Content about Evaluation

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Mission Linen Supply reports that its Bakersfield facility has been accredited by the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC), making it the seventh plant companywide to be so recognized.

The Bakersfield plant joins facilities in Phoenix, Ariz.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Santa Maria, Fresno, Salinas and Chino, Calif.

HLAC is a non-profit organization that inspects and accredits laundries that process healthcare textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. National inspections assure customers that the highest-quality standards are met when processing healthcare products, Mission Linen Supply says.

“Earning accreditation makes us a better company and gives our customers peace of mind from knowing their supplier is meeting the highest standards in processing healthcare textiles,” says Karl Willig, Mission Linen Supply president/CEO..

“The customers that we serve—predominately acute-care hospitals—are accustomed to dealing with agencies, vendors and people who have earned accreditation. It’s the right thing to do if you are in the business of processing and providing healthcare textiles.”

CHICAGO — I have warned that expertise in the textile care industry has been severely hampered by attrition and the inability of top managers to recognize and educate individual managers and programs for who they are responsible.

This void has been filled by consultants who often fail the customer by providing reviews and recommendations geared more to future opportunities than analyses based on supporting facts and data and not the opinion of one or more manufacturers.

Where is the consultant who can give a well-rounded opinion based on all the information that is available in our industry? The big picture must be presented, and the customer needs to be educated to know all systems and opportunities so they can separate fact from fiction.

Responsible organizations should carefully determine if they truly have the expertise to evaluate a proposal for either laundry equipment purchases or total system acquisitions (laundry equipment and the systems that support a complete operation).

For the novice who has never operated a laundry, never modernized a laundry, never been part of a process, I would suggest they not be part of the evaluation process unless they truly have some sort of expertise to offer. Onlythose trained professionals who have experience and education associated with the process should participate.

What happens if your organization fails to follow these simple rules and utilizes evaluations containing personal opinion instead of independent analysis? Most likely, you and your organization will end up in a court of law or, worse yet, a court of public opinion.

Can you imagine being on the witness stand, testifying as a reviewer of modernization proposals that you have no experience and no education associated with conducting a technical review? Worse yet, you relied on the opinion of an external party that was also was an equipment supplier.

I had the privilege of managing Department of Veteran Affairs programs on a national scale for more than 25 years. From my first day on the job, I was directed to visit a facility having modernization pains and was thrown into a den with more than 10 private contractors. It became obvious to me that field expertise was essential in conducting fair, comprehensive reviews of laundry modernization efforts ranging in value from $25,000 to $10 million.

We developed a team of experts who had proven laundry operations abilities. These experts represented engineering, plant operations, construction, plant management, facilities management, facility quality assurance, etc.

It is important to note that these experts also played a vital role in project development, preparation of specifications, etc. When proposal evaluations were being conducted, these experts made recommendations that were reviewed and passed on to procurement personnel who made the acquisition happen.

This systematic effort resulted in the modernization and construction of many facilities and, more importantly, gained the respect of the industry as a whole. While this process is government-related, any organization could utilize it. The key concept is involving the right folks whose work can withstand any external review.

The number of evaluators that a laundry project requires will vary depending on its scope. Nonetheless, experience, proven expertise, and the willingness to serve are essential. A minimum of three evaluators should be the rule, and the evaluation process—including those aspects about which an evaluator may disagree with the team—should be formalized and put in writing.

Each member should have proven expertise:

• Been involved in previous laundry equipment and modernization processes.
• Understand the specifics of the complete system approach, ranging from laundry sorting and processing to steam requirements and air compression pressures and processes.
• Understand the principals and applicable codes of laundry plant safety, ergonomics, energy techniques, energy type comparisons, etc.
• Have management experience with laundry plant operations.
• Be certified and credentialed in your organization’s designated field.

Once an individual meets all these prerequisites, then and only then should they be considered as part of an evaluation team. If exceptions are made, the evaluation process will be circumvented and that could lead to project cancellation, loss of valuable funds and, most importantly, embarrassment.

Can the industry as a whole meet the challenge?

CHICAGO — Many managers and operators polled in this month’s AmericanLaundryNews.com Wire survey place great importance on continuing education, based on the number who said they have received training or certification or have attended educational sessions.

Asked to classify their industry knowledge, 44% of respondents say they are extremely knowledgeable (12%) or more knowledgeable than other managers or operators (32%).

Twenty-four percent say they are as knowledgeable as other managers or operators. Another 24% say they’re knowledgeable but “need to brush up on a few things.” Eight percent of respondents say they are too busy running their operation to spend time learning about the industry.

Half of the respondents have attended a training program or certification program specific to laundry/linen or textile services management, and 72% have attended or participated in an industry-related educational session (association conference, convention seminar, webinar, service seminar, etc.).

Roughly 47% are planning to attend or participate in an educational session in the next year, while 22.4% are not. The remaining 30.6% are unsure.

When respondents were asked to pick an area they’d like to learn more about, there was no clear favorite. Energy conservation was the leader at 20%. Three categories—laundry chemistry, labor management, and operating costs—tied at 16% each. Sales and marketing was just behind at 14%.

There was another three-way tie between maintenance, different types of equipment, and “other,” each of which garnered 6% of the votes.

Thirty-four percent of survey respondents are planning to attend the 2013 Clean Show, which will offer a wide-ranging agenda of educational seminars. Fifty-four percent are not planning to attend, and the remaining 12% are undecided.

While the Wire survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific.

Subscribers to Wire e-mails—distributed twice weekly—are invited to take a brief industry survey anonymously online each month. All managers and administrators of institutional/OPL, cooperative, commercial and industrial laundries are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and industry trends.

To sign up for the Wire, click the “Subscriptions” button at the top right-hand corner of this page and follow the instructions.

CHICAGO — The beginning of a new year offers us a clean slate, a fresh opportunity to set goals. Making a New Year’s resolution is a common tradition, and half of the respondents to January’s Wire survey say they have made resolutions for 2011 and another 20% are thinking about it.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — G.A. Braun passed its ISO 9001:2000 surveillance audit with zero non-conformances, the company reports.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer of quality standards. These standards contribute to making the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner. Surveillance audits are mandatory every year and companies must pass to retain ISO certification.

CHICAGO — What are the traits of a good employee? Which negative trait will fray a manager’s last nerve? These were just some of the questions that American Laundry News asked in this month’s Wire survey.

CHICAGO — Nearly 91% of respondents to July’s unscientific Wire survey said they attended Clean ’09 in New Orleans, and nearly 70% of them reported being “fully satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their experience as a whole.

FRANKFORT, Ill. — The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) will open its accreditation standards for public comment June 1 to July 31.

The document — titled Accreditation Standards for Processing Reusable Textiles for Use in Healthcare Facilities — was first published in April 2006 and can be viewed and downloaded online at www.hlacnet.org.

FAIRWAY, Kan. — The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) has formed an Advisory Committee and is seeking applications from industry professionals who are interested in serving as members.

The committee will consist of industry professionals (active or retired) from accredited laundries; other healthcare textile processors; industry associations and suppliers; past HLAC board members; government representatives; and the consumer sector.

It will advise and make recommendations on HLAC activities and policies.

CINCINNATI — Cintas Corp. has opened a new ISO Class 3-7 cleanroom laundry facility in Westland, Mich., equipped with process isolation control that allows for the simultaneous, linear batch lot flow of cleanroom garments.

It exceeds guidelines specified in the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology standard IEST-RP-CC003.3 Garment Considerations for Cleanrooms and Other Controlled Environments, Cintas says.

CHICAGO — Many managers and operators polled in the October Wire survey place great importance on continuing education, based on the number who said they have received training or certification, attended educational sessions and/or read industry trade magazines.

CHICAGO — Sixty percent of laundry managers who responded to June’s Wire survey say they’re working more hours today than five years ago and spending much of their time overseeing production and quality control, performing supervisory duties and enforcing rules and regulations.

Twenty-four percent say they’re working about the same amount of time, and 16% say they’re actually working less.