Content about Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. — Developer Orange Lake Resorts, which operates seven Holiday Inn Club Vacations® resort destinations, has taken steps to minimize its carbon footprint by introducing a new $1.4 million Milnor tunnel system that will save 15 million gallons of water per year.

For nearly 30 years, Orange Lake Resorts operated the laundry facility for its flagship Orlando resort using three 600-pound washer extractors and six 200-pound dryers. The facility processed 1,800 pounds per hour (using 3 gallons of water per pound), completing a day’s work of 28,800 pounds over two shifts.

While Milnor’s PulseFlow Technology—which employs enhanced, intermittent counterflow and RecircONE® pump arrangement that continuously circulates water in the first module—was gaining momentum and praise, Orange Lake’s laundry and facilities leadership teams decided that it was time to make a change.  

“Orange Lake has an eye on the staff’s overall environment and on improvements in efficiencies and expenditures,” says Bill Bell of Steiner-Atlantic, Milnor’s local distributor for the Orlando area, “so we were thrilled that they committed to the corporate investment of introducing this modern equipment from the best in the industry.”

Orange Lake’s new equipment consists of a PulseFlow CBW® washer (150-pound capacity per module), a 40-bar single-stage press and four pass-through dryers. The equipment is capable of processing 4,000 pounds of laundry per hour, using only 0.3-0.4 gallons of fresh water per pound, with a day’s work of 30,000 pounds finishing in just one shift. 

Lower utility and water consumption isn’t the only benefit associated with the new tunnel system. The CBW’s four-compartment loading conveyor improves labor conditions, Milnor says, because the soiled goods require less handling by staff.

Once sorted, the goods are loaded on the conveyor to be discharged in the tunnel’s load chute. After the wash, goods are automatically discharged to the press, which removes excess moisture. After extraction, an automatic shuttle transports each “cake” to a waiting dryer.

In the days before there was a tunnel, Orange Lake staff would have to sort by goods type, manually load soiled goods in the washers, then manually unload and transport the now-heavier damp goods to the dryers/flatwork aisle.

Aside from the tunnel’s ergonomic benefits over large open-pocket washers, its process times are shorter and the quality of linens and towels is enhanced, extending linen life. Additionally, Orange Lake has doubled its hourly production, eliminating the need for a costly second shift.

The Orlando resort, with 2,478 villas and an average of 511,853 annual guests, processes 8 million pounds of laundry per year. Its new equipment enables the company to grow its laundry operation and process up to approximately 10.5 million pounds per year.

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. — Bill Carey has been in the laundry business his entire adult life. Six years ago, he took over the helm at Space Coast Hospital Services, a not-for-profit hospital cooperative laundry.

“Our mission is to help our hospitals reduce their cost of linen services,” Carey says. “If we don’t help them, somebody else will. We are operating in an extremely competitive environment right now, and we have to deliver.”

Education, Training Lead to Savings

Besides linen management, another area where Space Coast Hospital Services has reduced client linen costs is in isolation gowns. Carey credits Bobby Coble, territory manager, acute care, Encompass Group, with helping meet client needs.

“Traditional gowns tie in the back,” Coble says. “Ties in the back are more difficult for patients to untie. Disposables were reportedly preferred by many patients because they could just rip them off and throw the gown away.”

Encompass came up with a gown that ties on the side, enabling patients to more easily take it off and making the garment more acceptable for isolation applications, according to Coble.

Space Coast Hospital Services provides linen management support in each hospital in areas of linen utilization and educational programs. It also partners with Encompass, which provides customers with a linen-management tracking tool to pinpoint cost and usage by user area.

Pam Perdicaro, Carey’s service manager, reaches out to hospital clients to help them better understand laundry and linen operations, and how correct procedures can reduce their costs.

Quarterly hospital linen service director meetings and semi-annual on-site linen awareness programs emphasize training. “Nursing needs to understand that any additional linen left in a room has to be removed and sent back to the laundry for processing when the patient leaves,” Perdicaro says. “Storing additional items in a patient room just adds to their costs.”

There is improvement after the meetings and training, according to Perdicaro, but the laundry has found that regular reviews are needed to keep things fresh in everyone’s mind.

For example, the laundry learned that some certified nursing assistants were discarding soiled incontinent pads that could have been laundered. “They were throwing away the items that they thought were ‘too dirty,’” Perdicaro says.

“Another major area of linen cost that we manage is linen loss from transport,” Carey says. “We now provide specific EMT packs of linen for transporting patients leaving a hospital. The packs contain linen items needed, but they may have a small stain or tear that would keep them out of our standard linen inventory.”

It is an efficient way to utilize linen that would otherwise go to rag out, while in turn reducing clients’ linen losses, Carey says.

“Information and training saved one of our clients $350,000 over the last five years by reducing their pounds per adjusted patient day,” he says.

Staff is Key to Co-op Laundry’s Success

Carey credits his staff with initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Plant Operations Manager Ray Esche evaluated truck run and idle times to reduce diesel consumption.

“We used to have to keep our trucks idling during the unload process in order to power the lift gates,” Carey says. “We worked with our lift gate supplier to install remote lift-gate power outlets at the dock. Now, the lift gates work off electricity, allowing the diesel engines to shut down.”

Space Coast Hospital Services also installed governors on its delivery trucks to limit highway speeds to 68 mph. Fuel consumption reports show that transportation miles per gallon were increased by 14.5% for the truck fleet.

Kelley Desjardins, production manager, tracks daily plant processing production every day.

“We bonus our production employees for performance,” Desjardins says. “Once the plant performance threshold is met, the production employee needs to reach at least 98% of the production standard for any bonuses to kick in. Bonuses increase as pounds per operator hour increases for the entire plant.”

The plant, originally built in 1982, was expanded and upgraded with tunnel washer technology in the early ’90s. Two Milnor tunnel washers and four Chicago Dryer Co. finishing lines meet core production requirements.

Although designed for 15 million pounds per year on a single shift five days a week, economic conditions have reduced processing requirements.

“In order to reduce operating costs and still keep our people working, we went to four production days, eliminating Wednesday linen processing,” Carey says. “Office, maintenance, and delivery still operate five days per week.”

Thirty-one of 67 employees have worked at Space Coast for more than 10 years. “Our people are the key to our success, and employee retention is very important to us,” Carey says.

He remains positive about the future. “We are well positioned for additional business. We will continue to be a high-quality linen service and will always stay committed to our mission of providing the best service and quality product at the lowest possible cost.”

Click here for Part 1.

Jensen USA will hosts its Spring Service Seminar covering flatwork equipment March 20-22 at its Panama City, Fla., facility. For more information, contact Jerry D. Elmore, 850-271-5959, ext. 183, jerry.elmore@jensen-group.com.

Jensen USA will host its Spring Service Seminar covering Senking tunnels, presses and dryers on April 17-19 at its Panama City, Fla., facility. For more information, contact Jerry Elmore, 850-271-5959, ext. 183, jerry.elmore@jensen-group.com.

“What would you say are the most common errors in laundry processing that lead to higher-than-necessary energy, fuel or water costs?”

Commercial Laundry: Rick Rone, Laundry Plus, Sarasota, Fla.

Utilities in general are usually the second-largest item on any laundry’s budget, so any and all energy and utility costs should be scrutinized carefully and thoroughly. The single biggest error we make is taking the proper operation of our plants for granted!

One of the largest expenses for laundries is natural gas. Whether it is used for firing hot-water heaters, steam boilers, thermal fluid ironers or dryers, natural gas has been deregulated and can be purchased from suppliers other than your local pipeline. Once you are confident that you are purchasing at the best price, you can concentrate on the day-to-day efficient operation of your plant.

If your dryers are set by time and temperature, is everything working properly? Have you been maintaining your thermostats and sensors? If a load is not completely dry, is your staff leaving the load in for a complete extra cycle?

Is your staff cleaning the lint filters as often as necessary? When was the last time you had all your gas burners checked with a combustion analyzer and recalibrated?

Check with your washroom chemical supplier to see if it has any new products that might let you wash at a lower temperature, thus saving money.

When was the last time you confirmed that your steam traps were working correctly? This item alone can be a significant resource saver.

When you process sheets through your ironer, how close together are they? If they are not almost leading edge to trailing edge, then you are probably running your iron faster than you need to, and therefore at a higher temperature than necessary. This wastes gas and causes additional wear and tear on your equipment.

Not everyone needs nor can afford an efficient tunnel washing system. If your plant is using conventional washers, are all drains sealing correctly? A leaking drain will cost the operator in both time and utility cost.

Are all level controls set and working properly? Quite often, the greater mechanical action available in an open-pocket washer will let you set your water levels to a lower point.

Have you ever watched your drain during high-speed final extract? If your washer is programmed for more time than necessary, you are not being as frugal as you could be. If you see the water cease coming out of the drain in five minutes, there is no reason to continue the extract cycle.

One potentially huge savings may be derived from reducing sewage or water disposal fees that are usually at least three to four times the cost of water acquisition. When towels leave the washroom, they are customarily at about 40% or more in moisture content. Your utility company should not be charging disposal fees on that water because it will be evaporated in your dryer. There is precedent, and you should have no problem requiring your utility supplier to modify the sewage charges.

Labor is the largest line item on almost everyone’s budget, and we all deal with labor issues daily. Utility costs traditionally rank second. Take the time to review your plant’s operation. Apply common sense and you will find many additional cost-saving avenues that are available to you.

Equipment Manufacturing: Chuck Anderson, Ellis Corp. San Diego, Calif.

There are many areas in the laundering process that need to be monitored. Some common errors I see in processing that lead to higher-than-necessary energy, fuel and water costs are:

• Pre-sort — ­ I don’t think there is enough emphasis placed on the importance of a good pre-sort department. Stains, rips or tears can be identified in pre-sort before the article is processed, saving energy, water, chemicals and labor. We routinely see textiles make it all the way through the laundering process, and it is the room attendant who rejects the article.

• Washing — Make sure that your operators are utilizing the proper formula for each classification of textile being processed.

On many occasions I have seen textiles processed on the wrong formula, or different classifications of textiles sharing a formula because nobody took the time to build a classification-specific formula. Processing this way leads to longer-than-necessary formula times or shortened formulas that lead to rewash, both of which waste energy and reduce the linen’s useful life.

Check washers for door-seal leaks, steam leaks, leaking drains, etc. These all lead to increases in energy and water usage.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of using a scale in your laundry. Many times, I see the scale has been removed from the laundry, or it is piled with other items from the laundry for use as a storage area. Also, I hear that the operator has been loading the machine for so many years that he/she knows exactly how much to load by look and feel—yeah, right. Under-loading and overloading washers lead to higher processing costs, machinery wear and tear, and increased rewash.

• Drying — Review your dryer times. Most linen is over-dried by several minutes, wasting valuable energy. I would choose a benchmark of, say, 25 minutes and test each classification and document your findings. You can also weigh the textiles before and after drying to get an idea of the pre-dry and post-dry moisture content. I have many customers who utilize summer and winter drying formulas to maximize efficiency.

Make sure that dryer lint collectors are being blown down and cleaned frequently, and that there is adequate make-up air to the dryer burner.

• Flatwork — I routinely see operators pulling pieces off the folder due to wrinkles and mis-folds. Make sure your padding is in good order (note: old sheets do not replace padding) and the folder is properly tuned. Reprocessing items run through the flatwork system is one of the biggest wastes of energy and time that I see.

• Clean-Linen Storage — Once linen is processed, make certain that it is immediately wrapped, covered or stored in a contamination-free environment. Too many times, I have seen linen that had to be reprocessed because it was exposed to a nightly blow-down by engineering.

Click here for Part 1.
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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Managing a laundry facility is a challenge, and when expensive equipment breaks down, the ability to repair it can hinge on knowing where to locate a single part.

During an Association for Linen Management webinar, Parts Are NOT Parts, David Chadsey, managing director of Capital Equipment Consulting (which recently changed its name to Laundry-Consulting.com), spoke about parts management and maintenance, focusing on the need for inventory and documentation.

Knowing what you have by way of inventory is the first step in documenting your machine maintenance, Chadsey says. At some point, every piece of equipment will need to be replaced. Understanding the process and planning for the inevitable will make the job easier to handle, he says.

Chadsey advocates documenting a machine’s usage and tracking inventory as means to understanding what equipment and parts a facility uses and needs. “Because if you don’t know what you use and don’t know what you need,” he says, “the day you need it, you’re probably not going to have it.”

Maintaining a parts inventory is important to keeping a facility up and running, he says.

When polled, every participant in the webinar indicated his or her “inventory system” was to simply look on the shelf when a part was needed.

Sources

Chadsey considers the most reliable source of parts to be the manufacturer and/or authorized distributor. These companies also have an advantage of knowing the laundry industry and generally know what a facility will need in the way of parts. Troubleshooting support often comes as part of the package as well.

“This has the lowest risk,” he says. “They built it, they represent it, (and) they really should know the part you need. And when it shows up, it has the greatest likelihood of being the right part.”

Since many of the machines used in laundry facilities are comprised of parts from other industries, local parts outlets may be an excellent alternative, he says. With competitive pricing, local supply houses typically offer faster delivery and availability. The one downside is that these businesses are not usually industry-specific, so the person behind the counter may not know much about laundry equipment.

Another source could be specialty parts makers, such as Industrial Wheels, Depend-O-Drain and C&W Equipment. Companies like these often advertise in trade publications, Chadsey says, and this source could help lower costs over time.

For any part that may need to be tooled, a local machine shop may be the answer. Chadsey suggests that a local machine shop can often handle a job at a lower cost and with a quick turnaround. Used equipment also may be of help, at a significant savings, he says.

The majority of the webinar’s participants indicated that they purchase parts from a manufacturer or authorized dealer, using a parts outlet or specialty parts manufacturer as a secondary source.

If a now-defunct manufacturer made a machine, a laundry manager may need to get creative when it comes to replacing parts, Chadsey says. Alternative sources become more important when a piece of equipment is not supported as it was the day it was purchased.

In addition to parts outlets, specialty manufacturers, used equipment and custom machine shops, former distributors and the manufacturers of individual parts may be able to help. Issues may arise, he cautions, if the machine has structural problems in addition to individual parts problems.

Replacements

When it appears that equipment will need to be replaced, Chadsey suggests looking at benchmarks before making the decision, including the cost of continuing its operation and an analysis of ROI.

When looking at the cost of operation, consider safety issues or the structural components of the machine; look at the cost of parts and labor, a prime reason to maintain documentation on the repairs for that particular piece of equipment; and be sure to include the cost of downtime.

When considering the ROI, look at the cost of the old machine vs. that of a new or different piece of equipment. This analysis also will help determine a predictable replacement schedule, which is an advantage when talking with senior management.

Chadsey encourages any laundry manager to maintain the documentation on every piece of equipment, to be more aggressive in tracking and maintaining inventory, and to know their regional and local providers of parts. Planning is key to keeping costs down for any facility.

Click here for Part 1.

BEIJING, China — The growing China laundry services industry is in the market for high-production equipment, so a Texcare Asia show that traditionally has featured smaller laundry machinery “grew” this year to include seven tunnel washers in the exhibition.

Demand for high-quality, energy-efficient equipment is on the rise, thanks in part to the Chinese government’s push to reduce the country’s CO2 emissions by 45% by 2020.

And as China’s middle class grows more affluent and the country becomes a more desired international tourist destination, the hospitality industry is capitalizing by building more hotels. For example, Marriott recently announced plans to open one hotel in China each month for the next three years.

“There are so (many) people and so (many) needs, so they look for bigger machines,” says Bengt Bruce, president of laundry equipment manufacturer B&C Technologies, Panama City, Fla. “That’s why you see tunnels here.” Bruce was on hand to assist Accurate Technologies, the Thailand-based manufacturer for which B&C is a distributor in the United States.

“I’m amazed about the interest for our products,” says Bruce. “In general, I see a trend in the industry that you would see more quality out of the Chinese manufacturers. Overall, in the last three years, I have seen a big change. Overall, it’s a very good exhibition.”

Tony Regan, senior vice president for sales and marketing for American Dryer Corp., Fall River. Mass., took note of the increased number of China-based companies exhibiting equipment here this year.

Will their stronger presence make it more difficult for foreign companies to compete for business here?

“I’m going to say no, because as the market opens up even more and there is growth going on, we just have to approach it differently, we being the Americans, Europeans and the other parts of the world coming to China,” Regan says. “I think there still is potential for everybody.”

In September, the Jensen Group opened a large manufacturing facility in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, as its new base in China. The 91,000-square-foot plant includes a sales and servicing center.

“Our machine systems are more than a match for future laundry requirements, a fact that is entirely in line with our promise to offer sustainable laundry automation,” says Kai Anderson, Jensen’s regional business director. “We are extremely pleased with the number of visitors and are confident that we have the right solution for every laundry requirement.”

Consultant Glen Phillips of Minnesota-based Phillips & Associates attended Texcare Asia to meet with several Chinese manufacturers interested in participating in projects with his firm, as well as to visit with American and Canadian vendors attempting to gain a foothold here.

“China today is 40 to 50 years behind the Europeans and Americans in the delivery of quality laundry service,” says Phillips, whose firm has advised several Chinese national entrepreneurs in laundry projects. “Some of the international in-house hospitality laundries are acutely aware of the quality aspects of delivering quality linen service, but most are ambivalent about the benefits that service brings, particularly if the general managers don’t demand better service.”

Of the seven reported tunnel manufacturers on the floor, three were from Europe/USA and the remaining four were “copycat” Chinese manufacturers, Phillips says.

“Close inspection of these (Chinese) machines revealed welding flaws and errors, wiring irregularities that violated UL (Underwriters Laboratories) codes, and under-designed drive and safety features.”

He believes the Chinese-made machines were designed and built to meet certain “Chinese price points” without regard to good design and safety features.

Chinese manufacturers are “very naïve in the technical aspects of the laundry industry, particularly in the proper use of chemicals when dealing with contaminated healthcare textiles.”

David Tingue, CEO of Georgia-based Tingue, Brown & Co., attended the show in support of his company’s Hong Kong operation, now in its third year. Tingue, Brown supplies a variety of flatwork ironer products.

“It’s a very full conference hall, but it’s very easy to see this show, the way they have it laid out,” Tingue says. “I’m impressed by how many ‘big equipment’ guys are here vs. what I saw a few years ago. You’ve got all kinds of different manufacturers that, frankly, I’d never heard of.

“We need to see their business grow, so we can get the (orders for) after-market supplies they need to buy from us,” Tingue says. “It’ll trickle down to us soon.”

“Our resort has upgraded its linens everywhere, from the guestrooms to the pool to the five-star restaurant. So, the pressure is on to clean, handle and store these goods so they give us the longest useful life possible. What advice can you give me about processing high-thread-count linens?”

Consulting Services: David Chadsey, Capital Equipment Consulting, Winter Haven, Fla.

The hospitality industry is extremely competitive. One of the ways that properties have sought to differentiate themselves is by using high-quality textiles throughout their scope of services.

Events seem to blend together for me after having worked more than 25 years in this industry. But it seems to me this whole high-end-hospitality-linen rage started a decade ago with the luxury pillow-top bed. Oh, yes, the indulgent extravagance of a bed with a built-in pillow top.

Unfortunately, many of the pioneering hospitality decision-makers didn’t work in operations. In many properties, the discovery that standard-sized sheets do not fit on thicker mattresses was a stark revelation upon install.

No problem. Purchasing comes to the rescue with wider, longer sheets. But these sheets don’t fit width-wise down the ironer. Uh-oh. As an average, full-function finishing line costs about $250,000, many laundry operations were left to figure out temporary solutions until capital resources were made available for new equipment. Today, the ironing line of 130 inches wide plus is the specification standard in nearly all hospitality applications.

Who can forget the national media coverage several years ago that told America that hotels don’t launder their bedspreads after every guest checkout? Oh my! Again, sales drive the train and property differentiation comes first. “Here’s an idea—let’s put a duvet-covered quilt on every bed. Then we only have to wash the cover.”

Wash and iron, Mr. Hospitality Exec. Ironing a duvet cover, as those working in hospitality have learned, is like ironing a mega pillowcase on steroids. Again, operations were instructed to figure it out. Soon, everybody learned that high quality comes with a price—more labor, more utilities, and more equipment.

For decades, the T-180 sheet—and blended, at that—was the standard throughout the hospitality industry. No longer. The Holiday Inn Express that I stayed in recently had tuxedo T-220, 100% cotton bed linen. In many ways, cotton is easier to wash—the fabric loves to open up and surrender stains in hot water. But finishing is another issue.

It seems like the industry already went through this in reverse nearly 50 years ago. If you want cotton flatwork to look nice, it has to be ironed. Fifty-pound washers and tumble dryers in the basement simply will not provide a high-quality finish.

Pay attention, folks. If the high prices of cotton continue, I would expect the major mills to introduce new “looks and feels like cotton” polyester bed linen any day.

Through all of this change, Milliken led the charge in table linen, producing amazing imitation cotton food-and-beverage products. This product line has come a long way from the original Visa introduction. Most of this high-end, spun-poly-type fabric provides exceptionally long life, stable color, and ease of processing.

Uniforms: Barb Herman, SanMar Corp., Issaquah, Wash.

First, from a textile perspective, the task here really starts during the decision-making process to upgrade your linens (or any other textiles).

If a resort has an on-premise laundry (OPL) with commercial washing and finishing equipment, then the biggest part of this decision is the balance between image (look and feel) versus fabric durability in dye fastness, shrinkage, shape hold, snagging, soil/stain release, and the ability to wash and finish the product at high temperatures.

Many “high-end” linens are designed for look and feel, but are not built, and will not withstand, the rigorous processing needed to properly clean and finish the goods.

The wash floor chemical suppliers and dryer/ironer manufacturers operate in OPL and rental (linen supply) channels. They are well aware of the processing standards, chemical usage, and machine operation, as well as fabric performance testing that can be offered to evaluate potential premium linens for your operation.

With “high-thread-count” linens comes the risk of damage in both use and processing. The smaller denier of the yarns is what provides the look and feel, but it is simply not as durable as more-commercial products. More care needs to be taken in how these goods are processed in an OPL.

Stains on lighter fabrics become one of the most volatile issues for OPLs. Whites can be bleached to remove stains. However, lighter colors will fade drastically with typical commercial bleaching, and most fabric manufacturers warn against the use. Darks typically fade faster and show inconsistency in inventory as wear occurs. It is important to test products through the expected life cycle before making a decision to purchase.

With regard to storage, it is important to have proper shelving, cabinetry and carts that can be easily kept clean and neat. Goods should be organized in such a way that your housekeeping staff can handle them without the risk of product falling on the floor, or in areas around your resort that might cause staining.

The shelving and material-handling equipment (such as carts) should be segregated as “clean” and “soiled” so that you keep your soil redeposition in check. Finally, you will need to train your housekeeping staff to assist you in spotting stains and heavy soil, and in separating linens and toweling while cleaning rooms, so there is no redeposition in typical wash loads.

Moving from standard-grade linen to high-end also dictates that you inspect and maintain your washers, dryers, ironers, sorters and accumulators in such a way that they are kept clean and free of burrs that might cause snagging. The higher the thread count, the higher the risk.

Upgrading linen can certainly enhance the image of a resort and bring new and repeat customers. Let’s face it. We all want to sleep and bathe in comfort. Taking the time to identify the proper product by qualifying and testing, setting the processing and handling standards, maintaining the storage and handling equipment, and constantly training staff to be part of the overall image of your resort can be the difference in a successful upgrade.

Tomorrow: High thread count does not equate to more durability. In fact, the opposite is true …
Click here for Part 1.

“Equipment, chemicals, etc., play a huge part in our laundry’s success, but our most important asset is our people. We have to work well as a team. In what ways can I improve my team-building skills and learn how to spot trouble that could drag down staff morale and curtail production?”

Uniforms: Barb Herman, SanMar Corp., Issaquah, Wash.

It’s pretty clear that our industry does a good job building teamwork and morale on the sales and service side. But most companies typically don’t turn inward, toward their production and administrative staffs, to provide any real motivators for going beyond the call of duty or for building better production through true teamwork.

We treat people fairly and truly care, yes, but do we motivate and build a culture of efficiency from the inside out?

We as an industry spend a lot of effort and time “externally” branding and marketing our goods and services to our customers and prospects. But we don’t really spend any time doing the same for our internal staff.

If you were to give a plant tour today, could your department leaders explain to a prospect what you do in your laundering process that sets you apart from the competition? Can they state why, for instance, you might fold and bundle your shop and bar towels versus bagging them in bulk?

The word “teamwork” is defined as a cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together or in the interests of a common cause. The idea of giving your production and administrative staff “all the information” empowers them with more knowledge to connect the dots.

It makes them part of the success of your company and enables them to own their process. It makes what they do more important.

When you give meaning to people’s work, you enhance morale. And studies for decades have shown us that higher morale provides higher production, whether in quantity or quality.

The following is a recipe for success in team building from within our plants and offices:

1. Make them part of the important, customer-centric decisions. If you make a change in the way you need to produce goods, such that it enhances your service, the production staff should be just as much a part of that decision or design process as the sales and service staffs.
2. Make sure that your internal staff knows how you sell your products and services.
3. When you have internal meetings, bring someone from sales and/or service, so that ideas can be exchanged from both perspectives. Build a culture that you are truly all working together. Do the same when you have external department meetings, by bringing production or office personnel to those meetings, and empowering them to take issues back to their respective “departments” to figure out solutions.
4. Hold full staff “rap” sessions with your entire organization (or at least representatives from all departments). Create a 360-degree view. As a leader, it’s a must to provide and/or be the conduit that allows and enhances information flow in both directions.

When all of your teams know they have the 360 view, teamwork will be a natural result. It is when we compartmentalize and run departments in a vacuum that we don’t take advantage of the teamwork opportunity that exists in every company.

Teamwork starts from the top down and grows from the bottom up!

Commercial Laundry: Rick Rone, Laundry Plus, Sarasota, Fla.

Certain ideologies can be used based on the number of workers within a company, but respect is necessary no matter what the size.

Keep employees motivated. Motivation is not always associated with giving more money. Managers need to be smart about scheduling workers, making sure they get at least 40 hours a week and consider how many days they will need to complete the hours. Can they save a day of paying for childcare and/or transportation if you schedule them for four 10-hour days instead of five days or more with shorter shifts?

When there is not enough work, review your people. When possible, lay off the ones who are not performing well and let the others complete a full-time schedule. Keeping the right people will maintain your production levels.

The employer can help employees in different ways. If a worker gives advance notice that he or she can’t report for work on a particular day, let them switch with another co-worker so they won’t lose hours.

Schedule employees who can carpool to work together on the same day so they can split the cost of gasoline.

Recognize the various nationalities in your laundry by doing something special on their holidays. Promote from within whenever possible.

Rotate workers to different workstations; this will prevent burnout while helping them gain experience in different areas, ultimately boosting production.

In the laundry industry, we encounter many different cultures and people who speak different languages. Workers can come from various foreign countries and primarily speak their native language, not English. People who are fluent in all languages spoken at your laundry must be available to prevent problems from happening due to miscommunication.

Communication issues will drastically affect production and quality. All employees should take comfort in knowing there is someone they can ask questions to better understand what they are supposed to do.

When you hire a new employee, make sure he or she has the right capabilities. Place new hires with more experienced employees so their work can be monitored in case they are not working up to standards (quality, speed, etc.) or a problem arises.

Managers must monitor production by piece or pound per hour and see that the workers are aware of these numbers and where they are with respect to standards. Consider an incentive if production goals are achieved.

Experience shows that employees will split off into different cliques or groups for various reasons, and this will affect your production and quality. Break up these groups, and make them understand that they need to work together. They work for the same company, and “groups” cannot be tolerated.

Understanding and accommodating your employees, and listening to their suggestions and ideas (hint: install a suggestion box) makes them feel important and part of the company.

Click here for Part 1.

Tomorrow: Answers from the textile/uniform rental, hotel/motel/resort laundry, and equipment/supplies distribution sectors…

This three-day service seminar will cover the following products:

— Flatwork Equipment, including Cotas PLC, B&R PLC, Classic Folders, Small-Piece Folders, Feeders and Ironers

Registration includes manuals and lunches. Participants are responsible for their own transportation. Hotel reservations may be made at the Holiday Inn Select, 850-769-0000 (ask for the special Jensen seminar rate).

Contact: Jerry Elmore, 850-271-5959, ext. 183, e-mail jerry.elmore@jensen-group.com.

“I know that my laundry operation is due to be inspected sometime soon, but I’m not sure how to get ready for it. Where should my focus be? In what areas are we most likely to get nailed if our operation is deemed substandard?”

Commercial Laundry: Rick Rone, Laundry Plus, Sarasota, Fla.

I would want to know first, what type of inspection and by whom. The best answer is that if you are doing things properly from the beginning, you will have no reason to panic. Focus instead on the various things that can be done prior to inspection.

There are numerous free resources available to assist in building, remodeling and maintaining a safe, clean facility.

Traditionally, your workman’s compensation insurance carrier will be more than happy, if you ask them, for a courtesy inspection. It will review your complete facility and offer recommendations to make your plant a safer workplace environment.

This is extremely important, as it will show your carrier that you are indeed partnering with them on the safety of your employees, saving both of you time in lost labor as well as money.

Most of us have at least one steam boiler. Again, your insurance carrier (you should be carrying boiler insurance if you have this equipment) will be able to send a boiler inspector to your plant for a courtesy inspection before you get notice of a state or county inspection. Traditionally, you will also find your local fire department quite happy to provide a free inspection.

Additional avenues that can be explored include the complete visual and mechanical inspection of all machinery.

Are any machines utilizing temporary wiring (extension cords)? Are all emergency stops in proper working order? Are all chemicals in the correct storage containers, and are they in the proper location?

At this point, take a close look at your maintenance department. What about all the chemicals used? When maintenance is working on a specific piece on equipment, do you have a tag-out/lock-out procedure in place and is it being followed? Your ladders and other similar devices around your plant, are they in safe working order?

Do you have a contract with a local fire extinguisher company? Take a look at all your fire extinguishers. Have any been used and not refilled or replaced?

We all have carts around our plants. Are they blocking emergency exits?

There have been too many reports of workers in this industry getting severely injured or even killed. Major areas of concern should be those with the highest possibility of causing injury/death.

These are most of the areas that should be taken into consideration regularly, not just prior to a pending inspection. Safety needs to be a part of every employee’s job description.

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Phil Jones, Sheraton Vistana Resort, Orlando, Fla.

One of the best ways to prepare is to treat every day as if there will be an inspection. If you wait until you know an inspection will be happening soon, you will most likely miss the one thing the inspector looks for.

Our facility has a standard operating manual given to all employees, covering all policies and procedures for each piece of equipment or area in which an employee may work. Information as simple as proper starting and stopping of machines is covered, including the locations of emergency stops. A key to an inspection may well be how an employee understands the operation and safety of a machine.

Our employees also go through an annual certification on safety that is documented for an inspector to review. The safety class is conducted both on a hotel-wide theme during their new-hire training and then on-site with our laundry trainer.

A key to passing an inspection is your partnership with maintenance mechanics. Our property requires a daily log of all work on equipment to verify maintenance and mechanical issues. This includes verifying that a piece of equipment has been properly locked out/tagged out. All mechanics must also be certified on safety on a yearly basis.

The final piece is to have your employees take ownership of the laundry as if it is their home away from home. Cleaning everything from the floors to wiping down the equipment is a way of life at our laundry. There is a sense of pride that exists when our operation is clean. We treat each day as if the president of our company will be visiting.

Consulting Services: David Chadsey, Capital Equipment Consulting, Winter Haven, Fla.

There are several different inspections that can occur throughout the year for a laundry operation. Understanding what the inspectors will be looking at and looking for is the key to being prepared.

Who is coming is central in understanding what areas of the operation will be inspected and at what level. Let’s take a look at what specific inspections might entail.

Corporate Supervisor: Environmental Services, Rooms Director

These are your own people. Unless there is a specific issue that is leading them to the laundry, these folks come in only when they have to.

Your immediate supervisor may be looking for production and cost reports, but typically these folks want a tour. Be prepared to show them the whole shebang, from mechanical room to loading dock.

Make sure engineering has plenty of notice. You want their shop area in order. If there is a piece of equipment in service or waiting for a part, put the panels and covers back on.

Don’t neglect the shipping area. These folks will recognize the packaging that arrives in their areas of responsibility. This is probably the only area of the laundry that is familiar to them. They love to see “their linen” staged and ready to ship.

If you are looking for capital dollars within the next budget year, this is an excellent opportunity to point out where those dollars will improve your efficiency.

Current and Prospective Customers

A laundry inspection is almost always part of the process in securing new customers. Current customers will also typically inspect the laundry operation at times of renewal. It is important to step back and try to see the laundry through their eyes and from their perspective.

What are the specific processes that their linen goes through to ensure it is returned hygienically clean, and meeting their requirements for quality? If there is something unique that you offer to better meet their need, this is the time to show it off.

In addition to the processing features of a plant, COG (customer-owned goods) customers are interested in inventory control procedures. Walking them through the process helps educate them on your procedures and improves understanding.

Educated customers are typically easier to work with. Understanding your basic processes can help explain why turning their truckload of pool towels in two hours may be a challenge.

Compliance-Oriented Inspections

There are specific requirements in processing healthcare linen, which vary by state. If you are anticipating an inspection along the lines of Joint Commission or any compliance-oriented inspection, a key resource for being prepared is the Association for Linen Management’s Guide to Assessing Healthcare Laundry Quality.

The guide provides laundry management with guidelines, regulations and standards applicable to healthcare laundry services. State-specific standards are available with information on how to determine if your plant is in compliance.

The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council publishes standards for healthcare textile processing and provides accreditation for independent healthcare laundry operations.

Friday: Answers from the equipment manufacturing and long-term-care laundry sectors...