The efficient laundry purchase: don't let equipment upgrades become a wash.As everyone in the long-term care long-term care (LTC),n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. industry knows, resident comfort starts on the floor with a caring, professional staff. Overlooked, however, may be the important role a facility's laundry system plays in resident satisfaction. Every resident has the right to clean linens Linens are fabric household goods, such as pillowcases and towels. Originally, many, such as bed sheets and tablecloths, were made of linen. Today, the term "linen" has come to be applied to all related products even though most are made of cotton, various synthetic , fresh towels, and prompt service. Because the volume of laundry in a nursing home rarely, if ever, decreases, it is paramount that managers choose durable, efficient equipment to ensure that their staff and residents are never left waiting for linens. Of equal importance is learning how to maximize staff productivity to meet this goal, and the number-one issue that slows laundry productivity is your laundry equipment. Washer washer Orthopedics A flattened disk of metal with a central hole used to distribute stress under a screw head to prevent thin cortical bone from splitting; serrated washers are used to affix avulsed ligaments, small avulsion fractures or comminuted fractures to the extractors and drying tumblers For other meanings, see Tumbler. Tumblers were proposed by Ted Nelson in "Literary Machines" as a means to address every bit ever written, or a particular span of bits in any text ever written. A tumbler is a unique numerical address of an interesting artifact. must be up to the challenge of your facility's laundry load. Read on to determine whether your current laundry setup See BIOS setup and install program. is keeping your operation from running at 100%. Assessing your equipment Determining when a washer extractor or drying tumbler needs replacement can be difficult, says Craig Dakauskas, national sales manager sales manager n → gerente m/f de ventas sales manager n → directeur commercial sales manager sale n → of Speed Queen. "Age is a very nebulous factor in establishing whether to replace laundry equipment," he explains. "Managers should compare age along with service calls on machines" An older machine with a history of racking up service and repair bills could serve as a warning of larger problems ahead. "Motor, shaft shaft (shaft) a long slender part, such as the diaphysis of a long bone. shaft n. 1. An elongated rodlike structure, such as the midsection of a long bone. 2. , bearings, and trunion repairs are much more costly repairs than a water pump, boot, or belt," Dakauskas says, adding that such expensive repairs likely are not worth the expense for 10- to 15-year-old machines. Water leaks, a broken basket, or grease grease, mixture of lubricant and thickener. It is used to reduce friction between surfaces from which oils would leak away or cause damage by dripping, or where lubrication must be assured for extended periods. Many greases are mixtures of mineral oil and soap. coming out of the bearing assembly are other red flags of troublesome repairs ahead. Service calls, however, are only one component in considering an equipment upgrade. Managers should also look at process times and utility expenditures. "A large, 15-year-old drying tumbler, though owning a stellar repair history, may actually be a huge drain on your laundry due to its inefficiency," says Dakauskas. Likewise, modern, microprocessor-controlled washer extractors can help laundries realize better finished quality results through their programmable cycles, and their higher extraction speeds trim drying times. "Look at your operation as a whole. Are loads stalling stall 1 n. 1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed. 2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market. b. at the dryer? This might be a sign of an inefficient dryer or just an indication you need extra drying capacity," Dakauskas says. Often, the best means of getting an assessment of your laundry needs is through a discussion with your laundry equipment distributor. "These professionals will be able to offer a clear review of your current equipment and even run through calculations on savings you might realize by upgrading" Dakauskas offers. Selecting a distributor Choosing the right distributor will be almost as important as the equipment itself: Dakauskas recommends "interviewing" them for the job. "Purchasing new equipment is only part of the equation," he says. "You need to make sure you are well taken care of after the sale" When evaluating a potential distributor, remember to ask about the following: * Its references, specifically satisfied customers within the long-term care industry * How long the company has been in the business * How large its service department is--that will give you an indication of how long you'll have to wait on a service call "Parts supply is a huge consideration," Dakauskas says. "You want to make sure [the distributor] has an extensive parts department Noun 1. parts department - the division of a business (e.g. a service garage) that sells replacement parts business department - a division of a business firm , as this may be the difference between service being performed immediately or having to wait for a part to be ordered." Sizing it up Having selected a full-service distributor, you then get to choose equipment. Again, rely about your distributor to offer suggestions on the best size and type of washer extractor and drying tumbler to meet your needs. The general rule means sizing your dryer larger than your washer extractor. For example, you'll likely pair a 60-lb washer with a 75-lb tumbler. The reason for upsizing with the tumbler is to prevent a bottleneck A lessening of throughput. It often refers to networks that are overloaded, which is caused by the inability of the hardware and transmission lines to support the traffic. It can also refer to a mismatch inside the computer where slower-speed peripheral buses and devices prevent the CPU in the dryer. Evaluating features Although managers won't use it every day, if they ever need it, the warranty could be one of the machine's more important features. "You want to look for a minimum of a three-year warranty, and perhaps longer on key parts of the machine's assembly," Dakauskas says, adding that a strong warranty should give a manager peace of mind about the company's level of commitment to quality. A high G-force extraction speed is another washer extractor feature that can pay dividends for laundries in terms of both throughput The speed with which a computer processes data. It is a combination of internal processing speed, peripheral speeds (I/O) and the efficiency of the operating system and other system software all working together. 1. and utility costs. Upgrading from an extraction speed of 86 G-force to 140 removes significantly more water from loads. This, in turn, shortens drying time, and ultimately, trims utility consumption. Dakauskas also ranks programmability as a major consideration in purchasing a new washer-extractor or drying tumbler. "Versatility is a key trait trait (trat) 1. any genetically determined characteristic; also, the condition prevailing in the heterozygous state of a recessive disorder, as the sickle cell trait. 2. a distinctive behavior pattern. laundries should require in their equipment selection," he said. "Having the ability to tailor the wash and dry process helps ensure operations are able to adapt to new linens or additional pieces added to the wash volume." Linens are a consideration, Dakauskas says, from not only a comfort standpoint The Standpoint is a newspaper published in the British Virgin Islands. It was originally published under the name Pennysaver, largely as a shopping-coupon promotional newspaper, but since emerged as one of the most influential sources of journalism in the but a competition one as well. "As the baby boomer baby boomer also ba·by-boom·er n. A member of a baby-boom generation. Noun 1. baby boomer - a member of the baby boom generation in the 1950s; "they expanded the schools for a generation of baby boomers" boomer population ages and the long-term care industry continues to grow, competition will increase that means facilities seeking an advantage through higher quality amenities such as high--thread count linens," he explains. "Having programming flexibility to adapt to such linen linen, fabric or yarn made from the fiber of flax, probably the first vegetable fiber known to people. Linens more than 3,500 years old have been recovered from Egyptian tombs. Phoenician traders marketed linen in Mediterranean ports. changes is a feature managers will definitely want" An additional consideration, however, should be the simplicity of the controls. Laundries frequently see high employee turnover rates. As a result, managers need to examine whether it will be easy for new employees to learn to operate the machines' controls. "Training should take no longer than 30 minutes," Dakauskas says. Order and delivery Once you've decided on laundry equipment to suit your needs, delivery shouldn't take longer than four to six weeks. Installation of new equipment will take a minimal amount of time, but managers also will need to prepare the laundry schedule to anticipate down time as the machines are installed. "Depending on whether it is a replacement or a total rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. , installation can usually be completed in a day or two," Dakauskas says. Make sure you ask your distributor about removing old laundry equipment, as well. These companies can do everything for you--usually for a small fee--and turn old equipment into scrap. Divide and conquer Although it may seem counterintuitive coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive adj. Contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate: "Scientists made clear what may at first seem counterintuitive, that the capacity to be pleasant toward a fellow creature is ... at first, don't assume that your heavy volumes of laundry are best handled by buying one large machine to do the job of two smaller ones. Having one big machine is actually a time-waster' explains Craig Dakauskas, national sales manager of Speed Queen, because you're slowing down operations to wait for enough laundry to fill the washer. "A smaller washer extractor and drying tumbler enable your operation to [have a series of] continually moving loads," he adds. In addition, underloading a commercial washer does a lot more damage than overloading In programming, the ability to use the same name for more than one variable or procedure, requiring the compiler to differentiate them based on context. (language) overloading - (Or "Operator overloading"). it. Operations that don't properly use the full capacity of a large washer extractor put excess stress on the washer's bearing assembly. Multiple smaller machines also offer a built-in form of insurance, Dakauskas points out--if one breaks, you always have another immediately on hand to keep things going. "Decreased productivity is a lot better than halted productivity," he says.--Randy F. Radtke U-niversal layout A full-service distributor is a good source for helping managers lay out their laundry. If you can give a distributor the exact specifications of the space you have, he or she will be able to provide the proper equipment mix to fit the space. The best laundry room A laundry room (also called a utility room) is a room where clothes are washed. In a modern home, a laundry room would be equipped with an automatic washing machine and clothes dryer,and often a large basin, called a laundry tub, for hand-washing delicate articles of clothing such designs are U-shaped, with doors on each side. In this design, soiled linens arrive through one door, and clean items leave through the other. However, in facilities without the luxury of adequate space for this design, color-coding laundry carts to ensure that certain carts are used only for soiled linens, and others only for clean linens, will aid in infection control.--Randy F. Radtke Randy F. Radtke is a public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most specialist at Alliance Laundry Systems, a world leader in the manufacturing of commercial laundry equipment. An award-winning journalist, Radtke also spent more than 10 years in the newspaper industry as both a writer and editor. E-mail Randy at randy.radtke@alliancels.com. |
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