American Laundry News - April 2020

Late News

Laundry/linen service events postponed, canceled due to COVID-19

CHICAGO — The Association for Linen Management (ALM); Messe Frankfurt; TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services; and the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) have postponed or canceled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ALM postponed its IMPACT 2020 Conference, scheduled for March 23-25. The association says an alternate date for the conference was to be announced no later than March 27.

Messe Frankfurt postponed Texcare International 2020 from June to November, and further details will be released when available.

TRSA canceled both the 10th Annual Legislative Conference, March 25-26 in Washington, D.C., and the Canadian CEO/ Executive Roundtable, April 15-16 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Finally, TCATA decided to cancel its April 29-May 2 Annual Conference, which was to take place at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina. ALN

Weed in the workplace

Employers struggle with

growing marijuana use and creating good policies

BY PHILLIP M. PERRY

NEW YORK — Illicit drugs are increasing in the workplace, and marijuana is leading the way.

What should employers do

The answer has become more complicated with the growing number of states legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use. Should drug tests even include marijuana anymore If they do, and evidence of marijuana use pops up, should employees be penalized

And further o employers have to accommodate for the medical use of marijuana under the federal Americans with isabilities Act or state human rights laws

IMPAIRED WORKERS

Such questions are moving to the front burner as employers face a greater risk than ever from a growing culture of impairment that shows no signs of tapering off any

time soon. Workforce drug positivity hit a 1 -year high in 201 , according to a new analysis from uest iagnostics, a leading provider of drug test information.

For a growing number of individuals, cannabis has become the illicit drug of choice.

Wastewater systems and laundry operations

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — The past 10 years have seen an extensive expansion of water reuse treatment systems.

Water reuse systems have been applied to centralized and decentralized scales, and water has been reused for a wide range of activities, such as agricultural/land application, commercial/industrial processes, toilets, and even potable water.

To keep costs down, industry is shifting focus toward reuse systems that are fully automated, have minimal operator requirements, require few chemicals and use semi-permanent filters.

And as wastewater treatment systems improve, laundry and linen services are making use of them to drive down costs and be more environmentally responsible.

Panel of Experts

issue,

Environmental Sustainability

A look at the issues laundries face and how to be proactive about them.

Sustainability and Client Demand

ARTA’s Nancy Jenkins starts the conversation on sustainability, reusable textiles.

“Marijuana is the second most widely abused substance nationwide, after alcohol,” says Amy Ronshausen, executive director of rug Free America Foundation Inc., St.

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

In this

the experts tackle ways for laundries to examine and improve customer service.

From heat capture to contaminant removal, wastewater systems continue to improve and help the industry

Employers face a greater risk than ever from a growing culture of impairment that shows no sign of tapering off, with workforce drug positivity continuing to reach higher levels. (Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

Kemco says its Reverse Osmosis (RO) System can produce a high standard of treated water for laundries utilizing a wastewater system. (Photo: Kemco Systems)

ALEXAN RIA, a. — TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services, hosted its second annual Hospitality Conference Feb. 4 and its inaugural Food and Beverage (F&B) Conference Feb. 5-6 at the Westin Las Vegas Hotel Spa in Las egas.

About 100 laundry operators and suppliers attended both events, according to TRSA.

HOSPITALITY CONFERENCE: MARKET CHANGE, INNOVATION

Attendees of TRSA’s Second Annual Hospitality Conference received a detailed overview of shifts in the hotel trade from keynote speaker John Burns on Feb. , says TRSA. Burns, president of Hospitality Technology Consulting, shared how hotel chains and independents, like the rest of the economy, have grown steadily over the 11-year expansion that followed the Great Recession of 2008-09.

Of course, hotels, like all businesses that require massive amounts of manpower to provide expected services for guests and other aspects of their operations, are finding labor pools elusive. Whether this issue will encourage hotels to move toward outsourcing their laundry needs or whether hotels will simply expect their vendors/partners to do more with less remains to be seen.

Additional hotel industry disruptions include the rise of Airbnb and other similar vacation rentals and alternatives that compete with conventional hotels. The decentralized nature of Airbnb makes it a challenge for laundries to service their linens on an outsourced basis, but new opportunities in that area could arise as the business grows, advises Burns.

To succeed in this era, hospitality laundry operators must be nimble and quick to show such vendors they’ll meet their requirements.

Other market shifts that Burns emphasized include the millennial and Gen Z attitudes toward business travel, which has fueled the rise of new hotel concepts that focus on issues such as “wellness,” “adventure,” “micro” and other niches associated with their hotel stays. To meet these demands, hoteliers are having to leave behind some longstanding traditions of the past in order to survive.

Laundry operators will find themselves working with larger, more sophisticated clients with broader, more specific and more stylized requirements.

Burns closed on a somber, yet thought-provoking, note. While the economy continues to show strength, inevitably the market will experience a downturn, probably sometime in the next two years. There will be a shakeout that will impact the hotel industry in ways that are hard to predict.

One aspect that’s unlikely to shift even if the economy stalls badly is the hotel industry’s commitment to sustainability.

This trend is driven in part by the international movement toward the “circular economy,” particularly in Europe. Again, as recyclers of linen, environmentalism could and should play to laundry operators’ strengths, provided they’re aware enough to demonstrate their commitment to conservation.

Other education programs during the full day Hospitality Conference on Feb. 5 included:

ï An overview of growth statistics and trends from consultant Ali Hoyt, senior director

of consulting and analytics for STR, a hospitality research firm.

ï A series of facilitated roundtables in which operators discussed issues such as outsourcing, customer relations, recruitment/retention and similar issues of common concern.

ï A review of legislative and regulatory issues from TRSA Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb.

ï A presentation by consultant Larry Wilhelm and TRSA’s Ken Koepper on a new benchmarking effort designed to encourage outsourcing by assembling financial information on a confidential basis from hotels.

A presentation by Steve Miller, vice president of Victor Kramer Co., on linen-loss prevention methods and strategies.

ï Information on customer attitudes in a panel discussion dubbed “What Customers Really Want.” The panelists included Chris Breed, vice president of resort operations, Soleil Management; Eric Eisenberg, director of Hotel Operations, Boyd Gaming; and Diane Gandy, president of the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association. Terry Satchwell, executive vice president, PureStar Linen Group, moderated the discussion.

At the conclusion of the educational sessions, attendees enjoyed a networking reception and on the following day traveled with attendees of the inaugural TRSA Food & Beverage Conference to visit two high-profile laundries: Alsco Linen & Uniform Rental Services in North Las egas and Boyd Gaming Linen and Uniform Service in nearby Henderson, Nevada.

On Feb. 3 a pre-Hospitality Conference roundtable gathering of 16 hotel laundry operators gathered at the Westin to discuss a wide range of issues affecting their businesses.

Facilitated by TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci, operators cited strong growth in the hotel market, coupled with concerns over challenges ranging from labor shortages to determining a model for providing services to “market disruptors” in the hospitality trade, such as Airbnb and a range of comparable vacation and business rental-service programs.

The tight labor market, effecting the availability of hourly and skilled tradespeople such as maintenance engineers, is a complicating factor.

The rise of the minimum wage in many states, plus compliance costs such as “living wage” rules in certain communities such as Santa Monica, California, and St. Louis,

make it hard for laundries to meet hotels’ demand to hold down the costs of outsourced laundry services.

Operators discussed a range of creative options to increase their recruiting and retention possibilities, such as recruiting prison labor through work-release programs in various areas of the United States.

Schwalb told the attendees that TRSA is developing a program with the prison system in California that would educate prison laundry employees to qualify for the Certified Professional

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: 866-942-5694

E-Mail: mpoe@ ATMags.com

Production Manager

Mathew Pawlak

Digital Media Director

Nathan Frerichs

Phone: 312-361-1681

Laundry Manager (CPLM) status. Gaining this credential would, in turn, make it easier for them to find a full-time job in the linen, uniform and facility services industry upon release.

A similar program is in the works to train prison laundry managers in order to hone their skills and enhance their knowledge of laundry best practices.

The notion of laundry outsourcing is making headway in the United States but it lags behind progress in this area made in Europe. Hotels there have largely phased out in-house, on-premises laundries (OPLs) in favor of outsourcing.

Part of the challenge of educating hotel managers is a rapid turnover of hotel management staff, which complicates efforts to build effective partnerships with hotel counterparts who are in charge of managing linens for their facilities.

Other concerns discussed included the reluctance of hotels that own their own linens to maintain sufficient PAR levels in order to avoid shortages and premature wear due to overuse of linens.

LINENS, WORKWEAR TRENDS TOP F&B CONFERENCE

The inaugural F B Conference kicked off with an executive roundtable on Feb. 5 that followed the morning tour of the Alsco Linen and Uniform Rental plant and the Boyd Gaming Linen and Uniform Services facility.

The official program began on the morning of Feb. 6 with Robert Byrne Sr., senior manager, consumer insights, for Technomic, an F B consulting firm. Byrne’s keynote presentation gave attendees a broad overview of trends and developments in the restaurant space.

Additional topics covered dur-

E-Mail: nfrerichs@ ATMags.com

Advisory Board

David Barbe • David Carter

Janice Ayers Davis • Nick Fertig

Deana Griffin • Steve Kallenbach Edward McCauley

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

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Laundry sustainability

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth ay.

The first Earth ay in 1970 took place to “provide a voice to (an) emerging environmental consciousness.” It’s considered the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Why share this with you Because laundry and linen services have made great strides to improve sustainability, and it continues to make improvements.

And since Earth ay is April 22, it only makes sense that this issue of American Laundry News features several articles on sustainability.

You’ve probably already seen the wastewater systems article on page 1, which details how these systems have changed and improved, and how they benefit laundry/linen services.

The Editor’s Desk MATT POE

On page 1 , you’ll find input from three operators about the environmental issues facing the industry, along with the benefits of improving sustainability efforts.

Also on page 1 is a column by Nancy Jenkins from the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA), in which she poses the

question, “Will sustainability issues fuel client demand in the next decade ”

But I know that you have much more than sustainability on your mind, so there more articles in the issue to help with other facets of your laundry business.

Weed in the workplace (page 1) is a major issue, and businesses need to be aware of this. Our Panel of Experts (page 12) tackles the topic of customer service, from evaluating your company’s customer service level to improving it.

And beginning on page 20, we have four case studies involving laundry operations installing and using new equipment.

As you can see, it’s an issue chock full of information to help you and your operation keep it clean. ALN

Learning from failure —OB scrub story

M any people learn better by listening to a story about others’ notable failures than in any other way. This story is about a good attempt to help out the OB department that totally failed.

I was working in Milwaukee at the time and I was approached the nurse manager of the OB/delivery/nursery department that wanted to change its uniforms into something new and fresh. It had to be unique in the system because it would also be a part of their security system for handling a newborn. Only staff dressed in their uniforms would be allowed to handle the babies.

During our first meeting I told her I had previous experience with such a project when I worked in Salt Lake City. The one thing all the staff in the same area agreed on was that they hated the current uniform. The director in this situation wanted to come up with an overwhelming consensus as to what the new uniform should be. Five years later when I left, the organization had still not selected a new uniform.

ing the one-day F&B educational program included:

ï Facilitated roundtable sessions.

Topics for discussion included opportunities in facility services, keeping customers engaged and happy, table linen trends, the future of F&B, recruitment/retention efforts, and employee engagement.

“Garments Customer Wants and Needs” featured a panel of experts that included Steve McInelly, a sales consultant for Alsco Linen and Uniform Rental Services, Las Vegas; Dave Shimp, vice president of sales and marketing for Pinnacle Textile Industries LLC; and Kelly Starman, vice president of business develop-

ment for Regent Apparel. The panelists discussed a range of trends and opportunities in garment rental and direct-sale business developments related to the F&B sector. Beau Murchison, general manager for Alsco, Las Vegas, served as moderator.

“Linen’s Role in Sustainability” with Outi Luukko, CEO of Touchpoint, a Finnish maker of workwear from recycled materials; and Alexis Miller, vice president and general counsel of Regent Apparel.

“Standards and Regulations,” a lunchtime presentation by Schwalb, focusing on a range of policy issues at the local, state and national levels.

“TRSA’s Hygienically Clean Food Service Certification” by Audrey Carmichael, a Six Disciplines client coach. Carmichael outlined the high points of the certification process, including the prepa-

ration of a quality-assurance manual, textile testing and the third-party plant inspections required to achieve the certification.

The event was capped by a Customer Perspectives Panel, during which attendees heard a range of high-profile customer viewpoints on F&B linens and workwear from a distinguished panel of Las egas area F B executives Cory Cutler, operating partner, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; Stewart Patchefsky, general manager, Mansion Skylofts at MGM; and Dave Simmons, executive chef, Lawry’s the Prime Rib.

The panelists emphasized the need for quality linens and service to match. While the business is changing, all three panelists appreciate the value that linen and workwear bring to the dining experience. Katherine Jacobi, president and CEO, Nevada Restaurant Association, moderated this panel. ALN

So, I advised the nurse manager to get a representative group of the staff together and let that committee decide. The goal should be to implement a new attire in a timely manner that was acceptable to a majority of the staff.

To this end I procured samples and catalogs from our prime vendor and all other companies that we could work with. Style samples were requested from each company in a full range, from small to 3X, as well as material samples.

“TO THIS END I PROCURED SAMPLES AND CATALOGS FROM OUR PRIME VENDOR AND ALL OTHER COMPANIES THAT WE COULD WORK WITH. STYLE SAMPLES WERE REQUESTED FROM EACH COMPANY IN A FULL RANGE, FROM SMALL TO 3X, AS WELL AS MATERIAL SAMPLES.”

After much deliberation, the committee selected a material from our prime vendor and a style of top and pant from another company. Our prime vendor said they would be happy to make that style out of their material, and because of the large size of the initial order the pricing was very reasonable. The staff’s expectation was that the material would be used to exactly duplicate the style and size ranges of the style samples that we had seen.

After waiting for what to them seemed like an eternity, the finished product finally arrived. It was washed by the laundry and delivered to the anxious staff.

That is when the real problem came to light.

The style they liked was made by the same vendor that they had been wearing, and they expected that a medium scrub in the new style would be the same size as a medium scrub in the old style. Unfortunately the company had chosen to use their normal sizing ranges for the product instead of using the size ranges from the samples.

The end result was that women who normally wore a medium had to wear a large. Women who normally wore a 3X size found that they could not fit into the current size range at all.

The staff was very upset and unhappy with the scrubs and demanded a meeting with the company representative immediately. The poor company representative got to listen to over an hour of serious complaining by the staff, and then the staff took their complaints to administration.

Fortunately I had all my documentation preserved and was able to show the nursing staff, purchasing and administration that the order was properly placed and the notes detailed that

From

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Eric L. Frederick, RLLD

Petersburg, Florida. “According to a survey by drugabuse.com, more than one in five respondents said they use marijuana recreationally at work during work hours. Nearly 5% admitted to daily use, and more than 13% use it more than once a month.”

Why the sudden upsurge It’s clearly due to the growing acceptability of marijuana by society in general.

“The legalization of marijuana on the state level has continued to grow since California first allowed the drug’s use for medical purposes in 1996,” says Joe Reilly, president of his own drug testing consulting firm in Melbourne, Florida. “Typically, states will first pass legislation legalizing medical marijuana. Later they allow its recreational use.”

Thirty-three states now have medical marijuana statutes. Ten states plus the istrict of Columbia allow both recreational and medical use of marijuana. And the numbers grow every year.

Legalization makes marijuana more socially acceptable.

“When a substance is legal and has massive amounts of marketing behind it, there are going to be more consumers,” says Ronshausen. “This is concerning because we are talking about a substance that is impairing people and has a significant impact on health and public safety.”

A COSTLY HABIT

For employers, the downsides of marijuana are clear.

“Workplace drug abuse is costly in terms of lower productivity, higher tardiness and absenteeism, greater use of medical benefits, and increased incidents of pil-

ferage and shrinkage,” says ee Mason, president of Working Partners, a consulting firm based in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

And then there is the liability. As marijuana becomes more popular, employers face a greater risk of lawsuits when dealing inappropriately with individuals under the influence.

“It’s critically important for any business to protect employees and the public,” says Reilly. “At smaller companies especially, one accident can be devastating.”

Unfortunately, designing workplace policies that call for appropriate responses to marijuana use is easier said than done.

“Employers are struggling to adapt to changes in state marijuana legislation,” says Faye Caldwell, managing partner of Caldwell Everson PLLC, a Houston-based employment law firm specializing in workplace drug testing.

The biggest problem is that marijuana laws vary so widely by state.

“Each state has different requirements for employers, and many of the laws are quite vague,” she says.

CONFUSING LAWS

Two things are certain In every state it is allowable to have a policy that prohibits the use of marijuana on the job and prohibits an employee from being impaired while on the job, says Caldwell. But beyond that common framework, variety abounds.

“Some state marijuana laws are more favorable toward employers, and others are more favorable toward employees,” says Reilly. “For example, in some states you cannot discriminate against workers in non-safety sensitive positions who need marijuana for medical reasons. In such cases, allowing offsite smoking might be a workable accommodation.

“In other states you may be allowed to terminate a worker for

medical use of marijuana, even if he or she is not in a safety sensitive position.”

Furthermore, some laws seem complex.

“In Nevada, the law says that employers cannot refuse to hire someone who is using marijuana legally in the state,” says r. onna R. Smith, regulatory compliance officer in the Tampa Bay office of Workforce A, a nationwide third-party administrator of drug free workplace programs.

“On the other hand, the same law states that once the employee is hired the employer can test for drugs and terminate for positive results if the employer has announced that no marijuana use

CBD complicates issue

BY PHILLIP M. PERRY

NEW YORK — Marijuana in smokable or ingestible form has been getting the lion’s share of attention from employers looking to formulate a good workplace drug policy, but there’s a related substance, also growing in popularity, that can cause its own problems.

That’s cannabidiol, popularly known as CB .

This extract from the marijuana plant is ingested for health reasons and is not considered a controlled substance if it contains less than 0.3% (three-tenths of 1%) of THC,

the marijuana plant extract that causes people to get high.

While that sounds like a straightforward guideline, problems arise because the CB sold on today’s market is not regulated.

“The CB that people are ingesting may have higher levels of THC than 0.3%,” says r.

onna R. Smith, Regulatory Compliance Officer in the Tampa Bay office of Workforce

A, a nationwide third-party administrator of drug-free workplace programs.

“Additionally, employees may be using a larger quantity of CB than normal. In either

case, the employee’s drug test may detect THC above the cutoff level for a positive test.”

That can be bad, because such a test result might penalize employees unnecessarily.

So what can employers do Smith advises telling employees something like this

“We are not prohibiting the use of CB , but you are using it at your own risk because we do test for THC. If your CB product contains enough THC, and you use it frequently enough, you may test positive for THC. You will then incur the disciplinary actions consistent with a positive drug test.”

by employees will be tolerated.”

Another “In Illinois, the statute says that employers can have zero tolerance policies for marijuana use and can test for marijuana,” says Smith.

“But employers cannot take any action against employees unless it can be proven they used the marijuana on company property while on duty or were impaired by marijuana use while on duty or used marijuana while on a call to perform customer services.”

Legal confusion can often be mitigated by case law—that vast body of rules arising from actions in the courts of the land for every nook and cranny of the legal universe. Unfortunately, there is little help from this channel when it comes to marijuana use.

Says Caldwell “Because the laws are so new, there is not a lot of fill-in detail that might come from a history of court cases or other regulatory action.”

Employers at one time could fall back on a general appeal to the federal ban on marijuana, figuring it trumps state law. No longer.

“The fact that marijuana use is federally illegal, as a criminal matter, does not mean that states cannot legislate employment status,” says Caldwell. “Employment is generally a state matter.”

Employers also need to be aware that some municipalities have passed laws about marijuana. A new law in New York City states that you cannot test for marijuana usage except for safety sensitive positions. The law is scheduled to take effect on May 10, 2020.

WORKABLE POLICIES

If employers must deal with a patchwork of state and city laws,

the end result is often a confusion that causes delays in formulating and implementing workplace drug policies.

“Business leaders have not really been talking about this topic as they should,” says Reilly. elay can be costly.

“Companies that do not invest the required time and effort to adjust their workplace policies end up making hasty employment decisions. And those often lead to lawsuits. Maybe they get sued, for example, for terminating or denying employment to someone who fails a marijuana drug test.”

So how do you design policies that create safe workplaces while protecting your business from lawsuits

“I encourage employers to seek legal counsel,” says Reilly. “Then decide how the business’ current workplace policies need to change to conform to state laws.”

Reilly points out some common areas “Suppose your existing policy calls for termination when an employee fails a drug test. Should you change the policy to allow exceptions for legitimate marijuana medical use And what if the employee is in a safety sensitive position, such as operating a forklift or working on building roofs or working with children

“You cannot allow people to work in such positions while under the influence of marijuana. Will you terminate them or accommodate by moving them to safer positions when possible ”

The answers to all of those questions must conform to state law. The specifics about current and changing laws are important, but so is a sensitivity to larger issues

Legalization and differing state laws have made it difficult for employers to create marijuana policies. New laws passed by municipalities have added another layer of difficulty for employers to make good, informed decisions. (Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

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that can impact policy decisions.

“To come up with workable policies, employers need to evaluate the nature of their workforce, the presence of safety-sensitive work positions, and the availability of prospective employees,” says Caldwell.

“The last factor can be of particular importance given the greater number of people using marijuana and the low unemployment numbers in many areas of the country. The employer with too restrictive policies may not be able to hire enough otherwise qualified applicants to fill the available jobs.”

The solution can often involve balancing safety with liability.

“Employers need to reach some sort of balance between the creation of a safe workplace and the risk of litigation,” says Caldwell. “Reaching that balance can be difficult.

“For example, an employer may be tempted to state that accommodation for marijuana use will only be provided to the extent mandated by law. However, that employer needs to not only look at marijuana laws, but also consider the disability and human rights laws that may provide protection in a given state.”

TESTING FOR MARIJUANA

One thing is for sure Employers may still outlaw on-site use of marijuana.

“In states where marijuana is legal, you can still ban its use in the workplace, just as you can with alcohol,” says Reilly. “Nothing in the statute prevents an employer from maintaining a drug-free workplace, whether for medical or recreational purposes.”

That sounds good on the surface, but a problem has arisen with the packaging of marijuana in new forms.

“We are not just talking about a joint, which would be easy to see and smell,” says Ronshausen. “We also have products like granola bars, soda and candy that contain marijuana. Without actu-

ally looking at the packaging, how would you know employees are using the drug ”

One way to spot use is, of course, to test. We have already seen that states are complicating this issue with a patchwork of laws that dictate when testing can and cannot be used. And there’s another problem No marijuana test has yet been devised that can indicate impairment. That’s a big difference from alcohol testing.

“Normal workplace drug tests can only reveal that an employee has recently used marijuana— not that the employee is actually impaired at any given point in time,” says Caldwell. While blood tests can reveal the level of marijuana, currently no consensus exists as to what level signifies impairment.

Indeed, the new methods of ingestion can result in blood test variances.

“While smoking marijuana can result in a quick spike in THC blood levels, that is not the case for other methods of ingestion,” says Caldwell (THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis). “While ingesting marijuana as an edible, some people might appear very impaired, but their blood levels of THC might never climb very high.”

If it all sounds too complicated, why not just avoid the issue as much as possible

“Some employers are deciding to stop testing for marijuana, because of the complexity of the issues, litigation risk and limited availability of workers,” says Caldwell. “And in those states that prohibit adverse employment action for off duty recreational marijuana use, employers may wonder if any purpose at all is served by such testing.”

Whether a test ban is a good idea depends on the laws of the state, or states, where your business is located and the nature of your business.

And putting a halt to testing is no panacea, says Caldwell. “Not testing poses its own risks—such as decreased productivity and employee safety issues.”

Indeed, a total testing ban can keep the employer from determining if a certain accident was caused by marijuana use.

“If I were advising an employer who was adamant about dropping their marijuana testing, I would urge them to at least test for marijuana post-accident,” says Reilly. “They should also test any time an employee is exhibiting signs and symptoms of some drug influence.”

COMMUNICATE WITH EMPLOYEES

Testing, then, may not disappear from the workplace anytime soon. But if testing alone can’t cover all the bases, how does an employer know an employee is impaired by marijuana use

“There is no exact answer,” says Caldwell. “I encourage my clients to train supervisors to spot behavior that is characteristic of impairment and to have policies that call for specific steps to take.”

Suppose, for example, an operator of a forklift or other heavy equipment is seen to be acting in an erratic manner that might suggest use of marijuana or other drug.

“Your policy might call for steps such as writing a report on what is observed, having the employee take a drug test, and removing the employee tempo-

rarily from duty,” she says.

These policies, like any that touch on drug use, must be approved by an attorney knowledgeable about your state laws.

Whatever the decision your business makes on drug policies, communication with the workforce is critical.

“I like a lot of transparency on this topic,” says Caldwell. “Let your employees know your policy and if it calls for accommodation. And give people the opportunity to do the right thing by telling them they cannot come to work impaired and they cannot use marijuana in the workplace.”

Take extra care with those employees who have said they are imbibing the substance.

“I encourage employers to have candid conversations with workers who are using marijuana,” says Caldwell. “Talk with them about when they use it, how they use it, and what to do to avoid being impaired on the job.”

INSURANCE RATES

As we have seen, the growing number of state laws legalizing marijuana is causing an increase in the use of the drug by employ-

ees. Will that translate into higher rates for employers’ liability and workers compensation insurance

Experts say it’s too early to tell, but the answer could well be yes.

“It could take a few years, but we anticipate higher insurance rates in those states legalizing marijuana,” says Ronshausen. “In a study reported by the National Institute on rug Abuse, U.S. employees who tested positive for marijuana had 55% more industrial accidents, and 5% more injuries, than employees who tested negative.”

Insurance rates go up for employers who experience more accidents. Rates may also increase for a related reason.

“In those states that offer workers compensation insurance discounts to employers who maintain drug-free workplaces, drug testing is required—and it must include testing for marijuana,” says Smith. “If employers decide to not test for marijuana, they risk losing their insurance premium discount.”

TAILOR POLICIES

The successful workplace policy will be tailored to the specific needs of an employer’s workplace. To avoid costly errors, experts advise seeking legal counsel, looking at your state laws, updating your policies and educating your workforce.

from Page 4

sizing should be as the samples from the other company.

The prime vendor agreed to replace the scrubs that had been improperly sized with scrubs of the proper size at no cost to our company. uring the time it took to remake the scrubs, the nursing staff refused to wear the new, improperly

sized scrubs and went back to wearing their old ones.

What should have been a great win for the nurse manager, administration and the laundry turned out to be a lessthan-happy experience. What I learned from this experience is that when selecting a new line of scrubs, one must determine at the start what is the most important factor, style or material.

If style is the most important

factor, then find the style you like best and limit your material selection to those that the company regularly stocks. If material or print is the most important factor, then find the material you like best and choose a style from that company.

o not listen to the salesman who says we can duplicate that style without any problems. They may be able to do so eas-

ily on a large initial order but then may have problems on smaller replacement orders. Make things easy on yourself and your vendor by sticking to stock styles and fabrics. ALN

Eric Frederick served 44 years in laundry management before retiring and remains active in the industry as a laundry operations consultant. You can contact him by e-mail at elfrederick@cox.net, or by phone at 540-520-6288.

“There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of a workplace marijuana policy,” says Caldwell. “We are still in our infancy on this topic. The biggest challenge right now is uncertainty.” ALN

Award-winning journalist Phillip M. Perry, who resides in New York City, is published widely in the fields of business management, workplace psychology and employment law, and his work is syndicated in scores of magazines nationwide.

Marijuana edibles have made detection difficult for employers. Employees that have consumed an edible can appear impaired but t heir blood levels might not show a high amount of THC, the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. (Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

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CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS

Bob Fesmire, president of Ellis Corp. in Itasca, Illinois, a manufacturer of washing technology with a wastewater division, says that in the past decade, wastewater systems in the laundry industry have shifted from traditional treatment for city compliance to a heavy focus on recycling water, which allows for heat capture and contaminant removal so that the most amount of water remains in the building for repurposing.

“The drivers for this shift come as utility costs consistently rise and municipalities lower the levels for the contaminants they are willing to accept and treat,” he says. “Few end users have real estate available in their facility (do you ever see large unused spaces in an industrial laundry?), so all new solutions are required to be as compact as they can.”

In addition to this, Fesmire says that all treatment options need to be able handle variable contaminant loading in the waste and differences in compliance limits throughout the country.

“The mass exodus of skilled labor leaving the industry requires suppliers to make systems as easy to maintain and troubleshoot as possible through automation like Ellis’ Uptime Management System,” he adds.

Jason Sosebee, owner of Industrial Waste Water Services in Cleveland, Georgia, agrees that wastewater treatment systems are becoming more automated with less operator intervention required.

“Internet connectivity and data links are beginning to take hold allowing the viewing of system sta-

tus inside and outside of the facility,” he says. “Treatment chemical programs are also changing with the major benefit being reduced sludge production from equipment such as dissolved air flotation systems ( AFS).”

“Wastewater systems have evolved over the past decade to address the growing concerns for the environment and rising water costs,” says Eisa Sawyer, marketing director for Kemco Systems, a water and energy technology company in Clearwater, Florida. “They are no longer looked at as necessary evils, but rather resource recovery centers, where recycling wastewater is

very beneficial for the environment as well as a laundry’s bottom line.”

According to Sawyer, membrane systems, such as ceramic microfiltration and reverse osmosis, have improved on porosity and durability, providing a more versatile product that yields high recycle rates and energy savings in a multitude of laundry environments.

She says that physical/chemical treatment systems, such as DAF, have improved through the development of controls for chemical injection and dosage.

“These controls apply the correct amount of chemicals to the systems resulting in optimum water treatment quality and helping to control the cost of chemicals,” shares Sawyer.

Keith Ware, vice president of sales for equipment manufacturer Lavatec Laundry Technology in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, says software and controls on the systems have improved over the last 10 years.

In addition, he says understanding how chemistry, alkalinity and total dissolved solids affect quality and chemistry has improved, and units have also been improved on the amount of maintenance the recycle systems took in the past.

“Companies offering or promising too high of a recycle rate have shown that quality suffers,” Ware points out. “Many providers have realized there is no one single solution that works best, or for every type of laundry processing.”

IMPROVING LAUNDRY OPERATIONS

Laundry wastewater systems offer operations many benefits, including reducing water and sewer utility bills through water recycling.

“The major benefit of wastewater

treatment systems is the reduction and or elimination of wastewater surcharge or fines,” Sosebee points out. “In some situations, the facility is mandated by their local POTW (publicly owned treatment works) to install a treatment system.”

Sawyer points out that Kemco wastewater systems have the benefit of recovering valuable resources within the plant as well as the thermal energy required to generate hot water. The patent-pending process Kemco has developed can now recycle a laundry’s wastewater with the ceramic microfiltration and reverse osmosis at high wash aisle temperatures, allowing for huge water savings within the laundry.

“In a competitive laundry market where pennies per pound make an impact, the savings generated from water recycling and thermal energy recovery can be the difference between winning and losing a customer,” she says.

“Customers not only want quality product and cost savings, they are also demanding that their partners are stewards of the environment. By recycling water within the plant, operators can avoid discharging millions of gallons of harmful wastewater into water streams each year.”

Ware says the reduction of water consumption and the energy to heat water is the largest improvement for laundries using a wastewater system.

“Most recycle systems are installed to lower operating costs and achieve a return on investment,” he says. “Unless mandated to reduce water consumption, these systems are used for the purposes of reducing costs. In many situations, laundries had their total water consumption or wastewater volume capped by POTWs.

“If a plant is at their maximum

consumption, the only way to achieve growth is to reduce the water and wastewater volume through recycling.”

For Fesmire, there are two main questions to answer when a laundry operation installs a water treatment system Will the system keep me in compliance now and in the near future? What ancillary benefits can I get from this system such as the recapture of as much heat out of the wastewater before it is discharged and/or can this process water be recycled for internal operations and savings?

“By reclaiming heat from the water, a facility won’t require as much fuel for heating the incoming city water,” he points out. “This can be accomplished using heat exchangers or membrane systems. If a membrane system is used, the filtrate can be recycled within the plant, thus drastically reducing the amount of city water feeding the plant, in addition to water heat capture.”

ADDING/UPGRADING

Laundries that can benefit from a water recycling system are those that that seek expansion but have limited sized supply lines, have high water and sewer utility costs, or have regulatory restrictions that require reuse.

Installation at a facility typically requires 50 to 100 square feet of floor area and water line connections from the greywater source to the washing machines and to the sewer.

When looking at upgrading or installing all new equipment, Sosebee says it is important to find a reputable company with a proven

Kemco says its Ceramic Microfiltration System achieves a high recycle rate for industries that require removal of emulsified and suspended contaminants from wastewater, without the addition of treatment chemicals. (Photo: Kemco Systems)

Ellis Corp. says its Nautilus system uses ceramic filtration. (Photo: Ellis Corp.)

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Customer service status, improvement

deep conversations with your customers, not insincere cybersurveys, are essential.

The world is filled with companies that send out customer service surveys, ignore the results and e-mail blast pre-programmed responses pretending to care about your wants and needs.

Moreover, we also know during sessions of endless holding music that it is always a time of high call volume and that few companies actually care enough to answer the phone promptly to handle your needs.

If you want to learn about the state of your customer service, person-to-person contact and

Textile manufacturers, like laundries and linen rental services, are not high-margin businesses, and every day we face off against competition offering sharp price points but who are walled off to feedback. Particularly for those of us who make products responsibly in the United States, low-cost competitors are constantly knocking at the doors of our customers.

We find strong relationships and human contact to be the key to thriving in such a competitive environment, and customer service is the key to maintain these relationships.

We think the key to reviewing the customer service is to have a dedicated relationship manager for each key account.

If you do have such managers, I strongly recommend getting a summary on the state of your

relationships from those managers and even travel or conference with them for deep conversations with your customers.

Be open to negative feedback and strongly consider how you can change your own organization to support your customers during their own difficult challenges.

A challenging situation and a creative solution to it can deepen relationships with your customers and support profitability in the long run.

Looking beyond the immediate bottom line sometimes is a must. A frustrated customer will much sooner open the door to the lowcost competition, which for all of us is always lurking around the corner.

Being available and in touch personally with customers is not only refreshing in these days of automatic attendants and endless holding music, to us it is essential to our success.

Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said, “it takes months to find a customer … seconds to lose one.” Truer words have never been said, so kudos to you for deciding to focus on your business’ customer service and retention.

I’ve been teaching (and preaching to) internal teams and external groups on this topic for many years and one of the first things I teach is that every member of your team, no matter their official title or job description, should consider themselves members of

your customer service and retention team.

Take, for example, the receptionist at the Las Vegas branch of a major national chain whose desktop nameplate described her title as the director of first impressions. Consider the route service representative who shows genuine interest in his or her customers’ businesses, needs and challenges, and gets to know the people behind the signature on the delivery receipt. Or how about the person in the pressing department who had learned exactly how a particular professional likes to have her doctor coat pressed?

So, if you’re looking for ways of examining your customer service, start with an examination of your company culture (a topic we explored last issue) and be certain that you are instilling in your team an attitude of gratitude and service to those who help us put food on our tables.

Once you’ve examined and started to improve your company culture, it is time to start thinking about the ways you can improve service to and for your customers.

Like any good investigation, you need to start at the beginning, which in this case, means your sales process. Make certain that your salespeople have a welldefined and repeatable needsanalysis process so that they have a clear understanding of each prospect’s needs and challenges.

The best proposals will mirror the needs analysis, ensuring that the offered products and services not only match each prospect’s particular needs and challenges, but also address the specific benefits of your offer to meet those needs and challenges.

As part of every good proposal, and as the foundation of the strongest customer relationships, your salespeople also need to be certain to clearly delineate the mutual expectations of the proposed agreement.

Too often salespeople gloss over important, but somewhat uncomfortable, topics such as payment terms, pricing, and other areas that could raise a prospect’s eyebrows, but unless these are discussed up front, there is real risk of this becoming a short-term, rather than an enduring relationship.

“My operation has made a deliberate decision to focus on our customer service. What advice do you have for examining the state of our customer service and ways to improve it?”

Consulting Services

David Bernstein

Propeller Solutions Group, Park City, Utah

Textiles

Timothy Voit

Thomaston Mills, Wyncote, Pa.

One of my favorite articles on this topic appeared in the Harvard Business Review in 2003. The article, “Negotiating the Spirit of the Deal,” by Ron Fortgang, David Lax and James Sebenius, advises readers that, “while the parties agree to the same terms on paper, they may actually have very different expectations about how the agreement will work in practice. Without their arriving at a true meeting of the minds, the deal they’ve signed may sour.”

After you’ve signed the contract and started delivering your products and services to your customers, the real work of cementing the relationship begins.

The same salesperson who closed the deal needs to follow up with their customers on a periodic basis to reinforce what they promised in the sales process, to learn how your company can improve, and most importantly, to gather examples of how your products and services can help (so that you can share these success stories with future prospects), and to find out who else your customer knows who might benefit from your products and services.

After all, cold calls have a close rate of about 1-2%, while referred sales see close rates ranging from 55-80%!

In addition to regular visits by your sales team, you should also engage the services of a thirdparty phone survey firm to ensure that your customers are absolutely delighted with your products and services, with your service representative, and that they have not had any unsatisfactory experiences with your company.

In his book The Ultimate Question, Fred Reichheld explores how asking questions like these lead to what he calls a “net promoter score,” and how this score predicts, based upon customer satisfaction, which companies will experience sustainable growth, and which will shrink. Just as you track key performance indicators like pounds per operator hour, cost per pound, etc., you should also be tracking your “net promoter score” and always be striving to learn from and improve it. These are just some of the ways you can examine and improve your customer service and retention; there are myriad additional tips and strategies you can use to improve your company culture, customer service, retention, and renewals, if only space permitted.

What is critical is that you have the desire and the will to examine what your company is doing to ensure customer satisfaction and retention, and that is half the battle.

While you’re going down this road, it will benefit you to

remember the words of Henry Ford on this topic when he said, “It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.”

Commercial Laundry

Superior Linen Service, Muskogee, Okla.

Receiving accurate feedback from your customers is a vital aspect of being a successful laundry. All laundries produce basically the same linens and many times purchase them from the same linen vendor. This makes it tough to separate your company from your competition.

Therefore, it is vital to constantly research what your customers are expecting from their laundry and how your services are matching up. Issues will always pop up within your customer base and how fast you react to these issues will decide whether they remain your customer.

Getting feedback without becoming a nuisance to your cus-

tomer can be a challenge. I know I stopped using a very convenient service center for my car simply because they asked for too much feedback.

I don’t need an e-mail, text survey and phone call just asking how my oil change went. But I do appreciate a “We appreciate your business, is there anything we can do better” e-mail.

Our company deploys a couple of tools we feel helps us stay engaged with our customer base.

First, all customer complaints, concerns or issues must be tracked.

We log all our customer contacts into a database. This system automatically alerts all managers that there is an issue with a customer. If it is a quality issue, our production team will be alerted; if it’s a delivery issue, then our service team will be notified. Take each complaint seriously.

Another good method for solicitating customer feedback is to create a small questionnaire that you can leave at your customers so that they can fill it out at their convenience and send back to you. Once again keep it short so that they can complete it within a minute and then just e-mail or fax it back to you.

If you are just starting into

requesting feedback, you may send them out to all your customers. Afterward, just try to communicate at least quarterly.

You don’t have to log every time you communicate with a customer. I know it is not uncommon for laundries to communicate daily with their customers. However, the feedback you are looking for isn’t a part of the day-to-day orders. It needs to be quick. How are we doing? What can we do better?

Equipment Manufacturing

business being the questioner.

Second, if there is any one metric that has been shown to be one of the most successful ways to measure success it is the “net promoter score.” Essentially it means asking current customers, “How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?”

This could be on a scale of 1 to 5 or however you wish. We have found that the net promoter score measurement is a powerful statement of how your service is doing and always carries more weight than anything else.

There is a lot on the web or in various business publications that can speak of it more eloquently than I can.

Ellis Corp., Itasca, Ill.

There are many ways to measure customer service. We have found a few that have been successful for us.

First, third-party surveys, if done correctly, are a great way to get data from customers to understand from their perspective what the company is doing well and what can be improved upon. People are more likely to be honest if it is not someone at the

Hotel/Motel/ Resort Laundry

Phil Jones

Hotelier Linen Service, Lakeland, Fla.

Customer service is becoming more and more important as hotels are rapidly changing their service standards as they compete for customers. The

Bob Fesmire

David Griggs

guest is expecting higher levels of service from the hotels in order to return.

On that note, I am finding that more and more hotels are making decisions to close their laundry operation and utilize outsource operations such as ours.

I would suggest that the first step is to become a strong partner with the housekeeping department and general manager by having regular meetings whether you are outsourcing or have your own on-site laundry.

Don’t go in prepared to defend and act like you are right. Listen to the customer and their concerns and let them know you value their feedback. Make sure you start the next meeting each time with what you have done with every concern from the previous meeting and get acknowledgement that the issue is better or has gone away.

Improvements to customer service come from listening to your customers.

Secondly, your operation needs to work on having all areas buy into and develop a culture of customer service. All areas need to understand the importance and guest satisfaction that the laundry provides.

Our meetings always include a positive review from a guest about how great the room is and we tie that into how the highquality service we provide helps in the satisfied guest reviews. We also put up pictures of rooms showing the linen and guests smiling and enjoying their stay. We want our laundry team to feel like they are part of every guest experience.

Finally, we provide our hotels with regular surveys and have a quarterly review with the hotel for a pulse check on how we are doing. At that meeting, all parties, from food and beverage to the general manager, are invited to participate.

We want to build that trust and partnership and develop a long-lasting relationship with our customers. We will also ask what may be coming we need to know about such as a large convention or a building renovation so we can be prepared ahead of time.

nication with your customers, being receptive to the feedback while realistic when identifying improvement opportunities, and communicating the value you provide back to the customer.

The first step in assessing the customer service you provide is to directly request feedback from your customers. There are many means of collecting feedback. It can be in the form of surveys, comment cards or a direct dialogue.

A critical piece of collecting feedback is to receive opinions of personnel who hold various roles

in your customer’s business. For example, the feedback you receive from management will differ from those who work in the platform area. However, improving your customer-service experience to all levels of your customer’s business helps in more ways with a diverse impact, ultimately effecting their overall operation.

The second step to examining and improving your customer service is to seriously consider and evaluate the feedback you receive. By demonstrating to your customer that you take

their feedback seriously and identify opportunities to help them reach their goals, you become viewed as a partner, which forms a working relationship that is truly invaluable.

However, recognize you will not be able to deliver on all your customer’s wants, and make sure the opportunities you pursue align with your own business goals. You will be more successful if you identify and focus on a few opportunities you are enthusiastic about rather than try to attack every opportunity

identified in the feedback that was received.

Lastly, make sure you actively engage with your customers and communicate the value you provide back to your customer. When they are reminded as to how your business helps them achieve their goals, their overall view of your customer service will improve.

If you are passionate about what value you are delivering to your customer, your customer will recognize that and appreciate your services more. ALN

T

aking the time to examine the current state of your customer service is imperative, as customers’ goals and expectations will change and develop over time as our world and markets evolve.

Delivering a top customerservice experience requires initiating open lines of commu-

track record in the treatment of industrial laundry wastewater.

“There are many different equipment suppliers out there, with a wide range of equipment, so be sure that whoever you are dealing with knows through experience what goes into treating laundry wastewater,” he cautions.

“Another important step is contacting the company’s references in the laundry industry. Just because a vendor specializes in wastewater treatment, don’t assume they know what they are doing when it comes to industrial laundry applications.”

When considering a new wastewater system, Fesmire says the most important factors are 1) Am I now in compliance 2) Am I able to get additional benefit from my investment (heat capture/process water recycling) and maximize an ROI 3) o I have the people to properly run the system or is the system user friendly enough to be run properly with current staff ) Can I use this as proof of green practices in my marketing program

Sawyer sees three major considerations when evaluation and investing in wastewater recycling systems.

The first is the combined cost of water and wastewater within the plant. As the combined costs of water and sewer increase, as well as the presence of surcharges and fines, the return on a wastewater system is typically accelerated.

The second is the flow rate of the plant as it stands today. Highflow plants often have the greatest benefit when considering water recycling systems. The third is the outlook for plant growth. Being able to design a system that is built around future capacity is critical.

“Oftentimes we are asked by clients to design in surplus capacity or expandability in order to reduce

the cost of future expansion,” she says. “With these three concepts in consideration, the picture becomes clearer and you are prepared for action.”

Ware says looking into installing or upgrading a wastewater system involves a complicated discussion. Many users need to consider what they are attempting to achieve with their recycle system.

“The lowering of consumption, reduction of heating costs, reducing waste stream, BO (biochemical oxygen demand), CO (chemical oxygen demand), and T S (total dissolved solids) could be a reason to recycle,” he says. “What type of linen are you processing Healthcare, which has different issues than light hospitality (i.e., sheets and towels).

“With food and beverage, it is difficult to recycle the water due to the high volume of food and grease that can block or reduce the recyclability to remove these from the recycled water. These also act as a food source allowing the recycle system to breed bacteria, which can cause the system to go septic, creating a bad odor in the recycled water.”

Ware points out that is vital for an operation to know its true water consumption in order to be able to measure the savings generated by the recycle system.

“Often clients are told how much they are saving, but this does not match the actual water bills in terms of overall reduction,” he shares. “If you elect to install a recycle system on a tunnel washer or washerextractor line, put in a water meter for that particular complement of equipment, then run the system for two to three months to get your actual consumption on gallons per pound.”

Once an operation installs a recycle system, Ware says it should be able to compare consumption and determine if the results have been met.

“Some should avoid recycle systems that utilize extremely low

water consumption,” he points out. “If the T S on your current wastewater is 3,000-plus, your recycle system will not get you down to the 500-600 level required by most chemical companies. This will lead to potential graying of the linen, quality problems and possible odors in the linen itself.”

FUTURE OF WASTEWATER SYSTEMS

Fesmire says wastewater systems will continue to offer features that allow for more hands-free interaction. Automation, remote monitoring, clear graphics and on-screen training videos already, and will continue to, take the place of simple controllers and paper support literature.

“We also see emerging pollutants, such as PFAS and microfibers, complicating treatment systems as local municipalities push for end users to eliminate these from their waste streams,” he shares. “The

allowable limits are so low and solutions so complicated, many facilities will be required to add on additional treatment steps in order to comply.”

Fesmire also says it is becoming more common for end users in certain geographies to want to achieve zero liquid discharge ( L ).

“The end result is very desirable, but achieving this can be very complicated,” he points out. “Essentially, this would eliminate the need to run laundry wastewater back to the municipality for treatment. If they could eliminate the discharge stream, there is also the possibility of digging a well for feed water to remove themselves from municipal dependence all together.”

Operators in the current and future regulatory climate will need to be nimble and look to partner with educated vendors that have a deep bench and experience with all manners of physical separation, chemical separation and energy recovery, says Fesmire.

As he mentioned earlier, Sosebee sees even more automation in wastewater systems, along with a reduction in the physical size of the equipment.

“Water reuse will also grow in importance as companies pay higher rates for their incoming water,” he says.

Ware also sees automation of wastewater systems improving in the future.

“As many areas of the country and world continue to experience water shortages, these systems may become mandatory and force laundries to reduce water consumption,” he says. “Hopefully newer technologies will become more efficient, improving the overall quality of the wash water and wastewater.”

The cost and regulatory environments are becoming much more challenging as time goes on, points out Sawyer. As the cost of water continues to increase, the financial

decision to invest in water recycling equipment becomes more obvious.

“One of the greatest challenges that we have seen is in the requirement for capital outlay,” she shares. “In response to the market’s demand, Kemco has developed its CONSER E program, which allows customers to invest in water recycling without the high upfront capital cost.

“The program is designed to be an all-inclusive monthly offering that covers equipment, installation, parts and service at a price point that is lower than their current water costs. This allows customers to pay for the infrastructure without an impact to their income statement or balance sheet.”

Sawyer goes on to say that the regulatory environments are becoming a bit more challenging as well. She echoes Fesmire, saying that with the emergence of new pollutants such as PFAS and microplastics, many plants will be compelled to improve their treatment approach.

“Traditional dissolved air flotation technologies, media filters or direct discharge will not address these contaminants, which will prove problematic for some plants,” she says. “Reverse osmosis is the only recognized ‘best available technology’ for removing PFAS and microplastics that are commonly found in laundries.

“While many plants are flocking to this technology for the benefits of compliance, there is the added benefit of being able to use this water within the plant for hygienically clean recycling of water that is free of viruses, bacteria, hardness, PFAS and microplastics.

“It is through this lens that we see the future as quite bright. When the worlds of forced compliance and clear economic benefit collide, the results are good for the plant, its customer, its neighbors and the industry as a whole.”

CTC says its Twin Ultra™ Greywater Recycling System recycles 70 to 90 percent of greywater. It treats greywater and recycles the treated water for use in non-potable sanitary systems. (Photo: Concurrent Technologies Corp.)

A wastewater system can handle everything from contaminant removal to heat reclamation. (Photo: Kemco Systems)

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Laundry and environmental sustainability

Operations need to be sustainable for cost, customers, employees

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — Long gone are the days when industry moved forward without much thought to environmental impact, and for good reason.

First, clean air, water and soil are important for humans to survive. Second, poor, inefficient usage of resources and equipment costs a lot of money. Third, the government and the public are keeping watch on how businesses treat the environment.

For these reasons and more, laundry and linen services need to be vigilant about knowing what environmental issues the industry faces—and being proactive about them.

“I consider environmental issues critical to operational decisions after regulatory operations,” says Richard Engler, manager of textile processing for JPS Health Network in Fort Worth.

“In order to be prepared for the future of our industry, it will be key to have a strong engagement with the environmental impact our programs have, and what we do today will assist in being compliant in the coming days.”

“Since industrial laundry operations create a substantial impact on the environment, they need to work hand-in-hand with regulators to decide on balanced solutions that protect all the participants,” adds Jerry Martin, vice president of sales and marketing for Prudential Overall Supply in Irvine, California.

He goes on to say that laundry organizations such as the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) and TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services, play an important role in the regulation process by providing a unified voice for the industry contributors.

“There are many commercial benefits to reducing environmental impact including customer appreciation, cost savings (e.g. reusing plastic bags, saving on utilities), lower fees and surcharges,” Martin adds.

The main ecological issues that laundries face are water, chemicals, energy (electricity and natural gas), transportation and fuel, air emissions, and wastewater discharge, he shares.

“These are all necessary to be able to process laundry effectively and efficiently; however, there are steps that a company can take to reduce the per weight impact of these factors,” says Martin.

For Engler, it is becoming more and more apparent that water is going to be the industry’s biggest concern in the future—not only the efficient and effective use of water, but also the expectations on what operations are discharging and how the effluent can be properly treated by water companies.

He recommends continuing to pursue and review any water reuse options that are both cost effective and of suitable performance to be used in a laundry operation.

Proper wastewater disposal is a challenging issue that often goes unnoticed, adds Martin. Soil from dirty garments is mixed into fresh water during the wash cycle and this wastewater can contain too many contaminants to directly send down the drain.

“Pre-treatment is often required where soils are coagulated together and skimmed off the top and bottom of a settling tank,” he says. “The sludge is then dried and sent to a landfill while the rest of the wastewater is sent on to a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) for further treatment.

“Regular maintenance and operation of treatment equipment with capable operators

ensures minimal discharge of contaminants to the sewer.”

One solution to laundry/linen service environmental issues Martin points out is industry consolidation.

“Generally speaking, the more poundage a single operation handles, the more efficiency and automation opportunities arise,” he says.

“However, with more consolidation comes more transportation as you need to service customers that are further away. Also, building laundry operations closer to customers and business opportunities reduces the need to transport product over long distances, although it may increase construction and operation costs.”

Purchasing more energy-efficient equipment (air compressors, washers and dryers, lighting) greatly reduces energy use per pound washed and rebates can go a long way in encouraging companies to invest additional capital in aging equipment, adds Martin.

“The efficient use of equipment is so important in the reduction of energy consumption and often not made a consideration when addressing environmental concerns,” Engler points out.

“Using equipment at its stated capacities is so often overlooked or discounted when other operational issues seem to dictate running under load or leaving equipment running when not in use.”

He says there are substantial opportunities with efficient use of equipment with zero cash outlay.

“It is easy to forget that this savings and benefit are available to the operation on the floor right now and that a small change in the culture could be hugely impactful and it can start today,” Engler says.

“From an operator’s perspective, water and energy are costly

inputs, and we work to reduce the use of both while maintaining our product quality standards,” says Kristin empsey, vice president of empsey Uniform Linen Supply in Jessup, Pennsylvania.

“Since water and energy are natural resources, our continuous improvement efforts are aligned with sustainability goals.”

Martin shares that Prudential is continually working to reduce the amount of water and energy that it takes to launder.

“Every year we invest in more energy-efficient equipment and add F s (variable frequency drives) to major pieces of equipment to reduce electricity usage,” he says.

“We frequently replace older lighting with LE s and make sure to add and keep skylights to take advantage of natural lighting. We are also replacing inefficient vehicles in our fleet each year to keep fuel costs and carbon emissions to a minimum.

“Over the last 20 years, Prudential has been able to decrease (per pound) its water use by 32%, its energy use by 26% and its carbon footprint by 3 %.”

Something else Engler considers important, environmentally, for laundry/linen services, especially in healthcare, is offering reusable products rather than just allowing single-use disposables to take the

place of various product lines.

“With the arrival of CO I19, a number of products are going to be in short supply, which will allow for reusable products to make a return to desirability,” he says. “If we are ready to address, we can capture these items again and keep them in the future.”

Environmental sustainability can also have an impact on another front where operations are struggling hiring and retaining employees.

“Although we have seen some interest in our sustainability efforts on the customer side, we find that employees and applicants have even greater interest in what we are doing,” shares empsey.

“Applicants are often surprised to learn how ‘green’ textile rental service are for the environment and they have been particularly interested in our company efforts to be an industry leader in sustainability.

“They often comment about empsey becoming the first Clean Green certified laundry in the U.S.”

From limiting negative natural impact to cost savings to customer and employee perception, it makes sense for laundry and linen services to work to be as sustainable as possible. ALN

Will sustainability issues fuel client demand in the next decade?

Author says it’s the ideal time to begin conversation on, improve sustainability of, reusable

BY NANCY JENKINS

SHAWNEE MISSION, Kan.

— Sustainability, going green, carbon impacts and net zero are terms sprinkled liberally throughout media reports from the mainstream to the niche. But does this reporting reflect corporate marketing strategy or suggest evidence of actual changes in the ways organizations conduct business

As we begin the next decade, it’s an ideal time to begin a conversation within the textile services industry about what we are doing right, what we can improve upon and where we should focus.

DOES SUSTAINABILITY MATTER?

The public’s awareness of sustainability issues has grown,

as evidenced by the Collins ictionary 201 Word of Year single-use.

According to Collins there’s been a four-fold increase in the use of the word since 2013, due to news coverage of environmental issues. Single-use “encompasses a global movement to kick our addiction to disposable products. From plastic bags, bottles, and straws to disposable diapers,

we have become more conscious of how our habits and behaviors can impact the environment,” Collins says.

To date, more than 112 countries and cities around the world have agreed to curb the sale of certain single-use plastic items— and that number is only expected to grow. New York state lawmakers have approved a state-wide plastic bag ban that went into

textiles

effect March 2020. Similar bans are already in effect in California and Hawaii. Some countries are placing taxes on plastic bags in lieu of a ban.

Major fashion brands such as Gucci, Stella McCartney, Nike, Eileen Fisher, Patagonia and Everlane have committed to pursue sustainable methods for textile sourcing and production, and adopted measures to pro-

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

mote textile recycling, closing the loop on the millions of pounds of discarded textiles that wind up in landfills.

A TWO-PRONGED CHALLENGE

Where does the textile services industry fit within these global trends? The challenge is two pronged: 1) Our core products and services offer a sustainable option for clients, and yet we often have trouble convincing them to buy reusable products over single-use items. 2) Like any industry, there is opportunity to improve the sustainability quotient in how products, equipment, and supplies are sourced and manufactured.

TEXTILE SERVICES: SUSTAINABLE, BUT UNDERAPPRECIATED

Our industry offers sustainable products that are recycled at their end of life. In the 10 years since the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) held its Green Summit in Quebec City, ARTA has completed and published life cycle assessments (LCAs) on three products—surgical gowns (the ARTA-IAHTM LCA on Surgical Gowns has been accepted for publication by the AORN Journal, publication date TBD), isolation gowns and cleanroom coveralls — with a fourth in the works on incontinence pads.

This work provides scientific evidence that reusable textile items are the more sustainable product choice over single-use disposable products.

In addition, the ARTA board of directors has approved the development of reports that specifically quantify the economic and environmental benefits of surgical and isolation gowns, cleanroom coveralls and, when the LCA is completed, of incontinence pads as well. These reports will allow companies to more tangibly illustrate the benefits of reusable products to their customers.

And yet, while environmentally conscious consumers may be willing to pay for fashion produced in a more sustainable manner, in the B2B economy the lowest price typically wins the sale (given that any company in the textile services industry must provide quality products and services to compete). Very often, manufacturers of single-use disposable products win the sale through aggressive marketing, product rebates, and creative contracts.

But there is progress. Practice Greenhealth has 900 member hospitals committed to operating as sustainably as possible. And ARTA members have begun to leverage LCA data and educate clients on the environmental advantage reusable textiles offer.

RETHINKING SUPPLY CHAIN, MANUFACTURING

As with all business in the West,

any operational change must balance needs and wants with the ability to stay in business—to make a profit.

The textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world, second only to oil. Its sustainability challenge involves multiple, interrelated, and complicated issues—from the water and chemicals used in making textiles to the labor issues posed by the 250 million-plus people who work in textile manufacturing worldwide.

So, how do we “green” an established supply chain and manufacturing process that largely resides overseas?

There are no quick and easy answers. But there are universal truths: people and organizations change behaviors when they are forced to do so, either for financial or legal reasons or for fear of demise.

It’s possible to envision a time (10 or 30 years from now), when a reusable product is the preferred purchase because:

ï

ï Landfill costs are too expensive or no landfills are accepting waste.

Single-use products are largely banned or carry a significant tax.

ï Purchases of reusable products are eligible for tax exemptions.

The challenge at hand is to begin the conversation, build on the strengths of our reusable products, continue research that

proves our case, market more effectively, and improve the sustainability of our operations as we are able.

ALN

Nancy Jenkins is the editor for Reusable Textiles and executive director for ARTA. She is the owner of Jenkins Integrated Marketing (JIM) and resides in the Kansas City Metro with her husband, parents and two dogs.

Jenkins

UniFirst improving productivity with help of mat rollers

WILMINGTON, Mass. —

UniFirst Corp., a workwear and textile service company, has identified the Inwatec ORTEX mat rolling system, distributed by JPE Inc., as a solution to increase productivity, improve workflow efficiency and enhance safety for team partners.

According to Kevin Forcier, UniFirst’s industrial engineer, the Inwatec ORTEX outfitted with a new RFI (radio-frequency identification) reader, proved to be the right option.

“This system has surpassed our expectation,” he shares. “Overall, productivity has increased significantly since installing the new equipment.”

Forcier attributes this impressive result to the patented rollover feature that eliminates manual steps for UniFirst operators and allows more mats to be rolled in less time.

RFID READER SUPPORTS

BETTER

LOGISTICS

As a company committed to leveraging technology, UniFirst required that the ORTEX mat roller be designed to read and identify mats outfitted with RFI chips. According to Forcier, this was an essential component for UniFirst to achieve its goal of improving workflow by reducing

time-consuming tasks in the matrolling process.

“We are now able to integrate RFI chips in our mat-rolling

automation system,” he says. “This process improvement eliminated extra handling of the mats by our team partners.”

Inwatec made timely adjustments to the ORTEX system to include this innovative feature. When the new setup was available,

UniFirst conducted a successful test of the ORTEX mat roller in a pilot facility.

EMPLOYEEFRIENDLY WORKFLOW

More than 20 ORTEX systems have been shipped to UniFirst plants across North America from Inwatec headquarters in enmark.

“It is a smart investment,” says Forcier. “Mat rollers are a workhorse at our facilities, and every day we improve our workflow and job satisfaction with the ORTEX system. The days when associates have to process one mat at a time will soon be a thing of the past.

“At UniFirst, we also strive to best utilize the skills of our team partners. Ultimately, improving work processes leads to higher job satisfaction. When production steps are streamlined, UniFirst team partners can quickly flex to other areas in the plant that need support and acquire new skills.”

This approach appears to be producing the desired result. Earlier this year, UniFirst was named to Forbes magazine’s prestigious list of “America’s Best Large Employers” for 2019. This recognition is the direct response of UniFirst team partners who were surveyed and said they would recommend the company to friends and family as a great place to work. ALN

Baptist Easley Hospital sees cost savings with infection prevention program

SKOKIE, Ill. UMF Corporation, a manufacturer of color-coded cleaning products, reports it has partnered with Baptist Easley Hospital, a member of Prisma Health in Easley, South Carolina, providing its PCPLUS program in support of ensuring safe patient environments.

“Through PCPLUS, we immediately realized monthly savings,” says Baptist Easley Environmental Services Supervisor Harriet LugoWeaver. “Infection prevention is a top priority for Baptist Easley, and with PCPLUS, we’re easily able to meet our stringent infection prevention and environmental services standards, as well as patient satisfaction needs.

“In addition, with PCPLUS, we are reducing capital costs and ensuring maximum environmental sustainability via reduced water and energy usage.”

PCPLUS is a comprehensive, all-inclusive program that includes

customized commercial washers and dryers that are technologyenabled for efficient water and chemical use; high-performance, color-coded flat mops and wipers; hardware; and all other products required to process patient environments.

Onsite hygiene specialist and operating room (OR) processing training are included in the program. PCPLUS also consists of ongoing equipment maintenance, a comprehensive warranty, parts and service, and annual loss replacement of PerfectCLEAN products based on customer requirements.

As part of the program, Baptist Easley uses a 45-pound steam washer, which easily attains a constant wash and rinse temperature at 160-plus F, which is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a 65-pound dryer, also steam heated to ensure a temperature

range sufficient to provide thermal disinfection, the company says.

Baptist Easley also benefits from color-coded PerfectCLEAN products and environmental services training to support optimal infection prevention throughout the hospital.

“PCPLUS is the only program that combines the financial flexibility of outsourcing with the superior quality and control of on-site processing,” says George Clarke, CEO of UMF Corporation. “It is tax advantaged because it can be written off as an expense without laundry equipment on the balance sheet, so no capital is tied up in the equipment.

“With PCPLUS, laundering becomes a utility service, just like water, gas and electricity. Furthermore, as a patient service, it qualifies for CMS reimbursement.”

UMF Corporation says PCPLUS innovations include: Comprehensive 3-par

Inventory—All PerfectCLEAN products required for all patient environments.

Color-coding—A one-perroom, color-coded methodology supporting infection prevention to eliminate cross-contamination in patient rooms, ORs, guest rooms and classrooms.

Automatic Water Savings (AWS)—As much as 40% on small loads. AWS calculates the weight of each load and adds precisely the right amount of water, thus reducing water and energy costs.

Smart Dosing—Smart dosing works with AWS to adjust the ratio of laundry chemicals to water, resulting in lower costs and a superior wash.

Eco-Power Dryer—Saves up to 15% on each cycle with reverse dryer cylinders to optimize savings. Determines when garments are dry and automatically reduces dryer temp, thus lowering gas consumption.

Hygiene Specialist Training— Comprehensive training on best practices for environmental services department.

OR Processing—On-site training includes checklists and best practices for processing the OR.

“We’ve been using the PCPLUS program for more than three years, and we’ve been very satisfied with the program,” adds Lugo-Weaver. “From the start, UMF Corporation has served as a true partner to Baptist Easley.

“Initially, their team worked closely with our facilities department to ensure seamless implementation of PCPLUS hardware, determining an optimal hospital location for the hardware, and working with an outside contractor to run water, steam, drain, intake and exhaust ducting, and electricity to the room. Since then, they’ve provided us with regular training and support whenever issues arise.”

Program combines financial flexibility of outsourcing with quality, control of on-site processing, says CEO

Claes Stanley (left), CTO at Inwatec, together with Kevin Forcier, industrial engineer at UniFirst, stand next to an Inwatec VORTEX mat roller, which UniFirst has identified as delivering results by eliminating manual steps. (Photo: Inwatec)

University laundry reduces environmental impact

University of Notre Dame laundry using wastewater heat recovery and filtration system

BY DONNETTA MCCLELLAN

NOTRE AME, Ind. — St. Michael’s Laundry on the campus of the University of Notre ame recently installed a high-efficiency wastewater heat recovery and filtration system, known as Thermal Engineering of Arizona or TEA (and no, the water is not recycled and used to make tea).

The system has allowed the university to reduce its environmental impact by reducing its carbon emissions, lowering energy expenses and lowering operating costs. Each year, the system will reduce the university’s carbon dioxide emissions by 0 tons, which is equivalent to providing energy to more than eight homes annually.

The TEA system recovers the heat from the hot water previously used in the wash cycle and transfers it from one water stream to another, where it is processed and used all over again. The system recovers more heat if there is a larger temperature difference, meaning colder climates might benefit from heat recovery more than mild climates would.

St. Michael’s Laundry processes 3 million pounds of laundry a year, using 2,000 to 6,000 gallons of water each day.

The TEA system works as follows When a washing machine drains, the water goes into a holding pit. Once the water in the pit reaches a certain level, the water is pumped into a shaker screen (think very large sifter) where the lint is separated out.

The water then travels through heat recovery coils and, depending on the actual water temperature, the system diverts the water into either a hot or a tempered water tank. The heat is removed from the water, and the cooler water is released into the sewer system.

The system then shuts down and waits for the next time the water is needed. The TEA system is fully automated and can be monitored remotely for optimal efficiency.

ALN

Donnetta McClellan serves as project and communications coordinator in the Office of Sustainability at the University of Notre Dame.

(From left) Art Ruehle, assistant maintenance technician; Dave Baiers, senior maintenance technician; and Larose Saint Jean, director, in front of St. Michael’s Laundry’s TEA wastewater heat recovery and filtration system. (Photo: University of Notre Dame)

Cooperative Laundry chooses on-demand steam for operation

KEARNY, N.J. — When your customers are some of the most demanding hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and businesses in the world, anything but the best just isn’t good enough.

That’s why when Cooperative Laundry, located about 10 miles from New York City, rebuilt its entire 60,000-square-foot laundry facility from the ground up, the result was a one-of-a-kind system in North America that provided a fully automated workflow.

By having this advantage, the company could significantly reduce typical errors, clean deeper, press and fold better, and extend linen life far beyond conventional standards.

Fully-automated workflow also meant that customers could expect the highest level of performance, a standard that also required Cooperative Laundry’s equipment to be the best and deliver exceptional quality and value.

“When we built the facility, every piece of equipment we looked at had to be easy-to-use, easy-to-maintain, and completely reliable,” says Brian Hobson, Cooperative Laundry’s chief engineer. “After doing our research, asking questions and looking at all the options, we purchased two Miura LX-Series steam boilers.

The boilers really addressed all of our needs, and after about a year they continue to perform exceptionally well. They have never let us down.”

Now celebrating its 60th anniversary in the steam boiler industry, Miura says its on-demand

steam solutions feature a range of impressive benefits including on-demand steam (cold start to full steam in under five minutes); enhanced reliability; compact, modular design; advanced controls and remote monitoring; and an industry-best safety record.

Manufactured in the United States, Miura says its “safer-bydesign” engineering, combined with its unique boiler geometry, means that catastrophic vessel failure is practically impossible, and day-to-day safety issues related to installation, operation and maintenance are minimized.

Miura says its boilers have numerous safeguards beyond primary vessel safety to ensure not only safer operations, but also highly efficient and reliable performance. Miura even takes its promise one step further by offering a pressure vessel guarantee, something unheard of in the boiler industry, according to the company.

“What really stood out for us, in addition to the compact size, was the ease-of-use,” adds Hobson. “From blow down to really quick start up, the efficiency has been impressive.

“The one time an alarm did go off indicating an issue with the feedwater, it turned out to be an issue upstream, having nothing to do with the boiler. They did exactly what they were supposed to do. And then when we didn’t get steam, we tracked it back and everything worked out.”

As part of its Miura boiler purchase, Cooperative Laundry added a maintenance agreement

that continues to give them peaceof-mind.

“In the year since the boilers were installed, we’ve only had one real maintenance issue,” notes Hobson. “It was in the late evening hours, and as it turned out had nothing to do with the Miura boiler. Steve, the Miura tech, actually came by in the middle of the night to help us troubleshoot the issue, identify it and correct the situation. Other than that, the Miura boilers have been basically trouble-free, and have always remained fully operational.”

Cooperative Laundry says Miura’s technology has proven beneficial in a number of ways, allowing the company to use its workforce in a highly efficient manner.

“Miura’s on-demand steam allows our team to run the entire facility more efficiently,” Hobson says. “Our operators simply press a button on the boilers, do their daily checks, and then get the entire plant up and running. The result is that we able to achieve greater workforce productivity.”

Continuing to grow and adding staff to stay ahead of the needs of its customers, Hobson is always amazed at the reaction he gets when prospective employees find out that the company uses Miura boilers, whether they’ve seen them before or heard about them from colleagues.

“I’ve had people walk in and they’re like these boilers are so small, so compact and so clean,” he shares. “And I’ve had people come in that know Miura and the first thing they say is ‘oh man, you

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got the Miuras.’”

For new staff members who have worked with traditional firetube boilers, Cooperative Laundry says seeing the two Miura LX-Series boilers is a real eyeopener.

“I’ve had people who’ve only worked on those big traditional firetube boilers, and when they see the Miura boilers they just can’t believe how nice our boiler room looks,” adds Hobson. “I mean our boiler room is pretty fancy.”

Cooperative Laundry uses its two Miura LX-100 boilers in its wash tunnel, steam tunnel and press, with the steam tunnel being used to dry and remove wrinkles from a number of garments, linens, curtains and more.

The company is also among the growing number of businesses that recognize its responsibility to its community and to the planet, and has been awarded a Clean Green® certification by TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services.

“Green initiatives are an important part of our company’s mission statement,” says Hobson.

“With Miura’s quick-steam feature, we can idle the boilers during lower demand periods and turn them on as needed. That alone is an enormous advantage when compared to firetube boilers that require hours to reach full steam.

“Plus, it allows us to use less fuel (customers estimate fuel savings of up to 20% when compared to firetube boilers), have fewer emissions, use less water and conserve natural resources.”

Miura says its LX-100 SG LX

Gas/Low NOx Series, Low and High Pressure Steam Boiler uses natural gas or propane and is available in a range of steam options (300 MAWP, 170 MAWP or 15 MAWP). Their compact size allows them to fit through a standard doorway, while their naturally low NOx (nitrogen oxides) ratings are as low as 9ppm depending on model.

The Miura LX Series design (available in boilers from 50-300 horsepower) consists of a pressure vessel of rows of vertical tubes sandwiched between two rectangular headers. Both headers are encased in a castable refractory with only the tubes exposed to flame and/or combustion gases.

The upper header is attached to the lower header only by the tubes. As the tubes expand and contract from thermal expansion, the floating headers adjust up and down accordingly.

This “floating header” concept greatly alleviates thermal stress, according to Miura, and “leaky tube” problems associated with firetube and bent water tube designs have been eliminated.

Asked whether he would recommend Miura boilers to other laundry facilities, Hobson says, “Yes, if somebody came up and asked me would you recommend Miura, I absolutely would. Everything I’ve dealt with has been quick and easy. The efficiency and reliability is there. The service is first-rate. Miura really knows how to respond quickly to a customer and take care of an issue, even if it was caused by someone or something else. That’s impressive.” ALN

BY SETH WILLER

OSHKOSH, Wis. — At Girbau Industrial, we sell both soft- and hard-mount washerextractors because they fill different needs within the market. But, if you ask me which is better in terms of laundry production and energy savings, I’ll tell you—every single time—that commercial/industrial grade soft-mount washers are far superior.

Are soft-mount washers really that great Yes Here’s why. You don’t have to bolt them down. Seriously. They spin faster with no concrete work. Time to embrace technology here folks. Why do we put shocks in a car Better performance. Washers are no different.

Hard-mount washers require thick, reinforced concrete foundations, hole drilling and boltdown. Soft-mount washers slide easily into place without need for these things. This is because, in the case of Girbau Industrial soft-mount washers, less than 5% of vibration during extract is transferred to the floor, which makes installation in unconventional locations possible and saves laundries thousands in installation costs.

When space is tight, it’s also important to note that softmount washers can be installed right next to each other for more production per square foot.

Hard-mount washers require 1 -inch clearances between them; soft-mount washers only need only a half inch.

It’s far more efficient to spin out water in the washer than evaporate it in the dryer. Look at it this way, if you dunk a sponge in a bucket of water, which is the faster way to get the water out Hit it with a hair dryer until the water is gone, or give it a good squeeze

The same concept holds true with high G-force extract. You expel a ton of Btu energy heating up water to the point it evaporates. Spin it out in the washer; it’s way faster and way more efficient.

They dramatically boost laundry throughput. Softmount washers generate higher G-force extract than hard-mount washers. Or, if hard-mount washers do hit high-speed extract, it’s only for a short duration at the end of the spin cycle. Soft-mount washers hit that high G extract for sustained periods.

So, soft-mount washers remove more moisture during extract. Girbau Industrial’s softmount washers, which reach up to 00 G-force, have been tested to reduce dry time over our hard-mount washers by

up to 50%. Because dry time is dramatically shortened, laundry production and production per operator hour (PPOH) catapults.

They create big utility savings. Today’s washers, whether hard- or soft-mount, are generally very efficient in terms of water and energy used. The soft-mount machine, however, creates more resulting drying efficiencies. The high G-force of

the soft-mount washer, and its ability to remove more moisture, can cut dry time by 50%.

In doing so, it also slashes natural gas consumption. A side benefit of this is that dryers might last longer because they don’t operate as frequently.

While soft-mount washers might require a slightly larger investment, their long-term performance translates to more

value for your laundry.

So, get with soft-mount technology. It’s real and it’s been making a huge difference in laundries around the globe since the 1960s. ALN

Seth Willer is an expert in on-premises, commercial and industrial laundry design, equipment, work-

flow and productivity. As Girbau Industrial (GI) national sales manager, he works closely with laundry facilities to develop highly efficient and productive laundries for an array of industries, including hospitality, vacation rental and healthcare.

Willer

Track Career

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Girbau, a manufacturer of commercial and industrial laundry equipment and services, has appointed Serge Joris as president, reports Girbau North America, based here, the largest of 16 subsidiaries within the Girbau Group.

The company says Joris has a solid professional career spanning over 25 years working internationally in critical roles at companies in the technology and industry sectors.

His appointment comes as a result of a drive to bolster the management team at Girbau and promote the company’s growth.

Pere Girbau and Merc Girbau, the current CEOs and the third generation in the family business based in ic, Spain, will remain in their roles, focusing on developing strategy, new technologies, innovation and sustainability, according to the company.

Mundt joins Ellis Corp. sales department

ITASCA, Ill. — Ellis Corp., a provider of washing technology, reports it has added Justin Mundt as regional sales manager of the Midwest ivision.

Mundt is the fourth generation in his family to work in the laundry industry and has more than 15 years of sales and customer support experience.

Ellis says he is a pivotal addition to both the sales team and the greater company, augmenting the growing salesforce with his experience and expertise in fostering ongoing client relationships.

“We are thrilled to have Justin on our team and are excited to see the impact he will bring to our customers,” says Bob Fesmire Jr., president and COO of Ellis Corp.

Before joining Ellis Corp., Mundt was an account manager and equipment specialist for Prolift Toyota Industrial Equipment where he specialized in sales of spec-driven equipment and acted as a consultant to the material handling needs of the customer.

Prior to his time with Prolift, Justin was a manufacturer representative within the commercial kitchen equipment industry spending his time assisting dealers, con-

tractors and consulting firms with the selection of commercial equipment to best satisfy wants, needs and budgets.

Mundt earned a degree from Northern Kentucky University and was involved in college athletics as a varsity baseball player.

Girbau North America welcomes team members

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Laundry equipment manufacturer Girbau North America reports it has added five new members to its staff Jacob Bruneau, Amy Bartol, Anjelynn Coyne, Brett Lobajeski and Kristi Williams.

“As our company continues its rapid growth, we look for skilled and highly qualified individuals to join our team,” says President Mike Floyd. “We are excited to welcome these self-starting individuals to our talented staff.”

As shipping and receiving specialist, Bruneau assists with receiving and the fulfillment of equipment and parts orders, in addition to a variety of other tasks, including basic parts repair, forklift operation and clerical duties.

He comes to Girbau North America with 20 years of experience in manufacturing and heavy industrial equipment operation.

As consumer finance associate, Bartol is responsible for processing and monitoring all consumer finance transactions and programs with thirdparty finance sources, distributors, end users and company staff. Bartol brings more than 15 years of business experience to the company and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (UWO) and University of WisconsinMilwaukee (UWM), respectively.

In her new role as inside sales associate, Coyne interfaces with Girbau North America staff, distributors and customers on a daily basis, manages the company’s lead qualification process, and handles inside sales and customer relations duties. She holds an associate’s degree in business analysis, as well as a global studies certificate from Moraine Park Technical

College in Fond du Lac.

As Girbau North America technical field support specialist, Lobajeski assists customers and distributors with product maintenance, installation, troubleshooting and servicing concerns, in addition to managing technical service and maintenance for Girbau North America’s Oshkosh Express Laundry Center. Lobajeski, who holds more than 30 years of experience as a commercial products technician, earned an associate’s degree in engine technology, emissions and power transmission from Moraine Park Technical College, in Fond du Lac.

As manager of Oshkosh Express Laundry Center, in Oshkosh, Williams is responsible for staff, cash, inventory and facility management, as well as quality control and commercial accounts. She holds 10 years of hospitality industry customer service and meeting planning experience.

Murgatroyd joins Colmac’s sales team

COL ILLE, Wash. — Colmac Industries, a provider of garment finishing equipment, automated soil sorting and counting for the laundry and manufacturer of heat pump water heaters for commercial and industrial applications, reports Tom Murgatroyd has joined its sales team as an applications engineer.

Murgatroyd is a 2019 graduate of Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.

Kuffel promoted at Girbau North America

OSHKOSH, Wis.— Laundry equipment manufacturer Girbau North America recently promoted Pamela Kuffel, of Neenah, Wis., to the position of director of strategic business efficiencies and solutions.

In her new role, she is responsible for partnering with leadership to identify and execute solutions that drive business value and result in sustainable and more profit-

able performance. Additionally, Kuffel leads initiatives to guide key business decisions and support strategic initiatives.

Since joining Girbau North America in 200 , Kuffel has managed both the finance department and international sales, as well as served as the administrator of Salesforce, the company’s customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

“Pam has been key to the growth and development of GNA’s international sales market and an instrumental part of our sales and finance team,” says President Mike Floyd. “Not only did she contribute to the development of CG Financing LLC—to provide finance solutions to our customers and end users—she has been key to growth of GNA’s international sales market. We are excited to move her to the next level in her career, where we are confident she will excel.”

Kuffel holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

BOSTON — Crown Uniform and Linen Service reports that Angelina Spilios, has made the decision to join the family business, as Crown’s in-house legal counsel.

“I’ve always loved working with my family ever since I was a teenager,” she says. “I’m proud to be part of Crown’s fourth generation, and I look forward to working more with everyone in the future.”

Spilios began at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 2016. She took courses on a variety of subjects, including employment law, real estate, intellectual property, advanced legal writing and trial advocacy.

Later, she worked as a clerk for a top law firm in Manchester, New Hampshire. While there, she researched a variety of issues, participated in litigation strategy with the attorneys and gained more experience with legal writing.

Spilios graduated in May 2019 and passed the bar exam several months later. She is licensed to practice law in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The company has remained family owned and is currently lead by the founder’s grandson Arthur Spilios and greatgrandsons George and Plato Spilios.

Joris appointed president of Girbau Group

Spilios joins Crown as in-house legal counsel

Mundt

Joris

Kuffel

Spilios

Murgatroyd

Bartol

Bruneau

Coyne

Lobajeski

Williams

ARTA 2020 Green Conference receives 5-star reviews, in real time, from attendees

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Five stars was the overall rating from nearly 120 suppliers and operators who recently attended the 2020 Green Education Conference put on by the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA), Feb. 26-2 , at the Gaylord Palms Resort here.

The conference rating was determined by attendees who voted in real time through the Whova conference app.

ARTA held its first Green Conference in 2010. This year’s conference revisited the issue of sustainability and focused on research, trends and issues that affect the textile services industry’s ability to market the benefits of reusable textiles.

The meeting was hosted by ARTA President Gabriel Boardman and featured exhibits and receptions by MIP and

the event’s Platinum and Gold Sponsors, as well as a plant tour of Advent Health Laundry in Apopka.

In addition, ARTA honored founding member and longtime Legislative irector Howard ins for his nearly 0 years of service to ARTA. The association also presented service awards to former treasurer, president and director Bradley Bushman of Standard Textile; retiring director Ian Bigelow of Crotholl; and retiring vice president Barb Fordyce of Foussard Montague and Associates.

ARTA’s conference presentations are available through the Whova app (unless more than 10 MB). In addition, all 2020 Green Education Conference presentations will be posted in the member section of theARTA website in coming weeks at www.ARTA1.com ALN

ABOVE: Nearly 120 suppliers and operators from North America attended ARTA’s Green Education Conference, Feb. 26-28, at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida.

BELOW: (LEFT) A service award was presented to retiring vice president Barb Fordyce of Foussard Montague and Associates. (RIGHT) Retiring director Ian Bigelow of Crothall receives a service award. FAR LEFT: (TOP) ARTA President Gabriel Boardman of MIP served as host for the association’s second Green Conference. (MIDDLE) Longtime Legislative Director Howard Zins, supported by his daughter Jennifer, accepts his service award. (BOTTOM) John Wintz accepts a service award on behalf of former treasurer Bradley Bushman of Standard Textile. (Photos: ARTA)

2002

Steam Dryer, Non Tilting,

Unimac Gas Dryer, 2009

CHICAGO America’s leading manufacturer of flatwork finishing equipment is seeking a Chicago-based regional sales engineer to work with our outstanding distributor and end customer network. Excellent opportunity for long term growth in our fourth generation company. Salary and benefits commensurate with prior sales success, willingness to learn and laundry industry experience. Travel from Chicago’s manufacturing headquarters included as

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

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

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

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

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

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

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

Pinnacle Textile Industries acquires Topps Safety Apparel

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — Pinnacle Textile Industries LLC, located here, a manufacturer of service apparel, aprons and napery dedicated to servicing the rental and hospitality markets, reports it has purchased a majority of the assets of Topps Safety Apparel Inc. of Rochester, Indiana, a manufacturer of public safety and flame-resistant uniforms offered through a network of distributors and garment rental operators.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pinnacle says it looks forward to continuing the Topps brand as its FR Safety brand as well as a complement to its existing Pinnacle Worx brand of industrial work clothing.

“The acquisition of the Topps Safety Brand fulfills our goal of entry into the safety uniform category, expanding our customer base to include distributors focused on the oil/gas and utility end user sectors while at the same time expanding our product offering to our existing customer base,” says Patrick Methven, Pinnacle’s president and founder.

Topps Safety Apparel Inc., originally established as Toppmaster in 193 by the Elin brothers, has been owned and operated by the BT Group and its president, Alan orrell, since 1997. In the 1990s, Topps became one of the first manufacturers to attain UL certification of compliance to NFPA standards.

“Topps’ attention to detail and quality are hallmarks of the brand from which Pinnacle fully expects to build upon as well as to provide a deeper, off-the-shelf inventory for quick shipment of the most popular styles and sizes, something Pinnacle Textile is well known for,” Methven adds.

ImageFIRST acquires Chicago South franchisee

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — ImageFIRST, a provider of medical linen rental and laundry, reports it has acquired its largest remaining franchisee, ImageFIRST Chicago South.

ImageFIRST Chicago South provides medical laundry services across southern Illinois, most of Indiana and a large part of Kentucky. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“ImageFIRST Chicago South founders Jack roegh and Brian McNary, along with their wives Annette and Missy, have done a tremendous job growing their business into one of our strongest locations,” says Jeff Berstein, CEO of

ImageFIRST. “They have truly built an exceptional business, and best of all, they have built it the ImageFIRST way.

“The ImageFIRST team and I are excited to continue working with Jack, Annette, Brian and Missy, as well as the rest of the team, as the Chicago South franchise becomes an official part of our corporate organization. I look forward to their continued success as members of the ImageFIRST family.”

ImageFIRST continues to expand its national footprint through a combination of organic and acquisition-driven growth, and the acquisition of its Chicago South franchisee represents the third major deal that ImageFIRST has completed in the past 12 months.

ImageFIRST has 1 locations nationwide that serve more than 1 ,000 medical facilities every week.

Three linen/uniform services earn Diversity Recognition Award

ALEXAN RIA, a. — Three national linen and uniform service chains have won the 2020 iversity Recognition Award from TRSA, the associationfor linen, uniform and facility services.

TRSA says the award reflects these members’ dedication to the “unlikeness” of individuals and their encouragement or facilitation of such variation in human qualities in their workforces.

Healthcare launderer Angelica (Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois) is being honored for its variety of initiatives. TRSA says the company continuously measures its workforce diversity to ensure it doesn’t decline; it has held steady in recent years around its current level of 2.26% minority. iversity is promoted in the Angelica code of conduct

(provided to all management and hourly staff). Top-level executives emphasize with plant management teams the value of uniting different cultures to strengthen the company.

Employees are engaged in national ethnic heritage celebrations, and they read the company newsletter’s quoting of world leaders espousing diversity and inclusion. Angelica recruits through LocalJobNetwork.com, which distributes job openings to diverse talent pools in a nationwide network of over 15,000 local community organizations.

Morgan Services’ Buffalo, New York, facility works with a local municipality that assists refugees with finding employment, shares TRSA. Morgan staff and case worker teams collaborate in managing hiring of non-English-speaking individuals of Hispanic and Somalian background.

Because many of these new applicants and new hires have no previous work experience, the facility has adapted a new on-boarding program to follow up and work with this agency to manage attendance issues and language barriers. Recent hiring of bilingual office staff helps ensure retention of these employees. Morgan is headquartered in Chicago.

Purestar Group, the hospitality laundry specialist based in Las egas, is committed to diversity throughout the organization, starting with executive leadership, according to TRSA. Led by Ann Berry, board chair, women comprise 50% of the C-suite team, nearly twice the average representation of females in such roles in the industry’s public companies. Nearly 50% of first/mid-level managers are female and total female representation for the organization is 9%.

Through employee engagement initiatives, the company identifies talented women interested in operations growth, developing specific plans for each driven participant. Each is assigned a mentor to support their leadership progression and help champion their successes. Several women currently participate in this program.

The TRSA iversity Recognition Award acknowledges members’ efforts that represent a step forward in attracting or acknowledging diverse talent, improving intergroup interaction in a multi-cultural workforce or otherwise promoting and fostering inclusivity to support employees in any group. It was presented for the first time in 2019 to UniFirst Corp. (Wilmington, Massachusetts) and Service Linen Supply (Renton, Washington).

G.A. Braun launches new replacement parts website

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Laundry equipment and products manufacturer G.A. Braun, located here, reports it has launched its new replacement parts website (www.braunlaundryparts.com).

The complete redesign includes content, layout, navigation and enhanced functionality. Access to the site remains through customer-specific passwords in a secure online environment, the company says.

April

14-16

JENSEN

Flatwork Finishing Spring Service Seminar

Panama City, Fla.

Info: 850-248-4115

16 Association for Linen Management Webinar: Putting Benchmarking Data to Work Richmond, Ky.

Info: 859-624-0177

20-21 TRSA

New York Legislative Conference Albany, N.Y.

Info: 703-519-0029

20-24 Association for Linen Management Laundry & Linen College: Textile Care Services Richmond, Ky.

Info: 859-624-0177

28- Milnor May 1 Washer-Extractor Service

Seminar

Kenner, La.

Info: 504-712-7724

29-30 JENSEN

L-Tron Washer/Extractor Spring Service Seminar Panama City, Fla.

Info: 850-248-4115

“The architecture of our new site provides us the capability to add additional functionality to make the customer experience more dynamic,” says Chris Thune, Braun’s parts department manager.

According to Braun, the new laundry parts website lists more than ,000 parts available for immediate conventional ground or express shipping. Customers may search by part number, categories, or simply by keyword, and most parts now include detailed photos.

Braun says the website offers customers the flexibility to be direct billed for parts purchases or use a credit card for payment.

To purchase parts through the web site, customers are first required to create their company profile. They can even list their specific equipment and serial number, which Braun says enables the parts department to verify that the correct part is being shipped to match that equipment.

ImageFIRST Chicago South plant and office. (Photo: Business Wire)