BATON ROUGE, La. — UniFirst Corp. hosted a grand opening for its new state-of-the-art commercial laundry plant here on Thursday, the company reports.
The nearly 65,000-square-foot facility officially began operations on May 15, initially creating 35 jobs, with an expected number of employees to be closer to 75, according to the company.
“Our Baton Rouge location is a true showpiece for our company,” says Ron Croatti, president and CEO of UniFirst. “The facility allows UniFirst to demonstrate the latest high-tech processing systems that are among the most modern and efficient within the textile services industry. It will also enable us to consistently deliver the highest-quality services and products possible to area business customers.”
The company says technology automatically controls all garments and processes throughout the facility.
A software-controlled sling system feeds automated washers from overhead; garments are transferred from washers, to the dryers and to other processing spaces by preprogrammed controls; the newest versions of tunnel finishers allow hygienically cleaned garments to be processed from wet to wrinkle-free dry; and all workwear is automatically sorted and prepared for shipping to customers at up to 4,000 pieces per hour via a proprietary sorting system.
The company also says the new facility is more efficient. UniFirst says its proprietary water treatment systems allow the reuse of approximately 20% of process water. The facility also supports greater energy efficiency through heat reclaiming equipment, contemporary warehouse lighting, modern rooftop HVAC units and more.
UniFirst says all cleaning formulas are 100% environmentally friendly, and that natural light throughout the plant offers a positive employee boost to the workday.
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