An AmericanLaundryNews.com Exclusive
Whether retrofitting or building new, facility projects bring with them many variables: ventilation, filtration, sorting, receiving, route management, worker safety, water conservation, process flow, sanitizing, laundering, extracting, folding, ironing, chemical management, labeling, delivery routes and carts.
Yes, carts. They’re often overlooked until long after project planning has been completed.
Whether your project is large or small, evaluating your process of operations will help identify areas for greater efficiencies. Utilizing carts effectively can improve organization and workflow.
How do you currently use carts, and what kinds do you use?
Do you wish you could redesign a cart to meet specific needs in a particular area?
Can you use carts differently to handle or move laundry in a specific area once instead of multiple times?
What types of carts are used for delivery? Can efficiencies on a route truck improve process flow when it comes back into the plant?
When you’re making process and facility changes or upgrades, it’s the perfect time to work with a cart manufacturer. Evaluate the flow from the back end of your operation to the front.
Loading and unloading route trucks can be simplified by making sure the loading dock area is as level as possible.
The cart washer should be placed near the dumping and sorting area to easily accommodate dirty carts. Workers should be able to bring clean carts back into service quickly.
Throughout the rest of the process, evaluate the cart’s functionality for each specific operation.
Making sure that carts are the proper size can improve how efficiently goods are moved from one function to another. Compare the overall height of the cart to the equipment being loaded or unloaded; the cart should fit slightly underneath the machine opening. Changing cart height while maintaining needed capacity can be accomplished by altering length and width.
Utilizing different-colored carts can help in identifying departments or specific functions. Cart colors can also be used for inventory control and plant identification.
Incorporating cart selection in the early stages of facility planning will offer improved efficiencies and workflow.For more information on plant construction, check out our series, Plant Construction: New Vs. Retrofit?
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].