DERRY, N.H. — American Laundry Systems (ALS), based here, recently completely its 100th new laundry facility or retrofit/build out.
ALS, which is turning 25 this year, says it handed over a completely renovated “space-age, industry-leading and one-of-a-kind” healthcare laundry facility to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) management team on April 5.
“To all of those wonderful partners who worked days, nights, weekends, holidays and did whatever it took to make this 60,000-square-foot plant one of the most technologically advanced healthcare laundry facilities in North America, if not the world, I want to say thank you for your help,” shares Gerard O’ Neill, president and CEO of American Laundry Systems, who also acted as project manager and prime consultant. “You should all be proud and stand tall with this accomplishment.”
He went on to express thanks to Deborah Laursen, owner of Lark-Laursen Consulting; John McCreary, owners representative, CCF; Gerald Knotek, senior director of patient services, CCF; and Ralph Turner, executive Director, CCF. O’Neill also shares gratitude toward equipment providers Kannegiesser ETECH, Automation Dynamics, Kemco, Spindle, Leonard Automatics, and R.W. Martin, plus Evergreen Management, Elford General Contractors, and the many local sub-contractors that worked on the project.
“I am very proud of our team here in Cleveland, and I cannot say enough about the co-operative efforts from all involved,” adds O'Neill. “It takes a lot to bring a plant like this online and keep the facility running at the same time”
The retrofitted facility is capable of processing 30 million pounds per year, according to ALS. The company adds that special attention was given to providing the best laundry technology while adhering to the stringent regulations of CCF in-house standards and adherence to Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) standards, TRSA’s Hygienically Clean standards, The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The amount of duplication, alternate utility services, backup systems, IT systems, remote access log-in capabilities, building management systems, security systems, 100% air-conditioned environment and a 90-plus% level of automation on the equipment side sets this plant on a pedestal over and above the vast majority of the other plants in North America, if not the world,” says O’Neill. “This is a plant that you ‘dream about building,’ and this is just Phase 1. Phase 2 starts in the summer of 2019 when, at the end of this phase, another 20-plus million pounds per year will come on board.”
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