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Recent upgrades for industrial laundry success March 2024 • Volume 50, Number 03
The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management
1974 - 2024
Operators, manufacturers share equipment/facility upgrade requests, reasons why, results (Photo: © alexlmx/Depositphotos)
BY MATT POE, EDITOR
U
pgrades are a constant in the laundry and linen services industry. Some operations need to improve quality and efficiency. Others have acquired older facilities in desperate need of upgrades. Sometimes equipment simply wears out. Costs, labor issues, government regulations … there are many reasons for industrial laundries to update equipment and facilities. American Laundry News reached out to several laundry operators and equipment
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manufacturers to find out which upgrades have been requested most recently, the reasons for the upgrades and how operations have been improved.
COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY EXAMPLES
Pamela Barnett, project manager for Crothall Laundry Services, which has 14 full-service commercial laundry plants across the United States, says that the company has made upgrades at its facilities in Columbia, South Carolina; Johnson City, Tennessee; and Phoenix. “With state-of-the-art equipment from JENSEN and Kannegiesser ETECH, we’ve installed new tunnels, wash aisles, (Chicago Dryer Co.) Blanket Blasters and more at our facilities,” she shares. “In addition to upgrades completed on the clean side, we have taken steps to optimize the soil sort processing to ensure maximum efficiency. “These plants now utilize the latest laundry technology to ensure precision and quality in every product processed.” Barnett says the driving purpose behind everything Crothall does, including equipment and facility upgrades, is to remain an industry leader by providing outstanding quality, excellent customer service, and a safe and efficient workplace. “We consistently look for ways to accomplish this by being proactive in our approach to equipment and maintenance needs,” she says. “Managing costs effectively is crucial for maintaining competitiveness in the market. We strive to become the most efficient laundry operation by reducing our costs while maintaining a high level of quality products and service to our customers.” Overall, Barnett says the upgrades have streamlined productivity and maximized efficiency. “New and added equipment like the
Blasters have added approximately 25% better throughput,” she shares. “Our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency has also resulted in methods that reduce water consumption and lower our carbon footprint.” NOVO Health Services, which is headquartered in Atlanta, upgraded full plant rail control systems and both soil side and clean side processing operations in its Dubois, Pennsylvania, facility. “We made the decision to upgrade these controls to enhance efficiency, reduce potential downtime and meet growing demands,” says Shane Ledbetter, senior vice president of operations. “The new equipment offers advanced features such as increased throughput, higher precision, and greater reliability, enabling the facility to optimize production processes and remain competitive in the market. “Additionally, the upgrade aligns with NOVO’s commitment to ongoing innovation and continuous quality improvement, implementing the most sophisticated and efficient equipment available to better serve our healthcare customers and keep their costs down.” Ledbetter says that a project of this scope and magnitude had the potential to challenge the plant’s ability to maintain consistent service levels and continue to achieve 100% on-time order fulfillment given the fact that the entire material handling system had to be taken offline for these upgrades. “As such, we methodically planned the plant’s processing capability in the days leading up to the installation to prepare product and limit service interruptions while the plant was offline,” he points out. “While this increased the overall cost of
See Upgrades on Page 6
LATE NEWS Martin new ARTA Board of Directors president COLUMBIA, S.C. — The American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) reports that Jerry Martin, vice president of sales and marketing at Prudential Overall Supply in Irvine, California, is the new ARTA President of the Board of Directors. With more than 30 years of wideranging sales, marketing, public relations and management experience at Prudential Overall Supply, Martin uses his extensive knowledge of the company and the industry to lead Prudential’s sales and marketing efforts. Working to create a world-class sales organization at Prudential, he is committed to building and enhancing the company’s customer-focused, growthoriented sales culture as demonstrated by being recognized on Selling Power’s “50 Best Companies to Sell For” list for the fifth consecutive year. Besides being president of the ARTA Board of Directors, Martin participates in related green industry efforts through his contributions to the association. He also chairs the cleanroom committee and is a member of the marketing and education conference committees. Martin earned his master’s and bachelor’s of arts degrees from San Diego State University. He has been married to his wife Nicole for the past 30 years and they have two daughters who all reside in the San Diego area.
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