november 2014
Late News Registration opens for Clean 2015 ATLANTA — Registration is now open for Clean 2015, to be hosted here from April 16-19, according to Riddle & Associates, the show’s management company. To pre-register online, or to download a printable form for registration by mail or fax, visit www.cleanshow. com. Pre-registration at the rate of $99 ends March 31, 2015. After that date, only on-site registration at the $149 rate will be available. The show spans four days and includes more than 35 hours of educational sessions. Conference organizers describe it as “the world’s largest exhibition for the commercial laundry, drycleaning and textile services industry.” “The Clean Show’s value is absolutely beyond compare,” says John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates. “Attendees can see the equivalent of 100 laundries running simultaneously with live steam, have access to several educational sessions taught by leading industry experts, and spend four days networking and finding everything they need to grow their business—and all for under $100!” Attendees can register for official Clean Show hotels on the website. Special rates are offered through EventSphere, the show’s official housing provider. ALN
Volume 40, Number 11
Niche markets: Unique environments require special equipment considerations By Theresa Boehl, Editor CHICAGO — Textile care facilities come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from massive plants processing linens commercially to tiny rooms hidden away in the basements of buildings. For those businesses and institutions that prefer to keep their laundry processing in-house, such as in common environments like hotels and hospitals, a unique set of challenges greet their laundry operators every day. That is also true for laundries serving niche markets, where processing environments don’t mirror those of more traditional OPLs, and where laundry might only be a small cog in a large wheel. Regardless of these differences, laundries in niche markets are like other OPLs in that they need the right equipment for the job. American Laundry News spoke to some manufacturers and dis-
tributors of laundry equipment designed to address the needs of these niche markets. They shared the requirements and considerations of less-than-common OPLs, such as those found in car washes, cruise ships, spas, salons, athletic facilities and party rental companies. CRUISE SHIPS: TIGHT QUARTERS, NUMEROUS WORKAROUNDS
Gary Lazarre, product support director for Pellerin Milnor, describes the laundry area onboard a ship as highly organized, since there’s not much space to spare in this environment, especially for storage of soiled and clean linen. “The workspace, in general, is tight,” he says. “There’s tight See NICHE on Page 6
Customer service:
Adopt a proactive approach for best results Good service can help businesses retain healthcare linen customers by Charlie Thompson II RICHMOND, Ky. — Customer service is a top priority for many businesses processing linens for the healthcare industry. When providing this service, it is important to go “above and beyond the call of duty,” says April Palmquist, RLLD, business development manager at Angelica Corp. Eva Granado, CLLM, RLLD,
linen distribution manager for Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, illustrates the importance of providing good customer service to hospitals and healthcare facilities, saying companies should “never fail to astonish the customer.” Palmquist quotes Apple founder Steve Jobs, saying, “Get closer than ever to your customers—so close, in fact, that you tell them
www.americanlaundrynews.com
Inside Testing Textile Products
Update on project to research and test new energy-efficient textile products.
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(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)
what they need well before they realize it themselves.” She also points out that the healthcare linen industry is like many other industries from a customer service standpoint, and that being in tune with customer needs is important to all customer service efforts. Palmquist and Granado elaborated on this topic in their Association for Linen Management (ALM) webinar titled Proactive Customer Service.
are many distinct customers to be aware of when providing linens for the healthcare industry. There are the outsourced management customers, “who all have a stake in the laundry service, whether they directly manage the laundry service, make the beds, or manage the contacts.” These include laundry managers, housekeeping personnel, material managers and anyone who may be involved in any on-site laundry processing. Clinicians and the infection
EVERYONE IS A CUSTOMER
See ALM on Page 9
According to Palmquist, there
The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management
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OPL 101: Cleaning Firefighting Gear
[10]
Fire departments can remove harmful contaminants from turnout gear with the help of on-site laundry equipment.
Panel of Experts
[12]
Strategies for avoiding unplanned equipment downtime.
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