One thing is for sure: introducing Vectura, a fully automatic stack management system, was a complete success! And still one drop of bitterness remains. Seeing how well the Vectura works in the terry department, Keith Pooler, president and owner of Sacramento Laundry, regrets not also having implemented the stack management system for other flatwork. Keith Pooler is impressed by how much his operation benefits from the new conveyor system: “That was huge in terms of efficiency! The improvements in the terry department had the biggest impact on our 35% increase in productivity.”

Sacramento Laundry Company is a family-owned and operated textile service provider for over 35 hotels in Northern California. The company started out as a local coin-operated laundry in downtown Sacramento over a decade ago. Today, Keith Pooler and his team of over 350 employees serve a customer range from boutique hotels in San Francisco to military base hotels, luxury ski resort hotels around Lake Tahoe, and 1,000+ room convention center hotels.

With the installation of six new XFM Speedline drywork folding machines, Sacramento Laundry had to face a major logistical challenge. All the produced towel stacks had to be sorted and dispatched for every customer. This is anything but a piece of cake if it needs to be done by hand, given the wide variety of articles and large number of customers. Manual picking up and sorting stacks behind the folding machines would reduce productivity, slow down dispatch and cause sorting errors, which ultimately leads to dissatisfied customers. There was only one solution to the problem: Vectura from Kannegiesser – the fully automatic stack management system.

Vectura uses belt conveyors to automatically sort and transport laundry stacks to a central pick-up position. The system tracks each individual stack and sorts according to customer, article or machine. When receiving the laundry stacks, big displays show operators which stack belongs to which customer to ensure smooth dispatch.

At Sacramento Laundry, the key to success was the integration of the six new towel folding machines with an automatic sorting function and the Vectura stack sorting and transport system. Previously, one or two employees were required behind each folding machine to receive the laundry stacks. The Vectura now provides a central discharge position for the laundry stacks which makes it possible to receive the stacks of six folding machines by only two employees. If it wasn’t for the central pick-up position, operations required up to twelve employees for pick-up behind the machines.

Faced with labor shortages, Vectura offers textile service providers the opportunity to expand and accelerate production volumes without having to rely on filling open positions. Furthermore, the automated stack management eliminates the threat of sorting errors. However, in the end the biggest beneficiary of Vectura is the customer, who receives a guarantee of complete and fast deliveries.

The advantages of Vectura at a glance:

Fast and complete delivery
Easy dispatch through automation and guaranteed complete delivery.

Significant cost reduction
Reduce your personnel expenses in the expedition area.

Reliable processes
Avoid sorting errors and gain valuable delivery time.

Complete documentation
Collect and access all relevant information at any time.

DIVERSITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND RELIABLE DELIVERY

As one of the largest providers of leasing textiles for hotels in south Germany, the laundry Witteler & Burkhardt processes an enormous variety of articles. The textile service provider's many customers expect nothing less than immaculate results, top quality as well as on-time and complete delivery. How is it possible to productively process sheets, table linen and terry-toweling from such a wide range of articles and colors while achieving high levels of customer satisfaction?

THE TASK

Many customers with a wide variety of articles do not make it easy for the textile service provider from Ladenburg, Germany. Machine programs have to be changed constantly, laundry batches are expected at different stations and every piece of laundry should end up with the right customer. This would not only have caused a great deal of confusion, but could also have led to reduced productivity and delayed delivery. Witteler & Burkhardt faced a major logistical challenge.

THE SOLUTION

The key of success for Witteler & Burkhardt was the automatic Process Control of the SmartLaundry by Kannegiesser. The Process Control  allows to...

• increase productivity, because the continuous flow of goods enables a consistently high output.
• master diversity, as the machines automatically select the correct program.
• guarantee on-time and complete delivery, as the flow of goods is constantly controlled, monitored and documented.

The automatic control of the processing programs and the flow of goods in the laundry is made possible by the integration of machine and data technology. Each laundry batch is weighed and assigned to a customer and an article category from the database. Based on this information the batches are transported to the correct machines and processed with the optimum program – fully automatically.

THE IMPLEMENTATION

1. Sorting and storage of soiled linen
   On the sorting platform the laundry is weighed and sorted into laundry bags according to customer and category. The batches are stored in the monorail bag storage and distribution system for further processing. Category, customer and weight are linked to the batch and stored in the database.

2. Washing, Extraction and Drying
   The PowerTrans batch washer is automatically loaded with batches from the bag storage. Following the washing process, rinse water gets extracted in the press before the batch is loaded into the dryer via lift shuttle conveyor. All machine programs are automatically selected according to information from the database.

3. Post Wash Storage
   After drying, batches are stored in the monorail bag storage for clean linen. The white laundry bags get automatically assigned to the correct processing machine in the finishing area.

4. Finish
   As soon as a new batch is delivered from the storage to one of the ironer lines or dry work folding machines, the operator only has to press the batch change button before feeding. Machines retrieve the batch information from the database and select their programs accordingly. For ironer lines by Kannegiesser this is possible due to to the Central Program Control. Both the ironer and folding machine adapt their programs at a push of the batch change button on the feeding machine. The program changes are executed without interruption during flow of goods, as each individual item is tracked during the ironing process.

5. Commissioning
   After folding, the laundry stacks are sorted according to customer, article or machine by the Vectura stack management system. Belt conveyors transport the stacks to the assigned take-off stations. Displays show employees which stack belongs to which customer. This guarantees quick, correct and complete delivery.

THE SUCCESS

Thanks to the Process Control by Kannegiesser, machines at Witteler & Burkhardt are continuously supplied with goods and can work efficiently. Under constant control and separated by customer and category, the laundry automatically runs through the entire process, from sorting to commissioning. This ensures reliable delivery and high customer satisfaction.