Material solutions (web special)

Making textiles last longer

4 May 2011



As the cost of buying linen rises, launderers need to ensure that the target number of life-cycles is being met to minimise the impact of extra costs on profitability. Ian Harris explains


The steep increase in cotton prices is having a significant impact on textile rental laundries’ budgets and therefore on profitability.

Increasingly buyers are turning to blended fabrics with a lower cotton content but soaring oil prices are eroding the cost advantage of synthetic fibres such as polyester, a petro-chemical derivative.

So it is increasingly important that launderers look at in-house practices to see how they can extend the textiles’ life.

Unfortunately, many launderers have only a vague idea of how long textiles are lasting on average, once they have gone into circulation. As circulating stock runs low, it is topped up and nobody asks how long linen has lasted or whether the shortage is due to theft, abuse or old-age.

To get good idea of the average number of cycles to failure being achieved, compare the number of items “sold” over a given period with the amount of stock needed just to maintain levels over that time.

For example, if a rental laundry processes and delivers 250,000 sheets over a six month period but also adds 2,000 sheets to maintain levels then the average number of cycles to failure is 250,000 divided by 2,000 = 125.

Obviously numbers will need adjustment if the extra stock is for new customers but the principle can be applied to each classification. The laundry will then know which classifications are the most severely affected and can take steps where the number of cycles to failure is unusually low.

To understand the financial impact of an unusually short life-cycle, consider this calculation.

If a bath towel costs £6.50 to buy and the target number of cycles to failure is 150, then over its life the towel’s cost depreciates by 4.3p with each wash.

If that towel then only lasts 90 cycles, then the towel’s value has depreciated by 7.2p per wash – or by 2.9p more than it should.

Therefore if the laundry is generating income at 30p per piece and operating with a target 15% profit margin, the notional profit per item is 4.5p – but if the number of cycles to failure has reduced, the profit is only 1.6p per item, which equals a 5.3% drop in profit margin.

So it is essential that the laundry sets a target number of cycles to failure for each classification and knows the actual number being achieved. It must then make reaching the target consistently a key objective.

The next step is to identify all the causes for any reduction in the number of cycles to failure.The laundry must then systematically examine each cause and implement the systems and procedures needed to eliminate or minimise the effect.

The first step is to look at what happens to the textiles in the laundry and identify factors that could contribute to a reduction in life expectancy. I suggest starting by looking at the re-wash and at the condemned textile store. Examination of the condemned stock will provide a good barometer for identifying possible reasons for condemning stock before it has reached its life-cycle target. Managers can then decide whether textiles are being condemned due to problems in the laundry, which could include.


  • poor wash process controls;
  • over-bleaching;
  • rips and tears caused by entrapment in machinery;
  • washroom "mud” where the fabric has been dropped on the floor
  • fabric greying.

Laundries also need to consider whether linen is being condemned prematurely because it has been abused by customers.

Examples of abused linen could include:

  • pieces with ingrained and excessive soiling;
  • linen with cuts;
  • linen that has been used for unsuitable tasks – towels used for cleaning ceramics treated with strong acid descaler;
  • towels that have faded due to contact with hair bleaches;
  • Linen that has been burnt on an oven.

Once the causes have been identified, be they laundry problems or misuse by the customer, the laundry can take steps to eliminate or minimise them.

However, the laundry can go even further and look at what it can do to eliminate the risk of linen being condemned unnecessarily. In effect, this means doing a risk assessment on each laundry section.

Transport

Examine the trolleys, cages and bags that are used to transport both clean and soiled textiles. This check should include those used on the van, within the customer’s premises and within the laundry. Look for sharp corners, broken cage restraints, holes in bags and other problems that could lead to snags and tears.

Look at how the trolleys are packed and secured as problems here could also increase the risk of unnecessary damage. For example are the trolleys packed in such a way that corners could drag on the floor? Corners that drag could either become trapped under the trolley wheels so that they rip and tear or become soiled with mud or concrete as the trolley is pushed over roads and pathways.

The answer to such problems during transport is to train staff to report damaged trolleys and bags and take them out of use so they can be repaired or replaced.

Staff also need to be trained to check that all trolleys and bags are packed correctly to avoid trailing edges that could be soiled or damaged.

Sorting room

Staff must be trained to avoid classifying errors to minimise re-wash. For example, pillow slips should not be classified with towels or they will be dried fully in the tumbler and have to be re-washed before they can be finished correctly on the ironer.

Sorting staff must also check that any debris bundled in with soiled textiles is removed and thrown away. ?If a coloured paper napkin is left in a load of white table cloths it will colour the whole load.

Knives and forks left in the load will not only risk damaging the linen but can also cause severe damage to membrane press diaphragms.

Any items that have been abused by the customer must be separated out and given to management so that the customer can be identified and if necessary charged for repair or replacement.

Any sharp corners, edges that could entrap, snag and tear the soiled textiles should be reported so they can be repaired.

Staff should also check that loads are the correct weight for the washers that will be used.

Over-loading tunnel washers can lead to blockages resulting in both lost production and in textiles being cut to clear the blockage.

Under-loading not only increases processing costs and reduces productivity but also increases the mechanical action during the wash process, leading to more damage to the items being washed.

Washroom

Are the correct processes being used?

Are the bleaching levels and temperatures at which bleaches are being used correct?

Are the items being bleached stained with soiling that responds to bleach? There is no point in bleaching items soiled with mineral oil as bleach has no effect on this.

Similarly, sheets and pillow slips will not need bleaching routinely as these will seldom be stained with tea, coffee, wine or other marks that respond to this treatment.

However, chefs' clothing is highly likely to have stains that will always require bleach.

Check that the washroom floor is washed and swept regularly so that any items dropped on the floor are not stained with washroom mud, which is almost impossible to remove.

Tumbler area

Ensure that all the tumblers are operating efficiently and achieving the target moisture evaporation rates.

Check that cycle times are correct so that the textiles are not over-dried. Remember, the tumble drier is the single greatest source of damage to textiles – just take a look at the lint screen to see just how much loose fibre accumulates.

Ironer line

Larger items such as sheets and duvets are often introduced to the ironer line by automatic feeders. There should be a dedicated “clean area” in front of the feeder so that as the pieces trail on the floor while being clipped to the feeder they are not soiled by the floor or by operators treading on the trailing ends.

Operators should be supplied with disposable over-shoes so that if they step onto the sheet or duvet cover, they do not transfer dirt from the soles of their shoes.

Is the torque on the feeding clips correct? If it is too high, the linen could split when spread open for presenting to the ironer. The risk increases for linen that is over halfway through its life.

Investigating and correcting any defects in these areas will reduce re-wash and avoid linen being condemned before its time. Correcting defects will cost virtually nothing and can extend fabric life by up to 50%. This can make the difference between getting

90 cycles or 150 cycles from a bath towel – which makes the difference between a 15% and a 5% profit margin.




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