Consistency is the key

The modern on-premise laundry’s choice of ironer is influenced by the work being processed and the space available. Customer requirements may also vary considerably from sector to sector – healthcare, hospitality and commercial.

However, Peter Marsh, managing director at Girbau UK, says variations in customer demand are not so much about their sector as their production volumes, quality requirements and types of textiles.

“At Girbau we seek to provide the best ironer to meet the individual requirements, rather than grouping all customers in a particular market together. As well as considering the volume of laundry and quality of finish required, we look at factors such as running costs and space available in the laundry.”

Marsh adds that some customers produce low volumes and might only be handling man-made materials, while others need to be able handle several different types. “Girbau UK has a model to suit every requirement,” he says.

According to Armstrong Commercial Laundry Systems, the OPL laundry equipment market is in reality a number of different subsectors which do not necessarily behave in the same way. The long-term decline in seaside bed and breakfasts as air travel became more widespread, for example, has been balanced by the growth of high quality B&Bs in all kinds of locations.

The ageing population continues to grow and with it the demand for care homes and retirement apartments. Overall, says Armstrong, the OPL market is mature and very much a replacement market.

Malcolm Martin, product manager at Miele Professional says there has been a decrease in sales of larger ironers to large hotel chains as they are moving towards using easycare fabrics instead. “However within both the care home and independent hotel sectors, we have seen an increase in sales of smaller ironers as they look to minimise costs and time by replacing hand irons with rotary ironers.”

Martin says Miele entry level models, such as HM1683 and in particular the HM1680 with steam function, are popular with guesthouses and bed and breakfast operators.

Spencer Wallace at Danube UK says the market for OPL ironers is growing, with more businesses choosing to bring their laundry in-house rather than sending it away. “Despite the initial outlay, OPL costs are more controllable and quicker turnaround is possible,” he says. “Machines are by and large very reliable these days, so there’s less of a fear of downtime while the mechanic is called.”

Wallace says the need for greater efficiency has meant a wide range of products is available – from the smallest manual rotary ironer to the biggest automatic machine. Danube’s ironers are almost all single-user-operable and have been designed with lightweight textiles (cotton around a polyester core) in mind, and to counteract the fact that these fabrics travel through the ironer line at a greater speed. He adds: “Moisture sensing in the machine leads to automatic adjustment of the level of the shoe, the heat of the iron and the speed of the roller, providing the best ironing job possible for each material.”

For Armstrong, the key word is quality. The market, with its competitive pressures, demands an ever better quality of finish. This is determined by the standard and sophistication of the equipment and by the skills of the operators.

According to Electrolux Laundry Systems, the main requirement is the ability to produce the necessary standard consistently, and as easily as, possible. Staff turnover can be high and therefore the machine needs to do the work, not the operator.

Electrolux says its control systems allow programs to be selected and, if necessary, modified slightly so that the operator can achieve the result at the touch of a button.

The company says it works with customers to ensure they have a set process in place to make the process as easy and as economical as possible.

Peter Marsh at Girbau UK says customers require a high quality product, at lower cost of production. In the current economic climate customers are also looking for anything that saves energy. “Our patented Autospeed system maximises throughput, consistency of finish and offers significant energy savings over a standard ironer,” says Marsh.

High levels of automation reduce laundry overheads by decreasing labour costs and, combined with energy-saving features, provide a cost-effective solution without losing quality.

Malcolm Martin at Miele says that, increasingly, customers are looking at operational costs. “That is not limited to running costs but lifetime costs too, and these are influencing purchasing decisions. Miele’s flatwork ironers are designed, built and tested to last 20 years.”

Customers continue to request high-tech, high-spec products, big on features, but low on floor space and price, according to Spencer Wallace at Danube UK. “Danube is keen to explore this area of the market, with compact flatwork dryer ironers that offer the highest quality finish. Control of the machine is important to customers, although increasingly we are finding health and safety features and running costs to be important USPs.”

Electrolux lists several factors that need to be considered when choosing an OPL ironer. They include: available space, quantity and size of items, the style of presentation, available staff, access for installation and maintenance, and the sector in which the business operates.

Electrolux works with customers to determine their exact requirements.

In the care sector, bedding is single-size and is often polycotton. In nursing and dementia environments, bedding will be changed more often than in a residential care home.

In the hospitality sector, bedding is mostly double-size. The laundry may handle large tablecloths as well. Fabrics are likely to be cotton or linen.

The control systems on Electrolux equipment come with a wide range of pre-set programs but can be tailored according to individual requirements. Therefore, if there is a change in the type of material used, the settings can be adjusted to suit.

Electrolux electronic controls with their large display panel, guide the operator step by step. An indicator light lets the operator know if the humidity left in the linen after ironing exceeds 8%.

This ensures optimum dryness and hygiene, in compliance with Risk Analysis and Biocontamination Control (RABC) quality.

The control panels can also be networked via CMIS (Certus Management Information System). Both the ironing temperature and speed can be adjusted at any point.

With its Direct Ironer Advanced Moisture Management System (DIAMMS) Electrolux says operators can automatically control the ironer’s speed. It is never too slow or too fast, so guaranteeing the optimum productivity.

The Dubixium cylinder avoids loss of production due to overheating of the ironer’s sides. The patented thermal oil flow inside the cylinder ensures even heat distribution throughout the ironer length.

Armstrong Commercial Laundry Systems supplies and supports the Lapauw brand and Laco range, which was established by Lapauw in 1994, and the GMP range.

The Lapauw brand has a range of heavy duty ironers for commercial installations and the larger OPLs. This includes one-, two- and three-roll machines with diameters of 600, 800, 900, 1,200 and 1,800mm, all available in steam or gas versions. All Lapauw ironers incorporate the patented flexible chest which envelopes the roll over more than 185degrees to increase ironing surface and outputs.

The Laco range was established to provide high quality output to smaller installations. It begins with the Laco 300, which has a 300mm diameter roll, 1.40 or 1.80m wide, and is available as a straight-through ironer or a single-operator return-feed model. It maintains contact through 210degrees to deliver high-volume outputs and a very high standard of finish.

The Laco Comfort range of ironers has roll diameters of 500, 600, or 800mm and widths from 2-3m. Laco Comfort can deliver 200 finished sheets per hour with a single operator.

Standard Laco return feed ironers are heated by steam, electric or gas via an oil bath and a circulation pump. Roll diameters are 370, 500, 600 or 800mm with widths from 1.75 – 3m.

For smaller OPL installations, the GMP range delivers the required high quality results. GMP provides a range of electrically heated ironers for the smaller laundry with working widths of 1 –2m.

In addition to the focus on quality, OPL operators tend to consider output speed because this obviously affects productivity, says Armstrong. As a large part of the market has increased its use of polycottons, so have Lapauw ironers increased their output rates.

A significant development from Lapauw will be the Minifeed which enables a single operator to feed larger pieces.

At Girbau UK, two of its most recent developments are the patented Autospeed system and kinematic strap tensioning system. Peter Marsh says the Autospeed system adjusts ironing speed to suit material types and moisture levels, potentially reducing energy use and also saving time. The kinematic strap tensioning system ensures increased pressure without losing a gentle action on fabrics.

At Texcare Frankfurt, Girbau will launch its PSN80, the high performance gas flatwork ironer. “This can be configured in 3m, 3.3m or 3.5m widths and is modular from one-, two- or three-roll systems,” says Marsh.

Miele offers a choice of roller widths extending to 2m including both through-feed and return-feed models.

Its PM range offers a choice of gas and electrically heated models that can be fitted with return-feed modules.

Perforations in the outfeed table allow the passage of rising warm air. These thermal currents cool laundry on the outfeed table and fix the smooth finish in place.

The bulk of heat is released shortly after the infeed operation. On electrically heated models, this is where most heater elements are located. On gas models, dual-burner technology ensures rapid heat transfer at this point, giving optimum heat distribution and lowering energy consumption by more than 10%.

Up to 103.6kg of laundry can be ironed in one single hour, depending on the model.