Content about Technology

NEW ORLEANS — The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will host the world’s premier textile care expo for a fifth time when the 2013 Clean Show—officially the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning—arrives on Thursday, June 20, for a three-day stay through Saturday, June 22.

It will mark the first time since 1981 that the Clean Show has been scheduled for three days instead of four, reflecting a “more concise and efficient” format designed to give exhibitors and attendees alike a better value for their investment, according to the Clean Executive Committee.

The Clean Show has been convening every other year since 1977 to present new technology, educational sessions and networking opportunities to all segments of the dry cleaning, laundry and textile care industry. This year’s event is expected to draw 10,000 trade attendees, according to Riddle & Associates, the show’s longtime manager.

“I am constantly asked why should I come to the Clean Show or why should I exhibit,” says John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates. “There are many reasons. You will see the newest equipment, learn about new services, see working demonstrations and have access to outstanding industry education.

“In today’s world of electronic communication, it is nice to have the opportunity to communicate with someone eye-to-eye, face-to-face and talk with them about industry issues. It’s a great chance to renew old friendships and make new ones. These are just several reasons I think making this trip is worth the time, effort and money. We encourage you to ‘Be There’ and take advantage of this opportunity.”

Approximately 400 companies and organizations are scheduled to be represented on the exhibit floor, covering roughly 200,000 net square feet. It’s possible that more exhibitors will be added in the final weeks leading up to the event.

The exhibits will open following a brief 10 a.m. ceremony on Thursday, June 20 (distributors are granted exclusive access from 8 to 10). Exhibits will open at 9 a.m. on subsequent days, and they will close each show day at 5 p.m.

Some of the Clean 2013 sponsors, as well as several other industry associations, will offer approximately 40 hours of education over the show’s three-day schedule. Most of the seminars will occur in on-site meeting rooms between 8 and 10 a.m. daily, but in a change this year, some sessions have been scheduled for each afternoon on the exhibit floor itself.

The Clean Show has released a new, free mobile app for Apple iOS- and Android-based smartphones that offers features such as locating exhibitors, planning a personalized show itinerary, and connecting with others via social media. The free app can be downloaded from an individual’s device in the App Store or Market, and is fully integrated with the Clean Show website, and with LinkedIn and Twitter.

“In the age of technology, offering a smartphone app just makes sense,” says John Riddle. “We want our attendees and exhibitors to be able to stay connected before, during, and after the show and be able to do it while on the go.”

Attendees who do not have a smartphone can still maximize their time at the show by using CleanShow.com’s “My Itinerary” feature. Visitors can store in a personalized “Briefcase” their schedule of educational sessions and booths they wish to visit, as well as print out their “Itinerary” to bring with them.

Another show change is the relaxation of certain rules regarding the convening of affiliate groups during trade show hours. In the past, meetings were restricted to hours outside education and exhibit hours, but now exhibiting companies and industry associations can schedule their sales, distributor or group meetings during educational sessions or between the hours of noon and 2 p.m.

Attendees can easily register for the Clean Show online at its website for the discounted rate of $99 a person through May 31 (on-site registration will be $149 per person). All registrations can be made with credit card, check or money order.

Registration hours at the convention center will be 1-5 p.m. June 19, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 20, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 21, and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 22.

Reservations for official Clean Show hotels can be made on the show’s website until May 17 (special show rates are available only through the Clean Show Housing Bureau).

Complimentary shuttle buses will transport attendees between official hotels and the convention center mornings and afternoons during the show.

The Clean Show is sponsored by five industry associations: Association for Linen Management, Coin Laundry Association, Drycleaning & Laundry Institute, Textile Care Allied Trades Association, and the Textile Rental Services Association of America.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — When looking to renovate an existing laundry or building a brand-new facility, there are many questions to ask before the process begins and while the process is ongoing.

David Chadsey, the managing director for Laundry-Consulting.com, addressed the issue during a recent webinar, 10 Things You Should Know Before Building or Renovating a Laundry, sponsored by the Association for Linen Management.

While Chadsey focused on 10 questions to ask, he emphasized that for each application, there may be more than or fewer than 10 items, and that the list is not intended to all inclusive.

1. WHAT AND HOW MUCH

Chadsey’s first question focused on what a laundry needs to process and how much needs to be processed.

“This is the first thing you need to evaluate,” he says. Best practices are based on volume and classification and will differ depending on the type of laundry facility you are working with.

“When calculating what and how much, we want to confirm the volume and then we want to estimate for projected growth,” Chadsey says. “If you’re building or renovating, obviously you don’t want to build just for today.”

Look down the road; what are the possibilities that might be in store for the facility?

Chadsey suggests looking at what equipment you have and want, and perhaps allowing the facility’s plans to contain contingencies for expanding square footage sometime in the future.

Another suggestion is to evaluate the capacity per each process path, whether it’s dry fold, flatwork, wash aisle or finishing line. Take a look at manual labor and automation, and what may change in the future. You can design a finishing line, for instance, more effectively if you know it’s only going to handle hospital sheets.

Always allow for flexibility in a project. If the projected production is to be maintained, laundry managers must look at the ebb and flow of a plant as the linen moves through, as well as the times of day and the days of the week. If a change occurs, whether it be in equipment or in processes, the laundry must be flexible enough to handle the change.

2. SELECT A PROJECT TEAM

As a way to maintain checks and balances during the building process, and to be sure that everything is covered and the project is moving forward, select a well-balanced team to oversee the project.

Such a large-budget undertaking will typically require a project coordinator— usually a member of the organization behind the project—and an outside consultant, one to help the team navigate the process, will be hired. Other members of the team are typically the laundry manager, contractors, the architect and engineer, and there may be more than one engineer, equipment vendors, plant engineering staff, human resources, and a person who will speak for those financing the project.

The project coordinator needs to understand the work scope of all members of this team, as well as their responsibilities, Chadsey says.

3. INDUSTRY PRACTICES

Before the building progresses too far, it is best to identify best practices for the particular type of operation intended for the renovated or new facility.

“Processing 20,000 pounds of linens for healthcare is different than processing 20,000 pounds of hospitality linens, especially on the finishing side,” Chadsey says. And processing industrial textiles is certainly different than processing table linens.

He suggests talking about automation, different types of wash wheels, as well as volume considerations before too much time, money and energy has been expended on the project.

4. CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS

Any building project involves considerable amounts of money, Chadsey says.

While people most often consider equipment to be the major expenditure for a laundry operation, it may be true only for some renovation projects. If the laundry is brand-new or the facility will be undergoing a major redesign, often the planning and design stages can be a major budget item, as well as the construction costs.

Consider these factors:

• Planning and Design
• Construction
• Utility Upgrades and Connections — Will the new facility require more electricity, higher water consumption, greater sewer capacity?
• Equipment
• Impact Fees — Depending on the locale, these fees can be significant, Chadsey says. Consider the fees that will be charged by the municipality for the facility, for new connections to water lines and sewer, or for other utilities. One project on which Chadsey worked encountered impact fees in excess of $1 million, he says.
• Downtime Processing — During renovation, is a plant going to experience downtime? A project team must look at how the operation’s processing will be completed during building or renovation, and plan for that downtime.
• Transition and Training — If a new plant is being built to replace an older facility, a project team must consider how operations, equipment, personnel and support staff/equipment will be moved from the old facility to the new. In the case of a renovation, how does management propose to work around and then integrate a new line or new room of the facility? And after the transition is complete, production numbers will be lower as the staff is trained and learns new equipment, procedures and systems. Staffing issues may include the need to downsize.

5. FOOTPRINT REQUIREMENTS

One of the major considerations for both a new build and a renovation is the facility’s footprint. If you are currently operating a laundry, you probably will have a general idea of the space required for current needs. But what happens if you want to expand? Chadsey has a production area formula that he picked up along the way during his 28 years in the industry, and while he can’t remember where he found the formula, he thanks those who came up with it.

“I use 5 square feet times pounds processed per hour. Plus soiled and clean staging, plus the mechanical room,” he says.

The staging area or areas encompass the space needed to process incoming soiled linen, as well as processing and storing clean linen after it comes off the process lines.

“An on-premise laundry may require a relatively small staging area,” he says. “If you’re a shared hospital laundry with a large number of trucks coming in each day, or if linen goes to a certain customer and that customer can only pick up three days a week, then staging requirements can be significant.”

Green initiatives are another consideration, he says. Take new innovations in water-reuse equipment, for instance, which may take more space.

The formula example that Chadsey provided during the webinar was:

A laundry processes 10 million pounds per year for 312 days per year (that’s 32,000 pounds processed per day). Divide that figure by the number of hours the facility is operating each day—in this case, 12 hours—and you have 2,700 pounds of linen being processed each hour. Multiply that figure by five and you arrive at a total of 13,500 square feet required for production.

For this example, Chadsey used 2,500 square feet for both the staging areas and the mechanical room, making the facility’s total size 18,500 square feet.

Check back tomorrow for part 2, including operational metrics, automation, transitioning, and more!

CHICAGO — Those who manage laundry/linen services or textile rental firms find that tracking and counting the goods streaming in and out of their plants improves productivity and inventory control.

Yes, washing, drying and finishing goods for an end-user or client is only part of a professional launderer’s job. Keeping track of the linen, garments or mats flowing into and out of their facility is just as important.

So, how does a laundry go about tackling that task in the most efficient way possible?

RFID SYSTEMS

Radio-frequency identification, or RFID, first used for item tracking and access-control applications, made its way into the textile service industry in the 1990s. Key components of an RFID system generally include a tag or chip (packaged into a rugged plastic casing specially designed to withstand harsh industrial laundry processes), an antenna connected to a reader, and a reader connected to a software system that collects and manages the data collected. The tag or chip is affixed to a garment or linen in some fashion.

“Such devices come in many forms and sizes, from small wires and tags to tiny chips,” says Ecolab’s Jim Mitchell, who discussed linen tracking while a member of the American Laundry News Panel of Experts. “Using these devices to track linen flow is becoming commonplace, especially with more expensive linens such as uniforms, bed linens and silks.

“Although some laundries use RFID tags or chips for inventorying, sorting and tracking of all linens, having these devices applied to common linens such as sheets and terry may not be practical or economical in your operation.”

RFID technology is constantly improving, according to Mitchell, and devices on the market are smaller, more cost-effective and offer greater resistance to adverse cleaning elements.

There are many instances of organizations using RFID tracking to better maintain their inventories. For example, Four Winds Casinos recently selected InvoTech’s RFID Multi-Property Uniform Tracking System to centrally consolidate uniform inventory, tracking and purchases for all of its properties to reduce labor and purchasing costs.

Four Winds use the InvoTech system coupled with a White Conveyors system to automatically deliver uniforms to employees’ hands. InvoTech centrally tracks uniform use, controls inventories, monitors laundry cycles, and consolidates purchasing for more than 10,000 uniforms.

“We now have an accurate combined uniform inventory count for all properties on one database and can purchase in larger numbers to benefit from higher-volume buys,” says Jennifer Lasiewicz, Four Winds Casinos’ vice president of hotel operations.

Four Winds launders its own uniforms and uses an RFID drop-chute reader to record when staff returns soiled items.

“It reads each uniform’s RFID chip as the garment is dropped,” Lasiewicz says. “We do not manually count every piece the staff returns to our laundry. With a large number of employees, that would take a long time. InvoTech monitors uniforms coming and going at all properties, and we maintain a central bulk inventory at Four Winds New Buffalo to simplify our operation.”

Some hotels are even using RFID technology to deter theft. They are sewing tags into pricey linens such as towels, bathrobes and high-thread-count sheets. When a tag is read by a strategically placed RFID reader, a system instantly alerts staff that an item is in danger of being pilfered.

A Hawaii hotel which introduced the technology a couple of years ago claimed to have reduced theft of its pool towels from 4,000 a month to just 750, saving $16,000 in replacement costs monthly.

BAR-CODE LABELING

Bar coding is a more mature, simpler technology than RFID. Such a system can provide a launderer with information about each individual item, including when it was last turned in, how many times it has been processed, and when it was originally issued. Bar codes are generally thought to be less expensive than RFID tags.

But bar-code labeling has some limitations. It requires line of sight, which RFID does not in most cases. RFID systems can read multiple tags simultaneously, while bar codes are read one at a time. Many RFID tags are read/write, while a bar code is read-only. And most fixed RFID readers don’t require human involvement to collect data, while most bar-code scanners require a human to operate them.

Some large plants apply a bar-code label as well as an RFID tag, so if something prevents the RFID tag from being read, the bar code serves as a backup.

Regardless of how one goes about tracking their textiles, gathering the information is just the first step. Then one has to decide what the data means and then put it to use it in their operation.

 “Item tracking with RFID chips, bar codes, electronic route accounting, etc., are all important opportunities to help you control your merchandise,” says American Dawn’s Steve Kallenbach, a former member of the American Laundry News Panel of Experts. “However, if you don’t have good reconciliation processes, any of these systems will only allow you to know what’s missing!”

IRVINE, Calif. — This month, Prudential Overall Supply is celebrating more than 80 years of service in supplying industrial, healthcare, hospitality and corporate apparel.

Prudential Overall Supply arose from humble beginnings in 1932, when founder John D. Clark first traded in his Model A Ford Sports Roadster for a used truck to use in his new uniform laundry service. His commitment to high-quality service allowed the young company to grow even amidst the thick of the Great Depression. During World War II, Prudential began its garment rental service.

By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, it expanded out of California and grew to more than $35 million in revenue. In the 1990s, Prudential’s cleanroom services went nationwide and the company reached more than $100 million in revenue.

Today, Prudential Overall Supply is very much a 21st century company. The success of its PrudentialUniforms.com website has helped it reach an even larger customer base that exceeds 25,000. Prudential’s nearly 1,500 employees utilize state-of-the-art industrial laundering and cleanroom garment processing equipment, which serves workwear needs from foodservice uniforms to flame-resistant clothing and more.

Prudential also rents and maintains non-apparel facility-image products, such as floor mats, cleaning items, and restaurant reusables and wipes.

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

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.

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.

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!

ATLANTA — If all of the exhibits and educational sessions aren’t enough to draw you to New Orleans for the Clean Show this summer, how about an Internet sensation?

The show’s management announced recently that 11-year old Jonathan Carollo, whose drumming performance on a washing machine went viral, will be performing at the June 20-22 event in New Orleans.

First posted to YouTube last September, Carollo’s Whirled Beat video has amassed nearly 1.8 million views and has been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, USA Today and The Huffington Post.

Carollo’s father, Dan, posted the video for family and friends on Facebook but then uploaded it to YouTube after several people encouraged him to share his son’s talent with the world.

The boy routinely drums on objects around his family’s Washington state home and decided that the top loader, with its large steel drum, was the perfect-sounding instrument when he grew bored playing his drum kit.

“We are extremely delighted to have such a talented person play at the show … especially when it’s on an appliance that most of our exhibitors and attendees work with on a daily basis,” says John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, the Clean Show’s management company. “It certainly will give them a new way to look at their washing machines.”

ROANOKE, Va. — It seems that making the required adjustments in your laundry operation is a never-ending process. There are a number of variables to be considered when making periodic adjustments. With this in mind, I have decided to, over the next several months, discuss the factors and opportunities available to every manager in fine-tuning his or her operation.

Let’s look at the wash room. There are certain universal principles that apply to all washing equipment, whether it is a tunnel washer or a conventional washer-extractor. The first principle is deciding how big a load you wish to put into your washing machine. Sounds simple enough, but the answer can and should vary based on the type of linen you are washing and the moisture content of the linen to be washed.

To illustrate, I will use my operation’s tunnel washer. Its rated load capacity is 110 pounds per pocket, but if I were to fill each pocket with 110 pounds, I would be dramatically under-loading the tunnel. We wash micro-filament mops through our tunnel washer. Because of the moisture content in the soiled mops, we load each pocket to 165 pounds. This load easily fits into the extractor at the end of the tunnel, and the load comes out looking clean and smelling great.

There is a danger in putting too much linen into a tunnel-washer pocket. An overly large load will not come clean, and may not fit efficiently into the extractor at the end of the tunnel or may not come out at all. Anyone who has experienced a jam up inside the tunnel washer knows that it is something you want to avoid.

There is, however, a compelling reason to accurately determine the proper load size for each type of linen. We were able to increase our average load size from 100 pounds per pocket to 125 pounds per pocket. That is a 25% increase in output without adding time or additional equipment.

We wash a large amount of reusable barrier surgical linen that each day. This linen is made from 100% polyester fibers and weighs very little per piece. If I were to load this type of linen to 100% of normal capacity, the linen would be so tightly packed in the washing machine that water may not reach the center of the load.

The key to this type of linen is to have enough goods in the washer to provide good mechanical action and effective cleaning. Underloading the washer will cause the linen to float on the water’s surface; overloading will end up producing no mechanical action at all. We have found that a general rule of thumb is to start testing at 70% of rated capacity.

The most effective way to wash linen is to do it right the first time. The wash room is not an area where you want to try to save money. Poor-quality washing will result in unhappy customers, higher labor costs and higher linen-replacement costs. Since labor and linen represent two of the largest expenses in a linen rental plant or in-house laundry, we should focus our attention on managing these costs.

It is for this very reason that I personally despise the use of guaranteed cost-per-pound-of-linen wash-room chemicals contracts. I want to be able to exercise my managerial control and to dictate the quality level coming out of my wash process. I want to be able to reduce my labor and linen replacement costs.

Many fixed-cost-per-pound contracts end up using far too much chlorine bleach (extremely inexpensive) and less-than-desirable amounts of alkali and detergents. Instead of having a chemical representative trying to find ways to make a profit on his or her fixed-price contract, I want them spending time trying to keep my quality up, my replacement costs down, and my productivity high. I personally believe that these are two entirely different types of service and are mutually exclusive.

The next area to focus on in the wash room is turnaround time. How long does it take from the time a wash cycle is completed until the next load is started? This is extremely important for conventional washers but also should be looked at for tunnel washers (hold time).

We track turnaround time for every load on our conventional washers, and have found that having a place to unload the washer into “ready” and “waiting” helps reduce turnaround time. Having the next load prepared and ready to be loaded also reduces this time.

When we first starting looking at turnaround time, we found that we were not doing a good job when it came to processing traditional wet mops. Housekeeping was bagging the mops in plastic bags and sending them to the laundry. Our soil sorters set these bags to the side until there were enough for a wash load. The cart was then taken to the wash room where, after the washer was emptied, the wash person would slowly open each bag and place the mops into the washer. This system required 30 minutes to load the washer. By having the soil sorters remove the mops from the bags and sort only the mops into the carts, we were able to greatly reduce the amount of time it took to load the washer.

Running a tunnel washer faster than the dryers can handle the linen causes the tunnel to go on “hold.” To me, a tunnel on hold is wasted time. It is better to lengthen the tunnel wash time per pocket than to allow it to constantly go into a hold situation. Proper scheduling of the linen mix going through a tunnel can help keep the equipment running smoothly. Next time, I will discuss tunnel scheduling.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Maytag® Commercial Laundry recently recognized standout distributor performances at its 55^th Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, Fla. The following companies excelled, Maytag says, in the coin laundry, multi-housing and on-premise markets in 2012:

• Fred Maytag Award — Receiving Maytag® Commercial Laundry’s most prestigious award was Intertrade Chile S.A., Santiago, Chile. The award is presented to the customer that best emulates the founder’s marketing philosophy and supports Maytag® Commercial Laundry brand with professionalism and integrity, Maytag says.
• On-Premises Laundry (OPL) Excellence Award — Pierce Commercial Laundry, Mandeville, La., was recognized for effective and efficient service to OPL market customers.
• Maytag® Red Carpet Service® Excellence Award — BDS Laundry Systems, St. Paul, Minn., was recognized as the distributor that best exemplifies excellent service and dependability.
• Top Quota Award — Tri-State Technical Services/TLC Equipment Co., Waycross, Ga., was honored for exceeding its annual sales target by the highest percentage this year.
• Maytag® Marketing Excellence Award — Equipment Marketers, Cherry Hill, N.J., was honored for its development and implementation of marketing and sales programs and overall support of Maytag® Commercial Laundry offerings.
• Maytag® Energy Advantage™ Excellence Award — Hercules, Hicksville, N.Y., was honored for exceptional promotion and marketing of energy and water efficiency.
• Shaping the Future Award — Mac-Gray Corp., Waltham, Mass., was recognized for its history of innovation and long-time leadership in the industry.
• Multi-Housing Excellence Award — Coinamatic Canada, Mississauga, Ont., was honored for its outstanding service to the multi-housing market, including colleges and universities, condominiums and apartment buildings.
• Outstanding Achievement Award — Richard Jay Laundry Equipment, Adelaide, Australia, was recognized for its “unmatched sales performance and use of marketing and social media.”

“We’re honored to collaborate with quality partners, such as those recognized at our recent annual meeting,” says Bob English, general manager at Maytag® Commercial Laundry. “Our successes are a direct result of the dedication and support exemplified by these outstanding customers. We congratulate and commend them for their superb efforts.”

MILWAUKEE — Alliance Laundry Systems, manufacturers of commercial laundry equipment under the Huebsch, IPSO, Speed Queen and UniMac brands, last week received a special award for “Market Leadership” as part of the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year program recognizing outstanding achievements in manufacturing in 2012.

Alliance was one of eight companies honored out of 58 nominated in the statewide awards program, now in its 25th year. Bruce Rounds, chief financial officer, and Jay McDonald, vice president of business development, accepted the award for Alliance during a black-tie ceremony at the Pfister Hotel.

“Alliance’s story started more than 100 years ago when two Ripon hardware store owners figured out how to mechanize hand-powered washing machines,” notes Alliance CEO and President Mike Schoeb. “Now, we are the largest manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment in the world. Our continued success is driven by that same spirit of innovation, the dedication and work ethic we find in the local labor force, our world-class distribution network, and the competitive advantages and positive business climate of Wisconsin.”

In addition to the “Market Leadership” award, the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year program handed out four grand awards to companies categorized by the number of employees – small, medium, large and mega. Alliance, nominated for the first time in 2012, competed in but did not win the Mega category.

Nominees were judged in such areas as financial growth or consistency, technological advances, product development, environmental solutions and sustainability, operational excellence/continuous improvement, commitment to employees, and effective research and development.

The awards program is co-sponsored by Baker Tilly, one of America’s largest accounting and advisory firms; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, a leading Midwest-based law firm; and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Wisconsin’s largest business association.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — While laundry might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the quality of care at a healthcare facility, it does play an important role.

Every year, hospitals and other healthcare facilities produce more than 5 billion pounds of soiled linens. Laundry managers are consistently updating protocols and procedures to ensure linens are thoroughly cleaned and free of bacteria and other viruses. Studies have shown that a textile can be considered a fomite—an object capable of carrying an organism and serving as a reservoir that can be involved in bacterial transmission. Various types of bacteria can survive up to 90 days on linens, according to published reports.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), there are multiple methods to hygienically clean textiles. Each method, however, requires an equipment mix designed to incorporate the various processes.

In addition, with a large volume of laundry being processed each year, it’s also important for healthcare organizations to ensure they are being as efficient as possible to keep operation costs low.

With proper laundry equipment and processing protocols, the risk of textiles posing as a source of infection to patients and employees can be greatly minimized, as well as reduce utility costs.

IN HOT WATER

Experts say that in order to kill bacteria and other viruses on linen, laundry should be washed with detergent and bleach for 25 minutes in water that is heated to 160 F. Studies have shown that bacteria, viruses and even bed bugs cannot survive this water temperature or chemical mix.

If your facility has chosen to use this method, it must be able to test water to make sure it’s reaching the 160-degree requirement in case the operation is ever audited. To meet this requirement, the laundry equipment will require an advanced control.

Advanced controls are able to show the exact water temperature inside the washing machine to help employees ensure the laundry is being washed at the correct temperature. These controls also allow users to program fill, wash and rinse water temperatures. Additionally, the controls – either networked or wireless – can send data to a computer, which allows managers to print reports to ensure protocols are being properly followed in the wash. This option also enables supervisors to provide documentation should the facility ever need to prove that its washing procedures meet federal requirements.

If a facility is concerned about water usage, some advanced controls allow users to select from as many as 30 different water levels. Programs such as these will help contribute to a reduction in water costs because employees can select the appropriate water level based on load capacity. It’s reported that spray-rinse machines can reduce water usage up to 11% when compared to traditional bath-style rinse models.

HIGH EXTRACTION SPEED

Regardless of which option is chosen to complete wash cycles, it’s equally critical to make sure machines have high G-force extraction speeds.

This extraction helps maximize water removal from linens in the spin cycle. The higher the G-force, the more water removed from linens. Newer machines offer top speeds of 400 G-force, the highest in the industry. When maximum water is removed in the wash, dry times are greatly reduced, further reducing utility costs.

THE DRYING PROCESS

Since textiles are already put through a rigorous washing process, it’s important to use tumble dryer programs that will help linens last longer and avoid expensive replacement costs. The dryer should work as a system with the washer-extractor, using the same control platform to ensure ease of use and optimal efficiency. This will allow staff to increase throughput, and contribute to lower operating expenses.

When selecting a dryer, make sure the manufacturer has achieved the perfect balance between drying temperature, airflow pattern and usable cylinder space for maximum energy efficiency.

Some equipment on the market offers over-dry prevention technology, which automatically turns a dryer off once the linens inside have reached the optimal dryness level. Over-drying wastes gas and can damage linens and garments, causing replacement costs to rise each year.

It’s estimated that 79% of on-premise laundries over-dry linens by more than eight minutes per cycle when using a 75-pound tumble dryer. By eliminating that extra time per cycle, laundries can save nearly $1,000 in gas costs a year and nearly $5,000 in labor expenses. Additionally, textiles experience 31% less fiber loss when over-dry prevention technology is used, according to reports.

MORE ON ADVANCED CONTROLS

Advanced control platforms offer many benefits to maximize efficiency and productivity in the laundry room. Over the past five years, laundry control platforms have advanced. Previously, there were only a few options to choose from when picking laundry cycles. Today’s healthcare facilities have more programming options available. While some facilities may outsource laundry service, others have taken their laundry operations back in-house so they can have full control, reduce costs and increase quality.

Advanced controls help laundry managers identify expenses within their operations and pinpoint specific areas where they can increase efficiency and reduce costs associated with labor, linen replacement, utilities and maintenance. With nearly 50% of costs associated with labor, up to 25% for linen replacement and roughly 13% on utilities, it benefits managers to be able to easily identify inefficiencies or potential problems and correct them fast.

Features such as delayed start allow employees to load washing machines before the end of their shift and have the first load completed by the beginning of the next day. Laundries can complete one extra load per day, allowing for savings in labor costs.

The real-time clock feature lets managers see what time each cycle was started and stopped, and the idle-time feature monitors the length of time in between the starting and stopping of cycles. Maintenance reminders are ideal for the engineering staff, as reminders are programmed to alert employees for timely servicing.

REDUCE RISK, LOWER UTILITIES

It would be beneficial for healthcare facilities to take a hard look at their on-premise laundry operation and work with their suppliers and product manufacturers to pinpoint areas where they can increase efficiency and reduce costs, and, most importantly, achieve the best results for their patients.

KENNER, La. — Norvin L. Pellerin, the co-founder of Pellerin Milnor Corp., a leading industrial laundry equipment manufacturer, died Monday, the company reports.

“Norvin took pride in offering the very best to his customers, family, and friends throughout the world,” Milnor says. “He was a true visionary, who held 18 patents for various laundry machinery and pioneered top-transfer continuous batch washing. … Norvin’s design and engineering expertise, as well as his leadership, revolutionized the laundry industry.”

Pellerin won many awards, including Tulane University’s School of Engineering Alumnus of the Year in 1996, the National Association of Institutional Linen Management (now the Association for Linen Management) Hall of Fame in 1998, The Rudolph Maglin Lifetime Achievement Award for Associate Members from TRSA in 2004, and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Laureate in 2012.

Surviving Pellerin are his wife of 63 years, Sue; two sons, Jim Pellerin and Curtis Pellerin; two daughters, Julie Bukrey and Renee Gordon; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

There will be a wake at 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday (tomorrow) at Lakelawn Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., in New Orleans. Funeral mass will be said Saturday at 10 a.m., with a private internment to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans (5100 Orleans Ave., New Orleans, LA 70124) or the Willis and Mildred Pellerin Foundation that awards merit-based college scholarships (P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063).

A memorial website has been established for those who wish to share stories and photos of Pellerin. Memorial donations may also be made through the website via PayPal.

WASHINGTON — The Green Seal™ environmental certification organization has published GS-51, a new standard designed to address the life cycle impacts of laundry care products for institutional and industrial settings.

Traditional laundry products are “significant contributors to water pollution, and manufacturers and users risk exposure to harmful chemicals through inhalation and skin contact when using many of these products,” Green Seal says.

GS-51 seeks to minimize or eliminate the use of many “hazardous ingredients” found in these products, plus provides an important benchmark regarding product concentration.

“Research has shown that the environmental impact of these products can be reduced by concentrating the product, thereby minimizing its volume,” says Dr. Arthur Weissman, president/CEO of Green Seal.

Concentrated products use less packaging material and contain less water, he adds. This equates to fewer pallets and trucks needed for transport and less space needed for storage.

The new standard also focuses on product performance; a framework for testing was developed in cooperation with the laundry care industry, according to Green Seal.

Roughly 80% of these products’ environmental impact occurs during usage, so the standard requires labels to recommend using the proper amount and washing full loads at the lowest possible temperature.

GS-51 covers more than 20 categories of products for conventional laundry and dry cleaning, including detergents, pre-wash products, and spot removers; additives such as alkali boosters; and fabric care products such as anti-static treatment, starches, and fabric softeners.

The new standard offers manufacturers a way to recognize industry leaders, and gives purchasers a way to identify safer, more environmentally preferable institutional laundry products, Green Seal says.

The standard, certification tools, application information and more are available for free download on the Green Seal website.