Equipment Manufacturing: Brennan Pollnow, Girbau Industrial, Oshkosh, Wis.
As someone who sells equipment for industrial laundries, my job has always been to help customers build efficient, reliable systems — from washers and dryers to conveyors and finishing lines.
But over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that machinery alone isn’t enough. The real edge in this industry now comes from information and that’s where RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology is changing the game.
While I don’t sell RFID myself, I work hand-in-hand with RFID providers because it’s what’s best for the customer. When the equipment and the tracking technology work together, the results are undeniable.
Here’s how RFID is transforming industrial laundry operations and why it matters for both sides of the business.
1. Know Exactly What Came In
With RFID, laundries can scan entire carts or bags of soiled linen and uniforms in seconds. No more hand counts or assumptions — facilities know exactly what was received from each customer.
This transparency not only prevents disputes, but it also allows for better planning and staffing inside the plant.
2. Customers Know What They Got Back
On the flip side, customers benefit from knowing exactly what was returned to them. Every item is traceable, which builds trust and accountability.
If a hotel, hospital or garment customer ever questions what they got back, the data speaks for itself.
3. Bill Accurately for Lost Items
Historically, lost linen created a headache — hard to prove and harder to bill for. With RFID, every piece of inventory is tracked from pickup to delivery. If an item goes missing, the system knows when it was last scanned and where.
Instead of relying on human counts or customer memory, billing for lost items becomes data-driven and defensible.
4. Track Garments and Linen Through Their Life Cycle
One of the biggest advantages of RFID is the ability to follow each garment or linen item throughout its life. How many washes has it been through? When was it issued? Is it nearing retirement?
This kind of tracking allows laundries to plan replacements, avoid overuse and provide better service — all while optimizing inventory investments.
5. Do On-Site Inventory in Minutes
Need to take a physical inventory at a customer’s site? With RFID, it’s as easy as walking through their storage with a handheld scanner. You can instantly know what’s on their shelf without unpacking or counting.
That’s a game-changer for route drivers, service reps and account managers.
6. Enable Smarter Automation and Seamless Integration
RFID doesn’t just track — it enables smarter automation across the laundry floor. Tagged items can be automatically classified by type, customer or processing needs the moment they enter the plant. This data can then feed directly into automated sorting and picking systems, allowing for hands-free movement of goods through finishing lines, folding stations and packing areas.
With most modern automation systems designed to interface with RFID software, the result is greater speed, accuracy and labor efficiency.
Why Collaboration Matters
I may not wear the RFID hat, but I make sure I’m in the room when it comes to system design. Why? When RFID is considered from the start — whether it’s tunnel readers over conveyors or wand access at customer sites — it integrates smoothly with the equipment we provide. And that means a better outcome for everyone.
At the end of the day, our shared goal is simple: make our customers’ operations smarter, faster and more accurate. That takes collaboration, not competition. And in my experience, when equipment and RFID teams work together, laundry operations move from reactive to proactive — and from good to exceptional.
Consulting Services: Matthew Alexander, Pertl & Alexander LLC, Manlius, N.Y.
Explaining the benefits for an industrial laundry to use RFID requires identifying the specific aspect of the supply chain that would benefit from it.
For example, hospitals may experience significant reduction in linen replacement cost with the use of automated scrub- and linen-dispensing equipment while an industrial laundry with automatic sorting equipment would realize a reduction in sorting labor, and a rental linen or uniform supplier may benefit from more efficient inventory management and revenue from loss charges.
The financial benefit of RFID is typically a reduction in labor resulting from RFID-facilitated automatic sorting systems or reduced linen inventory and losses resulting from more effective and efficient inventory management and loss accounting.
For some organizations, there is a less tangible benefit of customers having greater confidence and, in turn, less resistance to paying for linen losses when they are supported by time-stamped scans showing the product was delivered and not returned.
When labor savings is the driving factor for considering RFID, the return-on-investment (ROI) period is typically the determining factor.
In laundry production, the labor savings attributed to RFID-enabled sorting systems will be a factor of the number of items sorted per labor hour whereas the savings of an automated garment-distribution system at a customer location will be the number of attendants no longer required during specified hours to manually distribute garments.
To demonstrate the value of RFID in terms of labor savings, determine the task, estimate the labor and benefits to complete the task manually, and with RFID, divide the cost of purchasing and implementing the technology by the annual labor savings to present an ROI.
Because laundry operators typically have a good understanding of production standards and in-turn labor requirements for sorting manually, they can forecast labor savings based on the production capacity of alternative automated systems. Forecasting savings in the reduction of losses and reduced inventory requirements resulting from more effective inventory management requires a more comprehensive analysis of current replacement cost, clean-to-soiled ratios, and site conditions and comparison to other similar organizations.
Linen supply and laundry consulting firms often have valuable comparable information relative to losses and replacement cost and can provide valuable data and guidance.
When application of RFID has the potential to benefit both a laundry and its customers, there may be an opportunity to get the customer to buy into investing in the technology.
For example, automated scrub-dispensing equipment in hospitals often results in significant reduction in scrub losses. In such a scenario, the customer may be included and invest in the dispensing equipment if the laundry paid to have the inventory chipped.
Similarly, a casino or hotel customer may be inclined to pay to have automated garment-distribution systems installed if the laundry company provided and applied the chips.
Once the inventory is chipped for whatever reason, it facilitates the potential of benefit from RFID in other areas. For example, if the linen inventory was chipped for automatic distribution at customer locations, it would facilitate the implementation of automated sorting systems in the laundry.
Check back tomorrow to read thoughts on the topic from experts in linen and chemicals supply.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
