Content about Panel of Experts

April 17, 2013

Controlling Linen Loss is Key to ‘Saving Par’ (Conclusion)

CHICAGO — Input from hotel/motel/resort laundry and chemicals supply sectors

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

charles loelius Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can’t do business from an empty wagon.” Nothing has a greater impact on a laundry’s sales, service, operation, and reputation than an inadequate circulating linen inventory.

The lack of a sufficient amount of linen in circulation necessitates operating the plant longer hours than would otherwise be necessary. Labor, maintenance and utility costs increase, while both efficiency and morale plummet. Operating costs increase without the benefit of added revenue.

Laundering the linen more frequently than would otherwise be necessary shortens its life, resulting in higher depletion and additional replenishment cost.

Equally important, insufficient circulating linen results in decreased fill rates. The inability to provide complete orders negatively impacts both revenue and customer confidence.

The first step in managing circulating linen inventory is to recognize that linen loss will occur. The next step is to ascertain where this loss is prone to occur, and develop policies and programs to prevent unnecessary depletion.

How linen is processed, distributed, utilized, returned and monitored will have a direct bearing on both linen loss and replenishment costs.

Planned losses, such as discards and rag-outs, are the result of quality control programs. Planned depletion, along with a corresponding linen replenishment program, is necessary to maintain a viable circulating linen inventory.

At my hotel, I budget annual rooms linen replacement cost at $2.50 per occupied room; annual food-and-beverage linen replacement cost is budgeted at 20 cents per cover.

Consequently, I am able to completely turn over the circulating linen inventory every three years.

There are two types of linen depletion: actual and artificial. Actual loss represents a permanent depletion in circulating linen (the linen is not retrievable). This loss is the result of discard, abuse and theft, either deliberate or inadvertent. Artificial loss represents linen that, while not accessible to circulating inventory, is still retrievable. This loss is caused by linen being overstocked at the end-user location, which results in an under-utilized inventory.

In linen rental operations, overstocking at the customer not only renders linen inaccessible, it precludes generating additional rental revenue via “turning” the linen.

Conducting physical inventories on a regular basis will provide the information needed to determine if the amount of linen in circulation is sufficient for the operation. Physical inventories also help in the planning of future purchases, and are essential in determining linen loss.

Due to storage limitations typical at a Manhattan hotel, it is necessary to employ the practice of just-in-time ordering. Ordering less linen more often reduces the space needed for storage, but increases the reliance on accurate physical inventories. Like the carpenter’s credo of “measure twice cut once,” proper linen procurement relies on conducting exact physical inventories.

Conducting precise physical inventories will also serve as the basis for determining unexplained linen loss. This loss can be determined through this formula: Prior inventory – discards + linen injections – current inventory = unexplained loss.

Conducting physical inventories at the customer’s premises is a daunting task, but is necessary to properly gauge both linen loss and linen utilization. Complete inventories should be conducted at least annually. Salient information can also be gleaned from “informal” inventories, shelf counts, and linen abuse “spot checks” that can be conducted as part of sales, service, and goodwill calls.

Linen loss and abuse charges, as well as linen utilization fees, when implemented and enforced, can aid in reducing both actual and artificial linen losses.

There is the caveat, however, that enforcing these type charges, even if contractually stipulated, may result in strained relations with the customer.

Regardless of the laundry operation type, it is crucial to involve, educate and monitor the end-users, in properly controlling the linen at their disposal.

Chemicals Supply: Philip L. Bodner, Metro-Chem, Kearny, N.J.

One of the main challenges in purchasing new textiles is taking extra care to know exactly what it is you are being sold.

We are in a time of exciting new textiles and innovative, high-performance, high-quality fabrics, yet we are also in an era of low-cost outsourcing from places around the globe offering seemingly value-priced purchasing options that sometimes don’t perform to our standards and expectations.

philip bodner Processing of “commercial level” quality textiles or an innovative new fabric is usually easy enough to accomplish. As always, make your purchasing considerations based on colors, sizes and fabric types. When placing your first order with a vendor, make sure to ask for a printed copy of the manufacturer’s laundering and processing recommendations.

Get all the info that’s available and then the correct laundering and finishing of these textiles becomes a matter of putting the manufacturer’s recommendations together with you and your trusted vendor’s experience to arrive at the correct processing routines. When handled properly, the mid- to higher-quality imported or domestic textile will stay in usable condition longer and will offer a good return on investment through its extended service life.

If you are buying large quantities of any textiles, or if you’re buying something new to your operation (or even trying to get a bargain), do two things to save yourself some potential grief. First, ask your distributor salesperson to let you speak to some customers who have purchased the same goods to get direct feedback on performance. Secondly, have an adequate quantity of sample products sent in advance to test-wash and finish to get a leg up on what to expect.

As far as how much linen inventory is enough, answers vary for each operation’s actual needs. One thing is sure: the same budgetary constraints we suffer today, the ones that send people bargain shopping, also tend to lead to inadequate par levels. This lack of linen—I call it “LoL”—can often leave a trail of major inefficiencies cascading down the line.

Both the planned and un-planned consequences of LoL are no laughing matter when they start costing you money. It starts the clock ticking on an investment that will surely wear out before it should. It’s just like wearing the same pair of shoes every day instead of alternating among a few pairs throughout the week. At the end of some shortened period of time, you will be reordering new replacement linens and those pesky invoices will start to play tag with accounts payable.

LoL also puts stress on everyone involved in your laundry or the laundry that provides your linen service. This can lead to processing shortcuts that can affect quality in laundering and finishing because nobody can take the time to do it right. Today’s soil is also today’s or tomorrow’s clean linens, so just get out of the way! We see this “hurry and scurry” approach played out over and over in many laundry operations.

LoL flies in the face of “green” initiatives. It’s carbon-intensive to burn all of that diesel fuel the linen service uses to drive back and forth seven days a week with the linen you absolutely have to have now. By adding par, you solve this, and may even put yourself in a better negotiating position when the next service contract is written. Your provider now only has to come rolling out to see your loading dock four times a week, which is a win-win situation for all except the oil companies.

Finally, it’s the unplanned consequences always lurking around that can and will affect you in not-so-pleasant ways. You have probably experienced some of these seat-clenching moments already.

Do you agree that laundry equipment never breaks, the delivery trucks always start in winter, it never snows, and everyone else’s workers always show up in force when needed just like yours do? If you don’t, then you’re a realist, and having that one or two extra par on hand in case of emergency is your buffer when reality hits. This option sure beats watching your employees stand around waiting for miracle linen to appear. Besides, the guests usually don’t stay humorous for long without clean sheets.

Having more par available keeps the goods looking better and lasting longer. More par means less stress and more time to get things done right. More par is more green. More par gives you breathing room when the best plans go awry. And we can all agree that having one less thing to worry about is always a good thing.

April 16, 2013

Controlling Linen Loss is Key to ‘Saving Par’ (Part 1)

CHICAGO — Input from healthcare laundry, uniforms/workwear manufacturing and equipment/supply distribution sectors

Healthcare Laundry: Judy Murphy, RN, BSN, CLLM, RLLD, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss.

judy murphy In a healthcare setting, the challenge of taking a physical inventory can be overwhelming. One must enlist the help of clinical staff and/or the customer to count linen, especially in surgery, critical care, and isolation or restricted areas. Developing a relationship with that end-user and working together to stress the importance of linen in the care of their patients increases the likelihood of success and provides an avenue for honest feedback that can be used for performance improvement.

Timing of the inventory process is critical. One must work with those involved to determine the date, time, etc. Asking overwhelmed employees to add more work to their already busy schedules can set the project up for failure. Working together will allow the team to forecast any “snags” or concerns and to make plans to address them. The manager will also have their buy-in up front.

Linen is somewhat a “moving” target. The process of supplying linen to our customers has several ongoing steps that are difficult to halt while the inventory count is being done. To complicate this further, linen is kept in multiple areas throughout the customer’s facility/unit, so establishing a starting and ending point can be a challenge. Recognizing and addressing any challenges up front will contribute significantly to the success of the inventory process.

In a market with decreasing reimbursements, increased production/process issues, dwindling capital funding, etc., maintaining an adequate budget for linens can pose a problem. History has shown that we continue to “expect to do more with less.”

The laundry manager faces an uphill battle in justifying the need for an adequate linen purchase/replacement budget. It is imperative that he/she has accurate data to forecast needs, and that planning is in place to address any increases or decreases in customer demands. This effort will assist the manager in decreasing the frequency of rush/panic orders and resulting increased delivery costs, thereby resulting in an overall savings opportunity.

The manager must seek every opportunity to keep costs at a minimum while maintaining an adequate number of linen par (turns) so that ample supply is available for the customer’s demands.

Too little linen results in shortages to customers (may result in hoarding), increased linen processing, decreased linen life, decreased customer satisfaction, increased stress on laundry personnel (must “hurry through” the processing steps), inefficient use of equipment and staff time, increased chemical costs, etc.

Too much linen can result in a decreased return on investment, storage issues, linen degradation, as well as possible contamination with lint, dust, or insect infestation.

Software that provides the manager with an actual daily/weekly/monthly/annual usage figure can be used to identify overages and shortages, which can be addressed with appropriate par-level adjustments. These figures should be reviewed with the customer and any changes determined together so that they won’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Though zero loss would be ideal, it is unrealistic. Even if proper processes are in place, and the security and utilization of linen is appropriate, the laundry manager must still take into consideration other variables, including type of operation (healthcare, hospitality, correctional), region of the country/world you’re serving, type of chemistry used, etc. In addition, each linen item will have a different loss rate.

There are benchmarks available that can be used for comparison. I recommend the manager check with his or her linen supplier, in that these vendors are excellent resources of information. One such source states that benchmarks can range from an overall linen replacement average of 78% (this would be considered “best practice”) to 113%.

This “stretch” goal is achievable. The manager must concentrate on driving consistent, accurate, and focused efforts to purchase, process, and inventory linen utilizing a team approach that involves those who have a vested interest.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

When it comes to inventory control and securing textiles in today’s business environment, suppliers and laundries walk a fine line on a daily basis. As market conditions continue to change and become more competitive, it is important to maintain strong partnerships and solid communication with offshore manufacturing partners.

scott delin Sourcing, delivery times, and inventory control are impacted by power outages in plants, cotton shortages, rise in freight costs, and other unknown variables. In order to deal with many unknowns that can and will have a direct impact upon our ability to meet our customers’ demands, the implementation of “programs” has become an excellent way to efficiently and cost-effectively mitigate these challenges.

With a formal program, production can be forecast in a smarter way and supports the just-in-time inventory control principle.

Because of today’s competitive market environment, it is essential that inventory be available when our customers need it. When our inventory cannot fulfill our customers’ needs, we “open the door” and create opportunities for our competition.

Customer loyalty can no longer be taken for granted. Customers want to deal with suppliers and laundries that have product when they need it so they can service their clients or end-users as needed.

Not having adequate inventory can be detrimental to long-term business relationships and have a direct impact on the growth of your business. Insufficient inventory can damage a customer’s faith in his or her vendor and supplier to deliver goods when needed.

Equipment/Supply Distribution: Bill Bell, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., Miami, Fla.

Par: This word has many uses in the English language. For part-time golfers like me, this is a number we strive for. In the real world, it is used to establish inventory management and safety levels.

For many hotel operators, a par level of 3 has been a minimum and 4 has been a plus. In today’s economy, every extra dollar is being put to use in all aspects of operations. Just-in-time inventory has become more of a normal procedure than stocked inventory. Linen replacement averages 5-6% annually.

bill bell Under the just-in-time philosophy, OPLs must monitor inventory on a monthly or quarterly basis. Processes and procedures must be implemented to keep this percentage as low as possible. It is suggested that each station have a linen processing area with containers for each classification for linen type (mixed linen, torn linen and stained linen). Training all associates in the classification separation to be collected is important to the laundry’s success.

Working with your chemical provider to set up an aggressive, comprehensive stain formula in treating stained linen can help reduce or at least keep your linen replacement levels at 5-6%. A reclamation program to monitor and track discarded linen items will help with getting your correct items for inventory.

Benchmarking with other laundries—sharing problems or success stories—is a great idea. Different locations may face different challenges. For example, a laundry in Orlando, Fla., has to deal with suntan lotion stains, while a laundry in Boise, Idaho, may not have this problem.

Linen “misconduct” is another inventory issue. Washcloths, pool towels, robes, hospital blankets, and patient gowns tend to leave with the guest or patient. Educating nurses, housekeeping employees, patients and hotel customers is the most efficient way to control inventory being misplaced. There is not a foolproof way to control theft, but by pulling together we may deter the end-users from making poor choices.

In the end, without proper inventory control, the guest or patient experience is not going to be favorable. Consumers expect clean linen, and sometimes extra linen, at their disposal. It all leads back to saving par.

Check back tomorrow for the conclusion!

February 26, 2013

Sharps Pose Constant Threat to Soil Sorters, Others (Part 3)

CHICAGO — Input from equipment manufacturing, textile/uniform rental and commercial laundry sectors

Equipment Manufacturing: Steve Hietpas, Maytag Commercial Laundry, St. Joseph, Mich.

steve hietpas Although not directly related to the manufacturing of commercial laundry equipment, for some of our customers this topic is a major concern. Professional laundry managers can do two things to help stem the flow of objects found in dirtied linens: an employee training program and, where applicable, conveniently placed containers for depositing razor-sharp objects.

In healthcare settings, a number of pointed objects—hypodermic needles, for example—are used on a regular basis. These needles, if left in soiled linens, are dangerous to professionals processing the laundry. By incorporating collection receptacles in or near every patient’s room, it makes disposing of these items properly more convenient and more likely. Coupled with a program to train staff of the importance of sharps disposal, laundry processing is much safer for all parties involved.

In the food and beverage industry, training again plays an integral role in reducing the amount of cutlery found within soiled linens. The awareness gleaned from training helps to protect those processing the linens and ensures the vast majority of utensils are available for patrons.

Textile/Uniform Rental: Tom Peplinski, Golden West, Oakland, Calif.

tom peplinski Sharp objects can be a safety concern to all those handling soiled linen. Each year, millions of workers suffer workplace injuries that could have been prevented. Approximately 30% of all workplace injuries involve cuts or lacerations, and about 70% of those injuries are to the hands or fingers.

Some practical steps can help minimize the risk of contact with sharp objects:

Include the issue of sharp objects in your hazards safety meeting
Post reminders that sharp objects may be present in soil area
Be sure that gloves (puncture-resistant, when possible) are worn
Be sure all personnel are trained in the procedures of handling soil
Have a clear, written policy and procedure covering first aid
Keep good housekeeping rules that include eliminating sharp objects and edges
When sharp items are found in soil, try to identify customers from which they came and inform them of the issue.
Post anti-sharp/anti-garbage posters at customer’s soil area
Offer to speak at customer’s safety meeting to address the potential problem
Inspect the area where the soil container is placed to see if there might be a safer area elsewhere
Inform all service personnel when sharps are found so they are aware of the risk

Finally, review past incidents/injuries involving cuts and lacerations. Have participants discuss the cause of the injuries and possible solutions as to how the worker or employer could have prevented them. Apply suggestions for improvements to your “Cuts and Abrasion” policy and procedures.

Commercial Laundry: Richard Warren, Linen King, Conway, Ark.

richard warren Laundries don’t put the sharps into the linen stream, and we can’t keep them out.

I find that infection control staffs at hospitals are embarrassed about the issue, so we need to be sensitive in our approach. I find them quite willing to work with a laundry that maintains a professional attitude toward what they perceive as their own problem. We certainly can’t be heavy-handed when we discuss this issue.

We have done some things physically that have practically pushed this problem into extinction. We contact the infection control people, our point of contact in the linen department, and the linen committee to talk about how to keep the sharps out. They need to know where the offending item came from, so we help by taking a picture of the item. Sometimes it’s identifiable. If the discovery is made in the sorting department, we make note of the specific carts we are working with at the time. We e-mail all this information to personnel at the hospital so they have something to work with. Calling them to complain just keeps the adversarial relationship alive.

Not all hospitals recognize the urgency of the situation, but those that do have shown a dramatic decrease in incidents. We apply the same procedure to all manner of rogue hospital items, some of obvious value. Any customer would appreciate that attention.

There are commercially manufactured machines that “scan” the soiled laundry for foreign objects, and are used at the point of linen collection. I don’t have any first-hand knowledge regarding their effectiveness.

February 21, 2013

Sharps Pose Constant Threat to Soil Sorters, Others (Part 2)

CHICAGO — Input from consulting services and uniforms/workwear manufacturing sectors

Consulting Services: David Bernstein, Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, Charlottesville, Va.

david bernstein You owe a duty to your employees to ensure a safe work environment and to minimize or eliminate exposure to hazards on the job. At the same time, you have a duty to your customers to ensure their textiles are processed in an efficient, productive and timely manner.

Most people think of healthcare linen as the primary sharps concern because of the serious health issues that can arise from laundry workers being stuck by needles or cut by other sharp medical devices, but those of you who operate non-healthcare laundries should also be concerned with how the intrusion of these items can present a danger and affect the smooth flow of production through your plant.

Do all that you can to eliminate the intrusion of sharps into soiled linen before that linen reaches your loading dock. Your sales and service teams need to partner with customers to provide education for their management and employees so that they can put the proper controls in place. Taking the time when a new customer comes on board to provide training and education for their team can go a long way toward ensuring the safety of your workers and the uninterrupted flow of goods through your plant.

In the healthcare realm, work with your customers’ infection control and/or environmental departments to ensure that they are using safer medical devices with the latest engineering controls (e.g. sharps containers, needleless systems, self-sheathing needles, etc.). Some customers may initially resist adopting some of these devices based on cost, but having a frank conversation with them about the cost of each exposure may help them to come around.

Those of you processing industrial and non-healthcare linen should be having the same kind of ongoing dialogue with your customers, albeit from a slightly different angle. You may need to approach the topic from an economic perspective. Explain how a sharp knife can injure a production worker, how a fork can puncture the diaphragm of a press extractor and shut down your production (for hours or days), how a screwdriver can damage a washer-extractor or a dryer, etc.

Of course, any of you who run a laundry that processes food and beverage linen have also seen silverware and cooking tools end up in these facilities, and I would suggest that you explain how much money is being wasted on items that end up in your soil room rather than in their dishwashers.

Cultivate an attitude of zero tolerance toward the appearance of sharps in your customers’ soil. It has become common practice in healthcare laundries to, as a part of a written exposure plan, log the appearance of sharps and other foreign objects in soiled laundry and provide a monthly report to your customers. I would argue that you should take this practice further.

Work with your team and your customers’ risk management and infection control departments to develop a list of priority items that, if found among your linen, trigger an immediate call to the customer and an investigation into how the item got into your soil room.

Some laundries charge customers for each foreign item found among their soil, with higher amounts charged for more dangerous items. This type of negative reinforcement can turn a customer off of your service, so I recommend taking a more positive approach. Reward employees who find, report and properly handle sharps, and consider an annual award to those customers who eliminate or reduce the number of sharps and other foreign items sent to your laundry.

In many laundry processing facilities, soil-sort workers are considered the first line of defense against the intrusion of sharps and other foreign objects. With time, constant vigilance, strict monitoring of items that come into your laundry, and innovative partnering strategies, you should be able to achieve continuing reductions.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

scott delin Numerous types of sicknesses can be contracted due to encounters with needles, surgical instruments, cutlery or more. Proactive communication between the laundry and healthcare facility is key to avoiding them.

Every time a laundry discovers sharps in the soiled linen, the occurrence should be documented and reported immediately to the healthcare facility. Prepare and present an incident report to the appropriate department. By physically showing the sharps that came back in the soiled linen, it might be possible to identify the specific department from where they came and prevent future occurrences.

Schedule ongoing educational sessions with individual departments as needed. In an effort to ensure that facilities properly dispose of sharps, laundries should provide their healthcare facilities with collection containers and proper signage at all collection points. These safety measures will result in a reduced amount of sharps coming back to laundry facilities in the soiled linen.

Check back Tuesday for the third and final part!

February 19, 2013

Sharps Pose Constant Threat to Soil Sorters, Others

CHICAGO — Input from healthcare laundry, hotel/motel/resort laundry, and equipment/supply distribution sectors

Healthcare Laundry: Judy Murphy, RN, BSN, CLLM, RLLD, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss.

judy murphy There is an increased risk of sharps exposure for laundry employees, especially for those who work in the soil-sort process. To help stem the flow of these items, and to keep the communication lines open with clinical staff, the laundry manager should meet regularly (at least quarterly) with nurse managers, surgery, emergency services, ambulance, etc., to help determine the root causes. This cooperative effort helps establish rapport with clinical staff while addressing legitimate concerns.

Most healthcare organizations have a PI (Performance Improvement) team and/or safety committee that looks at the various OSHA violations (both recordables and non-recordables). The laundry manager should volunteer to participate on this type of team so that these concerns can be voiced to the appropriate people and so that he/she can remain abreast of the efforts being made to address them.

Champion the use of safety devices and engineering controls designed to decrease the risk of employee exposure. Assist with the research and promotion of these efforts by utilizing resources (other laundry managers, industry standards, guidelines, etc.) to determine “best practice” policies and procedures that could be implemented in the facility.

There are circumstances (emergency “Code Blue” resuscitations, for example) that, due to their chaotic nature, increase the likelihood of sharps being lost in linens. Provide education/training to your laundry personnel in the proper shaking-out and separation of soiled linens. And be sure to include techniques on how to pick up sharps (i.e. utilizing tongs or other grasping devices) and dispose of them properly.

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

charles loelius Finding foreign objects in linens is not an uncommon occurrence. Trash, glass, dishes and cutlery are sometimes mistakenly and carelessly mixed in with the soiled linens by the end-users when gathering the linen for reprocessing. Healthcare linen poses the additional threat of bacterial and viral contamination from needles and scalpels.

Although my laundry processes hospitality linens, we observe universal precautions when detecting and handling sharps. Sharps, in our case, consist of cutlery and broken glass sent down the laundry chute in error by our end-user, the room attendants.

All incidents are documented, and the appropriate people are notified. All soil sorters wear proper protective equipment, including masks and puncture-resistant gloves. Broken glass is picked up with tongs or brush and dustpan and placed in a medically approved sharps container. This container is disposed of when three-quarters full.

The laundry maintains a log according to OSHA guidelines that lists the date and location of the incident as well as the type of sharp.

We have weekly meetings with the room attendants to provide details of the prior week’s foreign objects found in the linen. We seek to educate them on the danger that sharp objects pose to their co-workers.

We also seek feedback from the housekeeping team on ways to reduce the instances of foreign objects, particularly glasses, dishes and cutlery, which pose a safety hazard.

In the end, we stress regular communications to achieve buy-in from our end-users to reduce the problem with sharps. At the same time, the processes are in place to minimize the safety hazard should these mistakes continue.

Equipment/Supply Distribution: Bill Bell, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., Miami, Fla.

bill bell I reached out to a few of my customers who are professional healthcare laundry managers and have decades of experience. They all shared that this problem never goes away. There are procedures in place to control exposure to sharps, but it is extremely difficult to eliminate them from making it to the laundry.

Metal detectors are too expensive and will not detect small needles in bulk linen. You would think that most instruments would be coming primarily from ambulance, emergency rooms and surgical, but that’s not the case. They simply come from everywhere in a facility.

By educating healthcare staff, the flow of sharps will significantly decrease. Most of the sharps on the patient care units have been eliminated or at least reduced by using tubing and needles with safety devices. Re-educating the infection control nurse at each property on a quarterly basis seems to work best.

Most healthcare laundry facilities operating under pool linen or COG programs monitor each facility’s goods upon receipt for control of linen shortages, damage, etc., so anything more intensive than that wouldn’t be cost-effective. So, it’s all about education, education, education!

Check back Thursday for Part 2!

January 22, 2013

2013 Panel of Experts Ready to Answer Industry Questions (Part 3 of 3)

CHICAGO — Meet its representatives from the chemicals supply, equipment manufacturing, and uniform/workwear manufacturing sectors

Chemicals Supply: Philip L. Bodner, Metro-Chem, Kearny, N.J.

Philip Bodner Hello, my name is Phil Bodner, and I am a “soap-man.” I get to wear many hats and mean many things to the customers I serve. I’m pleased to be a part of American Laundry News’ continuing effort to bring new ideas and beneficial information to our industry. I hope to contribute to the conversation and provide whatever insights that my experience will allow.

I live in South Jersey with my wife, Penny. My likes include family, golf, history, politics, current events and dining out with our friends. For the past 28 years, I have worked as a sales representative and sales manager for Metro-Chem Inc., and my expertise in laundry technology extends from shirt laundering, hospitality and institutional, to linen supply and industrial uniform plants.

My responsibilities have included new product ideas and testing, hiring and training field technicians, procurement and engineering of automated injection systems, marketing and sales meetings, as well as maintaining many long-term customers in my own Philadelphia area territory.

At Metro-Chem, we manufacture more than 100 laundry-specific products for all laundry needs. We provide innovative, top-quality chemistry to all segments of the industry, but we believe that you can only be as good as your ongoing commitment to service in the field. It is this combination of effective products and a true consultative approach to technical service that I believe helps fuel our sales growth and delivers the greatest good to our individual customers’ businesses.

As a company, we stay abreast of everything from local water conditions and water restrictions, to wastewater regulations and new types of textiles and garments. As such, we’ve been busy in 2012 developing a new activated chemistry to help perform well in lower temperatures, lower pH and with fewer oxidizers required. This concept is moving us toward shorter wash formulas with importance placed on less water consumed per load.

We have also done our due diligence and created several new non-NPE surfactant-based detergents with exciting results. These formulations are more readily biodegradable for those that desire, or are required to take, a greener path toward laundry production.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope that 2013 will provide opportunity, renewed prosperity and happiness to all in our industry and our country.

Equipment Manufacturing: Steve Hietpas, Maytag Commercial Laundry, St. Joseph, Mich.

Steve Hietpas Since graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing, I’ve spent the majority of my career—more than 15 years—in the commercial laundry industry, with a focus on the OPL segment.

Currently a senior sales manager, I joined the Maytag® Commercial Laundry team in October 2007. To date, I have managed OPL sales throughout the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Canadian markets, and I work directly with distributors to ensure our products meet the needs of their customers. Previously, I was a regional sales manager for another commercial laundry equipment manufacturer covering a similar territory. My background also includes working with national accounts that purchase equipment directly for their own use, as well as selling to franchisees.

Maytag® Commercial Laundry offers a full range of commercial washers and dryers to the OPL market through an international network of distributors. Our company is dedicated to developing energy-efficient solutions and dependable products for the commercial laundry market. And in 2008, Maytag® Commercial Laundry celebrated the 50-year anniversary of its entry into the commercial laundry business.

As the industry continues to evolve, so does commercial laundry equipment. From a manufacturer’s perspective, this can create challenges. An excellent example of this is the ongoing objectives to increase the energy and/or water efficiency of equipment, while decreasing the amount of time it takes to do laundry—therefore decreasing labor costs—and providing exceptional cleanability.

2012 was a busy and successful one for Maytag® Commercial Laundry. We introduced an industrial line of soft-mount washer-extractors available in 180-, 230- and 275-pound models. We also enjoyed continued growth within the OPL market segment and are continuing to work on new product introductions for 2013 and beyond.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

Scott Delin I have expertise in image apparel and uniform program management, specializing in healthcare laundries. With more than a decade of supplier sales experience, and another 15 years in a mixed-plant linen supply company, I believe my hands-on knowledge base is unparalleled.

I, alongside my father, grew up operating a women’s apparel cut-and-sew operation. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with others and helping them build successful partnerships.

The company I work for, Superior Uniform Group, was founded in 1920 as Superior Surgical Manufacturing. By 1926, its Fashion Seal Uniforms brand was created. After acquiring several other manufacturers over the years, Superior Surgical officially changed its name to Superior Uniform Group in 1998 to better reflect its greatly expanded clientele base.

Superior Uniform produces more than a dozen catalogs, outfitting employees from various industries that include healthcare, restaurant/food service and governmental/public safety. The company has also created a call center division called The Office Gurus, and a digital apparel division called everyBody Media, which were both launched in 2008 and 2011, respectively.

I am a board member for the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA), where I develop and present in-house training programs that can be used in laundries as they seek new, innovative approaches to selling uniforms to the healthcare industry. I am also active in the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA), where I serve on its board of directors, and am a member of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) advisory board. I hold a bachelor of science degree in textile and apparel management from Philadelphia University.

A couple issues that will present challenges in the new year include market changes and how our healthcare customer base is looking for a new type of uniform look, with new kinds of user-friendly fabrics. I’ll also be thinking about more employee purchase programs as hospital and healthcare budgets continue to be cut.

January 16, 2013

2013 Panel of Experts Ready to Answer Industry Questions (Part 2 of 3)

CHICAGO — Meet its representatives from the hotel/motel/resort, consulting services, and commercial laundry sectors

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

charles loelius First, it is an honor to be once again selected for this Panel (Editor’s Note: Charles served on the Panel in 2010), and I hope to continue to share the benefit of my experience with the readership of American Laundry News.

I have been in the commercial laundry industry for 30 years, having operated healthcare, hospitality and uniform plants throughout the United States. The laundries have ranged in size from 10 million to 40 million pounds annually, and have operated in both union and non-union environments.

I have a wealth of experience in production, distribution and service management, as well as budget preparation and financial analysis—skills honed during my seven years on Wall Street.

During the past nine years, I have concentrated on the hospitality side of laundry management, presently operating an OPL for Taj Hotels at the Pierre New York, as well as serving as a consultant for our sister property, Taj Boston.

I have served on the faculty of NYU, teaching laundry and dry cleaning operations as part of NYU’s Hospitality Management program. I also maintain several industry-recognized certifications in laundry, dry cleaning and linen management.

As director of Laundry Services for The Pierre New York, I am responsible for the day-to-day service, production, distribution, maintenance and procurement for this Five Diamond hotel’s laundry and dry cleaning operations.

During 2012, the laundry processed 2.5 million pieces of rooms and food-and-beverage linen, which represented a 23% increase over 2011. Additionally, it processed more than 350,000 pounds of garments during 2012, representing a year-to-year increase of 11%. Increases in productivity were achieved without any increase in expenses.

The biggest challenges I face at the Pierre today are similar to the challenges faced by the entire industry: providing the best possible products and services at the lowest possible cost.

Consulting Services: David Bernstein, Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, Charlottesville, Va.

david bernstein I am senior vice president of Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, a consulting firm that has been serving the laundry, healthcare and hospitality industries for nearly 15 years. We are an industrial engineering firm that designs, builds, retrofits and improves the processes and profitability of laundry facilities throughout the world, using professional design, lean manufacturing and project management techniques.

As our name implies, we perform these services “turn-key,” which means we can deliver a multitude of services, including facility design, RFP development, project management, process improvement and Lean Six Sigma implementation. Our team of Lean Six Sigma-certified engineers and consultants have extensive experience in the industry, and have helped our clients save money, labor and increase throughput, often without the need for added expense or equipment.

As the fourth generation of my family in this industry, I have a lifetime of experience and more than two decades of professional work in laundries, starting with my tenure as vice president and, later, president of Consolidated Laundry Machinery Co. I worked in all aspects of CLM’s manufacturing, sales and marketing of laundry machinery, and helped our customers with specification, layout, upgrades and improvements to their plants.

I moved into industry advocacy and education as the director of Plant Operations, Customer Service and Information Technology for the Uniform and Textile Services Association (UTSA). The industry was under close scrutiny by OSHA, Congress and safety regulators at that time, and I led the effort to create an industry-wide health and safety program that reached more than 65,000 employees in more than 1,000 plants nationwide, produced an industry-specific safety training DVD, and created a stronger, more positive relationship with OSHA and Congress for the industry.

Following UTSA’s merger with TRSA, I spent more than three years as the chief operating officer at F-MATIC, where I helped lead the development of several new sanitary supply products and product lines, improved and diversified the company’s international supply chain, reduced operating expenses and increased revenues.

I am a two-time past chairman of the UTSA Plant Operations Committee, a former member of the board of directors of the Western Textile Services Association, a long-time instructor at the industry’s Production Management Institute (PMI) and Maintenance Management Institute (MMI), and a recent addition to the faculty of the American Laundry and Linen College (ALLC). I am also honored to be among an elite group of industry leaders to have been named to the Plant Operations Hall of Fame.

I hold a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, and live in Park City, Utah, with my wife and two daughters. I am an avid cyclist, skier, sailor and private pilot.

What challenged our clients in 2012 was the continuing difficult economy and the need to find ways to adapt. Laundries in all segments of our industry fought to increase productivity and safety, while dealing with ever-increasing costs of doing business, challenges from unions, and increased regulation. These challenges will no doubt continue in 2013 and beyond, and I expect my colleagues and I, both at Turn-Key and on the esteemed Panel of Experts, will increasingly be called upon to assist the industry with meeting them head-on.

Among Turn-Key’s accomplishments in 2012 were designing and breaking ground on a new healthcare laundry for a client in Florida, designing a new state-of-the-art hospitality laundry for a major international resort and entertainment firm, and helping numerous operators (both large and small) reap the financial and productivity benefits resulting from the implementation of process improvement and the application of Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

Commercial Laundry: Richard Warren, Linen King, Conway, Ark.

Richard Warren I work for Linen King, which owns laundries in several states. We provide COG (customer-owned goods) service, as well as linen rental to hospitals. I am the general manager of the facility in Conway, Ark. I have been here since Linen King acquired the facility from my previous employer in 2007, and am honored they kept me. I have worked at this facility since 1994.

Upon high school graduation, I had no idea what to do. Some said I had no clue. The first real job I had was in a shirt laundry. They must have liked me, because I was promoted to washman. It seemed like wherever I went, there was always a laundry that needed help, and I was fortunate to be able to provide that for them.

I got involved with an industrial laundry and learned a lot during the years I was with them. My production experience started in an industrial laundry. For several years, I owned a small group of leather and fur cleaning stores. For many years now, I have been in the healthcare laundry service, both OPL and commercial.

From time to time, I talk to people about careers in laundry. It certainly doesn’t sound like a sexy career, but it is a good industry, and is generally more stable than many other industries. There are also many companies that supply our industry with textiles, machinery and chemistry, so being involved with a laundry can be rewarding.

Our workers really enjoy coming to work, and reducing the big pile of unfinished linen. An hour or so later, that pile is ironed, folded, and looks, feels and smells nice, with the workers ready for another load. Frankly, it takes a while to learn the rhythm, but when it starts to work, it is fun.

Tuesday: Introductions to representatives of the chemicals supply, equipment manufacturing and uniforms/workwear manufacturing sectors...

January 15, 2013

2013 Panel of Experts Ready to Answer Industry Questions (Part 1 of 3)

CHICAGO — Meet its representatives from equipment/supply distribution, textile/uniform rental, and healthcare laundry sectors

Equipment/Supply Distribution: Bill Bell, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., Miami, Fla.

bill bell I grew up in Charlotte, N.C., with two loving parents. I have an older sister and a twin brother, and our parents instilled in us the value of hard work, education and moral character, which shaped the adults we are today.

I get my competitive spirit from playing sports throughout my early years. I graduated from Mars Hill (N.C.) College in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in business. I reside in Orlando, Fla., with my wife, Lisa, and our daughters Taylor and Jordan.

As regional vice president for Steiner-Atlantic Corp., I am responsible for sales and service in the central Florida market. Steiner-Atlantic, founded in 1959 by William Steiner, is a large laundry, boiler and dry cleaning equipment, parts and service distributor, with its core business in Florida and the Caribbean.

Upon graduating from college, I set out on my path to a successful sales career by working for Controlled Motion, a small company selling power transmission to equipment OEMs and end-users. My mentor, Tony Harris, taught me the importance of listening and recognizing what my customers needed. I owe much of my success to him.

After working for him for five years, my journey shifted to selling textile sock dyeing and packaging equipment. This move led to my start in the laundry business, when David Carter hired me to cover the central Florida territory for Wink Davis Equipment Co. in 2001. Upon completing my training, I relocated from Charlotte to Orlando. In 2004, when Wink Davis closed its doors, another door opened for me with Steiner-Atlantic.

Mike Steiner, our president and CEO, brought me on board to continue servicing our central Florida market. At Steiner-Atlantic, we provide customers with turn-key solutions from design-build to equipment sales, installation, start-up and training, with continued parts and service.

I am honored to have received many sales accolades, including Chicago Dryer’s “Rising Star” and “Heavy Hitter” awards, and multiple Pellerin Milnor “Key Man” awards. This past year, I also received our local Association for Linen Management chapter’s Allied Tradesman of the Year award.

I look forward to the challenges of 2013, and hope that you will find some of the articles that I participate in to be informative and helpful.

Textile/Uniform Rental: Tom Peplinski, Golden West, Oakland, Calif.

tom peplinski I am the operations manager for an independent industrial laundry located in the San Francisco Bay area. Starting in 1980, delivering linens and mats to the mining industry of northern Minnesota, I have held management positions in sales, service, production and administration. The position of operations manager suits me well, as it affords me an opportunity to interact and direct all departments while drawing on a vast wealth of experience.

Golden West is a family-owned, independent laundry with six routes serving the San Francisco Bay area. Like most laundry companies, there is a real challenge in finding and establishing long-term employees. However, by creating procedures designed to empower employees, Golden West has created a strong retention program.

The last few years of economic belt-tightening has had a profound effect on our industry. Adapting to an ever-changing economy requires reviewing and modifying policies, procedures and practices.

While identifying key areas for profit and setting practical cost-cutting measures in 2012, Golden West experienced one of its most successful years for growth and profit. I am excited about the opportunities in 2013, and enter into the new year with the understanding that change is more than a mindset.

Healthcare Laundry: Judy Murphy, RN, BSN, CLLM, RLLD, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss.

judy murphy My background is in education, nursing and quality. I started working for North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) in the Education department in February 1988. Via scholarship, I received my associate degree in nursing from Itawamba Community College in June 1991, and my bachelor of science degree in nursing from the Mississippi University for Women in May 1996. During this time, I worked full-time as a staff nurse, charge nurse and in administration. NMMC has been instrumental in helping me achieve my educational goals and to grow within the organization.

In 1997, I became a clinical liaison for Materiel Management and served as a clinical resource for purchasing, sterile processing, laundry, nursing, surgery, etc. I worked with nursing to develop linen specifications, determine best practice, develop utilization programs, develop linen awareness/use and misuse recommendations, and implement staff development programs. In 2012, we implemented a successful linen-reject program that utilizes the end-user to help improve quality by removing unacceptable linen items at the point of use.

I’ve researched staining concerns, as well as ozone applications in laundry (NMMC was one of the first U.S. facilities to place an ozone system on a CBW®); provided education on topics that include bed bugs, safety, infection control, etc., at a local and national level; and have written articles for NMMC’s bimonthly Check-up magazine.

I was asked to take on the role of laundry director in February 2008. To become better informed, I turned to the American Laundry and Linen College (ALLC) in Richmond, Ky. I received my CLLM certification from the Association for Linen Management (ALM) in July 2008 and my RLLD certification in March 2012. I serve as president of the association’s Tri-State Chapter, administrative secretary on its national Board of Directors, member of its Scholarship and Membership committees, ALLC facilitator for fall 2012, and as a member of a variety of focus groups on a wide range of projects.

Challenges abound in the linen industry. Though it’s truly a manufacturing process, this industry has its own niche.

One universal challenge has been the implementation of the latest Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recommendations regarding reprocessing scrub apparel. NMMC had been successfully home laundering for years. Processing the scrubs added more than 17 hours of labor to our work day but we received no additional FTEs. Implementing lean processing concepts, learning how other laundry plants were succeeding, and networking with many industry experts has allowed us to adjust and conquer. We’re now researching anti-wrinkling technology and automated scrub-processing equipment.

Another challenge is having to process 6-7 million pounds per year using older, poorly maintained laundry equipment in an older, poorly designed facility. Fortunately, I work for a company that focuses on quality and customer service (currently the only two-time healthcare winner of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, in 2006 and 2012) and understands the need for an educated, well-trained staff, state-of-the-art equipment and lean processing concepts.

We’ve been able to slowly replace outdated equipment, and are planning a modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient (possibly LEED-certified) facility with pack room and sterilization capabilities. Our goal is to efficiently process 15 to 20 million pounds of linen per year, with plans to begin operations within the next 18 to 24 months.

In an uncertain future, survival will depend upon our ability to continue to develop and implement best practices, forward “out-of-the-box” thinking, and lean concepts in an effort to become a truly lean, green washing machine.

Tomorrow: Introductions to representatives of the consulting services, hotel/motel/resort and commercial laundry sectors...

November 21, 2012

Seek Balance Along with New Business (Part 2)

CHICAGO — Input from chemicals supply, linen supply, uniforms/workwear manufacturing, and healthcare laundry sectors

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

Sound business sense requires a review of new-business cost vs. return on investment. The balance sheet for new textile services would include costs of marlene williams customer needs for equipment, level of service expertise, and frequency of service required to provide good-quality product and customer satisfaction. These costs should be balanced against the profits generated by anticipated product sales.

Other factors may enter into an unbalanced, but desirable equation. These would include anticipated increased future sales, entry into non-textile products offered by your company, transportation or delivery logistics, and numerous account-specific exceptions.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE, SOMERSWORTH, N.H.

I like to think of this as two separate questions, the “what” vs. the “where.” Does the account make sense on its own merits, and then does it make sense to send a truck there?

On the “what” side, consider the following:

Profitability/pricing — Does this account fit into your overall growth strategy?
Your target markets, and the account’s prominence in it. Name recognition can help your sales team’s ability to gain other business in that market segment.
Are the delivery and billing parameters compatible with your company requirements? If they are so different that they affect your ability to provide good quality and service, you may want to avoid it. Better to not start what you know you can’t do well.
If margins are low, are there other compelling reasons—name recognition, contribution to overhead, etc.—to do it? It can make sense to service accounts selectively that don’t make economic sense in and of themselves. Nothing occurs in a vacuum.
Consider the competitive ramifications of taking or not taking the new business, i.e. strategy over profitability. You may not want it, but that may be outweighed by how much you may want your competitor to not get it.

On the “where” side, a common concern comes up when you are presented with an opportunity to service an account in a more distant area, or one you are not in. I like to consider the following:

Estimated account revenue — The economics of traveling improve with account revenue, of course, but an unintended consideration is that you could become tied to it. Many companies would consider 10 $200 accounts to be better than one $2,000 account for this reason.
Evaluate growth potential in the area. Use a modeling approach for a quick and dirty analysis of your growth potential there, by comparing the number of accounts and/or total revenue per capita for the potential area vs. an existing, better developed one. If you service 30 accounts in a similarly sized town, that should give you an indication of the potential in the one you are considering.
Is there any connection between your existing business and this new business? There may be times when you have to service a location to keep an existing customer happy, and prevent any competitive intrusion.

There are definitely times when not serving a new account makes sense, but with new business so hard to come by, it’s better to look for creative ways to get it into the fold. Painful as it may be, if you know an account is just not going to be a good fit, don’t take the business and tell its principals why. Often, there are one or two things that are major concerns, and if the customer wants what you offer badly enough, it might be more willing to negotiate a better outcome.

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

steve kallenbach There are basic and not-so-basic questions that need to be answered in the area of new business before the final sale. Companies need to decide if they are in a growth mode or a profit or maintenance mode.

Growth modes can drive sales with lower margins, as companies are willing to “buy” certain business to penetrate target markets. That being said, some companies may proactively decide to use low margin pricing in special targeted markets, while maintaining standard, more profitable pricing in other core markets.

Other key questions or criteria to settle when evaluating new, possibly marginally profitable business include:

Is the product already part of your core offering or are you adding it to your line? If it’s an additional product, your merchandise cost will be higher (by percentage) until you reach critical mass.
What is the customer’s quality/replacement expectation? Does it expect “first wash” perfect visual quality on every delivery, or is the market standard OK?
Based on pricing, does the return on investment (ROI) meet your normal standard? Can you get enough turns to pay for the merchandise and all related costs, and still make a profit? You’d be surprised how some pricing programs will analyze if you put them through a life-cycle assessment.
What is the contract length? Do you have enough time to “profitize” the account? Is the contract length the same as your other business, or shorter/longer?
What are the payment terms, and what is the credit history of the account? You can write the largest account on the planet, but if it doesn’t pay its bills on time, you don’t make money and actually incur hidden costs (carrying its money).
Does your plant need more volume in certain product(s) in order to make your operation more efficient? Let’s say you write a good-size account in non-standard new product. The account is great and pays its bill, and the price is decent, so you are making money. But the production and flow is not enough to run full loads, so you have hidden costs in special handling, inefficient loads, or even merchandise wear-out due to less-than-capacity mechanical action.
Are the new-business logistics within range of your current business, and can the route handle it efficiently? For instance, you can pick up a high-priced $100 account with standard product, but it’s an hour from any stop. The two-hour turnaround to service this account actually costs you revenue in opportunity loss.
Where is the competitor in this scenario? Does taking a piece of business at a lower price keep it out of the area? Does turning down a piece of business at a lower price send a signal to the market that you and your business are about sensible marketing? Does taking a piece of business at a lower price displace a competitor?
Are you taking the entire account, or is this piece of business just a portion? Does this smaller piece of business provide you an opportunity to wedge into a competitor’s account?
Will the account require normal maintenance or high maintenance, in terms of visitation, entertainment, service levels or other activities? All of these areas are generally overlooked cost drivers.

You should weigh these factors when going after any new business, much less new business with new products in new markets. This is all part of strategic marketing. Especially in new markets with new products, it is company leadership that needs to “run the numbers” to stay profitable.

Yes, there are times when it makes sense to buy business at lower prices, and other times when it’s best to turn and walk away.

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

scott beaton Many textile service linen companies use the same basic criteria when evaluating a potential customer relationship. The relationship needs to be fiduciary in order to provide a sustainable valued service to the customer while making a fair profit for the provider. There are a number of key factors to consider when conducting a profitability evaluation for new business including:

Transportation Cost — Due to increasing transportation costs, perhaps the greatest factor to consider is the distance of the client from the processing plant. A service radius should be established with concentric circles emanating for the plant. Special pricing and exceptions can be made for customers that accept fewer deliveries per week and or agree to store additional linen to lessen the “windshield” time involved to service them.

Volume of Potential New Business — How does the potential client fit with your current production flow and product mix? If you are a large COG (customer-owned goods) laundry, it may not be feasible to service smaller accounts due to soil-sort configuration, tunnel load sizes, physical layout, and finishing-equipment capabilities.

Available Product/Linen Inventory — Whether rental or COG, an adequate agreed-upon par level needs to be purchased and maintained.

Production Scheduling — It is vital to consider whether your laundry’s current operation can handle the additional pounds without increasing the number of employees and/or hours of operation. How does it fit into the current schedule? Can it be processed by acquiring additional, more efficient equipment or will you need to hire and train additional labor?

Product Mix — Does the potential client have specialty products and linens that will require more expensive processing and handling? Customers may require that linens be folded and packaged in a particular way. Ensure that the equipment you have can process the linen to the customer’s expectations and needs.

Retention/Satisfaction of Current Customers — There’s nothing wrong with looking at ways to expand your business, but not at the expense of losing existing customers. It is much cheaper to retain customers than to constantly turn them over.

Make sure that you are proactive and maintain the customer service to which your current customer base has become accustomed. When considering expansion and growth, take a long, hard look at your plant’s current operations. Additional volume may allow you to make improvements in equipment and processing, and this could increase your productivity and reduce labor hours in the long term.

Click here for Part 1!

November 20, 2012

Seek Balance Along with New Business (Part 1)

CHICAGO — Input from hotel/motel/resort, commercial laundry, textiles, and at-large sectors

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

My advice is to not get far from your basic business focus.

We focus on hospitality linen and explore all options for the discerning customer. High-end restaurants, fine hotels, bed and breakfasts, country clubs and finer properties are businesses we target. We did try healthcare to increase volume, and this was a disaster.

Healthcare is priced so low per pound that our production team has to focus on speed. Regarding hospitality, our production team is always focused on quality and attention to detail. To have the plant shift gears for healthcare jr norris and then back to hospitality was difficult; both lines suffered. So we decided to increase our per-pound price, stay in hospitality alone, and market our service as being the best.

We watch carefully when investing in any products that are out of our normal linen rental line. If a new account requests an item we don’t carry, we offer some options to rent for a higher amount for a while until we recoup some of our investment, or they sign a contract that says they will rent it for X times a year or purchase it and we process it.

Also with a new account, we require cash on delivery for a period of time. This has saved us on some new accounts that went out of business early on.

Some new-account factors to consider are:

Is there additional cost?
Is sorting labor-intensive?
What is the material composition?
What is the level of colorfastness?
Are hems strong?
What are the needed washing/drying times?
Must the goods be dried separately?
Are the goods finished by tunnel drying or hand ironing?
Is the packaging plastic wrapping or string?
What is the cost if damaged?

Bottom line is don’t let any new business affect your current customers or your plant in a negative way.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

While there may be no “magic formula” to determine whether or not to serve an account, there are certain criteria that can be used to make the decision tom gildred simpler. One of the greatest challenges can be balancing aggressive sales efforts with profitability and operations.

Some of the factors that impact the viability of serving accounts, and should be considered, include:

The proximity of a potential customer to the plant as well as to existing customers you serve.
Pricing — including incremental pricing.
Volume of the potential customer’s business.
Item mix and number of items.
Seasonality — Are you in a market that has a lot of seasonal fluctuation? If so, this will impact hiring as well as linen purchases.
Weather Conditions — Certain climates affect the life span of the linen as well as how often you have trucks on the road. These factors can impact linen purchases (including how often you have to purchase to accommodate life spans) and delivery costs.
Is the customer COG or rental, and which type of linens comprise the majority of what you are currently processing?
Competition — Sometimes it might be wise to seize the opportunity, even if the profitability isn’t quite there, in order to maintain or grow market share.
Financial Need — The health of your business is, of course, a primary consideration, and sometimes you might consider a lower price per pound in order to make the entire operation more profitable.
Labor Force — Do you have the existing labor pool to facilitate the new business and service it well in accordance with your commitment to quality?
Capacity — The plant’s ability to process the new business is a key criterion, and it’s important to allow time for equipment maintenance, so bringing on business that creates a 24/7 processing situation can compromise the plant’s quality and ability to meet demand.
Quality — Will adding this business in any way compromise providing quality service and products to your current customer base?

Ultimately, after taking this list of criterion into consideration and weighing the value of the account, it should be easier to determine the right course of action based on the overall health and wellness of your business and not only the revenue to be gained (or price per pound).

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

There is an old saying in our industry: “Any order is a good order.” tom langdon On the surface, that makes sense, as nothing happens until a “sale” is made or a contract written. But in reality, no business can be successful trying to be all things to all customers or trying to service all markets.

Let’s compare and contrast the healthcare and hospitality markets, as these are the two dominant markets in which readers may choose to take on new business.

In healthcare, the linen is just a necessity in delivery of the primary product. In stark contrast, linen can be one of the “key” areas to promote and brand hospitality product offerings to the consumer.

Another contrast is at the end-user level. The healthcare end-user is not using the linen by choice but rather is in the facility as a matter of need. On the other hand, the hospitality end-user participates by choice and expects an experience that is satisfying and memorable, and will often reward the provider in the form of repeat business. As such, the motivating factors required for the linen are vastly different.

As you drill down into each market channel, each has differences that separate them. They may be subtle or obvious, such as the difference between a 10/1 open end yarn, five pounds per dozen bath towel used in healthcare, and a 12/1 ring spun, 17 pounds per dozen bath towel used in the hospitality market. Each meets the customer’s requirements but are quite different in appearance, cost and processing.

Some laundries may find it easy to incorporate the needs of different market channels, while others struggle. Some guidelines that will help you determine which category you fall into involve attention to detail.

It all starts with the product specifications (you can’t get too detailed here). If you want to control the output, you must manage the customer expectations and select the right inputs.

So, if you are considering taking on new business outside your core competency, you may want to first do your homework. For example, in healthcare, there tends to be a lot of product standardization, which works well for commercial laundries. The opposite tends to be true in hospitality, where hotels use linen as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition.

The pros of expanding your reach are obviously new business. The cons can be a disruption to your incumbent business by reducing operating efficiencies and increasing operating costs.

Develop a checklist approach that includes each critical aspect of the new customer or business. Analyze its key drivers and ensure you are properly aligned to meet these needs.

Finally, I have revised the old industry saying to “Any profitable order is a good order.” Remember to keep your current customers satisfied while trying to grow business in these challenging economic times.

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

Taking new business seems to be the first impulse of every sales person and, in many cases, even top management. But is it that simple?

douglas story In the 1980s, I read a book written by Akio Morita titled Made in Japan. The book was about his efforts to start his business, Sony. One takeaway has had a lasting impact on my thought processes about new business.

Sony launched the transistor radio into the American market after an American company decided that American consumers wanted “big radios.” In his efforts to sell the radio, he met with a buyer that wanted 100,000 units, an order worth almost as much as his company at the time.

How would you respond to a new customer that placed the kind of order that would double or triple your total sales revenue? Would you jump at this opportunity?

The company wanted Morita to price the radios in units of 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000. His plant was capable of producing a little less than 10,000 units per month. Promising 100,000 units would mean expanding, hiring more people, and taking on long-term risk.

For 5,000 units, Morita charged regular price. For 10,000, he gave the largest discount. For items above 10,000, the price he quoted started to climb. Why would he do this? Charging more for higher volumes seems to be counterintuitive. But Morita was assessing the impact on his business for the short term and the long term. Sales would be great, but the risk to manufacturing and the money needed to comply with this account’s needs would endanger his business’ long-term health.

Taking this holistic approach, he developed a system that would satisfy the needs of the customer and the long-term needs of his company. He sold the customer using this method, and the long-term success of Sony has been well documented.

Morita’s example taught me to look at more than just grabbing the sale without considering its impact on your organization and its bottom line. I also believe that you should fully analyze your current customers in the same way, because all of us have a customer or customers that should be eliminated, or at least reassessed, so that your organization benefits.

Putting on new business is one of the most expensive actions an organization can take. It’s important that your business recover that expense and turn a profit (or cover expenses, for you non-profits) for the benefit of the company, its employees, its customers and the shareholders that depend on the health of the operation.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

October 23, 2012

Educate Users on True Cost of Linen Abuse (Part 3)

CHICAGO — Input from uniforms/workwear manufacturing and chemicals supply

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

steve kallenbach Merchandise control is such a huge area of any processing plant, from choosing the right textile to processing it correctly to getting it back after delivery. Any of these three areas can make or break a laundry, whether you service inside or outside customers!

Product Selection and Placement — Choose the right textile for the application, getting the right product in the right place at the right cost (price).

Buying the cheapest unit-priced product isn’t always the lowest cost. And it isn’t always the best answer for the customer or you. What quality and other attributes do your customers expect, or can separate you from your competition?

What are the positive “wear life” ramifications for your operation? What does an improved product do to your rag-out percentage? As operators, we need to measure true cost and not just textile price. Plus, it is important for you to balance your product selection between marketing and cost issues.

Life-Cycle Costing — This can prove what is right for your operation. If you buy a textile at 30 cents per unit and it has a life of 10 washes, the life-cycle cost is 3 cents per serving. If you buy a textile for 40 cents per unit and it has a life of 20 washes, the life cycle cost is 2 cents per serving. In this example, by spending 30% more on the product, you actually gained 100% servings and your cost is 30% less.

Freight Cost Considerations — This is a huge consideration when looking at cost. And there really is no free lunch.

If your supplier pays the bill, it has to be worked into their cost. Many times, especially in larger metro areas, it is more cost-efficient to cut your own freight deals and pay it yourself. Additionally, consolidating your shipments instead of a lot of small orders can save you a lot of money. This is best handled by buying large put–in buys monthly rather than weekly.

Product Integration — Does it meet or exceed the plant standard? Does the packaging and case pack affect the put-in labor? Does the fabric match your current offering in color, weight and weave? Is it “too good” for the standard, causing the integration period to drive customers to want only your new product?

Processing — Improper soil sorting, chemicals overuse, formula water levels, under-loading, formula time, formula temperatures (heat) or extraction can cause you to inadvertently wear out products prematurely.

Some key results of improper processing are alkaline hydrolysis; shrinkage; redeposition; bleach damage; placket crease; thermal shock; polyester heat damage; excessive linting, pilling or fading; hanger molding; and compression wrinkles.

It is important to work with your product supplier and chemical company in reviewing this issue, as these problems can typically be discovered and solved fairly easily.

Loss and Abuse Recovery — Some companies count their soil, inspect it, and charge for abuse and/or replacement. Other companies don’t count and simply charge an “inventory maintenance fee” to cover average losses.

Answer these two questions: How many pieces are you putting in for inventory maintenance to cover your loads? How many pieces does your loss/abuse revenue (whether direct or in a maintenance charge) cover?

The difference between these two numbers could show you the black hole of missing merchandise. If you are putting in more than you are getting paid for, and you are using the maintenance fee, it would be apparent that one or more of your accounts is abusing the system by either damaging or losing more merchandise than you are recovering through revenue. You may have to isolate these accounts and put them back on a soil count system rather than a maintenance program.

Product Reuse — Most operators do a marvelous job in this area. Examples are using downgraded bar mops for turk towels, dyeing hand towels for automotive cleanup, etc. As you choose products, it is important to consider their “second life.” Otherwise, you must measure your rag-out cost and choose a product and placement that provide the longest life. If you are ragging out products directly from first life to junk, consider a second-tier product.

Facility Security — Flat goods should be held within a fenced “crib,” where only authorized employees can enter. Your backup inventory area should also be secured so that unauthorized personnel cannot get to it. Your stockroom should be secured as well, with only authorized employees allowed within. If you cannot crib your areas, then paint a bold yellow line on the floor.

It’s important to post “Authorized Personnel Only” signs. Cover this issue in your orientation documents and then reinforce your security rules at every employee meeting. Specifically, it should be against company policy for a route person to pull his/her own load or fill his/her own garment orders. It isn’t that route personnel typically “steal” the goods. Many times, uncontrolled merchandise ends up at your customers and they are not billed for it. Any good route person worth his/her salt has extra goods on the street. We just shouldn’t invite this practice.

There must be a proper paper trail in order to control inventories. This means even if a manager is filling a “shortage,” there should be a signed document from a manager one level higher granting authorization. Personally, I would authorize this sort of activity only at the general manager level. All movement of merchandise to and from your operation should be secured with a properly executed inventory control document. Train your plant employees to fill these orders only with proper authorization.

Many operators install video equipment and signage at all exits to monitor all merchandise movement. If this is done thoroughly and talked about in your meetings, employees will be motivated to assist you in merchandise control and understand that this is a high cost.

Put-In Management — Start with any control period (week, month, quarter), and calculate your total starting inventory. Now add organic growth: the invoiced increases in pieces per product, as well as new items added to accounts. Subtract invoiced decreases in pieces by product, as well as item cancellations from accounts. Now subtract your product “down-grades” and “rag-outs” from the mix, by product. The inventory balance is what you should have in stock. If you are still short product to fill your loads, you have identified a “black hole.”

Stockroom Management — Set up visual standards for your grading and establish at least three grades: near new (A), standard (B) and utility (C). Keep new and near-new goods separated from standard goods. If an order comes in for standard goods and cannot be filled, it should not be an easy task to fill with new. Implement a second-level management authorization to fill B grade orders with A grade garments. And if goods need to be ordered, the highest level of management should be in the review/approval cycle.

Route Control — In some cases, shrinkage can occur through theft. But in most cases, shrinkage occurs when extra (free) merchandise is given to customers. Try auditing suspect routes unannounced. Validate the goods being sent out on the load, and have a manager count them. When the truck comes in, count in the soil, count in all clean return, and balance it against the load sheet. Discuss any discrepancies with the route person and the owner and/or general manager present. Take it seriously, and they will, too.

Taking a “route ride” is probably the most effective way to get a handle on extra merchandise. This is an audit of the route person rather than the customer. At the customer site, look for extra inventory and how the soil is coming in. Are bar towels being used for grill pads? Are shop towels being used to wipe off Bondo putty? Document the ride-along and review findings with the route person and key management.

Inventory Correction Initiatives — One way to make merchandise control fun to have an annual or semiannual “inventory correction and account growth” contest, to balance inventories with invoices.

Typically, routes are paid new-business commission on “add items” only, not increases. In this case, authorize commissions for contest length (six weeks is recommended) on all inventory increases. This allows the route to fix the invoice by adding the additionally used inventory instead of bringing it back. The commission will motivate any route person, as he/she never gets extra money for fixing invoices.

Given the choice of bringing goods back and putting them into your “amnesty cart,” experience has shown that most route personnel prefer to fix the invoice and make some money. Additionally, when customers are faced with either sending the goods back or paying for it, they will typically approve adding it to their invoice.

As you think about your own operation, use these 12 steps to evaluate and measure where you are.

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

marlene williams Textiles are vulnerable to attack from a multitude of misuse situations. One that is easily overlooked is the laundry environment: a chemical, thermal, and mechanical constant for every wash cycle.

Laundry chemistry and machine programs have significant impact on textile fiber damage or longevity.

Matching fiber and soil classification types to machine chemistry and programs can optimize soil removal, fabric wear, and overall product quality. Utilizing a “one program fits all” approach or demanding unreasonable rewash percentages easily takes a toll on fabric life.

High alkalinity, temperature, and extended wash cycles can deliver extremely low rewash results, but the toll on the fibers can often be found in the dryer. Changing from a conventional program to a neutral, reduced-temperature program reduced the amount of dryer lint by almost 25% in a number of nursing home laundry tests.

Allocating time and effort to review soil classification by machine chemistry and programs can pay big dividends. Periodic review of textile replacement costs is satisfying to track. Even more satisfying is the excited customer who calls to tell you that because of his/her/your new program, they have to purchase rags—they aren’t making them in their laundry anymore.

October 17, 2012

Educate Users on True Cost of Linen Abuse (Part 2)

CHICAGO — Input from textiles, hotel/motel/resort, and at-large sectors

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

tom langdon Approaching this issue from a textile sourcing and laundry processing point of view, we see varying degrees of linen abuse, depending on how our customers process. With the development of more resource-saving equipment, the linen has to be more durable today that it has in the past. For example, most of the newer tunnel washers reuse water from the first cycle, and if linen (especially apparel) is not colorfast, you can end up with cross-contamination staining on other items.

Everyone throughout the supply chain is cost-conscious, so one of the first steps is making sure your linen has been properly processed when you receive it.

There have been instances in which PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) used in the weaving process was not completely removed in the finishing process. This can end up creating a buildup on flatwork ironer equipment. Depending on the process, this linen may process fine in one laundry and create havoc in another. PVA is water-soluble and disperses in wash temperatures of 160 F. It can redeposit on the linen, however, if not thoroughly rinsed.

The second step is to test suspect linen for abuse. There are ways to determine if the fibers have been damaged through chemical or excessive heat during processing. One method is the Fehling’s solution test. This process can detect the presence and amount of certain chemical residue that can damage cellulose fiber, primarily cotton. If these fibers become damaged, they weaken and will wear out prematurely.

Historically, the primary test for evaluating linen durability has been the AATCC 1961-IVa method for Colorfastness to Commercial Laundry. This test is becoming outdated with regards to the healthcare industry. It calls for a 2% solution of chlorine bleach, and most of our industry has moved away from chlorine in favor of hydrogen peroxide or other less aggressive chemistry in efforts to extend linen life. The industry or related agencies need to develop and publish an updated test method that includes the newer formulas and equipment being used in the industry.

The third step is to evaluate your linen. You could be using the wrong type, construction or blend. The move to higher-content synthetic fibers has raised the bar for the life expectancy of today’s linen. If you try comparing a 100% cotton bath blanket or terry towel to a blend, you will see a significant difference in life expectancy.

The fourth and final step is to be an educated user. Many of you that have been around a long time may be familiar with some of the information I’ve covered. But those of you who are less experienced should enlist your linen provider’s help. Your provider can help you get acquainted with the techniques and quick checks to help manage your linen purchases and usage. Also, check with your chemical supplier, as many can provide a troubleshooting guide to linen abuse.

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN

JR Norris Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black? During almost 20 years in the restaurant business, I witnessed my fair share of regular linen abuse. Now, after being in the linen supply business for the past several years, and seeing the other side of this equation, I find myself cringing at the condition of items I see coming back. Some might think that’s a good dose of Karma for me, but I like to think my experience gives me an alternate viewpoint and advantage in identifying and solving the problem.

When items come back damaged or discolored, I try to identify where the abuse took place. I inspect the facility before approaching the client; the worst thing you can do is point the finger at the client without inspecting your facility and processes first (I learned that the hard way).

Sometimes during this process, I’ll even go so far as to climb into each of my machines to identify potential issues with the washing and drying process. I also try to identify if handling by employees is causing the abuse. If facility employees are causing the abuse, I spend time talking about how to prevent abuse, and I always make a point to share the item price. Once the employees understand what it would cost them to replace the damaged item, the carelessness stops.

Another way to identify potential problems is to witness item delivery. I ride along with my route personnel weekly to try to identify if improvements can be made to prevent products from being damaged during distribution. I watch them load their route trucks to see how they treat all products, and I try to identify other contributing factors. I have been able to find and make repairs to trucks that had sharp edges and to screws that were tearing goods or had that potential.

If it turns out to be an issue on the client’s end, we typically use the main rule of baseball: three strikes and you’re out. This doesn’t mean that we stop servicing the account after three strikes. It just means we find a different way of getting the point across.

First, we send back the damaged item with a sticker indicating the item’s intended use and what we believe to be the inappropriate use. When it comes back abused a second time, one of our managers personally visits the client and reiterates that training is needed to prevent the product damage from continuing to happen. Last, we charge a replacement fee if/when it happens a third time.

Depending on how the bad the items are, sometimes we skip the three-strike rule and charge for the linen immediately. Because we operating a weekly linen rental business, we have to make sure the customer understands that there are financial consequences for recurring linen abuse.

Remember, it’s all about getting back to the basics and training. Always give your employees and customers the proper tools and information to be successful.

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

douglas story Knowledge is king! The more a customer knows about the cost of linen and what happens when the linen is damaged or lost, the more likely they will be tuned in to the need to protect this asset.

We are in a service industry, and part of our regularly scheduled service program should be to train the customer on how they can control costs via efficient use of linens; protecting their linen from abuse and loss should be part of that program. Training should include:

Identifying sources of abuse (chemicals reputed to stain or damage linens; bleach, acids or mechanical devices that can cut linens or cause them to tear; etc.)
Physical samples of abused linen from the same or similar facility
Actual breakdown of what it costs to replace a damaged or lost item
The presence of upper management and “direct contact” workers

When linen is found to have abuse stains or damage, the items should be taken to the facility and become part of the training and education process. The sooner this is accomplished within a customer service contract, the quicker the abuse can be minimized. Allowing prolonged abuse only creates a situation in which abuse becomes a hard-to-break habit.

About the possibility that you’re abusing the linen during processing and/or distribution, the answer is yes. The same training program used for customers should be implemented with staff and employees of the laundry operation.

Floor drags and drops, equipment tears, caster stains, mildew stains, etc., are just a few of the abuse issues that can occur if laundry operations are not following proper procedures or the plant is using malfunctioning equipment.

Enhanced quality control programs in which everyone is trained will aid to minimize linen abuse in a facility.

Check back Tuesday for the third and final part!

October 16, 2012

Educate Users on True Cost of Linen Abuse (Part 1)

CHICAGO — Input from healthcare laundry, commercial laundry and linen supply sectors

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

scott beaton It has been my experience that most linen users do not fully comprehend the costs involved in linen replacement and laundry processing. Products are misused, abused, given to patients and in some cases thrown away.

It is vital to continually conduct departmental surveys with the help of the linen management team and laundry/linen vendors to illustrate to end-users the annual costs of linen abuse and misuse.

It is during these types of audits that a number of poor linen practices can be discovered and observed, such as:

Housekeepers using good-quality washcloths as rags
Housekeepers using towels as liners underneath buckets on their carts
Nursing and staff using bath towels and other linen products to clean up spills
Unacceptable linen (stained/torn) being placed in soiled-linen hampers or thrown into the garbage
Linen with bodily fluids/blood being “red bagged” and sent out with infectious waste
Finding linen in visitor lounges
Hoarding of linen in storage closets
Too much linen being taken into patient rooms as a matter of convenience
Bath towels being used as liners beneath plants
Thermal blankets being used to cover air conditioning units and the areas under windowsills to trap cold air

To minimize these occurrences, help the end-users develop a facility-wide action plan.

Initiate an intensive public relations and linen awareness program for all staff. It should be part of new-employee orientation as well as continuing education.

Utilize the assistance of both the linen management team and linen/laundry vendors. Help them to initiate “Linen Awareness Days,” which have been proven effective in increasing end-users’ knowledge. Typically, a “manned” exhibit is set up outside the cafeteria, and employees participate in contests that touch on issues concerning laundry/linen costs, misuse, and abuse.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

tom gildred The costs associated with linen abuse can be surprisingly high, and while the decision makers in our customer organizations are often aware of those costs, sometimes the hospital staff benefits from awareness and education in this area. Communication, training and a strong partnership are the keys to limiting unnecessary expenses associated with damaged linen.

First, it’s important to discover, or uncover, the issues. One way to do this is through regular floor tours with the hospital team, during which improper handling is identified and documented. Hospital tape applied to sheets is a primary offense. This practice can ruin as many as 10 sheets that follow one that has gone through the ironers.

Substantial savings can be realized through simple suggestions such as using sheets or bath blankets that have been taken out of service as rags to pick up spills, clean up paint and grease, or wax floors. It also might be a good opportunity to offer the benefits of a microfiber program, which is not only green and sustainable but also more effective for the hospital housekeeping team.

Sharing findings with the nursing staff and end-users on a regular basis should have the largest impact on cost control. One can gain further support by offering solutions to hospital administration, which may lead to a stronger partnership in the long run. Over time, cultural changes promoting sustainability and cost containment should have a significant impact on reducing linen abuse.

Another important step is regularly monitoring internal laundry facility processes and quality control programs to ensure that best practices are employed, as well as to eliminate the possibility of processing becoming a factor in damaged linens. Documenting those processes and programs to provide customers with evidence of quality control is another good step to ensure communication and solid partnership.

Sometimes a complaint comes in that “The laundry is ruining my linen.” The majority of linen replacement is due to linen damage and abuse occurring at customers’ facilities. Processors are well served to implement and adhere to a strong quality assurance program that demonstrates their commitment to customers. When issues arise at the facility level, it’s important to make it a policy to acknowledge and address problems in a timely manner and to communicate with the customer about the resolution as quickly as possible.

Building an honest, communicative partnership with customers can aid in working together to provide and maintain high-quality linen and greater patient satisfaction.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE, SOMERSWORTH, N.H.

stephen marcq The best time to talk to your customers about the costs of linen abuse is right now! Really, it starts in the sales process for new customers, and by ensuring that linen conservation requirements are introduced correctly at a new-account installation.

It’s harder to break a customer of a bad habit than it is to start good ones. By helping your customer take better care of your items while they are in his possession, you lower your own linen replacement and processing costs, which allows your (his) pricing to remain lower longer. It truly is a win-win for both sides, and a great way to partner with customers for mutual benefit.

Whether it’s a new or existing customer, start by ensuring there are enough soil containers to ensure the customer can pre-sort linen to your requirements. Typically, storing soiled garments, kitchen towels, aprons, tablecloths and napkins in their own separate containers will help prevent damage from improper storage.

Make sure that soil bags are stored in a dry, secure area in between pickups. Provide laminated bilingual signage with a picture of the item over each bag, and install them. Make sure that items used are appropriate for their intended use. Most of us wouldn’t want to rent a bath towel to an auto detailing shop, for example, but perhaps a #2 grade is appropriate for that application. Also, ensure that items in service are being used for their intended purpose, i.e. don’t allow napkins or washcloths to be used for cleaning tasks.

If your system allows, identify abusers through your soil room, and single them out for special attention and increased management visits. At scheduled account visits, include linen conservation evaluation and discussion as part of your regular talking points. Sometimes, selling or giving away bags of rags for heavy cleaning tasks is a great solution.

Remember, too, that the employee who sees your customer most often is your route service representative (RSR). Leverage that relationship. Ensure your RSR maintains the conservation initiatives you have in place and talks to his contact about results and opportunities often.

Make sure that your conservation message is reaching the right ears. The people using the product are the usual targets for the message, but make sure the people paying the bills are in the loop, too. If you reach both end-users and payers, you will have covered all your bases and helped set yourself up for the best possible outcome.

Billing for damaged items is a last resort that can be viewed as problematic. If you’ve laid the proper groundwork and gained the understanding and support from the customer during the process, you can and should expect to be paid for misused or damaged rental product. The alternative to not billing when appropriate is to simply include the cost of damage in every customer’s pricing, which essentially penalizes the good customers who have to pay some of the freight for the abusive ones.

Lastly, consider negotiating and agreeing on some form of recurring damage billing for abusers who can’t or won’t change their operation, to help avoid billing fluctuations and associated pain.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

August 28, 2012

What Do We Do When the Power Goes Out? (Part 3 of 3)

CHICAGO — Input from uniforms/workwear manufacturing and linen supply sectors

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

Typically power interruptions come with myriad issues, like the aftermaths of storms and major weather events. Laundry plants are a major operation, from an energy, water and sewer supply steve kallenbach perspective. To have an on-site backup system in place (electrical, steam, water, sewer) would be a daunting and expensive proposition. Laundries do, however, lean on sister operations, suppliers, and, many times, competitors when catastrophe occurs.

National and regional companies have a distinct advantage here, since their locations can back each other up. Using relay trucks, they typically truck laundry back and forth, just like a depot situation. Not quite as easy as it sounds, but most, if not all, of these larger companies have contingency plans in place.

Smaller independents should have a plan in place as well. This means you reach out to another independent or national in your geographical area (typically one far enough away that they don’t directly compete) and make a contingency plan to back each other up in the case of a catastrophic event.

Our industry is an amazing community. When catastrophe occurs, everyone jumps in to help, regardless of competitive situation. But it does behoove an independent to draw up a more formal plan of action, and even an agreement to support, with another company. Many times, the cost of processing can be set for each other, so that both parties have their costs in place.

Typically, regardless of the support in place, a laundry has to “put in” at least one day’s supply of textiles into the system to recover immediately. Make sure that your suppliers have healthy inventories of “route-ready” goods in place for your core merchandise. If you have the cash on hand, it may even be a good idea to have these goods on site, and secured for emergency purposes.

Communication is the biggest issue in these situations. All of your associates need to be accounted for, not only that they are OK, but that they are going to be able to show up for work. All of your customers need to be called, not only to make sure they know you'll be open and on which day, but to ascertain their special inventory needs for cleanup, etc.

Whether you manage a large national location or an independently owned operation, you should have a detailed plan of action, starting with an outline on Processing Support, Logistics Support, Route Ready (New) Textiles, Employee Communication and Customer Communication.

A final word of advice: whether you are billing out extra merchandise in an emergency or for normal operations, make sure you have an accounting method in place so you know whether you got your goods back after the storm. The cost of catastrophe is many times seen in lost textiles. Your typical merchandise control rules go out the door during crisis. Don’t let them! Make sure goods are accounted for, regardless.

Your emergency contingency plan should be thought out, written out, reviewed and tested in training. The key in any catastrophic crisis is to carefully think through your plan of action beforeit happens.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE, SOMERSWORTH, N.H.

Having a written, updated disaster plan in place will help identify problem areas in advance, and direct you toward anticipating problems (including power outages) and having procedures in place to effectively deal with them.

stephen marcq The Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA) has provided excellent and recent information about creating one. This is a great time to either get to work on such a plan for your company, or pull the current plan out and update information as needed.

Speaking from the customer service side, communication, both internal and external, can be critical during the first hours of a power outage.

One key short-term issue is accessibility to your computer system and software without power. For example, being able to contact your customer base from offsite phones could be helpful, but you need access to the information in your database to do so.

Also key is the ability to receive calls, faxes and e-mails. With many companies now using VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) systems, your phones go out along with computers when the power does.

Having small backup generators in place can help maintain continuity and allow key customer service and billing/invoicing functions to continue.

Printing or uploading invoicing to handhelds a day in advance at minimum is good practice, as is fully loading delivery trucks a day in advance. Both these steps will buy additional time, during which power will hopefully return and production will have resumed.

If not, you will have already started to implement other parts of your disaster plan, such as reaching out to competitors you have reciprocity agreements with, borrowing or ordering additional products, etc.

Most power outages last a day or two at most, and as long as you can talk to your customers, print invoices and communicate internally and externally, you should be OK.

Click here for Part 1!

Click here for Part 2!

August 22, 2012

What Do We Do When the Power Goes Out? (Part 2 of 3)

CHICAGO — Input from textiles and at-large sectors

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 tom langdon 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

douglas story 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!

August 21, 2012

What Do We Do When the Power Goes Out? (Part 1 of 3)

CHICAGO — Input from commercial laundry, healthcare laundry and chemicals supply sectors

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

tom gildred A contingency plan for power outages should be comprehensive and encompass multiple areas within the operation. As a healthcare laundry, it is critical to deliver consistently and on time to customers. We employ a contingency plan outlined as follows:

Provide ample supply of par at customers’ facilities
Work in advance
Maintain an inventory of processed linen
Maintain an inventory of new linen
Prepare for emergency through redundancy and backup plans
Operate with reserve capacity

First, managing within The Joint Commission’s requirements to maintain a certain par, or number of days’ worth of laundry at customers’ facilities, and ensuring ample supply for the appropriate number of days is important. Second, working ahead in the plant, and having processed linen ready for delivery in advance aids readiness and consistent supply. Holding in reserve new linen at your own plant facilitates the availability of excess inventory in the case of emergency or power outage.

Securing additional power generation in case of emergency is important for successful contingency planning. Either owning your own backup power generator and maintaining it, or identifying suppliers and securing an agreement to lease a generator when needed is a proactive approach to ensure your laundry is in the front of the queue within hours of the request, at a time when demand may be high. Having agreements with backup processors in a geographically desirable radius of your service areas should be the final step in your contingency plan.

Finally, processing below actual capacity allows the operation to ramp up throughput and provide additional volume after an interruption. By operating below total capacity, a facility not only reduces wear and tear on equipment, it ensures its ability to respond quickly and “catch up” as needed in outage situations. Plant redundancy is a crucial aspect of capacity, and having a facility with extra machinery, boiler power and air compression allows for tremendous increase in throughput when needed.

We at Emerald Textiles tested our contingency plan on Sept. 8, 2011, when all of San Diego County and some neighboring cities were completely without power. Having a solid plan in place allowed us to maintain operations and deliveries seamlessly.

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The definition of a good contingency plan is as follows:

scott beaton The plan shall provide for the uninterrupted operations and services in the event of any occurrence potentially leading to the disruption of the provider’s operations. Such disruptions include, but are not limited to, loss of utilities, medical emergencies, natural and/or man-made disasters, fire, inclement weather, work stoppage, and/or major accidents.

A contingency plan should include the following components:

Plant and transportation contingency protocol
Key member re-call chain
Contact list of backup laundry facilities
Backup source of textiles on call

The provider should furnish a mechanism to inform. A step-by-step procedure should be in place in the event of an emergency and shall be available to supervisors, each of whom may be responsible for execution of the protocol.

All employees should be familiar with the major elements of the plants contingency protocol in the event of emergencies.

The pyramid re-call chain should be written, complete, current, and available to all supervisory personnel, so that timely and accurate contact can be made in case of an emergency.

A designated person should maintain the call chain and be responsible for updating it at least annually or when personnel changes occur, and distributing the list to personnel.

The facility should have written agreements with one or more alternate laundry providers that could cover the facility’s volume, detailing when and how these providers will process textiles in an emergency.

Such agreements shall be updated annually, signed and dated.

The provider should have adequate transportation capabilities with contingency planning.

The facility should have written agreements in place with one or more alternate textile suppliers, detailing the services and delivery times provided.

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

Power outages tend to be regional—it is unlikely an entire city will be without power. As a contingency plan, have another laundry ready to take your work in marlene williams case of a short-term power outage. This can be another institution in the same business you are, or a commercial laundry.

Have the agreements worked out in advance so that the switchover is as smooth as possible. There will have to be many accommodations made in your facility to get this done, and you need a contingency plan that everyone understands and agrees to.

The second thing you can do is to acquire a dedicated gas-powered generator that automatically comes on in the event of an emergency. Laundries can be “sinkholes” for power, however, so the best idea here if you have a large laundry is to maintain a dedicated generator with the ability to “dump” large quantities of power on demand. (A large washer going into extract can pull down an incredible amount of power in the first 30 seconds of start-up, so your generator system needs to be able to accommodate this huge spike in demand.)

These two actions, along with keeping adequate linen on hand (having a two-par inventory in locked storage would help if you are located in an area where power outages might be expected) are your options for addressing power outages.

It is far less likely that you will suffer a gas outage, but it is still a good idea to have a propane backup for the possible loss of natural gas (I’m thinking here of ground disturbances such as earthquakes). The changeover from natural gas to propane is relatively easy, and your maintenance team should be ready for this conversion at any time with the parts and know-how to get the job done quickly and with a minimum of disruption.

If you are in a zone where these ground disturbances are probable, get a large propane tank and prep your team for this contingency.

(Editor’s note: Williams received assistance from consultant John White in writing this month’s response.)

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

July 18, 2012

Panel of Experts: Consider Impact Before Over/Under-Loading Equipment (Part 2 of 2)

CHICAGO — Input from equipment manufacturing, healthcare laundry and chemicals supply sectors

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING: KIM SHADY, LAUNDRYLUX CORP, NEW YORK, N.Y.

kim shady Loading capacity of washers and dryers is quite ambiguous. I was recently in a laboratory with multiple brands of washer-extractors. One of my objectives was to determine load size vs. rated capacity and the effects of under-loading.

The first laboratory result proved that based upon weight, you cannot load a washer beyond the rated capacity of the machine. In fact, it is difficult to place 50 pounds of dry terry cotton towels in a 60-pound washer. In nearly every machine tested, based upon weight, a machine will accept only 85% of the rated capacity. On some washers, because of the shape of the drum, only 75% is achievable. If you test poly/cotton sheets, the weight of the load is even less, as the polyester material has less weight for the amount of volume or space it takes in the wash wheel.

The lesson learned: Don’t expect the actual weight of a load to be equal to the rated capacity of the front-load washer-extractors.

The second laboratory test was to determine what happens when a small load (50% of capacity) is run in a washer. The results demonstrated the water used per actual pound of linen increased. Hence, it is more costly per pound to process. Also, the chemical dispenser did not know the load was smaller, again causing the cost per actual pound processed to increase.

Third result in the test was the washer’s ability to balance the load and advance the cycle to extraction. In some washers, there were multiple attempts to balance the load prior to extraction. This wasted time and water. In some cases, the washers never reached an acceptable balance level and the extraction speed was reduced, hence more residual moisture and longer drying times. As you can see, under-loading is expensive. And more loads per day must be processed, adding even more water, energy and labor costs.

We also tested load sizes in dryers. The objective was to determine drying time and energy cost for terry towels in a fully loaded, 60-pound-rated capacity washer in two different-sized dryers (capacities of 67 pounds and 83 pounds). The test results proved the larger dryer was faster and used less energy to dry the identical load.

At the end of the day, washers can’t be overloaded, while under-loading will significantly raise the cost per pound processed. Dryers can be overloaded, having the same effect on higher costs as under-loading washers.

At the end of the day, supervision and processes are critical. Unless, of course, the washers are smart enough to override human error!

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

scott beaton One of the most important variables affecting wash quality results is mechanical action. Much of the mechanical action controlled by the laundry is affected by loading practices within a given size and type of washer.

Washer loading is expressed as pounds of fabric per cubic foot of cylinder volume. Loading varies with fabric type and with machine type. Overloading and under-loading can affect soil removal and fabric strength and create excessive wrinkling. It can also influence the costs for labor, chemicals, water and energy.

In order to provide consistent standards, load factors are normally based on the weight of clean, dry fabric processed.

Overloading is not conducive to good laundry performance. Supplies cannot be distributed properly throughout the load, and the tightly packed condition of the textiles impedes dilution, lowers soil removal, and results in poor mechanical action.

Additional water levels per operation and longer rinses may be required to remove loose soil and chemical supplies remaining in the load. If these additional steps are not employed, loads may require rewashing.

Overloading of continuous batch tunnel washers may result in jamming up the machine and halting production. Under-loading also can result in poor performance due to less mechanical action and can lead to excessive costs.

Some fabrics must be under-loaded because of their bulk as compared to their weight. Garments containing polyester blends typically are loaded at 3.5 to 4.5 pounds per cubic foot to minimize wrinkling and provide for easier finishing.

All in all, load weights should be determined for each individual plant per machine by weighing soiled loads and comparing the soiled weight to the clean weight for the same load after processing. If proper soil sorting is being practiced, the ratio (soil weight/clean weight) should be consistent by classification/machine and need only be recalculated periodically.

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

marlene williams Machine load sizes are designed to optimize machine performance, chemical use, fabric wear, and performance outcomes. There are prices to be paid for load sizes that vary widely from recommended protocols.

Under-loading of machines is largely a matter of wasted resources rather than performance outcomes. Running less-than-capacity loads results in additional loads needing to be run to accommodate total laundry weights. Waste in water (and expensive heated water), chemicals, and labor raise the cost per pound significantly when loads are not full.

Performance is typically not a problem when under-loading unless chemical use results in high foam generation during light loads. Extra foam can result in poor mechanical action with subsequent poor results. In front loaders, high foam levels can result in foam being forced into machine areas that are not typically rinsed. This foam residue, if not cleaned during special cleaning cycles, can provide food for bacteria and accompanying malodors.

Under-loading dryers can result in poor drying or no drying if dryer sensors do not recognize moisture amounts from small loads.

Overloading, on the other hand, is a self-defeating process. A myriad of problems results from overloading, including higher number of rejects, more rewash, lesser quality (lesser soil removal), and setting of stains.

Negative selection, i.e. removal of some stains while leaving other stains to be set in the dryer, is a function of overloading. Lack of mechanical action results in soils not being put into solution and carried away from fabric, excessive fabric wear in some areas of the machine as fabric does not move, and problems with inadequate dilution of chemical resulting in over/under-dosing of chemistry depending on overload dynamics.

Add more labor, chemical, water and time to rewash problem fabric and it becomes clear that running standard load sizes optimizes the laundry process.

Click here for Part 1!

July 17, 2012

Panel of Experts: Consider Impact Before Over/Under-Loading Equipment (Part 1 of 2)

CHICAGO — Input from uniform manufacturing, commercial laundry and at-large sectors

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

The answer is yes, you can. But in overloading and under-loading, there are some ramifications.

steve kallenbach Sometimes, the outcome might outweigh the costs, but it’s definitely something to be mindful about before proceeding as a regular part of your production process.

First, there are five key elements in washing textiles: mechanical action, temperature, water level, time, and chemistry. If you increase or decrease one of these elements, it will impact other elements of the cleaning process.

Additionally, in many cases, it will add wear and tear to your machinery.

When you increase (or over-load) your washer-extractor, you decrease the amount of “open” area for the textiles to tumble—commonly referred to as “mechanical action.”

This decreases the textile cleanliness outcome, doesn’t take out stains (likely causing early replacement), and will definitely add to mechanical stress on the machine, especially if the load is over 100% of the stated capacity.

You can sometimes offset this inequity by increasing the formula time and/or the chemistry, but while the overload may reduce the amount of loads, your true operating costs may actually increase.

Sometimes, you have to consider more than just weight...volume, perhaps. Large items that absorb little water (such as mats) will have less negative impact than items that hold lots of liquid (microfiber toweling) when loaded strictly by weight.

Additionally, the soil type can dictate the load factor, if you are trying to provide more than normal mechanical action to remove heavy soil, etc. If you know the relative absorption of the product as well as the soil factor of the load, it will assist in your management call to either overload or under-load. Either way, you need to closely monitor your quality output and make adjustments continually and accordingly.

You also need to monitor rejects and rewash. The load factor may actually cost more than just following the usual formulation instructions, as it could result in double processing! One old trick in loading full-drop wash wheels is to visually load the machine to three-quarters full level.

When you under-load your washer-extractor, you increase the mechanical action significantly. While this is not an efficient use of resources, and may cost you significantly more to produce, the practice can also break down the fibers of your fabrics and cause all sorts of textile wear issues, such as heavy pilling, tears, etc.

While the appearance on the surface may lead you to believe that you are either cleaning product better or producing faster, the hidden reality is that you could be damaging your machines or your textiles.

In the end, this all comes down to customer satisfaction and relative costs. My advice: Be careful, be calculated, get the opinion of your chemical supplier, monitor the quality and textile life closely, and track your machine maintenance.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

tom gildred While there may be no “magic” answer to this question, I believe the real answer is “it depends.” Several factors that impact decisions regarding loading capacity should be considered when defining the formulas for processing. Some of these include quality standard, type of machinery, category of linen, and the degree of soil present.

Depending on your objectives, and the four factors I’ve mentioned, it might make sense to load either slightlyheavier or slightlylighter to achieve your goals. For instance, terry cloth items absorb more water, which is important to remember when considering overloading this type of item, as the additional water will make it even heavier. Other less-absorbent items, such as gowns, could be managed in heavier loads.

Certain products are well suited for under-loading in the drying process to ensure a quality finish without wrinkles, while some items may be overloaded with no problem—in fact, it may be desirable. Each type of load has its own custom formula, including how much of the product to include in the load. This formula is best determined by the particular item’s specifications and its level of soil in order to achieve the quality required.

Both overloading and under-loading are strategies that can be used to achieve optimal efficiency and quality. The right combination of load capacity, chemical mix, water temperature and processing time ensures production efficiency, optimum throughput and the proper quality levels.

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

douglas story I think we should first define what overloading a washer means. Is it 100 pounds in a 100-pound wash wheel, or is it 200 pounds in a 100-pound wash wheel? Well, you could be loaded correctly in both cases.

If the load is not soiled, or is lightly soiled, you could load to 100 pounds and it would be correct. But, if it is a load of wet bar towels, loading a 100-pound washer to 200 pounds could result in just processing 100 pounds of dry, clean bar towels, so that loading is correct as well! Simply speaking, you have to know the average soil load of the fabrics that you are processing in order to properly load the washers.

As for loading in general, I don’t think the standards are set in stone but the warranty on the equipment is. If one overloads the washer too much, you may end up with mechanical issues. In reality, one could, on occasion, overload a washer by 10-15% of rated capacity, but it should be an exception and not a standard operating procedure.

Water levels, electric motors, brakes and space capacity can all be negatively affected by overloading a washer, and all this is in addition to the poor-to-horrible quality the washer will be producing.

What happens to the fabric when you overload a washer? Here are a few things:

Mechanical action is reduced or eliminated
Distribution of water is limited

It is possible that not all the fabric in a horribly overloaded washer will even touch water during the process. I learned this lesson in college after trying to wash all my jeans and heavy shirts on the cheap at a Laundromat. I still had powdered soap on my very dry jeans as I unloaded the washer. What a mess.

Distribution of chemicals throughout the washer is uneven

This can damage areas where concentrated chemicals contact the linens.

Fabrics are not adequately cleaned and cannot be considered hygienically clean or sanitized

In spite of the accounting calculations on the enhanced productivity, overloading may create mechanical and quality issues that would override most savings over a longer period of time.

As for under-loading, it is just a waste of labor, equipment and operational efficiency! The industry is starting to create washers and dispensing systems that can actually compensate for various load sizes, but I still find it a waste in terms of equipment and time expenditures.

If you have a 100-pound washer, use its capabilities to the maximum. This will ensure that you are using labor, chemicals and time optimally in your efforts to produce a quality product at the best possible price.

A few points about under-loading:

Chemical concentrations are too high
Mechanical and chemical wear on fabrics is excessive
Water use per pound processed is excessive
Energy use per pound processed is excessive
Labor cost per pound processed is excessive

So, whenever possible, load your washers to within 10-15% of the rated capacity of what would be considered the clean, dry weight of the fabric. And for goodness sake, use a well-calibrated scale to make sure you are adding the right poundage to your washers.

Loading your washers as they should be loaded will go a long way to maximizing the overall efficiency of your washroom operation.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

May 16, 2012

Panel of Experts: Stains and the Worst of the Worst (Part 2 of 2)

CHICAGO — Input from at-large, linen supply and hotel/motel/resort sectors

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

There are a lot of stains out there that we all work to try to remove in our day-to-day efforts, everything from medical stains in the healthcare industry to various types of waterproof make-up stains in the hospitality industry, but the stain that I find most difficult to remove is the idea of producing linen with “no or zero stains.” This is an extremely difficult issue to deal with because many actually believe they can produce linens/fabrics with absolutely zero stains every time, every day.

Is this possible? Well, yes, it is possible. We could process all linens on wash formulas that would produce a quality level in most classifications about as close to a “zero stain” program as possible. So why don’t we? Why don’t we go with what many of the manufacturing QC gurus call a zero-defect operation, or in our case the zero-stain process? In manufacturing, would a zero-defects operation cost you more money than a process that yields a few defects?

Yes, especially in an operation where we do not technically have control over the quality of the raw material coming in the door. Linen or fabric is our raw material. Unfortunately, hundreds or thousands of 100% cotton sheets having the same structure and design were not necessarily produced from the same raw material. Some need a greater level of soil removal than the rest. Our goal is to provide our customers with linens that are as clean and structurally sound as the linens were when the items were new.

OK, so why don’t we launder the product to produce zero stains? Isn’t that what the customer wants? Yes, but in reality they do not want stains delivered, so our quality control operation should make sure that doesn’t happen. At the same time, the customer and/or the laundry want to make sure the finished goods are protected from excess damage via wear and tear. Laundering fabrics of all types is one of the few “manufacturing” processes in which the raw material and the finished goods are structurally and generally the same.

Here are a few reasons why we shouldn’t process work to deliver zero stains:

In every wash load, there are a mix of linens from heavy soil to light soil, while the average washer formula is written to deal with moderate- to heavy-soiled items.
If we processed the linens for zero stains, we would be subjecting the lightly soiled items in every load to excess mechanical, chemical and processing treatment that could damage or shorten the life of the majority of finished products. Lightly soiled items generally constitute 50-70 % of a washer load (there are exceptions, i.e. bar towels).
Extra time (increased labor), extra water, wear and tear on equipment, more chemicals, shortened linen life, and higher energy consumption are just a few of the costs that will be increased in one’s drive to produce a zero-stain product.

So what’s a laundry manager to do in search of a zero-stain product? Keep quality control on top of product quality delivered to the customer while the plant works to maximize quality while minimizing the downside potential to the final product and the operation.

Over the years, many studies have developed acceptable levels of stain/rejects for various operations. The averages of these studies are as follows:

Hospitality (hotel/motel linen) — 2.5-4.0% rejects
Healthcare — 3.5-5.5% rejects
Nursing Home — 4.0-5.5% rejects
Linen Supply — 5.0-6.0% rejects

The secret to a highly efficient laundry operation is not to have zero stains. No, in this case of production management, it is better to have a percentage of stains within acceptable levels in order to protect the finished product and the sustainability of your operation or business.

We all want to produce the best product possible, but we are going to have to accept a level of rejects that many in true manufacturing businesses could not.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE

The most stubborn stains to remove (as opposed to those that defy removal, such as stainless steel and cement stains) are mildew, ink from pens left in pockets, and a variety of medical ointments.

steve marcq I am sure others will provide excellent technical advice here on how to contend with these after the fact, but this is truly a case of prevention being the best cure. Ongoing customer education and gaining early buy-in to linen conservation practices is the key, beginning with training on using a product for its intended purpose, and providing the appropriate grade article for that use. Other tips include recommending higher-grade towels for light duty in the front of the house, and saving second-quality ones for the heavy cleaning tasks.

Pre-sorting of linen immediately after use is critical to prevent stains. This include bagging tablecloths and napkins separately from bar mops and aprons, keeping shop towels separate from industrial garments, and so forth. As always, encouraging customers to only put linen into the soil bags will help prevent staining, especially in situations with weekly pickup schedules. Selling bags of ragged-out towels at a good price to “hard” users can be a good strategy as well.

Place laminated signs with pictures of the items that should go in each bag on the wall over the bag stands, and replace as necessary. Convince the customer that taking good care of your linen while it’s in his establishment is not only good for you, it’s also good for his long-term linen costs.

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN

Stubborn stains can be a real challenge in today’s commercial laundry facilities, because stains can have a negative effect on production, leading to a smaller profit margin. We are lucky to have an experienced dry cleaner as our owner. We also have two ex-dry cleaners on our production staff, so stubborn stains have met their match here.

jr norris The key to not setting stains or avoiding a mountain of rewash is sorting. Proper sorting in your facility can eliminate headaches and money being washed down the drain. Make the minimum effort to pre-sort those pillowcases and terry and your production times and rewash will be greatly reduced. If the stains are caught during the sorting process, they can be pre-spotted and processed without incident.

On occasion, no matter how hard you try, stains will slip by the attentive eyes of the sorters. The majority of the stains we encounter are lipstick and make-up, primarily mascara. Make-up wears off during the night on pillowcases and sheets. Other times, the mascara is whipped off using hand towels, bath towels or washcloths. These oil-based stains are then transferred to the linen and terry. As we all know, oil-based stains need chemicals in order to be removed effectively.

Mascara, make-up and any other oil-based stains are best removed by using a solvent-based stain remover such as Pyratex. At Delta, once a stain is discovered, it is separated and sent to rewash. We employ one person who is responsible for stain removal. Once the type of stain is determined, the linen is treated based on the spotter’s recommendation and experience, then sent for rewashing. Always remember to wash treated textiles shortly after spotting.

Click here for Part 1.

May 15, 2012

Panel of Experts: Stains and the Worst of the Worst (Part 1 of 2)

CHICAGO — Input from chemicals supply, commercial laundry and textiles sectors

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

marlene williams We have chosen to address three common stubborn stains that can best be managed with procedure, machine programs and chemistry. We will outline procedures important to all stain removal and then address specifics for each stain category.

In all cases, it is important to either pre-treat the stain, or begin the laundering process, as soon as possible after staining. The sooner that stains are removed from the fabric, the less aggressive the program required for removal and the greater the possibility for success.

With a few exceptions, it is important to treat stain removal with the warmest temperature appropriate for the fabric and color blends. Chemical activity increases with elevated temperature and stain removal is generally enhanced with higher temperatures. Exceptions to the “higher the better” are situations involving color fading/bleeding, fabric shrinking, protein or blood “setting,” or exceeding temperatures recommended for enzyme products.

Medicinal Stains — There are a number of medicinal preparations that can be irreversibly set with chlorine bleach if not thoroughly removed prior to bleach process. Chlorhexidine gluconate and iodine preparations must be thoroughly rinsed prior to standard wash cycles. Education of healthcare staff regarding possibility of irreversible staining, vigilance by laundry staff for particular laundry categories, and possible replacements of non-staining materials can provide solutions. Salves and skin-protection preparations compounded with oils may need special attention and are best removed with selective surfactant products.

Food Stains — Food stains are common to healthcare and hospitality linens. Conventional chemistry with increased alkali and detergent usually provides satisfactory results for greasy soils. Protein stains can be removed with a bleach program step if fabric dyes are compatible. There are a number of enzyme detergents and enzyme presoak products that provide good removal of protein and/or greasy stains if soak time is available. Be sure to match specific enzyme product to type of food stain.

Athletic Uniforms — School and professional athletic colors have never been selected for laundry compatibility! Before beginning any aggressive stain-removal program, make sure that both uniform materials of construction and colors can withstand temperatures and chemistry chosen. Always consult manufacturer’s care tags. Temperature and chlorine bleach are two often-exceeded treatments that can do irreversible damage to fabric finish, fading/bleeding of incompatible colors, and overall irreversible color deposition. There are also a small number of hazardous chemistries that are used to strip dyes and field marking colors. These should be avoided by using an enzyme presoak program if team schedules allow.

It is important to identify impact-generated (helmet and plastic padding) stains that are a result of fabric and protective gear colors being physically transferred into the opposing team’s uniform fabric. Impact transfer is usually an irreversible situation.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

From the perspective of an industrial healthcare linen services provider, the most stubborn stains regularly encountered include bodily fluids, metal and rust stains, tape residue and finally medicinal chemical stains.

tom gildred We address these difficult stains through a multi-tiered approach, designed to address each particular type of stain. Time, temperature, chemical action and mechanical action are the keys to effective stain removal, and can be adjusted as each case requires.

As a first step, we work closely with our chemical company to create the proper formulation, or “chemical cocktail,” to remove specific types of stains. Heavily stained linens are identified during soil sort and separated for special treatment.

After the appropriate treatment has been determined, we pre-wash the heavily stained items to remove the first level of soil in our heavy-duty single-batch washers. Hand inspection is employed throughout the process to determine what the next steps are, as well as to ensure quality control. A stringent quality-control program ensures that we effectively launder items until the stains are eradicated.

Because of the intense nature of healthcare laundry stains, there are instances in which items are destroyed in the process of stain removal and those pieces are placed in our linen recycling program. By continually evolving our processes, and working with our chemical vendor, we successfully remove a large number of stains.

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

Not having had much experience with this topic, I sought the advice of a few long-time laundry professionals. What I found was a little surprising. While most agreed about which substances were the most difficult to treat and remove, their approaches to accomplish this task were completely different.

tom langdon One approach is stain avoidance. The process starts with sorting the soiled linen from least stained to most stained, or light, medium or heavy soil. By isolating the dirtiest linen, the launderer reduces the chance of contaminating the rest. They also sort by soil factor (whether the stains are protein- or oil-based), as this will determine what wash formula should be used to process the linen. Using this approach, most of the cleaner linen can run through the normal process and be cleaned satisfactorily. They then save the “blood load” to be processed at the end of the shift when the wash formula, along with temperature and process time, can be adjusted.

On the other end of the spectrum is the “one wash” method. Using this approach, the laundry does not segregate its linen because it has optimized its process and system to yield the best overall cleaning results. Of course, if an item that is obviously heavily soiled turns up, they would not process it, preferring instead to rag it out. As stains are the enemy of efficiency, this method works to minimize their disruption on the process.

Stains, after all, are a big problem. Some operators advise that they incur more loss due to stains than to wearing out product through processing. Up to three times more product is “ragged out” because of stains than from actually being worn out.

Regardless of the approach, most operators agree that, in the healthcare setting, Hibiclens, or chlorhexidine gluconate/isopropanol, is the toughest stain to get out. This antiseptic liquid is applied directly to a patient’s skin at the incision site prior to surgery. Its normal state is a clear pink liquid. After being transferred to a textile article and exposed to chlorine bleach during processing, it turns orange-brown and is a difficult stain to remove.

The products themselves play a part in the challenge of dealing with stains. Results from my research rank incontinence products, patient apparel and bath items as the products that experience the most stains. Fabric type is also a factor in stain resistance and stain removal.

Due to advances in finishing chemistry and applications, polyester-rich products actually fare better than cotton-rich items, even though in its natural state polyester has an affinity for oil. These predominantly synthetic-rich products also last longer, which is a plus when exposing them to additional mechanical action and stronger wash formulas that can accelerate the breakdown of cotton-rich fabrics.

Stain treatments are changing. Historically, stain-release treatments were based on C8 fluorocarbon chemistry that has been identified as being harmful to the environment and bio-accumulative. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has requested a voluntary elimination of this chemistry by 2015; manufacturers of these products have been working toward alternatives since 2000. As with most developments, the alternative technologies are more expensive to produce. Some estimates predict as much as a double-digit increase in the cost of stain removal with the new technology as compared to current options.

Regardless of which method you use to process your tough stains, one thing is clear. Stains are here to stay and will become more challenging to treat as the demands for environmentally friendly chemistry becomes the norm.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

April 18, 2012

Panel of Experts: Boosting Laundry Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation (Part 2 of 2)

CHICAGO — Input from chemicals supply, equipment manufacturing and uniforms/workwear manufacturing sectors

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

This well-designed question recognizes that optimization of laundry programs and procedures, as well as incorporating new technology options, can facilitate a laundry marlene williams manager’s efforts to improve energy efficiency and water conservation. From the chemical supplier’s standpoint, there are two major sources of help available today.

First, technology (proprietary software) to analyze a laundry operation is a strong tool for chemical representatives and laundry managers. A knowledgeable chemical representative can provide valuable assistance with this type of computer analysis, improving not only energy efficiency and water consumption but also creating savings in all areas of program expense.

Secondly, a knowledgeable review of laundry facilities with improved practices and procedures can provide major economies for no additional cost. John White, an industry expert with 35 years of laundry experience, offers a number of valuable tactics:

Work with a knowledgeable chemical supplies representative; this should be your starting point. Experienced reps can help you because they work with many different operators and will be able to give you ideas for savings, ideas that are working for others.
If you’re still using “old school” washing techniques (180-degree water, lots of alkali and bleach, long cycles, lots of rinsing, etc.), be aware that chemistry has dramatically changed. Talk to your rep about low-temperature washing. Consider enzyme washing, allowing for lower wash and bleaching temperatures. Your supplier should be bringing these innovations to you for your consideration.
Replace one rinse step in all your cycles with a medium-speed extract. This will save one high-fill for every load of laundry you process, and, over time, can result in thousands of gallons of water—much of it hot—saved.
Understand the relationship between pH and temperature in the bleach bath. A good rep will be able to set your cycles up to bleach in much lower temperatures by lowering the pH of the bleach bath.
Lower your water levels 1 inch when washing/bleaching, and 2 inches when rinsing. All water levels are adjustable, and the good reps know how to do this. One inch less water in the wash step will not make any difference in quality, but due to the shape of the wash wheel, will save you up to 30% of the hot water you would otherwise use in a typical wash step (same for bleach step and 2 inches on rinse steps).
Focus on sorting laundry by soil load and staining. Unsorted linens must be washed according to the worst pieces. If unsorted, every load becomes a costly heavy-soil load.
Program cycles so that your final rinse temperature is between 115 and 120 degrees (typically it is much lower). This means that the linens will be pre-heated (but not too hot to handle) when they go into the dryer. This will save about five minutes of dryer time/energy per load.
Don’t under-load washers or overload dryers. Weigh loads and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Airflow is far more critical than temperature when it comes to dryer time. Clean lint screens after every load, and periodically have dryer vents professionally cleaned. Lint can easily clog dryer vents and choke off 80% or more of your airflow.
Finally, most dryers can be retrofitted with flue sensors that will shut the dryer down when the load is dry, saving on energy and fabric damage.

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING: KIM SHADY, LAUNDRYLUX CORP, NEW YORK, N.Y.

From the perspective of smaller OPL facilities, more new equipment applications have become available in the past several years than have been introduced in the past decade. I’ll break these energy savings into three kim shady categories: electricity, natural gas, and water.

Electricity — The amount of electricity used to operate an OPL washer or dryer may be less than 2 cents per load. There is very little reward for making improvements to electricity use. Evaluating cycle times in the washer could be one area for savings. Washers with higher extraction rates (G-force) can reduce drying times for more savings.

Natural Gas — Assuming natural gas is your heat source for a dryer, ironer or water heater, this is your largest utility cost. To evaluate areas to trim costs, start with your water heater/boiler. There have been many improvements in efficiency, so is your unit outdated? Could reducing water temperature by 5 or 10 degrees make a difference on an annual basis?

The traditional 75-pound dryer in small OPL facilities has gone through significant energy updates in the past few years. Several companies have slashed gas consumption by 20% through new, energy-efficient axial airflow designs that do not sacrifice drying time. This may be the biggest gain for energy efficiency in the past five years.

Also, the extraction rate has a major role in reducing dryer gas use. Upgrading from 100 to 300 G-force can cut drying time by 25-30%, along with similar amounts of natural gas.

Residual moisture controls are gaining popularity to save time and natural gas in the dryer. No longer does the drying time have to be input by hand. Residual moisture controls automate the process, while preventing the dryer from running past the point where linens are dry.

Large laundries have long understood the energy benefits of ironing vs. drying sheets. When ironing sheets properly, the amount of energy used to remove a pound of water is less than the amount a dryer would use to do the same. With new OPL ironers requiring just one person to feed, fold and stack, there can be energy savings, labor savings and huge improvements in quality.

Water — OPL washers are using newer digital technology to measure water levels, providing more precise control for each fill. This also allows the programmer to experiment with finding the optimum water levels and acceptable cleanliness quality. This experiment could bring surprising results in lower water use. Some washers are smart enough to adjust water levels based upon the linen load size, while at the same time adjusting chemical dosing to keep the ratio to water accurate.

Other water savings may be found with ozone systems. Ozone has proven to reduce water consumption and significantly reduce the need for hot water.

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

This is the central question surrounding one of the most important dynamics of the decade: “green” reusable textiles and related processing. My responses will relate mostly to energy and costs that directly impact textile-processing costs.

Energy — Over the past 15 years, our industry has reduced energy costs by more than 40% through the use of heat reclaimers, direct-fire water heaters, continuous batch washers (vs. washer-extractors vs. modular washer and extractor units), high-efficiency gas dryers (vs. steam dryers), as well as energy-friendly textiles.

Additionally, chemical companies and plant managers have worked together to find balanced formulations that assist in energy efficiency. An example of this might be in extraction. Once a washer-extractor achieves extraction speed, it is much more efficient to extract the textile a bit longer, if it reduces dryer time (gas usage) while still protecting textile life.

In some cases, textiles have been built to withstand more energy-efficient processing. In others (example: Signature table linen), fabric has been developed to wash cleaner at lower temperatures, thereby lowering energy costs and even processing time. The most recent textile improvement impacting energy efficiency is microfiber fabrics. They take much less time to dry, thereby reducing gas and electricity costs.

Laundry managers need to follow the best in class: 1) know the industry standards, 2) know your own plant’s performance, and 3) engage with your chemical and textile vendors to continually improve efficiency.

Water — Just like energy, our industry has reduced water usage by more than 40% through the use of water reclamation systems and better chemical formulations, soil sorting (to control the amount of rewash) and textiles.

Water reclamation systems reuse some of the last flushes of a formula as the first flush of the next load. Chemical formulation is a key to water efficiency. We put our chemical suppliers in the delicate position of keeping costs down while keeping our textiles clean. Many times, this balance is off, and some plants have a tendency to “over wash” certain textiles. Additionally, some textiles simply clean better, due to raw-material quality, fiber content, weave, topical soil release, etc.

Managers can discuss these issues with their textile and chemical suppliers, in order to choose the right product for the job. Just like energy efficiency, water conservation and efficiency should first be measured against the known industry standards, and managers should engage with their related suppliers to improve both formulation and textiles.

Technology — In all areas of conservation, support technology has improved drastically over the past 20 years. Retrofitting machinery to allow constant monitoring of efficiencies is now available, and the return on investment is sensible in most cases. Additionally, the industry has developed a number of major software packages that can assist managers in monitoring and managing their plant efficiencies.

Maintenance — Aside from education on standards and available efficiencies, the maintenance of equipment and support technology is more important now than ever before.

Plant maintenance managers of yesteryear were measured on downtime of equipment related to production flow. While this will remain the platform for production flow efficiency, maintenance of the future will center more around equipment efficiencies, simply because they can now be monitored constantly.

For instance, in the past, if a drainpipe were open and leaking profusely, it might not be caught and your maintenance department might not focus on it because the equipment was running. In the future, the equipment must not only run, it must run efficiently, because a rightly upgraded and retrofitted wash machine will be able to “broadcast” the presence of an open/leaking drain to plant management.

Textiles — Great plant managers take a more active role in monitoring textile placement as it relates to efficiency, not only in wear-life (life-cycle) costing but also in choosing the right textile for the job.

A simple example of this is allowing a diesel engine mechanic to wear a lightly colored shirt. This textile choice leads to heavy-soil formulation and rewash. Enough of this textile misuse and plant efficiency is impacted.

Other plants overbuy cotton toweling, putting premium textiles into accounts that simply don’t return them. Because these products are typically heavier in content, the plant washes fewer of them per load, thereby lowering both energy and water efficiencies. In some cases, it’s better to put a standard-quality product into an account that needs just that.

April 17, 2012

Panel of Experts: Boosting Laundry Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation (Part 1 of 2)

CHICAGO — Input from equipment distribution, commercial laundry, textiles, and hotel/motel/resort laundry sectors

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTION: STEVE CLARK, LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT SERVICES INC., BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA.

As with any mechanical industry in the world today, technology is ever evolving and continues to push equipment to its max in terms of production and efficiency. This is no different in the laundry industry—as long as you use it properly.

Forget all the bells and whistles of additional means for energy conservation and get down to the nitty-gritty of what it takes to improve your laundry’s energy efficiency and water consumption with the equipment you already have. Something that laundry managers often forget is the amount of water in an individual cycle’s bath and the amount of that water retained in the linen at the end of the cycle.

steve clark First, do you know how many gallons are in a particular bath? If so, then do you truly need that much? Does your machine capacity and chemical makeup require such an amount of water? With advancements in technology and computer programming, every leading manufacturer of equipment is capable of customizing water consumption on a per-bath/per-cycle basis. Obviously, this cycle variation will depend on the material being laundered. Regardless, it would be wise to break down the water level and percentage of drum capacity with your chemical representative to determine if this percentage can be tweaked.

Imagine saving 1 gallon per bath/per cycle and multiply that by the number of cycles you run throughout a given day. For example, one machine removes 1 gallon of water from five baths in one cycle. At 5 gallons per load and two loads an hour, that equals 10 gallons saved per hour, or 80 gallons saved per eight-hour shift.

Beyond the amount of water going into an individual wash cycle, what about the water coming out? The water retention amount per load can destroy your laundry’s efficiency in the drying or finishing stages of the process. For every percentage point of moisture in a given material, expect additional minutes to be spent in a dryer or finisher, thus requiring more labor, gas, electricity, etc., per load.

Water retention is affected by the amount of water introduced, the extraction rate of RPMs applying the respective G-force, and the length of extraction time. Due to previously mentioned advances in technology and programming capabilities, most equipment is capable of adjusting the RPMs and the length of extraction time to limit moisture retention to a desired amount for premium linen quality and energy efficiency.

Limit your expenses and help the environment; maximize your efficiency.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

Greater energy efficiency and water conservation can be achieved through planning and design using the new technology available in equipment such as continuous batch washers, presses, and dryers.

tom gildred In some areas, utilities companies and commissions have special incentive programs designed to encourage businesses to be as energy efficient as possible. In working with your utility company, it is possible to precisely plan for proper equipment and energy use in order to achieve maximum savings.

Employing “reduce and reuse” principles ensures that the highest possible level of resource preservation is achieved throughout an operation. By incorporating the latest technology, equipment, processes and infrastructure, it is possible to save millions of gallons of water annually and tremendous amounts of natural gas and electricity. Some of the ways to achieve tremendous savings include:

Utilizing energy-efficient lighting, and motion-sensor lighting where appropriate, throughout the plant and offices to reduce energy use.
Going green with invoices, by using e-mail instead of paper to conserve ink, energy and eliminate paper waste.
Using environmentally sustainable, lighter fabrics that not only make sense for the environment but also require less drying time.
Utilizing gravity-enabled designs in the plant, such as an overhead rail system, that moves laundry through the facility using minimal energy to produce less risk and strain to employees.
Installing the latest industrial washers that utilize high-tech water systems with the ability to decrease water usage by more than 75%.
Incorporating high-pressure presses to remove the maximum amount of water from clean goods and greatly reduce drying time, resulting in lower natural gas consumption.
Employing heat reclamation equipment, which employs energy-transfer principles to raise the incoming water temperature so that a lot less energy is needed for heating.

Through technology and streamlined processes, it is possible to achieve tremendous energy savings, which results in cost savings and reduced environmental impact. That’s good for the industry and good for the environment.

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

There are a number of relatively new textile products on the market that can help improve a laundry’s energy and water consumption. Technology developments in yarn spinning and finishing chemistry now allow synthetic fibers to have more natural fiber characteristics.

tom langdon Fasciated yarn is defined by Webster’s as a form of fiber assembly consisting of a core of parallel discontinuous fibers bound into a compact bundle by surface wrapping minor proportion of the discontinuous fibers around the core to form the yarn. The most common type is MJS, or Murata Jet Spinning, named after the Japanese manufacturer that perfected this technique.

By using this process to spin all polyester or CVS (Chief Value Synthetic) fibers into yarn, products have a more “cotton-like” look and feel. Recent developments in finishing chemistry now can impart wicking and moisture management properties on fabrics once considered nonabsorbent. This market trend started several years ago with sheets and pillowcases, but now has spread into most product groups, including incontinent pads and even thermal blankets.

There are a few challenges that any laundry may have to address when considering incorporating these new products into their system. No. 1 is the difference in cost. Depending on the item, replacing an existing CVC (Chief Value Cotton) item with one that is all-poly or poly rich could be a 20-40% premium in upfront investment over the standard linen price. The second challenge is processing. Because manmade fiber products dry faster and absorb less water, they need to be processed separately to achieve their full benefits. In some cases, this may be more trouble than it is worth.

Although there is an upfront investment, adding these items to a line will more than provide payback over time. By its nature, polyester is stronger than cotton and will last longer. There is less weight loss, which helps protect revenues for those charging by the pound. Studies have shown that these poly-rich items are more resistant to staining, so there is savings to be had by reducing rewash cycles or pre-treating.

This past year was the best time ever to add more poly-rich items to your line or convert completely. The unprecedented rise in cotton prices in 2011 closed the gap, so in some cases switching was a wash (no pun intended), or the premium was slight. If you look at these items from a cost-per-use perspective, they still are a good value.

I’ll offer a few statistics. One company that I work with did some in-house testing on the processing of these new, synthetic-rich items and achieved the following results on several product categories (of course, results may vary from laundry to laundry):

Knit Sheets — Drying time was reduced 25-40% as compared to a cotton-rich item, and water retention was cut in half.

Pads — Drying time was reduced by 50% as compared to a cotton-rich item, and water retention was reduced by 20%.

Clothing Protectors — Drying time was reduced by 60% as compared to a cotton-rich item, and water retention reduced by 40%.

If laundries embrace this new technology, they will experience faster drying times and use less water. They will also have products that last longer. Saving money and time while conserving resources, now that’s a win-win.

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

As energy prices begin to soar, and with today’s current economic uncertainty, now is an excellent time to implement energy benchmarking and waste reduction in your operation.

jr norris Conducting energy audits on a regular basis can help determine the actual condition of your equipment as well as its overall performance. These audits can show where and how energy is being wasted, and can help you identify and prioritize future energy-improvement measures.

Unfortunately, it took some time to get our entire team to recognize the benefits and contribute to reducing wasted resources. In addition to insulating hot water and steam lines and repairing leaky valves, we conducted frequent walk-and-talk meetings with maintenance and laundry managers to identify a starting point.

Since our machines are older, we decided we should determine their energy consumption first. To start the process, we had our local electricity provider complete an audit. It conducted a weeklong audit of our usage and compared peak vs. non-peak times. Through these findings, we learned which equipment was pulling the highest amperage and then made proactive decisions to determine what we could do to conserve.

After the audit was complete, we reviewed all of our older equipment that was wasting the most energy. The most energy-consuming piece of equipment turned out to be a 50-hp air compressor, and, unfortunately, we have two of them in place. In an effort to reduce this waste, we purchased a new 25-hp motor, changed the pulleys and reduced the overall amps being used.

Some may ask why we didn’t purchase a new, energy-efficient compressor. We believe in saving first and purchasing newer equipment after all other options have been exhausted.

For example, we had a 900-pound Ellis washer that had such a hard start-up and used so many amps that it continuously caused problems. We implemented today’s technology and installed a soft-start invert drive. This dramatically reduced our daily amps and allowed room on our circuit breaker to install more equipment on our two different power sources. This method of resolution has proven successful in our operation.

In addition to modifying equipment to conserve energy, we also found that by utilizing our skylights as a natural light source, we were able to reduce the number of hours a day that our overhead lights are on. With the generous amount of sunlight that we have in New Mexico, we tapped into this natural resource. The additional natural light encourages more positive production out of our employees than working under bright fluorescent lighting. To take this a step further, we are installing photocells on our fixtures to automatically reduce lighting usage.

The next energy-saving effort we will focus on is a system for reclaiming water. We have grown significantly over the last few years, and have learned that this system will be a vital contributor for cost savings and water preservation. We are in the process of researching this method to determine our future implementation efforts.

Conserving energy can be as easy as wrapping and insulating lines or identifying and repairing all leaking water and air valves. Enlisting your local energy service provider to provide audits of your current consumption can give you a better understanding of your usage and allow you to easily identify waste. Empowering your team to conserve and promote awareness of energy waste can improve the success of your efforts. Education and implementation is the best way to reduce our industry’s carbon footprint and benefit the environment, but it also can assist in reducing our collective bottom lines.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

February 22, 2012

Panel of Experts: Commercial or Rental Plant vs. Institution-Based Laundry (Part 2 of 2)

Textile/Uniform Rental: David Dersheimer, SITEX Corp.

There are certainly differences in what commercial or rental plants may choose or use for equipment and procedures when compared to institution-based laundries and their respective facilities.

Generally, the volume and product mix of a rental or commercial facility tends to fluctuate more than an institutional facility’s does.

Rental facilities tend to make equipment and process decisions based on current mix and volume plus projected growth. They have smaller load quantities in varying item mixes. The soil levels in rental plants also tend to range broadly from light to heavy.

david dersheimer Institutional laundries have a more consistent volume and less variance in soil classifications. And there is typically less variation in soil levels and volumes in a healthcare, nursing home or hotel laundry.

But I’m not sure you could define differences in laundries based only on these two categories or generalities. You might need to ask a few questions, such as:

What is the item mix, and how many different sort classes/soil levels are there?
What is the facility’s planned growth? Is there anticipated growth in one segment or area? If so, how will that impact the volume and mix?
How would product mix affect equipment decisions?
Is the wash operation running batches or smaller, varying loads, or loads of similar volume and sort class? Does the facility need single or convention machines, or would a continuous batch washer be a better choice?
If flatwork finishing, is volume or flexibility needed? For large pieces, does the facility need a sheet feeder, table linen feeder, or a machine that can do both? Is an ironer needed to handle napkins and pillowcases?

Differences between any two laundries, whether commercial or institutional, can be quite distinct. One needs to assess current mix, planned growth, and output expectations to determine individual needs.

Consulting Services: Ron Evans, RJ Evans and Associates

There are several procedural differences between industrial rental laundries and ron evans institutional laundries. Growth, greater competition, incomparable number of products processed, and profit are the driving and dividing forces.

Since most rental laundries have hundreds if not thousands of customers, their processing practices must be much more flexible and expanded than an institutional laundry that may have a singular or limited common customer base.

Since rental laundries exist in a much more competitive environment, it is essential for the production department’s contribution to the rental company’s bottom line be fully within strict budget forecasts. The trick here is that all production forecasts are predicated on sales forecasts, and the latter can be difficult to project for a coming year.

There is a constant need to search for improved best practices to satisfy the varied demands upon their daily changes in usage, product variation and resource allocation. It becomes essential to leverage all advantages that eliminate or reduce waste while at the same time operate within projected budget requirements. These are all centered on “lean and mean” customer satisfaction.

The production department’s contribution to bottom-line profit in a rental laundry is scrutinized and monitored due to its constantly changing customer base. Rental laundry production management must be much more engaged and “hands on” in addressing all the demands of its varied customers’ needs. Pressures on rental managers are more numerous and dynamic than those on institutional managers. Rental production managers must be good business managers as well as knowing their trade.

Another difference is the role of a production department in a rental industrial laundry. Full-time salespeople use their production department as a sales tool and regularly take potential customers on plant tours. Therefore, the department always has to be in marketable “showplace” condition.

A rental laundry’s service department also uses the production department as a customer-retention tool. Service departments have developed sophisticated programs to elevate a customer’s understanding of the rental laundry’s value in maintaining their fixed costs, convenience, and quality standards. As such, they constantly market environmental advantages in waste treatment, sanitary conditions, safety practices, and inventory control. Processing techniques are used not only for production but to gain and retain customers.

Because of its dedicated freestanding facility, the rental laundry has acquired a “target” on its back for every governmental inspector. Consequently, it must operate under the assumption that it will have city, state, regional and federal government inspectors in its facilities throughout the year. The end result is rental laundries have unsurpassed training and updated performance exercises in safety, waste management, OSHA, and human resource issues out of the realization that they will be audited. This constant pressure creates a professional, self-policing system and a comfort zone for their customers.

Both types of industrial laundries have similar equipment, chemicals and procedures for the items they process in common. Because of the difference in competitive situations, rental laundries must operate at a higher level of customer speed to retain revenue-generating clients.

It has been my experience that most rental production managers could operate an institutional laundry quite easily while most institutional production managers would have to expand their skills to effectively manage a rental industrial laundry.

Equipment Manufacturing: Kim Shady, Laundrylux Corp.

How do you define commercial laundry or institutional laundry? Often, those terms are kim shady used interchangeably. So let’s remove the descriptive terms and be more absolute. What is the equipment difference between a laundry processing less than 3,000 pounds per day and a laundry processing more than 3,000 pounds per day?

In the simplest form, the equipment differences can be defined by automation. It may reduce labor costs, improve quality, reduce processing time or save energy. As the pounds processed per day increase, there become economies of scale for each of these items.

While improved quality may be a goal for selecting automation, the determining factor is most likely the return on investment (ROI). You can calculate this by projecting labor savings, energy savings and maybe even overhead by square foot vs. the cost of automation.

A small-piece folder is one of the smallest investments for automation. It can process towels, gowns, blankets or fitted sheets. If your laundry is processing 1,000 pounds of these items a day, a small-piece folder could reduce your staffing by one person. An institutional laundry is likely using a staff of two to hand-fold these items. If a basic small-piece folder is $45,000, what might the ROI be?

Commercial laundries likely process a large quantity of flat goods. Automation in this case may include automatic pickers to replace one or two staff members.

Processing linens through an ironer requires the least amount of energy per pound of finished goods. But that doesn’t mean ironing is the lowest-cost method for processing goods. An institutional laundry may use an ironer but lack automation, thus requiring two to four staff members.

Over the last five years, numerous ironers on the market have offered feeding, folding and stacking built into the ironer, allowing a single operator to process 150 or more pounds per hour. Processing 75 pounds per hour is a common goal in laundries without automation. A machine with these features can reduce the staffing required for ironing. The additional investment for the feeder, folder and stacker may be $100,000. What might the ROI be for this automation?

Labor will always be the largest cost of operating a laundry. An institutional laundry can be limited in methods for reducing labor costs, so automation can be a difference maker. It is the difference between the equipment selections in a commercial laundry and an institutional laundry.

Member at Large: Douglas Story, Swisher Hygiene

When I first read this question, I thought, “What in the heck can anyone say about this? douglas story Processing fabric is processing fabric, right?” But it is a good question that has forced me to look not so much at the equipment or procedures that are used by the two laundry types but at the philosophies behind the use of that equipment.

As I was contemplating what I would write, I was inspired by one of my favorite “philosophers,” Jeff Foxworthy. Here, offered somewhat tongue-in-cheek, are some differences between a commercial laundry and an institution-based laundry:

If the laundry manager is a graduate in hospitality management and is in the job as a learning experience, it might be an institution-based laundry.
If a washer’s rated capacity is used as the measure of the pounds of linen being processed, it might be an institution-based laundry.
If a washer’s rated capacity is considered an estimate and everyone knows that it can hold another 100 pounds, it might be a commercial laundry.
If the laundry manager loads the washer and then walks to the next room to welcome a guest and offer them a cookie, it might be an institution-based laundry.
If the laundry manager is proud of his washroom’s 2,000 lbs/hr production but can’t understand how two 100-pound dryers can keep up, it might be a commercial laundry.
If the laundry manager, when asked why he has 10 washers and two flatwork ironers stored in the parking lot, answers, “Parts,” it might be a commercial laundry.
When employees stay later to produce more laundry, it might be a commercial laundry.
When employees stay later to clean the rooms or provide patient care, it might be an institution-based laundry.
When the flatwork ironer goes down and the laundry manager prays for its recovery, it might be a commercial laundry.
When the laundry manager can give you the cost per piece, labor, utilities, fixed and variable cost itemized, it might be a commercial laundry.
When the laundry manager says, “I don’t know all of my utility costs,” it might be an institution-based laundry.

There are philosophical differences between commercial (for-profit) and institutional (not-for-profit or support services) laundries, but it is not, for the most part, in the equipment or processes they use. It is more in how management approaches the business and customer service sides of the operation.

In the past, the primary focus of a commercial laundry was the customers that paid for their service. By contrast, this was/is not always the case for the institutional laundry. But as we look to the future, I believe that we are seeing the philosophies of these two operations beginning to merge.

Institutional laundries are becoming more like their commercial counterparts because of economic pressures and because many of the organizations operating these laundries have realized the impact they have on the bottom line of the institutions they serve.

Commercial and institutional laundries are becoming more customer-focused, so both are looking at better, or more efficient, ways to improve the way they do business for the customers they serve. For both, it is a matter of survival.

Click here for Part 1.

February 21, 2012

Panel of Experts: Commercial or Rental Plant vs. Institution-Based Laundry (Part 1 of 2)

Healthcare Laundry: Scott Beaton, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

There are two major differences between institutional and commercial rental laundry plants regarding laundry processing equipment and operational procedures. The overarching difference is that each must serve a different master.

One is customer-based, high-volume, and driven to make a profit, while the other exists to provide a service for a captive audience. Due to these differences, the degree of necessary automation varies substantially.

The other major difference is that commercial/rental plants wash and process linen to meet the needs of both regulatory and customer-based demands. They deliver linen in a manner that guarantees and produces a positive net operating margin. This is driven by the fact that they are in business to make a profit.

scott beaton Rental laundries typically spend more on their equipment, training and education of their workforce than an institutional facility. Pounds per operator hour, or PPOH, become the mantra. The old adage “time is money and money is time” comes to mind. These large, high-volume shared-service laundries and commercial plants tend to be highly automated, with batch washers, shuttle conveyors and pass-through dryers greatly reducing manual-labor requirements.

Commercial rental operations realize quickly in this competitive, price-point-driven market that financial investment and reinvestment is key in both manpower and equipment. This must take place to be competitive and sustainable in an ever-changing business climate.

A rental plant usually realizes that it takes a financial investment to achieve an efficient operation and, as a result, spends money to make money. Institutional laundries would benefit greatly if they would also utilize this model and invest in their infrastructure to best serve their internal customers.

Chemicals Supply: Marlene Williams, Anderson Chemical Co.

As a chemical formulator, my comments will focus on procedural differences between institutional and industrial laundries. Institutional and industrial facilities both launder marlene williams linen, but the purpose and focus of each is in response to different expectations.

Institutional laundries provide a service within organizations. Industrial laundries are typically focused as independent businesses. This results in different orientations, chemical programs and procedures.

Major concerns for commercial laundries include optimization of production orientation. This would include labor and labor cost as a percent of revenue, utilities, water and chemical costs, production cost per machine, and overall profitability.

Formula times and rewash numbers can be well balanced to provide optimum profit. Hot water, high alkali, and bleach can provide lower pounds of rewash, but at the expense of linen integrity.

Major concerns for institutional laundries include: maintaining facility par, quality of results depending on potentially lower water temperatures, machine programmability, correct choice of program, and chemistry.

While most institutional facilities have well-trained staff, problems can arise when machines and chemical supply malfunction if a staff person does not make timely corrections. Because of a lesser focus on cost per piece, spotting and special pretreatments or machine formulas may be utilized. The luxury of time for rework and special formulas can result in higher volumes of good quality work without the expense of fabric damage.

Linen Supply: Stephen Marcq, General Linen Service

I see substantial differences between equipment and procedures in commercial vs. institutional plants. In commercial plants, for example, it is common to see newer, larger, steve marcq more energy- and water-efficient machinery, i.e. continuous batch washers vs. smaller washer-extractors, six-roll ironers vs. one-roll, and so forth.

It is more common to see things like heat reclamation and water treatment equipment, as well as use of steam vs. thermal oil, electric and so forth on ironers. The reason is likely because the commercial plant can typically gain economies of scale, lower the per-unit production costs and thus generate a sufficient return on investment on the large up-front expense, although available space also has something to do with it.

The biggest procedural difference I see is that many institutional plants, by their nature, do a larger number of small loads, turning product sometimes several times per day, whereas a commercial plant may have one machine dedicated to a specific item operating eight hours or more daily.

The institutional plant often can customize the finishing procedures and requirements to the exact specification required, whereas the commercial plant has to find some middle ground to suit its mix of customers.

Commercial Laundry: Tom Gildred, Emerald Textiles

Differences in equipment and procedures between a commercial laundry plant and an institution-based laundry are substantial and exist for a variety of reasons.

tom gildred The equipment in a commercial/rental plant is usually larger in scale and capable of processing huge amounts of volume (pounds) per hour. In newer facilities, or those that invest in newer equipment, tremendous energy efficiencies are achieved that result in energy and water savings. This positively impacts the environment and reduces operating costs.

Equipment in an institution-based laundry is smaller in scale and handles wash loads of lesser volume. In-house laundry facilities sometimes occupy revenue-generating space that might otherwise be used for additional operations within the organization.

Processes and procedures in a commercial plant are typically more automated, so less labor is required to process the laundry. This improves efficiency and decreases the risk of strain and injury to employees. Another difference in a commercial facility is rental pool linen. Large rental pools require fewer linen purchases on a regular basis and offer a consistent, flexible supply of product to all customers as needed.

The chemical mix in a commercial plant is also handled differently because of the opportunity to use each pocket in a continuous batch washer for specific purposes with specialized chemicals. This allows the precise timing, titration and temperature required to achieve the highest levels of cleanliness.

Handling larger wash loads also allows for the production team to run the same products through folding or ironing consistently, which improves efficiencies lost when switching the products that are being processed.

Finally, the focus in a commercial laundry operation is generally specialized and, because of its scale, designed to comply with OSHA, Title 22, and state and federal regulations.

In an institution-based laundry facility, processes are typically labor-intensive, and require more employees, because they are less automated and staff may or may not be assigned exclusively to the laundry function. Since the task of laundry is usually just one aspect of operations in the organization, it may be more difficult to be focused on compliance, efficiency and quality control.

In part, some of the reasons for these differences exist because of specialization as well as the scale and volume of each type of laundry facility. There are economies of scale realized when a commercial plant is focused on processing linen for multiple large healthcare or hospitality customers, vs. operating a laundry department in-house to process only the linens needed by that organization.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Steve Kallenbach, American Dawn

Typically, the equipment and procedures in processing textiles is about the same—whether in a rental laundry or an OPL (on-premise) hospitality or healthcare steve kallenbach laundry—but does depend on the volume/poundage of each facility. When it comes to boilers, heaters, reclaimers, sewage treatment, washers, dryers, tunnels, ironers or presses, the equipment manufacturers supply our industry as one. And the chemical companies typically use formulation based on textile/application/poundage vs. market.

While one would think that the processes for these two business channels are equally alike, there are many different practices, based mostly on profitability and/or quality expectations.

The rental channel always has two common goals: growth and profitability. They are sometimes in opposite order, but always present together. This becomes a delicate balance between efficiency and quality. To illustrate, let's look at linen napkins.

A rental laundry typically wants to achieve acceptable market standard quality at the lowest cost. It’s in the business of making profits through textile rental, and therefore measures every microbe of wear life, processing cost, merchandise field recovery, and total merchandise costs (including acquisition) all the way to electricity and building costs.

In comparison, an OPL must maintain the internal (typically single-department customer) quality standard, and is part of a much bigger picture (a small department of a large enterprise). Its building, energy and overhead costs may be charged by estimate or calculation to the whole. Additionally, its quality standards are typically set by one of the other departments that it serves, are not negotiable, and are expected to be maintained, without as much weight given to cost.

The sheer difference in service dynamics and accounting in an OPL drive fairly significant differences in labor management, water/energy/chemical management, textile selection, and inventory management (which typically doesn’t fall under the control of the OPL), all the way to formula times, pressing speeds, and water temperature/steam use.

Additionally, because the perceived quality of OPL customers (key departments) is allowed to be as high as requested, much more finishing (such as pressing vs. tunneling) occurs.

Material handling and delivery also differs between the two types. An OPL typically delivers the goods to another on-premise department (i.e. Guest Services) using carts, rails and perhaps a small vehicle — and goods are many times picked up by the department being serviced. A rental laundry has many more carts (for separation by route/customer) as well as sort railing and numerous route trucks for delivery within a large geographical area.

Numbers will tell a big story here, and both have their place in the textile services markets. Cases can be made in either direction as to what is most efficient and profitable for the enterprise.

Tomorrow: Answers from the textile/uniform rental, consulting services, and equipment manufacturing sectors...

January 25, 2012

2012 Panel of Experts Ready to Answer Industry Questions (Part 4 of 4)

Equipment Manufacturing: Kim Shady, Laundrylux Corp.

Since graduating a long time ago from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management, I have been involved in the hospitality industry in some form. I managed private country clubs for three years, owned a restaurant and banquet facility for five years, and have managed professional laundry sales organizations for the past 24 years.

Laundrylux, founded in 1955 by Bernard Milch as Wascomat of America, has been a leader in North America laundry equipment sales. In the past three years, with the introduction of the Electrolux brand in North America, the company changed its name to better match its future. Now, we offer two world-class brands—Wascomat and Electrolux—and both bring something unique and valuable to the table.

kim shady Our core business is providing laundry solutions for lodging and long-term care facilities, but we are also strong in the fabricare and athletic industries. The challenges we face include helping our clients understand how to operate an on-premise laundry professionally and profitably.

The majority of our clients are focused on their guests or customers, and laundry operations tend to attract little focus. Lack of expertise in the laundry operation keeps them from understanding how to reduce costs and operate at their highest efficiency. There is a lack of understanding that all washers and dryers are not built the same. Selecting the proper laundry equipment can significantly reduce labor and energy costs. There can also be great savings in linen replacement with properly featured washers and dryers.

Our most impressive accomplishment for 2011 was assisting a nursing home group with 30-plus facilities in reducing its energy and labor costs. We brought an integrated system in which all pieces of laundry equipment communicate to a central computer. The nursing home group has taken control of its laundry operations through machine controls that monitor every facet of laundry costs. It outfitted most of its laundries with state-of-the-art equipment to monitor every location via the Internet. The information allows the group to compare facilities and set operational baselines. They can easily identify problems within days and define corrective actions to reduce energy or labor waste.

I look forward to sharing my industry experience and further building my knowledge from this panel.

Member at Large: Douglas Story, Swisher Hygiene

Most people call me Doug. I started as a researcher responsible for creating something new from the by-products of the papermaking industry. That research yielded various types of surfactants (detergents) and coupling agents that are now widely used in the laundry industry. That research effort, and leaving South Carolina to live with my bride in North Carolina, is the core of how I moved from research and development to the laundry industry.

douglas story I’m a biology/chemistry graduate of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., with an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago. For more than 30 years (25 in the laundry industry), I have worked in a career that has crossed many boundaries within today’s laundry business organizational structure.

From research chemist to global marketing and portfolio management, I have gathered a diversity of experience that has allowed me to develop a unique 4-D view of how organizations and their employees must work to accomplish the strategies and objectives of a viable laundry operation and business.

From personnel to operational needs, I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from the best our industry has to offer. I hope that I can pass along some of those “learnings” in this publication.

I am vice president of innovation for Swisher Hygiene, an international service organization that provides full-service programs for a wide range of cleaning and cleaning service operations. From the special expertise of servicing laundry needs or operation to the expertise required to handle solid-waste programs, Swisher Hygiene is a single source supplier.

My team and I are continually looking to the challenge of providing new technologies and services. We not only want to make everyone’s life easier but also aid our customers in reducing costs and enhancing the sustainable future of their operation and business.

Swisher Hygiene has been on the leading edge of driving a wide range of programs and services that will take the day-to-day burden of many operational procedures off the collective backs of management so it can focus on customer service and business growth.

Our challenges are also our accomplishments: we use innovation models to create new solutions to old and new problems for our customers. We are also looking beyond “what we’ve done for you today” to the next generation of ideas and innovative solutions.

Chemicals Supply: Marlene Williams, Anderson Chemical Co.

I am the lab/research and development manager for Anderson Chemical Co., a family-owned business in Litchfield, Minn. My background is in product development and support for laundry, kitchen and housekeeping for the institutional and industrial markets as well as sanitation technology and water management. I manage our R&D laboratory and have responsibility for quality control and our technical service network.

marlene williams I’ve been the lab/R&D manager for 22 years and am part of a group of specialists with similar longevity who provide services for formulating and textile evaluation. We have developed laundry chemistry, most recently green products, in partnership with the EPA’s Design for the Environment Safer Product Labeling Program. We service institutional and industrial laundries through distributors across the country.

Our daily operation is variable, balanced between product development, quality, and support for chemical specialists in the marketplace. We provide machine and chemical program information, and laboratory troubleshooting support for our accounts. In addition to a well-equipped laboratory, we have established a network of industry specialists to cover the gamut of laundry challenges.

Challenges for the future include green chemistry product development for both chemistry and performance. Increased awareness and regulation requiring green formulations are with us now and will continue to expand in the coming year. Raw-material availability and cost will continue to be challenges as global markets compete for limited and specialized materials. Effective cleaning and sanitizing at lower temperatures and against a larger base of pathogens will require an expanded focus in 2012.

Our company has just celebrated its centennial. During those 100 years, we expanded our offerings from local to national/international. Our fourth-generation leaders are dedicated to moving the company forward in response to new and developing industry needs. I am excited to be a part of this year’s panel and look forward to the opportunity to learn and share with others in the industry!

Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 2.
Click here for Part 3.

Events

May 30, 2013

ALM Technician Series Webinar: The Clean Facility

June 19, 2013

TRSA Clean Show Reception

June 20, 2013 - June 22, 2013

Clean Show: World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning

July 18, 2013

ALM Manager Series Webinar: Building a Successful Linen Quality Assurance Program

July 23, 2013 - July 24, 2013

TRSA Textiles Summit

Content about Panel of Experts

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

Chemicals Supply: Philip L. Bodner, Metro-Chem, Kearny, N.J.

Healthcare Laundry: Judy Murphy, RN, BSN, CLLM, RLLD, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

Equipment/Supply Distribution: Bill Bell, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., Miami, Fla.

Equipment Manufacturing: Steve Hietpas, Maytag Commercial Laundry, St. Joseph, Mich.

Textile/Uniform Rental: Tom Peplinski, Golden West, Oakland, Calif.

Commercial Laundry: Richard Warren, Linen King, Conway, Ark.

Consulting Services: David Bernstein, Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, Charlottesville, Va.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

Healthcare Laundry: Judy Murphy, RN, BSN, CLLM, RLLD, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss.

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

Equipment/Supply Distribution: Bill Bell, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., Miami, Fla.

Chemicals Supply: Philip L. Bodner, Metro-Chem, Kearny, N.J.

Equipment Manufacturing: Steve Hietpas, Maytag Commercial Laundry, St. Joseph, Mich.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

Consulting Services: David Bernstein, Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, Charlottesville, Va.

Commercial Laundry: Richard Warren, Linen King, Conway, Ark.

Equipment/Supply Distribution: Bill Bell, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., Miami, Fla.

Textile/Uniform Rental: Tom Peplinski, Golden West, Oakland, Calif.

Healthcare Laundry: Judy Murphy, RN, BSN, CLLM, RLLD, North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss.

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE, SOMERSWORTH, N.H.

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

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

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

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

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE, SOMERSWORTH, N.H.

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE, SOMERSWORTH, N.H.

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

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING: KIM SHADY, LAUNDRYLUX CORP, NEW YORK, N.Y.

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

LINEN SUPPLY: STEPHEN MARCQ, GENERAL LINEN SERVICE

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

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

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING: KIM SHADY, LAUNDRYLUX CORP, NEW YORK, N.Y.

UNIFORMS/WORKWEAR MANUFACTURING: STEVE KALLENBACH, AMERICAN DAWN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTION: STEVE CLARK, LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT SERVICES INC., BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

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

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

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