American Laundry News - October 2017

Not your grandfather’s laundry cart

EnviroStar to acquire Tri-State Technical Services

MIAMI — Commercial laundry and drycleaning equipment distributor EnviroStar Inc. (EVI) has executed a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of fellow distributor Tri-State Technical Services Inc., the company reports.

The transaction is expected to close sometime in October, subject to customary due diligence and closing conditions. EVI expects the addition of TriState to be accretive to its current fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

The purchase price is $16.5 million, of which 50% will be paid in cash and 50% will be paid in EVI common stock, according to the company.

The company says TriState will operate as a subsidiary of EVI under its current name and from its present locations, and will continue to be led by Matt Stephenson, Tri-State’s founder and president, and his current employees.

EVI says the addition of Tri-State provides the company contiguous territory from Florida through the southern Mid-Atlantic states, which will create new opportunities to deliver more products and technical services to EVI’s growing customer base in the region. ALN

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — The carts used by laundry and linen services today are much different than they were in the past.

“Carts and trucks were made of either canvas and wire or metal,” says Dan Rodriguez, national sales manager, MODRoto, Madison, Ind. “These carts were traditionally lightweight and reasonable in cost, but their canvas bodies did wear out in a relatively short amount of time, requiring regular replacement.”

Today’s carts hold up much better under the daily grind of transporting goods through a laundry and linen operation, he says. Other advances, such as improved cleanliness and ergo-

nomics, have made laundry carts more than a transportation method—more like an essential piece of the laundering process.

CLEANLINESS

The laundry carts of yesterday could not be effectively sanitized, which made them unacceptable for use with clean linen, particularly in the healthcare environment. The wooden bases on the carts also attracted pests, particularly when they were damp.

Ryan Freudenberg, national sales manager, Tecni-Quip Carts, Seguin, Texas, says carts today made of anodized aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass materials have several advantages in regards to cleanliness, including corrosion and heat resistance, and

antibacterial properties.

Christopher Glen, business development-sales and marketing, Maxi-Movers, West Babylon, N.Y., says carts made from plastic will not absorb moisture, whether

it’s from wet linens, sweaty towels, or exposure to the elements from outdoor applications.

“The chemical- and water-

Hurricanes affect laundry operations, industry responds

the lives of many.

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — The end of August into September saw hurricanes Harvey and Irma impact many lives in the South.

Harvey became the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2005 when it made its way through southeastern Texas and Louisiana beginning Aug. 24. The storm caused major flooding, billions of dollars in damage and, worst of all, took

Irma reached Florida Sept. 10 with damaging winds, leaving many without power for days as the storm swept up through the state.

Everyone in the storm paths were affected, including laundry and linen service operations.

Ian Bigelow is vice president of engineering and technical services-laundry for Compass One Healthcare in Spring, Texas, in the Houston area. He says that

two plants in the area—Memorial

Panel of Experts

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

Hermann Health System Laundry and the Texas Medical Center Hospital Laundry Cooperative

Association—were minimally impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

Columnist at Large Eric

Frederick

discusses buying textiles to fit the equipment in use.

Laundry plants, suppliers work together post-Harvey/Irma

From cleanliness to customization, carts have come a long way

Today’s linen carts are customizable in many ways, including size and color. (Photo: Maxi-Movers)

Continental and Skyline Equipment secured additional warehouse space in Houston for surplus equipment and parts inventory. (Photo: Continental Girbau)

Survey:

Most laundries experience service interruptions

CHICAGO — Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused a lot of flooding, damage and power outages in Texas and Florida, and that means many laundry and linen service providers were offline.

While storms like Harvey and Irma aren’t “typical,” service interruptions occur for most laundry operations at some point. That’s what respondents indicated in this quarter’s American Laundry News Your Views survey.

Most managers who took the survey indicate their laundry and linen operations have experienced an unplanned service interruption, with the longest interruption they’ve experienced lasting less than 24 hours (46.9%). Nearly 41% say their laundry has experienced an interruption of one to three days.

Only 2% indicate their laundry has been down four to seven days, while the remaining 10.2% who took the survey say their operation has been down a week or longer.

It only makes sense that Harvey and Irma have natural disasters front of mind, and 19.5% of respondents say that natural disasters have been the source of their service interruptions.

“Most interruptions have been weather events,” one respondent writes. “We work with lessons learned from previous events to plan for future events.”

The most common reason cited for interruptions? A major piece of equipment going down (48.8%).

“Keeping equipment maintained is the best way to prevent interruption,” a respondent recommends. “A good relationship with service and parts companies comes in a close second.”

“Proper maintenance and proper labor contract negotiations go a long way,” adds another respondent.

One respondent writes that their company utilizes multiple backups.

“We have redundancy on all equipment, except for our major iron,” they write. “For that piece of equipment, we keep spare parts on hand.”

The next most common reason for service interruption indicated was a power outage in the area (31.7%).

With power outages being a more common cause of service interruptions, a backup power source would seem a sensible step. However, 53.1% of managers who took the survey say their operation doesn’t have a backup. Almost 47% indicate they do have a backup source of power.

“Backup generators are a must have,” one respondent writes.

While an unplanned interruption can stop processing, customers still expect clean linens to be provided. The common solution to keep goods in process? Help from another operation.

Just about 59% of respondents say that their laundry has a reciprocal agreement with another facility to provide service if they go offline for more than 24 hours.

Surprisingly, 40% say they don’t have any such agreement, and 2% indicate they don’t know if there is an agreement in place.

“Make sure you are in close contact with another provider that can help out,” recommends one survey respondent. “Also, make sure you have a backup generator.”

Respondents were split down the middle when asked if their laundry ever had to rely on another laundry to provide service due to an interruption.

The chance a laundry operation would be called upon to help another operation provide service is quite common, though, according to respondents. Almost 80% of those surveyed indicate they have assisted another laundry. A little more than 20% say they haven’t been called upon to provide backup service.

While the Your Views survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific. Due to rounding, percentages may not add up to 100%.

Subscribers to American Laundry News e-mails are invited to take the industry survey anonymously online each quarter. All managers and administrators of institutional/OPL, cooperative, commercial and industrial laundries are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and identify industry trends.

ALN

Cintas to close acquired Atlanta distribution center, stockroom

ATLANTA — Cintas Corp. plans to gradually close its distribution center and centralized stockroom here over the course of the next 12 months, the company reports.

Cintas acquired these facilities as part of its merger with G&K Services earlier this year.

“Our strategy is to focus on the optimal distribution structure to facilitate excellent customer service and future growth across our entire organization,” says Terri Cain, vice president of distribution for Cintas.

The closure will impact about 200 employee-partners. Cintas says it has 10 other facilities in the Atlanta market and that affected employee-partners are encouraged to apply for open positions at those facilities.

Publisher

Charles Thompson

Phone: 312-361-1680

E-Mail: cthompson@ ATMags.com

Associate Publisher/ National Sales Director

Donald Feinstein

Phone: 312-361-1682

E-Mail: dfeinstein@ 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

Production Manager

Roger Napiwocki

Digital Media Director

Nathan Frerichs

Phone: 312-361-1681

E-Mail: nfrerichs@ ATMags.com

Advisory Board

Jim Buik • Greg Gurtler

Phil Hart • Janice Larson

Tom Marks • Gerard O’Neill Richard Warren

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

Subscriptions

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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 10. 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

According to Cintas, if the company is unable to offer continuing employment, severance pay, optional continued healthcare coverage and job placement help and resources will be provided.

ALN

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Working together to recover

As I write this column, the Houston area is picking through the debris of flood waters from Hurricane Harvey. Some residents of Florida are still waiting for the power to come back on as they clean up after Hurricane Irma.

And wildfires are burning through sections of the western United States.

The country is taking a beating. Lives have been lost, property has been lost and damaged, and people are wondering what’s next.

What’s next is healing, recovery and getting back to work.

I’ve had a chance to speak with a few laundry managers and suppliers to find out how these natural disasters have impacted business. Many were only offline

The Editor’s Desk MATT POE

during the time the storms hit. However, some experienced damage that put operations on hold.

What’s telling about an industry is how it responds to such crises—and you have responded

well. Across the country, operators and suppliers are helping those affected, both in the public and in the industry.

Some are making donations of money, supplies or linens. Some are making a way for operations to replace damaged equipment. Many are working together to keep textile and linen customers serviced and satisfied.

The industry can be proud of its efforts, and American Laundry News is here to provide as much information as possible to keep your goods moving.

That includes carts (cover) and vehicles (page 12) ... and being prepared for the next business interruption (page 14).

Let’s keep working together, and keep it clean, everybody. ALN

AmeriPride says it’s making strides in sustainability, responsibility

MINNEAPOLIS — AmeriPride Services, a textile rental services and supply company, has made advancements in sustainability and corporate responsibility, the company reports.

AmeriPride says these efforts have been summarized in its 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report, as well as a new online resource.

The materials outline the latest results of key programs and initiatives that the company says support its commitment to the environment, the health and safety of its employees, and the well-being of the local communities it serves.

Company achievements outlined in the report include:

• Fleet enhancements and alternative-fuel vehicles have reduced CO2 emissions by nearly 2,000 metric tons.

• Solar power in processing plants has reduced CO2 emissions by 232 metric tons per year.

• Telematics technology in delivery vehicles has decreased speeding and increased seat-belt use by 98%.

• In the past three years, 3,100 employees have

donated nearly 15,000 volunteer hours, and the company has contributed more than $1.7 million in monetary and product donations.

“Our third annual Corporate Responsibility Report offers a detailed look into our sustainability initiatives, while the new online resource provides a highlevel snapshot of our programs,” says Bill Evans, president and CEO at AmeriPride.

“We’re excited to share both of these resources with our key stakeholders and partners to demonstrate the safer, more efficient business practices we have in place that respond to the growing demand for action and transparency and have a meaningful impact on our people, planet and communities.” ALN

Increased

L

ast month, I discussed that each textile item should be readily recognizable, plus the need to be consistent in purchasing textile products. This month’s column will deal with how your existing equipment can dictate the type and style of textile products you purchase.

Every laundry is different. Some have extra washing capacity, some have extra ironing capacity, but all have a critical path that limits production. Understanding your critical path is an important part of production management. Once this is understood, understanding how the textile products you buy affect this critical path is important.

Many laundries have a critical path through their dryer area. They could produce more through soil sort and washing than the dryers can handle on a normal schedule. To increase output in this area, many laundry managers dry at high temperatures with just the required minimum cool-down time. It is an important fact to understand that the higher the temperature a terry product is dried at, the poorer the hand or the feel of the fabric will be. The best-feeling towels I have ever produced came out of a steam-heated dryer. The problem was, it took twice as long to dry. High temperatures also decrease terry textile serviceable life.

“MOST LAUNDRIES HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM PURCHASING CONTOUR SHEETS THAT REQUIRE IRONING AND HAVE MOVED TO KNITTED FITTED SHEETS.”

Laundries with dryer capacity issues should investigate products with a higher level of polyester in them. There are now 100% polyester thermal blankets and fitted sheets on the market that will reduce the dry times and prolong the serviceable life of the product. Poly/cotton towels will dry faster than 100% cotton towels.

Review the size of the bath towel to make sure that it is large enough to satisfy the customer but not too large for the intended job. You can get more towels per load if a smaller size is purchased. Same review should be conducted with spreads/blankets. The size should meet the needs of the customer but not be so large as to create extra, unneeded weight.

Ironer capacity can be an issue in some laundries. Most laundries have moved away from purchasing contour sheets that require ironing and have moved to knitted fitted sheets. They have stopped ironing various surgical wrappers and drapes to limit the production of lint in the surgical areas.

They can still review the size of the sheets being purchased to ensure they are the size needed by their customer. Reducing the size of the sheet will increase sheets per load but most likely not directly affect the ironing time since this is based on the width of the sheet and not the length. Sheets now come in various blends, from 100% cotton to 100% polyester. The higher the polyester content in the sheet, the less moisture it will hold and the faster the ironer can be operated.

Every single decision a manager makes has an impact on several different areas of his or her operation. The challenge is to understand how these decisions affect what happens as the textile products flow through the laundry and evaluate textile purchases based on these effects.

Eric Frederick has retired from active laundry management after 44 years. He 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.

From

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Eric L. Frederick, RLLD

HX

NEW YORK — North America’s largest hospitality trade show, HX: The Hotel Experience, will fill the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York Nov. 12-13, says show producer Hospitality Management Group (HMG).

HX will feature 400 exhibitors presenting a broad range of hospitality products and services that create a 360-degree impression of the guest experience, including laundry and linen service, show management says.

“HX gives the hospitality professional an expansive, 360-degree look at the guest experience and

how it will impact their property’s appeal, efficiency and profitability,” says Phil Robinson, VP/group show director of event producer HMG.

THE EXPERIENCE

The show features exhibitors, top-of-the-line industry speakers and panels, and live interactive demos, according to HMG.

Special feature areas for HX 2017 include:

• HX360° INNOVATION

ZONES. New this year, HMG says the zones are three fully built-out areas designed by industry visionaries to engage

attendees in the latest trends in the key hospitality areas of Lobby & Bar, Food & Beverage, and Spa & Wellness.

• HX: TECH. This ever-popular section is bigger than ever, says HMG—filled with the latest technology impacting the hospitality industry. From digital security and signage to drones and robotic service opportunities, attendees are immersed in all the latest hospitality tech. Interactive product demos and thought-provoking presentations round out this hightouch, high-energy area.

• HX: STAGES. The popular HX: Onstage Hotel and Onstage Restaurant returns with rich content, thought-provoking presentations and interactive panel discussions, according to HMG.

EDUCATION

Educational sessions at HX will offer attendees information on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to multi-location food and beverage concepts to deep-dive research into the minds of hotel guests, according to HMG.

“We strive to make the overall content of HX second to none. And this year, we are particularly excited with HX’s conference component,” says Robinson.

Sessions are presented on three stages located on the HX exhibit floor; attendee registration to HX includes unlimited session attendance. Three headliner sessions are planned for HX 2017.

Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Rosie. Oh My! AI on the Rise! Trending Tech Talk: AI + Robotics in the Hospitality Industry (Nov. 12, 3-3:45p.m.)

The constant innovations to the industry driven by tech are astounding. Moderator Valerie Ferguson, director, experience planning and integration, hotels and resorts, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, explores the impact of robotics and the coming wave of artificial intelligence. The panel features Micah Green, president and CEO, Maidbot, and Steve Ransone, vice president of rooms operations, White Lodging. HMG says they will walk through how robots are already deeply rooted in hotels overseas and analyze how this innovation will enhance the guest experience in North America. Creating One-of-a-Kind MultiConcept Operations: Yes, It Can Be Done (Nov. 12, 4-5 p.m.)

Alex Taylor, senior vice president, restaurants and bars, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, looks at a more human element of the guest experience and asks, “How do you maintain the feel of an independent boutique when your operation grows to multiple locations?” The presentation explores how Kimpton has made it work in the hotel restaurant space, says HMG. The key is

allowing freedom and creativity to thrive inside the company culture.

Understanding the Minds of Your Guests (Nov. 13, 1-1:30 p.m.) Knowing how guests respond to your offering is more than just intuitive. Chris Davidson, executive vice president of global strategy, MMGY Global, explores the data and trends from MMGY’s 2017/2018 Portrait of American Travelers®. HMG says Davidson will cover hot topics such as: What is the impact of shared accommodations in micro-hotels? And, are travel agents increasing or decreasing in relevance to guests?

HMG has also shared that Connie Chi, founder and CEO of The Chi Group, a brand agency humanizing brands to better engage and evoke curiosity in the world, will be hosting the Influencer Marketing & Scaling Your Social Media Reach panel Nov. 13 at 11:30 a.m. HMG says that not only will attendees see

the latest innovations in hospitality products and services, they will also have the opportunity to stay up-to-date on strategies for marketing, branding, customer satisfaction and more from top names in the industry.

Besides these headliner sessions, HMG says it has a full slate of sessions planned for each day of HX. Topics will include new technology, future trends and hotel culture.

HX: The Hotel Experience is presented by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Hotel Association of New York City Inc. (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA).

HX is co-located with Boutique Design New York (BDNY). HMG says attendees of the HX show will also be permitted entry into the BDNY show to give a 360-degree view of all things hospitality. ALN

HX Exhibitors

Texas; booth 2419

• Fresh Wave IAQ, Long Grove, Ill.; booth 2964

• Gilchrist & Soames, Plainfield, Ind.; booth 2737

• Guestsupply, Monmouth Junction, N.J.; booth 2725

• Harris Pillow, Beaufort, S.C.; booth 2849

• JS Fiber Co., Statesville, N.C.; booth 2740

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•

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• Katri Sales Co. Inc., Forest City, Pa.; booth 2401

• MonoSol, Merriville, Ind.; booth 2519

• Pellerin Milnor Corp., Kenner, La.; booth 2969

• Sintex Sales USA, Woodland Hills, Calif.; booth 3354

• UniMac, Ripon, Wis.; booth 3065

• Welspun USA, New York; booth 2612

• White Towel Services, Fort Worth, Texas; booth 2960

Tools f the Trade

Three-button chemical dispenser system launched

Hydro Systems, an independent manufacturer of proportioning and dispensing systems, introduced its AccuMax™ 3-button chemical dispenser earlier in the year, according to the company.

Hydro Systems says AccuMax is the culmination of more than 30 years of industry expertise, and it offers a versatile, unique range of high-quality and userfriendly solutions.

“With the addition of the AccuMax 3-button model, we’ve created yet another system that helps our customers clean with confidence,” says Matt Hayas, global product manager. “Whether a facility requires the use of multiple chemicals, needs better water-pressure regulation or wants to simplify the installation and maintenance process, the AccuMax lineup covers every dispensing need.”

The AccuMax dispenser comes in a variety of standard colors to serve branding needs and is avail-

able in two types of eductors to provide backflow protection, E-Gap and AirGap, which are both ASSE 1055B-approved.

AccuMax products offer a variety of solutions for multiple applications, such as cleaning and sanitizing, manual warewash, water treatment and more, the company says. The dispensers feature similar traits, including 1 to 5 gallons per minute (GPM) flow rate options, easy locking buttons, an expansive workspace to easily route tubes and toolfree maintenance.

Each dispenser also uses AccuPro Technology which eliminates dilution variance by controlling the water pressure in the unit, ensuring the proper amount of chemical is always used. Hydro Systems says this reduces product waste and costs and improves productivity.

www.hydrosystemsco.com 800-543-7184

Trip-free pediatric PJ pants available for healthcare settings

Encompass Group LLC has created Trip-Free Pediatric PJ Pants with cuffs to help keep kids safe and comfortable in a healthcare environment, the company reports.

“Kids come in different shapes and sizes,” says Joe Przepiorka, Encompass vice president of marketing. “Hospital PJ pants only come in a few shapes and sizes. Until now, kids who are patients had to roll the pant legs up if they were too long or risk tripping with a too-long pant leg.”

The company says the new Trip-Free PJ Pants, part of the Essentials™ Collection of pediatric apparel, offer cuffs at the leg openings to aid in trip-and-fall prevention by providing a more secure fit. The white knit cuffs at the leg opening can help fit kids of differing heights, even if they

wear the same waist size.

Trip-Free Pediatric PJ Pants are constructed in 100% Comfort Knit Polyester, Encompass says. The brushed fabric offers maximum comfort for kids’ more sensitive skin, better breathability for the wearer, and increased energy efficiency and durability for the laundry.

The new PJ pants are available in four colors to coordinate with Encompass GroupDiscovery and Space Adventures™ collections of PJ tops and gowns—solid White, Purple, Sky Blue and Royal—giving kids lots of stylish and fun options. Finished with colorfast dyes, their vibrant colors will look fresh for the life of the garment, according to the company.

www.encompassgroup.net 800-245-4636

Premier Series Dryers come in three sizes

Pellerin Milnor Corp. released its newest dryer line earlier this year, the company reports. Premier Series Dryers are available in three sizes, including the 50-pound capacity M-50p, the 80-pound capacity M-80p and the 120-pound capacity M-120p. All three models are offered in gas, steam or electric heat.

The series is equipped with an intelligent and simple-to-use control system, stainless steel baskets and fronts, a reversing basket, doublepane glass door and a fully insulated cabinet, according to the company.

The Premier Series also features the Sensor Activated Fire Extinguishing System (S.A.F.E.). www.milnor.com 504-712-7656

Improved thermal label released

Thermopatch, which specializes in supplying garment/textile identification labeling systems, has launched its improved HiQ TC thermal label, the company reports. The improved label will be replacing its existing HiQ TT material.

The improved TC HiQ product boasts an increase in pull strength and improved scannability on high-dye content materials, according to the company.

Thermopatch says independent lab testing has shown substantial improvements over the previous HiQ TT material in “reducing the occurrence of dye redeposition.” The TC label will stay whiter longer with the addition of top coat components that help block dye migration from the label, the company says. The improved adhesive is exceptionally helpful on specialty materials such

as jeans and FR garments, which are sometimes more challenging to label.

HiQ labels come in a variety of sizes and configurations that will work on almost any thermal transfer printer on the market. Thermopatch also carries the full line of thermal transfer printers, ranging from low to heavy volume, by Cab Technologies.

www.thermopatch.com 800-252-6555

Results on whites are excellent. On colors, you have nothing more to lose and everything to gain by trying YellowGo. YellowGo may take out color you want to keep. But if it removes the unwanted dye without damaging the underlying color, you win! You won’t have to pay for the dye-stained garments and you won’t disappoint your customers.

So use YellowGo to keep your customers happy and keep them coming back.

Carts

MICROFIBER CLOTHS

•

WET FLOOR CLEANING

•

DRY FLOOR CLEANING & DUST CONTROL

resistant characteristics of this material is not conducive to mold growth nor predisposed to warpage, corrosion, deformation, rotting or deterioration due to moisture saturation,” he says.

Besides the materials used to make today’s laundry carts, Rodriguez says other innovations help maintain cleanliness. For example, cart covers and liners made of a variety of materials, including vinyl and nylon, create a protective barrier.

“Convertible shelf carts allow the shelves to be switched from horizontal positions for clean-linen delivery to soiled-laundry return,” he says. “When in the soiled position, the shelves create a wall that keeps the soiled linen contained.”

Also, he says the creation of automated cart-washing systems sanitize carts prior to contact with clean linen.

LINEN SECURITY

Linen security is top-of-mind for laundry and linen services, especially when it comes to ensuring the cleanliness of the goods. Today’s laundry carts are being manufactured with an eye on security for both maintaining cleanliness and keeping track of linens.

Rodriguez says carts can come with tracking systems to monitor cart assignment and locations for each account. Also, security lids and doors are lockable to protect linens.

“Enclosed carts can come with locking doors,” says Freudenberg. “We use a stainless-steel, three-point keyed latch on our locking-door carts. We also have the ability to install electronic locks with a numeric keypad or card reading/card swiping electronic locks.”

Glen says the most commonly used bulk delivery trucks can have lockable security covers that prevent unauthorized access to the contents. While not as secure, other trucks can be secured with vinyl security covers.

“These covers have lockable, zippered front interior access openings and straps that wrap under the unit to prevent the cover from being removed,” he says.

Glen also points out that shelved exchange trucks have shelves for clean, folded linens that can be pivoted vertically to create a “wall” for bagged soiled linens and bulk storage.

Finally, Rodriguez mentions that plastic carts can have molded-in, full color graphics and logos.

“[The logos] are actually part of the plastic, allowing ownership of the cart to be permanently identifiable,” he says.

of the products in our catalog have overall heights or access openings that line up with the average American’s waist level and do not require strange, strenuous, dangerous contortions to load/unload,” he says.

Design elements that have been implemented in carts include lower opening cutouts and spring-loaded platforms.

“Lower cutouts for cart openings reduces bending, reaching and potential strain,” Rodriguez says. “The introduction of spring-loaded platforms makes for ergonomic cart loading and unloading.”

Freudenberg points out other elements that modern laundry cart manufacturers take into account for ergonomics and efficiency, such as bearings, wheel tread and wheel size.

He says there are three standard types of wheel bearings being used in carts: Delrin, roller, and precision sealed ball bearings.

“Precision sealed ball bearings will give you the smoothest and easiest maneuverability for any wheel,” says Freudenberg.

“This holds true for both 6- and 8-inch. Additionally, since the precision sealed ball bearings are sealed, dirt, dust and grime will not build up as with the other bearing types.

Precision sealed ball bearings also do not need to be greased.”

Laundry and linen service providers may not take into account wheel tread and floor surface, but cart manufacturers do to determine the ease of maneuverability.

TRADITIONAL MOPS

ERGONOMICS AND EFFICIENCY

Several factors come into play when discussing the ergonomics and efficiency of carts, something that really didn’t go into the carts of yesterday. Cart design is a key factor when it comes to making a good cart.

“The best cart design is a strong, sturdy cart that does not give or bend when pushing,” Freudenberg says. “An additional key feature we offer includes a rounded frame design, instead of a square/box frame. The round frame design will distribute the cart weight evenly, which results in an even/ smooth cart roll.”

Glen agrees that design is key to creating an ergonomic, efficient laundry cart.

“It is no mistake that the vast majority

“If a laundry cart is being used on carpet (a few hospitals and most hotels use carpet), a hard, smooth poly wheel is the best option, as it would reduce the amount of friction on the carpet,” says Freudenberg. “For hard surfaces, TPR (thermal plastic rubber) is the most ideal for a smooth cart ride. However, some laundry facilities like the hard poly wheels, and the carts are easier to slide sideways if the caster configuration is two rigid and two swivel instead of four swivel.”

He also says that wheel size also contributes to the ease of maneuverability. For example, Freudenberg says that with heavy transport or bulk carts, an 8-inch wheel would be better compared to a 6-inch wheel, since an 8-inch wheel and caster setup can easily support more weight than a 6-inch version.

Finally, both Rodriguez and Glen point out that carts today can be moved in a more efficient manner. Both have options that would allow multiple carts to be coupled and towed by a cart puller.

“Carts can also be made compatible to work with AGVs (automated guided vehicles) for independent transportation of linen throughout a given facility,” says

Ergonomics are taken into consideration for laundry cart design. (Photo: MODRoto)

Rodriguez.

“There’s a reason behind every detail, and we’re constantly looking to improve upon existing features,” says Glen. “A lot of thought, testing, and customer feedback goes into what we design.”

CUSTOMIZATION

Most linen carts are manufactured in standard sizes, due to carts being manufactured by machines. However, there are options available to laundry and linen services when purchasing carts.

Rodriguez mentioned graphics and logos molded into carts for security purposes. Graphics is just one element of today’s carts that can be customized. Towing capability, also mentioned by Rodriguez and Glen, is another customizable option.

“Almost everything is open to customization, whether it’s color, weight capacity, specialty usage, code compliance, you name it,” Glen says. “If we cannot modify an existing model to the necessary specifications, well, that’s what our engineering department and metal shops are for. As far as extras go, we’ll go as far as the customer needs.”

Some of the extras Glen mentioned include job ticket pockets, hanger bars, forklift pockets, lift platforms and swivel locks.

Freudenberg says his company has the ability to customize cart size to fit the specific length, width and height needs of customers.

“We can help determine the space needed, cart layout and provide a CAD drawing before the cart is manufactured,” he says.

In addition to custom cart sizes, Freudenberg says the company has a variety of colors in stock and has the ability to powder-coat carts to any color. Other options include parking brakes, shelf dividers, directional locking casters, caster options, wheel options, wire shelving, solid shelving, perimeter bumpers, rolling bumpers and many more.

“There are numerous considerations that need to be made for each laundry customer, but the most important consideration is the flow of your facility,” says Rodriguez. “Capacity is a major issue for a number of our customers, and we want to make sure that we are helping, not hurting, the situation with developing a plan to support the handling of all goods from the point they enter your facility until it reaches your customers.”

“Every customer will have different requirements,” Freudenberg adds. “It’s important to understand how the customer operates and what is expected/needed from their carts. We will need to determine where the carts will be utilized. It may be in a laundry, hospital basement, hospital floor or other use.”

He says example questions that would be asked include: Will the carts be trucked over the road? Will the cars be towed? Are you using an exchange cart system? Will the carts need to be covered?

“It’s important to understand customer

needs and what they expect from carts,” says Freudenberg.

THE FUTURE

The laundry industry is evolving and changes will come in the future, and that includes changes and improvements in carts.

“It’s impossible to pinpoint future changes, but advancements have been made in robotic carts, RFID scanners and ultraviolet lights,” Freudenberg says. “We’re working to incorporate changes into our carts to help advance the laundry industry.”

Glen says that the laundry industry, including carts, are well on the way to full interactivity.

“Besides commercial laundries, the donated goods sector accounts for a large portion of our sales,” he says. “Ultrasonic sensors can detect when a donation bin is reaching capacity, notifying dispatch and sending a driver. No more wasted fuel, labor or adding to traffic pollution.”

How connected will carts become?

“While truck/cart theft (or, say, janitors taking a linen cart out of service to haul garbage/material) is a problem, it doesn’t appear to have reached epidemic proportions to warrant the investment of adding GPS technology to track each individual unit,” says Glen.

Rodriguez, however, says that carts will continue to be “connected” more for tracking.

“It’s inevitable,” he says. “Poly carts are a significant investment. As tracking technology becomes more affordable, the value proposition becomes more attractive to customers who are either victims of cart theft or are looking for better ways to track and streamline their processes.”

Cleanliness of linens will always be a consideration for laundry and linen services, so manufacturers are always on the lookout for ways to help keep carts clean.

“The handling of healthcare linen is a very hot topic right now, and there are a number of enhancements being discussed to better accommodate customer need, such as antimicrobial additives to the poly and cart designs that allow for thorough, yet convenient, cleaning methods,” Rodriguez says.

The future options mentioned so far are more “near future.” Glen, however, has thoughts that go beyond the next couple of years.

“3D printing could open the door to simply selling a license to enable customers to manufacture trucks on-site at their facilities,” he says. “Perhaps, engineering departments simply become a stable of designers that tweak the base units with customizations that fulfill exactly the intended applications and dimensional requirements.”

Whatever the future holds, laundry and linen operations and cart manufacturers will continue to work together to make sure linens are moved efficiently and cleanly. ALN

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Laundry carts today use materials made for durability, security, efficiency and cleanliness. (Photo: Tecni-Quip Carts)

More than moving linen from point A to B

non-slip safety materials for the stepping areas and cargo floor work zones, back-up camera systems and new technology items, including rear sonar systems.

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — Laundry and linen service operators know that the delivery vehicle is more than just a truck or van to transport linens.

It’s a key component to the operating efficiency of the company.

And delivery truck manufacturers work closely with laundry operations to provide the correct, safest and most advanced vehicles for the job.

Tom Ninneman, fleet vehicles and services president for Spartan Motors/Utilimaster, says safety and security is key to truck manufacturers as they design laundry and linen customer solutions.

“For instance, at Utilimaster we offer a keyless entry system for increased security through the use of a proximity wristband worn by the driver,” he says. “When exiting the vehicle, the entire truck securely locks, and with the wristband, the vehicle unlocks as the driver approaches the vehicle. This system eliminates the fear of issues such as lost and stolen keys while ensuring the integrity of the parcels or load the truck is carrying.”

Back-up cameras are well-known and widely available, but Ninneman says many laundry operations with vehicles are not aware of blind-spot cameras and 360-degree camera systems that are available to offer a “birds-eye,” top-down view.

“They combine four different cameras placed throughout the truck together to create one all-encompassing visual to help the driver avoid hazards,” he says. “This is a great example of a high-end automotive technology transfer that Utilimaster has specifically brought to the fleet segment.”

Back-up sensors are also now available on laundry fleet vehicles to provide the driver with an audible alert for objects behind the vehicle, according to Ninneman. Fleet managers are also utilizing DVR dash cameras to ensure their drivers are practicing save driving habits and monitoring their daily routine in order to design efficiency solutions.

“One thing that stands out to me for today’s textile rental walk-in van buyer is safety features,” says Rich Tremmel, vice president of sales and marketing for Morgan Olson. “Ten years ago, we’d offer additional safety options; however, buyers were conditioned to keep the vehicle acquisition price down. Today’s textile rental industry fleet managers immediately ask for the latest and greatest in drivers’ safety items.”

Ergonomics and driver loading/unloading efficiencies have been at the forefront in the laundry and linen services industry for the past five years, according to Ninneman. To improve efficiency and safety for the driver, he says recent applications and products implemented include grab handles and handrails to allow the driver to safely enter and exit the vehicle and anti-slip floor materials to allow for smooth traction and accident-free movement within the vehicle.

Tremmel echoes Ninneman’s view, saying popular safety items include grab handles,

“Let’s face it, a Morgan Olson walk-in van is considered by most buyers to give businesses a 12 to 15 years’ total life-cycle delivery work truck solution,” says Tremmel. “Adding a few hundred dollars in safety features compared to the vehicle life provides businesses with an excellent value proposition and the drivers with a safer work environment.”

Ninneman points to two Utilimaster patented systems placed within a truck to increase loading and unloading efficiencies.

“The Utilimaster SafeLoad system is a laundry sling bag system that utilizes the vertical space inside of the truck with an extending arm and laundry bag hanger to telescope out of the back of the vehicle,” he says.

This system maintains a clear aisleway in the cargo area, eliminates excessive sorting and double handling, prevents cross-contamination, and the vertical hanger reduces driver back and knee injuries caused from bending.

The other patented system is the Utilimaster locking cart system, he says. It provides vehicles and drivers configurable tracks to meet multiple clients’ product mix. The brackets eliminate the need for straps and are rated at 2,200 pounds each for increased safety and stability during the route. “Once the destination is reached, the carts are easily rolled off the vehicle, the tracks are adjusted as needed, and the next load of carts are loaded and locked in minutes,” says Ninneman.

Tremmel says the walk-in van remains the preferred pickup and delivery work truck platform for the uniform and textile rental industry for many good reasons.

“First and foremost is the design of this proven work truck body,” he says. “These design efficiencies provide drivers safe access to the cargo area directly from the cab without stepping into dangerous traffic lanes.”

This “cab-to-cargo area” delivery process is further enhanced with “cargo-to-curbside” time-saving advantages, according to Tremmel. Independent time studies show over a 40% time savings over traditional “box truck” bodies.

“This time savings adds up, and the walkin van begins paying for itself from day one,” he says. “When you add in the massive payload and total square cubic feet of the walk-in van cargo area, it’s easy to understand why the walk-in van remains the best delivery solution for the top uniform and textile rental cleaning companies.”

The design of cargo area in the walk-in van provides many options, too.

“It’s interesting to see all the cargo area configurations Morgan Olson designs for our customers,” says Kenn Klein, Morgan Olson’s marketing manager. “Our growing list of cab and cargo options helps improve our customers’ delivery efficiencies, too.”

He says the company’s engineering team works directly with the sales team to constantly improve cargo area designs.

“From locking pipe racks for hangered uniforms to improved mat bins, shelving designs and positive airflow within the cargo areas, Morgan Olson leads the walk-in van

body industry with new, innovative walk-in van cargo area designs and safety improvements,” says Klein.

In recent years, Ninneman has seen laundry fleets switch from cargo wood flooring to all-aluminum flooring, in order to be sprayed out and cleaned with chemicals more effectively and efficiently.

“We have had an increase in healthcare and hospital accounts, and the switch to aluminum flooring has significantly aided us in our required sanitization process,” he says. “Aluminum flooring also provides a lighterweight truck and expands the lifespan of truck flooring compared to wood flooring.”

While the laundry delivery vehicle has undergone advances in recent years, delivery vehicle manufacturers are still working on improving results.

“Our ability to track driver routes via telematics and the route optimization programs that result will continue to yield positive net business outcomes, not only for the linen industry, but all fleet verticals,” Ninneman says. “Additionally, ‘collision avoidance’ features found in new automobiles today will soon be offered in commercial vehicle platforms.”

He says lane assistance, blind-spot detection, emergency stopping and infrared technology for object detection in low light or

foggy conditions are all applications coming in the near future to the trucking industry.

“Spartan Motors has already implemented a number of these automotive technologies in our emergency response, RV and fleet segments,” says Ninneman. “And we’ll continue to lead the charge to make the road ahead a safer place.”

When working with a laundry operation on buying its first trucks or upgrading its fleet, Ninneman says it’s important that a manufacturer not have a preconceived notion of what the answer is before they ask the right questions.

“The first step in the beginning of any successful partnership is to listen,” he says.

“We apply the ‘Utilimaster Process’ and go through a step-by-step process of researching, ride-alongs and interviews with our customers’ drivers. These people are the everyday user of the vehicle and they are the best to explain the challenges they face.”

Ninneman says that once his company understands a laundry’s unique daily challenges, it can implement the solutions already available to solve its needs.

“The best advice we can give is to allow your team time to really dig in to the challenges before arriving at the answer, and listen from the front line (drivers) on up,” he says.

Laundry trucks, vans have advanced in recent years, experts say

An extending sling system in the cargo area is a recent advance that aids drivers in several ways.

(Photo: Spartan Motors)

Delivery vehicle cabs offer several safety features, including back-up cameras. (Photo: Morgan Olson)

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Breaking down interruption strategies

ask what their plan is. If it’s not acceptable, work out something better.

To sum up, there is no substitute for planning. Be proactive, plan, organize, formalize agreements, communicate your plans and follow the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.

The best strategy for dealing with breakdowns and interruptions is not to have them.

I know, that’s a smart-aleck answer and easier said than done. But, it’s true.

Do the preventive maintenance recommended by your machinery manufacturer. It takes some digging through manuals, or some online effort to find manuals for older machines, if you can find them at all. But, there is no substitute for adjusting things like they are supposed to be done, lubricating, changing belts, cleaning filters, keeping programs up-todate, etc.

With all the electronic controls running everything, keeping them safe from surges and spikes is critical. Be sure everything is well grounded. This is the most basic electrical safety requirement. Discuss uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices and surge protectors with a competent electrical engineer.

There are great PC-based programs to schedule maintenance and chart everything out for your maintenance staff.

And, I know, they are always too busy fixing things already broken to do the regular maintenance, but it all has to be done.

With all that said, one has to understand that breakdowns happen. It’s a fact of life.

Prepare by keeping critical spare parts on hand. Have phone numbers of machinery suppliers at hand to quickly get parts you need. Have a relationship with good repair companies nearby that can lend a hand with specialized repair work. Identify machinery you have that is old and hard to get parts for. Get what you can now, and be sure it will work. Some critical parts may be out of stock or obsolete. You

may want to identify replacement machinery early for some machines.

Look at your operation from a “what if” perspective. What would you do if this machine broke down? Or that machine? Is there a workaround? Do you have an alternative process? Can you procure something as a backup in advance? Go over each scenario and plan for the worst case.

In some cases, your only choice might be to have someone else process at least part of your work. Now is the time to approach other laundries and negotiate an arrangement. A reciprocal agreement might be possible that will help both of your operations be better prepared and feel more comfortable. If your products are similar, they may be able to easily handle your goods. If not, a little prior planning and education will be needed.

You might need to have your respective chemical suppliers program appropriate formulas in each other’s washers. If you talk to your own supplier, they will know who does similar work in the area and may help

facilitate an agreement with someone. If you use the same products, similar formulas and processing procedures, keeping quality consistent will be easier.

With all the severe weather events in the news lately, you may have already thought about major utility interruptions. Depending on your type of laundry, consider what you would do in case of flooding, power outages, etc. Talk to your employees about severe weather plans and schedules. Remember, your building and utilities may survive, but if your employees can’t get to work, you can’t run.

To put my chemical supplier hat on a little tighter, make sure your vendor has backup parts on hand for their machinery. Ask them about it now. They should be doing preventive maintenance at every visit and planning for repair and breakdown work.

Our company keeps critical parts on hand at customer locations. We go so far as to program alternative formulas into washers and stock alternative products on site for emergency use. Talk to your supplier and

One of your first steps in dealing with breakdowns and interruptions is employing the right team. Ensure that your engineers have the skill set to work with, and repair, the hardware and control systems in use by laundries.

Seek candidates with aptitude and train them on the technology used in the plant. Vendors often provide seminars to improve knowledge on their products. Trade associations schedule more generic training sessions, and attendees might also learn from each other’s experiences with specific equipment during these meetings.

In addition to aptitude, make sure they have the right attitude. Develop a preventative maintenance (PM) mindset, so that major issues can hopefully be avoided. PM intervals should be requested of vendors, and they can be reinforced through the aforementioned training. Regularly check with your team to confirm that preventive maintenance is being performed. Use the available tracking software to monitor activities and keep records.

Make maintenance of computerized equipment a priority, as well. Since there is so much automation in the laundry today, maintaining control system health is as important as keeping the mechanical hardware in good condition. Keep control systems up to date with the latest software and hardware.

Maintain a critical spare-

parts inventory so that key components are on hand for replacement in times of need. I bet we’ve all heard at least one story about a major piece of equipment being down, waiting on a part to be delivered. The stories often end with an extra part being ordered to keep on the shelf for “next time.” Instead, be ready for the first time.

Create a backup plan that supports the breakdown of critical equipment. Determine where you might outsource processing. Keep the proper inventory/par levels to service your customers. Operate spare equipment, where feasible. Determine how you could adjust scheduling to catch up with processing and/or work around repairs.

On a similar note, expand these plans to handle larger issues. At recent trade conferences, the subject of “Disaster Recovery” has been on the agenda several times. I’m an optimist at heart, and while nobody wants their business to be affected by fire, flood, or otherwise, it still makes sense to “hope for the best, but plan for the worst.”

I t should be stated that the number-one goal of a laundry’s engineering/maintenance team is to keep all equipment operational at all times during production hours. The easiest way to do this is to have expertly trained associates and a robust preventative maintenance program that allows your maintenance team to keep all machinery in peak operating condition indefinitely and/or to identify possible points of failure and address them before you have a breakdown.

However, even the best laun-

“Our industry relies on a lot of equipment. A machine or computer component failure will impact production. What strategies do you have for dealing with breakdowns and interruptions?”

Chemicals Supply

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

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

Consulting Services

Jon Witschy Spindle, Woodridge, Ill.

Hotel/Motel/ Resort Laundry Nick Fertig Rosen Hotel and Resorts, Orlando, Fla.

Unique challenges for healthcare

washer installation

the carts had to be automatically loaded on the lift.

With only one cart on the lift per trip and no space outside the washer for carts to be staged, the flow of carts into the washer had to be controlled by the flow of carts entering the lift on the top floor.

The lift had to accommodate multiple sizes and types of carts, some stainless-steel varieties weighing 350 pounds, and some made of aluminum or plastic, which is considerably lighter.

BY ALEX MILLER

MADISON, Wis. — Madison

United Healthcare Linen based here is a commercial laundry company that serves hospitals in southern Wisconsin.

The plant is built into the side of a small hill, with loading docks on both the first and second levels. Laundry arrives and is sorted on the second level and is then transported to the first floor, where it is washed, processed and ultimately loaded on trucks to be taken back to the various hospitals.

When soiled laundry arrives, it is taken off the carts, and the carts are lined up to be cleaned and disinfected in the washer.

The sterilized carts eventually need to be reloaded with clean laundry for transport back to the hospitals, so a system had to be developed to lower the carts to the first floor.

Creating and installing that system at Madison United was among the most unique projects for Automation Dynamics of Independence, Mo., which makes automated equipment for the commercial laundry market.

Although Automation Dynamics’ primary products sort, count, weigh and route laundry through the wash process, it also makes automatic washers that clean and sterilize the carts on which laundry is transported to and from wash facilities.

“This is the first laundry facility where we installed a cart washer that delivers disinfected carts to an elevator,” says David Jewell, the Automation Dynamics customer service director who worked closely on the project.

“We saw that Madison United used a PFlow vertical lift to move finished laundry down for shipping, so we approached them to see if a lift could be designed to work with the cart washer.”

UNIQUE CHALLENGES

Lowering laundry carts 14 feet, 8 inches from the second floor to the first floor is a routine application for a PFlow Industries Inc. vertical lift. Still, several unique challenges had to be addressed in designing it.

Limited space between the cart wash discharge area and the placement of the lift required that

Carts go through the washer on the upper level and are transported down to the floor. (Photo: Madison United Healthcare Linens)

dry teams with the most robust preventative maintenance (PM) programs will encounter failures. In the case of a failure, the expertise of your engineering team, your parts program, and the relationships you have built with other local facilities and vendors will determine how a breakdown will impact your operation.

In our industry, one of the single greatest assets to your laundry is your maintenance team. If you have motivated and competent engineers, do whatever you have to do to hold on to them.

Invest in them and their future. All major laundry equipment manufacturers offer classes or seminars to assist in educating your team on the finer points of their equipment. The knowledge gained in these classes is priceless, and I can guarantee, with certainty, it will save your operation from many headaches.

Even the most experienced and educated maintenance teams cannot overcome a breakdown if they don’t have the appropriate tools and replacement parts. Too often, our friends in accounting fail to realize the importance of having shelves stocked with spare parts. They see a $3,000 motor still in the original box while laundry professionals see the instrument that will prevent the need to outsource upon failure.

Breakdowns will happen; plan properly. It is all too easy for a $200 part to become a $1,500 part after next-day rush delivery and the overtime required to catch up.

play. I have had our local vendor, Steiner Atlantic, go out of their way to locate a part we needed in the field and personally deliver it to our operation.

This is all based on the relationships we have built over the years, and I would not hesitate for a single second to assist another operation when needed because I have been in their shoes before. Without a doubt, at some point, I will be in them again.

ics and computers, we take things for granted. We forget that just like us, our electronics also need a rest to recharge and should be shut down whenever possible. By shutting down or powering off our computers, smartphones, electronic equipment and gadgets every once in a while, this actually gives the computers within a chance to regroup, so to speak, thus continuing to maintain a high level of performance.

failure or breakdown. Sure, we may incur some added expenses by having to move work from one facility to another for processing, but at the same time, the upside is we are not losing a beat and are able to continue servicing our customers on time as they expect from us daily.

operation be disrupted to the point that customer experience will suffer, or cost will be substantially impacted, or revenue will be negatively impacted, or all of the above?

Finally, I think we can all admit that there are times where we just need help. Either our engineering team is experiencing an issue that they have never encountered before or that is outside of their level of expertise. Maybe, we have an incredible spare parts program, but in this instance, we just don’t have that one piece we need to be operational. In these cases, the relationships that you have built with other laundries and local vendors come into

S

everal weeks ago while driving home from the airport, my “check engine” light came on. Wondering what the problem might be and needing my car for work, I quickly called the service department to make an appointment to get my vehicle diagnosed and fixed as soon as possible.

Upon arriving at the dealership the next day, my car was immediately swept away and hooked up to a machine to check the electronics and perform a quick diagnostic on the vehicle. A few minutes later, I was informed the problem had been found and that corrective action was being taken. Luckily, while discussing the situation at hand with my personal technician, he informed me that because the issue was diagnosed as being computer-related, the corrective action taken was a simple fix—a reset and reboot of a specific module.

Watching this unfold in front of me made me think about the machinery used to produce our products day-to-day and week-to-week in our laundry facilities. Most of the equipment used to process our goods daily are pretty much now all computer-driven, in one way or another. The days of the tool belt worn by our maintenance team holding a wrench, screwdriver, pliers, hammer and, of course, duct tape have been replaced by belts now sporting mini iPads, smartphones, USB cords, and microchips and parts that are used to diagnose the computers responsible for making the equipment run smoothly.

Nuts and bolts, big heavy wrenches and dirty oil cans are slowly but surely being replaced by small microchips, USB ports and plug-in components. The long, tedious diagnostic process is now being reduced to minutes by a new-wave maintenance team with a wealth of computer knowledge.

In this new age of electron-

Some of the procedures and strategies being taken today to help prevent breakdowns and interruptions in our daily processing regimen may include shutting down equipment to allow computers to refresh. This shutdown also gives maintenance teams a chance to perform daily diagnostics and safety checks on specific pieces of equipment. This is key in today’s world of electronics. Periodic shutdowns and diagnostic checks help to ensure that we have no issues with breakdown and slow efficiency in our processing.

However, it is also just as important that we have a backup plan in the event a piece of machinery does go down and needs to be taken offline for a period of time for an unforeseen repair.

In the past, our maintenance team would stock extra nuts and bolts and possible key spare parts to have in the event of a breakdown. Today, it is important to consider stocking spare electronic modules whenever possible to guarantee you have the right micro-module in the event of a breakdown and/or malfunction.

In some plants where there are multiple pieces of the same equipment, it might be wise from time to time to bring one of the pieces offline and do a standard maintenance check. This will ensure all the bells and whistles are working properly.

Another key point that should be considered is sending your maintenance team to, or furnishing them with, ongoing electronic and machinery training. Think about it, these are the guys who keep our plants humming while keeping the machinery working at its best. By working with your equipment suppliers, as well as local technical schools, our new-age maintenance team will be able to receive and keep up with the new technology needed today to run our equipment flawlessly.

If time is an issue and you cannot send them to training, work with your vendor to see if they would consider doing some on-site training.

Multiple processing facilities are not only a vehicle for processing more poundage of product, they can help in the event of machinery/equipment

Scheduling machine repair or diagnostics during off-hours is another way to avoid losses in production. By scheduling during off-hours, our labor force and customers are not impacted by the work being performed on our equipment.

Inventory control is another key point to preventing interruptions in our processing and delivery systems. If we do not manage our inventory properly, it will eventually catch up to us and possibly cause a slow-down or an issue with delivery to your customers. Staying ahead of the curve at all times with processing allows us to analyze our situation at hand and avoid setbacks and interruptions.

If the unit’s outage would not cause significant disruption as defined, it’s a matter of a simple plan of how the unit can be fixed when needed, whether parts should be pre-ordered or are available, and whether you have internal talent to repair the unit— and if not, you have selected a service provider who can call when you need them.

Part of this analysis is also to look at the availability of possible subcontracting of the process that the unit currently provides. A final part of this analysis is to ascertain the best form of repair or replacement (if needed), along with at least a primary and secondary supply option, and even temporary rental options when possible.

As for primary or missioncritical machines and computers, an entirely different recovery plan should be put in place. Missioncritical equipment is easily defined as assets that will cause significant disruption to your customer experience and/or impact costs or revenues or both, until the unit is back in service.

The above is not a sure cure for stopping breakdowns and/ or production interruptions, but it is a proactive suggestion for preventing costly breakdowns and/or interruptions.

Now, as for that “check engine” light on my car, it turned out to be a dead fuse. Unfortunately for me, the labor to discover this was more than the part needed, but then again it was a preventative action that needed to be taken and corrected to ensure my peace of mind while driving.

For instance, if you have one tunnel washer in your operation, and that unit goes down, typical operators are in pretty deep trouble. In this case, the tunnel should be analyzed as to which parts are more typical to break down. In some cases, based on known parts delivery times, these replacement parts might be purchased and stocked in advance. In other cases, the knowledge of how long it will take to get either remote technical assistance, or, if needed, on-site repair, along with how deep the critical parts are inventoried by the machine supplier or repair company, is important.

In the scenario of a single tunnel washer, an emergency plan should be considered, much like a fire recovery plan should exist. Do you have a backup processor within a reasonable distance that would, if needed, subcontract the wash work and support you in this emergency? Many operators negotiate two-way support agreements, giving both parties the assurance of a backup, if needed.

Machines, computers, vehicles and even people all break down at times. It’s a fact that likely won’t change.

With regard to machines and computers, savvy operators should approach their business process with the following resource evaluation in mind: Is the machine or computer considered “mission critical”? In other words, if the unit goes down, will your effective and profitable

A number of years ago, I witnessed a large plant’s wash floor outage, when its tunnel system went down due to the load management computer (proprietary) crashing. There was not enough production staff to run the operation 24/7, in order to keep up with the need. And there was not enough subcontracted production capacity to handle the volume. The plant was “down.”

After the fact, it was discovered that the maintenance department actually had a spare

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CALIFORNIA TEXTILES

California Textiles is unveiling its USA Line, a T-310 satin made with U.S. fabric that is U.S.-stitched and -manufactured.

The line features a 60/40 blend with domestic combed cotton and poly and a 15-inch-deep pocket—no-iron finish. The company says it has both flat and fitted in stock with ring spun yarns for softness with a quarter-inch satin stripe. Extra-wide and extralong area are also in stock.

California Textiles says it also carries a full line of shuttleless 16 ring spun towel ensembles, 100% combed cotton to complement the new sheet line.

California Textiles started as a supplier to the commercial laundry market in 1990. Until recently, the company says it has sold to the hotel hospitality market through textile rental companies and maintains this business 27 years later. Recently, a company decision was made to market to hotels directly, as well as to textile rental companies.

California Textiles says it is a full linen supplier with many products, all in stock and ready to ship. This includes all types and thread counts of sheets, both domestic and imported, and a large line of terry items. www.catextiles.com 951-272-1200

THOMASTON MILLS

Thomaston Mills says its duvet covers and pillow shams are engineered to save money.

According to the company, its fabrics are made for durability, shade and pilling control, saving money by increasing the usable life of the product. Also, it says its duvet covers are made with time-saving features specially for

housekeepers, saving customers money.

The company says it stocks all sizes of T-200 and T-310 satin stripe duvet covers and shams for 48-hour shipment, and also can customize T-180, T-250, T-250 satin stripe, and T-300 duvet covers and shams with fast deliveries and low minimums.

www.thomastonmills.com 877-474-3300

ROYAL BLUE INTERNATIONAL

Royal Blue International recently developed two items: Bleach Resistant Cabana Stripe Pool Towels and the Platinum Plush RS “fancy dobby border” line of towels.

The company says pool towels are made from 100% soft and super-absorbent ringspun cotton yarns. Royal Blue says the pool towels do not fade and “bleed” when washed with bleach. They are 30-by-70-inch, 15-pound towels available in blue, green, yellow and beige stripe.

The Platinum Plush RS

line was created for the hospitality industry to impress guests with heavier weights and superior cotton while still reasonably priced to not hurt the bottom line, according to the company. The towels are made from 100% super-soft ring spun cotton yarns and are available in standard sizes and weights (13 by 13, 1.5 pounds; 16 by 30, 4.5 pounds; 27 by 54, 14 or 17 pounds; and 22 by 34, 9.25 pounds).

Royal Blue International is a family-owned and -operated direct importer and domestic manufacturer of all types of institutional linen items. The company was founded in 1980 and has been family-owned for more than 34 years.

www.royalblueintl.com 800-693-5426

BEACON LINENS

Beacon Linens, developers of Beacon Pocket™ (a unique flex cornering system that guarantees fit across a variety of mattress sizes), has introduced a new line of patented bed linens to the hospitality industry, the company reports.

The company says its flagship fabric construction is a 90-grams-per-square-meter (GSM) microfiber packed with innovation.

“We directly addressed the known deficiencies of competitive alternatives by developing a highly durable, yet fully recyclable, energy-saving and

super comfortable bedding set with a fitted sheet that benefits from Beacon’s patented Beacon Pocket™—and we did it for less cost,” say the company’s president, Tedd Smith.

In addition, Beacon says these linens do not shrink, do not pill, and are wrinkle-free.

Beacon Linens was founded in 2013, reviving the Beacon Blankets brand and its designs, which date back to 1904.

www.beaconlinens.com 828-689-5271

STANDARD TEXTILE

Standard Textile says it has introduced a new terry innovation— ForeverSoft . The company says the product’s uniquely engineered, ultra-soft pile yarns start soft and stay soft, wash after wash, throughout service life.

Standard Textile says guests appreciate green programs, but they don’t want the initiatives to impact the quality of their hotel experience. ForeverSoft terry provides the softness and absor-

[Royal Blue International]

[Thomaston Mills]

[California Textiles]

[Beacon Linens]

bency guests desire, while reducing the environmental impact of operations.

An inherently fast-drying foundation saves processing and replacement costs, according to the company, and patented Centium Core Technology® improves product tensile strength, extends service life and enhances performance.

www.standardtextile.com 800-323-5246

BOCA TERRY

Boca Terry offers a polished, irresistibly refined Microfiber bathrobe for the hospitality industry. The company says it is a classic, elegant robe with a lavish French terry knit lining or a rich, luxurious plush lining.

Created for high-end hotels and resorts worldwide, Boca Terry says the Microfiber robe has an 85% polyester, 15% nylon shell and is available in a range of sophisticated colors, including Wedgewood, iceberg and eggshell. The Microfiber robe comes with generous pockets, double belt loops for adjustable belt height, and a hanger loop for convenient storage.

Since 1996, Boca Terry says it has redefined how guests experience amenities with a diverse, price-competitive collection of bathrobes, towels, slippers and spa accessories. With durable fabrics sourced from the far corners of the globe, the company says it conducts meticulous material research and systematic lab testing to ensure the utmost comfort and performance.

www.bocaterry.com 877-421-6001

MONARCH BRANDS

The Admiral Towel Collection is a focused assortment featuring four SKUs that hotels rely on every day, says Monarch Brands.

The company offers 24-by-50, 10.5-pound, and 23- by-48, 8-pound bath towels; 16-by-27,

3-pound hand towels; and 12-by12 1-pound washcloths.

Monarch says the carton-packed, guest-ready towels are made from superior cotton by mills in Bangladesh. The plush 100% cotton pile is woven into a strong polyester ground, giving the perfect blend

of softness for guests, and strength for longevity. The towels are optically bright white, soft, and feature woven labels.

The company also says laundries will appreciate that the towels are produced on air-jet looms using 12s openend yarns, which means the product is consistent and economical.

www.monarchbrands.com 215-482-6100

“The winds weren’t the problem, it was the flooding,” he says. “We were able to keep operating. We were very fortunate in that respect.”

Suzanne Ormond, risk manager for Alsco, says that Admiral by Alsco plants in the Houston area also weathered Harvey quite well.

“We had very minor property damage,” she says. “The Houston

management team was organized and brought past experience to the table. Our Oliver location doubled up on linens for healthcare accounts in preparation for the storm.”

Ormond says that due to support from Alsco plants in Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock, there was little disruption of service.

“Our H.R. team maintained communication with our employees, continued payroll and brought people back to work very quickly,” she says. “We were able to resume operations after only a day or two without road access and power. To my knowledge, we are back up

to fully servicing customers in the area that have been able to resume their operations.”

Reports from laundry and linen services in Florida after Hurricane Irma were much the same. Bigelow says that the eight plants Compass One has in the state only stopped operations when the hurricane came into their immediate area, for safety reasons.

“I believe all are operating, now,” he says.

In Central Florida, laundries operated in much the same manner, shutting down when the storm was passing overhead.

Hotel laundries in the area

had another challenge: providing laundry service for guests who had been evacuated from the southern part of the state.

“Our hotels were at capacity from those evacuating from South Florida,” says Nick Fertig, complex laundry manager for Rosen Hotel and Resorts in Orlando.

“We ran heavy shifts up until early Saturday morning [Sept. 9], but completely shut down after that. We provided limited service to those staying in the hotel and were back open Tuesday morning [Sept. 12] catching up.”

He says some properties ran with extremely limited “ride-out

crews” to run skeleton crews for laundry needs.

Fertig says the laundries that service only outside accounts were closed that Sunday and Monday. There were curfews on all roads. In addition, insurance regulations for the commercial vehicles required for deliveries kept them off the road.

“In our case, our delivery trucks cannot operate if the winds are in excess of 30 mph,” he says.

Once the storms were over, it was a matter of laundry services waiting for floodwaters to recede and power to be restored to get back to full operations.

The Association for Linen Management (ALM) compiled guidelines to ensure linen quality in the aftermath.

“Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have run their devastating courses, and the recovery efforts will continue for some time,” says ALM Board President Cindy Molko, RLLD. “To best serve the public, ALM is providing disaster recovery guidance for textiles to ensure laundries, hospitals, nursing homes and hotels have the direction they need. We are happy to provide this information to all interested parties regardless of ALM membership status.”

Around the industry and the nation, organizations heeded the call to help recovery efforts for people affected by the storms, as well as laundry operations.

After Harvey made landfall in Houston, an employee of the White Plains Linen laundry plant in Peekskill, N.Y., led efforts to help support those who found themselves in sudden need.

Partetua “Pat” Ribeiro, an employee of 35 years, began passing a bucket around the plant to her colleagues. Like her, fellow employees recognized the need to support the victims and emptied their pockets to raise money toward the American Red Cross’ hurricane relief efforts.

The last person she brought the bucket to was White Plains Linen CEO Bruce Botchman. Instead of pulling out his wallet, Botchman pledged something greater: to match the total of all of the money the staff donated. She went back into the plant with the news and brought the collective group’s donation to $1,341. After Botchman’s match, a total of $2,682 was collected for the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and sent to the organization.

“I have always known that we have the best employees here at White Plains Linen,” says Botchman. “I am so proud that these hard-working immigrant employees with their own families to support were so moved by Harvey’s destruction that they felt they had to do something to help.”

TRSA, the association for the linen, uniform and facility services industry, made the best of a bad situation in order to help those affected by hurricanes

Harvey and Irma.

The association was forced to cancel its annual conference in Miami due to Hurricane Irma. While offering to refund all registration and sponsorship fees, TRSA has asked members to donate all or a portion of these fees to support local charities. The association says roughly half committed their registration and/or sponsorship fees to local charities.

As a result of this generosity, TRSA expects to donate approximately $125,000 on behalf of its members to ongoing relief efforts in Houston, Miami and elsewhere in Florida in the aftermath of these powerful storms.

Immediately after Irma passed through Florida, several hundred homeless residents were given welcome boxes that had been packaged for conference attendees.

“It’s very sad that for the first time in living memory, bad weather has forced TRSA to cancel our annual conference,” says TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. “In an effort to make the best of an unfortunate situation, our members have stepped up by contributing their registration and sponsorship fees to help the association make a significant contribution to the local economies and to people in need.”

“We are all very fortunate that we have not had to endure the hardships of our fellow Americans that reside in Houston and those impacted on the East Coast,” says G.A. Braun President Joe Gudenburr IV. The equipment manufacturer is donating all of its TRSA conference registration and sponsorship fees. “The country is in need of unity, and we all need to look after our fellow man/ woman/child in times of hardship and need. This is a nominal contribution that will hopefully be matched by many so that those in need can get some relief.”

Philadelphia-based Penn Emblem Co. and ImprintsUSA are gathering funds for those affected as well, holding a fundraiser by selling a special Texas Flag patch. The companies say all proceeds from patch sales will be donated to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, bringing support to those affected.

Of course, the industry is also helping out laundry operations that need help getting up and running again.

Equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau Inc. and its Houston-based distributor, Skyline Equipment Inc., have teamed up for Harvey relief efforts.

Continental and Skyline’s disaster relief initiative includes special equipment financing and rental programs, as well as quick equipment and parts replacement, according to Continental President Mike Floyd.

“Working together, Continental and Skyline Equipment have secured additional warehouse

space in Houston, managed by Continental, for surplus equipment and parts inventory,” says Floyd.

Also, Laundrylux, the U.S. supplier of Electrolux and Wascomat equipment, has launched a Disaster Relief Program for laundry operations impacted by the hurricanes.

“All of us at Laundrylux send our support to the people in Texas. We want to do our part to help during this extremely difficult time,” says John Sabino, president of Laundrylux. “We are working hand-in-hand with our distributors in the areas hit by

Hurricane Harvey to make it as affordable as possible for laundries to get back up and running as quickly as possible. We are also praying for Florida, and our hearts go out to the people in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It’s all about community and supporting each other, that’s our number-one priority right now.”

Laundrylux’s disaster relief program includes no payments for six months with 0% interest rate options on Electrolux and Wascomat commercial laundry equipment. Laundrylux is also waiving all fees to help laundry owners get back in business. ALN

Employees from the White Plains Linen laundry plant in New York raised funds for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. (Photo: White Plains Linen)

Experts

module, but that it was never tested and had been damaged beyond repair. This outage was eventually put back online (about a week later), but the cost of recovery was astronomical, because while there was a plan in place, there was no inspection of the plan to ensure all was ready if needed. One can only imagine how much this cost the operation that week in buying textiles to make deliveries and how much customer experience was negatively impacted.

As for general computers with replaceable software, a much more inexpensive and manageable asset safety and recovery process is available to all consumers. First, administrative computers (even mission-critical units) are not expensive. Good operators rotate new computers into the mix and use the best used computer as a backup (after proper refurbishment or maintenance, as well as preloading necessary software). In the case of this type of computer breakdown, operators should be able to recover within a few hours.

Secondly, cloud computing and storage has changed this entire world. I own a nice laptop, which I consider missioncritical (to me). I also own my last version of a laptop, which has been thoroughly refurbished, checked, reloaded and tested—and at the ready, should I need it. Finally, every single file on my computer is stored on a cloud.

In my case, a living copy of my entire digital world exists online, on www.dropbox.com Dropbox folders continually sync with my hard drive (when online), and continually update to store all new and changed files.

At any time, I can log in to my folders (from any computer, smartphone or tablet belonging to anyone) and work with my secured files. It is so workable, that I no longer need to back up my computer. That’s done every minute of every day in what server language refers to as a “raid” configuration. A final benefit to this type of cloud computing is the smartphone or tablet app, which allows most all file management to be done from my phone or tablet.

Finally, I have a copy of all the programs running on my computer organized in one secure location. And in most cases, I have committed to cloud-based software subscriptions that can be downloaded from anywhere, on demand. In my little world then, I have a laptop, a backup

laptop, a smartphone and a tablet that all, simultaneously, ensure that I will never have a significant computer outage. And my software is either ready to reinstall from a disk or flash drive or is fully downloadable at any time.

So, in summary, decide whether your core machinery and computer assets are mission-critical. If they are, have a plan that is tested to work. And then schedule your personal inspection of this plan on a quarterly basis.

operate the equipment. Operators tend to handle equipment that is regularly inspected better. People respect what you inspect.

That being said, major breakdowns will occur, despite our most proactive efforts. For that reason, I have always endeavored to run a six-day double shift, or sevenday one shift, operation. In this manner, I give the maintenance team plenty of time to proactively maintain the equipment. This also gives our production team “wiggle room” by allowing for additional shifts, or even an entire day, to compensate for major breakdowns.

OPL 101

Laundry like front-of-thehouse service

BY BOB BRUCE

N.J.

Equipment breakdowns and interruptions are best handled by being avoided in the first place. How do you do that? By leaving nothing to chance. It is paramount to have a thorough five-step equipment maintenance plan in place:

1. Regular Inspections. Just as drivers inspect their vehicles pre-trip, mechanics need to preinspect all equipment pre-startup. Utilizing inspection checklists will help guarantee thorough inspections.

2. Reactive Maintenance. When it breaks, or when the pre-startup inspection reveals a problem, fix it right away and fix it properly. It’s that “fix it properly” part that is always difficult when the equipment is needed back in operation ASAP. Hasty or incomplete repairs, however, will only lead to more serious breakdowns or safety issues down the road.

3. Preventative Maintenance. Don’t wait for equipment to fail to give it attention; have a formalized maintenance program in effect. Keep a sufficient inventory of parts and motors on hand.

4. Predictive Maintenance. Use the daily, weekly and monthly equipment maintenance records to predict when equipment will fail, and replace parts ahead of time. This is as proactive a preventative maintenance program as you can establish.

5. Training. Operators need to be fully trained in how to properly

While admittedly not always possible, I like to stay far enough ahead to be able to withstand a total plant breakdown of four to six hours without disruption of timely service. For instance, all my accounts are produced a day in advance, which gives us time to put together a solid plan should a major breakdown occur.

The laundry room is a back-ofthe-house operation in the world of hospitality. Front-of-the-house offerings such as pools, spas or restaurants all add to the guest experience.

The laundry? Often, it’s viewed as more of a cost center than anything. But what about when a guest turns down the bed covers to retire for the evening and finds sheets that are stained? Or what if the towels they pull off the rack have a coarse feel against their skin?

I’ll argue that few things are more front of the house than the linens the laundry puts out each day. Small missteps or process breakdowns in the laundry can have far-reaching impacts on the guest experience and those allimportant online reviews of the property.

high-quality, finished results, staff efficiency and an overall low perpound processing cost, hospitality laundries have ample reason to monitor the operation. But a manager can’t be onsite 24/7 to oversee each shift.

Now think of all the variables that can impact finished quality and overall laundry room efficiency, such as underloading machines, utilizing incorrect programs, overdrying loads, leaving loads sit in the washer or tumble dryer, and many others. Unfortunately, most of these missteps are invisible. Management may only get indications— through poor quality or increased overtime—that there is a problem, but likely will not be able to identify the root cause of the issue.

It is important to maintain a positive relationship with your competition, especially in areas where you are not near an affiliated plant. Offer to help them, at cost, should a major breakdown befall them. Ask them to reciprocate in kind. The chances are you will never need each other’s assistance, but then again, chance favors the prepared mind.

Throughout the years, I have assisted other plants overcome catastrophic breakdowns by soil sorting, washing, finishing and even delivering to their customers. Only once have I needed that kind of help and received it from a competitor to whom I had provided similar assistance previously.

Having a backup plant that can help you withstand a major breakdown also provides reassurance to your customers of consistent, reliable service.

Whether it be an affiliated plant, or a non-affiliated plant that has available capacity, having both a backup plan and backup plant is crucial to overcoming major breakdowns.

Quality is non-negotiable; superior finished results must be achieved with each day, shift and individual load.

SETTING A SOLID FOUNDATION

Like any laundry operation, the hospitality industry needs to start with fast, efficient laundry equipment that will deliver the desired results. Flexibility is key. Managers need to be able to adjust to any changes to linens or laundering standards that arise in the future.

From there, it’s about working closely with the equipment distributor, chemical company and linen supplier to set a tailored approach to processing linens to achieve the best results. The final piece involves consistent training procedures to ensure all staff members understand how loads need to be processed each shift.

But even with a solid foundation being put down, there are no guarantees that procedures are being followed. With the heavy demands placed on hospitality laundries each day to hit throughput numbers, often shortcuts are taken and new employee training is reduced. The end results can be inefficiency and poor finished quality.

MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

Between ensuring consistent,

This is where washer-extractors and tumble dryers networked to laundry management systems have become invaluable tools in helping managers identify any process issues—essentially making the invisible visible.

SETTING A BASELINE

Today’s laundry management systems enable managers to receive daily reports on operations, and, in some case, even view the laundry equipment in real time.

For years, hotel general managers have been getting daily reports on everything from occupancy and housekeeping, to food and beverage revenue and overall profitability. For hands-on managers, laundry management system reports arm them with the detailed information to better understand the laundry.

We like to use the phrase that you can’t improve what you can’t measure. Technology is finally giving management the tools to make informed decisions. I always caution that such systems are not “spying devices” or “gotcha” software to call out employees for not doing their jobs. On the contrary, I think if used correctly, laundry management systems aid hotels in setting baselines, grounding employees in expectations, setting of goals and identifying areas to retrain or adapt processes.

In essence, when a team is focused on specific goals and expectations, it removes ambigu-

New systems help maintain guest linen quality

Healthcare

Laundry

Charles Loelius

CleanTex, Irvington,

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR COMPETITION...”

—CHARLES LOELIUS, CLEANTEX

ity, which creates overall better job satisfaction and less employee turnover.

WHAT METRICS MAKE SENSE?

As with any similar system, a laundry management system can provide a variety of information. It is up to each manager to determine what data is most meaningful to them (or the general manager).

Reports can include processing costs (per pound), utility costs, time between cycles, efficiency, labor expenses, productivity (pounds), capacity utilization by shift, and expenses. Individual machine information can be pulled as well, with details such as error codes, cycles run and operating times.

Again, the data can be overwhelming, so start small and build out. It’s important to arrive at a cost per pound of laundry processed. This is a great starting point and one your distributor will help you compare to other hotels for a baseline expectation.

In addition, for operations with multiple properties, this number will enable managers to see which laundries in the hotel group are measuring up and which ones are falling short.

Efficiency is another key performance indicator (KPI) to focus on. Hotels install specific capacities of equipment to ensure the operation is able to keep up with the demand for fresh, clean linens. Failure to do so can lead to increased par levels, as well as additional shifts being added or overtime costs.

Management needs to know the equipment is being used to its full capacity. Low efficiency percentages (40-50% or below) can be an indication of an issue.

USE THE DATA

Like the efficiency and capacity you paid for in the equipment that you want to fully utilize, the same holds true with these advanced laundry management systems. Their value rests in how much they are used. It’s not enough to look at the numbers each day. Remember that the actions behind those figures are impacting the quality of the linens guests receive as well as the bottom line of the property. Failure to use the data to improve the operation means more wasted dollars and lower quality.

Creating an action plan is a simple as regular monthly standup meetings. Share the reports with staff to create transparency and a team atmosphere—all are working toward the same goal. Communication is the key to success. Again, when staff is grounded in what the standards and expectations are, ambiguity is removed and job satisfaction (retention) goes up.

Often, correcting issues in the laundry only requires minor process changes. For instance, the fix for low efficiency numbers can be as simple as retraining staff on

just what a full load in the washerextractor looks like, and reducing the time between cycles.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Let’s face it, in terms of efficiency, laundry equipment likely isn’t going to make giant leaps in water and utility conservation. However, technology and the tools to better manage the operation as a whole will drive the next level of efficiency.

Laundry management systems and the data they provide essentially give managers of hospitality laundries all the details

ity and costs. Make no mistake, those cost savings are real dollars. Recently, one of our distributor partners worked with a facility

a cost per pound of 27 cents. With some tweaks to processes, the laundry was able to bring the number down to 21 cents per pound.

The laundry was processing about 16,556 pounds of laundry a week. With those 6 cents per pound savings, that’s about $1,000 in savings a week. Now, add the impact that those process breakdowns could have had on linen quality and guests’ perceptions of the property. While it’s hard to put a dollar figure on that

quality story, there’s no doubt it has an impact.

Without a laundry management system in place, it’s unlikely the manager would have had insight that there was even a problem—until guest reviews declined, and by then it may have been too late. ALN

bdsparts.com

Bob Bruce is the national accounts manager for UniMac, a provider of on-premises laundry equipment. He can be reached at bob.bruce@ alliancels.com or 920-

Bruce

Track Career

Tingue appoints Dufresne sales representative

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — Global laundry product supplier Tingue has named Adam Dufresne sales representative, covering laundries in the southwestern region of Texas and New Mexico, according to the company.

A lifelong laundry industry professional, Dufresne grew up working in his family’s drycleaning business en route to serving UniFirst Corp., G&K Services and other laundry companies in a variety of service, sales and management positions of increasing responsibility, Tingue says.

As one of more than 30 Tingue field sales representatives covering North

Washer

America, the company says Dufresne helps laundries operate at peak efficiency by offering machine parts, laundry carts and premium finishing supplies, along with on-site product installation services.

“Adam understands the importance of keeping machines up and running, and the value of personal service,” says Regional Sales Manager Jared Addis. “It’s gratifying when a former customer wants to join team Tingue, and I welcome his experience and perspective.”

Among the many hotels, resorts and other customers in the region, Dufresne has noted an increasing demand for the company’s machine parts, maintenance support and remanufacturing services.

“More and more people are recognizing that a poorly maintained machine that produces lesser-quality linens actually costs more over time than repairing or

rebuilding the machine,” says Dufresne, who is currently managing multiple flatwork ironer rebuild projects. “The fact that we’re willing to do our installs at 4 a.m. and on weekends to avoid downtime also seems very much appreciated.”

Dufresne resides in Austin, Texas.

Braun hires new project manager to work with commercial sales

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — G.A. Braun Inc. has added Anthony Armelino to its inside sales and project management team as a project manager, the company reports.

Armelino is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He received his master of science

degree in engineering from Missouri University of Science & Technology.

He served for 14 years with the U.S. Army as an officer in the Corps of Engineers in a variety of leadership and staff positions. Most recently, he was a program manager for Syracuse University. In this capacity, Armelino was responsible for compiling and executing training programs, departmental budgeting and partnership recruiting in support of national business development.

In his new role, the company says Armelino will be responsible for working with Braun’s commercial sales team to qualify equipment for positioning with clients, working with customers and thirdparty partners to coordinate equipment

Also, the lift has high-cycle use, completing, on average, 260 trips per day.

SEAMLESS, CONTROLLED OPERATION

PFlow and Automation Dynamics engineers collaborated to design a system that integrated the controls of the cart washer

and the vertical lift. Controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) with Automation Dynamics’ proprietary software, the operation of the washer and lift are directly integrated to sequence the flow of carts through the washer and lift system.

The cycling of the system, which is initiated by the downward movement of the cart-loaded lift, is highly coordinated. A chain conveyor, similar to a car wash, hooks on to the wheels of a cart and pulls it through the washer.

Once washed, the cart exits the washer and slides down an incline onto the lift platform through an open gate. An electric eye senses that the cart is securely in place and automatically closes the upper-level gate and sends the lift down. Parallel bumpers attached to the lift platform hold the cart in place while traveling down. The bumpers are designed to firmly hold the various cart models and sizes.

When at the lower level, the lift door opens automatically, but the cart sits on the platform until it is manually removed by an operator. Once the cart is removed, the operator presses a button to close the gate and send the empty lift back up to retrieve another cart.

When the lift arrives back to the upper level, an electric eye senses the vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) is empty, prompting the wash conveyor to release the next cart down the incline and onto the lift platform, starting another cycle. The integrated controls hold the chaindriven conveyor from pulling a new cart into the wash until the most recently washed cart is securely on the lift and on its way down.

“The timing sequence of everything is excellent,” says Brad Bennett, chief engineer at Madison United. “By the time the lift comes back up, the next cart is ready to come out of the wash and into the lift. And if the lift isn’t unloaded for a few minutes at the bottom, the cart wash also stops, eliminating any potential backups.”

In addition to standard safety measures such as interlocked gates and enclosures, the Madison United lift features a carriage-operated safety barrier at the upper level to stop carts if

the lift is not present.

On the lower level, a buzzer and light indicate that the lift is down and ready to be unloaded. The alerts remain in effect until the operator removes the cart, shuts the gate and hits a “clear” button.

“The PFlow machine works beautifully. The customer loves it, and we love it,” says Jewell. “We would definitely use PFlow again for a similar application.”

The other PFlow lift at Madi-

son United is a hydraulic model installed in 1995 to move finished laundry and supplies between the two levels. It remains in peak operating condition. ALN

Alex Miller of AE Miller Group has been writing about innovative industrial technology for more than 25 years, with a special emphasis on heavy equipment and automation installations that help companies improve their productivity and operational performance.

Dufresne

Armelino

Automation Dynamics and PFlow Inc. had to partner to create a cart washer and lift that worked together. (Photo: PFlow Inc.)

The Madison United Healthcare Linen is built into the side of a small hill, presenting unique challenges for a cart washer installation. (Photo: Madison United Healthcare Linens)

Employees have to manually clear the lift before the system continues operation.

(Photo: Automation Dynamics)

installation requirements, and managing the execution of projects.

“We are extremely excited to have Anthony join team Braun as our business continues to grow,” says Cliff Quick, Braun’s director of inside sales and project management. “I am confident that he will further strengthen our capabilities and our ability to develop solutions for the dynamic customer base that we support domestically and internationally.”

Leonard Automatics adds design engineer

DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Automatics has added Jesse Curtis to the team as a design engineer, according to the company.

Curtis’ responsibilities include new product development design for Leonard. The company says his experience includes designing custom stainless-steel products for a variety of industries, including healthcare and food service. Leonard adds that Curtis understands quality and process control.

Curtis graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

MODRoto names Joyner to Mid-South territory

MADISON, Ind. — Laundry cart manufacturer MODRoto has named Anthony Joyner regional sales manager, the company reports.

Covering the Mid-South territory of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico, Joyner offers material-handling products and logistics support services for commercial, institutional, industrial, onpremises and other laundries.

Featuring PolyTrux laundry and recycling carts, Ship Shape bulk containers and a variety of proprietary product innovations, MODRoto says Joyner joins a growing sales team that also provides a high level of customer service including on-site guidance and support at customer facilities throughout North America.

A veteran of the U.S. Army now serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, Joyner brings a long list of achievements in logistics, planning and implementation, according to the company, along with a record of success with increasing levels of responsibility.

“Joyner has been all about service first for a very long time, so he already understands why we put customer service as the first priority,” says National Sales Manager

Dan Rodriguez. “He has an impressive combination of skill and experience to offer his customers, and I’m very happy he’s on board.”

Joyner earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Delaware State University, Dover, Del., and a master of science degree in environmental management from Webster University, St. Louis, Mo. He resides in Austin, Texas.

Morris takes on ALM marketing, communication

RICHMOND, Ky. — The Association for Linen Management (ALM) says that Nicole Morris will now manage all marketing and communications needs for the organization.

ALM says Morris has worked for the past six months on contract and is now a full-time employee.

“ALM programs and services are rated number one by participants, but we have relied far too long on word of mouth and individuals finding us,” says ALM Executive Director Linda Fairbanks. “We are thrilled to have Nicole join the team to share our best-kept secrets.”

Morris has more than 10 years experience in marketing, communications and project management, as well as 10 years of

television experience, according to ALM. She attended the University of Louisville, where she received her bachelor’s degree in business management with a marketing minor, and then acquired her MBA at Indiana University Southeast.

“I’m excited to be working with such a diverse group of people around the world who work diligently to provide safe, clean, and hygienic textiles for the public,” Morris says. “I look forward to helping all in the textile industry learn about their best resource, ALM.”

Kemco Systems hires VP of sales & marketing

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Kemco Systems, a global water and energy technology company, has hired David Lemen to lead the sales and marketing group, the company reports.

Lemen has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing, where he will lead the team’s water reuse and thermal energy recovery sales force, according to Kemco.

Lemen has spent the last 11 years in the water and wastewater industry with Evoqua, most recently as business development manager for North American service products.

Lemen

Morris

ALN

Medline partners with Applied Silver to offer antimicrobial laundry solution

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Medline, a manufacturer and distributor of medical products, has entered into a distribution agreement with Applied Silver, the maker of SilvaClean®, the company reports.

Under the terms of the agreement, Medline says it will offer an antimicrobial laundry solution for the first time by selling the SilvaClean service into U.S. hospitals and healthcare laundries.

The company says SilvaClean is a laundry additive that provides ongoing soft-surface antimicrobial treatment. It is a patented, EPA-approved, water-based ionic silver treatment developed and commercialized by Applied Silver Inc.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to help hospitals and linen services,” says Kristen Kanka, vice president of textiles marketing, Medline. “Applied Silver’s state-of-the-art antimicrobial technology allows us to provide clinicians and staff with another tool to help address environmental cleanliness.”

Textile cleanliness is becoming a more critical issue for hospitals looking to improve their patients’ bedside experience, Medline says, adding that published research shows that critical items such as hospital staff uniforms can harbor odor- and stain-causing bacteria, mold and mildew, and clean patient linens can be contaminated before patient use.

“We are delighted to add a leading healthcare distributor to support the commercialization of our portfolio and access their highly professional sales and marketing capabilities across North America,” says Sean Morham, CEO of Applied

Silver. “This agreement enables the delivery of SilvaClean technology to hundreds of hospitals and laundry providers interested in seamlessly providing antimicrobial properties to their existing textile inventories.”

Primus names Atlas International Distributor of Year

RIPON, Wis. — Primus laundry equipment announced its distributor network award winners during the Clean Show in a ceremony at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, the company reports. Taking home the top honor, Distributor of the Year, was Dallas, Texas-based Atlas International.

Primus says Atlas excelled in not only sales volumes, but also in its commitment to building the brand in the markets the company serves. The company also was recognized with a Primus Pinnacle Performance Award for exemplary sales and service.

“Since taking on the Primus brand, Atlas has been a true partner—one that is committed to growing the brand’s presence in the marketplace,” says Mark Schram, North American sales manager for Primus. “The entire team well represents Primus in the service it provides to customers every day. They are dedicated 100% to the success of their clients.”

Since 1980, Atlas has been serving on-premises and vended markets, including equipment, service, parts and finance assistance.

“I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the entire Atlas International team,” says Ulli Mandelbaum, owner of Atlas. “We believe strongly in the Primus brand and the strengths it can bring to our wide range of clients.”

Additional awards were presented to:

• CSC — Primus Pinnacle Performance

• Wash (Great Lakes) — Primus Pinnacle Performance and Primus Finance Partner

• Equipment Marketers — Primus Pinnacle Performance

• Hildreth’s Commercial Laundry Equipment — Emerging Distributor Award

Equipment Marketers owners Dick and Susan LaMaina also received a special honor: the Distinguished Industry Achievement Award. This honor recognizes individuals committed to making a positive change in laundry distribution through leadership in management, marketing and/or operations.

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(From left)

of Atlas. (Photo: Primus)

sign merger agreement

GREENSBORO, N.C. — VF Corp., a provider of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, and Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., a family-owned, private global workwear company, have signed a definitive merger agreement, the companies reported jointly.

The transaction is expected to be completed early in the fourth quarter of this year and VF will pay Williamson-Dickie shareholders approximately $820 million in cash. On a trailing 12-month basis, Williamson-Dickie generated approximately $875 million of revenue.

Well-known Williamson-Dickie brands include Dickies®, Workrite®, Kodiak®, Terra® and Walls®. These brands will join VF’s current workwear offerings, including Wrangler® RIGGS Workwear®, Timberland PRO®, Red Kap®, Bulwark® and Horace Small®

Upon closing, Williamson-Dickie will become part of VF’s Imagewear coalition. Philip Williamson, CEO of WilliamsonDickie, will remain with the company, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

“When we introduced our 2021 global business strategy earlier this year, reshaping our portfolio to accelerate growth was our highest priority,” says Steve Rendle, president and CEO of VF. “The acquisition of Williamson-Dickie is another meaningful step that delivers on that commitment and further demonstrates our focus on being an

active portfolio manager to drive transformative growth for VF and value creation for our shareholders.”

Standard Textile, Vestagen establish partnership for VESTEX® apparel

CINCINNATI and ORLANDO — Standard Textile Co. Inc. and Vestagen Protective Technologies Inc. have formed a strategic partnership to market VESTEX® Active Barrier garments, the companies report.

The companies say that VESTEX garments are designed to minimize the risks to healthcare workers associated with unexpected exposures to body fluids during everyday use.

The co-exclusive sales and marketing agreement covers acute and post-acute healthcare facilities in the United States and Canada. Standard Textile healthcare sales representatives will be supported by Vestagen personnel, who will also take the lead on working with institutional customers during the implementation process.

“For over 70 years, Standard Textile has been synonymous with innovation in the hospitality, healthcare, workwear and consumer sectors,” says Norman Frankel, executive vice president of sales at Standard Textile.

“With VESTEX, we are offering breakthrough technology for healthcare workers that complements our existing specialty product lines designed to address the unique needs of healthcare institutions.” ALN

Calendar

October

4-6 Association for Linen Management CLLM Review Session Syracuse, N.Y. Info: 859-624-0177

10-12 Jensen

Senking Service Seminar Panama City, Fla. Info: 850-271-5959

11-12 TRSA

Production Summit & Plant Tours Columbus, Ohio Info: 703-519-0029

17-19 Jensen

Flatwork Service Seminar Panama City, Fla. Info: 850-271-5959

18 TRSA

Webinar: Hygiene of Domestic Laundering Alexandria, Va. Info: 703-519-0029

24 Jensen

DTX Tumbler/Dryer Service Seminar

Panama City, Fla. Info: 850-271-5959

25-26 Jensen

L-Tron Service Seminar Panama City, Fla. Info: 850-271-5959

25-27 Association for Linen Management CLLM Review Session Dallas, Texas Info: 859-624-0177

26 Association for Linen Management Webinar: Plan Like a Prepper: Emergency Management for Textile Care Services Professionals Richmond, Ky. Info: 859-624-0177 ALN

VF Corp., WilliamsonDickie Mfg. Co.

Pellerin Milnor Corp. P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com