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American Laundry News - July 2015

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JULY 2015

Late News Laundry truck maker Fibertech expanding facilities ELBERFIELD, Ind. — Laundry/linen truck manufacturer Fibertech Inc. is adding 45,000 square feet to its facility here, the company reports. The addition will give the company 125,000 square feet of space, which Fibertech says will help it meet its customers’ persistent growth and new market demand. “We are always investing in our customers and our employees,” says Bill Scott, owner of Fibertech. “This expansion will add jobs and meet our goals of continuous improvement to our loyal customer base.” According to the company, the new facilities will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, equipment and warehousing. The investment offers customers enhanced ability with custom molding projects and offers shortened lead times in production, Fibertech says. Fibertech serves the commercial laundry and linen industries with a line of laundry/linen trucks, including bulk storage trucks, commercial laundry carts, and internal usage options with utility carts. The company also supports the hospitality and healthcare industries with laundry trucks, industrial utility carts, storage lockers ALN and recycling carts.

Volume 41, Number 7

Next-generation launderers want to make leadership impact BY MATT POE, EDITOR CHICAGO — Brad Houchin has been in the laundry and linen industry for just three years, with the Chickasaw Laundry Service Uniform Distribution Center in Oklahoma. However, in that brief time, he has enrolled in and completed his CLLM and RLLD certifications through the Association for Linen Management (ALM). Also in that time, Houchin oversaw the expansion of the facility from a commercial laundry to an industrial laundry. The plan had been put into place before he arrived, and shortly after, the company purchased a tunnel washer, an additional ironer/finishing line and several other key pieces of equipment. “We began operations in February of this year,” Houchin says. “As I like to say about opening a new industrial laundry, ‘It is one of the greatest learning experiences of my life that I hope to

never repeat.’” Before becoming manager of the facility, Houchin was a customer of the facility. He managed the uniform department at a casino. “When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance to be a part of a facility that had a proven track record of quality and service,” he says. Joshua Briggs and Brandon Marsh have similar stories. Briggs is director of linen services, mailroom and courier services at Charleston (W.Va.) Area Medical Center. He worked in safety for about six years, followed by time with a homebuilder, an aluminum manufacturer and Disney. He then transitioned into employee benefits for about a year and a half, and from there became an HR generalist. Briggs worked in that field a little more than a year before getting into linen services. “I was told about the position See NEXT GEN on Page 11

Is your laundry technology up-to-date? BY MATT POE, EDITOR HOUSTON — Dave Beavers has been in the laundry business for more than 40 years. He has worked in various types of laundry facilities, including industrial uniforms, hospitality, and healthcare. And he is always on the lookout for what’s new in the industry. Today, he is employed by Crothall Healthcare as the chief engineer at Texas Medical Center Hospital Laundry, and if there’s a change in software or hardware, he wants to see it. “What I’m looking for is

new or improved technology,” Beavers says. “Our industry is constantly changing, technology keeps emerging. I look for innovation and anything that improves or enhances safety. I look at the quality of the machinery, how well it’s built.” At Clean 2015 in Atlanta, Beavers scouted out some of the most recent advances in technology and equipment. During the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) webinar Emerging Technology/Equipment, he shared some of the things he saw that he believes can help laundry managers and owners

improve operations within the facility. IMPROVED FUNCTION, SAFETY

Beavers noted many innovations and improvements in equipment, from washers to finishing equipment. One was Braun’s Advantage Tilting Side Loader. The machine is a 900pound side loader with fourpocket configuration. He says it’s built pretty much like the company’s other washer-extractors, but with some advances. “What’s nice about this machine is some of the ergonom-

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Eric Frederick examines sorting soil for operational efficiency.

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ics, like the automated step so that operators no longer have to bend down to pull out or push in the step,” says Beavers. He also noted the inner latch system and the closed detection system. In addition, the side loader has standard safety gating going around the machine, and compliance with standard arc flash panel control separating the high-voltage from the lowvoltage controls. Another washer innovation Beavers noticed was Jensen’s QuickSoak feature on the compaSee TECH on Page 6

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

[4]

Panel of Experts

Ergonomics aid in reducing employee strain and improving safety.

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[12] PRODUCT S H O W C A S E

SMALL-CAPACITY

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