TULSA, Okla. — The Clean Show is coming up. We will all be wowed by the awesome machinery that will be displayed. The challenge for anyone who purchases new machines is how to make them work as well in your facility as they did on the show floor.
I have a few suggestions to make it a little easier to accomplish this task.
No matter how much confidence you have in your maintenance team, have the new machine started up by the manufacturer.
Your staff shouldn’t have to learn anything about your new machine on their own. A representative from the manufacturer can set it up and fine-tune it for you. I know it is an added expense, but it’s worth every penny. The installer should go over all maintenance protocols with your team.
When the installer leaves, your entire maintenance staff should know how to properly perform the preventive maintenance schedule. If you are looking at a machine that does not offer that type of service, I would rethink the purchase.
Laundry machinery is a huge investment, so you want to purchase it from a company that will be there 20 years from now. If they can’t support it in the beginning, they sure won’t support it in 20 years.
It is good to hire an electrician to wire up your new machine. They can make sure you are pulling the electrical from the best location of your power distribution area without overloading any area. The electrician should make sure the proper size of wiring is run and the electrical breaker is properly marked.
Modern folders need proper air to run effectively. Take a good look at the location you plan on pulling air for your new machine. It is easy to just install your new air connection to the closest location. Suddenly you realize you have multiple machines pulling from the same half-inch air line, when they each need a half inch of air.
I know machines have low-pressure air alarms; however, the consistent folds leave long before the alarm alerts you to low air.
Put some thought into where you place your new machine. Improperly placed folders can create a job faster than they eliminate them. I have seen plants install machines and then create a job getting the linen to and from their new super machine. It happens more than you think.
The purpose of purchasing new machinery is to improve quality and increase production. Make sure you place your machine in an area that can handle the increased linen movement.
If you have a rail system, make sure you can store enough bags to keep your production line moving. It doesn’t speed up the system if the operator must stop because they overran the discharge conveyor or ran out of product.
Have the installer run any item that you might possibly run on your new machine, even if you do not currently fold a particular item. As said before, production should improve, which may allow for other product lines to be run on this machine.
I always hate it when we decide a month after the installation to run a new product line. We just had someone in the building who could have properly set up the new machine for that product. Take advantage of their knowledge while they are in your facility.
I think the most important advice that I can give for purchasing a new folder is that when the installer leaves your facility, the machine will produce perfect folds. If the folds ever change, that means something has changed. Either a belt is slipping, or an air valve is sticking or gone bad. But the adjustment did not change.
Make sure your techs look for the cause of the change before they make any fold adjustments. Improper diagnosis of a fold problem can lead to bad folds going forward.
When your installer leaves, they should leave a copy of all the fold settings. This will come in handy if someone gets a little carried away with adjustments later.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
