Production Manager Roger Napiwocki

National Sales Director

Donald Feinstein

Phone: 312-361-1682

E-Mail: dfeinstein@ ATMags.com

Main Phone: 312-361-1700 Fax: 312-361-1685

Subscriptions

630-739-0900 x100 www.americanlaundrynews.com

American Laundry News (ISSN 1091-9201) is published monthly. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S. 1 year $46.00; 2 years $92.00. Foreign, 1 year $109.00; 2 years $218.00. Single copies: U.S. $9.00; Foreign $18.00. Published by American Trade Magazines LLC, 566 West Lake Street, Suite 420, Chicago, IL 60661. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER, Send changes of address and form 3579 to American Laundry News, Subscription Dept., 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Volume 43, number 2. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 566 West Lake Street, Suite 420, Chicago, IL 60661. Charles Thompson, President and Publisher. American Laundry News is distributed selectively to qualified laundry and linen management and distributors in the United States.

© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2017. Printed in U.S.A. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher or his representative. American Laundry News does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any article, product, service or information found within.

Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Laundry News or its staff. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s contents at time of publication, neither the editors, publishers nor its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom.

MEMBERSHIPS

CLAIRE, Wis. — Huebsch Services, which provides work uniforms, floor mats and cleaning supplies to a variety of industries in

“ Only Milnor“

could offer the combined technology ”and support we expect.”

– Rick Hamlin, Crown Health Care, Columbia, MS

When Crown Health Care Laundry Services opened its fourth plant, it enlisted the help of longtime partner Pellerin Laundry Machinery Sales Company to design, equip, and install the most efficient laundry possible. The end result was a state-of-the-art laundry featuring two 76039 PulseFlow® Technology 10-module tunnels that creates a continuous workflow by integrating an E-Tech rail system to transport linen through the plant. Their Milnor 6464 dryer pod with GreenFlex™ Dryer Mode accepts new loads immediately after the discharge of the clean goods. This facility is designed to process over 25,000,000 lbs. of healthcare linen per year in a single shift operation, while consuming less than 0.5 gal/lb. Hamlin notes that “the project was seamless thanks to the combined efforts of Pellerin and Milnor.”

To find out how Milnor’s PulseFlow® Technology and GreenFlex™ Energy Mode can reduce your laundry’s utility consumption, contact an authorized Milnor distributor or call 504-712-7656.

To see how Crown Columbia’s state-of-the-art laundry works, scan this code.

All about the linen life

L

inen. It’s why you’re in business.

Think about it. Without textiles and linens, what would you be doing? Swirling water and chemicals together, blowing hot air in empty drums ... in short, throwing money down the drain.

Obviously, you wouldn’t be in business if textile products didn’t need to be processed, but sometimes doesn’t it feel like you’re throwing money down the drain anyway when linen goes missing or wears out quickly?

I hope this edition of American Laundry News can help address the issue of linen loss.

You probably noticed the cover story about lessening linen degradation through proper equipment

From The Editor’s Desk MATT POE

usage and strategies. I reached out to several laundry equipment manufacturers and picked their brains for suggestions to help you extend the life of your linens. We also discussed ways today’s tech-

nology is working to prevent linen degradation.

Speaking of technology, radio frequency identification (RFID) has been around for a while in the laundry industry. Still, there might be some tricks or uses you haven’t thought of. Turn to page 6 to see what two experts in RFID had to say about using the technology in laundry and linen services.

It’s also important to choose the correct textiles and linens for your business. On page 12, you can read my discussion with five manufacturers and supply professionals about textile selection.

But this issue isn’t just about linen. There’s plenty more inside about the industry. Enjoy! ALN

TRSA enhances standard for Hygienically Clean Healthcare

Increases

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Textile Rental Services Association’s (TRSA) Hygienically Clean Healthcare Advisory voted to enhance the program by adding a second “supplemental inspection” within a facility’s three-year certification period, the association reports.

The action took place in December before TRSA’s Healthcare Conference in Nashville.

In addition, the Advisory says it reconfirmed its philosophy of focusing on outcome-based best management practices (BMPs) and quality assurance (QA) that directly impact the cleanliness of healthcare linens and garments.

“An additional inspection enhances the Hygienically Clean Healthcare Standard by increasing validation,” says Advisory Chair Randy Bartsch, Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service. “We are also authorizing inspectors to conduct sample ATP (adenosine triphosphate) critical control-

point surface testing within the laundry to identify potential risk areas and for future consideration into the Hygienically Clean Healthcare Standard testing protocols.”

The Advisory also received an update from Certification Manager Angela Freeman: 132 plants from 53 companies are currently certified or pursuing Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification, with a 100% recertification renewal rate for 2016.

Finally, the Advisory says it discussed potential research projects to strengthen Hygienically Clean processes and increase the use of reusable textiles and discussed issues identified by Hygienically Clean’s independent, third-party inspectors.

In addition, the Advisory received a review of 2017 marketing initiatives and outreach, including the launch of TRSA’s Healthcare Community, extending the distribution and access of healthcare-related resources, news, trends and best practices to thousands of individuals responsible for the handling and management of healthcare textiles.

ALN

Clean Show an essential event

The Clean Show started in 1975. I first attended the Clean Show in 1977 and only missed the show when it was in Dallas some years later.

I have been asked over the years why I say, “The Clean Show is an essential event for all those involved in the laundry industry.” People have tried to point out that even with the speed of technology, two years is too short a time to develop meaningful improvements in equipment. I would counter and say that I have never failed to come away from a Clean Show experience without at least one major improvement to my operation.

The educational programs put on by the sponsoring associations provide a fertile ground for self-reflection and improvement. The discussions held during the day and late into the evening provide valuable opportunities for joint problemsolving activities. The wealth of industry knowledge that can be found at the Clean Show is unbeatable.

I have often advocated spending whatever time it takes to carefully cover the entire Clean Show, particularly all the small booths. Over the years, some of my best finds have been found in this area.

I stumbled upon a concrete floor resurfacing system at one of the last Clean Shows in Chicago and helped solve a significant problem at the time for my laundry in Milwaukee.

I stumbled upon the Laundry Loops company a number of years back and was able to use its product in a number of ways in my laundry in Roanoke, Va.

This last Clean Show, I spent time at the SonicAire booth and became convinced its product could greatly decrease my lint problem. After installation, I am glad to say it works as advertised.

I also spent time at two booths that had automatic bagging machines. Being a healthcare laundry, my challenge was to find a way to use this technology in the operation. After working with customers, the laundry now bags washcloths, bar towels, cleaning cloths, yellow microfiber towels, green microfiber towels, blue microfiber towels and two sizes of flat microfiber mops. While both companies’ machines were impressive, the one we believed fit our operation the best was chosen.

I have always spent time at all the textile vendor booths and must admit that my knowledge of emerging trends and available products helped me steer my healthcare organization into longer-lasting, more energy-efficient textile products. Some products that I could see no practical application for when I was first introduced to them are now operational staples. The challenge, as always, is to keep an open mind.

After the Clean Show in Atlanta in 2015, I began the process of looking at a new productivity management system. The current system is out of date and needs to be replaced. We purchased the system in 2003 and have operated it continuously ever since. But in computer technology, 13 years is a very long time. We have been evaluating two systems for possible implementation. I have recommended that my successor get to make the final decision and that a system be chosen early in 2017.

I hope you can see by this column that there is so much to see and so much to learn at each and every Clean Show. It truly should be considered a can’t-miss event. ALN

•

Eric Frederick has retired from active laundry management after 44 years but is available as a laundry operations consultant. He is a past president and two-time manager of the year of the Association for Linen Management. You can contact him by e-mail at elfrederick@ cox.net or by phone at 540-520-6288.

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Eric L. Frederick, RLLD

icrofi er has een ro en to eliminate o acteria, dirt, and other contaminants when used ro erly There is no other cleaning system on the lanet that is more e ecti e ndustrial, ood and e erage, ealthcare, os itality icrofi er is the remium cleaning solution or any industry or en ironment Our enhanced T old er design atent ending is first to mar et and est in class These remium wet dry com o mo ads e ciently dee clean oors and ase oards at the same time remium hoo loo ac ing assures a ready to use roduct o er and o er again

WHLS was created out of a need to launder linen for three major hotels, Scheffler says.

“It was determined that the best way to do that was to build a central laundry facility in the Milwaukee area,” he says.

The business was founded by Marcus Hotels & Resorts in 1995, and WHLS started processing hospitality goods in 1996. By 2001, the company’s business had outpaced its first location. So, WHLS moved to its current location across from Mitchell International Airport on Milwaukee’s south side.

That move enabled the service to double its 5 million pounds of business to its current 10 million pounds.

The plant has 32,000 square feet of space

for its operations. Scheffler says 26,000 square feet is used for production. Engineering and office space takes up the remaining 6,000 square feet.

He says it takes between 32 and 40 associates to process the linens. That personnel total increases or decreases based on the season.

In terms of production equipment, Scheffler says the company had been using a 10-module, 110-pound Lavatec tunnel washer; five Lavatec dryers and towel folders; and two tworoll, 32-inch Lavatec thermal ironers.

The recent equipment expansion added another 10-module, 110-pound Milnor tunnel washer and five Milnor dryers, according to Scheffler. WHLS also added two 60-hp Cleaver-Brooks boilers and replaced its air compressor with two 75-hp Quincy compressors.

The expansion included two two-roll,

Linen

Loss:

The RFID solution

BYMATT POE

CHICAGO — Sometimes it seems like goods processed by laundry and linen services simply get up and walk away.

One day, the product is put into use, the next day, it’s gone. There is technology in the marketplace that can help keep tabs on linens, along with offering other benefits.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) provides commercial laundries a mechanism by which to track all type of textiles.

“RFID is being used to track uniforms, scrubs, flat linen, terry, microfiber product, mats, tuxedos and more from the customer to the plant, through the plant and back to the customer,” says Jeff Markman, president of Positek RFID.

RFID provides inventory visibility, he says. Where is the inventory? How long does the inventory reside at each point during the

process? How long does inventory last before it needs to be ragged out? What inventory is lost or destroyed the most often?

“Not every company focuses on the same potential benefit RFID can deliver,” Markman says. “Companies using RFID in linen have been able to reduce the amount of product needed to service accounts, bill customers by the piece instead of by weight, bill for loss that exceeds a certain percentage, increase the quality of product they rent, and more.”

Scott Sloan with Innovative Management Designs, which develops RFID tracking software, adds that RFID is not just for counting and tracking.

“We are starting to see locations implement additional data at scan point to use for production, packaging and distribution/shipping,” he says. “One example is with producing items in bundles. RFID allows a method to inspect

a bundle to assure all items are tagged, all items in the bundle are the same item, and the count of the items in the bundle is correct.

“So, here you gain a quality assurance element without adding too much to your existing RFID investment,” says Sloan.

RFID has been available in the laundry and linen services industry for quite a long time, according to Markman. The technology has progressed from low frequency (LF) at 125 Khz to high frequency (HF) at 13.56 Mhz to ultra-high frequency (UHF) at 900 Mhz.

“As the frequencies available

have increased, we have seen the applications change,” Markman says. “LF and HF were produced in small, hardened round tags. They provided read ranges of 6 to 18 inches and moved from singleread to multi-read applications.”

He says the read range and limited bandwidth in those frequencies made it difficult to read bulk product effectively and efficiently. Then, in 2010, the first UHF tags became available.

“The frequency demanded a change in the format of the tag to a rectangular shape,” says Markman.

“UHF tags have read ranges of 10 feet and read 10 times as fast as the latest HF tags.”

The ability to scan quickly in bulk provided the opportuni-

ty to develop solutions to read bulk product in carts, bags and slings. These benefits incrementally improved garment solutions, according to Markman.

“Textile maintenance companies could inventory at a customer site, scan carts of articles and run their scanning processes of single pieces and bundles faster,” he says. “For the first time, it was apparent that the technology was ready for products like linen and terry. Reading soil in carts and on conveyors was possible. Reading bundles and carts leaving was possible. Inventory at the customer was possible.”

Initially, adding RFID to assets

Folders are essential when processing hospitality linens. (Photos: Wisconsin Hospitality Linen Service)

The laundry struggled with handling fitted sheets but its new spreader has helped.

Wisconsin Hospitality Linen Service also added two 60-hp boilers.

RFID technology makes it possible for a full cart of linens to be scanned at one time.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) provides commercial laundries a mechanism by which to track all

(Photos: Positek RFID)

Featuring a compact design and flexibility that allows Whistler Laundry to automatically feed, iron, fold and stack a variety of items, the Compact fits perfectly into its designated spot at the laundry. Configurable for one, two or four working lanes, with one lane for sheets, two for table linens and four for small items, including napkins and pillowcases, it executes up to three-lane primary folds and single- or two-lane cross folds. A bypass option allows goods to exit the front or rear of the machine, and the Compact offers left or right discharge and front or rear stacker orientation to meet specific needs. Finally, it automatically adjusts ironing speed and moisture removal — processing goods with no dryer preconditioning.

Steve Wheeler, Co-Owner, Whistler Laundry Inc., British Columbia, Canada

Tools f the Trade

Laundry cart manufacturer MODRoto is now offering its entire line of bulk linen carts, shelf carts, flare trucks, utility trucks and other laundryhandling carts in durable, 100% high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic as standard at no extra charge, the company reports.

An upgrade versus carts molded in other materials such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), ABS and fiberglass, MODRoto says its Poly-Trux® laundry carts in HDPE deliver increased strength and rigidity to accommodate increasing payload demands without bowing or collapsing yet at a lighter weight to save on fuel costs and provide ergonomic benefits for workers.

Offering a wide range of sizes, shapes and configurations to suit every laundry processing and transportation requirement, the Poly-Trux laundry cart line features rotationally molded, one-piece cart bodies set on sturdy, rust-resistant, powdercoated support bases on premium, industrialstrength casters, the company says.

Xeros has launched the Xeros SM35, a new 35-pound-capacity washer that is ideal for smaller hotels, spas and dry cleaners where size and space is a consideration, the company reports.

Utilizing the same patented polymer cleaning technology as the Xeros SMV90 Commercial Washer, the company says the Xeros SM35 reduces water

MODRoto is a member of the Tingue family of companies and ranks as the 16th largest rotational molder in North America by Plastics News www.modroto.com 800-829-4535

Sealed Air’s Diversey Care division introduced Clax® Magic, a comprehensive range of readyto-use stain removers designed to eliminate heavy soils that won’t disappear in the regular wash process, the company reports.

Applied prior to laundering, Clax Magic removes stains within a single wash, saving time, chemicals, energy, water and money, according to Diversey Care.

“Stained bedsheets, tablecloths and napkins can easily turn off guests, putting an organization’s reputation at risk,” says Hans de Ridder, vice president-fabric care and laundry platform. “Pre-treatment of linen with Clax Magic offers organizations numerous benefits, includ-

ing greater operational efficiency, sustainability savings, extended linen lifetime, cost reduction and brand protection.”

Diversey Care also offers customers stain identification materials so that laundries can classify the source of stains and select the appropriate product.

www.sealedair.com 800-668-7171

consumption by up to 80% and reduces energy and detergent usage by up to 50%, all while delivering a clean that is gentler on fabrics.

Features of the new system include:

• 35-pound capacity;

• Soft-mount design;

• Full-color, 7-inch touchscreen programmable controller capable of multiple languages with simple, intuitive operation;

• High-speed extract;

• All electric valves (no air supply required);

• Large, easy-to-load drum;

• Easy-to-clean lint filter; and

• Xeros Sbeadycare all-inclusive service.

“The Xeros SM35 is a direct response to our customers’ request for a smaller system with the same superior cleaning, water- and energy-saving capabilities that Xeros has become known for,” says Joe Bazzinotti, general manager, senior vice president, Xeros. “We now have a solution for customers where machine size has been a concern, and who want superior, gentle cleaning that is eco-friendly.”

www.xeroscleaning.com 844-207-1099

Sunburst Chemicals offers several products designed to effectively and economically launder linens at on-premises laundries (OPL) in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, the company reports.

Sunburst says its solid laundry products effectively clean all types of textiles, from bed linens to uniforms to incontinence pads. The company says linen results will be bright white, hygienically clean and free of foul odors and tough stains. Solid laundry products from Sunburst are also gentle on linens, improving patient comfort experience and reducing linen loss.

Sunburst solid laundry products are 100% concentrated, produce a low pH, and have built-in conditioners, the company says. They also reduce overall util-

ity costs by removing unnecessary steps and reducing wash times, says Sunburst. Effectiveness in lower water temperatures reduces heating costs. They also reduce linen loss/ replacement costs, which can be as much as 35-40% for OPLs.

Sunburst says it offers unique solid dispensing systems that save space and control usage. The modular systems work together as a single dispenser and eliminate hazards caused by conventional caustic and sour systems, it adds.

www.sunburstchemicals.com 800-899-7627

New stain remover line designed to work on heavy soils

35-pound-capacity near-waterless wash system introduced for laundries needing to maximize size, space

Solid laundry systems said to lower costs, improve linen quality for healthcare OPLs

Laundry cart manufacturer upgrades entire cart line to HDPE plastic, accommodating increasing payload demands

BARRIER COATS

BARRIER

Notice Anything?

InkGo® Is Now Odor Free!

InkGo has been reformulated to remove its odor… and to improve its performance.

InkGo is still the environmentally friendly,* safe way to remove ink stains from all types of fabric. It’s still great at removing autoclave tape and adhesives. And since it’s odor-free, InkGo is more pleasant to work with.

Does odor really matter? As more drycleaners position themselves as good environmental stewards, keeping chemical odors in the plant to a minimum can help them differentiate from their competition. And odor-free is a real plus if you’re working on ink for an extended period of time.

Now that’s worth noticing!

*InkGo is Biodegradable and is California Prop-65 and California VOC Compliant.

Become a STAIN WIZARD at ALWilson.com

To learn more, visit ALWilson.com or call 800-526-1188 A. L. WILSON CHEMICAL CO.

wholesale linen for Hospitality & Institutional Facilities

SPUN POLY APRONS AND NAPKINS

A staple item for all restaurant laundries, we offer durable poly aprons for chefs, waiters and baristas.

Linen Loss

which aspects cause excessive linen wear is important in figuring out how to minimize or eliminate unnecessary wear.

“All elements need to be managed to protect your linen,” says Ryan Kelley, applications engineering project supervisor for Pellerin Milnor Corp. “For the wash aisle, temperature and chemistry go hand-inhand, as too much temperature will cause a negative chemical reaction and damage goods. If the temperature is too low, then the chemistry will not activate and therefore will require the goods to be overprocessed unnecessarily and eventually wear out the linen.”

Washers can feature highly programmable controls and automatic chemical injection. That means every textile type could have its own program to ensure a high-quality clean with minimal fiber loss.

Route ready BAR Mops

Save time and money. Route ready bar mops are optically white and packed in bags of 25 so you never have to pre-wash or recount them prior to use.

“Everything from rotation action, G-force extract, rinses, baths, water temperatures and chemical injection are preprogrammed by item type,” says Joel Jorgensen, vice president of sales & customer services for Continental Girbau. “This eliminates the possibility of chemical overuse and resulting damage to fabric. Operators simply load the washers, enter a program number and press start.”

Kelley says Milnor’s washers employ many features that help with protecting linen from excessive wear.

“Textile surface damage is minimized with this action, as well as limiting the tangling and twisting of the linen, or ‘roping effect.’”

Another mechanical action that can cause linen degradation is extraction. Once the goods leave a washer, they are then subjected to an extraction device, either hydraulic or centrifugal.

“While the forces that your linen experiences are great in both applications, hydraulic presses are the biggest causes of linen degradation due to the issue of hydrobursting,” Kelley says. “Hydrobursts occur primarily in high-thread-count and barrier-type fabrics when pockets of water form and have nowhere for the pressure to escape as the ram is applying pressure to the goods.”

Fully programmable presses provide careful treatment while exerting pressure appropriate for the goods, says Kelley. To remove water pockets and minimize hydrobursting, the membrane can tamp the goods before it applies final pressure, and even control the rate of pressure rise on descent.

DRYERS

In a dryer, the two main things that can cause unnecessary wear to linens are plastering and overdrying, according to Kelley.

To combat plastering, the first variable to adjust is to maximize airflow, he says.

“We achieve maximum airflow due to our basket perforation; therefore, hot air flows easily through the basket,” Kelley says. “We also use a dryer seal that runs circumferentially around the basket to ensure that all the hot air passes through the basket and doesn’t escape into the shell.”

The other important variable when it

TRUE COLOR towels

Ideal for colleges, country clubs, gyms, golf clubs, and hotels. These towels made from soft, ring spun100% cotton, with a dobby border.

white institutional sheets

These 180TC 55/45 cotton/poly blend, are more durable than cotton sheets, and are made in China (Chinese sheets provide a softer feel than other imports).

ELITE collection WHITE towels

Made with 100% ring spun cotton and a blended ground to provide a perfect balance of comfort and durability. These are optically bright white, soft to the touch, and carton packed so they’re ready to use.

“One way we ensure that conditions are optimal is by setting parameters for each module in the control system so that chemistry is not added until certain preconditions like (water) level and time are met and will allow for optimal chemical activation,” he says.

To ensure bath and chemical separation, Kelley says Milnor uses a combination of double drum construction, solid welded partitions and a perforated load chute. With all of these tools employed, the tunnel washer is able to scoop up the goods, leaving behind the dirty water from the previous module, and therefore keeping the baths separate and maintaining the chemical integrity of each module.

The final wash element that can cause premature linen wear is mechanical action.

“Mechanical action is a necessary evil for washing to get the wash liquor to equilibrium; however, the mechanical action can be damaging to linens,” Kelley says. “By minimizing the wash time, you minimize the time that your goods are exposed to mechanical action and therefore minimize unnecessary linen wear.”

“Lavatec has the philosophy of washing your linen as gentle as possible for the specific linens or soiled content,” Ware says. “Various sizes of baffles in the washers can control mechanical action and improve rinsing zones to remove impurities from the linens.”

In the washroom, Kannegiesser tunnels and washer-extractors use a “care wash” drum perforation that allow gentle contact with the textiles, according to Tony Jackson, director of national accounts for Kannegiesser USA.

“In addition, the tunnel uses an effective ‘lift and drop’ action in which the batch is lifted with the ribs and dropped into the liquor to create a compression of the chemistry deep into the fibers during the ‘mechanical action’ washing process,” Jackson says.

comes to plastering is basket speed, he says. When the goods are drying and getting lighter, they will behave differently inside the basket, and the basket speed should be adjusted to ensure the proper airflow through the goods.

“Features like reverse-tumble have been incorporated to help reduce dry times on large items, such as sheets and blankets, by constantly reopening/detangling the larger, bulky items,” says Murphy.

The main cause of linting is overdrying, and this is due to simply setting a time and temperature to dry goods.

“By overdrying textiles, laundries are reducing linen life significantly,” Jorgensen says. “Our drying tumblers offer highly programmable controls and moisture-sensing technology to eliminate overdrying. Dryers automatically go into cool-down mode once the interior drying cylinder reaches a preprogrammed moisture level.”

Murphy says dryers with residual moisture control sense the amount of moisture in a load and reduce the heat input while the tumbler continues to run, ensuring linens aren’t overdried. This helps to extend the life of the linens, which can be costly to replace.

“We use dry-sensing to ensure that the goods are dry and not being overdried,” Kelley says. “Dry-sensing monitors both incoming and exhaust air to predict the level of dryness in the goods in conjunction with

“BY OVERDRYING TEXTILES, LAUNDRIES ARE REDUCING LINEN LIFE SIGNIFICANTLY.”

—JOEL JORGENSEN, CONTINENTAL

GIRBAU

a modulating gas valve. The modulating gas valve can maintain an inlet or outlet temperature within 1% of the set point.”

Implementing infrared sensors in dryers can eliminate overdrying of linens, by measuring the actual linen temperature and not the inlet/outlet temperatures, according to Ware.

“So will recirculating a portion of the air to improve drying times, without increasing burner temperatures, as well as utilizing the line burner to reduce flame size and heat the entire length of the drum,” he adds. “This prevents hot and cold spots in a dryer.”

Kelley says Milnor microprocessor dryer controls allow field programming of up to 200 drying formulas, to handle both full and partial loads for 100 different types of goods.

“It is important to have custom dry codes for all of your different types of linen, as they behave differently,” he says. “For example, longer goods like sheets should have a program where the basket stops and reverses direction over a set period of time. This is good, with the exception that when the basket stops, so does the air flowing through the goods and the constant, unnecessary rotation, mechanical action, puts a lot of wear and tear on the goods.”

Kelley says a common cause of linen wear in a dryer can, oddly enough, be prevented before the goods enter the dryer. Better extraction will minimize dryer time, he says. Whether it is a centrifugal extractor or a hydraulic press extractor, if possible, a higher extraction force, longer time at pressure, or both should be applied to minimize the unnecessary mechanical action and time seen in the dryer.

“Manufacturers engineer high-efficiency machines that help maximize throughput, while also helping to contribute to overall efficiencies,” Murphy says. “For example, multi-load washers with high spins, such as 350 G-force, extract water in the washer instead of the dryer, allowing linens to dry more quickly and gently.”

Jorgensen agrees that as dry time increases, so does linen loss and wear-and-tear. He says Continental/Girbau Industrial (GI) soft-mount washers reach extract speeds of up to 400 G-force, while most hardmount washers only reach speeds of 100-200 G-force.

“Thus, the soft-mount washers remove more moisture per load and cut resulting dry time by up to 50%,” he says. “Less time in the dryer means less linen loss. It also

bolsters laundry throughput.”

“Our machines process garments extracted to dry; we have increased the extracted wet-to-dry capabilities of our equipment to increase production,” Frushtick says. “This allows the garments to bypass the dryer, avoiding the tumbling and garment fabric friction. This extends fabric life, increasing the profits of the garments.”

As textiles tumble against the dryer cylinder, they experience wear-and-tear due to contact. Jorgensen says Continental and GI drying tumblers feature annealed stainless back plates with mirror-polished finishes. The smooth cylinders help reduce friction and resulting fiber loss.

“Eliminating dryer time is even better,” he says. “Ironers allow laundries to skip the drying process altogether. Rather, textiles move straight from the soft-mount washer into a flatwork or heated-chest ironer.”

He says the ironers automatically remove moisture while pressing linens, and the result is a high-quality finish, longer linen life and ramped-up throughput.

FINISHING

In addition to the washroom factors mentioned, Jackson offered some thoughts on flatwork finishing improvements and techniques to lessen linen degradation.

“On the pickers and spreader/feeders, we use larger grip surfaces on the clamps to create a gentle transfer of the linen to the next surface or area,” he says. “The feeding process also measures the linen spread distance of each item, so the spreader clamps don’t overextend the linen and stretch the fibers.”

On the small-piece folders, Jackson says Kannegiesser believes it is still important to use air on the primary folds, as it helps lessen linen wear. In many folder models, Kannegiesser uses a reverse belt technology where possible instead of mechanical blades allow for precise and gentle folding.

While all of the technological improvements and usage ideas shared can be helpful, Murphy believes there are two factors that laundry operators need to be conscious of to lessen linen degradation.

First, operators should properly train staff to ensure all employees have the knowledge to use laundry equipment appropriately. Secondly, it’s important to implement a regular maintenance program.

Ware offers one final tip: Make sure the laundry or the customer has adequate linen inventories.

POCKET MOPS

ECONO WET MOPS

Educating employees on the proper use of laundry equipment can help lengthen linen life. (Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

Textile selection: Quality, service, price

sider is pricing, which is based upon supply and demand. Overall costs are rising (i.e., energy, transport and labor). Cotton prices have been flat, but the quality compared to two years ago is very good in most all countries now.

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — Laundry and linen service providers are always looking for items that last longer and hold up to the rigors of daily or weekly use.

But how does a service or institution go about making the right textile selections?

American Laundry News spoke with five textile and linen supply professionals about the textile selection process: Janice Larson, vice president of clinical resources-acute care for Encompass Group; Scott Delin, vice president of healthcare sales for Fashion Seal Healthcare; Steve Kallenbach, director of market solutions for ADI American Dawn; Lee Friedman, owner of Friedman & Co.; and Lenore Law, owner of California Textiles.

Q: In terms of the textiles you specialize in, what items are laundry and linen services or institutions looking for?

LARSON: Generally, the healthcare organizations we work with are interested in purchasing bed and bath linens, patient and staff apparel, isolation gowns and microfiber cleaning products. New technological advances in healthcare textiles include reusable “patient care” underpads, 100% synthetic bed linens and patient gowns, fall prevention identification gowns and lap blankets, and patient positioners, or “slider” sheets, and microfiber cleaning products.

DELIN: In terms of scrubs, they are looking for more fashion-forward, retail-inspired looks and fabrics and colors that make the end-users feel good about themselves. In terms of gowns, they are looking for prints that pop and make the patient feel better, not worse with a drab, boring print. Institutions are looking for more branding among employees and departments. This adds to patient security and employee morale. All of these also help in improving HCAHPS Hospital Surveys and scores.

KALLENBACH: The biggest item in the industry is the bar towel. Aprons and napery products are some of the most widely used products in the business, which include napkins, tablecloths, bib and waist aprons, etc. Garments of all types, from gowns and scrubs, to cover garments/coats/wraps/ frocks, to work uniforms, are all heavy hitters.

Room and bathroom linens come next, which include sheets and blankets and towel sets. Seasonal pool towels are a big hit in hospitality. Of course, industrial laundries use a tremendous amount of shop towels.

Q: In your opinion, what should a service or institution be looking for in its textiles?

LAW: One factor you always have to con-

LARSON: Many acute care hospitals rent their linens now, and the hospitals themselves have limited control over the products in their rental pools. However, cooperatives and onpremises laundries (OPL) do have the opportunity to select their own products, but can also be limited by their healthcare GPO or IDN contracts. Unfortunately, many of these contracts are awarded on the best price at the expense of quality and do not actively solicit information about new products that may offer a better cost per use or improve patient care.

DELIN: They should be looking for a vendor who is honest and does not pull a bait-and-switch—someone who is willing to listen and also has a pulse on the market conditions and how the changing market conditions are impacting their ability to generate and recapture lost dollars due to the changes made in the healthcare system and more mergers of healthcare systems. They should be looking for products that appeal to today’s end-user. Products that not only appeal to their customers, but last and hold up to the daily processing and use.

FRIEDMAN: They should be looking for a company that will be honest with them about textiles and what makes a piece of cloth suitable for their application. An example is a company using the term “percale” to describe a fabric when there has not been an actual percale used in the institutional healthcare industry in decades. Another example is buying linens based on weight without knowing how much sizing is added to the cloth during the finishing process (which adds significant weight to the fabric), especially since the sizing washes out after the first or second laundering.

They should be looking for how an item is sewn together and whether it is quality construction. This is especially important because in today’s world, very few institutions have an in-house seamstress who repairs damaged product.

KALLENBACH: Laundries and linen providers should look at more than one thing in evaluating a potential textile to purchase.

First, if they are using a like product, they should make sure the new textile matches the look and feel of that product. If they are trying to differentiate themselves in the market, they should look at the standard offering and search for products that stand apart from the norm.

Second, they typically want the wearlife to match or improve what they are already buying. Third, they should see that the product finishes to market standards through their normal process. Fourth, the

cost is obviously a big factor. Price starts the conversation, but true cost is also based on wear-life, and this is an area that operators should spend more time evaluating.

Finally, available at-once inventory and delivery logistics drive a lot of purchases. If the laundry does not have to shelf-stock goods and can call for an order in the afternoon, with complete delivery the follow morning, this weighs heavily on the decision.

textiles?

LAW: Quality lends to longevity. With that said, 16 yarn will become more popular, especially 16RS, since 10 yarn did not go down in price. Of course, if the linens go missing quite frequently, then you have to decide whether or not you buy the better goods.

LARSON: Many large textile purchases are done through a bid process. The bidding process should allow adequate time for a thoughtful, quality effort by vendors to put together their offer. Bids should never be issued around holidays when the best people to respond to the bid may be unavailable. Otherwise, the response will be boilerplate and not indicative of what advantages that vendor may actually be able to offer.

Also, live presentations by the vendor should also be given, with plenty of time for in-depth discussion and question-andanswer. Opportunities for product trials/ evaluation periods should be included so customers can actually see how the product performs and stands up to processing. No matter how textiles are purchased, representatives of the clinical end-user should always be included in the selection process, since they will have the best interests of the patient in mind.

FRIEDMAN: Deal with an expert where fabrics are concerned who can back up their talk with years of experience with cloth. Make sure the person selling you textiles knows why the wrap and fill thread count (as well as overall thread count), type of weave, size of yarn, twist on the yarn, etc., come into play where longevity of the cloth is concerned.

KALLENBACH: First, review their current product specification and compare it to

the potential product specification. Then wash-test both—new—side by side, for a fair comparison.

Q: What are some mistakes you’ve noticed a service or institution making in its textile selection?

LARSON: Basing it on entirely on price and outdated specifications. It is very difficult to have multiple products from vendors match perfectly in specifications and performance, not to mention having the exact same product as another vendor to match the bid specification.

Often, the people issuing the GPO or IDN bids are not familiar with textiles, and may regard them as a commodity, so they are not aware of the pitfalls inherent in the specifications of a textile bid.

Also, not allowing enough time for a quality response, not soliciting input from clinical end-users and not requiring product samples for testing to see how they look and perform after processing.

FRIEDMAN: The biggest mistake that institutions make when purchasing textiles is buying without test-washing the products first. Any item can look like top quality prior to laundering, but after three to five washings, it will turn out to be a piece of garbage and will end up being ragged out quickly.

KALLENBACH: Many times, operators will buy a lesser-cost item from their current supplier or a competitor and make the transaction only about price. They should always look at life-cycle costing in that equation.

Q: What would you say is a key piece of advice for a service or institution making textile selections?

LAW: If you buy just by price, you’re going to get what you pay for. Also, when you purchase, you need to substantiate that bale weights match weights purchased and the product purchased is the product received.

LARSON: Do not regard healthcare textiles as a commodity. They are one of the most widely used consumable products in healthcare with the ability to have enormous impact on the patient or resident, both from a patient satisfaction and a clinical outcome standpoint.

DELIN: Talk to your supplier and tell them what you are seeing in the market and ask them what they are seeing in the market as well. Be willing to notice the changes in the market and be willing to take the chance to offer products needed for the changing market.

FRIEDMAN: Deal with a company that has experience not only in fabrics, but also in understanding the proper way products should be manufactured so they do not come apart. What too many laundry managers do not understand is you can take the best fabrics available but if they are sewn with the wrong machines, they will fall apart and will not last.

KALLENBACH: Know the product, know the use, know the durability and know the delivery support, all as part of the “value” equation, when looking at price.

Q: What steps should a service or institution make in selecting

Supply professionals offer insights, suggestions

Larson

Kallenbach

Delin

Law

Friedman

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

EDUCATION. EDUCATION. EDUCATION.

The Classroom Educational sessions include technology, marketing, equipment, operations, environment, human resources and more! Networking Connect, interact and learn one-on-one with the industry’s most knowledgeable professionals.

The Showroom Floor Experience live demonstrations of the industry’s latest technology, equipment and techniques.

Making sense of automation: Iron, fold, stack

BY SETH WILLER

OSHKOSH, Wis. — When does it make sense for a laundry to move from processing steps done by hand to automated equipment, whether partially or fully automated?

That’s the question.

And that’s why I’m writing this article, to help you figure out if it’s time for your laundry to automate.

I’ll take you through the value of a flatwork ironer vs. hand folding, the value of an all-in-one ironer/folder/stacker vs. a flatwork ironer and the value of allin-one system with and without an optional feeder.

I hope going through the steps in the graphics, along with the question-and-answer insights, will help you see the value of each system from good to better to best— in terms of automation.

STEP 1: IRONING FOR QUALITY

Q: Why might a laundry install a flatwork ironer?

(feeder/ironer/folder/stacker)?

pressed sheets; people will pay more for pressed. By adding a flatwork ironer, one can demand a higher rate by offering value-added services.

heated-roll ironer? Considerations:

1. Quality: Improved sheet/tablecloth presentation and guest comfort.

consumption.

A: Quality. Commercial laundries and hotels can charge their clients more for ironed table and bed linens. A basic ironer provides a high-quality finish that improves the look and feel of bedsheets, spa linens and tablecloths. There is a significant difference between pressed and non-

Since even a basic ironer offers primary automatic folding options, one will step into a small level of automation from the start. These integrated folders will conduct primary folds on king or queen sheets after they are ironed so operators only perform cross-folds and stack. Is it time to purchase a flatwork,

2. Linen Life: Extended linen life. Items move straight from the washer to the ironer. Automatic ironing speeds remove moisture as items travel through the ironer. This eliminates dryer time and linen wearand-tear.

4. Labor: Two operators. Two people feed the ironer, catch, perform secondary folds and stack. The ironer eliminates hands-on primary folding.

5. Production Threshold: Appropriate for laundries processing 20 to 180 washing pounds per hour.

6. Sheets per Minute/Hour: 2/120.

3. Utility Costs: Lower. The flatwork ironer eliminates dryer time, which cuts electricity and natural gas

7. Pounds Per Operating Hour (PPOH): 91 (assuming 1.8 pounds per sheet operating at 85% efficiency). GOOD!

ALN

In the future, I’ll look at determining the right time to move from flatwork ironer or all-in-one machine to a high-volume chest ironing system.

STEP 2: IRONING FOR QUALITY & PRODUCTION

Q: Why would a laundry move from a basic flatwork ironer to an all-in-one machine that irons, folds and stacks?

A

: When a laundry gets above 180 washing pounds per hour, a more automated system makes sense. By going to a machine that automatically irons, folds and stacks, laundries eliminate almost all hands-on folding and stacking, which is now performed by the machine.

In the previous example, when describing a basic flatwork ironer, operators must feed, catch and perform secondary folding. With a

higher-production, all-in-one machine, operators feed sheets. The primary folding, secondary folding and stacking are all automatically performed for boosted quality and production. Is it time to install an automated ironer/ folder/stacker? Considerations:

1. Quality: Improved sheet/tablecloth presentation and guest comfort. Fully automated folding results in better consistency for folds and stacks.

2. Linen Life: Extended linen life. Items still move straight from the washer to the ironer. Automatic ironing speeds remove moisture as items travel through the ironer. This eliminates dryer time and linen wear-and-tear.

3. Utility Costs: Lower. The all-in-one ironing system eliminates dryer time, which cuts electricity and natural gas consumption.

4. Labor : Two operators. The machine eliminates all hands-on folding and stacking.

The operators only feed linens.

5. Production Threshold: Appropriate for laundries processing 180 to 260 washing pounds per hour.

6. Sheets per Minute/Hour: 2.5/150 (24inch all-in-one machine) or 3.5/210 (32-inch all-in-one machine).

7 Pounds Per Operating Hour (PPOH): 160 (assuming 1.8 pounds per sheet at 85% efficiency). BETTER!

linen wear-and-tear.

3. Utility Costs : Lower. The all-in-one machine eliminates dryer time, which cuts electricity and natural gas consumption.

4. Labor: One operator. The machine eliminates hands-on feeding of one operator and all hands-on folding and stacking.

STEP 3: EXPANDING ON STEP 2 WITH THE ADDITION OF OPTIONAL SPREADER/FEEDER

Q: What’s the benefit of adding an optional spreader/feeder to the all-in-one machine?

A: Some all-in-one machines have options for spreader/feeders. The benefit of adding

the optional spreader/feeder is twofold: It improves quality and reduces labor. A single operator uses spreading clamps for automatic feeding into the ironer/folder/stacker. The automatic spreader/feeder ensures a straight feed, which contributes to a higher-quality finished product. Considerations:

1. Quality: Improved sheet/tablecloth pre-

sentation and guest comfort. Fully automated folding results in better consistency for folds and stacks.

2. Linen Life: Extended linen life. Items move straight from the washer to the ironer. Automatic ironing speeds remove moisture as items travel through the ironer. This eliminates dryer time and

5. Production Threshold: Appropriate for laundries processing 180 to 260 washing pounds per hour.

6. Sheets per Minute/Hour: 2.5/150.

7. Pounds Per Operating Hour (PPOH): up to 229 (assuming 1.8 pounds per sheet at 85% efficiency). BEST!

Willer

When is it the right time to move to a flatwork heated-roll ironer or an all-in-one

Seth Willer, national sales manager for Girbau Industrial, has expertise in on-premises and industrial laundry design, equipment, workflow and productivity.

was considered an alternate, more modern version of a bar code, Sloan says. But that is only the start of what RFID can do. Speed in counting creates a productivity increase.

“RFID development takes me back to the Internet browser wars between Microsoft and Netscape,” he says. “Every new release fixed previous issues and pain points and also offered something new.”

With multi-reader UHF tags, accountability with respect to the “chain of customer” of an item is easy to obtain, says Sloan. Laundries are more readily able to track what is in-plant and where, as well as out-of-plant by route, customer, item, and for how long. This create efficiencies with inventory control, ensuring laundry and linen services have the correct linen level in back stock, production and out in the field.

“Conversely, RFID costs have dropped to a point where the customers of laundries are tagging items and performing similar tracking of how well a laundry is returning what was sent,” says Sloan.

Tags come in different sizes and shapes for a number of reasons, but the underpinning of how a tag is scanned and what information is collected is effectively the same, according to Sloan.

“Your RFID vendor will generally assist you with engineering the best solution for your needs,” he says. “The challenge is ensuring your software vendor does not develop in such a way they only

support one type of reader or chip.”

With respect to tracking, there is no difference in how scanning takes place. However, there are fundamental business processes that are different in what a laundry does when a tag is scanned, according to Sloan.

A hotel may be tracking what items are walking out the front door, he says. Nice Turkish robes, for example.

“In healthcare, you may be also tracking how many times a barrier gown is used before it needs to be removed from circulation or tracking where a cubicle curtain has been or washed for MRSA-

related issues,” Sloan says.

UHF tags are all a little bit different, according to Markman. Some tags are suitable for use in MRI machines and some are not. Some tags can be reused easily and effectively.

He adds that some tags are sewn on and some tags are heatsealed. Different classes of articles may require different attachment methods.

“Terry does not take a heat-seal very well. Heat-sealed tags may not survive repeated processing through a flatwork ironer,” he says. “A tag that has been heatsealed is harder to reuse. Many

UPGRADE

manufacturers of product now offer RFID-tagged product, reducing the labor associated with starting up a RFID system.”

Sloan says there are three things a laundry and linen service needs to get started using RFID: Tags, readers, and software that supports the technology as well as the businesses that need to be reached.

He cautions, however, that there is more involved to using RFID: “You just don’t slap tags on items and ‘poof,’ RFID is a miracle,” Sloan says. “You should consult with an RFID vendor. They will let you know where RFID can help and improve your operation.” ALN

48-inch self-contained Jensen thermal fluid ironers, which Scheffler says has helped with one of the company’s bigger challenges.

“Fitted sheets were always a challenge,” he says. “They still are, but with the Jensen spreader, we can now run them through the folder rather than full-dry and hand-fold.”

Another challenge, according to Scheffler, is the fact that WHLS is a customer-owned goods (COG) plant.

“Being a COG plant requires us to turn linen around in 24 hours,” he says. “This is difficult when we don’t have enough of one product to meet our 110-pound requirements for a washload. That means we have to combine products (not customers) and then sort them back out after the washing process. That takes time, and time is not our friend.”

Fortunately, the new equipment is working well for the company.

“So far, all equipment is operating as expected. Production and productivity has increased as we planned,” Scheffler says.

He says WHLS is positioned well for the future. The company is poised to bring on an additional 8 million pounds of business and increase the number of clients it serves, all while keeping a high standard of quality and consistency.

“Many hotels prefer to outsource their laundry services to a third party,” says Mason. “As the only central laundry facility in the area that is owned and operated by a hospitality company, we understand the needs and challenges of the industry.” ALN

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Awareness, training for safer employees

out yet this year. I excitedly mentioned that I would be heading out West with my son, Noah, for a father-son ski trip.

Maintenance staff is an integral part of the safety culture of your business. When your production staff sees maintenance cutting corners, taking risks and operating equipment without safe practices, it sends a message about what is acceptable behavior.

Incorporating the maintenance staff in safety training and safe practice development will help get them, and everyone else, engaged in making safety a priority. Maintenance team interaction with production staff, in a formalized training process, will help both teams embrace the safety culture you’re trying to build.

When doing equipment safety training, emergency stop audits and lockout/tagout training, include the maintenance team as a trainer. They are, or should be, the internal experts on all operations of equipment operation and safety. Having the operators hear from the people who know and understand the equipment best, and hear their stories related to dangerous situations, will enhance the production staff’s appreciation and respect for safety.

The most important part of this is the old cliché, though: They have to walk the walk. So, after being included in the training and development of the policies, maintenance will be more likely to live up to the standards they set.

My friend’s wife asked, “How do you know what slopes to ski on and what slopes not to ski on? Aren’t you worried about dangerous areas and snow avalanches?” As she had never skied before, I started to explain to her that typically all the slopes are coded by both a color and a symbol to notify and warn the skiers of the degree of difficulty of each trail. These signs serve as an effort to protect skiers and to prevent them from going somewhere they should not be.

I continued to explain that all ski areas today usually use the following color coding system to enhance skier safety: A green circle means it is a “beginner” slope, typically for those who have never skied before or are just starting out. A blue square signals that this slope is for an “intermediate” skier, as the slope is generally a steeper terrain and a little bit more difficult. A black diamond is meant for “expert” skiers only. Finally, a double black diamond yells to the skier, “Stay off this slope unless you are really experienced and can handle narrow slopes with lots of moguls (bumps) and a very steep terrain.”

The following day, while visiting one of our laundry partners and taking a tour of their facility, I remembered how Penn Linen and Uniform Services would utilize color-coded signs and machinery to protect and keep our employees safe. Our maintenance team would apply color-coded locks when machinery broke down and they were conducting repairs or maintenance work to ensure injuries were prevented in the laundries, which kept our in-plant accidents at an all-time low.

With today’s workforce being comprised of so many cultures and languages, how could safety within our workspace be transformed and translated into a universal language that would promote safety? The use of coloredcoded signs, colored locks and bilingual signage is a great place to start, that’s how.

of the lines, the general manager informed me that all people visiting the plant must stay within those lines to ensure their own safety and prevent them from walking into areas that are not safe for them.

We then walked into the wash room, where I noticed fencing around the shuttles from the tunnels to the dryers with locks on them, and brightly colored red signs in both English and Spanish cautioning employees to stay out and not to enter as they could get hurt there. I also took notice of some orange and yellow signs in both English and Spanish, cautioning employees to keep an eye open for fast-moving overhead conveyors and moving bins.

Continuing the tour through the plant, I noticed several maintenance team members working on a broken-down piece of equipment. On the power switch, I saw a bright red lock and a sign in English and Spanish strategically placed to prevent anyone from turning on that particular piece of equipment while it was being worked on by maintenance.

My tour ended in the employees’ lunchroom where there was more color-coded signage outlining the do’s and don’ts in their workplace next to the huge sign stating that they worked “X” amount of days without an accident or incident.

Color-coding doesn’t just apply to employee safety, however. It also applies to how product might be sorted in our laundries and also to how our customers receive product for use. Color-coding is used for size differentiation as well as product sorting.

employees safe and accidents at an all-time low in our laundries. Color-coding also plays a key role in keeping our customers and patients safe as well, while improving their image.

As for the color slopes my son and I will be skiing, we will be starting on the blue but ending up on the double black diamonds, for sure.

be woven into the process. Every single maintenance operation should start with a safety process. In fact, it is recommended that operators adapt a position of “safe maintenance” as a mantra, making safety the first step in all maintenance and making safety part of the vocabulary.

A culture of safety starts with the commitment of the ownership and executive management. Know safety, practice safety, support safety, require safety, live safety and build it into much more than a “program”—into a true culture. Make safety the center of your culture’s vocabulary. Catch people doing safety right, and keep your employees in the very center of driving this continuous culture.

Human safety is the most important responsibility of any operator in any industry—both employee safety and public safety. This is not only written into the law and the guidelines of OSHA, but it is truly the ethical responsibility of all employers in all industries.

In the area of equipment maintenance and repair, employees can be at risk (especially maintenance staff). There are seven key elements of equipment maintenance safety:

1. Authorization for qualified technician(s) to carry out the specific maintenance.

2. Proper training of maintenance technicians, which includes elements of personal and employee safety.

The best time to start redeveloping your “safe maintenance” program was years ago. The second-best time is today.

“Got safe?”

Recently, while attending a holiday party, a conversation among our friends turned to skiing and if anyone had been

While touring the laundry, my eyes were immediately drawn to the yellow lines painted on the floor. Asking about the purpose

In the healthcare environment today, more and more departments are going back to color by definition, better known as colorcoding departments. For example, patient transport might be one color while nursing is another and dietary might be another, etc. This is meant to ensure the safety of the patients by making them aware of whom their caregivers are within the facility. More and more “color by definition” uniform programs are being designed and developed by laundries to ensure patient safety within the healthcare environment.

Colors do make a difference today with helping to keep our

3. Securing the area of maintenance from normal production flow (including signage), and possibly scheduling certain maintenance for non-production hours.

4. Proper protective apparel, gear, tools and parts to do the job without interruption.

5. Electrical lockout/tagout procedures and validation.

6. Confined space precautions, procedures and validations.

7. Communication to the entire plant production staff as to the safety risk and the precautions built around the maintenance program, as well as the scheduled specific maintenance.

Safety is not just a precaution to exercise when maintenance is done. It’s a culture that should

In a perfect world, all operations would have sufficient redundancy to allow equipment maintenance and repair to be conducted during non-operational hours, eliminating the majority of the inherent risk of working on machinery altogether.

The reality of managing a laundry facility, however, is that essential equipment will fail during production, requiring immediate attention in order for the unit to be brought back online to satisfy production demands.

During this time of maintenance, the safety of all team members is paramount. Production, unfortunately, cannot be suspended until the work is completed. It is the responsibility of leadership to ensure that the required repairs can be performed safely with minimal impact to all other operations.

One of the most impactful tools you can employ to ensure an employee’s safety is the 5S

“Equipment maintenance and repair (even normal use) can be inherently dangerous. What steps can I take to help maintenance staff, and employees who work with machines, be more aware of their surroundings in order to avoid accidents?”

Equipment/ Supply Distribution

Chuck Rossmiller Medline Industries, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Textiles

Steve Kallenbach

ADI American Dawn, Los Angeles, Calif.

Scott Delin Fashion Seal Healthcare Seminole, Fla.

Hotel/Motel/ Resort Laundry Nick Fertig

Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin, Orlando, Fla.

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

MAYTAG

Maytag® says its commercial, high-efficiency front-load washer, equipped with Advanced Spin Technology, offers the strength to deliver excellent wash performance.

When combined with the unit’s six-point suspension, accelerometer, progressive spin logic and pump routine, it delivers consistent cycle times and exceptional unbalanced performance for a variety of load types, according to the company.

Maytag says the advanced design of the DuraCore Drive System helps increase the longevity of the machine and can power through even the toughest loads. To help keep moisture away from the shaft and protect its premium bearings, a watertight, flexible, triple-lip seal with garter spring is included. The durable shaft sleeve is designed to help eliminate shaft abrasion. The company says these improvements, along with a die-cast trunnion, result in many turns over the life of the washer.

Maytag says the washer also delivers flexibility via Intelligent Controls with M-Series Technology. The enhanced controls allow owners the ability to customize cycle options to meet individual facility needs. Maytag Connect 360™-compatible, operators can also receive real-time machine diagnostics.

www.maytagcommercial laundry.com 800-662-3587

40-, 60- and 90-pound capacities—feature a highly programmable Inteli Control, easy operation and a soft-mount design for simple installation and relocation, according to Continental.

The E-Series Inteli Control allows complete control of every conditional aspect of the wash process, offering 20 preprogrammed cycles and up to 79 individually modifiable cycles. The company says operators can program water temperature (by degree), wash rotation speed and duration, water levels, bath cooldown (by degree) and six extract speeds. Operators simply load, enter a program number and press start.

Continental says that because of high extract speeds up to 400 G-force, E-Series Washers remove more water from each load, when compared with washers generating speeds of 75-200 G-force. As a result, E-Series Washers lower drying time by up to 50% for gains in laundry throughput, according to Continental. Dryers run less often, using less natural gas. Laundries complete more laundry in less time, using fewer labor hours.

www.cgilaundry.com 800-256-1073

RAMCO

CONTINENTAL GIRBAU INC.

Continental Girbau Inc. E-Series Washers, which are programmable to meet the cleaning specifications of virtually any item type, reach up to 400 G-force for unrivaled production, the company says.

E-Series Washers—in 20-, 30-,

RAMCO’s SWE-60 washerextractor is ruggedly built with fewer parts than most commercial washers, the company says. In addition, the machines are softmount with reduced vibration, making them a good choice for ground and upper-story installations, according to RAMCO.

RAMCO’s soft-mount washers range in size from 60 to 450 pounds.

The washers are constructed from high-quality stainless steel

materials and include innovative, yet easy-to-use microprocessor controls with color touch screens, according to the company. With a singlemotor drive producing 300 G-force for extraction, drying time is reduced, saving energy costs. The cylinders are electro-polished and embossed, preventing material snags and tears.

In addition, the company says the washers have 4- to 5-cup automatic dispensers and an easy access drain.

www.ramcolaundry.com 800-878-5578

to ensure optimal water extraction in the final spin.

www.adclaundry.com 508-678-9000

WASCOMAT

Wascomat washers come in a full range of capacity sizes with extraction speeds ranging from 100 G-force to 450 G-force extraction, the company says. They are designed for efficiency, ease of use and high productivity, and they offer unique energy- and water-saving features.

prevents damage to hoses, steel and motors.

www.wascomat.com 800-645-2204

WHIRLPOOL COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY

Whirlpool® Commercial

Laundry’s High-Efficiency Washer delivers exceptional value for owners and operators, according to the company. The ENERGY STAR®-certified and CEE Tier II-rated washer is equipped with a variable-speed motor to deliver an excellent wash performance, while the high-speed spin helps remove excess water in the washer, to ensure optimal dry time.

ADC

The ADC EcoWash 60-pound Soft-Mount Washer with 350 G-force extraction is engineered with real-world innovation, says the company.

Designed with owners and operators in mind, the washer offers program versatility, customizable solutions and high spin speeds—helping maximize throughput and simplify serviceability, according to ADC.

The company says the M2 Controller, standard on EcoWash Washers, offers 10 cycle options, adjustable water level settings, selectable wash temperatures, four chemical-injection ports and simple diagnostic controls.

If internal components need servicing, ADC says the hinged control panel offers easy access by eliminating the need to remove the entire console. Plus, with access points on the console, front panel and toe panel, servicing the machine is convenient.

Ruggedly built with SUSPA® shocks, ADC says the unit delivers high spin speeds without requiring bolt-down, while the inverter-driven motor calculates performance, monitors limits and effectively balances the wash load

Wascomat says the Compass Pro Microprocessor is innovative, flexible and easy to use. One knob does it all: program selection, diagnostics and custom programming. Features include

• 55 programs, 15 custom programs and cycle names;

• 20-plus languages (displays two languages at one time);

• Detailed user statistics; and

• Real-time clock for delayed start, date and time stamp of machine history.

The company also says the external liquid chemical manifold improves reliability, workflow and flushing using built-in water reservoir for diluting chemicals in the dispensing system. Less maintenance is needed, and it

Whirlpool says user-friendly microprocessor controls, which display cycle option and time remaining, come standard on the units. With a combination of nine cycle options, push-button controls and an automatic detergent, softener and bleach dispenser, the washer allows a laundry optimization to be streamlined. The quality-built cabinet helps to reduce chipping and scratching.

In addition, Whirlpool says the washer features a removable front service panel and 130-degree door opening with heavy-duty die-cast hinges.

The washer is easy to install, and the inlet hoses with brass couplings provide the strength needed to sustain the industry’s stringent demands, according to the company.

www.whirlpoolcommercial laundry.com 800-662-3587

ELECTROLUX

Electrolux high-speed washers offer performance, huge savings and easy installation, according

COMPILED BY MATT POE, EDITOR

[Maytag Commercial Laundry]

[ADC]

[Continental Girbau]

[RAMCO]

[Whirlpool Commercial Laundry]

to the company. Several features provide the performance and savings improvements.

With AS (Automatic Savings), Electrolux says customers save up to 50% on water with every load. With each wash cycle, AS determines the weight of the load and adds precisely the correct amount of water, resulting in lower water and energy consumption.

Working with AS, Smart Dosing automatically adjusts the ratio of laundry chemicals to water, resulting in lower chemical costs, longer linen life and a superior wash, according to the company.

Electrolux says that with the Compass Pro Microprocessor, one knob does it all: program selection, diagnostics and custom programming.

Finally, Power Balance extends the lifetime of the washer, says Electrolux. The feature automatically calculates the unbalanced load in the drum, then adjusts distribution and extraction speeds, resulting in lower maintenance, less vibration and maximum water extraction.

www.laundrylux.com 800-381-7222

DEXTER LAUNDRY

Dexter Laundry’s T-1450 Express Washer is designed to increase throughput and reduce utility costs, the company says. At 90 pounds of capacity and 200 G-force extraction, it allows operators to wash large loads fast.

Dexter says the Express Washer also removes more water than a traditional washer, cutting utility costs and reducing dry times.

The T-1450 Express Washer is available with a 6-cycle or 30-cycle programmable control, giving operators the flexibility to customize cycles to specific needs.

www.dexter.com 800-524-2954

EDRO CORP.

The EDRO DynaWash® NX60 open-pocket, rigidmount washerextractor features extraction speeds of more than 220 G-force through a highly efficient inverter with singlemotor drive setup, according to the company.

The machine features EDRO’s DynaTrol Human Machine Interface (HMi) touch-screen

control with isolated electronic enclosure, a rugged frame and bearing assembly, stainless-steel basket and wash tub, chrome flashed shaft and stainless-steel top and side panels.

EDRO says the DynaTrol touch-screen control allows for specific wash programming, simple operator interface and full array of owner/supervisor productivity reporting. The HMi controller, with 50-program memory, features fully programmable field programming, manual overrides with password-protected security, operation reports on productivity

(including wash program reports and alarm history and logs), as well as pop-up service reminders for maintenance.

The controller’s integrated ozone control also provides maximum safety and ease of use of EDRO’s optional DynOzone – DynaWash® ozone system cleaning feature, according to the company.

The company says that typical installations for the NX60 include the on-premises laundry (OPL), hospitality, healthcare, drycleaning and wetcleaning, industrial and uniform rental, and prison markets.

www.edrocorp.com 860-828-0311

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

G.A. Braun was recently appointed as the exclusive laundry equipment supplier for the Pacific Northwest’s largest hotel project, the new Hyatt Regency Convention Hotel in Seattle, Washington. A 45 story, 1264 room property with 10500 square feet of meeting and ballroom space, spanning almost a city block and will process approximately 12 million pounds of laundry annually.

[EDRO] [Electrolux]

UNIMAC

UniMac® offers a high-performance industrial washer-extractor available in 45-, 65- and 85pound capacities, the company says.

According to UniMac, the equipment offers low cost of ownership and is designed to help onpremises laundry (OPL) managers take total control of their laundry room by reducing downtime, increasing productivity and lowering operating costs.

With the advanced UniLinc® control system, OPL managers can instantly gather operation

performance data to achieve maximum efficiency, the company says. Managers can also access machine service history logs, receive error reports and implement many time- and moneysaving procedures.

UniMac says UniLinc also offers 41 customizable cycles and the OPTispray Rinsing Technology. OPTispray is a sprayrinsing hardware that minimizes the water required to rinse a load and reduces cycle time with highly effective rinsing. Additionally, the company says the washer-extractor’s 400 G-force extraction speed

removes more water from each load for shorter dry times, leading

to greater utility savings. www.unimac.com 800-587-5458

PELLERIN MILNOR CORP.

Pellerin Milnor’s 30022VRJ 60-pound, mid-range rigidmount washer-extractor offers wash quality through thoughtful design and easy-to-use controls, the company says.

The design features tapered roller bearings, which promotes proper basket alignment and longer life for the machine, says Pellerin Milnor. The industrial frame provides maximum durability.

The E-P Plus® controller can store up to 30 programs (10 of which are preprogrammed and modifiable) for any of eight laundry industries, says the company. The controller features temperature control, programmable cool-down and overnight bath soak.

A standard feature of the E-P Plus controller is Milnor’s RinSave® water saver software, which reduces up to two rinse steps, saving water, energy and time without compromising wash and rinse quality.

Pellerin Milnor says the 30022VRJ cylinder features tall ribs for enhanced M.A.F. (Mechanical Action Factor) and superior basket perforated open area, which promotes greater interchange of chemistry and water in the load, thus reducing rewashes and increasing linen life. Coupled with 200 G-force extract through a NEMA-efficient inverter-driven motor, the open area allows for water to easily exit the goods and basket, providing excellent water removal.

www.milnor.com 504-467-9591

B&C TECHNOLOGIES

B&C Technologies says power, efficiency and affordability are the key design elements for its HE line of hard-mount washer-extractors. Simple, innovative features and heavy-duty design ensure low cost of ownership and infrequent maintenance, according to the company.

B&C says all HE models now feature the FM7 control as standard. This control has a large, bright, easy-to-read display, and its Bluetooth programmability allows wireless programming.

The chemical-hold input allows connection to today’s modern

[Pellerin Milnor]

sible for continuing normal operations.

methodology of Six Sigma. The 5S tool is designed to bring cleanliness and organization to your production floor, ensuring all team members are in tune with their surroundings.

SORT — Only essential tools, aids, product, etc., are allowed to remain. If you find something that doesn’t belong, return it to the correct place or simply remove it.

STRAIGHTEN — “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Locations should be natural and apparent. If something is missing or out of place, it should be obvious. Paths of travel should be clearly identified and under no circumstances blocked. Certain areas around equipment should be designated “no fly zones” and clearly marked, allowing for engineering to perform preventative maintenance and repairs safely.

SHINE — Clean everything remaining in the worksite. This will have a positive impact on employee attitude, instilling a sense of pride in their workplace. It will also make identifying lingering defects easier, reduce contamination, and promote safety.

STANDARDIZE — All workplaces on the production floor should be identical so that different team members can step in at any time and efficiently perform the required task.

SUSTAIN — 5S is the responsibility of everyone, not just the janitorial staff. Managers should audit frequently and revisit the entire process, at minimum, twice a year to identify further efficiencies.

A successfully implemented 5S methodology is a fantastic way to ensure the safety of your team. A clutter-free workplace that is efficiently organized to allow proper flow of production will greatly diminish the likelihood of an accident. It will also ensure that any inevitable maintenance being performed on equipment will be done in an environment that not only promotes the safety of the engineering team, but also all other team members respon-

Irecall the following comment from an industry seminar: “The primary goal of every business is to return employees safely to their loved ones every day.” Zero

incidents is a target for which everyone should aim. There are numerous ways to increase safety and visibility for equipment maintenance and system status through the use of visual workplace tactics and technology.

Signage (“Attention,” “Caution” and “Warning”) should be posted and be clearly visible. Equipment labels should be maintained with proper color codes (hot water, steam, etc.). If labels are damaged, painted over or removed, vendors can provide replacements.

Software can enhance your visual workplace with integrated

employee and equipment information to better manage and troubleshoot safety issues, in real time, via employee workstation dashboards and management displays available on desktop and mobile.

Fences and guards should be maintained to provide a degree of safety and mark where hazards exist. Some equipment has virtual guards in the form of photo eyes or other sensors that inhibit operation when in the presence of personnel.

Engineers should use the right tools, including lockout/tagout kits and hi-vis clothing or PPE.

They should also follow the correct procedures and receive thorough and continued training through in-house and industry programs.

For enhanced system status and maintenance visibility, colorcoded light stacks can be installed at equipment. Alternatively, engineers could carry battery-operated strobes to place on a machine during service. Dashboards where software packages display equipment statuses are becoming the norm in a modern laundry operation.

solid chemical delivery systems, the company says. Completely programmable water levels and wash speeds save water and can provide maximum mechanical action for heavily soiled goods as well as gentle rotation for delicate fabrics.

Jon Witschy Spindle, Woodridge, Ill.

Technology continues to advance with the Internet of Things (IoT), whereby networked sensors and controllers generate a significant amount of data that can be displayed. With software and IoT, screens indicate equipment status: “In Service” warns personnel to be careful in the area; the current operating parameters, “Dryer Cooldown Temp,” alerts that a dryer is at risk of a fire; and even system errors, “Gas Consumption,” monitors spikes in usage that may signify a leak.

An example of leveraging the power of technology outside our industry as a solution is when RFID-tagged gloves are worn by operations/maintenance personnel. When the gloves are sensed in a hazardous area, equipment operation is reduced or shut down and the operations management software is alerted. These unique solutions continue to grow.

Safety teams have seen success in many facilities. With proper monitoring and effective communication, “issues” can be caught before they become “problems.”

Teams that include production

personnel alongside engineers give more ownership for a culture of safety. Coordination of personnel leads to better procedures, overall, while both “sides” begin to better appreciate the value of all activities required to keep a plant running.

The right personnel following the right steps with the right tools will improve safety.

A final comment from the session I mentioned at the outset was, “The worst call you could ever make is to a family member to explain that someone has been injured,” or worse. We must do what we can to improve safety.

keep equipment maintained and mechanics and operators safe? By being prepared.

I have been in the laundry industry more than 30 years and have managed modern plants and some facilities not so modern.

In all that time, I have, thankfully, never had a serious accident on my watch. Good fortune for certain, but as Mr. Pasteur stated, being prepared is the key.

How do you prepare for keeping your employees safe?

Common sense: Each morning when I travel the plant to greet the crew, I pay attention to what each person is doing. If I see that an employee is doing something that defies common sense, I will show them, discreetly, the proper, common-sense way of performing that task. When I see employees using their common sense to the fullest, I am always sure to praise them, quite publically.

summer, we ran a safety contest that resulted in raffling off two 40-inch televisions. We give out safety scratch-offs each payday to employees who have had no safety incidents during the pay period. These programs help provide a top-of-mind awareness concerning safety throughout the plant.

Lockout/tagout: I make sure that the lockout/tagout program is always utilized. I also make sure all employees, just not mechanics, are familiar with how lockout/ tagout works. Most accidents occur not because lockout/tagout wasn’t used, but because not all understand how it works.

the shop awaiting calls for assistance, they are not being properly utilized. I make sure that we have two, and ideally three, mechanics on the floor, at the ready, at all times. This helps eliminate calls and keeps the equipment operating more frequently, and more safely.

You can never be too safe, nor be too prepared.

Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

Laundries are inherently dangerous places, with accidents lurking behind every poorly maintained machine and every careless and untrained operator and mechanic. How do you

Training, training, and more training: Mechanics and operators alike perform the same tasks routinely. This leads to complacency, which leads to carelessness, which leads to accidents. Frequent training, done well, can dispel that complacency, which will promote a more conscientious attitude toward performing their tasks safely.

Safety contests: During the

Inspect your plant: Each morning, during my rounds, I inspect the plant for any immediate housekeeping and maintenance issues, such as covers not replaced on equipment (my pet peeve) or water leaks around the washers. I meet with my chief engineer each morning to both go over the results of my walkthrough and discuss that day’s mechanical issues. On Mondays, we discuss that week’s preventative maintenance, as well as the maintenance performed the prior weekend.

Staff your plant: You can have the best mechanics in the industry, but if they spend their day in

When dealing with mechanical and electrical issues, there is usually a solution that is dependable and repeatable. However, when dealing with people, solutions are endless, yet not very dependable or repeatable. Motivating people to do the right thing every time is hard.

Obviously, teaching about hazards, defining procedures, making expectations clear and providing safety equipment is basic. Getting people to be aware of their surroundings and anticipate hazards is harder.

Healthcare Laundry Charles Loelius CleanTex, Irvington, N.J.

Chemicals Supply

David Barbe U.N.X. Inc., Greenville, N.C.

regular safety meetings

incorporate training, discussion of problems and safety goals goes a long way toward careful work. Posters, rewards, warning labels and other visual devices can serve to remind people to be careful, if they are updated often enough that they aren’t part of the background.

I have a few suggestions from my observations.

Make safety convenient. Don’t lock up safety equipment or store it in a manager’s office to “keep it from getting lost.” Place needed items, such as safety jacks, barriers or lockout devices, where they are easiest to access—even if you have to buy more of them. We all get in a hurry to do things, and when it takes longer to get a safety device than to just do the work without it, people will take the easy or fast way.

One thing to be considered is that safety can be engineered into the process sometimes. Would it be better for an employee to have to remember to pin something in place or for it to lock automatically? Spend time looking at hazards and trying to think of ways to eliminate steps people have to remember.

Make people have to actuate or release something to start a potentially dangerous operation,

rather than having to remember to do something to stop it. This takes thought and creative thinking, and may cost a little to implement, but it can prevent a simple oversight from hurting someone. For example, if someone has to remember to latch something to stop movement, add a spring or a weight to cause that latch to engage automatically.

With chemical supply systems, make sure your vendor has completely explained the hazards of each product. Of course, you have the product data sheets available for all to read, but when do those get studied? Only after an accident! Read them, and get your vendor to describe each product. Know what can be mixed with what and how to clean up any spills safely.

Almost everyone knows chlorine bleach can’t be mixed with sour. But, do you know peroxide can’t be mixed with alkali? Basically, almost nothing should be mixed with anything else, unless you’ve been told otherwise. Keep your chemical area clean and organized. Be sure any product replacement is done carefully and correctly to prevent any mixing.

Understand the chemical dispensing system. If your personnel

are responsible for maintenance or repairs, have them spend time with the vendor so they are familiar with switches, valves, cutoffs and how to operate everything safely. Be sure your people know which lines have concentrated products in them, what might be under pressure, how to turn off all power sources, etc. Put safety glasses, gloves, aprons and whatever else that may be needed within easy reach. Have an eyewash station right beside any chemicals. Test it often, and be sure it’s easily accessible. Lastly, be a nag. Never worry about insulting someone by asking if they know how to safely do something. Don’t worry about telling the same person to be careful every few weeks. Watch for eye and hearing protection being used. Be sure employees actually lock- and tag-out disconnects. And, set an example yourself.

There are many ways that laundries can prevent injury accidents, and adequate training seems to be the most effective avoidance factor in the workplace. Proper training does not just come from one source, as it should be refreshed for staff frequently and should come from

equipment vendors, third-party safety organizations and from within the senior laundry staff members.

On the equipment side, the focus would be getting thorough training directly from the vendor at both the installation and during additional follow-up visits the first year of operation.

With automated equipment, there are moving parts that need to be addressed to avoid any dangerous contact with staff.

For shuttles, laundries should require a two-key, electronically controlled safety fence to create a mandatory shutdown procedure for anyone entering this area. On the flatwork side, installing safety fencing in the space between spreader/feeders and ironers is also a good idea.

Additionally, since ironer tapes have to be changed frequently, it helps to have a mounted ladder, foot bridge and railing in this area for an easier access point.

Another successful resource would be to have a third-party safety company give some ideas on specific new procedures to follow.

This could consist of wearing proper attire, lockout/tagout requirements and the operation of daily-use equipment such as forklifts and stepladders. This company can also recommend hazardous-material storage, confined-space training and emergency-response planning.

We have used this type of service for all of our internal technicians, and it helps greatly with increasing awareness by paying close attention to all surroundings while working in an operating laundry environment.

Lastly, the internal senior staff has to make sure that new employees are trained on all safety measures within the operating laundry. These veteran members should already know the recommended methods from the resources mentioned and need to pass these procedures to new or junior staff. It is a good practice to post all procedures and make sure the entire staff follows this on the maintenance and equipment operation levels.

Compliance with safety practices is important, and a majority of all injuries can be avoided. ALN

Equipment Manufacturing

Tony Jackson Kannegiesser USA, Grand Prairie, Texas

Ottman named president of R.W. Martin & Sons Inc.

KENT, Ohio — Charles Ottman has been named president of R.W. Martin & Sons Inc., a North American remanufacturer and provider of commercial laundry machinery and auxiliary plant support equipment solutions for the textile care and process water industries, the company reports.

R.W. Martin says Ottman has more than 26 years of experience in leadership and a strong background in managing nearly every facet of operations in an industrial manufacturing company. He joined the company in 2005, holding various sales and operations-related positions, including general manager, before being appointed vice president in 2011, then director in 2014.

“We are incredibly excited to have Chip step into this role. His passion for serving customers, and deep experience leading through his focus and discipline, are hallmarks of his leadership,” says Shawn Martin, board member and past president of R.W. Martin, who will continue in the role of chief executive officer. “His valuable experience, judgment and natural ability to foster a positive culture will lead the company through its next chapter of growth and continued success.”

As president, Ottman will be responsible for the corporation’s overall organization and operations to further enhance customer experience as the company pursues a range of core market growth opportunities, according to the company.

“For the past 47 years, R.W. Martin has played a leading role in the textile care industry with technology, equipment and unparalleled support,” says Ottman. “Going forward, our focus is twofold: A relentless focus on improving internal systems, freeing up our team members to focus on our primary mission, increasing our value to our customers. In addition, we are committed to providing transparency with our customers to ensure our relationships are committed partnerships.”

Prior to joining R.W. Martin, Ottman served as general manager of Thermovation Engineering, where he managed the engineering, manufacturing,

Track Career

sales and service departments in the design, construction and integration of large-scale capital equipment projects.

Ottman resides in Stow, Ohio, with his wife, Alison, and their two daughters.

Tingue, Brown & Co. appoints Green VP of human resources

SADDLE BROOK, N.J. — Global manufacturing conglomerate Tingue, Brown & Co., has named Douglas Green, Esq., vice president of human resources, the company reports.

Tingue, Brown & Co. says Green is responsible for all facets of human resources management at the company, including its laundry product supply company, Tingue, operating in North America and Hong Kong; at its plastics rotational molder, MODRoto; and at its consulting firm, TBR Associates.

Green will oversee policy formulation, organizational development, employee relations and recruitment, compensation and benefits, and navigating the complex regulatory environment, the company says.

A former employment attorney for the U.S. House of Representatives, Green recently served as vice president of human resources at Guaranteed Rate, a $500 million lending firm with 2,300 employees in 38 states, and at The Merchandise Mart, with 600 employees in eight cities across the United States and Canada.

At Tingue, Green is to spearhead the integration of various human resources departments at the company’s six facilities in North America into a coordinated team advancing a unified strategy with a consistent approach from one facility to the next, according to David Tingue, CEO of the family-owned company founded in 1902.

“We recognize the importance of taking care of the people who take care of our customers, and Doug brings a high level of success in employee engagement, development and retention,” says Tingue. “He also brings an insider’s view of the regulatory challenges facing businesses today. I’m very happy to welcome Doug to the team.”

A featured speaker for the Society of Human Resource Management and professional mediator, Green also serves

as adjunct professor of law at Loyola University, Chicago, and will continue teaching in this position, the company says.

Green earned a doctorate in law from University of Illinois College of Law, Champaign, Ill., and a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Washington University School of Business, St. Louis. He resides in Chicago with his wife and their two children.

Bastar added as Voltea’s West Coast sales manager

DALLAS — Voltea, which produces Membrane Capacitive Deionization (CapDI©) for saltfree and chemical-free water softening and desalination, has named Richard Bastar IV as its West Coast U.S. sales manager, the company reports.

Bastar joins Voltea’s global sales team, reporting to Carlos Camero, senior vice president of global sales.

“I am fired up about joining the strong, dynamic team here at Voltea,” says Bastar. “The water treatment industry has shown the need for this exciting technology through Voltea’s attractive growth to date, and CapDI offers a fresh, new opportunity for the market. Industry leaders in all spaces are constantly looking at ways to reduce their footprint by reusing and recycling their resources. CapDI will have a great impact on the West Coast, and I am glad to be part of this journey.”

Bastar comes from a water treatment background, spending several years in power generation, primary metals and industrial manufacturing facilities, according to the company. He brings a wide variety of industry knowledge to the team from his career as an engineer, as well as serving eight years as an Army officer in the Infantry and Logistics Corps for the National Guard. Bastar earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and attended Marion Military Institute.

The company says that due to its growing installation base in the United States, and the addi-

tion of the automated robotic manufacturing facility in Dallas, its sales and production teams are expanding to accommodate the success.

The U.S. West Coast is a pertinent location for water reuse such as CapDI, with stricter guidelines and restrictions being imposed on water usage, Voltea says. Drought and shortages in water supply have mandated critical changes in salt and other minerals being released back into municipal water systems, and CapDI abides by such new regulations.

“Our sales team welcomes Richard to lead and manage business opportunities for Voltea in the West Coast of North America,” Camero says. “Richard is a great addition to our team, bringing years of experience in chemicals/water treatment sales for a variety of applications in heavy industry, power and chemical plants. I’m confident that Richard’s skills and relentless commitment to succeed will make an immediate contribution to our bottom line and aggressive sales growth.”

Sales manager, tech support roles filled for Leonard

DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Automatics recently named John Harper as sales manager for its new pressing and finishing lines, and placed Lee Spradley in a key technical support role, the company reports.

Harper brings more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience to Leonard, the company says. His most recent role was in the medical device sector, where he managed a sales team that brought new and disruptive technologies into the hospital marketplace.

Spradley is responsible for new machine installations, repairs and rebuilds in his new role at Leonard, according to the company.

For 29 years, he has been honing his array of skills in the fields of electrical, electronic, welding, mechanical, hydraulics and pneumatics, Leonard says. He started

out as an apprentice at the age of 18.

During his five years with the company, Spradley has built and customized a wide array of equipment, says Leonard. Most recently, he customized and provided support for Leonard’s multi-lane, small-piece draping stacker, the Stack-N-Store.

Spradley is married, with three daughters and two granddaughters.

Safer promoted to VP, textile services, of Santec

LINDEN, N.J. — Santec Inc. recently promoted Bob Safer to vice president of textile services, the company reports.

Santec says Safer started with the company back in 2008 and has most recently been a regional sales manager with an emphasis on commercial and on-premises laundries (OPL).

In this new role, Safer will head up developing a companywide training program on all laundry subject matter to help increase the competency and capacity of the organization, while also delivering operational efficiency, Santec says. He will help create optimal alignment between training investments and strategic placement of personnel between divisions with the strategic priorities of Santec in mind.

Santec says Safer will manage the current and future commercial textile personnel and support staff in the textile services division.

Safer has been involved in the laundry, drycleaning and chemical business for more than 30 years and is considered to be one of the most experienced laundry professionals at Santec and possibly in the industry, according to the company.

AmeriPride Services promotes two senior executives

MINNEAPOLIS — AmeriPride Services, a textile rental services and supply company in North America, appointed Dave Rotman to vice president of marketing and supply chain and promoted Leo Smith to vice president of customer operations, the company reports.

Rotman joined the AmeriPride in 2007 and has served in various leadership roles, the company says. In addition to his former

Green

Harper

Bastar

Ottman

Spradley

Safer

responsibilities as vice president of supply chain, he will now oversee the marketing function for the organization, as well.

“Dave’s leadership in product marketing, project management and systems alignment has led to significant improvements across the organization, advancing our standardization efforts and improving our capabilities in reporting and technology,” says Bill Evans, president and CEO of AmeriPride. “I am confident that Dave’s company experience, industry knowledge and organizational leadership will ensure success in his new role.”

Rotman previously held leadership roles at Teleplan Wireless, Gelco Information Network, Wam!Net and 3M. He has a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota.

AmeriPride says Smith has been with the company since 2009, most recently as senior director of customer operations. In his new position, he will be responsible for ongoing efforts to increase customer satisfaction and retention, improve efficiencies and automation, and promote customer development and growth.

“During his tenure with the company, Leo has affected significant change and has overseen the development of many impactful service programs and digital tools,” says Evans. “I know he will continue to help us provide better service through technology and improve our systems to better serve our customers.”

Prior to AmeriPride, Smith served as senior vice president of commercial operations at Gelco Information Network and also held senior leadership roles at Teleplan Wireless and Dataserv, the company says. He studied at Dunwoody Institute and is a graduate of the Minnesota Management Institute at the Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis.

Braun adds to field sales organization

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — G.A. Braun Inc. has added Warren Hale as its new field regional sales manager, the company reports. Hale, a Certified Linen and Laundry Manager (CLLM), has more than 25 years of experience in the laundry industry.

“Warren Hale brings to our customer base exceptional knowl-

edge and experience in plant assessments and operations, with the ability to identify customer needs and deliver optimum laundry equipment solutions,” says Gary Ostrum, Braun’s East Coast regional vice president of sales.

Hale’s area of coverage will be its Southeastern U.S. territory, spanning the states of Delaware,

Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Hale is based out of Knoxville, Tenn.

White Conveyors restructures management team

KENILWORTH, N.J. — White Conveyors, which makes automated garment sorting, storage and retrieval systems, has made changes and additions to its management team, it reports.

John Moore and Nick Brindley join upper management with veteran administrators John Speckhart, Stephen Speckhart and Steve Wilpiszeski, according to White.

Also, John Speckhart has taken the helm at White’s subsidiary company, Speed Check Conveyor, to ensure an even greater level of synergy and collaboration, the company says.

The newest member of the White Conveyors management team is John Baliotti.

Baliotti will be serving as vice

president of marketing, the company says. His responsibilities include guiding the communications strategy for the business and shaping its image in the industry.

“John’s extensive background in sales, marketing, and business development makes him a perfect fit to oversee the marketing strategies for both companies,” says Mary Speckhart, president of White Conveyors.

White Conveyors says it continues to strive toward excellence with this talented management team leading the way. ALN

Rotman

Smith

Hale

Hygienically Clean certifications set record pace in November: TRSA

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Ten Hygienically Clean designations were awarded to textile services facilities in November, reports the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA).

The association says it was a record pace for the 3-yearold program. Initially dedicated to certifying healthcare laundries, Hygienically Clean expanded to set standards for laundry for food processing and food service businesses, which accounted for half the November certifications.

By inspecting laundry plants, Hygienically Clean verifies that laundries’ processes adhere to the program’s best management practices (BMPs), according to TRSA. Through third-party biological testing, the program quantifies laundered product cleanliness for compliance with its standards. BMP and microbial-level requirements vary according to industry served.

One operation, Crown Linen Service , Brockton, Mass., earned both the food safety and food service designations in November. It also renewed its Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification. Other companies receiving certifications during the month were:

• Angelica Textile Services Inc., healthcare — Austin, Texas; Columbia, S.C.; Durham, N.C.; Ooltewah, Tenn.

• Crothall Laundry Services, healthcare — La Mirada, Calif.

• Huebsch Services, food safety — Eau Claire, Wis.

• UniFirst Corp., food safety — Kernersville, N.C.; Richmond, Va.

“Hygienically Clean has become the fastest-growing textile services certification by focusing on processes and outcomes,” says TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci.

TRSA says it’s the only laundry certification in North America that does both, modeled after programs found elsewhere in the world, such as those of the European Committee for Standardization and the German-based Certification Association for Professional Textile Services.

TRSA says that in the past two years, 100% of Hygienically Clean plants have renewed their certification, reflecting launderers’ confidence in the designation as meeting customer requirements for clean textile prod-

ucts and an accredited laundry provider.

Davis to head Gurtler Industries’ newly created wastewater division

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. — Gurtler Industries Inc., a manufacturer of detergents and chemicals for the commercial and institutional laundry industry, has formed a new Wastewater Division, the company reports.

According to Gurtler, the Wastewater Division has a full line of wastewater treatment chemicals that can serve the needs of multiple industries and multiple types of wastewater treatment systems. Included in the full-service offering will be specialized on-site service and technical support.

Gurtler also says the new program includes technology that can significantly reduce the volume of sludge generated in traditional wastewater treatment programs, reducing disposal costs.

It will provide full support for its customers, helping resolve regulatory, environmental and operational problems.

Stuart Davis, who has 36 years of experience in the laundry wastewater market, has joined the company as the director of the new division, Gurtler says. Davis recently left GenChem International, a firm he cofounded in 2001, which markets wastewater treatment specialty chemicals.

Prior to GenChem, he served in leadership roles for wastewater management organizations that include Indianapolis’ Belmont Avenue Treatment Facility, Metcalf and Eddy, and AO Services.

Davis has a bachelor of science degree from Indiana University. He holds two patents and has another pending regarding the treatment of industrial laundry wastewater.

Atlanta-based AquaRecycle to represent Voltea

DALLAS — AquaRecycle, a developer of water recycling systems for laundry applications, with hundreds of

global installations, is expanding its role within Voltea’s CapDI distribution network, Voltea reports.

Through the expanded partnership, Atlanta-based AquaRecycle will exclusively represent Voltea’s Membrane Capacitive Deionization (CapDI©) for saltfree and chemical-free water softening and desalination technology for laundry water-reuse applications throughout the United States.

AquaRecycle provides water recycling solutions in key laundry markets such as healthcare, hospitality, military and correctional facilities, and commercial laundries. Voltea says its CapDI technology complements AquaRecycle’s systems by significantly expanding the performance window, according to the company.

Voltea says that over the last year and a half, AquaRecycle has taken a leadership position in deploying CapDI technology in numerous laundry facilities, including the hospitality sector, for customers like Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Starwood and Hyatt Hotels, as well as the U.S. Navy and healthcare sector, among others.

“There are many applications for Voltea’s CapDI technology within laundries, including no-salt, chemical-free softening of feed water and removing dissolved salts from high-temperature recycled water to improve quality,” says Voltea CEO L. Bryan Brister. “We wanted a forward-thinking partner with a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions to the laundry industry. AquaRecycle is an innovative force in the industry and the perfect partner for Voltea.”

“AquaRecycle is very excited about the opportunity to add CapDI technology to our Purify product line. As laundry operations continue to become more efficient, our ability to effectively and economically purify our recycled and reuse water is revolutionary,” says Jeff Lebedin, president of AquaRecycle. “Our multimilliondollar, long-term exclusive distributorship with Voltea will give us the opportunity to continue to rapidly grow our business model.”

in the southern United States: Southern Automatic Machinery Co. (SAMCO) and Laundry Systems of Tennessee, the company reports.

SAMCO will offer Primus equipment to on-premises laundry (OPL) and vended Laundromat customers in Alabama, South Carolina and parts of Georgia.

“We are very excited to have SAMCO join our growing Primus distributor network,” says Mark Schram, North American sales manager for Primus. “SAMCO shares our same value of providing outstanding customer service, and through this partnership, we will be able to provide many new store owners and OPL managers leading equipment backed by superior service and support.”

Primus says SAMCO has been in the commercial laundry business since 1948. It is a full-service company that takes pride in excellent service, sales, installation and its friendly staff. The company provides equipment for OPLs in hospitals, schools, apartments and hotels, plus coin Laundromats.

“At SAMCO, our customers are our No. 1 priority,” says Brett Nolan, COO of SAMCO. “We are thrilled to now be able to offer our customers Primus equipment, which will provide them with reliable, efficient machines that will help their businesses succeed.”

Laundry Systems of Tennessee will offer Primus equipment to on-premises laundry (OPL) facilities and vended Laundromats in Kentucky and Tennessee.

“We are thrilled to welcome Laundry Systems of Tennessee into the Primus dis-

tributor network,” says Schram. “Through our expansion into these new markets, we will be able to provide more customers with commercial-grade Primus equipment, as well as unparalleled customer service and support.”

Laundry Systems of Tennessee prides itself on not only providing dependable laundry equipment, but also for its unmatched personal attention to all customers, Primus says.

ARCO/Murray completes Texas laundry renovations, additions for ALSCO

HOUSTON — ARCO/Murray recently completed building and site modifications for ALSCO’s laundry facility here, including exterior renovations, dock additions and a parking lot expansion, the company reports.

The project scope included architectural, engineering and permitting services, as well as stormwater upgrades.

To accommodate the parking lot expansion on the landlocked site, ARCO/Murray says it engineered a custom underground detention solution utilizing a StormTrap System to satisfy the stormwater requirements, as the existing site did not allow for an above-ground detention pond.

The project also involved the addition of new loading docks and canopy modifications, according to the company. ARCO/ Murray’s Jon May was project manager and Tim Foran served as project superintendent. ALN

Calendar

February

8-9 Textile Rental Services Association Production Summit & Plant Tours Houston, Texas Info: 703-519-0029

15 Textile Rental Services Association Webinar: Innovative Chemical Products for the Healthcare Market Arlington, Va. Info: 703-519-0029

23 Association for Linen Management Webinar: Managing from Afar Richmond, Ky. Info: 859-624-0177

March

8 Textile Rental Services Association Webinar: Recruitment/ Retention: Putting an Effective Plan in Place for Advancement Arlington, Va.

Info: 703-519-0029

20-21 Textile Rental Services Association Leadership & Legislative Conference Washington, D.C. Info: 703-519-0029

23 Association for Linen Management Webinar: At Your Service! Creating a Customer Driven Culture Richmond, Ky. Info: 859-624-0177

29 Textile Rental Services Association Webinar: Emerging Technologies to Improve Production, Reduce Labor Costs and Increase Sales Arlington, Va. Info: 703-519-0029 ALN