CHICAGO — Tunnel washers have come a long way in the past decade, says Brennan Pollnow, Girbau Industrial’s national sales manager.
“The biggest shift is that they simply have smarter user interface and reporting; it’s cleaner and more efficient,” he says. “Everything from water flow to chemistry to mechanical action is more intentional now, and operators feel that difference every day.”
Tunnel systems were originally designed around batch sizes of 35 to 110 pounds, recalls Jim Shaw, vice president and national accounts sales manager for LAVATEC Laundry Technology Inc.
“In recent years, the batch capacities have doubled and increased to more than 250 pounds,” he says. “This modification has resulted in doubling production capabilities.”
“We have seen a clear shift in how tunnel washer performance is defined,” says Ed Kirejczyk, president of Sea-lion America Company. “The industry is no longer asking whether tunnel systems are efficient — they are. The question now is how to extract the next level of productivity from systems that are, in many respects, already highly optimized.
“Our recent engineering efforts have focused on this exact challenge. The result is not a single breakthrough, but a series of targeted enhancements across pressing, drying, controls, and maintenance systems. When combined with disciplined operational practices, these improvements deliver measurable gains in throughput, energy efficiency, and system reliability.
“Importantly, our approach has been grounded in a practical philosophy: efficiency must be achievable in real operating environments — not just under ideal conditions.”
Casey Lott, marketing director for Kannegiesser North America, says that tunnel washers today are built for better hygiene, greater flexibility, and far lower consumption than what was seen five to 10 years ago.
“Modern systems handle a wider textile mix while using a fraction of the water, energy, and chemistry older designs needed,” he says. “Batch-specific processing, tighter thermal control, and cleaner internal flow make today’s washers faster, smarter, and a lot more efficient.
“The direction is simple: the future is all about doing more with less, delivering strong wash results with greener, lower-impact operation that fits the new age of commercial laundry.”
IMPROVING TUNNEL OPERATION
Upgraded tunnel washers will only work better if laundry operators make optimal use of the machines.
“This is a major focus for us. We make sure our linen is staged and sequenced properly to get the most use out of the tunnel,” explains Antonio Casillas, general manager of Southern Oregon Linen Services in White City, Oregon. “Every operation is different, and since we are a single-tunnel plant, we have to be strategic in order to get the best overall results.
“Leads are constantly checking the linen sequence to keep the dryers full, but also making sure we are getting the greatest number of loads out per hour. If the sequencing is not correct, it will create bottlenecks and cause inefficiency.”
To improve tunnel washer usage, Pollnow recommends operators:
- Keep filters and probes clean — it prevents half the headaches.
- Use the data the tunnel gives you — it’s there for a reason.
- Don’t be afraid to tweak programs based on soil or linen type.
- Stay ahead on preventive maintenance instead of waiting for alarms.
“One of the most effective ways to improve tunnel washer performance is to look upstream — at sorting and pre-load handling,” points out Patrick Gittard, marketing manager at JENSEN USA. “A tunnel will only process what it is fed, so optimizing performance starts with consistent, accurate load sizes, which ultimately trace back to the sorting stage.
“Futurail’s AutoCalibrate on MultiSort bins is an excellent way to optimize tunnel washer production because it ensures accurate batch weight. Over time, scales can drift out of calibration, and even within a single day, factors like moisture and soil buildup can affect accuracy. AutoCalibrate allows operators to reset bins to zero at the touch of a button, providing immediate recalibration and ensuring precise, consistent batch weights.”
“While engineering improvements provide the tools, operational discipline determines the outcome,” says Kirejczyk. “In our experience, the largest efficiency gaps in tunnel washer systems are not mechanical — they are procedural.”
One of the most common inefficiencies he observes is insufficient classification of linen.
“Different textiles vary significantly in moisture retention, soil level and required mechanical action,” says Kirejczyk. “Treating all goods with a single generalized program leads to overprocessing in some cases and underprocessing in others. We strongly recommend developing dedicated programs for each linen classification.
“Operators who implement this level of detail typically achieve more consistent results than those relying on broader, simplified programming approaches.”
Consistent output requires consistent input, Kirejczyk points out. Before system startup, it is essential to verify that all utility conditions are within specification.
“Even well-designed systems will underperform if these inputs are not controlled,” he says. “In many cases, what appears to be an equipment issue is actually a variation in operating conditions.”
In high-volume laundry operations, unplanned downtime is one of the most significant threats to productivity, according to Kirejczyk.
“For this reason, we emphasize preventive maintenance not as a routine task, but as a core performance strategy,” he says. “Facilities that prioritize maintenance as part of their production strategy consistently outperform those that treat it as a secondary concern.”
When these engineering and operational improvements are applied together, the results are measurable and significant in tunnel operations, Kirejczyk says.
“While individual improvements may appear incremental, their combined effect often results in double-digit gains in overall plant efficiency,” he says.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tunnel washers have reached a high level of maturity as stand-alone machines, shares Kirejczyk. The next phase of advancement is being driven by system-level optimization — how effectively each component works together, and how consistently the system is operated.
“Our focus is on delivering engineering solutions that perform not only in controlled demonstrations, but in the variability of real-world laundry environments,” he says. “The future of tunnel washer efficiency will be defined not just by design innovation, but by how effectively that design translates into consistent, repeatable performance on the plant floor.
“Operators who prioritize practical performance, system balance, and operational discipline will continue to achieve meaningful gains — even in optimized facilities.”
“Tunnel washers are entering a new phase built on automation, smarter batching and data-driven decisions that push production forward,” says Lott. “Software is getting smarter, too, learning from the data laundries generate every day and turning that information into better, faster wash decisions. With automated sorting identifying items, balancing batch weights, and reducing the workload on the sort deck, the entire production line becomes quicker and more consistent.
“The direction is clear, faster, smarter, greener, with systems that adjust in real time and make the whole laundry ecosystem run sharper than ever.”
“We are impressed with our true 90-second transfers and still have quality linen as the end result,” says Casillas. “The numbers behind this are truly impressive. The infrared dryer system complements the tunnel perfectly to ensure it keeps moving all day, every day.”
“Between better mechanical action, smarter water use and tighter controls, tunnels today process more linen, more consistently, at a lower cost per pound,” shares Pollnow. “Incidents of rewashing drops, throughput increases, and the whole system is more stable.
“The next wave of tunnels will produce smarter controls, more automation, and improved predictive maintenance with AI-assisted adjustments, deeper reporting, and even better water/energy recovery.”
He concludes, “The direction is clear: cleaner linen, lower costs and less operator effort.”
Click HERE for part 1 about tunnel washer enhancements in design, mechanical action and water/energy usage.
Click HERE for part 2 about upgrades in tunnel washer chemistry, controls, maintenance and footprint.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
