Linen Supply: Dyan Troxel, HandCraft Linen Services, Richmond, Va.
One effective way for laundries and suppliers to forecast linen demand is by analyzing historical data to uncover seasonal patterns.
This begins with reviewing several years of usage data to pinpoint periods of high and low demand. From there, seasonal fluctuations need to be separated from long‑term trends.
Because forecasting is an ongoing process, it requires regular updates rather than a one‑time review. New customers, market shifts and logistical changes should all be factored in to ensure you have the most accurate picture of future needs.
For example, historical data may show a predictable increase in demand for mammography gowns each October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Proactively preparing for this spike demonstrates to customers that you understand their needs and are ready to support them in real time.
Another valuable forecasting strategy is sharing seasonal demand insights with suppliers, transportation teams and customers. When everyone is aware of expected fluctuations, you can secure additional seasonal capacity ahead of time and better prepare for unexpected challenges such as supply shortages or weather‑related delays.
Customer polling can also reveal when demand may drop, such as during decreases in elective surgeries or facility closures for holidays, allowing you to adjust inventory accordingly.
Sending a brief survey before a holiday is an example of a simple but effective way to collaborate with customers. Understanding how their linen needs will change enables you to adjust inventory levels and transportation routes. It also helps reduce linen loss by preventing excess, unused inventory from sitting idle at a facility.
Ultimately, forecasting linen demand is only valuable when it leads to meaningful action, such as:
- Increasing safety stock for seasonal bestsellers
- Reducing inventory for offseason items
- Adjusting production and transportation schedules
Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Steve Berg, Encompass Group LLC, Pelican Rapids, Minn.
One of the first, and easiest, suggestions would be to look back on historical ordering data and mimic that pattern. This gives us an idea of accuracy, but is it true? It’s easy to look back to see what was ordered during a particular time, but can you also see if your forecasts were accurate?
Linen management software and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology will certainly help this historical data be more accurate, and I encourage its use. Conducting timely inventories (more than once a year) will also help provide accurate forecasts.
One question to ask is what our definition of “seasonal” is. When I received the question and was asked to comment, the first thing that popped into my mind was blankets and spreads. It’s definitely winter here in northern Minnesota, and I was guilty of tying the word seasonal to the time of the year.
In my market specialty, which is healthcare, linen demand follows patient activity more than the season on the calendar. Using patient days’ historical information is one method to predict what linen demand is going to be. Events such as flu season, post-holiday surgeries, end-of-year insurance deductibles, maternity, and respiratory illness all provide historical spikes that can be predicted somewhat accurately. Building forecasts in pounds or pieces per patient day, then multiplying these forecasts by expected or historical patient-day information, can be helpful.
Suppliers can also be a valued resource. Most have historical benchmarks set across a wide view of the industry. These benchmarks can be a guideline to use in forecasting.
Additionally, if you are trying to put together key drivers that will help forecast accurately, it’s natural that other departments within your organization are as well. Seek out and share information with other leaders in your organization.
For example, staffing comes to mind. Staffing patterns need to mimic patient activity. Perhaps collaborating with the staffing department will provide information you both can use to forecast better.
Chemicals Supply: David Dotzauer, Ecolab, Eagan, Minn.
Seasonal fluctuations, whether driven by holidays, tourism peaks, or healthcare surges, can pose a significant challenge for commercial laundries and suppliers. Accurate forecasting is essential to maintain service levels without overstocking or creating operational bottlenecks.
While Ecolab primarily supplies chemistry and process solutions rather than linens, our close collaboration with commercial and on-premises laundries provides valuable insight into strategies that support better demand planning.
A good starting point is to leverage data and predictive analytics. Historical usage patterns, expected occupancy rates and future event information should all be considered in forecasting. Advanced analytics tools can help laundries and suppliers model demand curves more accurately, reducing guesswork and enabling proactive adjustments.
Forecasting shouldn’t happen in isolation. Collaboration between laundries, linen suppliers and chemical partners ensures alignment on anticipated volume changes. If commercial laundries communicate when they expect a spike in demand, linen and chemical suppliers can adjust inventory and delivery schedules to prevent delays and help ensure linen supply and wash quality is maintained during peak periods.
Even with strong forecasting, unexpected spikes happen. There were unprecedented supply challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic that put a massive strain on linen suppliers and commercial laundries. One way to help handle these unexpected surges is through proper chemistry and process control. Laundries that optimize wash formulas and machine loading to minimize rewash rates and extend linen life are better equipped to handle seasonal fluctuations without the need for excessive inventory.
Beyond forecasting, laundries should develop contingency plans for staffing, machine capacity and supply-chain flexibility. Modeling “what-if” scenarios for peak periods will help them respond more quickly and cost-effectively when demand is higher than expected.
Ultimately, navigating seasonal fluctuations in demand is about leveraging data to make accurate forecasts while also building agility into laundry operations.
Click HERE to read part 1, with advice from textiles and commercial laundry experts.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
