American Laundry News - April 2021

Late News

The Pritzker Organization

interest in Crown Health Care Laundry

NEW YORK — Crown Health Care Laundry Services, a provider of outsourced linen management services and specialty products to hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities, reports that The Pritzker Organization (TPO) invested in the company to help fuel its next phase of growth.

As part of TPO’s investment, affiliates of Quilvest Capital Partners, the company’s existing financial partner, sold its majority interests.

Blenheim LP, an existing minority investor, will remain a significant shareholder along with Crown management. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“As we welcome the TPO team as our partners, I want to thank the Quilvest team for their support as we expanded our business to seven facilities, completed several strategic acquisitions and continued our track record of investing in facilities to maintain industry-leading customer service,” says Don Haferkamp, CEO of Crown.

“The TPO team has a clear understanding of our customer-first service model and our strategy ... and we are excited to work together to drive growth over the long term.” ALN

Keeping corrections’ laundry operating correctly

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

ELMORE, Ala. — On-premises laundries have unique challenges and concerns.

But how about when those “premises” are scattered across an entire state?

That’s what Michael Arnold and the laundry staff with the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) face every day.

Arnold, laundry coordinator for ADOC, has to ensure staff is fully prepared, that supplies are fully stocked and that the inmates’ laundry from all of the facilities is processed—and that quality of the goods is maintained.

American Laundry News recently had a chance to ask Arnold about ADOC’s laundry operations and how he and the staff keep it all working properly.

With laundry being done for 26 facilities, how do you ensure the laundry is done well and on-time?

As the Alabama Department of Corrections’ Laundry Coordinator, I ensure

that every location keeps a two-week supply of laundering necessities on hand.

We also have annual trainings for laundry workers in the facilities to ensure that our people are up-to-date on best practices for the immense laundry needs of these facilities. We have a great staff who do an excellent job meeting the demands of the job.

What are some of the unique needs your laundries face and how do you meet those needs?

The volume of laundry we process is our biggest challenge—it is a significant amount. We have some idea of how much volume

Reusable PPE in healthcare

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — COVID-19 changed the world almost overnight, including the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The pandemic created a worldwide shortage of PPE for front-line workers as they worked to save lives and eliminate spreading the coronavirus at healthcare operations (HCO).

“Supply chains throughout the world felt the pressures to make the highest quality PPE at rapid speeds,” says Jeff Courey, president and CEO of George Courey Inc. headquartered in Montreal. “Raw materials became immediately scarce and production capacity filled within weeks.

“Since most of the world uses single-use PPE, disposable inventory and raw materials were consumed first, opening the door for many

Nationwide Partnerships

Independent laundries are supporting one another through different types of groups.

Panel of Experts

In this issue, the experts examine recruiting and hiring employees in the COVID-19 environment.

Historic Hotel Beats Tiny Space Michigan hotel built in 1916 figures out how to get two ironers in its small laundry.

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

COVID-19 led to healthcare facilities trying reusables for the first time—how can the industry make the change more permanent?

buys majority

Leticica Williams, laundry manager at the Elmore Correctional Facility Laundry, talks with Michael Arnold, laundry coordinator for the Alabama Department of Corrections. (Photo: ADOC)

(Photo: Novo Health Services)

HLAC marking 15th year of inspecting, accrediting healthcare laundries

Board president says more interest in standards, attention from ‘broader professional audience’

PLAINFIELD, Ill. — The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) is marking its 15th year in 2021 as a nonprofit organization that inspects and accredits laundries that process reusable textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities.

HLAC, incorporated in 2005, began actively inspecting and accrediting laundries in 2006 in response to years of requests from textile professionals for an independent accrediting body that would create a program of accreditation acknowledging that a laundry organization meets the highest standards for processing textiles.

“We’ve always enjoyed steady growth each year in the number of healthcare laundries wanting to achieve HLAC accreditation,” says Linda McCurdy, HLAC Board president.

“But this past year has been a busy one, especially with the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve seen progressively greater interest in our standards and this includes increasing attention from a broader professional audience beyond operators of healthcare laundries.

“From infection prevention (IP) managers in hospitals and senior living communities to those in charge of hygiene in schools, hospitality lodging, and even correctional facilities, IP professionals are beginning to realize that HLAC standards can provide viable safeguards in their efforts to tackle pandemic challenges and beyond.”

HIGHEST STANDARDS

HLAC-inspected and -accredited laundries process healthcare textiles (HCT) based on the highest standards for patient safety and infection prevention, it says. These HLAC Accreditation Standards have been

developed based on federal regulations and guidelines as well as best industry practices.

“Being familiar with our standards makes all the difference for a laundry because it enables it to keep pace with the growing complexities of processing healthcare linens,” McCurdy says.

The standards are established as the minimum acceptable practice for the preparation of hygienically clean, reusable healthcare textiles for patient care, implemented and executed by accredited laundry facilities processing reusable healthcare textiles.

The HLAC Accreditation Standards document, “Accreditation Standards for Processing Reusable Textiles for Use in Healthcare Facilities,” covers the complete textile processing cycle and pays special attention to laundry processes directly related to patient safety and OSHA-required practices, including Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Standards.

Both the 73-page standards document and a 34-page standards checklist are available for free in downloadable PDF formats.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ACCREDITED

There are currently more than 160 accredited laundries in the United States and Canada, says the council.

HLAC accreditation, which is good for three years, affirms that a laundry organization that processes HCT has successfully passed inspection of the following: its facility, policies and procedures, training programs, and its relationship

with its healthcare customers.

HLAC inspectors are independent contractors selected by HLAC’s board of directors. Inspectors have wide-ranging experience in the industry, including with healthcare systems, in environmental services, laundry production and operations, laundry facility planning and design, linen management, nursing, occupational safety, and infection prevention and control.

Each inspector is provided with in-depth training of HLAC standards and inspection guidelines before they begin their work.

“The inspection is an important part of the accreditation process,” says McCurdy. “Going through the inspection process should help a laundry to unite its efforts to become much stronger—smarter and more competent in processing healthcare textiles—and this should enable them to provide their healthcare customers with an improved level of service ultimately benefitting patient safety.”

HLAC says its inspections place significant weight on factors such as design, equipment, practices, training, protocols and adherence to regulatory body requirements.

INNOVATION AND RESPONSIVENESS

From its beginning, HLAC says it has been at the leading edge of industry innovation:

• In 2011, it added surgical pack assembly room standards to its overall standards document. These new standards are based on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) reference regarding reusable surgical textiles processing.

• In 2016, HLAC’s standards document was awarded the AHE Seal of Review and Recognition™ from the Association for the Healthcare Environment. The award followed a technical review process by an advisory council of degreed, certified healthcare professionals who are leading authorities in the practice of environmental services and its related disciplines.

• In 2018, to broaden awareness of the issues among IPs, HLAC published a digitized four-part “Infection Control Today” series on healthcare laundry’s role in infection prevention strategy.

• In 2019, HLAC debuted its new HLAC Laundry Process Monitoring ToolKit (PMTK). Developed by HLAC, the PMTK validates the effectiveness of a laundry’s processes by measuring

the number of microorganisms found in a laundry on hard surfaces, in the air, on linen, in the water, and on employees’ hands. Likewise, HLAC says it has been at the forefront in responding to current events affecting the industry with useful information and direction:

• In 2014, in response to reports linking infections to hospital linens, HLAC offered suggestions to hospitals to ensure that textiles remain hygienically clean from processing, distribution and on to patient use and encouraged hospitals to have a policy and procedure dealing with the transportation and storage of clean textiles as well as for addressing the transportation and storage of contaminated textiles.

• Also in 2014, in the wake of Ebola fears, HLAC urged “diligence to the highest standards” in following the safest laundry procedures and directed concerned professionals to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as its own relevant guidelines offered in its standards document.

• In 2020, as healthcare and public policy officials began grappling with effective strategies to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, HLAC issued a reminder that established cleaning and disinfection practices had a critical role in reducing environmental transmission and averting a medical crisis.

• Also in 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic taking a toll on senior living facilities, HLAC launched an awareness communications campaign promoting its standards with the message that, upon inspection, HLAC accreditation is available to senior-living facilities that launder on-premises, or for their outsourced laundry.

PRIDE AND PASSION

Commenting on the past and future of HLAC, McCurdy reiterates, “There have been many dedicated individuals who have been involved in the advancement of HLAC and its mission and in the development and evolution of its nationally recognized standards.

“We can all take great pride in knowing that HLAC today is an important part of the safety solution in healthcare’s ever-urgent effort to protect patients through the prevention of infections.”

She concludes, “HLAC-accredited laundries can tell their clients they share their patient safety goals, that they’ve raised the bar on how a laundry should process healthcare textiles, that their clients can have confidence in the laundry’s highest of standards, and that their practices are the industry’s best and most current available.”

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

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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© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2021. Printed in U.S.A. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher or his representative. American Laundry News does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any article, product, service or information found within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Laundry News or its staff. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s contents at time of publication, neither the editors, publishers nor its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom.

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Keep moving forward

T he past month, from what I’ve seen and heard, has been a good one.

Don’t get me wrong, we still have challenges like the continuing pandemic, political and social disagreements, and a slow economic recovery.

But there is a sense of moving forward, especially in the laundry and linen services industry.

I believe the articles and news in this issue of American Laundry News testify to that movement.

Case in point, the case study from the Amway Grand Plaza in Michigan on page 16. The hotel needed more efficiency and reliability, and redundancy the property didn’t have before.

The Amway worked with Equipment International to install two ironers in a very limited space.

That’s a hotel upgrading its

The Editor’s Desk MATT POE

laundry equipment, folks.

On page 16, you can read about healthcare laundry company Westport Linen Services upgrading a recently purchased facility in Greenville, Mississippi, retaining 75 jobs in the area and adding 75 more.

Speaking of jobs, I hope you’re

also seeing an increase in business, which means you’ll likely need more staff. But how can you best recruit and hire while the pandemic is still going? Turn to page 12 for insights and ideas from our Panel of Experts to help you find and retain good employees.

And the positive vibe doesn’t end there. On page 16, read an interview with Johannes SchmidWiedersheim, director of Texcare International, as he shares how the trade fair is moving forward with plans for the industry to meet, in person, in Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 27-Dec. 1.

Beyond those articles, there are plenty more stories and news and information I hope will help you see and work toward a brighter future.

Stay healthy, stay positive and keep it clean, everybody! ALN

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. —

Munson Healthcare (MHC) decided to close Munson Support Services (MSS), MHC’s central linen plant, and join West Michigan Shared Hospital Laundry (WMSHL), a co-op laundry service based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, effective March 15.

Mark Deponio, senior vice president, System Services, shared the news in a memorandum in midFebruary.

MSS was established in 1990 as the central linen plant for MHC.

“At that time, there were no coops or sufficiently capable commercial linen providers operating in northern Michigan,” says Deponio. “Therefore, it made sense to build and operate our own central linen plant. Since then, MSS has provided high-quality linen services to all MHC-owned hospitals and some

other entities affiliated with MHC.”

He points out that today, the majority of U.S. hospitals and clinics do not operate their own laundry services.

“Most of the linen used by healthcare systems today is provided by large commercial providers or nonprofit co-ops that are jointly owned by the hospitals/systems they service,” Deponio says. “Their operations are larger and more efficient than what MSS can feasibly do today or into the future.

“A central linen plant requires about 20 million pounds of annual volume in order to achieve operating efficiency.”

MSS’s volume is 7 million pounds annually with little to no growth expected in the foreseeable future, he says. Also, the core piece of equipment at MSS, its tunnel washer, is approximately 15 years

old—nearing its end of life—and will cost a significant capital investment to replace.

“MHC currently has no viable backup that can support our linen volumes should the tunnel washer stop working, leaving us at a significant risk of service interruptions,” Deponio points out.

WMSHL owners include Spectrum Health, Trinity Health, Bronson, Holland Community, Lakeland and Mary Free Bed hospitals. They process 48 million pounds of linens annually, with the capacity to process over 50 million, and they are Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) certified.

RLLD

Understanding hoarding

The great toilet paper shortage of 2020 started out as a silly rumor. Since all types of face masks were suddenly not to be found in any of the local stores the rumor about other paper products becoming scarce also became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Panic shoppers were grabbing all the toilet paper, paper towels and tissues they could get their hands on. The supply chain adversely affected by COVID 19 could not keep up with the sudden increased demand.

Normally conservative buyers stocked up with all they could buy and filled their homes with as much of a supply as they could find. Trust in the supply chain had been lost.

This new behavior lasted for many months. I was in Sam’s Club one day when a shipment of toilet paper arrived and was put out in the store. These were the very large packages with 45 rolls per bundle. They put a limit of only two of these bundles per customer so almost everyone grabbed two with a few grabbing even more.

In hindsight, one bundle of 45 rolls per customer would have been more than enough to get a customer through several months. But no one was operating out of a rational mind.

I mention this because textile shortages that occur in a healthcare facility operate on a similar principle. A lack of faith in the supply chain to deliver the right amount of linen on a routine basis causes front-line staff to hoard linen. They fear that an item like washcloths will not be there when they need it so they stash away washcloths in a hiding place only known to them. That way they will be available when they need them.

It is an essential supply item for their work and the care of their patients. Hiding them in a location that only they know about ensures two things. It makes sure that when the supply is short— they have what they need to meet their patients’ needs—and if enough front-line staff does the same thing, it also ensures there will be a product shortage.

In order for a textile distribution system to work properly, the amount of textile products in the system is determined by the amount used in a given time. Hoarding stops the circulation of linen and creates unexpected additional demand not planned for in the inventory levels. The very fear of a shortage guarantees that there will be a shortage.

So how do you break this cycle once it starts? People stopped hoarding toilet paper when it became obvious that the supply on the store shelves would be there when they needed it. Once people became comfortable with the supply, they continued to use their stocked supplies and stopped purchasing for a while.

Unfortunately with textile products, hoarded linen tends to stay hoarded even after the supply system has proved the problem no longer exists.

ALN

“We are committed to working with each employee impacted by this decision to support them through this transition,” says Deponio.

A maintenance crew redoing a patient unit in Memphis found over 5,000 washcloths stuck above the ceiling tiles in the storeroom. The hospital had not used that style of washcloths for over five years. It is very likely that the staff responsible for hiding the washcloths no longer worked for that unit or even for that hospital.

So what is the best defense against the hoarding of textile products? That is simple: Always supply the units with the appropriate number of textiles and quickly respond with additional product when a surge in usage occurs.

Combine this with an excellent communication system designed to educate the end-users on the potential problems that will be created by shortages and hoarding. We simply must guard against normal human instincts and provide the service and communication necessary to prevent them from acting on those normal human urges.

This is not a situation where logic and cost data will be helpful. Front-line healthcare workers are correctly concerned about the needs of their patients, they do not care how many pieces were delivered or at what cost. They are focused on do they have what they need to do their job.

Understanding this will help you better meet their needs. 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.

From

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Eric L. Frederick,

we’ll receive but must be adaptable as amounts can change at a moment’s notice.

How many pounds of laundry are you processing?

At the Elmore Correctional Facility Laundry, where we process inmates’ laundry from four facilities, we process 525,000 pounds of laundry a year.

How do you make sure your facilities have the equipment and products they need? How do you get support from your distributors?

As I mentioned earlier, I ensure that every location keeps a two-week supply of laundering necessities on hand. If supplies in any facility are running low, I will order more from our vendors or borrow excess supplies from another facility to fill in the gap. We have great relationships with our vendors, Commercial & Coin Laundry Equipment Co. (CLEC) and Southeastern Laundry.

Who handles maintenance? What does your preventative maintenance schedule look like? What kind of maintenance needs are common in your facilities?

When it comes to the washers and dryers, the ADOC Maintenance Technicians are equipped to handle routine maintenance. We inspect our laundry equipment at each facility to ensure it is functioning properly.

For the washers, we grease the belts once a month and change the filters once a day. For dryers, we blow out the burners every six months and

clean the lint screens twice a day. The ozone machine, which is under warranty, is serviced quarterly. Ozone is an efficient sanitizer and disinfectant. The solution is an alternative to hot water.

If the ozone machine, which carries a warranty, goes down, we call on a technician from Southeastern Laundry or CLEC to service the ozone machine.

At Elmore’s laundry, our machines are industrial-sized, and we process thousands of garments daily, so our machines do suffer wear and tear. The most common issues are leaks and broken or malfunctioning parts.

What challenges has the system’s laundry service faced in recent years, and how have you overcome them?

COVID-19 has probably been our biggest challenge, as you can imagine. The disease impacted our entire system in many unpredictable ways. For us, not knowing if the virus is present on the garments we’re handling means that our employees must take extra safety precautions at all times.

After almost a year of operating this way, it can be exhausting. However, we have a small staff, so it is important we keep everyone healthy to run at full capacity. Everyone is committed to making sure we do whatever we can to prevent the spread of the disease.

How has COVID-19 affected laundry operations?

Certainly, many new safety procedures have been implemented with the onset of COVID-19. All workers wear gloves and masks. Bleach spray is utilized to routinely clean and disinfect equipment.

ADOC’s laundry services have had similar contagion-related challenges to overcome in the past, so

our process of adapting to COVID19 was not a “from the ground up” proposition. We took our existing biosecurity protocols and modified them appropriately for COVID-19.

What have been some of your laundries’ greatest successes? How were those achieved?

One of the successes is the annual training of the laundry staff. It is essential to maintain staff that is trained and knowledgeable about laundry, laundry processes and the machinery.

Laundry staff for every facility gathers for annual training, which is followed by one-on-one training at the facility. The annual training engagement ensures that our staff meet and know each other. This enables them to call on one another to share their insight.

Also, receiving scales to weigh our clothing prior to washing is counted as a great achievement as we continue to steadily make strides to improve our laundry process.

Is there anything else you’d like to share regarding the system’s laundry operations?

As I mentioned earlier, ADOC implemented annual training for laundry workers and established strong vendor relationships with CLEC, which serves the southern half of the state, and Southeastern Laundry, which serves the northern half of the state.

ADOC has also made the decision to change the color of inmate uniforms from white to tan to reduce the dingy appearance the white uniforms endure after repeated wash and wear.

Finally, I have to talk about our team. I’m proud of the laundry staff’s commitment to this important service for the department. Laundry is an essential function, and the task at hand is huge.

Our entire team takes pride in keeping things running smoothly and efficiently because it helps keep the department running smoothly and efficiently.

ALN

Maintenance at the Elmore Correctional Facility Laundry grease the belts once a month and change the filters once a day on its washer-extractors.

Arnold maintains a two-week supply of laundering necessities at every location.

Leticica Williams, laundry manager at the Elmore Correctional Facility Laundry, checks on a dryer. (Photos: ADOC)

Michael Arnold says that common issues with the industrial machines are leaks and broken or malfunctioning parts.

On dryers, Elmore Correctional Facility Laundry staff blows out the burners every six months and cleans the lint screens twice a day.

Arnold says ozone is an efficient sanitizer and disinfectant.

hospital systems around the world to try reusable PPE for the first time.”

David Stern, chief executive officer of Novo Health Services in DuBois, Pennsylvania, says some hospitals switched to reusable textiles because they felt it was the sustainable option and the most reliable.

“Most of the hospitals bought reusable iso gowns and have had us launder them on an as-needed basis and will keep them in their inventory so that if it happens again they will be prepared,” he points out. “That work is slowly being reduced as COVID-19 patients in hospitals are being reduced.”

As the pandemic slows, how can laundry and linen services convince healthcare facilities about the benefits of reusable PPE and maintain use of these products?

CURRENT STATUS

Before looking at future reusable PPE usage, the current status of the market has to be assessed.

Brendan O’Neill, chief operating officer of London Hospital Linen Service in Ontario says that in regards to the supply of PPE in 2021 compared to 2020, careful planning needs to be employed.

“The spot market, at least in Canada, is precarious; therefore appropriate planning is required, but PPE is available under these conditions,” he shares.

“Prices in Canada have come down from the pandemic surge; however, we are now seeing increases in transportation/logistics costs as well as raw material increases due to cotton and polyester pricing increases. The next impact will be labor increases.”

“Reusable PPE inventory levels are much stronger today than they were a year ago,” says Jeremy Fogel, president of Medline’s Textiles Division headquartered in Northfield, Illinois.

“With so many new and existing options hitting the market, specifically with isolation gowns, accurate and trusted information is vital to ensuring that customers are wellpositioned to make the right decisions for their organization.”

Courey says the geopolitical effect of COVID-19 gave birth to an entirely new supply chain for PPE—domestically made.

“The world’s PPE has predominantly been made in China and other Far East countries,” he points out.

“Now that the market has returned to some sort of normality in terms of product availability, production is starting to shift back to China. This has brought pricing back down to pre-pandemic levels and has seen many of the popup production shops across North America convert back to what they had previously been intended for.”

MAINTAINING DEMAND FOR REUSABLES

The challenge for the laundry and linen services industry is to maintain the level of reusable PPE usage at healthcare facilities. The pre-pandemic habits of healthcare professionals are not so easily overcome.

Melanie A. Miller, RN, CVAHP, vice president/chief strategy officer for Silver Lining Apparel, a woman-owned healthcare apparel company lead by Joy Volk in Los Angeles, has heard of doctors refusing to wear reusables once disposables became available again.

“The donning and doffing of the reusable gown is an issue,” she says. “You tie it at the back of the neck, and you tie it at the waist. Crosscontamination can be a concern.”

One facility that phased in a reusable gown program from June through December 2020 told Miller that staff and physicians needed time to adjust to the different donning and doffing techniques. She says Silver Lining Apparel dealt with that issue by retooling the design, adding thumb loops and snap-away snaps.

In fact, she says the company came up with a reusable gown in

five months that met or exceeded performance expectations when the pandemic dwindled supplies of disposables.

“We needed it because our colleagues on the disposable side were on limited allocation,” Miller says. “Just-in-time works, but not in an acute setting pandemic when the numbers of sick, dying and challenged patients climb faster than epidemiologists could predict and HCOs, counties and states could react to.”

Another limiting factor for rolling out a reusable program is space— space for the hampers and space in

the isolation carts for the supply. A plus for reusable PPE that Miller has heard is that certain manufacturers are adding expiration dates to their disposable gowns which are intentionally selflimiting. The manufacturers added the expiration dates due to the obsolescence obstacles presented by using the stockpiled supplies.

“I remember that the nurses and doctors who received gowns from the government stockpiles, when they opened up the boxes, things just fell apart,” she shares.

Tools f the Trade

Drying system generates energy savings of 50% or more

“The end result is we designed an incredibly efficient system with a shorter drying time that has the capability to reduce energy consumption by as much as 75%. Last month we completed installation of the first machine with a customer in Germany. The initial results are outstanding.”

LAVATEC says its Cascade technology is in alignment with recent developments on a worldwide scale to address climate change and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

As the world looks to reduce CO2 emissions and industrial laundry operations search for newer and better ways to satisfy customers and save on energy costs, LAVATEC reports it has developed a patented solution that accomplishes both.

The new LAVACascade drying system is a true model of efficiency, producing energy savings of at least 50%, according to the company.

LAVACascade is a fast and simple three-tiered system that generates additional payback with time and labor savings. The first phase introduces high heat to the laundry load. A middle stage recaptures waste heat to maintain a consistent temperature, followed by a final cooling stage. Each phase takes only a few minutes to complete.

“This is a significant industry advance in drying that was several years in the making,” says Mark Thrasher, president and co-owner of Lavatec Laundry Technology. “We applied the same engineering approach we use for our custom-built tunnel washers to design LAVACascade.

The California Energy Commission approved standards in December 2019 that pertain to commercial and industrial laundry operations. Short and longterm one- to five-year goals impact energy savings, emission reductions and electricity consumption.

LAVACascade’s first customer, Coburger Handtuch, is a regional service provider in Rödental, Germany, that specializes in handling towels, cleaning mops and dirt control mats. Company owner Joachim Krause is both a supporter and promoter of environmentally beneficial technology and equipment.

“Like any initial start-up, we had some interesting situations arise during the installation that we have learned from,” Thrasher says. “It was mostly related to the placing of the machines and allowing for proper airflow. The key thing is the owner now understands that the drying time and energy consumption are lower than what he originally calculated and expected.

“We are in discussions with several operators in North America and hope to announce additional new orders soon.”

www.lltusa.com 204-632-8777

AI-based technology developed for RFID systems

Datamars says it has marked another milestone in textile identification for the industrial laundry sector with its development of the first artificial intelligence AI-based technology to unlock the full potential of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems.

RFID identifies, tracks and traces textiles across their entire life cycle, providing advantages for industrial laundries and their customers and for rental linen companies, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, restaurants and other companies with their own laundry.

However, technological challenges prevent making the most out of RFID systems. The constraint of stray reads—false-positive tags detected accidentally by the reader—and difficulties in correctly assigning readings to moving items are two limitations.

The use of machine-learning algorithms ensures the most accurate identification to date, paving the way for a new generation of reading system.

The company says this represents a real revolution and guarantees unprecedented precision in automated systems: avoiding stray reads; identifying moving textiles without interrupting the workflow; and correctly assigning tags to physical items, even in bulk.

Datamars says that for the first time in textile identification for the industrial laundry sector, it has applied machine learning techniques to the RFID technology.

Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to learn and improve automatically through experience and without being explicitly programmed. It examines the provided “training” datasets to find common patterns and build a model to make decisions.

Using machine-learning algorithms and a specifically developed neural network, the system exploits the information extracted from the data of all the RFID tag readings to classify each tag, points out Datamars. In this way, instead of working to avoid stray reads, the system is able to recognize and discard them.

In addition, “good” tags are correctly associated with the proper item/textile, even if they are in bulk and in motion.

By training the neural network with large amounts of data, the system does not require mechanisms, such as thresholds, to be set manually or with extensive and complex fine-tuning procedures, according to the company.

The greater the amount of data, the more precise and robust the neural network can become, easily adapting to multiple environments, use cases and laundry evolutions, says Datamars. This enables a lower hardware investment and, since everything happens due to software algorithms, the reading system’s accuracy will improve over time with a simple software update and without dealing with hardware changes.

www.datamars.com 800-433-3112

Maxon Lift Corp. reports it has added the Tuk-A-Way® MXT-25 and MXT-33 liftgate models to its product line. The MXT25 and MXT-33 liftgates combine low bed height application with a premium level-ramping ride feature.

The MXT features a twin-cylinder, mid-arm design that results in great performance and stability, according to the company. MXT models are available in low bed height ranges of 38 to 46 inches.

With 2,500 pounds (MXT-25) and 3,300 pounds (MXT-33) for lifting capacities, the MXT models were strategically built to suit the need for low bed height chassis.

Both the MXT-25 and MXT33 models feature a 48-inch by 80-inch wedge-type steel, steel/ aluminum as well as all-aluminum platform with optional dual cart stops. Standard features include a bolt-on extension plate

and steps, hydraulic locking, grease fittings at all critical rotation points and all steel components come hot-dip galvanized, Maxon says.

Sample optional features include hand-held control, dual controls, cab cut-off switch, MAX ECU Electrical Control Unit, power down, dual cart stops, multiple-step options, license plate mount kit and 24-volt configurations.

www.maxonlift.com 800-227-4116

Press uses 2,000 tons of pressure for production of extraction membranes

The development time for the huge 80-ton machine was around two years. After the two-monthlong installation in East Hessen, the WKP 20.000 S works about 18 hours a day. This technology enables MAXI-PRESS to use newly developed production methods.

The enormous closing force of the Wickert press enables the compression of new rubber compounds with a higher natural rubber content, according to MAXIPRESS. This promotes the elasticity of the membranes.

MAXI-PRESS says it is now producing membranes with the new, fully automatic elastomer press from Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH. The press for the manufacture of its extraction membranes has been in operation at the Eichenzell site near Fulda since the end of 2020.

The press, which was specially developed for MAXI-PRESS and has a clamping force of more than 2,000 tons, is used specifically for the production of the world’s only antibacterial extraction membranes ANTI-BACT, the company says.

The continuous high temperatures of the 18 heating circuits increase the service life of the membranes during the laundry pressing process. Only the combination of high clamping force and optimal temperature distribution achieves the desired quality of the produced article, the company says.

Further development of the existing rubber compounds and the additional functions of the new machine make future product development possible.

www.maxi-press.us 844-447-5559

Manufacturers: Have you introduced a new product? Revamped your system? Released a new catalog? E-mail your product news, along with a high-resolution image, to mpoe@atmags.com and we’ll consider publishing your news free in Tools of the Trade.

Liftgates combine low bed height with premium level-ramping ride feature

“The gloves fell apart. The elastic on the mask fell apart and sometimes the ties on the gowns as well. You can only keep supplies for so long.

“Expiration labels on disposable gowns may make reusable gowns, over time, look more attractive.”

“Many hospitals have sustainability as a core value,” shares Stern. “They are committed to reducing waste in their system. The reusable demand for PPE will be driven by those healthcare institutions that are committed to the environment.”

The reusable PPE industry needs to keep messaging that their products are safe, fiscally responsible and environmentally sustainable, Courey says.

“As I have said many times throughout the pandemic, we can’t solve the crisis of today, COVID, by adding to the crisis of tomorrow, climate,” he says.

“As per ARTA’s life-cycle analysis of reusable isolation gowns, when compared to single-use alternatives, reusable gowns result in 28% reduction in natural resource energy consumption, 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 41% reduction in total water consumed (blue water) and between 93-99% reduction in solid waste generation at a healthcare facility.

“These numbers clearly indicate that reusable PPE is at the forefront in the fight against climate change, something that will just continue to increase in importance and relevance in healthcare systems’ procurement decisions.”

PROCESSING CHANGES

“The laundry industry has adapted well,” Stern says. “Manufacturers are finding more efficient machinery for fold and process of these garments, and others have found ways to package the iso gowns so that there isn’t a lot of labor involved in the packaging and the end-user can take it from the packaging as they would a Kleenex tissue.

“Because Novo is committed to RFID technology, we have been able to not only help our customers manage their RFID enabled garment inventories, but we manage the amount of washings the garment is designed for to ensure the manufacturer’s guidelines on barrier effectiveness.”

Courey says that processing of PPE has not really changed. Healthcare laundries have already proven their methods in the fight against other issues like SARS, Ebola, etc.

“As long as healthcare laundries follow proper processing protocols as outlined by accreditation organizations like the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC), there is no risk,” he says.

Some operators have seen an increase in hoarding reusables. Hospitals take rental gowns and keep them on-site and wash them in their washers, which in turn caused more linen to be put in service to keep circulating inventory levels healthy.

There are numerous problems from this practice for operators, ranging from causing gown shortages to nullifying AAMI level II inspection, which requires operators to only give these gowns 75 washes to guarantee 20cm of hydrostatic pressure for liquids repellency.

The practice forces operators to ragout all gowns that came back from these hospitals due to non-compliant issues with AAMI level II inspection process and to send the hospitals a bill for the purchase of all gowns

that are on their premises.

And operators say this doesn’t even address the lost revenue from the hoarded gowns.

Because hospitals are mostly closed down during pandemics for on-site visits from vendors, operators say it’s been easy for them to “get away with hoarding gowns to wash on-premises.” Laundry managers say the industry will have to find ways to combat hoarding with tighter contract language and penalties when it happens.

“Our healthcare clients are still in the midst of the pandemic,” O’Neill points out. “Complaints are usually related to logistics challenges or specific product shortages— an item is not always in the right place at the right time.”

FUTURE OF PPE REUSABLES

“I believe the pandemic has opened the eyes of many health systems that see a viable alternative to disposable PPE,” Stern says. “The reusable market, when considering all costs, is very competitive, more reliable and much friendlier to our environment.”

“A big question now is what will governments do to prepare for the next pandemic,” says Courey. “What needs to happen is a rebuilding and expansion of our national stockpiles of PPE.

“When evaluating stockpiles, it is important to consider the space and cost involved with storing inventory for long periods of time. This reality favors the stockpiling of reusable textiles since on average, considering 60-75 turns versus one turn for a single-use product, it also takes between 1/60th to 1/75th of the space to keep in inventory. These savings can be quite significant long term.”

Some healthcare providers are planning to use a hybrid reusable/disposable model in the future, says Miller.

“They like (reusables) very much, but they’re going to make sure that they always have an appropriate inventory of reusables and disposables,” she says.

Nursing and supply chain leaders will determine a model that incorporates both reusable and disposable wisely and appropriately, Miller says. Determining where the reusable and disposable gown distribution will be a collaborative process at each HCO. Supply-chain and nursing leaders will opt for the model that provides staff safety and best financial practice.

If there is another huge surge, she says that, hopefully, with the knowledge gained by selecting dependable reusables and disposables (hybrid model), supply chain leaders and linen management leaders will be in a better position to react and ensure avail-

able PPE for staff.

Fogel also sees hospitals and long-term care facilities moving to hybrid solutions to have adequate stock levels to protect staff and patients during emergencies.

“We will continue to take measures to help healthcare run better, as we have done throughout the pandemic, and to strengthen the nation’s healthcare supply chain,” he says.

O’Neill says that as the pandemic subsides, healthcare laundries will need to continue the battle for reusable products (PPE gowns, surgical gowns, microfiber cleaning products).

“We all are very aware the large single-use

companies will be back with a strong message as to why they believe they have a better option,” he points out.

“As an industry, we need to band together to ensure the awareness of reusable textiles stays at the forefront. Whether it is healthcare, institutional, commercial or specialty linens, we all will be faced with the ongoing challenge of rebounding from depressed volumes, increased competition, environmental impact of the service we provide, or the next market disrupter we will be faced with.

“We will only get through this together, as an industry, supporting all facets of it.” ALN

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Independent laundries benefit from nationwide partnerships

COMPILED BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

Ringo Starr first sang those words with The Beatles in 1967, and today the sentiment rings true more than ever.

We all need friends, and we all need help from friends to get by.

How does that relate to laundry and linen services? For independent operators, it pays to have a network of support from “friendly competitors.”

For some operators, that support comes from nationwide partnerships they’ve entered into with other independent laundries.

This article examines two such partnerships, each with a different focus.

First, Randy Bartsch, CEO of Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service, shares how the Healthcare Linen Alliance (HLA) provides support, education and tactical alignments to its laundry operator members.

That’s followed by a look at how CSCNetwork provides independent operators enhanced buying power and more, shared by Ryan Sedlacek, marketing manager for the network.

HEALTHCARE LINEN ALLIANCE

In 2016, five leading regional healthcare linen service providers founded the Healthcare Linen Alliance. As an alliance of healthcare laundry companies, collectively the HLA is among the very largest hospital laundry operators in the United States and Canada.

Together, HLA leads the charge for excellence in linen and laundry services. Committed to the highest standards of linen cleanliness, order fill rates and on-time deliveries, the HLA provides high-performance “local” service programs. The HLA works with its client hospitals to

drive down overall laundry program costs by focusing on product selection, utilization, education and ongoing support.

Today, HLA members operate 27 healthcare linen processing plants serving more than 2,100 hospitals, medical facilities and health systems in the United States and Canada. The Alliance covers all or part of 28 states and several provinces in Canada, processing more than 750 million pounds of healthcare laundry a year.

The scope of the HLA program continues to grow through organic sales, new members and acquisitions by its current members.

The HLA offers many benefits to its member laundries. The Alliance provides a C-level support network through monthly conference calls updating on strategy, business development and staying current on events affecting our industry.

Regular in-person meetings, usually twice a year and combined with another trade association’s event, provide tactical alignment and allowing members to focus on our business strategies for improved performance.

Each HLA member is independent and brings an “owner’s touch” to the group. The HLA uses the adage “seeking synergy by doing things together we can’t do as well individually” as its “North Star.”

“This was especially important as our members supported each other with the onset of the COVID pandemic,” says Rick Gaffney, HLA’s director of Business Development. “We are always talking about best practices among our members and how we can improve quality and operating efficiencies.

“We work collaboratively on sales strategy and how to best serve regional and national prospective healthcare customers and health systems.”

This includes strategies to help each other understand how best to expand services and programs for existing customers with new innovative products and services, such as the use of reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) items and cover garments.

In 2019, the HLA experienced strong growth and its member companies had great momentum heading into 2020. Then the pandemic happened, with everyone affected and topline revenues impacted. By working together and supporting each other, HLA members addressed opportunities to be of greater value to their customers through a difficult period.

By sharing and learning from each other HLA members have mostly recovered from those tough times back in the spring of 2020.

“We are excited as a group about the growth prospects for

2021 and beyond,” Gaffney says.

The Alliance is continuing to invest in new equipment, technology and expanding its facilities and coverage.

Using the specialized knowledge of years in the industry, HLA members can bring innovative solutions and ideas to help their customers meet the changing demands of healthcare. With this experience, the HLA has been able to address increased cost pressures as well as concerns about business continuity, assurance of supply, and infection control.

HLA members support their customers to achieve better clinical outcomes through best practices in linen handling, innovative products and improved infection prevention.

The Alliance has taken a longterm view with its customer relationships and has been able to offer fair pricing programs that are transparent and all-inclusive, providing hospitals with the lowest overall cost.

With a progressive, innovative, and focused approach to customer service supported by dedicated and knowledgeable management teams, the HLA delivers highperformance laundry and linen programs.

The HLA offers a strong, national presence and can cover a growing number of customer locations, meeting health system requirements for linen quality and consistent service. The Alliance follows all guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

HLA production facilities and processes have been reviewed

and meet or exceed the standards established by the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC), and TRSA’s Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification.

The HLA provides a comprehensive range of linens, laundry, reusable PPE and reusable surgical linen programs, as well as linen management, textiles, logistics and distribution services to healthcare customers, large hospitals, medical clinics and other commercial accounts.

Alliance members remain independent, privately owned and operated businesses with years of experience. All HLA members are actively engaged in their businesses, and as local, or regional owner-operators they have a reputation of keeping the commitments they make.

The HLA continues to increase its service reach and expand its national coverage.

Gaffney says, “Our Alliance members have been successful in building their book of business by acquiring new customers. In addition, through the sharing of ideas and learnings, each member has improved their bottom-line.”

The Alliance is open to potential new members that share the common values and goals of the group, add value and are willing to work to strengthen the group’s overall objectives.

CSCNETWORK

The goal and purpose of CSCNetwork is to help independent textile rental companies gain competitive advantages by increasing their purchasing power and strengthening their resources.

CSCNetwork is more than a

Together, operations are ‘seeking synergy by doing things together we can’t do as well individually’

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Bartsch

buying group and association. CSC, a resource for any independently owned and operated linen or industrial laundry, can compete more effectively. We work with select vendors to obtain the best products, services, and pricing our industry has to offer.

CSC also provides industry training to help members continue education, networking opportunities and marketing support to help our members compete more effectively in local markets and network for multilocation account sales throughout the nation.

CSCNetwork began as a cooperative in 1979 under the name Central States Corporation. After six years of growth, the corporation evolved into a stock company in 1985.

Following another six years of growth, CSC hired a full-time administrative manager to oversee the operation. This role was complemented by the addition of a marketing director in 1997, by which time CSC had truly become a buying group with national reach and influence.

To reflect this growth and new sense of identity, the name was changed to CSCNetwork. Since then, we have grown to become the nation’s largest group of independent launderers, serving more than 180 companies and more than 90 suppliers.

Members join due to our purchasing power and the educational training we offer. CSCNetwork members receive discounts from the industry suppliers. Our combined member volume allows us to negotiate deeper discounts than most buying groups.

All discounts and rebates offered by suppliers go directly to our members. More than $3 million in rebates are typically paid out each year, and these rebates are paid directly to our members, not CSC.

CSC offers more than 20 educational events a year on topics such as sales and marketing, leadership, management, strategy and optimization of service and production, along with human resource sessions. These include webinars, in-person sessions and smaller groups.

Also, CSC hosts an Annual Convention every March, allowing members and suppliers to come together for two days of training, networking and exhibits.

Being part of the largest group of independent textile rental companies in the country means you’re never alone. CSCNetwork stands behind you with everything from industry insights to deep discounts and rebates. Beyond cost savings, our ongoing evaluations of suppliers guarantee that you’re getting the highest quality products and services, saving you time and money.

Locally owned businesses are the backbone of our country. CSCNetwork’s mission is to make it so that independently owned textile rental companies can compete on a level playing field with national chains.

Independent uniform and linen rental companies are mostly familyowned businesses that built strong relationships with local customers by providing a high service level. CSC is here to demonstrate that there are many advantages to

working with a locally owned and operated uniform company:

• Independent companies only make decisions that benefit their customers and employees, not corporate shareholders.

• Fewer layers of management allow for quicker decisionmaking and more attentive responses to customers.

• Fewer facilities to maintain allows for early adoption of the latest technologies for a smaller initial investment.

• A family-focused work culture typically creates happier employees, which leads to more

satisfied customers.

The textile rental industry was hit hard during the pandemic, but being an essential industry meant our members had to find ways to continue to service their customers. CSC’s goal was to help members at every turn.

We worked with suppliers to relay information regarding PPE stock, offered various webinars from human resources to legal and sales ideas, and hosted virtual networking sessions so members could share experiences and advice.

We are so proud of how our

industry was able to quickly adapt to provide these necessary services during such uncertain times.

Joining a purchasing association such as CSCNetwork means you become part of the nation’s largest network of independent textile rental companies. The purchasing power you receive will enable you to compete with national competitors.

Our training and events provide valuable education and an opportunity to connect with other members to share successes, challenges and collaborate with others from across the country. ALN

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Recruiting, hiring as business increases, pandemic continues

out to several people for “current” input regarding this subject matter.

It is important to understand that the hiring process is a marketing opportunity for your company. It is, in essence, an interview for your company and the potential employee.

experience a COVID-19 event.

Hiring personnel will be a challenge during these unprecedented times but not impossible.

Being clear and transparent in your communication when you put out an ad is a great start. If you can be as descriptive as possible in your ad, it helps applicants understand the expectations of the position.

Discuss pandemic concerns and protocols with applicants so they are aware of what the company has in place for staff.

At times, you can call temp agencies that deal specifically with your industry personnel. Local colleges have students looking for part-time and sometimes fulltime work at different times of the year.

If you can also connect with a nearby hospital or hotel, that helps as well. When you create relationships with these local companies, if they have overflow and do not need anyone, they can send you applications they may have for potential candidates.

Placing ads in the local papers, offering sign-on bonuses to new hires and referral bonuses for existing staff are also good ways to recruit people during the pandemic.

At Standard Textile, we used the downtime during COVID19 to elevate and evaluate our recruiting practices. We increased training in diversity and inclusion for hiring managers.

An example would be topics on bias. It is important to recognize your (own) bias in the hiring process. The “blind” resume process of using no names is a consideration for the first round of reviews.

Additionally, Standard Textile has committed separate and distinct Paid Time Off hours to support employees in the event they

In our laundry industry, it has become more difficult to find employees and employee resources. Resources still to be utilized would include local agencies that connect you to the diversity of your community. This would include the unemployment office, temporary services, online soliciting through LinkedIn and advertising.

Your internal resources are still your biggest assets for recruitment.

With the pandemic still being a concern, during the interview process your company should be able to demonstrate its commitment to safety protocols that will make candidates feel comfortable and garner trust. Simply put, demonstrate how you will keep them safe.

Sharing the concept of personal protective equipment (PPE) and how you use PPE (masks,

gowns, covers, shields, etc.), your cleaning procedures, testing of employees (for daily health), air exchanges and filtrations all come to mind.

Acknowledging competition from other service industries is okay, but make sure you accentuate your company’s assets. Our laundry business models generally offer a sense of recession-proof job stability, fixed hours, flexible schedules, benefits, on-the-job training, enhancement training, diversity, retirement planning and many times childcare assistance by way of partnerships with local providers.

A few years ago, as Standard Textile was expanding its workforce in other areas of the country, we had to reconsider our stance on hiring staff that are smokers. Generally, our employees commit to not smoking.

While our policy was about

health, areas of the country and staff that we inherited (purchasing our USA manufacturing plants in Augusta and Thomaston, Georgia), caused us to make some concessions. This was about the hiring process being adjusted to accommodate.

There is a heightened need to be creative in your efforts to attract talent. It is not all about money. It is about benefits, scheduling, resources you have access to and your ability to demonstrate caring.

The loyalty index for new employees is “different.” New employees are not always looking for a lifetime career but maybe just a bridge for a year or so. It is an opportunity for your company to turn recruitment and hiring into retention.

Thanks to my contributors, who included Jada Landrum and Jessica Von Dienes Oeln from our Standard Textile human resources team and Robert Pfeifer-GM at North Grand River Co-op in Lansing, Michigan.

Recruiting and hiring talent has always been one of the toughest parts of managing. While recruiting during good times is a challenge, pandemic hiring of staff is tougher. Hiring the right staff is as much art as it is science/ analytics.

To deal with the risk of my thoughts being dated, I reached

If you’re waiting for the perfect time to recruit, you’ve probably waited too long. Recruiting should never stop. Perhaps it needs to ramp up, but it never stops.

A long-time human resources (HR) manager in our industry helped by reminding me that every time you encounter a person, whether at the grocery store, restaurant or church, they may be a future candidate for employment. It’s best to be looking for good employees than to have mediocre ones come to you.

Our VP even went as far as to print cards out that essentially said, “You’ve impressed me, and I hope that if you’re looking for work, you would apply at our company.”

Now that said, if recruiting hasn’t been bringing them in, you still need to hire when the demand hits and there’s a path to

“My operation is finally starting to see an increase in business, so now I need staff. What recommendations do you have for recruiting/ hiring with the pandemic still being a concern?”

Long-Term Care Laundry

Monique C. Walker

Vi at Grayhawk, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Textiles

Cecil B. Lee Standard Textile, Cincinnati, Ohio

Equipment Manufacturing Charles Spencer G.A. Braun Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

make that happen quickly, but it usually comes at a price.

Most of us have used temporary agencies, and while they tend to be more expensive, they can give you a buffer when the work comes quickly and drops off quickly. That’s happening for many companies now. If you go this route, I recommend having a good and fair path toward hiring quality individuals directly when the spike in demand transitions to longterm growth. That needs to be clear and, in a contract, upfront.

Temporary agencies also take the pressure off your HR department, which in many cases are now working remotely or even alternating days in and out of the plant to meet some state requirements.

Another avenue that some may not have considered is workrelease programs. I’ve found in life, and in work, that good people deserve a second chance. From my experience, you can find people who need to work and who need good order and discipline. That is something your company could/should be able to provide.

In return, they get the money needed to pay restitution and/or the opportunity to get back on their feet. You could win a longterm, quality employee this way.

Perhaps the most rewarding and reliable hires come from those in physically or mentally disabled work programs offered by some states or charitable organizations in your community.

Have you thought to look there?

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a group in my home state of Pennsylvania on a number of occasions, and when the work wasn’t quite something they could do at our factory, we were often able to send work to them and they would return it at an agreed-upon rate. They provided all the supervision and most of the training.

Last, but certainly not least, let your employees help you find new hires. Put the word out, and

often you’ll find team members giving you referrals for friends.

I was always excited when someone I considered to be a quality team member gave me a referral because I knew that this person knew our company well, and they had a good work ethic. It was a good bet that their friend had that potential, too.

doing serious pre-screening to ensure that it will be a good fit for the job.

We have also been fortunate that our employees have referred family members and friends to apply for jobs. This referral system usually works well, and the candidates generally have an idea about our business.

We are taking the time and energy to be very thoughtful about each hire and assessing specific production needs and hours with each hire.

I look forward to learning about other ideas for hiring during this uncertain time in our economy.

it today.

Benefits—Yes … they cost money, but I want you to think of it as an investment. You need them to attract good personnel.

Profit-sharing is a strong recommendation that we have made to many clients when it comes to paying it out, as everyone benefits. If you do take this approach, then you must give monthly progress updates, or your team members will lose confidence and lose focus on the prize.

not, how can you get to know your team members? Do you talk about safety in those reviews, much less performance?

You must openly talk about job satisfaction. Do not avoid this issue. Bring it up and lay it out. If there are reasonable objections, consider changes. Your team members on the floor, on the truck or in the office know a lot more than you do about day-today events. What better source of feedback do you have?

It is both an exciting and anxious time as we are seeing an increase in business and we are all cautiously optimistic as we rebuild our workforce.

A year ago, we had the unpleasant experience of laying off 50% of our employees in a week. At the time, we thought it was a temporary remedy, but a year later we are just beginning to see signs of increased volume and the need for more employees.

Over the past six months, we have re-hired a handful of employees but now are needing to look beyond the former employee pool for candidates. Many former employees have moved out of the area, are collecting unemployment or have officially retired and are not interested in returning to our industry.

Much has changed in our business model as well, and we have taken the opportunity to improve our employee expectations, training and production schedules.

We are being very strategic in how we staff our machines to meet the customer demands. We are expecting our employees to work on all machines and to maintain specific production goals.

We have noticed an uptick in people coming into the office and asking for applications but are

Good day, ALN Readers. Yes, COVID-19 in many ways has been in the rear-view mirror for a while. Restrictions have been lifted in many states, and we are beginning to see the best numbers that we have seen in quite a while.

So, let us begin to really plan for the post-pandemic days, and prepare for what will be different, and what will be needed. Let us deal with the process of hiring, HR, your work environment and affecting a more permanent solution to the needs of your business and the industry.

Wages—Are you paying a fair and livable wage? Performance Matters is encouraging many of our clients to assess this and act during COVID-19. The pool of talent was large and, let us face it, our industry is a staple to the health of our country.

The day of low wages and sweat labor is over. Let us not wait for the government to dictate wages but do it ourselves and do

Your Work Environment—Is it workable? Cool in the summer and toasty in the winter? Are bathrooms spotless and equipped? Do you empower your team members to keep their own areas tidy? Do you provide small rewards for the cleanest sector of your operation? Again, think of investment, not a cost or expense. Change the mentality and hohum of the daily grind.

Personality Testing—A Predictive Index (PI) is an inexpensive way of ensuring you increase the odds of hiring a fit. The cost of an annual PI subscription is less than the cost of one turnover. How is that? Turnover creates holes in the operation, overtime to cover those holes and inefficiencies associated with losing a quality employee as well as quality/safety issues.

All added together, the cost of turnover is potentially in the tens of thousands, depending upon the job function.

Interviewing—Do you know how to interview? Do your line managers know how to interview? Do you perform an interview from a script or wing it? Do you get a second opinion? Do you then compare notes and look at your PI results before deciding? Do you do a job trial and pay the individual for their day of work?

If you answered no to any of these questions, then you, in my view, have work to do.

Ongoing Reviews—Once hired, do you do a 30-day, 90-day, 180-day and 365-day review? If

There is so much more, but get on with it, my friends. Make COVID-19 the reason you change your way of doing business if you have not done so already.

These are some of the tools I would use to hire staff for increased business.

Indeed, or any recruiting site you prefer, is always a place to start.

HHS, the company I am employed through, its corporate recruiting department supplied recruiting during the pandemic for our specific area. I have seen this tool utilized and great success was achieved.

Print and distribute flyers. Post them in your local area, as well as in the surrounding areas. I would also suggest posting them in such places as Laundromats and small convenience stores in the area.

Signs. I have seen large signs created and posted near the road in front of facilities. I would also post signs in hot-spot areas in the vicinity.

Another great idea I would use is a bonus incentive for current staff if they recruit a friend or colleague.

ALN

Commercial Laundry Phoebe Ellis

Lace House Linen, Petaluma, Calif.

Healthcare Laundry

Tammy Barrett

HHS Environmental Services, Bonita Springs, Fla.

Consulting Services

David Graham Performance Matters, Fort Mill, S.C.

Texcare 2021: Stay healthy, stay hopeful

FRANKFURT, Germany — Texcare International is scheduled to take place here Nov. 27-Dec. 1.

The event, organized by MesseFrankfurt, was originally scheduled for summer 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

While COVID-19 is still a concern, organizers are hopeful the event will take place this fall, working with industry leaders and authorities—and making contingency plans.

In this interview, Johannes SchmidWiedersheim, director of Texcare International, discusses the current booking status of the trade fair, the challenges facing the sector and the yearning for personal encounters.

The early-booking phase for exhibitors ended on Jan. 29. What is the current planning status?

Even we were surprised to see that more companies had registered before the end of the early-booking phase than at the same point in time before the postponed Texcare 2020. Hence, I can say that the most important companies from all textile-care product groups will be making presentations here again. This is a great result and gives us solid ground for optimism.

Also, I think it shows how much the sector wants personal encounters and an international exchange of ideas and information. There is a great desire among companies to meet good business partners again, to see technology in operation, to orientate themselves as a branch of industry and look to the future.

And, of course, companies that have been hit by the crisis are hoping for solid impulses for their business at a time when we are now hopefully gaining the

upper hand on the corona pandemic.

What is the mood in the sector from your point of view? What response have you had to Texcare International?

We see it reflected from all sides: 2020 was an extremely challenging year for the sector. The problems caused by the COVID-19 virus were great everywhere and led to some dramatic scenes in certain companies.

The slumps, especially in tourism, the hospitality sector and the private customer business, have been huge. And things are no different in the fair and exhibition business. Although it is not clear how long it will take until a semblance of normality returns and which trends will survive the crisis for any length of time, we do have the perspective of a significant upswing when the pandemic is over.

Despite short-time working, the turnover with workwear has declined somewhat less in many laundries. This also applies to flat linen for hospitals and care facilities where admission stops and the postponement of elective operations have had an impact.

At the same time, hygiene, supply certainty and sustainability in relation to the textile recycling economy have gained in importance so that, in the final analysis, the expertise and the experience of textile service providers is going to be more in demand than ever before.

What are the next steps until Texcare International?

Postponing Texcare has changed things somewhat. We are beginning with the exhibition-stand planning later than usual because the authorities have not yet issued

the exact regulations for holding safe events in the late autumn.

Nevertheless, we have prepared for several different scenarios and will undoubtedly be able to do everything necessary at that point in time. Moreover, admission control, visitor registration, enormous room volumes and high air-exchange rates are already features of events in Frankfurt, and things such as spacing and the use of tests can be implemented without difficulty.

At present, we are focusing primarily on the Texcare International program of events, the pivotal point of which is the Texcare Forum, which we are working on together with our partners, The German Dry Cleaning Association and VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies.

Naturally, one of the focal points is subjects that have gained momentum throughout the pandemic, such as digitalization, new-business development,

hygiene and sustainability. For my part, I am very interested to see how we look back on this time in a few years. I am sure that we will see numerous positive changes and how the creative ideas currently being developed will have a lasting impact on the sector.

To support the additional innovative thrust being generated by newcomers to the sector, we have decided to promote young companies with the introduction of a special start-up package at Texcare International.

Other events on the program include the World Textile Services Congress, which will be held during and after Texcare on Dec. 1 and 2, the Cinet Best Practices Awards on the first day of the fair and a special program for young professionals.

If everything works out, the travel situation will be almost back to normal by November 2021. However, at the moment, it is difficult to say exactly how normal this will be. What are you doing for visitors who cannot travel to Frankfurt for Texcare?

We firmly believe that travel and business activities within Europe, as well as with other commercial partners, will be largely possible by the end of November. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, it is important to take a positive view of the future and not just do nothing.

Last time, European visitors to Texcare accounted for 80% of the total and this has always been so. The number of visitors from further afield will depend primarily on the vaccination situation and, in this case, too, many countries around the world are making good progress on inoculating their citizens.

If we take a global view and consider our other textile-care trade fairs, a certain continental focus is to be expected in the immediate future. For example, Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo worked very well for the Chinese market last autumn, and this development is very likely to continue with the Clean Show 2022 for the continent of America.

Naturally, we want Texcare to retain its character as the leading international trade fair for the sector, and we are therefore working flat-out on concepts that will enable overseas visitors to attend the fair on a purely digital basis. Very important in this connection is that we succeed in communicating the innovative nature of the fair.

But what if the epidemiologic conditions mean the fair has to be canceled?

Unfortunately, nobody has a crystal ball that can accurately predict what is going to happen. We are in constant contact with the sector and will find a solution for such a situation.

Nevertheless, two things are certain. Firstly, textiles have to be cleaned and laundered, and we want to be the sector’s partner to facilitate live interaction. And, secondly, digital events cannot replace people’s desire for personal encounters. The past year has left no doubt about this.

Accordingly, my team and I are working hard on making safe personal encounters possible for the sector. And I am looking forward to welcoming exhibitors and visitors to Frankfurt for Texcare International.

Until then: stay healthy and, above all, hopeful.

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH/Jens Liebchen)

Director says, ‘The sector wants personal encounters and an international exchange of ideas and information’

Wiedersheim

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH/Jens Liebchen)

COVID-19: Global research shows wash-process effectiveness

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The prolonged outbreak of COVID19 worldwide has created a need within the various sectors of the linen, uniform and facility services industry for information on the stability and survival of SARS-CoV-2 not only on various surfaces, but also its ability to survive the wash process.

TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services, recently partnered with the Textile Services Association-UK, the European Textile Services Association (ETSA) and several other European national associations on a research project to gather this information. De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, England, carried out the study.

In a summary of the research, TSA-UK notes, “The conclusion is that it is generally good news for those who are involved with hygiene and cleanliness in textiles. Virtually all wash processes, with potentially the exception of low-temperature domestic washing, will effectively eliminate any infection risk caused by coronavirus.

“However, other pathogens such as C. difficile, B. cereus, E. faecium, etc. will still require thermal disinfection. The outcome of the research points out that coronavirus does not pose an additional risk that would have required higher temperature wash processes.”

The report acknowledges contamination control and soiled

linen management processes as critical considerations.

‘‘It is essential that the processing sites are well equipped to manage the risks of cross-contamination and have adequate procedures and practices in place,” explains TSA-UK.

“The fabrics potentially contaminated with the virus should be managed within a controlled environment where the segregation of soiled linen is well managed. This should eliminate the potential for recontamination of clean linen, surfaces and equipment.

“The risk is highest with 100% polyester fabric, which is likely to include some nurses’ uniforms, gowns, drapes, furnishings, curtains, etc.’’

The first phase of the DMU study included a literature review, which highlighted a lack of common knowledge about the virus and how it interacts with textiles in the wash process.

Next, DMU developed a detailed project scope to look at the survival of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on several commonly used textiles, and then a review of washing parameters including dilution, agitation, heat and detergents. While the research paper is currently undergoing peer review, there were several key takeaways from the preliminary version of the study.

Survivability of the virus on common fabric types:

1. The tested strain of coronavirus (HCoV-OC43) remained

infectious on polyester fabric for at least 72 hours, 100% cotton for 24 hours and a blended polycotton (50/50) for six hours.

2. The virus was demonstrated to transfer to other surfaces from polyester fabric for up to 72 hours, suggesting that textiles may pose a fomite transmission risk within the healthcare and domestic environments.

Survivability of the virus in various wash parameters:

1. Model coronaviruses can remain infectious in water alone at temperatures up to 140 F for 10 minutes.

2. Traces of the viruses were found after laundering in a washing machine at ambient temperature in the presence of interfering substances (artificial saliva).

3. When agitation, temperature and detergent are combined, no trace was found at 104 F and above.

Linen, uniform and facility services industry subject-matter experts contacted by TRSA noted that the overwhelming majority of textile goods processed are blended polycotton fabrics.

“When the pandemic first started, there was very little understanding of how long coronavirus could survive on textiles,” says Dr. Katie Laird, head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at DMU.

“Our findings show that three of the most commonly used tex-

tiles in healthcare pose a risk for transmission of the virus. If nurses and healthcare workers take their uniforms home, they could be leaving traces of the virus on other surfaces.”

Results validate initial (March 2020) TRSA guidance to linen, uniform and facility services providers for all business sectors (F&B, healthcare, hospitality, industrial) that called for the use of laundry-related portions of the World Health Organization (WHO) guide to controlling epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute-respiratory infections.

Such WHO terminology, directed at healthcare personnel, TRSA reasoned, applies to all outsourced laundries’ production and service teams. Recommended practices included:

• Placing all soiled textiles directly into containers or bags with minimal manipulation or agitation to avoid contamination of air, surfaces and people.

• Washing and drying according to routine standards and procedures. For hot-water laundry cycles, detergent or disinfectant in water at 160 F for at least 25 minutes. For lower temperatures, chemicals suitable for low-temperature washing when used at the proper concentration.

• In packing and transporting, containing soiled textiles in a manner that prevents containers or bags from opening or bursting during transport.

• Ensuring personnel handling soiled linen and equipment and waste use standard precautions—assuming all they touch is COVIDinfected—and perform hand hygiene after removing their personal protective equipment (PPE).

On a March 11, 2020, in a TRSA webinar titled “Coronavirus/ COVID-19: Communication Tools for Your Customers, Employees and Leadership Teams,” guest speaker Murray Cohen, a retired U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist, discussed how long the virus could last on textile goods.

“People who create guidelines always add safety measures; they say six to 12 hours,” Cohen said. “From the data I’ve seen, it’s really six hours. In laboratory settings, they have been able to recover the virus from porous surfaces, up to, but not past, six hours. Essentially what’s happening is the virus is drying out.

“Packaged in soiled linen bags, there might be an exception there, because if it’s wet, it may not be fully dried out. A safe bet on wet linen would be 12 hours and then it would not be a risk anymore.”

Upon completion of the peerreview process, publication of the research will follow in the next few months. The research will appear in an open-access journal that will make the findings accessible to a wide audience. ALN

Historic hotel outsmarts limited laundry space

Aggressive plan swaps old ironer with two new ones … maintaining ambiance without disturbing guests

BY MICHALA DINKLE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — While the world was largely distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Mosele saw an opportunity to sharpen his focus and keep Amway Grand Plaza at the top of its industry.

Mosele, the director of Engineering at the Hilton property, realized that the hotel’s laundry facility would benefit from more efficiency and reliability. The existing ironer was underperforming on quality and production and did not offer the redundancy the property needed.

“The Amway Grand Plaza has an impressive amount of food and beverage outlets, which include big names like Ruth’s Chris and Wolfgang Pucks,” says Mosele. “So, we need a laundry operating system with significant redundancy that not only passes our standards, but also passes our partners’ standards.”

To solve this problem, Mosele connected with Kyle Zabrin of Equipment International, an industrial laundry provider that services Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Mosele knew that this would be a challenging project. The five-star hotel maintains its 1916 details, including a smaller laundry space that was the norm over a century ago. Mosele was a bit apprehensive. However, his concerns didn’t last long.

“Very quickly, it became obvious to me that Kyle really understood our desire to get as much out of our laundry space as possible, and that he would work with us to make sure we got exactly

what we needed,” he says.

“Equipment International worked to prevent and alleviate any of our concerns up front by providing us with options.”

Of the options presented to Mosele, he chose to go with the installation of two new ironers. Given the limited space, this meant that both of the new ironers had to fit into the small space where only one originally sat.

Mosele entrusted Matt Walker, Equipment International’s director of Technical Services, with guaranteeing that the renovation did not disturb Amway Grand Plaza guests. The timeline was aggressive.

Existing laundry service was outsourced for the duration of the project. Labor was scheduled for the early hours of the morning and the late hours of the evening. From HVAC services to new lighting and ceiling tiles, every detail was orchestrated to maintain the property’s ambiance.

Recognized by the Historic Hotels of America, Amway Grand Plaza was designed during a time when egress was rarely a concern.

Swapping the old ironer for two new ironers required inventive rigging solutions and disassembling and reassembling a majority of the equipment to fit it through the side of the 29-story glass tower hotel.

The installation of the new ironing lines included a Chicago Dryer King Edge spreader feeder, an Imperial 232 136-inch ironer and a Skyline S-16 folder. The small-piece line also has a Rapid Feed, an Imperial 48 136-inch ironer and an S-12 with a rotary accumulator.

All of the equipment has the ability to synchronize speed for a smooth process with no bottlenecks. This combination of equipment also makes smart use of space, with the Imperial Ironer taking up one-third less floor space than traditional sideby-side alternatives.

One of the new ironing lines was dedicated to sheets while the other was dedicated to small pieces and food and beverage linens. Though they each serve a unique purpose most of the time, if one goes down, the other can cover the workload.

Amway Grand Plaza was pleased to have a fully redundant laundry system.

The company quickly noticed other benefits, too, such as increased throughput and decreased manual labor—thanks to cornerless feeding capability. They also observed heightened quality, due to the fully automatic operation of the folder.

The improved ergonomics and caliber satisfied the needs of Amway Grand Plaza’s housekeeping, management and engineering.

“I was surprised by the

great service they [Equipment International] were able to provide to an out-of-state account,” Mosele comments on the after-care of the Midwest laundry distributor. “They reacted like their shop was right down the street.

“It truly was a great experience. They provided all professional installers and service techs. What we needed is exactly what we received.” ALN

Michala Dinkle is with The Maximum Yield.

The Amyway Grand Plaza opened in 1916, when laundry spaces were smaller—and egress was rarely a concern—making modern finishing equipment upgrades challenging. (Photos: Equipment International)

Equipment International proceeds with installation of a Chicago Dryer Imperial flatwork ironer.

ABOVE: Installation of an Imperial flatwork ironer nears completion. BELOW: The Amway Grand Plaza’s new Chicago Dryer King Edge spreader feeder.

Westport

JACKSON, Miss. — Healthcare laundry company Westport Linen Services is locating operations in Greenville, Mississippi, according to a press release from the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA).

The project is a $5.8 million corporate investment and will create 75 new jobs and retain 75 existing jobs.

Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Westport Linen purchased Broadway Linen Services in Greenville and will modernize the facility with three new manufacturing lines, allowing the company to process larger volumes of healthcare linens.

The Greenville location also allows for greater optimization of Westport Linen’s supply chain network, reaching into Arkansas, northern Alabama and southwest Tennessee.

Westport Linen currently serves the healthcare industries in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas through three modern plants, which combined are capable of processing more than

Services locating healthcare laundry operations in Greenville

82 million pounds of healthcare linens per year.

“We are extremely excited and fortunate to work with the city of Greenville, Washington County and the Mississippi Development Authority,” says Westport Linen CEO and Founding Member Eddie Lefeaux.

“Our commitment is in creating a consistent job base that allows the employees to grow and excel in all facets of their careers. Our investment in technology and the latest equipment will ensure that we are here for the long term. Our clients will soon see that reliability and dependability with our products and services.”

“This year has gotten off to a great start in terms of job creation, and I am proud to announce even more jobs heading to our great state by way of Westport Linen,” Gov. Tate Reeves says.

“The company’s decision to retain 75 existing jobs in Greenville in addition to creating 75 new jobs is more great news as job retention also is crit-

ical to sustaining and building stronger communities. I thank the Westport Linen team for its investment in the Mississippi Delta and the region’s workforce.”

“The Mississippi Delta has great capacity for continued economic growth, and Westport Linen’s new Greenville operations serve as another strong testament of Mississippi’s economic development partnerships working together to bring viable job opportunities to the region’s workforce,” says MDA Executive Director John Rounsaville.

“MDA appreciates the teams at the Washington County Economic Alliance, Greenville City Council and the Washington County Board of Supervisors for their hard work in bringing 75 new jobs to the people of Greenville and Washington County. They will have a strong positive impact on the entire Delta Region for years to come.”

MDA is providing assistance for workforce training. Westport Linen also qualifies for the Growth and Prosperity Program,

which designates specific counties as GAP counties and provides income, franchise, sales and property tax incentives to companies that locate or expand in these areas of Mississippi. The program is designed to encourage development in economically challenged areas of the state.

“As we look to 2021 as a dynamic year, there is no better way to start than the announcement of a project such as this one with Westport Linen,” says Washington County Economic Alliance Executive Director Will Coppage.

“With Westport Linen choosing a new home in Greenville and Washington County, we have new investment dollars and new jobs. We are a community of growth, and I want to thank all that made this project a reality.”

“Westport Linen’s $5.8 million investment with 75 jobs adds to over $200 million in local, state and federal investments announced during this administration,” says Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons.

“This investment corresponds to the city’s emphasis on business retention and growth of its existing companies, even with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Washington County Economic Alliance, Greenville City Council, Washington County Board of Supervisors, and other local, regional and state stakeholders who assisted with this project.”

Westport Linen began operations in Greenville in December and plans to begin making improvements to the facility in the near future. ALN

Extractor

Laundry Insurance Needs and Coverage

Optimizing

Mississippi Development Authority says investment will create 75 new jobs, retain 75 jobs in area

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

Track Career

UNX hires Tampa territory manager

GREENVILLE, N.C. — UNX Industries Inc., a chemical manufacturer based here, reports that it has hired Kevin Peterson as a territory manager.

The company says he will be serving customers in the greater Tampa, Florida, area.

Peterson has more than 20 years of industry experience on both the manufacturer and distributor sides of the business.

Before joining UNX, he was general sales manager at West Florida Supply Co. in Sarasota.

UNX says Peterson is a lifelong learner, and he uses that quality to benefit himself both personally and professionally.

In his free time, he golfs, goes out on the water with his family, and searches for new sports memorabilia to add to his collection.

Gurtler hires two market development managers

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. — Gurtler Industries Inc. reports it has hired Mark Swain and Adrian Taylor for its market development department.

Swain re-joined Gurtler in September and is a manager of Market Development in the Northeast. He brings with him 30-plus years of experience in the laundry industry.

Taylor joined Gurtler in January and will be manager of Market Development in the Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico areas. He has four years of experience in the laundry industry.

Gurtler Industries Inc. is a manufacturer of advanced detergents and specialty chemicals for the commercial laundry industry. A privately held, family-owned and -operated business, Gurtler has grown into one of the largest specialists in the laundry chemical supply indus-

try, offering a full line of laundry processing chemicals, injection systems and personalized service across the nation.

Schult promoted to executive

of Kannegiesser ETECH

MINNEAPOLIS — Kannegiesser ETECH reports that Tony Schult took over operations effective Feb. 1, becoming executive vice president.

“Tony Schult has a unique combination of skills, experiences and vision for the future that make him uniquely qualified to join the leadership team at Kannegiesser ETECH,” says Phil Hart, president and CEO.

For 17 years, Schult has worked in many areas of Kannegiesser ETECH, which gives him a well-rounded wealth of experience moving into this new role, the company says.

He pioneered the development of the company’s Systems Performance Team, which is designed to provide the best service to customers. The company says he also played a vital role in merging and designing the company structure of the E-Tech and Kannegiesser teams when the two companies came together four years ago.

Schult comes into this new role with a focus on providing the very best solutions and services to the industry.

“I look forward to this opportunity working alongside our leadership team and everyone else at Kannegiesser ETECH to help streamline operations to provide the very best products, services and solutions for our customers,” says Schult.

“As our industry continues to evolve, our company will grow and evolve with it to meet the needs of our customers,” says Hart. “This will give opportunities for internal growth and career advancement within the company. Our Core Values continue to drive our strategic vision and our decision-making.”

Joe Schult, currently Kannegiesser ETECH’s COO, will continue to work with

Schult and the North American leadership team and as an advisor for the business.

“I’m very excited for Tony,” he says. “He is a great leader and will do great in this new position.

“I’m also excited to move into an advisory role with the company. This will open up opportunities for advancement and will put Kannegiesser ETECH in a great position moving into the future. My new role will allow me to use my 30 years of experience to provide focused help and support where needed.”

“It is a privilege to work with Tony, Joe and all of the almost 1,800 colleagues within the global Kannegiesser organization,” shares Hart. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together with our customers and industry partners thus far and are optimistic for the future of the textile services business.”

Pellerin Milnor names new applications engineering manager

KENNER, La. — Pellerin Milnor Corp. reports it has named Damian Manning as its new Application Engineering Department (AED) manager. His duties will now include leading the AED team as they support and assist the Milnor dealer network.

Manning began his career with Milnor in 2013 as an AED project manager after graduating from Southeastern Louisiana University. The company says his degree in Industrial Technology paired with his double concentration in Automated Systems and Supervision have helped Manning succeed in his role.

He was also certified as a Professional Laundry Manager upon completing TRSA’s Production Management Institute.

Manning says his goal as manager is to implement new project

design strategies that will benefit the company’s dealer network as well as improve product performance and expand industry knowledge within the department.

Spradley joins Leonard Automatics North America

DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Automatics, a manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment, reports that it has added Robert Spradley to its North America team as Western regional sales manager.

Spradley has provided sales and service as well as engineering support to the textile, garment manufacturing and laundry industries for more than 30 years.

“We are fortunate to have the skills that Robert brings to our team and we look forward to him supporting the Western region,” says Dan Farnsworth, vice president of Sales.

Spradley joined Leonard Automatics in 2011 as a field service engineer, installing and supporting the Leonard line of equipment.

In 2017, he was promoted to the international sales team where he would quickly become the director of International Sales.

Over the past four years, the company says sales have grown throughout Asia and the Middle East and into other areas of the world within the garment manufacturing, garment distribution and laundry industries.

TRSA adds to liaison, certification staff

ALEXANDRIA — TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services, reports that it has hired industry veteran Alan Maness as an industry liaison to serve its membership and Samlane Ketevong to lead its certification programs.

Maness, a former Milliken executive, began his role at the association on March 1.

In his new role, Maness will serve as the staff liaison to the Safety Committee and the F&B/ Hospitality Committee. He also will review the curriculum and help select faculty for TRSA’s Professional Management Institute (PMI) and Maintenance Management Institute (MMI), and work with a task force of

subject-matter experts to identify and develop test questions and self-study materials for TRSA’s Maintenance Manager certification program.

Maness also will assist in membership development and retention, as well as facilitating relationships with operators, supplier partners, and other associations and organizations to increase engagement and expand membership.

Maness recently retired after a 44-year career spanning textile manufacturing, human resources, sales and marketing. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ketevong joins the association’s staff in the newly created role of senior director of certification and accreditation, leading TRSA’s family of certification programs, including Clean Green, Hygienically Clean and individual certification programs such as the Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM), among others.

In this role, Ketevong will direct and oversee the process for certification and recertification, while also facilitating and implementing strategic goals for each certification program, including annual operational plans and three to five-year goals.

She will confer with subjectmatter experts for regular standards development and revisions, inspection programs, exam development, self-study materials and professional testing.

Additionally, Ketevong will ensure that all TRSA certification programs comply with policies and procedures related to accreditation and lead efforts to achieve status as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards-development organization. Ketevong will report directly to TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci.

She comes to TRSA with more than 15 years of experience running credentialing programs, interacting with subject-matter experts and accrediting institutions, as well as managing events.

VP

Peterson

Manning

Swain

Spradley

Taylor

Hart

Tony Schult

Joe Schult

Maness

Ketevong

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Bates Troy joins in AHA Wear Red Day

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Bates Troy Inc., a healthcare linen, dry cleaning and tailoring, and fire and water restoration company based here, reports its management team once more donned red Feb. 5 for the American Heart Association’s (AHA) National Wear Red Day®.

The day calls attention to the nation’s No. 1 health threat for women—cardiovascular disease. according to the AHA’s newly released 2021 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics, cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer of women in the United States.

Bates Troy Inc. says it has been a proud sponsor and supporter of the AHA for more than a decade. As part of its sponsorship, the company has been cutting the starting line ribbon for the annual Heart Walk in Broome County, New York.

“We chose to support the Heart Walk because heart disease and stroke affect so many people in our families, community and country,” says Brian Kradjian, president and CEO of Bates Troy.

“The Heart Walk is a great event which incorporates all ages and is good, clean healthy fun that raises needed monies and promotes necessary awareness. Beyond this, there is meaningful education that occurs at AHA’s events throughout the year.”

In 2019, the Heart Walk drew more than 2,000 participants. As with most things, the Heart Walk has been affected by the COVID regulations so this year’s event will be held virtually on April 11.

Patrick Fendick, Bates Troy’s director of sales, has been on the Executive Leadership team for the local chapter of AHA for three years.

NOVO Health Services acquires Angelica Georgia plant

ATLANTA — NOVO Health Services, a regional provider of healthcare linen management services in the Eastern United States headquartered here, reports it has acquired a laundry processing facility in Rockmart, Georgia, from Angelica, effective Jan. 31.

The acquisition adds a 12th laundry facility and up to 60 million additional pounds of processing capacity to NOVO’s expanding network of facilities serving 19 states in the Southeast, the Northeast and the Midwest.

The Rockmart plant currently serves 150 healthcare facilities in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, which will experience complete continuity of services in a seamless transition over to NOVO, the company says.

“The acquisition of the Rockmart facility aligns with and extends our long-standing commitment to our core markets in the southeastern U.S.,” says Karl Fillip II, NOVO’s chief operating officer.

“Our reputation for high-quality and dependable services in linen management, that our customers have come to expect, is built upon a foundation of technologically driven solutions, delivered through our outstanding team of employees. This acquisition is a natural expansion of our regional footprint and we are delighted to be able to serve new customers in this region.”

NOVO Health Services offers linen management solutions to the healthcare industry. NOVO says it keenly focuses on safety and infection control and provides its partner hospitals with a value-driven linen management control system to eliminate excess internal costs. The company adds that its wide range of service programs offer a variety of options to provide a seamless, single-source distribution system.

NOVO’s regional healthcare linen facilities are HLACaccredited and operate with state-of-the-art processing equipment and processes. The company adds that it has earned a solid reputation for providing exceptional customer service for more than 30 years.

Alliance closes on purchase of California-based PWS Inc.

RIPON, Wis. — Alliance Laundry Systems, a manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment based here, closed on the purchase of the distribution assets of PWS Inc., the largest distributor of Speed Queen equipment and replacement parts in North America, March 1.

The company announced its agreement to purchase the assets on Feb. 24. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The teams at Alliance Laundry Systems and PWS did a fantastic job moving swiftly to finalize this deal and we appreciate their efforts,” says Rick Pyle, president and chief commercial officer of Alliance.

PWS’s route business was specifically excluded from the purchase agreement and will be sold separately to unaffiliated third-party buyers.

Also, PWS co-Presidents Brad Steinberg and Brad Pollack will remain in executive roles and continue to drive growth initiatives as part of Alliance Laundry Systems.

PWS has been in the commercial laundry business since 1968 with offices in Los Angeles, South San Francisco and San Diego.

Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, Crown Linen partner with Applied Silver

HAYWARD, Calif. — Applied Silver, which produces the antimicrobial textile treatment technology SilvaClean®, reports that it has partnered with Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, a beachfront health resort and luxury spa in Miami Beach, and Crown Linen, a commercial laundry facility headquartered in Miami.

“Carillon Miami has invested in state-of-the-art technology throughout the resort, in light of the current climate, to ensure our guests receive the utmost care while on property,” says Tammy Pahel, vice president of Spa and Wellness Operations at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort.

“We are proud to partner with Applied Silver to be the first resort to incorporate SilvaClean® into our housekeeping service and to treat all linens and laundry items with the revolutionary technology when preparing our accommodations for guests’ arrival and throughout their stay.”

Applied Silver and Carillon Miami Wellness Resort have pledged to work together to establish a new standard of cleanliness and guest experience in the hospitality industry. They will collaboratively present at Global Wellness Summits to educate on the importance of this innovative technology in the hotel and hospitality industry.

The company says Carillon Miami has a reputation as a center of excellence for innovative technology and is revered as a reference point for incorporating innovations that offer better, cleaner and safer experiences for guests and employees at their property.

By embracing new technologies and adapting to meet customer needs in the current climate, Applied Silver says Crown Linen has established itself as a trusted commercial laundry facility for hotels, resorts and spas across the states of Florida and Georgia.

It provides service to more than 180 hotels and 60,000 rooms by emphasizing four guiding principles: quality, reliability, cost reduction and customized service.

“We are excited to partner with Applied Silver to provide access for our customers to new technologies like SilvaClean that increase and improve the sanitation of linens and other launderable items,” says Pablo Lucchesi, managing partner at Crown Linen.

April

20-21

TRSA

HR, Health and Safety Summit

Alexandria, Va.

Info: 703-519-0029

29 Association for Linen Management Webinar: Exploring a Reusable Mattress Barrier Program Richmond, Ky. Info: 859-624-0177

May

16-21 Performance Matters Coaches Clinic Charlotte, N.C.

Info: 704-277-6857

19 American Laundry News Podcast: Meeting Hygienic & Sanitary Laundry Expectations Chicago, Ill. Info: 312-361-1700

June

29 Association for Linen Management Laundry & Linen College: Textile Care Services Richmond, Ky. Info: 859-624-0177

“Essential services such as those provided by Crown Linen are at the core of hotels providing the best guest experience,” says James Lake, Applied Silver’s head of Customer Integration and Success.

“Integration of SilvaClean into Crown Linen’s service allows them to immediately differentiate themselves by delivering a new standard of product to their customers and providing an added layer of protection for their staff in a seamless and cost-effective way.”

Applied Silver says the technology has proven to significantly elevate hygiene in the surrounding environment wherever it has been deployed, providing a safe environment for guests and visitors.

In addition to giving guests confidence in the industry, the company says SilvaClean also protects housekeeping staff, laundry staff and other industry personnel from the spread of harmful pathogens. The technology is already incorporated in infection control protocols at hospitals and in professional sports programs to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired

tions

infec-

and dangerous pathogens, like MRSA.

Standing (from left): Ed Arzouian, Compliance and Special Projects Manager; Levin Spence, Maintenance Supervisor; Ray Karleski, Chief Engineer; Renee Thorn, Account Analyst & Customer Service; Curt Moore, Plant Manager; Brian Kradjian, President and CEO; Ann Hobart, Accounting Manager, Patrick Fendick, Director of Sales, Joe Liparulo, General Manager; Vince Abbadessa, Master Dry Cleaner. Seated (from left): Jennifer Gerth, Billing Department; Mary Falank, Human Resources Manager, Bobbie Miller, Group Lead. (Photo: Bates Troy Inc.)