Flexibility is vital

By purchasing an energy-efficient washer-extractor, laundries can demonstrate that they are using their budget effectively – significantly lowering the costs of natural gas, water and electricity. So it is important to assess this aspect of a machine before making the final purchasing decision.

In addition, a more freely programmable machine allows laundry managers to adjust wash processes as recommendations change and new fabrics are developed.

According to Girbau of Spain, providing a program to suit each classification and each soil level is vital for further savings.

Girbau’s Inteli control provides programs that regulate wash cycle parameters phase-by-phase to give significant savings in water, energy and chemicals. A selection of graphic icons exclusive to Girbau allows any operator to program the wash processes easily. The Inteli control system now features on the larger 6 Series machines – 25, 44, 63 and 122kg.

This autumn, Girbau launches more control applications and programming software for the 6 Series. The Logi Pro control represents a further option for laundries that need a higher degree of programming than that offered by the standard Logi control but that do not require the complex programming provided by the Inteli control.

John Balman, senior director of sales in Europe for Alliance Laundry Systems says that while there are certainly marketing benefits to being “green,” the potential cost reductions are the main motive driving energy and water savings.

He points out that the benefits of these savings are lost if the wash results are below standard.

“That’s why Alliance is focussed on maintaining high quality results, while giving laundry managers the tools to fine-tune water use.”

Controls such as Cygnus for Ipso, Quantum for Speed Queen and UniLinc for UniMac models give managers the ability to program the lowest water levels, while still obtaining good results.

Steve Hietpas, national sales manager for Maytag Commercial Laundry, agrees that as more and more owners grasp the importance of energy efficiency, the focus on energy and water savings is becoming more widespread. In his view, equipping on-premise laundries, such as those in hotels and hospitals, with energy- and water-efficient machines is a growing trend.

Hans-Peter Caderas, product manager at Schulthess in Switzerland, says that innovative laundry owners are increasingly seeking economically practical solutions to improve the energy efficiency of their equipment.

He says that laundries’ priorities are saving resources, recovering heat and water, reducing wash temperatures and increasing overall cost efficiency.

Gerda Gerschwiler, head of marketing at Jensen, says the group detects signs that hospitality demand is down, whilst industrial activity remains at slightly lower levels than normal. “We did see a demand for some washers and dryers in late 2009 and into 2010 because we had several accounts that had consolidated plants in different regions and therefore needed extra equipment to process the work,” she adds.

Water use has always been a concern for laundries but this has become an even greater consideration over the past few years because of cost.

She says: “The main energy cost is gas and everyone is looking to make savings, even if this means replacing older dryers.”

As laundries demand greater water and energy savings, so manufacturers like Jensen have responded. Heavy-duty washer extractors can be fully automated and controlled, says Gerschwiler, whilst process controls allow operators to determine water and chemical use based on the weight of goods being processed.

Lapauw’s Wim Demeyer agrees that customers are now far more aware of the importance of energy and water consumption. Lapauw recently installed a line of washer-extractors at the Prisma laundry in Belgium. This consisted of six, 60kg capacity Pullman-type washers with water recovery.

Demayer says that every Lapauw washer-extractor is ready to accept a water recovery system when it leaves the factory. The machines have an additional plug fitted to the drain and this is where the water recovery system is fitted.

A microprocessor sets the parameters for water recovery and controls the process.

Although Lapauw offers a complete stand-alone water recovery system, the company’s washers can easily be integrated into a central water recovery system, either at their the time of their installation or in the future.

Upgrade equipment

Balman at Alliance says that the efficiency of the group’s ranges has driven sales. He explains that while some customers are initially reluctant to upgrade, they often change their minds when the realise that the savings in water, energy and labour costs give a quick return on the investment.

Whilst he applauds laundry owners who are looking at how efficient equipment can lower costs Balman warns that buyers need to ask a lot of questions when it comes to efficiency. In his view, there are plenty of advertising claims being made related to water and energy conservation and some may be over-optimistic.

Hietpas at Maytag Commercial says laundry owners and consumers have a better understanding of how the products and services they buy and use impact the environment and are demanding more from their laundry equipment.

He adds: “In the housing industry it’s been said that if you’re not building green right now, you’re not building. The laundry industry is seeing a similar trend as on-premise laundry owners are looking for value, not just the lowest price.

Hietpas believes that customers now really understand the value of energy savings. Utility bills are not expected to fall and they account for a huge proportion of ongoing expenses.

“This is why equipping on-premises laundries with energy- and water-efficient machines is making such an impact.”

Maytag’s commercial laundry-testing lab helps the company stay ahead of industry technology and eco-friendly advances. “Continual testing also allows us to maintain and even raise the bar for cleaning performance, ensuring that eco-efficiency and excellent “cleanability” do not have to be mutually exclusive.”

Mehmet Karali, export manager at Turkish manufacturer Tolkar, notes there is growing demand from the hotel and hospitality sector, where people are upgrading older systems to expand their capacity. As one of Turkey’s largest manufacturers of laundry and textiles machinery and a company that has been in the sector for more than 30 years, Tolkar has also addressed the question of water resources. The company acquired another Turkish company, Smartex, in 2008. This marked the start of the development of the Miracle range of washer-extractors, which spans capacities from 60 – 500kg.

Tolkar/Smartex has designed its Eco Drum system to achieve water savings of up to 35%.

Washing takes place in a perforated inner drum, which is rotated, in another large volume cylindrical drum. Around 65-70% of the water is in the inner drum with the linens, while around 30-35% is trapped between outer and inner drums.

The Eco Drum allows the water outside the inner drum to be used for both washing and rinsing processes achieving water saving of 50%.

In addition, the Tolkar/Smartex PolyRib drum construction has several small “ribs” or beaters rather than three or four large ones.

The resulting mechanical action makes soil removal more efficient and also produces a shower effect so that the removed soil is washed away effectively.

David Grendysa, marketing manager at Primus, says his company is supplying more and more recycling tanks.

Grendysa says that anticipated legislative change is creating greater interest in hygienic barrier washer-extractors. The Primus Opti-load system is a significant feature in reducing the water use.

The Primus Opti-load system determines the weight of any given wash load. When used in conjunction with the company’s Graphitronic microprocessor, water levels, heater times and liquid detergent consumption are adjusted automatically.

The Opti-load system is also available as a retrofit kit for existing customers. Grendysa says savings of up to 35% can be achieved on water, energy and chemicals costs, depending on the model.

Opti-load is already available on the Primus MB range of hygienic washer-extractors (available in 16, 26, 33, 44, 66, 70, 90, 110, 140 and 180kg capacities) as well as the Primus FS soft-mount front-loading range (available in 22, 33, 40, 55 and 80kg capacities).

Grendysa reports growing interest in the 80kg soft-mounted washer. Trace-tech management software provides a record of each customer’s wash load to ensure conformity with hygienic standards. This data can be stored and recalled whenever necessary.

Operators are also informed if the machine cannot complete the required process.

Programming choice
Programming flexibility is vital to a quality laundry operation, says Alliance’s Balman. However, it’s up to each laundry manager to determine the level of flexibility necessary for their operation.

Alliance is committed to developing a wide range of flexible controls, says Balman. “We are also taking that a step further by ensuring the controls are not only easy to use but also simple to program. The need for versatile microprocessor controls cannot be overstated – linens that receive the best care last longer.

“When one considers the high cost of linen replacement, it is easy to justify the need for a high feature microprocessor control.”

Maytag’s Hietpas says it is very important for manufacturers to develop programs that take the guesswork out of laundry.

“Less guesswork for employees means fewer mistakes,” he says. Programs capable of determining soil level and the amount of chemicals necessary allow laundry operations to become more “hands-off,” and allow employees more time for other areas of the business, he adds.

Pellerin Milnor has expanded its line of 18 – 72kg (40 – 160lb) washer-extractors.

The V-Series offers high extraction rates and is particularly suitable for all-cotton goods.

The V-Series features ExactXtract high-speed extraction, which maximises moisture extraction up to 300G. This option measures the physical vibration of a washer-extractor in high-extract mode.

With this information, the machine will continue increasing extraction until 300G or a certain vibration threshold is reached. At this point, the model’s extraction speed will be locked-in.

This process, coupled with an efficient dryer design and superior basket area, reduces the energy needed in the drying cycle.

Other energy efficient features include larger perforations that allow superior high moisture extraction. Chemical flush and deep bath rinse shorten cycle times.

Stahl of Germany developed its range of Atoll washers and its Divimat hygiene washer-extractors to reduce water, energy and detergent consumption.

The Atoll range now consists of 12 sizes, with load capacities of 5.5, 7.7, 10, 12, 14, 19, 22, 35, 45, 60, 80 and 110kg.

The redesigned Atoll range features a “hydrodynamic water flooding system” which allows the machines to achieve the same wash-performance as before with less energy.

The pendulum overflow rinse also helps reduce water consumption considerably.

Stahl machines are controlled by the freely programmable microprocessor control unit FREEpro. This control unit was developed by Stahl and gives the operator a wide range of choices while at the same time it is extremely easy to operate.

The well-organized plain language display maximises the machine’s advantages by continuously updating the operator about the current state of the wash cycle.

The FREEpro also controls the liquid dosing system so that exactly the right amount of detergent and fabric conditioner is added at just the right time and overdosing is avoided. This control unit also ensures that linen is treated with great care as it allow almost all the parameters to be programmed individually. These adjustable parameters include wash revolution and spin revolution.

The Atoll range is therefore suitable for all types of textiles, from curtains, mixed fabrics, bed linen, and outerwear to heavily soiled mop heads.

Hans-Peter Caderas, product manager at Schulthess, says recent innovations, such as dirt and weight sensors, combined with freely programmable microprocessor control systems, including its ProfiClean programs, offer customers “superior laundry equipment designed to meet individual needs.”

The company has developed a series of disinfection programs designed to produce hygienically clean linen.

The programs were tested for their germ-killing effect by means of biomonitors, using detergents made by established manufacturers. Evaluation of the test results, carried out by Germany’s wfk Institute for Applied Research, could not detect any residual test germs.

Schulthess Maschinen has improved the temperature control of its washing machines“.

The company has also developed the ProfiClean programming system that groups programs in sets to target specific customer sectors.

These sets include applications for hotels, restaurants, canteens and catering companies,

old- people‘s homes and nursing homes, textile cleaners and industrial laundries and fire departments and rescue services.

“We are in daily contact with our customers and strive to continuously improve our processes and machines” says Caderas.