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RICHMOND, Va. — Sylvia Small, production leader at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center (VAMC), knows laundry. She has, for the last 25 years, led a team of almost 40 employees responsible for washing, drying, folding and sorting linens and other items for the VAMC and other community partners.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that it has contracted with Western State Design, Hayward, Calif., for new laundry equipment for the medical center. The $7.8 million contract will provide a steamless system—the latest in design and first of its kind for a VA medical center—resulting in a more efficient, and energy-saving laundry, the VA says.

The Richmond VAMC on-premise laundry stays busy serving the medical center, Hampton VAMC, Ft. Lee, Fayetteville VAMC, Camp Perry, Ft. Eustis, and Langley Air Force Base. The new equipment will greatly enhance the laundry’s capacity and offer the medical center and community partners the opportunity for additional services, the VA says.

More than 4 million pounds of laundry is processed annually through the Richmond facility. Equipment has been maintained but as newer technologies became available, renovations became necessary.

Small has seen the increase in community partners utilizing the VAMC’s laundry service since starting there in 1987 and says she is looking forward to the new equipment. The features are expected to be installed, tested and in use by this fall.

“Our team is looking forward to the new laundry equipment that will allow us to produce even more,” she says.

MARIETTA, Ga. — Sustainability, efficiency, and the bottom line are on the minds of every business owner in the current economy. Laundry operations, whether on-premise laundries or linen services, are no exception.

Technology advances are significantly changing business operations and the way services are delivered in every sector. In laundry rooms, they are helping equipment to run smarter and even to contribute useful data to the decision-making process. Improvements in laundry operations are leading to reduced labor costs, increased productivity, maximized energy efficiency, lower utility costs and enhanced linen life. Here is how these evolving machines enable these cost centers to take up a smaller part of the operating budget, while ensuring that the overall operation runs smoothly.

GETTING A JUMP ON THE DAY

Typically, when laundry operators punch in, the first thing they do is load linens, uniforms or other washables into the machines, start them up, and then enter a 35- to 45-minute “dead” period waiting for the first loads. This is no way to start the morning.

Thanks to an advanced-start function engineered into newer washer-extractors, today’s laundry crew could be greeted in the morning by a machine filled with freshly washed clothes and linens. The advanced-start function allows yesterday’s workers to load up the machines at the end of their shift and to program the washers to turn on the next morning about an hour before the morning shift arrives.

The loads will be just finishing and almost ready for the tumble dryer when the first shift comes onto the laundry room floor. This feature also shortens the previous day’s last shift. The time saved adds up to lower labor costs. In addition, having loads washed before the day starts ensures that parts of the operation that depend on laundry availability can be reliably supplied by mid-morning. More timely availability could enable a smaller inventory of linens and uniforms to handle daily demand for on-premise laundries.

MAY THE G-FORCE BE WITH YOU

The secret to efficient clothes drying is that tumble dryers should be asked to deal with as little water as possible. Low-G-force washer-extractors can leave significant amounts of water in the laundry, which means the tumble dryer has to work harder and longer. When operators run fabrics such as all-cotton terry cloth through a low-G-force washer, there can be as much as 90% water retention.

Water-heavy goods present potential ergonomic problems for workers who have to lift laundry and place it in the tumble dryer. It also requires extra drying time, which means more energy to heat the air. It also reduces throughput. High-G-force extraction removes more water from linens, leading to decreased drying times. This high-speed process can reduce the amount of moisture left in the linens by up to 47%, decreasing gas or electricity usage by as much as 35%.

CAN’T BEAT THE CLOCK

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Using the advanced controls now available on laundry equipment is like having somebody in the laundry room with a notepad, recording information on every cycle run, monitoring machine performance and tracking maintenance history. This can be especially valuable for facilities that run more than one shift.

For example, a chemical company had a customer who complained about the quality of finished laundry. The control system that monitors the equipment in the laundry room downloaded the reports and pinpointed the problem. Reports found that operators on the 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. shift were advancing the machines, skipping the bleach step and skipping a rinse step.

The chemical company was able to show the customer that the problem was not with the chemicals but with how the workers were using the machines. Relying on the control system’s real-time clock, management can download reports and determine exactly what’s happening in the laundry room.

The reports provided by these control systems help administrators better understand and manage workloads and increase throughput. The information also helps determine whether they need to add more machines. Washer-extractors and tumble dryers equipped with advanced controls have a real-time clock telling the operator how long the machine has been sitting idle. Laundry operations paying overtime can check to see whether the extra hours are really necessary.

IN TOTAL CONTROL

The cost of water may not yet be a major issue where you are operating, but it will be a concern in many places before the end of this decade. For many operations, targeting water use is part of a sustainability program. Advanced washer equipment controls enable the operator to match each load with one of 30 different water levels for optimal water and chemical use without compromising cleanliness. This feature can help save thousands of gallons of water each year, which also reduces energy costs since less water is being heated.

Some new tumble dryers make use of moisture-sensing technology to prevent linens from being scratchy and to ensure longer life for linens and uniforms. Operators set the desired moisture level for the finished laundry, usually 4-5%.

Over-drying is one of the biggest wasters of utilities and labor in the laundry room. Impatient operators sometimes check to see whether clothes are dry by stopping the machine and sticking a hand in every now and then. Not only does this waste the operator’s time, stopping and starting the dryer also wastes energy. In addition, improved technology that prevents over-drying can reduce fiber loss by 31%.

MONEY NOT GOING DOWN THE DRAIN

One problem with technology is that sometimes management doesn’t want to invest in it. But that ignores real dollars-and-cents benefits. There is a big difference between lowest cost and lowest price. Whether a laundry service or an on-premise laundry, operations that resist upgrading or that choose a less expensive machine can spend $100 per month for the next 12 to 15 years on additional energy, water, and labor.

Break down the budget of a typical laundry operation. About half of every dollar spent in the laundry goes to labor. Another 10-12% goes to equipment, 10-12% to linen replacement, 8-12% to chemicals, and 10% to utilities. Equipment maintenance completes the cost schedule at 3%. Spending money wisely on equipment can affect the other pieces of the cost pie, reducing them while making better use of the laundry workforce by increasing productivity and throughput.

ST. LOUIS — Companies face various challenges in a given year. But for Faultless Healthcare Linen, a Kansas City, Mo.-based healthcare textile laundry company, the challenge of taking on more business was considered a “good problem.”

So much so that the company’s “good problem” led to the opening of a new $12 million, 103,000-square-foot facility in St. Louis.

“We were awarded a significant amount of business from the Barnes-Jewish Christian (BJC) Healthcare System in St. Louis, and we needed to create more capacity to accommodate that business and to be able to continue to grow,” explains Faultless CEO Susan Witcher.

Located at 1615 N. 25^th Street, Faultless Linen’s newest facility opened its doors last summer, and has enabled the company to process 17 million pounds of healthcare textiles annually to date, serving 470 customer accounts, the company says.

The company reached out to Gerard O’Neill of American Laundry Systems to design the plant, after having worked with O’Neill on a previous facility.

“Having worked with Gerard on our last plant in 2005, we found him to be an excellent resource,” says Witcher. “His involvement facilitates an efficient process through every phase of the project, from plant design, RFPs and vendor selection, infrastructure, installation, through start-up.”

“The two primary focal points in the design were energy efficiency and production efficiency,” she adds.

Though the new facility has boosted the company’s production capacity, the road getting there was not easily travel.

“When we got all of this new business from BJC, we actually had to take on that business before we got the new plant opened up,” Witcher says.

The company had to employ double shifts at its 45,000-square-foot facility in the Soulard area of St. Louis to accommodate the business acquired from BJC. Once Faultless opened its new facility roughly four miles to the north, it was able to shut down a separate 18,000-square-foot plant in Soulard, and split the BJC business 50-50 between the remaining Soulard plant and the new laundry.

The new plant employs the use of various industry-familiar systems, and bears the same layout of Faultless’ existing facilities, according to Witcher. “In terms of the general design of the workflow, it’s very similar to our other plants. A lot of the systems that we’ve used in our other big plants in St. Louis, we designed into this one.”

For example, the facility utilizes an E-Tech monorail system for sort soiling; Milnor PulseFlow® tunnel (eight 250-pound modules); Chicago Dryer Co. finishing system that includes ironers, feeders and folders; Softrol garment sorting system; and Kemco process water system.

Considering the new facility’s technology and capacity, it’s brought a sense of ease for the staff—there are 110 full-time employees—regarding the overall production, Witcher says.

“From a quality-of-life perspective, everybody’s in a much better place because we’re running both plants seven days a week (through) 10-hour days, so everybody’s back on a normal schedule and (has) more room to move.”

The larger facility has an annual capacity of 43 million pounds, but only 40% is currently being utilized.

To fill its unused capacity, the company’s sales force is continually scoping out prospective clients, Witcher says, and even hosted an open house in early November to ensure that the company acquires new business to be able to take full advantage of its facility.

In addition to energy and production efficiency, one other priority for the company was to ensure the new plant met standards established by the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC), which examined the facility in early January.

Because Faultless Linen’s other facilities are already HLAC-certified, the company has a “very clean understanding of the processes that are required, and the documentation that’s required,” Witcher says.

Much like the Soulard plant, a wall divides the new facility in two, where one side strictly processes soiled linen, while the other handles clean linen to be shipped out. Soiled linen is sorted into slings by type and washed hygienically with the proper pH. Once properly cleaned, linen is stacked onto clean delivery carts that have been sanitized through an automatic cart washer.

Meeting standards like these, in addition to training employees on proper procedures, are just some of the ways the company is ensuring it meets HLAC’s criteria, according to Witcher.

Achieving the HLAC accreditation is “entirely voluntary,” she notes, but represents an important “stamp of approval.”

“I think it speaks to our customers, and our potential customers, that we are committed to doing things the right way. … From an infection control standpoint, it is becoming increasingly important,” says Witcher, adding that the Association for periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recommends the practice of laundering surgical attire in an accredited facility.

With the new facility up and running, the company still has many goals in mind, according to Witcher. In addition to awaiting HLAC certification, the company is also pursuing the Hygienically Clean certification from the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA).

With room for the business to grow, Witcher says she feels “excellent” about the facility going into the new year.

“While we’re not at peak productivity and energy efficiency at this point, over the next several months we would expect nothing but continued improvement in the performance of the operation,” she says.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Many would argue that now is the time to cut back on all expenditures for an operating laundry. However, if your facility has opportunities to improve its operating efficiencies and use of labor, to reduce its operating costs for energy and aqueous chemistry, or to significantly reduce its cost to sustain the operation, then there is a compelling argument in support of such an investment.

Those who have had a clear understanding of how they could improve their operating performance through investing in new technology or in re-tooling older facilities have been able to realize a sound return on their investment. These same companies in many cases leveraged a slightly less demanding time to allow them to cost effectively implement change and improvements without disrupting their service to clients. Because of their strategic decision to continue to invest in the continuous improvement needs of their operation, they now have a more efficient facility. This opens up new doors to further enhance the cost structure of their business.

On the other hand, there are organizations that have suspended their spending for maintenance, and cannibalized idled equipment in order to keep their cost structure as lean as possible. This approach will provide a short-term return, but typically results in a potentially exponential financial burden.

It is clear that we are not going to see an immediate economic recovery, but a rather gradual improvement over an extended period of time. In such an environment, needs only get worse or magnified if they are not addressed, resulting in a painful operating situation. This pain will take the form of reduced efficiency, inconsistent equipment and operations performance, reduced end-product quality or service rates, and quite possibly unplanned capital spending requirements.

So you may say this all makes sense, but how do I justify to the powers to be that now is the time to address equipment and infrastructure needs?

It all comes down to showing that any investment that is going to be made has a compelling ROI (return on investment) associated with it. No one will or should authorize spending without a logical ROI assigned to each financial transaction.

Typically, a ROI will take the form of one, or a combination, of five categories:

SUSTAINMENT OF CORE BUSINESS/REDUCTION OF OWNERSHIP COSTS

The bottom line here is that if you decide not to spend the money on improving your facility, it could result in your inability to sustain your core business, or in the rapid escalation of your operating costs to keep the plant running. Arguably, if you are at this stage, you are already suffering from a failure to continuously invest in the health of your operation.

ENERGY/AQUEOUS CHEMISTRY/WASTE REDUCTION

Depending on the vintage of equipment and facility you run, there may be an exceptional opportunity to harvest savings in each of these areas. Most of the plants that are being retooled today are realizing natural gas savings in the 25-35% range, electrical savings through the use of inverters and improved productivity, cutting their water usage by up to 60+%, and reducing their waste streams.

LABOR SAVINGS

In the washroom, there are opportunities to reduce “touch labor” by automating manual facilities. The larger savings target typically lies in the textile-finishing end, or in the material-handling areas of the plant. There are a host of dynamic solutions available on today’s market. This can allow plants to rid themselves of one-dimensional processing solutions, and eliminate non-value-adding touch labor.

EFFICIENCY/PRODUCTIVITY SAVINGS

If the capital investment allows for greater productivity, it will afford the business the ability to spread its fixed costs over a greater volume of products. This will improve profitability, and provide greater flexibility as it pertains to pricing as sales forces compete to retain, or secure new business.

QUALITY

This may take the form of reduced rewash, improved garment life, or enhanced end-product appearance. It may also result in improved employee morale. It can be argued that all are forms of productivity, but the quality metric is an important one that merits discrete attention.

Each of the areas noted can provide for a compelling argument to invest in your people, process, equipment and infrastructure.

In reality, owners and operators are not faced with a yes-or-no decision as it pertains to spending. More importantly, they are faced with the decision regarding how much spending is justified given the full review of the business’ commercial and operational performance.

A down economy can and does provide for a great opportunity to invest as long as it is done wisely. Those who do so will be prepared to take on new business, diversify their revenue streams, and weather a prolonged soft economy. Those who don’t may find the waters to be rough.

NEW YORK — Manufacturers of laundry machinery, reusable textiles, and laundry chemicals encountered below-average attendance at the annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) here Nov. 10-13, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which had battered the East Coast Oct. 29.

But the dark clouds carried within them a silver lining: Many exhibitors suggested the storm damage to laundries may drive demand for replacement machinery, textiles and chemicals well into 2013.

“Some laundries were able to function with generators, but other laundries were completely devastated,” says John Smith, regional sales manager for Speed Queen. “In the hospitality industry, it’s still too early to make an accurate assessment of the damages to laundries. But equipment replacement orders may lag into the spring. This storm could have an ongoing effect into the next year.”

He described floor traffic at the show as “slower than years past” and attributed the decline to the storm’s after-effects.

Total trade attendance at the show this year was unchanged from 2011 at 23,953. But the number of industry buyers totaled 15,082, down from 17,955 in 2011, according to Melissa Gray, a spokeswoman for the show’s management. “The hurricane definitely had an impact,” she adds.

However, among the hotel owners and operators who attended the show, there was strong interest in increasing efficiency in laundry operations to help hotels and motels become more profitable by reducing energy costs, according to Smith. For example, hotels can increase energy efficiency by reducing gas usage, beginning in the wash process. Using a washer-extractor equipped with a 200 G-force extraction speed can ensure optimal water removal from linens, which leads to reduced drying times, according to Smith. In addition, using a tumble dryer equipped to prevent over-drying further decreases gas costs.

Hotel owners and operators demonstrated strong interest in laundry controls capable of providing management with reports on productivity, according to Bill Brooks, North American sales manager for UniMac. The first day of the show produced little floor traffic, according to Brooks. But then the company experienced rising interest from small, independent hotel owners and representatives of larger chains, who are increasingly cost-conscious.

“Owners and operators understand that if you can measure your consumption, you can improve your utility, chemical and labor costs,” says Brooks.

He predicted that Hurricane Sandy will have “a big impact” on equipment replacement orders from hotels in 2013, because many laundries on the East Coast were flooded with salt water. Many of those laundries were located on lower floors or in basements, he noted.

“When hotels re-open for business, one of the first things they need is clean laundry,” says Brooks. “They have to do laundry, whether they salvage their equipment or replace it.”

Pellerin Milnor Corp., which shared a booth with Chicago Dryer Co., enjoyed “quality traffic” and generated “strong leads” at the show, according to John Rasimas, regional sales manager for Milnor.

Milnor exhibited a washer-extractor and washer, both with 60-pound capacities, while Chicago® exhibited its new maximum-speed version of its Air Chicago Express high-production small-piece folder. The new folder featuring a continuously running high-speed conveyor is designed to provide faster throughput in a narrower footprint.

“The first day of the show, Sunday, was very slow, but Monday produced some quality leads for us,” says Steve Hietpas, national sales manager for Maytag Commercial Laundry. “There was good interest from owner-operators of smaller hotel facilities of 100 rooms or less, both from the East Coast and the Caribbean.”

Cuddledown, a manufacturer of institutional bedding, pillows and comforters, came to the show “expecting it to be dead – the worst ever – because of Hurricane Sandy,” according to Ryan Scott, a hospitality sales associate for the Portland, Maine, company. “But it turned out to be much better than expected. We were very pleased, because hospitality represents the fastest-growing segment of our business these days.”

Greg Eubanks, group vice president of Hospitality Sales and Marketing for Standard Textile, echoed that experience. “We expected the show to be really slow,” he says. “But it’s turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was much better than expected.”

Standard Textile exhibited its Todd-Avery Lenahan Collection of sheets, which are now in use in more than 40 J.W. Marriott hotel properties worldwide, according to Eubanks. The microfilament interior of the sheets provides durability, while the cotton surface provides comfort. The sheets are laundered with Tide products and delivered clean, fresh and ready-to-use out of the box.

Cintas Corp. teamed with fashion designer Jay Godfrey to present its Fashionable New Apparel Collection at the show, according to Dan Ambrosio, vice president of Global Lodging and Cruise for Cintas. The purpose of the partnership was to create a new line of stylish, distinctive and durable suiting for hotels.

Godfrey worked in collaboration with Cintas to create a distinctively contemporary black suiting collection for men and women. The collection consists of slim-fitting silhouettes with narrow lapels, high-notch collars, shell buttons wrapped in stainless steel and signature jacquard dot-lining with magenta piping.

W Hotels Worldwide debuted the new wardrobe in 28 North American properties and plans to expand it globally. Although the collection is now exclusive to W Hotels, it will become available to all hospitality organizations in early 2013, according to Ambrosio.

The Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) exhibited to demonstrate how the services of TRSA members can reduce the carbon footprint and increase the profitability of hotel, motel and restaurant operations.

The association emphasized its new Clean Green certification, which provides third-party verification that the linens, napkins, tablecloths, garments and other reusable textiles obtained from TRSA-certified members are laundered in an environmentally friendly manner.

In meetings with textile services customers at the show, TRSA gathered market data to help drive future programming. For instance, attendees were asked for feedback on their experiences with contracting for linen services. Many smaller hotel and motel operators appeared to be unfamiliar with the outsourcing option, according to TRSA, and were directed to the association’s website to find a textile services provider.

Proctor & Gamble, the maker of Tide, had a busy second day at the show and enjoyed strong interest in its color-safe products, according to Greg Elmore, an account executive for the company.

Ecolab generated interest with its Aquanomic laundry products, designed for low-temperature washing to achieve energy savings of 30-40%, says Bob Makely, associate district manager.

The next edition of the IHMRS will convene again in New York in November 2013.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Attendees of a recent Maytag University Factory Commercial Laundry Sales School received in-depth, hands-on training of the company’s multi-segment product portfolio. In addition, education sessions delved into the company’s energy calculators, financing options and market discussions specific to the on-premise, coin, and multi-housing and segments.

“Whether you’re new to the business or a veteran, our sales school is designed to arm you with the necessary knowledge to compete in the marketplace,” says Rex Braden, national sales manager at Maytag® Commercial Laundry. “The sales school combines selling information into a collaborative and educational setting.”

The 16 attendees representing Canada and the United States toured a local hospitality facility, explored Maytag’s state-of-the-art testing lab, and compared competitor offerings.

“We learned about what works and what doesn’t work when selling commercial laundry equipment and route services,” says attendee Kellie Blumberg, president and owner of Texas Coin and Commercial Laundry. “This experience will help me close even more sales.”

“We provide our distributors with the competitive advantages of Maytag® Commercial Laundry equipment, as well as the latest industry information,” Braden explains. “Attendees have the knowledge necessary to best support their customers and close sales.”

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued revised “Green Guides” designed to help marketers ensure that the claims they make about the environmental attributes of their products are truthful and non-deceptive.

The revisions includes updates to the existing Guides, plus new sections on the use of carbon offsets, “green” certifications and seals, and renewable energy and renewable materials claims.

The new section on certifications and seals prompted the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) to review “the update's implication on the association's new Clean Green designation that verifies the environmental friendliness of textile services operations.”

In its weekly e-newsletter, TRSA says it is “confident that the Clean Green logo design aligns properly with the new guidelines.” The Green Guides stipulate that use of a symbol should clearly convey the basis for the certification, the association explains, and the washing machine in the Clean Green seal is an “indisputable indicator that the program evaluates plant production processes.”

The introduction of environmentally friendly products into the marketplace is a win for consumers who want to purchase greener products, and producers who want to sell them, but only if marketers' claims are truthful and substantiated, says FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “The FTC's changes to the Green Guides will level the playing field for honest business people, and it is one reason why we had such broad support,” he says.

The Green Guides are not agency rules or regulations, but instead describe the types of environmental claims the FTC may or may not find deceptive. The FTC can take enforcement action against deceptive claims, which ultimately can lead to FTC order prohibiting deceptive advertising and marketing, and fines if those orders are later violated.

Editor's Note: Ken Tyler is on break. AmericanLaundryNews.com is reposting a column that originally appeared on the site in July 2008.

CHICAGO — 1. No matter how much you would like to complicate the chemical process of laundering, water is the key element associated with it. Without water, you have nothing.

2. It has been proven that washing in low, controlled temperatures can produce textiles as hygienically clean as washing in high temperatures. Don’t forget that most laundered items reach high temperatures during drying, steam finishing or ironing.

3. The key to maintaining the quality of textile processing or cleaning is service. Don’t overcomplicate the laundry chemistry process — there is little difference between products that are available. Be careful about being oversold on products.

4. Really know your cost to operate. Purchasing/processing textiles through and out of a laundry are way past the 50 cents-per-pound scenario. Don’t forget about capital depreciation, fringe-benefit labor costs, and energy and transportation costs, along with the other costs that are part of the process.

5. Your operation can only be as good as the employees you hire, so treat them with respect and dignity. Walk the floor; know your people and the systems that make your operation run.

6. Don’t purchase any equipment without establishing a process to gauge production, potential cost savings, and ergonomic value — be able to ascertain the total cost, not just the net cost. In other words, determine the best value. Make sure that you purchase equipment from someone who can provide the service you need within a timely basis. Always specify the terms and conditions of the purchase — I recommend you pay 90% on delivery and 10% on acceptance. Always make sure you have a way to get new equipment in and out of your facility.

7. A sound maintenance program requires expertise, not just a handyman. Spend as much time training these folks as you do anyone else. Every manufacturer has a training program — make the investment. One of the most critical aspects of a successful laundry program is a sound routine and preventative maintenance program. Without such a program, you might as well shut your doors.

8. Never forget that you will learn something every day in this industry. Never think you know it all — no one does.

9. Never forget that the laundry is a production facility, not a warehouse. Get off the kick of quotas, give the customer whatever they want or even think they need, and don’t make our business more complicated than it is. Invest in a good textile management system, as well as a production management system that is not linked to in-house systems. Learn the importance or lack of importance of pounds per productive employee. Never forget that employees have little control over production, especially where machine design pretty much controls the process — you can’t get blood out of a turnip. Think incentives for production — those who have it out-produce those who don’t.

10. Become active in the industry, learn how to write performance specifications for equipment (I had to throw that in), and always invest in your future with the formal educational programs and seminars that are available.  

TEXTILES: TOM LANGDON, ENCOMPASS GROUP, MCDONOUGH, GA.

The topic this month is intended for laundries based here in the States, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to share how this issue is of continuous concern for producers of the products these laundries process.

Power outages are a constant problem for textile vendors in India and Pakistan. This is due mostly to internal infrastructure problems that have no short-term fix. Both the Indian and Pakistan governments impose rolling blackouts to cope with increasing demands for energy. It is a balancing act between residential and industrial consumption needs, and the problem is magnified in the winter.

Earlier this year in Faisalabad, Pakistan, I toured a factory where patient gown fabric is printed in the dark because there was no power available to turn on the lights. Most of the larger factories have installed auxiliary power generation, either diesel-powered generators or coal-fired boilers.

Now back to the States. As our company is a supplier of reusable textiles, I inquired how we would handle a situation like this. We have a plan, the Emergency Response Process, available to our customers that can be enacted in an emergency. The plan allows us to provide additional product in an expedited manner to assist the customer/laundry in meeting their service requirements.

I interviewed several large laundry customers on how they prepare for short- and long-term power disruptions. The responses ranged from “we have no contingency plan” to a fully documented detailed plan for addressing these situations.

The typical detailed plan included an introduction that described why the plan was created, and it contained a list of laundry contacts that could provide backup processing options. A list of customer contacts was included to help facilitate communications in advising of the situation and to employ linen conservation if needed. The contingency plan clearly outlines emergency action plans and preparations for inclement weather. Some plans lay out step-by-step what is to happen before, during and after a storm.

It is a good idea to base your plan on the cause of the interruption. If it is equipment or internally related, you probably have more options on maintaining your service level. If the interruption is weather-related, it could mean that your options locally would be more limited, and you might have to tap into resources outside the affected area. This could lead to trucking soiled linen to a distant backup processor and require expedited logistics.

Depending on your situation, having additional linen on hand or quick access to your supplier, as well as access to a power generator, will help you weather a storm.

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

Three options are available to the average laundry. First is a backup generator capable of generating enough power to keep operations going until power restored. Many of our hospital and governmental operations have such systems in place to support operations during times of disaster. If the power goes down, the backup system kicks in until power is restored.

The strengths of this option include an immediate solution to power loss; it is always available; and it is totally under your control. The weaknesses are that the system is expensive to set up; the fuel and tank system needs to be maintained; it has a finite life span (depending on the fuel needed to run the system); it needs to be evaluated and periodically tested to keep it operational; and the system can be damaged in the same disaster that shuts down operations.

Another option is having support or disaster agreements in place with other laundry operations that are in your region but far enough away that it’s unlikely both facilities will be knocked out at the same time. Many operations knocked out by Hurricane Hugo in Charleston, S.C., and by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were forced to ship product for processing as far north as Richmond and Atlanta, respectively.

The agreements are generally reciprocal since no one knows which plant might suffer a natural or “man-made” disaster that would shut down business for any length of time. The strengths of such agreements are that they are relatively easy to develop and negotiate, and they have a low cost. Weaknesses include a potential that the backup facility will suffer the same fate; there are logistics and delivery issues; they can be expensive when the trigger is pulled, but cost is rarely the issue; the agreement can be dissolved or lost at an inopportune time; and the program may no longer be under your control when needed.

The third option is that, for a short term, your plant may have a sufficient par level of linen on hand to cover your customer base while power is off. This would, however, be only enough to last for a short term—hours or a few days at most. The strengths of this option are the ease in which it can be set up and that it keeps your service operating and employees working. Weaknesses include the expense; the inventory and space needs; and that there is a short-term, finite life span on this action—when the linen is gone, the plant is down.

For a longer-term solution, blend all three contingencies for the best strategy. Again, strengths and weaknesses must be evaluated, and I’ve only touched on a few of them here. There will be unique issues with each strategy depending on size of your plant, geography and distribution of your customer base, and the “depth” and intensity of the disaster your plant is facing.

Check back on Tuesday for Part 3!

Click here for Part 1!

CHICAGO — Your company is weighing its laundry services options, and pursuing a new plant is a possibility. So what should the average laundry manager know about plant design?

American Laundry News recently invited several engineering, construction and consulting firms with laundry services expertise to respond to some questions about this issue.

ALN: Is there a basic design template that will work for virtually any institutional, industrial or commercial laundry, or is each and every plant’s design unique?

DAVID BERNSTEIN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, TURN-KEY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

All institutional, industrial and commercial laundries share certain common design elements (e.g. the need for washers, dryers, finishing equipment, etc.), but outside of those common elements, every laundry design is unique.

Laundry design is dictated by a wide variety of factors, including safety of production employees, the current and future product mix, throughput requirements, local regulatory constraints, and, of course, the budget.

There are certain situations in which a basic design template can be used successfully. Operators who have multiple plants processing essentially the same product mix have for years been successful at duplicating the basic design of a plant in other locations. In these situations, the engineering and design teams simply calculate the current and future production needs of the new facility, and scale the quantity of equipment and the associated building size to meet those needs.

BOB CORFIELD, PRESIDENT/CEO, LAUNDRY DESIGN GROUP, PHOENIX, ARIZ.

If all the business conditions are the same or similar, yes, there can be a general template for design. Large national companies work hard to achieve this by staying highly focused on certain markets. But as the mix of work, type of customers, physical space and growth requirements or restrictions are considered, each plant takes on its own personality.

ED KWASNICK, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, LAUNDRY DIVISION, ARCO/MURRAY NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CO., OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILL.

From 30,000 feet, the production flow and departmental functions for all laundry facilities are similar. They each receive soiled goods, sort the goods by classification, wash, dry, finish, store the goods for delivery, load the clean goods on vehicles, and deliver them to the customer. But that is where the similarities end.

Each laundry must be custom-designed to meet its unique needs based on these issues: type of goods (healthcare linen, hospitality linen, food and beverage linen, industrial garments, mats); rental vs. COG; manual vs. automated systems; single-shift vs. multiple-shift operation; high quality vs. high output; and project budget.

All of these factors must be carefully considered when developing a plant design, and the design must be customized to meet the needs of the operator and their customers.

GERARD O'NEILL, PRESIDENT/CEO, AMERICAN LAUNDRY SYSTEMS, HAVERHILL, MASS.

No, there is not a basic design template that will work for all. Every plant is unique and has different needs. The design will be based on the work load, type of work to be processed, space available, processing needs, future growth, hours of operation, available utilities, local codes/restrictions and, of course, available budget.

GLEN PHILLIPS, P.E., PRESIDENT AND SENIOR ASSOCIATE, PHILLIPS & ASSOCIATES, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

Phillips and Associates follows a step-by-step flow diagram for laundry design projects: 1) develop the total annual processing load by pieces and pounds, 2) determine the number of operating hours per week, 3) determine the hourly production requirements, 4) determine space requirements, 5) develop equipment needs, 6) develop labor staffing requirements, 7) develop space cost, 8) develop equipment costs, 9) develop labor costs, and 10) develop a complete financial package: total capital costs, total operating costs, and two years of cash flow.

ALN: What factors dictate just how much square footage a laundry requires?

CORFIELD

Again, it depends on the type of plant and whether or not it serves one customer (an in-house hotel or hospital) or outside customers, and is rental/pool linen or COG processing. If healthcare, do the end-users do bulk delivery, exchange cart, or a combination?

For healthcare, the best formula I have used successfully is 350-500 pounds per square foot, per single shift. So, a 14 million pound hospital plant would be about 38,000 square feet for production plus another 12-18% for employee spaces and offices (estimate 44,000 square feet). Space is also added for other processing types, such as operating room linen. You can project growth either through added processing (equipment) or more hours. Then adjust your building size requirements accordingly. Keep in mind that the best way to expand a building during design is sometimes up and not out to manage cost constraints for land or construction.

KWASNICK

They include the level of automation, type of equipment, the number of shifts per day, operating days per week, clear height inside the building (low height means you are forced to use carts to work in process and move items from department to department; carts require space for staging and travel), and type of laundry (healthcare vs. industrial vs. hospitality vs. mixed).

O'NEILL

Type of work to be processed, amount of growth that is estimated, hours of operation, and type of equipment that will be installed. The level of automation that any plant considers will also greatly influence the square footage needed. We at ALS believe in using the “cube” of any building. This cuts down drastically on the square footage needed to carry out the process.

PHILLIPS

Anyone who is involved with planning a laundry, whether it be in-house or a remote stand-alone facility, has to enter into the discovery process about all sorts of things. Among those discussion points are each of the items mentioned in my answer to the first question. Developing the total annual processing load and determining the operating hours per week and hourly production requirements must be done before attempting to determine space requirements. The driver to/of the entire process is development of the hourly production requirement. Once that number has been determined, everything beyond that point becomes self-evident.

BERNSTEIN

Unless a client already has an existing building in mind for their new facility, we believe that the right way to design a new laundry is from the inside out. In other words, understand and formulate the processes that will be involved in the operation of the new facility; understand the current and future equipment, staffing and infrastructure needs; and then design the building around these elements. In this way, we are able to minimize the amount of wasted space, while ensuring that we’ve designed a safe, productive, efficient and sustainable operation.

ALN: If an institution or business designing a laundry is eager to take advantage of the latest laborsaving and resource-conserving technologies, what might some of them be?

O’NEILL

Tunnel washer technology; high-speed thermal ironer systems with high-production feeders, folders and stackers; soil and clean monorail system (automated or hybrid systems); and smart conveyors will be some of them. The “steamless” concept is also one that should be closely looked at. Having been a big proponent for many years and having now built four steamless or “less-steam” plants, we feel that is a huge resource/energy conservation idea. The advent of wide presses has also had a large impact on the energy conservation ideas in our industry.

KWASNICK

Here’s a list of old tried-and-true technologies that continue to prove their worth: heat reclaimer, stack economizer, water reuse system, and water recycle system.

And here some of the newer technologies to consider: high-efficiency modular boilers, self-contained thermal ironers, wide ironers, new tunnel washer technology that uses less water (aka Milnor’s PulseFlow), RFID technology, production tracking systems, press-to-dryer rail system (provides additional buffer storage between the tunnel press and dryers, and allows you to use fewer dryers), automated bagging machines, and automated wrapping machines.

PHILLIPS

Without going into a lengthy, drawn-out discussion, some of the thoughts our firm delve into are:

1. What type of productivity does the owner want to achieve?

2. What is the owner’s desire in designing a new plant? Stated another way, what is the “hot button” desired by the owner?

3. If it is a reduction in linen losses, then discuss RFID. If it is a reduction in utilities, then discuss 80% water reduction. If it is to reduce the number of accidents, then discuss material-handling systems. Just about every conceivable idea becomes a discussion point and something to serve as a goal.

4. In this time of LEED, then discuss with the owners the power of conserving energy via the building envelope.

BERNSTEIN

Some of the most significant innovations in equipment over the past decade or so have come from Europe, where the cost of labor continues to skyrocket. Examples of laborsaving technologies include highly automated wash rooms, garment auto-sortation systems, load-on-rail soil sortation, RFID technology, and remote ironer feeding/queuing. As might be expected, an added benefit of using these technologies is an increase in employee health and safety, as well as increases in quality, accuracy and productivity.

Among gas-saving technologies are high-efficiency boilers, modular boiler systems, direct-fired hot water heaters, better extraction technologies to reduce the number of dryers and dry times, and the wide variety of heat reclamation technologies, including those that reuse heat from wastewater.

Another such technology, so-called “steamless” plants, is one that has gained a lot of attention over the past couple of years. The idea is to eliminate the need for steam, and therefore boilers, to heat water, ironers and other finishing equipment. When properly applied under the right circumstances, the energy savings can be striking.

Every wash room should be planned with an eye toward water reuse; this goes for conventional and tunnel washers. And don’t forget the fleet. There are a wide variety of energy-efficient vehicle technologies that should be considered, including EV, hybrid-electric, hydraulic-hybrid, diesel hybrid, and natural gas power plants, and composite or plastic bodied vehicles.

We should note one important caveat. Every situation is unique, and before a technology is applied or specified, we strongly recommend the performance of a cost-benefit analysis to ensure that there is a return for every investment. There is a wide range of technologies available, each with its own “gee whiz” and “coolness” factors, but what works in one operation may not necessarily meet the needs, requirements or vision of another.

CORFIELD

This would include any machine or system that reduces the number of “touches” required in packaging, finishing or transporting product. So, conveyors (belt or rail), pickers, auto strapping/wrapping, auto sorting, and stack transport systems are all high-value considerations.

Resource conservation should be a goal, but should not compromise production or quality. Wastewater heat recovery is essential, new high-efficiency dryers can use half the energy of old dryers, and if you have a tunnel, then upgrading your press is a great decision.

ALN: What effect does the type of goods that a laundry processes, or is going to process, have on the plant’s design?

KWASNICK

It has a tremendous effect on laundry design because it affects the type, size and location of equipment. Traditional linen products (e.g. tablecloths, napkins, sheets, pillowcases, etc.) are handled differently than industrial goods (e.g. uniforms, mats, shop towels, etc.). Soil processing for linen requires dedicated soil-count and soil-sort systems that are highly efficient at separating and counting linen pieces. This is typically not the case for industrial goods.

Linen plants can use tunnel washer technology with an extraction press, where industrial or mixed facilities with tunnel washers will typically use centrifugal extractors. Garments require steam tunnels and presses for finishing. However, linen is finished on an ironer or folded after drying. Flat goods are folded and placed in carts for storage and delivery. Garments are placed on hangers and placed on rails or trolleys for storage and delivery.

Large linen plants with tunnel washers and steam ironers require large boilers and mechanical rooms for those boiler systems. Plants that process only mats require hot water for washing, but no steam. Therefore, they don’t need boilers or traditional boiler rooms.

Healthcare plants also need to comply with new guidelines for soil/clean separation, airflow requirements, PPE requirements and other issues that non-healthcare plants do not need to address in their plant design.

Rental plants can process large batch sizes due to consolidation of like goods, while COG plants must process in smaller batches as they strive to keep customer products separated. Large vs. smaller batch sizes will determine the type and size of washroom equipment as well as flow through the finishing department.

As you can see, all of these issues have an impact on space, production flow, and plant design. And these examples barely scratch the surface.

BERNSTEIN

The type of goods being processed is an extremely important factor in determining the design and requirements of every new plant. Prior to putting pen to paper (or mouse to AutoCAD, as it were), there needs to be a detailed analysis of the products and associated volumes to be processed at start-up and at a future point in time. Every single classification, no matter how small the volume, needs to be included in this data-collection phase so that a laundry capacity analysis can be created and used to determine the new facility’s requirements for equipment, space, staffing and infrastructure.

CORFIELD

Healthcare plant vs. hotel plant design can be somewhat similar, with healthcare having 5-15 times more classifications to process. But healthcare is considerably more complex.

General linen (F&B, kitchen), industrial uniform, medical retail, and dust control all have elements that make their designs unique. All have a scale of volume for certain classes of linen or uniforms that makes sense for certain types of automation, washing or waste treatment. Each will also have specific compliance and regulatory issues that can impact design as well.

O’NEILL

Type of goods that a laundry process has everything to do with plant design. It dictates what kind of equipment is required, type of work flow, overall building height, amount of space required at the soil and clean sides, physical separation requirements, etc. For example, an F&B/mixed plant will need a lot more soil-sort classification compared to a hospitality/linen plant. A healthcare plant will need soil/clean separation while a linen or F&B plant will not.

PHILLIPS

Essentially that is one of the very first questions that must be discussed and resolved. If an end point cannot be reconciled on that point, then all other discussion points comes to a halt.

Tomorrow in Part 2: Renovation vs. building new; the biggest challenges; latest trends; and some final nuggets of wisdom

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (R-NY-19) recently visited Unitex Textile Rental Services’ facility here to meet local constituents and discuss how government can facilitate small-business investment to revitalize the economy.

Hayworth, who is also a doctor, toured the 4-year-old healthcare laundry—a member of the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA)—that employs 220 local residents and processes more than 60 million pounds of rental hospital linens annually.

She met with Unitex Textile Rental Services President Michael Potack and Vice President of Sales & Marketing David Potack, as well as TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci to discuss issues impacting small business and the textile services industry. Their conversation focused on the importance of bi-partisan approaches to developing tax and energy policies that reduce uncertainty, encourage investment and create economic growth.

“Individuals, and the government, must take responsibility and demand accountability to ensure our policies work to improve our economy,” says Hayworth. “We must develop tax, energy and healthcare policies that reward market-driven solutions for companies that create value and invest in their local economy.”

“We need to encourage business investment, not hinder it with regulation, such as efforts to access our nation’s natural gas reserves,” says Michael Potack. “If we switched our 125 vehicles to natural gas, we could save nearly $30,000 per vehicle over a 5-7 year period, while reducing our carbon footprint significantly and reducing our dependency on foreign sources.”

The group also discussed the potential impact on business of pending Supreme Court decision on healthcare reform. Hayworth believes that regardless of the court’s decision, the healthcare system must become more market-driven based on “quality and cost of services.” She also applauded TRSA’s efforts to quantify hygienically clean linen and sustainability as efforts to “self-regulate and demonstrate value.”