Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM)

The CPLM designation verifies an established level of expertise and experience.

About CPLM | Why Get Certified? | How to Earn the CPLM | CPLM Self-Study/Online Exam | CPLM Recertification


A production manager coordinates and oversees laundry processes, supervises personnel, identifies staffing and training needs, and identifies and implements continual process improvement. This certification designates individuals who have demonstrated competency in all areas constituting production laundry management.

TRSA’s Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM) certification verifies an established level of expertise and experience in all areas of laundry management. TRSA has established standards for this certification based on 100 years of knowledge development and information-sharing. Certification is now an important role in the laundry industry by identifying high professional standards. It is an objective means of distinguishing highly competent managers from their less experienced peers.

By taking and passing the CPLM exam individuals demonstrate a high level of management skills and knowledge in these areas:

  • Customer Service
  • Equipment
  • Financial Management
  • Finishing/Conditioning
  • Human Resources
  • Leadership
  • Merchandise Management
  • Pack-out
  • Quality Control
  • Soil Sorting
  • Stockroom/Linen Room Management
  • Textiles (Fabric Technology)
  • Washroom Management/Chemistry
  • Waste Water Management

Gain a competitive advantage and retain your best managers. Linen, uniform and facility services companies must invest in recruiting, training and retaining skilled, knowledgeable managers. TRSA’s CPLM provides the opportunity to recognize and demonstrate your commitment to high performing managers, which increases corporate productivity and retention while enhancing their knowledge of BMPs and production excellence.

The CPLM certification delivers immediate, long-term returns based on improved operations and management performance.

Standard for CPLM Certification


Why Get Certified?

Every profession requires specialized skills. Employers require confirmation their people possess these skills. In short, certification is an investment in your employees, your business, your career, your livelihood, your future.

If you want to recognize and reward valued managers to improve retention, verify expertise and experience, gain professional credibility, improve skills and knowledge to increase productivity and gain a competitive advantage, the CPLM certification is right for you.



How to Earn the CPLM

Applicants who wish to earn the CPLM designation must satisfy certain laundry and/or educational requirements:

  • Must have a MINIMUM of two (2) years of experience in laundry processing
  • Education – High school diploma or GED
  • Must take and pass the CPLM with a score of 75% or higher

Applicants can prepare for the CPLM exam by attending the TRSA Professional Management Institute (PMI) program or by purchasing TRSA’s CPLM Self-Study package.


CPLM Self-Study/Online Exam

TRSA’s CPLM certification is now available through a self-study package, providing opportunities for laundry managers from around the world to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance managerial proficiency and gain immediate and long-term returns through the skills learned in this self-contained program. This program also provides a means of renewal for former CPLM certification holders who may have let their certification lapse and require reinstatement of their credentials.

The CPLM Self-Study package is built on the findings of TRSA’s recent Production Management Job Analysis, which was developed by peer-directed focus groups of TRSA operator members who compiled surveys from more than 100+ operator management respondents, with the results being analyzed and a report issued by a third-party consulting firm. The results are this program, which defines the role of production managers (including the tasks, skills and knowledge required to be successful in that position).

The CPLM Self-Study package includes materials that will help you prepare to take TRSA’s CPLM Exam (the exam is now administered online and is purchased separately). Packages are available in digital or in hard copy format and contain the following:

Laundry Operations and Management
Review this 200+ page text that provides a solid understanding of the best practices and fundamentals of supplying, laundering and maintaining processing linens, uniform and other reusable textiles for the industrial, healthcare, F&B and hospitality sectors from soil sort through delivery. Laundry Operations and Management has been edited and revised for A global audience.

Professional Management Institute (PMI) Study Guides
Presentations from lectures and discussions at PMI are provided in two separate PDFs for Production and Management topics. TRSA’s PMI professional development program provides interactive classroom training on fundamental laundry production and operations, emphasizing key principles of productivity, quality, safety and sustainability, as well as opportunities to develop an industry peer-to-peer network.

Production Training Videos
These videos (20 total) depict the five fundamental laundry processes (sorting, washing, drying, finishing and pack-out) for producing reusable textiles for each production segment – industrial, healthcare, F&B and hospitality. These industry-specific training videos highlight best management, operations and safety practices using in-plant video of employees operating laundry machinery safely and efficiently. Narration and depiction of steps in the overall plant flow before and after the process are also highlighted.

Additional Study Materials
Slide presentations from lectures and discussions at past TRSA events, as well as “Wash Formula Development,” an excerpt from the TRSA publication, Textile Laundering Technology (TLT). The excerpt covers the key principles of effective laundering, to recognize laundering options, and ultimately, to determine the appropriate wash formula structures which facilitate the goals of the laundry.

Webinar Recordings
The study materials also include 8 self-paced, pre-recorded webinar presentations that cover important management soft skills such as communications, conflict resolution, ethics, leadership and safety.

  • Applying Ethical Practices to Your Business
  • Best Practices to Train and Manage a Changing Workforce
  • Conflict Resolution for Managers
  • Essentials of Supervisor Training
  • How to Successfully Conduct A Performance Review
  • Managing OSHA Inspections
  • OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements
  • Screening and Hiring

You can purchase the CPLM Self-Study & Exam as a package or separately in our store.


Recertification

After earning the CPLM, recipients must engage in continuous professional development to renew the designation every three years through participating in continuing education programs (live webinars and those found in TRSA’s On Demand Learning Center) training, teaching and undertaking leadership roles in laundry and business management associations.

CPLM Recertification Application | CPLM Recertification Spreadsheet

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