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May 21, 2013
Going Industrial: Quality Linen Makes the Leap from Coin (Part 1)

SALISBURY, Md. — Coin-op store owner moves commercial business into newly constructed industrial laundry facility

SALISBURY, Md. — By successfully serving small commercial accounts from one of his two coin-operated laundries, Mitch Wyatt nurtured a reputation that today has him handling the laundry needs of major hospitality, healthcare and food and beverage clients. Recently, to meet increasing production needs, Wyatt moved his commercial business into a newly constructed industrial laundry facility here.

The Quality Linen Services building turns out 1,700 laundry pounds per hour, using minimal labor, water and energy — giving Wyatt the opportunity to draw new clients and boost profits.

DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS FROM COIN LAUNDRY

“I serviced five hotels, two assisted-living facilities, one university, and two restaurants out of one washer at my coin laundry,” says Wyatt. “We used a 55-pound-capacity Continental E-Series Washer that would maintain a temperature of 140 degrees and stay at that temp. I was getting stuff so clean, my clients were amazed.”

Once cleaned, tablecloths, linens and napkins were pressed and finished using a Continental Flatwork Ironer. Wyatt’s staff then folded, stacked and delivered the items to clients.

PRODUCTION NEEDS SURGE

All went smoothly until Wyatt secured a five-year contract with a local hospital. “I knew I needed significant industrial equipment to fulfill growing production requirements,” he says.

So, he sought help from Operations Manager Doug Colonna, who holds 15 years of industrial laundry experience; Deke Sheller of Fowler Equipment, a laundry equipment distributor in Baltimore; and Joel Jorgensen, vice president of laundry equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau.

The 10,000-square-foot industrial facility required careful planning, a partnership of experts, and a mix of highly efficient industrial laundry equipment engineered for bolstered productivity, according to Wyatt.

DEVELOPING AN INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRY FROM SCRATCH

“We worked with the engineer constructing Quality Linen’s building and all elements of laundry design, construction and utilities,” says Jorgensen of the project. “We went on to define specific laundry production needs, the equipment mix, and solidified financing over an eight-month period.”

In the end, the new building featured a Girbau Industrial Continuous Batch Washing system capable of processing 13,600 pounds in an eight-hour shift.

The facility’s powerhouse is its seven-module Girbau Industrial TBS-50 Eco-Tunnel with four-stage water reclamation, water filtration and drain-water heat recovery. Complementing equipment includes a Girbau Industrial ICP3 Incline Loading Conveyor, SPR-50 Press, Dual-cake Delivery Shuttle, three ST-100 Dryers, a PSN 80 single-roll gas thermal ironer, FT-LITE Folder, AP LITE Stacker and an FT-MAXI triple-sort dry goods folder.

Two Continental Girbau CG-120 Dryers, and two Continental E-Series washer-extractors (55 pounds and 90 pounds, respectively) round out the lineup.

CONTINUOUS BATCH WASHING

The system not only boosts laundry productivity to 95,200 pounds per week using a single shift, according to Wyatt, it takes just one employee to operate and manage, is stingy on water, and produces high-quality results.

Key to Wyatt’s equipment decision was his need to properly manage and process laundry for a variety of accounts. “Unlike most of our competitors, we provide rental service, as well as service for clients with customer-owned goods,” he says. “We required equipment programmable by customer, so items would be properly cleaned according to each client’s unique needs.”

Check back Thursday for the conclusion!

April 17, 2013
Controlling Linen Loss is Key to ‘Saving Par’ (Conclusion)

CHICAGO — Input from hotel/motel/resort laundry and chemicals supply sectors

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

charles loeliusAbraham Lincoln once said, “You can’t do business from an empty wagon.” Nothing has a greater impact on a laundry’s sales, service, operation, and reputation than an inadequate circulating linen inventory.

The lack of a sufficient amount of linen in circulation necessitates operating the plant longer hours than would otherwise be necessary. Labor, maintenance and utility costs increase, while both efficiency and morale plummet. Operating costs increase without the benefit of added revenue.

Laundering the linen more frequently than would otherwise be necessary shortens its life, resulting in higher depletion and additional replenishment cost.

Equally important, insufficient circulating linen results in decreased fill rates. The inability to provide complete orders negatively impacts both revenue and customer confidence.

The first step in managing circulating linen inventory is to recognize that linen loss will occur. The next step is to ascertain where this loss is prone to occur, and develop policies and programs to prevent unnecessary depletion.

How linen is processed, distributed, utilized, returned and monitored will have a direct bearing on both linen loss and replenishment costs.

Planned losses, such as discards and rag-outs, are the result of quality control programs. Planned depletion, along with a corresponding linen replenishment program, is necessary to maintain a viable circulating linen inventory.

At my hotel, I budget annual rooms linen replacement cost at $2.50 per occupied room; annual food-and-beverage linen replacement cost is budgeted at 20 cents per cover.

Consequently, I am able to completely turn over the circulating linen inventory every three years.

There are two types of linen depletion: actual and artificial. Actual loss represents a permanent depletion in circulating linen (the linen is not retrievable). This loss is the result of discard, abuse and theft, either deliberate or inadvertent. Artificial loss represents linen that, while not accessible to circulating inventory, is still retrievable. This loss is caused by linen being overstocked at the end-user location, which results in an under-utilized inventory.

In linen rental operations, overstocking at the customer not only renders linen inaccessible, it precludes generating additional rental revenue via “turning” the linen.

Conducting physical inventories on a regular basis will provide the information needed to determine if the amount of linen in circulation is sufficient for the operation. Physical inventories also help in the planning of future purchases, and are essential in determining linen loss.

Due to storage limitations typical at a Manhattan hotel, it is necessary to employ the practice of just-in-time ordering. Ordering less linen more often reduces the space needed for storage, but increases the reliance on accurate physical inventories. Like the carpenter’s credo of “measure twice cut once,” proper linen procurement relies on conducting exact physical inventories.

Conducting precise physical inventories will also serve as the basis for determining unexplained linen loss. This loss can be determined through this formula: Prior inventory – discards + linen injections – current inventory = unexplained loss.

Conducting physical inventories at the customer’s premises is a daunting task, but is necessary to properly gauge both linen loss and linen utilization. Complete inventories should be conducted at least annually. Salient information can also be gleaned from “informal” inventories, shelf counts, and linen abuse “spot checks” that can be conducted as part of sales, service, and goodwill calls.

Linen loss and abuse charges, as well as linen utilization fees, when implemented and enforced, can aid in reducing both actual and artificial linen losses.

There is the caveat, however, that enforcing these type charges, even if contractually stipulated, may result in strained relations with the customer.

Regardless of the laundry operation type, it is crucial to involve, educate and monitor the end-users, in properly controlling the linen at their disposal.

Chemicals Supply: Philip L. Bodner, Metro-Chem, Kearny, N.J.

One of the main challenges in purchasing new textiles is taking extra care to know exactly what it is you are being sold.

We are in a time of exciting new textiles and innovative, high-performance, high-quality fabrics, yet we are also in an era of low-cost outsourcing from places around the globe offering seemingly value-priced purchasing options that sometimes don’t perform to our standards and expectations.

philip bodnerProcessing of “commercial level” quality textiles or an innovative new fabric is usually easy enough to accomplish. As always, make your purchasing considerations based on colors, sizes and fabric types. When placing your first order with a vendor, make sure to ask for a printed copy of the manufacturer’s laundering and processing recommendations.

Get all the info that’s available and then the correct laundering and finishing of these textiles becomes a matter of putting the manufacturer’s recommendations together with you and your trusted vendor’s experience to arrive at the correct processing routines. When handled properly, the mid- to higher-quality imported or domestic textile will stay in usable condition longer and will offer a good return on investment through its extended service life.

If you are buying large quantities of any textiles, or if you’re buying something new to your operation (or even trying to get a bargain), do two things to save yourself some potential grief. First, ask your distributor salesperson to let you speak to some customers who have purchased the same goods to get direct feedback on performance. Secondly, have an adequate quantity of sample products sent in advance to test-wash and finish to get a leg up on what to expect.

As far as how much linen inventory is enough, answers vary for each operation’s actual needs. One thing is sure: the same budgetary constraints we suffer today, the ones that send people bargain shopping, also tend to lead to inadequate par levels. This lack of linen—I call it “LoL”—can often leave a trail of major inefficiencies cascading down the line.

Both the planned and un-planned consequences of LoL are no laughing matter when they start costing you money. It starts the clock ticking on an investment that will surely wear out before it should. It’s just like wearing the same pair of shoes every day instead of alternating among a few pairs throughout the week. At the end of some shortened period of time, you will be reordering new replacement linens and those pesky invoices will start to play tag with accounts payable.

LoL also puts stress on everyone involved in your laundry or the laundry that provides your linen service. This can lead to processing shortcuts that can affect quality in laundering and finishing because nobody can take the time to do it right. Today’s soil is also today’s or tomorrow’s clean linens, so just get out of the way! We see this “hurry and scurry” approach played out over and over in many laundry operations.

LoL flies in the face of “green” initiatives. It’s carbon-intensive to burn all of that diesel fuel the linen service uses to drive back and forth seven days a week with the linen you absolutely have to have now. By adding par, you solve this, and may even put yourself in a better negotiating position when the next service contract is written. Your provider now only has to come rolling out to see your loading dock four times a week, which is a win-win situation for all except the oil companies.

Finally, it’s the unplanned consequences always lurking around that can and will affect you in not-so-pleasant ways. You have probably experienced some of these seat-clenching moments already.

Do you agree that laundry equipment never breaks, the delivery trucks always start in winter, it never snows, and everyone else’s workers always show up in force when needed just like yours do? If you don’t, then you’re a realist, and having that one or two extra par on hand in case of emergency is your buffer when reality hits. This option sure beats watching your employees stand around waiting for miracle linen to appear. Besides, the guests usually don’t stay humorous for long without clean sheets.

Having more par available keeps the goods looking better and lasting longer. More par means less stress and more time to get things done right. More par is more green. More par gives you breathing room when the best plans go awry. And we can all agree that having one less thing to worry about is always a good thing.

April 10, 2013
TRSA Members’ Entry-Level Pay Rise Exceeds Economy-Wide Standard

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Entry-level wages in TRSA member companies’ laundry operations grew faster in 2012 than pay for Americans as whole: Report

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Wages for entry-level positions in TRSA (Textile Rental Services Association) member companies’ laundry operations grew faster in 2012 than pay for Americans as a whole, ranging from 1.5% for lesser-skilled positions like folding, ironing and hangering to 4.3% for more complex tasks like load-building and pressing, according to the TRSA 2012 Plant Employee Compensation Report.

Hourly pay across the spectrum of U.S. jobs increased less than 1% (0.89%) from fourth quarter 2011 to the same time in 2012. Thus, entry-level laundry positions’ median wage growth was almost twice to five times the national average. The higher-skilled segment of this group of laundry and dry cleaning roles has outpaced the workforce as a whole in this metric since 2009, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS’) most recent data compilations.

Thirty-seven companies reported their wage and benefit practices to TRSA for the report; roughly one-third were healthcare laundry specialists, one-third were equally divided between food/beverage/hospitality and industrial uniform specialists, and the remaining one-third were mixed.

Laundry production workers who had worked in the industry for one to four years earned the highest median wage from linen specialists: $10.40 to $11.70 per hour varying with job complexity. Mixed plants had the lowest such pay ($7.75 to $9.14).

The TRSA 2012 Plant Employee Compensation Report also reflected the importance to the industry of recruiting outstanding route service personnel and ensuring customer satisfaction. Hourly base rates for such personnel with one to four years experience ranged from $13.25 to $17.49. This compares favorably with the economy-wide average of $13.22 for driver sales personnel. With incentives, the range for such TRSA drivers rises to $18 to $23.21.

Laundry production workers (roughly 40% of them) receive incentives as well; those in the 1- to 4-year experience range had overall median compensation ranging from $8.45 to $11.95.

TRSA produces the Plant Employee Compensation Report to enable association members to benchmark their pay and benefits practices, and covers the range of strategies deployed by textile service companies to take care of their people. The survey enables industry operators to compare their practices with operations similar to theirs in line of business, number of locations and sales volume.

For each position in each classification of company, an average salary or wage is listed with incentive potential and the number of companies in the survey offering such incentives. Various approaches to providing fringes are described, such as percentage of premium paid by employer, deductible and co-pay amounts, and 401(k) matching.

Copies of the TRSA 2012 Plant Employee Compensation Report are free to participating TRSA members; non-participating members and participating non-members receive a discount; others pay full price.

Package pricing is available with the TRSA 2012 Industry Performance Report, another benchmarking tool. Visit the TRSA store to learn more about the association’s reports.

February 26, 2013
Sharps Pose Constant Threat to Soil Sorters, Others (Part 3)

CHICAGO — Input from equipment manufacturing, textile/uniform rental and commercial laundry sectors

Equipment Manufacturing: Steve Hietpas, Maytag Commercial Laundry, St. Joseph, Mich.

steve hietpasAlthough not directly related to the manufacturing of commercial laundry equipment, for some of our customers this topic is a major concern. Professional laundry managers can do two things to help stem the flow of objects found in dirtied linens: an employee training program and, where applicable, conveniently placed containers for depositing razor-sharp objects.

In healthcare settings, a number of pointed objects—hypodermic needles, for example—are used on a regular basis. These needles, if left in soiled linens, are dangerous to professionals processing the laundry. By incorporating collection receptacles in or near every patient’s room, it makes disposing of these items properly more convenient and more likely. Coupled with a program to train staff of the importance of sharps disposal, laundry processing is much safer for all parties involved.

In the food and beverage industry, training again plays an integral role in reducing the amount of cutlery found within soiled linens. The awareness gleaned from training helps to protect those processing the linens and ensures the vast majority of utensils are available for patrons.

Textile/Uniform Rental: Tom Peplinski, Golden West, Oakland, Calif.

tom peplinskiSharp objects can be a safety concern to all those handling soiled linen. Each year, millions of workers suffer workplace injuries that could have been prevented. Approximately 30% of all workplace injuries involve cuts or lacerations, and about 70% of those injuries are to the hands or fingers.

Some practical steps can help minimize the risk of contact with sharp objects:

  • Include the issue of sharp objects in your hazards safety meeting
  • Post reminders that sharp objects may be present in soil area
  • Be sure that gloves (puncture-resistant, when possible) are worn
  • Be sure all personnel are trained in the procedures of handling soil
  • Have a clear, written policy and procedure covering first aid
  • Keep good housekeeping rules that include eliminating sharp objects and edges
  • When sharp items are found in soil, try to identify customers from which they came and inform them of the issue.
  • Post anti-sharp/anti-garbage posters at customer’s soil area
  • Offer to speak at customer’s safety meeting to address the potential problem
  • Inspect the area where the soil container is placed to see if there might be a safer area elsewhere
  • Inform all service personnel when sharps are found so they are aware of the risk

Finally, review past incidents/injuries involving cuts and lacerations. Have participants discuss the cause of the injuries and possible solutions as to how the worker or employer could have prevented them. Apply suggestions for improvements to your “Cuts and Abrasion” policy and procedures.

Commercial Laundry: Richard Warren, Linen King, Conway, Ark.

richard warrenLaundries don’t put the sharps into the linen stream, and we can’t keep them out.

I find that infection control staffs at hospitals are embarrassed about the issue, so we need to be sensitive in our approach. I find them quite willing to work with a laundry that maintains a professional attitude toward what they perceive as their own problem. We certainly can’t be heavy-handed when we discuss this issue.

We have done some things physically that have practically pushed this problem into extinction. We contact the infection control people, our point of contact in the linen department, and the linen committee to talk about how to keep the sharps out. They need to know where the offending item came from, so we help by taking a picture of the item. Sometimes it’s identifiable. If the discovery is made in the sorting department, we make note of the specific carts we are working with at the time. We e-mail all this information to personnel at the hospital so they have something to work with. Calling them to complain just keeps the adversarial relationship alive.

Not all hospitals recognize the urgency of the situation, but those that do have shown a dramatic decrease in incidents. We apply the same procedure to all manner of rogue hospital items, some of obvious value. Any customer would appreciate that attention.

There are commercially manufactured machines that “scan” the soiled laundry for foreign objects, and are used at the point of linen collection. I don’t have any first-hand knowledge regarding their effectiveness.

January 16, 2013
2013 Panel of Experts Ready to Answer Industry Questions (Part 2 of 3)

CHICAGO — Meet its representatives from the hotel/motel/resort, consulting services, and commercial laundry sectors

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Charles Loelius, The Pierre New York, New York, N.Y.

charles loeliusFirst, it is an honor to be once again selected for this Panel (Editor’s Note: Charles served on the Panel in 2010), and I hope to continue to share the benefit of my experience with the readership of American Laundry News.

I have been in the commercial laundry industry for 30 years, having operated healthcare, hospitality and uniform plants throughout the United States. The laundries have ranged in size from 10 million to 40 million pounds annually, and have operated in both union and non-union environments.

I have a wealth of experience in production, distribution and service management, as well as budget preparation and financial analysis—skills honed during my seven years on Wall Street.

During the past nine years, I have concentrated on the hospitality side of laundry management, presently operating an OPL for Taj Hotels at the Pierre New York, as well as serving as a consultant for our sister property, Taj Boston.

I have served on the faculty of NYU, teaching laundry and dry cleaning operations as part of NYU’s Hospitality Management program. I also maintain several industry-recognized certifications in laundry, dry cleaning and linen management.

As director of Laundry Services for The Pierre New York, I am responsible for the day-to-day service, production, distribution, maintenance and procurement for this Five Diamond hotel’s laundry and dry cleaning operations.

During 2012, the laundry processed 2.5 million pieces of rooms and food-and-beverage linen, which represented a 23% increase over 2011. Additionally, it processed more than 350,000 pounds of garments during 2012, representing a year-to-year increase of 11%. Increases in productivity were achieved without any increase in expenses.

The biggest challenges I face at the Pierre today are similar to the challenges faced by the entire industry: providing the best possible products and services at the lowest possible cost.

Consulting Services: David Bernstein, Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, Charlottesville, Va.

david bernsteinI am senior vice president of Turn-Key Industrial Engineering Services, a consulting firm that has been serving the laundry, healthcare and hospitality industries for nearly 15 years. We are an industrial engineering firm that designs, builds, retrofits and improves the processes and profitability of laundry facilities throughout the world, using professional design, lean manufacturing and project management techniques.

As our name implies, we perform these services “turn-key,” which means we can deliver a multitude of services, including facility design, RFP development, project management, process improvement and Lean Six Sigma implementation. Our team of Lean Six Sigma-certified engineers and consultants have extensive experience in the industry, and have helped our clients save money, labor and increase throughput, often without the need for added expense or equipment.

As the fourth generation of my family in this industry, I have a lifetime of experience and more than two decades of professional work in laundries, starting with my tenure as vice president and, later, president of Consolidated Laundry Machinery Co. I worked in all aspects of CLM’s manufacturing, sales and marketing of laundry machinery, and helped our customers with specification, layout, upgrades and improvements to their plants.

I moved into industry advocacy and education as the director of Plant Operations, Customer Service and Information Technology for the Uniform and Textile Services Association (UTSA). The industry was under close scrutiny by OSHA, Congress and safety regulators at that time, and I led the effort to create an industry-wide health and safety program that reached more than 65,000 employees in more than 1,000 plants nationwide, produced an industry-specific safety training DVD, and created a stronger, more positive relationship with OSHA and Congress for the industry.

Following UTSA’s merger with TRSA, I spent more than three years as the chief operating officer at F-MATIC, where I helped lead the development of several new sanitary supply products and product lines, improved and diversified the company’s international supply chain, reduced operating expenses and increased revenues.

I am a two-time past chairman of the UTSA Plant Operations Committee, a former member of the board of directors of the Western Textile Services Association, a long-time instructor at the industry’s Production Management Institute (PMI) and Maintenance Management Institute (MMI), and a recent addition to the faculty of the American Laundry and Linen College (ALLC). I am also honored to be among an elite group of industry leaders to have been named to the Plant Operations Hall of Fame.

I hold a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, and live in Park City, Utah, with my wife and two daughters. I am an avid cyclist, skier, sailor and private pilot.

What challenged our clients in 2012 was the continuing difficult economy and the need to find ways to adapt. Laundries in all segments of our industry fought to increase productivity and safety, while dealing with ever-increasing costs of doing business, challenges from unions, and increased regulation. These challenges will no doubt continue in 2013 and beyond, and I expect my colleagues and I, both at Turn-Key and on the esteemed Panel of Experts, will increasingly be called upon to assist the industry with meeting them head-on.

Among Turn-Key’s accomplishments in 2012 were designing and breaking ground on a new healthcare laundry for a client in Florida, designing a new state-of-the-art hospitality laundry for a major international resort and entertainment firm, and helping numerous operators (both large and small) reap the financial and productivity benefits resulting from the implementation of process improvement and the application of Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

Commercial Laundry: Richard Warren, Linen King, Conway, Ark.

Richard WarrenI work for Linen King, which owns laundries in several states. We provide COG (customer-owned goods) service, as well as linen rental to hospitals. I am the general manager of the facility in Conway, Ark. I have been here since Linen King acquired the facility from my previous employer in 2007, and am honored they kept me. I have worked at this facility since 1994.

Upon high school graduation, I had no idea what to do. Some said I had no clue. The first real job I had was in a shirt laundry. They must have liked me, because I was promoted to washman. It seemed like wherever I went, there was always a laundry that needed help, and I was fortunate to be able to provide that for them.

I got involved with an industrial laundry and learned a lot during the years I was with them. My production experience started in an industrial laundry. For several years, I owned a small group of leather and fur cleaning stores. For many years now, I have been in the healthcare laundry service, both OPL and commercial.

From time to time, I talk to people about careers in laundry. It certainly doesn’t sound like a sexy career, but it is a good industry, and is generally more stable than many other industries. There are also many companies that supply our industry with textiles, machinery and chemistry, so being involved with a laundry can be rewarding.

Our workers really enjoy coming to work, and reducing the big pile of unfinished linen. An hour or so later, that pile is ironed, folded, and looks, feels and smells nice, with the workers ready for another load. Frankly, it takes a while to learn the rhythm, but when it starts to work, it is fun.

Tuesday: Introductions to representatives of the chemicals supply, equipment manufacturing and uniforms/workwear manufacturing sectors...

September 27, 2012
Hospitality Market Awaits NYC’s Annual ‘Show of Shows’

NEW YORK — Industry pros to witness latest products/services from 700-plus exhibitors

NEW YORK — Hospitality’s show of shows will take center stage here Nov. 10-13, drawing an estimated crowd of 25,000 industry professionals to witness the latest products and services from more than 700 exhibitors.

The 97th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) will deliver a special focus on hotel food-and-beverage operations, the latest technology solutions, and a new “Ask the Experts” consultation program.

THE MARKET

The only hospitality marketplace of its kind, the IHMRS will offer a diverse cross-section of products and services spanning every facet of the industry, including food and beverage, furnishings, technology, equipment, linens, amenities, tableware, cleaning and more. The industry’s most influential buyers from hotels, casinos, resorts, restaurants, purchasing companies, hospitality design firms, corporate and healthcare institutions and more will attend to source the latest products.

“The IHMRS prides itself on providing an efficient and productive visit for all attendees, through a carefully organized show floor of spaces dedicated to specific areas,” says show manager Lynn White. “The Hotel F&B Zone, Technology Innovation Center, The New York Marketplace, and i.Menu Expo, for example, will offer easy access to products and services for buyers seeking these types of solutions. With so much to see and experience, our ‘show of shows’ format makes for an exciting walk through the aisles.”

MARKET HIGHLIGHTS           

FCSI-The Americas “Ask the Experts” Consultations — The IHMRS has partnered with Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) – The Americas to offer free 30-minute consultations with attending foodservice professionals. A panel of FCSI consultants will be on hand to discuss personalized solutions for front-of-the-house, back-of-the-house and management advisory issues.

Among the consultants scheduled to attend, Clevenger Frable LaVallee, Ricca Newmark Design and Cini-Little International offer experience in laundry and linen services. A free consultation can be requested at ihmrs.com.

Hotel F&B Zone — Exhibitors within this area will feature such products as bar equipment, beer, wine and spirits, breakfast foods, buffet ware and catering accessories, cooking equipment, china, glassware and flatware, coffee and tea, menus, software and technology, specialty food and beverages, table linens and uniforms.

i.Menu Expo — The i.Menu Expo will keep restaurant owners and operators ahead of the fast-paced world of apps. Hosted in partnership with i.Business Magazine, the i.Menu Expo will showcase developers of iPad and Android tablet apps, accessory manufacturers and hardware vendors.

Technology Innovation Center — This space will educate attendees about today’s must-have restaurant and hotel software and Internet-based solutions. There will be kiosks where buyers can experience cutting-edge advances, including the latest cloud technology, point-of-sale software, innovative customer recognition systems, tools to track and manage online customer reviews, and more.

The New York Marketplace — The latest in foodservice equipment, design, supply trends, and food and beverage will take center stage with the return of this show within a show. The 2012 Marketplace will offer cooking demonstrations, food samplings, wine and beverage tastings, and more.

New Jersey Restaurant Association Foodservice Arena — This returning area attracts thousands of restaurateurs from across the country and features such product categories as beverages, equipment, packaging, and table linens, as well as services such as architecture, design, construction and culinary schools.

EDUCATION

Featuring such annual sessions as the CEO Leadership Panel and U.S. Lodging Industry Summit Panel, the Hospitality Leadership Forum will draw a crowd of nearly 500 senior-level hospitality managers on Nov. 10. The pre-show conference also will feature a keynote luncheon with Anthony Melchiorri of the Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible.

Following the keynote, breakout sessions will address such topics as B2B social media, reporting hotel carbon metrics, talent acquisition through social media, and allocating digital marketing resources.

Education continues on Nov. 11-12, with programs addressing ADA compliance, loss prevention, designing for the guest experience, guest satisfaction trends, and increasing top-line revenues.

BOUTIQUE DESIGN NEW YORK

Presenting an exhibit floor of 250 carefully edited suppliers of furniture, lighting, wall coverings, fabric, seating, accessories, artwork, carpet and flooring, materials, bath and spa, and tabletop, Boutique Design New York (BDNY) will once again co-locate with the IHMRS.

The Nov. 11-12 hospitality interiors fair will serve as inspiration for some 5,000 architects, purchasers and developers, in addition to owners and operators attending the IHMRS. An IHMRS attendee badge will allow entrance to BDNY.

REGISTRATION

Discounted advance registration for IHMRS and BDNY is available for $30 through Oct. 5, with the rate increasing to $50 after that date. Registration for either show offers admission to both markets.

Hospitality Leadership Forum registration is a separate fee of $139, which also includes admission to the IHMRS and BDNY.

Lodging, foodservice and design professionals can register online at ihmrs.com, where they can also review participating exhibitors, travel information and more.

July 31, 2012
Plant Design Primer (Part 1 of 2)

CHICAGO — Engineering, construction and consulting firms weigh in on design basics and more

CHICAGO — Your company is weighing its laundry services options, and pursuing a new plant is a possibility. So what should the average laundry manager know about plant design?

American Laundry News recently invited several engineering, construction and consulting firms with laundry services expertise to respond to some questions about this issue.

ALN: Is there a basic design template that will work for virtually any institutional, industrial or commercial laundry, or is each and every plant’s design unique?

DAVID BERNSTEIN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, TURN-KEY INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

All institutional, industrial and commercial laundries share certain common design elements (e.g. the need for washers, dryers, finishing equipment, etc.), but outside of those common elements, every laundry design is unique.

Laundry design is dictated by a wide variety of factors, including safety of production employees, the current and future product mix, throughput requirements, local regulatory constraints, and, of course, the budget.

There are certain situations in which a basic design template can be used successfully. Operators who have multiple plants processing essentially the same product mix have for years been successful at duplicating the basic design of a plant in other locations. In these situations, the engineering and design teams simply calculate the current and future production needs of the new facility, and scale the quantity of equipment and the associated building size to meet those needs.

BOB CORFIELD, PRESIDENT/CEO, LAUNDRY DESIGN GROUP, PHOENIX, ARIZ.

If all the business conditions are the same or similar, yes, there can be a general template for design. Large national companies work hard to achieve this by staying highly focused on certain markets. But as the mix of work, type of customers, physical space and growth requirements or restrictions are considered, each plant takes on its own personality.

ED KWASNICK, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, LAUNDRY DIVISION, ARCO/MURRAY NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CO., OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILL.

From 30,000 feet, the production flow and departmental functions for all laundry facilities are similar. They each receive soiled goods, sort the goods by classification, wash, dry, finish, store the goods for delivery, load the clean goods on vehicles, and deliver them to the customer. But that is where the similarities end.

Each laundry must be custom-designed to meet its unique needs based on these issues: type of goods (healthcare linen, hospitality linen, food and beverage linen, industrial garments, mats); rental vs. COG; manual vs. automated systems; single-shift vs. multiple-shift operation; high quality vs. high output; and project budget.

All of these factors must be carefully considered when developing a plant design, and the design must be customized to meet the needs of the operator and their customers.

GERARD O'NEILL, PRESIDENT/CEO, AMERICAN LAUNDRY SYSTEMS, HAVERHILL, MASS.

No, there is not a basic design template that will work for all. Every plant is unique and has different needs. The design will be based on the work load, type of work to be processed, space available, processing needs, future growth, hours of operation, available utilities, local codes/restrictions and, of course, available budget.

GLEN PHILLIPS, P.E., PRESIDENT AND SENIOR ASSOCIATE, PHILLIPS & ASSOCIATES, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

Phillips and Associates follows a step-by-step flow diagram for laundry design projects: 1) develop the total annual processing load by pieces and pounds, 2) determine the number of operating hours per week, 3) determine the hourly production requirements, 4) determine space requirements, 5) develop equipment needs, 6) develop labor staffing requirements, 7) develop space cost, 8) develop equipment costs, 9) develop labor costs, and 10) develop a complete financial package: total capital costs, total operating costs, and two years of cash flow.

ALN: What factors dictate just how much square footage a laundry requires?

CORFIELD

Again, it depends on the type of plant and whether or not it serves one customer (an in-house hotel or hospital) or outside customers, and is rental/pool linen or COG processing. If healthcare, do the end-users do bulk delivery, exchange cart, or a combination?

For healthcare, the best formula I have used successfully is 350-500 pounds per square foot, per single shift. So, a 14 million pound hospital plant would be about 38,000 square feet for production plus another 12-18% for employee spaces and offices (estimate 44,000 square feet). Space is also added for other processing types, such as operating room linen. You can project growth either through added processing (equipment) or more hours. Then adjust your building size requirements accordingly. Keep in mind that the best way to expand a building during design is sometimes up and not out to manage cost constraints for land or construction.

KWASNICK

They include the level of automation, type of equipment, the number of shifts per day, operating days per week, clear height inside the building (low height means you are forced to use carts to work in process and move items from department to department; carts require space for staging and travel), and type of laundry (healthcare vs. industrial vs. hospitality vs. mixed).

O'NEILL

Type of work to be processed, amount of growth that is estimated, hours of operation, and type of equipment that will be installed. The level of automation that any plant considers will also greatly influence the square footage needed. We at ALS believe in using the “cube” of any building. This cuts down drastically on the square footage needed to carry out the process.

PHILLIPS

Anyone who is involved with planning a laundry, whether it be in-house or a remote stand-alone facility, has to enter into the discovery process about all sorts of things. Among those discussion points are each of the items mentioned in my answer to the first question. Developing the total annual processing load and determining the operating hours per week and hourly production requirements must be done before attempting to determine space requirements. The driver to/of the entire process is development of the hourly production requirement. Once that number has been determined, everything beyond that point becomes self-evident.

BERNSTEIN

Unless a client already has an existing building in mind for their new facility, we believe that the right way to design a new laundry is from the inside out. In other words, understand and formulate the processes that will be involved in the operation of the new facility; understand the current and future equipment, staffing and infrastructure needs; and then design the building around these elements. In this way, we are able to minimize the amount of wasted space, while ensuring that we’ve designed a safe, productive, efficient and sustainable operation.

ALN: If an institution or business designing a laundry is eager to take advantage of the latest laborsaving and resource-conserving technologies, what might some of them be?

O’NEILL

Tunnel washer technology; high-speed thermal ironer systems with high-production feeders, folders and stackers; soil and clean monorail system (automated or hybrid systems); and smart conveyors will be some of them. The “steamless” concept is also one that should be closely looked at. Having been a big proponent for many years and having now built four steamless or “less-steam” plants, we feel that is a huge resource/energy conservation idea. The advent of wide presses has also had a large impact on the energy conservation ideas in our industry.

KWASNICK

Here’s a list of old tried-and-true technologies that continue to prove their worth: heat reclaimer, stack economizer, water reuse system, and water recycle system.

And here some of the newer technologies to consider: high-efficiency modular boilers, self-contained thermal ironers, wide ironers, new tunnel washer technology that uses less water (aka Milnor’s PulseFlow), RFID technology, production tracking systems, press-to-dryer rail system (provides additional buffer storage between the tunnel press and dryers, and allows you to use fewer dryers), automated bagging machines, and automated wrapping machines.

PHILLIPS

Without going into a lengthy, drawn-out discussion, some of the thoughts our firm delve into are:

1. What type of productivity does the owner want to achieve?

2. What is the owner’s desire in designing a new plant? Stated another way, what is the “hot button” desired by the owner?

3. If it is a reduction in linen losses, then discuss RFID. If it is a reduction in utilities, then discuss 80% water reduction. If it is to reduce the number of accidents, then discuss material-handling systems. Just about every conceivable idea becomes a discussion point and something to serve as a goal.

4. In this time of LEED, then discuss with the owners the power of conserving energy via the building envelope.

BERNSTEIN

Some of the most significant innovations in equipment over the past decade or so have come from Europe, where the cost of labor continues to skyrocket. Examples of laborsaving technologies include highly automated wash rooms, garment auto-sortation systems, load-on-rail soil sortation, RFID technology, and remote ironer feeding/queuing. As might be expected, an added benefit of using these technologies is an increase in employee health and safety, as well as increases in quality, accuracy and productivity.

Among gas-saving technologies are high-efficiency boilers, modular boiler systems, direct-fired hot water heaters, better extraction technologies to reduce the number of dryers and dry times, and the wide variety of heat reclamation technologies, including those that reuse heat from wastewater.

Another such technology, so-called “steamless” plants, is one that has gained a lot of attention over the past couple of years. The idea is to eliminate the need for steam, and therefore boilers, to heat water, ironers and other finishing equipment. When properly applied under the right circumstances, the energy savings can be striking.

Every wash room should be planned with an eye toward water reuse; this goes for conventional and tunnel washers. And don’t forget the fleet. There are a wide variety of energy-efficient vehicle technologies that should be considered, including EV, hybrid-electric, hydraulic-hybrid, diesel hybrid, and natural gas power plants, and composite or plastic bodied vehicles.

We should note one important caveat. Every situation is unique, and before a technology is applied or specified, we strongly recommend the performance of a cost-benefit analysis to ensure that there is a return for every investment. There is a wide range of technologies available, each with its own “gee whiz” and “coolness” factors, but what works in one operation may not necessarily meet the needs, requirements or vision of another.

CORFIELD

This would include any machine or system that reduces the number of “touches” required in packaging, finishing or transporting product. So, conveyors (belt or rail), pickers, auto strapping/wrapping, auto sorting, and stack transport systems are all high-value considerations.

Resource conservation should be a goal, but should not compromise production or quality. Wastewater heat recovery is essential, new high-efficiency dryers can use half the energy of old dryers, and if you have a tunnel, then upgrading your press is a great decision.

ALN: What effect does the type of goods that a laundry processes, or is going to process, have on the plant’s design?

KWASNICK

It has a tremendous effect on laundry design because it affects the type, size and location of equipment. Traditional linen products (e.g. tablecloths, napkins, sheets, pillowcases, etc.) are handled differently than industrial goods (e.g. uniforms, mats, shop towels, etc.). Soil processing for linen requires dedicated soil-count and soil-sort systems that are highly efficient at separating and counting linen pieces. This is typically not the case for industrial goods.

Linen plants can use tunnel washer technology with an extraction press, where industrial or mixed facilities with tunnel washers will typically use centrifugal extractors. Garments require steam tunnels and presses for finishing. However, linen is finished on an ironer or folded after drying. Flat goods are folded and placed in carts for storage and delivery. Garments are placed on hangers and placed on rails or trolleys for storage and delivery.

Large linen plants with tunnel washers and steam ironers require large boilers and mechanical rooms for those boiler systems. Plants that process only mats require hot water for washing, but no steam. Therefore, they don’t need boilers or traditional boiler rooms.

Healthcare plants also need to comply with new guidelines for soil/clean separation, airflow requirements, PPE requirements and other issues that non-healthcare plants do not need to address in their plant design.

Rental plants can process large batch sizes due to consolidation of like goods, while COG plants must process in smaller batches as they strive to keep customer products separated. Large vs. smaller batch sizes will determine the type and size of washroom equipment as well as flow through the finishing department.

As you can see, all of these issues have an impact on space, production flow, and plant design. And these examples barely scratch the surface.

BERNSTEIN

The type of goods being processed is an extremely important factor in determining the design and requirements of every new plant. Prior to putting pen to paper (or mouse to AutoCAD, as it were), there needs to be a detailed analysis of the products and associated volumes to be processed at start-up and at a future point in time. Every single classification, no matter how small the volume, needs to be included in this data-collection phase so that a laundry capacity analysis can be created and used to determine the new facility’s requirements for equipment, space, staffing and infrastructure.

CORFIELD

Healthcare plant vs. hotel plant design can be somewhat similar, with healthcare having 5-15 times more classifications to process. But healthcare is considerably more complex.

General linen (F&B, kitchen), industrial uniform, medical retail, and dust control all have elements that make their designs unique. All have a scale of volume for certain classes of linen or uniforms that makes sense for certain types of automation, washing or waste treatment. Each will also have specific compliance and regulatory issues that can impact design as well.

O’NEILL

Type of goods that a laundry process has everything to do with plant design. It dictates what kind of equipment is required, type of work flow, overall building height, amount of space required at the soil and clean sides, physical separation requirements, etc. For example, an F&B/mixed plant will need a lot more soil-sort classification compared to a hospitality/linen plant. A healthcare plant will need soil/clean separation while a linen or F&B plant will not.

PHILLIPS

Essentially that is one of the very first questions that must be discussed and resolved. If an end point cannot be reconciled on that point, then all other discussion points comes to a halt.

Tomorrow in Part 2: Renovation vs. building new; the biggest challenges; latest trends; and some final nuggets of wisdom

May 23, 2012
Flatwork Finishing Defines Hotel Quality

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Senior managers seek ways to differentiate properties

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — In the hospitality business, flatwork finishing truly communicates a level of quality, in both rooms and food-and-beverage services. Competition continues to be a central theme in operating a profitable hotel property. In that competitive environment, discerning customers look for flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi and linen quality in a well-dressed hotel room.

My consulting practice offers interaction with hotel operators of many different types of properties. From roadside family operations to chic boutique and full-service resorts, linen quality oftentimes defines the level of quality and service in the hospitality industry. The big divider is whether or not the bed and F&B linen is ironed.

Not unlike the hospitality business, laundry and linen service options have changed and then changed back over the last several decades. Older boutique properties often have little back-of-the-house square footage, and no room for an ironer. The 100% cotton bed linen of the day when these properties were originally built was likely sent out to a full-service commercial laundry. 

The pre-permanent press commercial laundries utilized a hand-fed “mangle” for flatwork finishing. Before the advent of spreader-feeders and appropriate safety devices, there was a reason why ironers were referred to as mangles. It is true but unsettling to recall the origins of the flatwork ironer nickname. Possibly by referring to the machine as a mangle, operators were reminded of the need to be careful when feeding the machine.

With the advent of wash-and-dry fabrics, much of the hospitality industry abandoned outside linen services in the 1970s. Although larger properties often featured a laundry room adjacent to housekeeping in a remote corner of the property, it would not be unusual for a small hotel to require the night clerk to also pull laundry duty with machines located in a room behind the front desk. On-premise wash and dry significantly reduced costs compared to commercial laundry services.

Competition, however, has a way of changing things. How about a pillow-top bed that requires a super king-sized sheet?  How about 400-thread-count, 100% cotton linen? How about duvet covers on all the beds?

Flatwork finishing in the hospitality industry is back. As competition continues to be strong, senior managers have sought ways to differentiate their properties in areas of quality. Linen quality and finish is now a major benchmark. Although many successful business-class properties continue to prosper with wash-and-fold operations, full-service and coveted four-star designations require quality that can only come from ironed bed and F&B linen.

Processing volume for high-end hospitality flatwork is currently divided between OPL operations and mostly local commercial laundries. Although laundry services are not their core businesses, many hotel operators prefer to operate on-premise operations, in order to better control quality and reduce inventory requirements.

The Wyndham Orlando Resort operates an OPL at this popular conference resort destination. Dave Falzarano, director of rooms, says that providing ironed rooms linen increases the cleanliness of the rooms. Wyndham also dresses every bed with duvet covers; duvets in all the rooms are a brand standard. “Our duvets are washed and ironed after every guest, improving the quality and cleanliness of the room,” Falzarano says.

Besides improving quality, Falzarano believes the in-house ironing line actually reduces processing costs. “The machine automation does the work faster and better than if we dried the flatwork in a dryer and folded by hand,” he explains. “Although the original equipment purchase was significant, over time, flatwork finishing automation yields higher revenue.”

In addition to controlling quality, the on-premise laundry can reduce the cost of inventory. Given the time required to transport and process goods off-site, the average property will need to increase its par level by 1.5 to meet a similar level of service. High-end rooms linen can run several hundred dollars per room set. The added cost of increased par linen inventory in a 500-room property can easily exceed $200,000 per year.

The advantage of a professional outside linen service is just that—it is professional. Many facilities have spent the big bucks to operate the latest in automation and energy-efficient equipment. It is extremely difficult for an on-premise laundry to compete with the economies of scale and level of competence provided by well-managed linen service suppliers.

The lowest cost for linen service can vary between OPL and linen service. Linen services have the added expense of transportation. Depending on your delivery requirements, these charges can be significant. Plus, everybody needs to make a profit.

Many professional linen service providers, however, are dramatically more efficient than most on-premise hospitality operators.

It is difficult for many hospitality operations to accurately determine their linen processing costs. True costs not only include direct utilities, chemicals, maintenance and direct labor, but also the costs for heat and air, supervision, insurance, and the value of an alternate use of the space.

Whether linen is processed on-premise or off-site, quality is a major indicator of the overall quality of any hotel property.

March 22, 2012
TRSA Hosts First in Series of Executive Roundtables

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — TRSA and Walt Disney World host roundtable discussions involving

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) last month hosted the first of six Executive Roundtables planned for 2012, providing members with benchmarking information designed to improve operations, performance, productivity and safety.

TRSA President Joseph Ricci says his association’s members are always looking for opportunities for innovation. “Differentiation with unique goods and services provide a niche for new market entry and the financial premiums associated with those opportunities,” he explains.

This gathering covered issues impacting the restaurant/food-and-beverage and hotel/lodging markets. A representative of Darden Restaurants—the world’s largest full-service restaurant company, including the Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse brands—took part in the roundtable discussion, promoting the exchange of information from customer to service provider.

Industry consultants from Pertl & Alexander led discussions on linen loss and replacement for hospitality and food-and-beverage (F&B) applications. Attendees were invited to tour three Walt Disney World laundries, each with a special application and purpose.

The Housekeeping Plant processes rooms linen and pool towels for the nearly 30,000 Disney World hotel guestrooms. It produces more clean linen than any other single laundry location in the world—nearly 120 million pounds annually. The 16-year-old facility operates seven tunnel washers (that are targeted for replacement) and an automated open-pocket cell. 

The emphasis on throughput production is clear, but not at the risk of sacrificing quality. Quality control is ongoing, including a station that randomly evaluates linen before shipment.

Bob Corfield, president of Laundry Design Group, appreciated the production and efficiency of the housekeeping plant, but was eager to see how Disney handled its considerable costume and uniform requirements.

After a short bus ride, the group toured the Costume Facility that processes 29,000 costumes and cast member uniforms every day. 

Curt Gray, chief administrative officer for AmeriPride Services in Minnetonka, Minn., says he felt more at home in the uniform plant environment. His goal was to better understand how a world-class organization like Walt Disney World integrates its service culture into the industrial laundry environment.

After going through the plants, Gray commented that the net result of what Disney accomplishes appears to be the sum of doing a lot of little things right.

The Costume Facility tours like a morph between a large drycleaning shop and a production industrial plant (it also processes all walk-off mats used in the theme park). Equipment includes four drycleaning machines, two wetclean washers, and an assortment of washer-extractors.

Terri Amey, Disney’s costume plant manager, attributes the production and quality to the plant’s “cast.” Average term of service among full-time employees there is 19.5 years.

Pablo Lucchesi of Crown Linen, Miami, was particularly interested in touring Disney’s Food and Beverage Plant, as F&B is a growth center for his company.

Disney’s F&B facility provides table linen for the 200 park restaurant outlets servicing 32 different color options.

F&B delivery drivers arrive at work at 2 a.m. Pickups and deliveries are made in the early-morning hours using lowboy trailers. They are equipped with ramps that eliminate lift-gate requirements, reducing delivery times and improving operator safety.

The next TRSA Executive Roundtable is scheduled for May and will involve operational and market issues specific to national textile services companies.

October 31, 2011
NYC Set to Host IHMRS

NEW YORK — North America’s leading hospitality industry event returns to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Nov. 12-15, presenting more than 700 exhibitors and drawing some 30,000 professionals to discover the latest products, make purchasing decisions, and conduct business.

Highlights of the 96th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) include the Hospitality Leadership Forum, return of Boutique Design New York (BDNY), debut of the Hotel F&B Zone, and launch of an iPad application area.

Products to Discover

Product discovery will prevail next month as suppliers representing every hospitality product category convene to showcase their latest innovations and services, including food and beverage, furnishings, equipment, linens, amenities, cleaning and more.

Supporting new products, resources and innovation, the IHMRS will roll out two new special focus areas this year. Attendees will discover new attention to food-and-beverage operations through the Hotel F&B Zone, and insight into the world of “apps” within a tech-savvy iPad application section.

“IHMRS 2011 is all about cultivating new business and offering inspiration, as industry professionals get their footing in a new economy and look to make smart purchasing decisions that will impact the bottom line,” says Lynn White, show manager. “There’s a new way of doing business, and IHMRS offers the products, resources and education to succeed.”

Hotel F&B Zone

The Hotel F&B Zone is an edited division of statement-making products for hotel, resort and casino food-and-beverage operations. Exhibitors within this area will feature such products as bar equipment; breakfast foods; cooking equipment; menus; software and technology; specialty food and beverages; and table linens and uniforms.

iPad Application Area

With new applications launching at a rapid pace, the IHMRS will offer an iPad application area for the first time this year.

Sponsored by Hospitality Upgrade magazine, visitors will experience a first-hand look at apps to assist both front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house operations, such as concierge, engineering, housekeeping, check-in, security and more.

Education

Technology Issues that Keep a GM Up at Night, Bells & Whistles for Your Marketing Mix, Hotel Green Pro-grams with Return on Investment, and Boutique Brands…Global Plans are among the topics to be addressed during the 2011 Hospitality Leadership Forum (HLF) on Saturday, Nov. 12.

A full-day conference for senior-level hospitality managers, the event also will feature the highly anticipated CEO Leadership Panel and U.S. Lodging Industry Summit Panel.

Education continues on Sunday, Nov. 13, and Monday, Nov. 14, with such programs as Upgrading After the Downturn: Maximizing Hotel F&B Renovations, Tiered Purchasing Strategies, and Missed Opportunities in Hotel Food-and-Beverage Operations. These programs are free with IHMRS registration.

A complete listing of educational programs is available at ihmrs.com.

Boutique Design New York

The event that brought hospitality design back to New York returns alongside the IHMRS Nov. 13-14, at Javits Center North.

BDNY will present 50% more exhibitors over its 2010 debut, with a carefully-edited selection of suppliers. Some 5,000 designers, architects, purchasers and developers, along with crossover attendance from the IHMRS, are expected.

Registration

Registration fees are $50, and registration for either show offers admission to both markets.

HLF registration is a separate fee of $139, which also includes admission to the IHMRS and BDNY.

Lodging, foodservice and design professionals can register at ihmrs.com or bdny.com, where they can also review participating exhibitors, travel information and more.

October 5, 2011
Swisher Hygiene Acquires Go! Hospitality Services

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Swisher Hygiene, a provider of essential hygiene and sanitation products and services, reports that it has acquired Go! Hospitality Services, a Georgia-based linen services company.

Go! Hospitality provides linen rental, supply and laundry services throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area and surrounding markets, primarily to customers in the food-and-beverage and hospitality industries.

Concurrent with the acquisition, the founder and president of Go! Hospitality, Michael Brosius, will join Swisher Hygiene and contribute to the continued growth of its linen services business.

“We continue to expand our presence in the linen services industry and the acquisition of Go! Hospitality is a key part of expanding our offering in the Southeast,” says Steven R. Berrard, CEO of Swisher Hygiene. “We are very pleased to be able to cross-sell a complete range of linen services to our existing customers in Georgia and the Carolinas while also being able to offer our hygiene products and services to Go! Hospitality’s growing customer base.”

Total consideration paid by Swisher Hygiene in connection with the acquisition includes $2.85 million in cash, the assumption of certain liabilities, the issuance of 170,940 shares of Swisher Hygiene common stock, and a promissory note that may be converted into common stock.

September 27, 2010
Annual Hospitality Exhibition Aims to Help Attendees Prep for Business in New Economy

NEW YORK — As the economy and hospitality industry shows steady signs of progress, this year’s edition of the International Hotel/Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) will serve the important role of informing and educating as the industry prepares for business in a new economy, says GLM, the show’s longtime management firm.

October 9, 2009
Quick ID, Treatment Vital to Remove Difficult Stains (Part 2 of 2)

“In your experience, what are or have been the most stubborn stains to remove? What tips can you offer those of us who must contend with these most difficult substances that find their way onto and into our textiles?”

Consulting: Tom Mara, Victor Kramer Co., Oceanport, N.J.

April 1, 2009
Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show Offers Free, Personalized Laundry Consulting Services

CHICAGO — Restaurant design is key to efficient operations, ambiance and, ultimately, the entire customer dining experience, says the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

At a time when everyone is closely watching their bottom line, hoteliers and restaurant operators who are planning to attend the NRA’s annual Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show next month have the exclusive opportunity to receive free, one-on-one design and management advisory consultation services from a leading expert.

March 4, 2009
Hotel Departments’ Partnership Thrives on Good Communication

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — While the laundry and housekeeping departments of a hotel have unique roles and face differing obstacles to perform their tasks, they share a primary goal: to make their guests feel comfortable and to encourage them to stay at the property again.

Good internal communication is integral to making that happen, advises Rafael Castro, textile services production manager for the Disneyland Resort in California. Castro was a guest speaker for the Association for Linen Management (ALM) during its national conference here.

January 7, 2009
Green Features, Products Headline Hospitality’s Annual NY Showcase

NEW YORK — As the lodging industry embraces the concept of sustainable operations, it’s not surprising that the 2008 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show’s (IH/M&RS) favorite color was green.

No matter where attendees of the November event turned, the theme dominated the scene: the keynote address, seminars, a special display and awards all promoted greener operations.

October 24, 2008
Hilton Americas-Houston Laundry Keeps Coming Up Big

HOUSTON — An on-premise laundry can sometimes be put in as an afterthought during a hotel’s construction, but when a planned hotel is to be connected to one of the biggest convention centers in the country, the OPL takes on added importance — and is given the opportunity to spread out a little.

The Hilton Americas-Houston laundry covers 17,000 square feet in the hotel’s basement, making it the largest in-house laundry in the Hilton family of hotels, according to Clifton Smith, the Houston hotel’s director of laundry.

October 17, 2008
Hospitality Trends: Luxury Bedding Packages, Push for Green Operations

Many laundry operators serving lodging customers, whether they are in-house or contract accounts, continue to see a proliferation of luxury textiles being used in guestrooms, food-and-beverage outlets, spas and elsewhere.

More generally, the trend toward embracing “green” operations continues to take hold among hotels and motels, with some lodging companies even introducing new, eco-friendly hotel brands to appeal to conservation-minded guests.

NO TRUCE IN ‘BED WARS’

September 1, 2008
Planning, Developing, and Executing a Successful Trade Show

CHICAGO — As a past member of the Clean Executive Committee and a member of the Society for Meeting Planners, not to mention an attendee of numerous industry events, I have seen our industry through a variety of trade shows. Here are some guidelines that should help you get the best value out of your trade show participation and planning. These pointers will help guarantee your professionalism no matter what industry segment you represent.

An AmericanLaundryNews.com Exclusive

November 15, 2007
IH/M&RS: Luxury Textiles at Center Stage in Hotel Branding

NEW YORK — Most laundry-related exhibitors at this week’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) reported light booth traffic amid a robust hospitality industry marketplace, one driven by aggressive construction and growth, Matt Alexander, an industry consultant, tells American Laundry News.

April 9, 2007
Black Gaming's Aim is to Wow Hotel Guests from Start to Finish

MESQUITE, Nev. — Randy Black owns three casino hotels in this growing resort destination 80 miles north of Las Vegas.

And it was his vision to develop a state-of-the-art laundry facility to process quality linen on-site for his hotel guests.

His goal: Wow them.

January 1, 2007
Meet Our 2007 Panel of Experts (Part 1 of 3)

HOTEL/MOTEL LAUNDERING: Neil MacDonald has managed the laundry at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club since the property opened in 1995. His other experience includes managing laundries at the Ihilani Resort & Spa on Oahu, the Westin Century Plaza Hotel and the Westin Kauai Resort.

January 19, 2006
Survey: Laundries Take on Variety of Tasks

CHICAGO — Laundries are called on to perform a wide variety of services, according to the results of this month's Wire survey.

As one might expect, virtually all respondents report their operations process linen or uniforms and load and/or distribute linen carts or uniform racks. From there, however, the types of services performed varied from one to another.