Home
Share |

Content about Wire Survey

May 10, 2012
Survey: Dependability is Trait That Managers Value Most in Their Employees

CHICAGO — Trustworthiness, being team player, being positive also rank high

CHICAGO — Laundry services managers find dependability to be a highly valued trait in their employees, according to the results of this month’s AmericanLaundryNews.com Wire survey.

Roughly 43% of managers who responded to the survey say dependability is the trait they value most in an employee. Next most valued is trustworthiness (20%), followed by being a team player (16.7%) and having a positive attitude (13.3%).

Managers are less in agreement about the undesirable traits that are the surest way for an employee to tick them off. No. 1 is unreliability, chosen by 26.7%. Equal shares of 16.7% dislike the actions of employees who don’t follow the rules or who don’t work well with others.

Disloyalty (13.3%), lacking initiative (10%), being unmotivated (6.7%) and failing to meet goals/deadlines (6.7%) are some other sure-to-tick-off traits.

Roughly 43% of respondents say they directly supervise fewer than 10 employees day to day. Another 23.3% supervise 10 to 25 employees, and another 20% supervise 26-50 workers. The remaining 13.3% oversee 51 to 75 employees. No one who took the survey supervises more than 75 employees.

More than half of respondents (53.3%) say their job title falls under laundry management. Others fall under “other” (20%), general administration (13.3%), environmental services (6.7%), housekeeping (3.3%) and purchasing (3.3%).

Seventy percent of respondents received formal management training before they were named a manager.

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

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

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

April 10, 2012
Survey: Desired Continuing Ed Includes Energy Conservation, Chemistry, Others

CHICAGO — Half of respondents have received industry-specific training

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 15, 2012
Survey: Respondents Split on Clarity of Upper Management's Direction

CHICAGO — Does upper management provide clear direction for your laundry?

CHICAGO — Does upper management provide clear direction for your laundry? How would you gauge its willingness to invest in your operation? Do you feel respected? This month’s Wire survey gave respondents the chance to answer these questions and more about their view of upper management.

Respondents to the unscientific survey were pretty evenly split in assessing the direction that upper management provides them. Forty-five percent either strongly agree (14.3%) or somewhat agree (31.0%) that upper management provides clear direction. Forty-three percent disagree (14.3% strongly, 28.6% somewhat), and the remaining 11.9% are neutral.

Fifty-seven percent agree (22.7% strongly, 34.1% somewhat) that upper management has a long-term view and seems willing to invest in their operations. Thirty-four percent disagree (20.5% strongly, 13.6% somewhat), and the remaining 9.1% neither agree nor disagree.

Does upper management understand the problems that laundry and linen managers face and provide the resources and training they need to solve them? Forty-one percent agree that it does (15.9% strongly, 25% somewhat), while 45.4% disagree (29.5% somewhat, 15.9% strongly). The remaining 13.6% are neutral.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents believe that upper management treats them with respect (25% strongly agree, 34.1% somewhat agree). Forty-one percent say they’re satisfied with their company’s strategic direction (11.4% strongly agree, 29.5% somewhat agree).

Respondents were asked to name one thing they would change about their laundry or linen services. Some of their anonymous replies:

  • “Be able to process linens for profit by taking on outside work.”
  • “In our company, there is no chain of command. I think there should be clear direction for the hourly workers. I also do not believe we have the liberty to make daily management decisions without second guessing or ridicule.”
  • “Being benchmarked against facilities that are not reasonably similar.”
  • “More direct customer contact.”
  • “Put upper management on the floor to see what is working and what needs to be changed.”
  • “Build a bigger building.”
  • “Set up a funded depreciation account.”
  • “More input from the true operators (management), not bean counters.”
  • “Better pay for laundry and linen services employees.”


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

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

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

February 16, 2012
Survey: Nearly Half of Managers Do Their Own Basic Equipment Maintenance

CHICAGO — A large share of Wire subscribers don’t mind rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, based on the results of this month’s AmericanLaundryNews.com survey. Nearly half of the respondents perform all (19.4%) or most (27.8%) of the basic equipment maintenance for their facility.

Equal shares of 13.9% do “some” or “very little” of their laundry’s maintenance. Only 25% don’t perform maintenance.

More than one-third of respondents (35.1%) admitted that their equipment maintenance efforts have backfired at some point and ended up requiring repairs or even replacement. Some examples:

  • a tunnel’s CPU went down, stopping production for days.
  • a motor replaced in a dryer turned in the wrong direction.
  • over lubrication of a washer’s inner seal allowed grease to contaminate the drum and basket.

Most laundries, at one time or another, require attention from a maintenance or service technician. Respondents have mixed feelings about those occasions.

The largest share, 37.8%, called them “average” and said it depended on the job and who did it. Twenty-seven percent called them “great, they always get the job done,” while another 29.7% ranked them as “good, they get the job done most of the time.” Equal shares of 2.7% described service visits as “poor” or said they never call on repairmen.

Regardless of who performs equipment maintenance in their laundry, 78.4% have a formal schedule for completing the tasks. Approximately 53% say they or a staff member have attended a service school offered by an equipment manufacturer or distributor.

It’s easier to perform basic maintenance on laundry equipment today that it was in the past, according to 37.8% of respondents. It’s no different, say 32.4%, while the remaining 29.7% believe it’s more difficult to maintain machines today.

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

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

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

January 12, 2012
Survey: Boosting Productivity Seen as Top Laundry Priority for 2012

CHICAGO — For January’s AmericanLaundryNews.com Wire survey, respondents had the opportunity to look back at 2011 plus examine their priorities for 2012.

Increasing productivity is the top laundry priority for 36.4% of respondents, while equal shares of 27.3% are intent on building on quality staff or marketing their service to attract more business.

The remainder—also 27.3%—has “other” top priorities, including planning and building a new laundry, and improving linen quality.

None of the respondents see adding or replacing equipment, creating greater energy savings, or improving distribution or route management as being their top priority.

Respondents are confident they will accomplish their chief task. Roughly 36% say they will, without a doubt, and the remaining 63.6% say there is a good chance.

Approximately 27% accomplished all of their 2011 goals, and 54.5% accomplished some of them. The remaining 18.2% didn’t set goals for last year.

Respondents had the opportunity to share the “best” and “worst” things that happened to their operations in 2011.

Some of the “best”:

  • “Set up soap dispensing systems for satellite washer on hospital units, saving (thousands of) dollars compared to individual boxes of soap.”
  • “(We were) 3,600 room nights over last year.”
  • “We added (more) dryers, allowing equipment to keep up with production workers.”

And some of the “worst”:

  • “Half of staff retired.”
  • “Several employee accidents.”
  • “Unexpected cost increases.”
  • “Bought the wrong lift gate on our delivery truck.”

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

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

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

December 13, 2011
Survey: 63% of Operators Say 2011 Throughput Better Than Expected

CHICAGO — More than 63% of respondents to American Laundry News’ final Wire survey for 2011 said their laundry’s poundage this year was “much higher” (5.3%) or “somewhat higher” (57.9%) in comparison to 2010 figures.

Approximately 11% reported processing “virtually the same amount,” 15.8% reported processing “somewhat less,” and the remaining 10.5% lamented processing “much less.”

Total estimated production for 2011 ranged by operation from 500,000 pounds to 10.5 million pounds, according to these anonymous responses.

Operators whose production rose attributed it primarily to gaining institutional business or increasing total accounts (83.3%). Adding more production workers (16.7%); adding, replacing or rebuilding production equipment (8.3%); improving transportation/distribution (8.3%); and redesigning workflow (8.3%) were other factors. (Respondents could choose any or all among several suggested factors or offer their own.)

The primary cause for falling short of annual goals or expectations this year, according to 80% of respondents who suffered such a setback, was a “slowing or loss of business due to economy.” Other causes cited were “other” (20%), maintenance efforts (10%), and staff productivity (10%).

No one blamed poor results on capabilities of equipment, marketing efforts, regulatory changes, or administrative indifference or lack of support.

Finally, respondents were asked how they thought their boss would grade their 2011 managerial performance. The majority believed they would receive a B (61.1%), while another one-third said they would receive an A. The remainder said they would receive a D (5.6%).

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

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

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

November 8, 2011
Survey: Many Laundry Managers Thankful for Solid Operations, Appreciative Customers

CHICAGO — With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, American Laundry News asked laundry managers this month to comment via the Wire survey on the things they are thankful for.

Approximately 72% agreed with the statement, “I’m thankful, because our operation is performing well,” while 22.2% were unsure and 5.6% disagreed.

Roughly 61% agree that “our (end-users or clients) appreciate our services,” while 33.3 “somewhat agree” and 5.6% “somewhat disagree.”

Respondents’ positions on equipment were slightly more varied. As for “Our equipment works well, and isn’t a concern,” 50% “completely agree” with the statement while 25% “somewhat agree.” Approximately 13% “somewhat disagree,” 6.3% “neither agree nor disagree,” and 6.3% “completely disagree.”

Survey-takers were asked how confident they were in next year being better for everyone. Two-thirds of respondents “completely agree” (33.3%) or “somewhat agree” (33.3%). Roughly 22% “neither agree nor disagree,” and the remaining 11% “somewhat disagree.”

Practically everyone who took this month’s survey could identify his or her biggest “turkey,” or headache-causer. Thirty-one percent selected the all-encompassing “other” category but explanations were not available due to a technical glitch with the online survey.

Equal shares of 12.5% pointed to equipment, employee(s), management, and textile supplier as inducing headaches for their laundry, while equal shares of 6.3% identified an end-user or client, a chemicals supplier, or a competitor or competitors.

No one singled out an equipment distributor or a government regulator.

Lastly, the survey invited respondents to name one aspect of their service for which they give thanks every day. Many replies related to personnel, but there were others, such as:

  • “We have a hospital that is still open.”
  • “I’m still working in this economy.”
  • “The Board of Directors, who is aware of the need to upgrade equipment and allowed me to do so. That decision has saved money, reduced injuries, and makes the laundry viable and competitive for the long term.”
  • “100% complete, on-time deliveries.”

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

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

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

October 11, 2011
Survey: Price and Quality Equally Important for Most Who Choose, Buy Textiles

CHICAGO — Among those who play a part in selecting and/or purchasing the textiles that his or her laundry processes, 78.6% believe purchase price and product quality (cost per use) are equally important to consider when choosing products, according to the results of this month’s Wire survey.

The remaining 21.4% believe that quality is the most important factor. No one who responded to the American Laundry News survey believes that purchase price is most important.

Everyone who took the Wire survey said they or a member of their staff play a role in selecting and/or purchasing textiles. Their laundry processes virtually all customer-owned goods (42.9%), virtually all rental textiles (14.3%), or a mix (42.9%).

Nearly three out of five respondents (57.1%) believe that today’s textiles are neither easier nor harder to process when compared to products on the market five years ago. Roughly 21% believe they are “somewhat easier to process” while equal shares of 7.1% think they are “easier,” “somewhat harder” or “much harder” to process.

Higher cotton prices have impacted the laundry operations for some respondents, but how?

  • “Improved inventory management and moved away from the use of chlorine bleach.”
  • “The quality isn’t there.”
  • “None … since I only process COG.”
  • “Significantly increased operating costs and ultimately we are looking at engineering products with less cotton weight.”
  • “We had to look for ways to make things last longer, save in any directions we could, but it has been OK.”
  • “We joined a buying group to better control our prices.”
  • “Last year, we bought ahead before the price increase … we expect a drop in prices.”

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

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

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

September 13, 2011
Survey: Most Have Emergency Preparedness Plan in Place

CHICAGO — The news in recent months has been rife with reports of severe weather (Joplin tornado), flooding (East Coast caused by Hurricane Irene), and other catastrophic events (9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington). In light of this, American Laundry News asked its Wire subscribers this month about their emergency preparedness.

Approximately 91% of subscribers polled in this month’s Wire survey said their institution or business has a disaster plan to deal with severe weather, flooding, fire and other catastrophic events.

Some 52% of respondents said they are “extremely prepared” to react to such an event, while another 38.1% said they are “somewhat prepared.” Respondents who are “neither prepared nor unprepared” totaled 9.5%. No respondents said they were “somewhat unprepared” or “extremely unprepared.”

Asked about their operation’s insurance coverage, 66.7% of respondents said they are covered for business interruption, while 61.1% are covered for full replacement/repair of building(s) and equipment. Coverage of contents, including inventory, is in place for 55.6%.

Those taking the survey were asked to describe the most significant “catastrophic event” that has occurred at their laundry and the outcome. Sadly, for one respondent, it involved the death of a worker on the production floor. No details were provided (surveys are anonymous).

Other commonly reported incidents involved equipment failures/breakdowns, plant/equipment fires and power outages. Some examples:

  • “A tunnel washer failed. The laundry used the washer-extractors and extra shifts to continue production until the tunnel washer was repaired. The laundry has its own well and generator.”
  • “Had to close laundry for full 24 hours due to structural problem with floor.”
  • “Contracted services were abruptly stopped with little warning. Our disaster plan was enacted, and we had very little disruption in our daily operation of the hospital.”

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

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

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

August 9, 2011
Survey: Missed or Late Delivery Most Often Cause of Complaints

CHICAGO — Measuring customer satisfaction and tracking complaints are important aspects of their institutional or commercial laundry service, according to the vast majority of laundry managers and administrators who responded to July’s Wire survey.

Three-quarters have a system in place to measure customer satisfaction in their laundry/linen service, and 83.3% record and track customer complaints.

When a complaint comes in, a missed or late delivery is most often the reason for the claim, according to 41.7% of respondents. Condition of laundered goods (25%) and the failure to deliver or package goods according to the customer’s wishes (16.7%) also generate a fair number of gripes. Less-frequent reasons include a reaction to increased cost of service and “other,” each of which was cited by 8.3%.

No one pointed to incorrect charges/billing, mistakes in order contents, or conduct of staff as being the most frequent cause of complaints.

Nearly 92% of respondents rank their level of customer service at excellent (50%) or above average (41.7%) based on the number of complaints received and their ability to resolve them successfully.

So, what’s the most ridiculous complaint you’ve ever received?

  • “We were asked to buy a $500 dress that was ‘sent’ to us mixed with the hotel’s linen,” recalls one respondent. “We never found it, and the guest could not show proof of purchase.”
  • “I need new bath towels every week.”
  • “’Seeing too many stained items,’ which we determined, by tracking it, to be .0025% of the customer’s volume.”

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

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

July 12, 2011
Survey: Respondents Give Clean ’11 High Marks, Applaud Decision to Shorten Next Show

CHICAGO — Eighty-seven percent of respondents to June’s unscientific Wire survey said they attended Clean ’11 in Las Vegas, and 86.4% of them reported being “fully satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their experience as a whole.

These attendees sought information about a variety of products and services. Among the exhibit categories that respondents sought out, washers, dryers, folders and material-handling systems were mentioned most often.

Nearly 83% of respondents said they are more likely to do business with a certain manufacturer, distributor or supplier because of their trip to Clean. Thirteen percent said they aren’t sure, and 4% said they aren’t more likely to do business.

Most respondents attended Clean on Tuesday (82.6%), Monday and Wednesday (69.6% for both days). On Thursday, the final show day, only 47.8% attended.

The 2013 Clean Show in New Orleans is scheduled for three days over a weekend (Friday through Sunday). Virtually everyone surveyed applauded the show committee’s decision to shorten the next event by a day, but some wondered if Clean’s quality and size would remain comparable.

Clean’s sponsors presented more than 40 hours of educational sessions, including several offered by international trade associations. Approximately 52% of Wire respondents said they didn’t attend a session this year, while 30.4% reported attending only one session and 13% attended two. The remaining 4.3% sat in on three, and no one reported attending four or more sessions.

Respondents who didn’t attend Clean in Las Vegas most often cited budgetary constraints or sending someone else on staff as the reasons. Twenty percent said they had no interest in attending.

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

Subscribers to Wire e-mails—distributed twice weekly—are invited to participate in a brief industry survey each month. The survey is conducted online via a partner website. Readers are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and industry trends.

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

May 10, 2011
Survey: Word of Mouth Popular Tool for Marketing Laundry Services

CHICAGO — There are many ways that a laundry operation can promote its service to potential clients or end-users, and the marketing method used by more than two-thirds of Wire survey respondents is good, old-fashioned word of mouth.

April 12, 2011
Survey: Operators Tweak Delivery Schedules, Routes as Gas Prices Soar

CHICAGO — Laundry operations with off-site pickup/delivery have to be feeling the sting of gasoline prices that are exceeding $4 a gallon in some areas and could spike higher. More than 90% of respondents to this month’s Wire survey say their laundry transports goods to/from their plants by truck or van.

March 8, 2011
Survey: Finishing Equipment at Top of Clean Show Attendees’ Want-to-See List

CHICAGO — Nearly 60% of respondents to March’s Wire survey say they are planning to attend Clean ’11 in Las Vegas, while another 17% are unsure at this point.

Approximately 24% of those responding to American Laundry News’ unscientific survey say they will not be attending the biennial event slated for June 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Roughly 17% of those staying home say they are sending another member or members of their staff.

February 8, 2011
Survey: Laundries Placing Larger Orders, Making Operational Adjustments as Cotton Prices Rise

CHICAGO — With cotton prices at or near record highs for the last several months, textile manufacturers and suppliers faced with higher raw-material prices are passing at least some of the increases onto the institutions and businesses that buy their linens and uniforms.

CHICAGO — With cotton prices at or near record highs for the last several months, textile manufacturers and suppliers faced with higher raw-material prices are passing at least some of the increases onto the institutions and businesses that buy their linens and uniforms.

January 11, 2011
Survey: Building on Quality Staff, Increasing Productivity Among Top Priorities This Year

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

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

December 14, 2010
Survey: 50% of Operators Say 2010 Throughput Better Than Expected

CHICAGO — Fifty percent of respondents to American Laundry News’ final Wire survey for 2010 said their laundry’s poundage this year was “much higher” (7.7%) or “somewhat higher” (42.3%) in comparison to 2009 figures.

Approximately 23% reported processing “virtually the same amount,” 15.4% reported processing “somewhat less,” and the remaining 11.5% lamented processing “much less.”

November 9, 2010
Survey: Respondents Shudder at Thought of Losing Biggest Customer

CHICAGO — During Halloween time, scaring someone is often done in the spirit of fun. But there are plenty of frightening scenarios that would be no fun at all for a laundry manager or textile rental operator. So, American Laundry News surveyed its Wire subscribers about what gets their hearts pounding.

Any number of situations could give a laundry/linen manager the chills, but the scariest, according to 26.1% of respondents, is if their biggest customer would decide to go with another provider.

October 12, 2010
Survey: Good Customer Service, Safe Workplaces are Keys to Improving Industry

CHICAGO – In what one way can a laundry manager or textile rental operator best improve our industry? By making sure equipment is functioning properly? Using environmentally friendly chemicals? Providing timely service?

Among American Laundry News audience members polled in this month’s Wire survey, 40% say managers and/or operators could best improve laundry/linen services by providing good customer service.

August 10, 2010
Survey: Two-Thirds of Managers Say Facilities Have Suffered Fires

CHICAGO — Two-thirds of laundry managers and administrators responding to August’s Wire survey say their laundry, or one that they oversee, has suffered a fire during their tenure.

Approximately 43% of respondents say their most recent fire began in a dryer. A cart containing textiles was the point of origin for 28.6%, followed by the catchall “other” at 21.4%. Among starting points in the “other” category were wet mops, a monorail sling, and a large-capacity conventional washer.

July 13, 2010
Survey: Losing an Account, or Possibility of Outsourcing, Turns Up the Pressure

CHICAGO — Do you keep your cool when things start to heat up at your laundry? Do even the smallest things eat at you, or does it take a major problem to make your temperature rise?

When American Laundry News presented a slew of pressure-inducing scenarios in its Wire survey in July, most respondents said their blood pressure holds steady or the issue at hand is rarely or never a concern. But there was one situation that had six out of 10 respondents admitting that it would make them at least a little nervous.

June 8, 2010
Survey: Most Operators Cooperate to Prevent Service Interruptions

CHICAGO – Summer usually brings stormy weather and sometimes flooding, which can cause consternation for the laundry manager or textile rental operator who has to cope with a power outage, blocked road, or another obstacle to keep his or her laundry running.

May 11, 2010
Survey: Respondents Favor Certain Healthcare Reforms, Oppose Bill

CHICAGO – Respondents are split on various aspects of federal healthcare reform, but more than three-quarters of them (76.2%) oppose the recently passed package as a whole, according to American Laundry News’ May Wire survey.

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS

Roughly 62% favor regulating insurance companies and preventing them from dropping or denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Nearly 30% oppose this provision, and 8.2% are not sure or have no opinion.

April 13, 2010
Survey: Heat Reclamation, Efficient Plant Lighting, Water Reuse Among Popular ‘Green’ Practices

CHICAGO — If you manage or oversee a laundry, do you believe your operation has emerged as an energy-efficient model that makes other managers “green” with envy, or are you more reserved as you conserve?

March 9, 2010
Survey: After Washability, Cost Per Use Most Important in Making Textile Choices

CHICAGO — A raft of variables goes into the decisions to select and buy textile items for institutional or rental use. Each purchase reboots the process of determining if an item meets a customer’s quality needs and expectations as well as those of the laundry.

Nearly 94% of respondents to American Laundry News’ most recent Wire survey say they or members of their staff play a role in selecting and/or purchasing the textiles that their laundry processes.