Healthcare Attendees Tour High-Tech NOVO Plant
On the second day of TRSA’s Healthcare Conference, attendees got an opportunity to view a brand-new healthcare facility in action, when they toured the NOVO Health Services Plant in Madison, TN. The plant recently completed the first phase of its construction project, with the second phase to begin in January.
NOVO Health Services took over an industrial building that was originally a CD manufacturing facility and storage warehouse. After purchasing the warehouse, the company began converting the 46,000-square-foot facility into a commercial laundry plant. NOVO currently processes nine million lbs. per year at the facility, and is adding an additional two million lbs. of work in January 2017. The second phase of construction will expand the building’s capacity to 24 million lbs. per year.
During the tour, conference attendees saw a variety of equipment in action, and got the chance to ask the manufacturers and NOVO executives questions about the equipment and how it works. For example, attendees saw a new kind of technology for tunnel washers, the patent-pending Smart Ultraviolet Light Advanced Oxidation System (SULAOS). Developed by Omni Solutions and tested at Textile Care Services, Rochester, MN, operators can install the system on any tunnel. It creates hydroxyl radicals that instantly kill a broad spectrum of microbes, including “superbugs” such as MRSA and C diff, said Omni Senior Vice President Andy Feldman.
In addition to eliminating microorganisms, Feldman said the SULAOS technology cuts demand for fresh water by 40% and allows for more reuse of water that’s already heated, thus saving natural gas. Paul Jewison, president/CEO of Textile Care Services, said the system’s combination of savings and microbial control represent an important step forward for launderers. “This system not only saves water and gas, greatly reduces rewash, and most importantly provides a measure of safety never before seen in our industry,” Jewison said. “The Omni system is always on, so even if other systems are not functioning optimally, the tunnel produces linen that’s completely sanitized.”
Goods move throughout the NOVO facility by way of an E-Tech rail system powered by the company’s eVue software. The wash aisle has a Lavatec 132 lb., 14-module tunnel washer, with a 40-bar press extractor. Five Lavatec TT745 292 lb. gas-fired dryers were in the plant. A small wash area was powered by Girbau Industrial equipment. The finishing area also featured two Girbau ironers and several other pieces of Girbau equipment.
Attendees also got a look at the boiler room, which featured a Miura 150HP steam boiler, as well as a Thermal Engineering of Arizona wastewater heat-reclamation system. The second phase of the project will add additional equipment to the facility, including a production-tracking system from Spindle, among other items. The project is being overseen by ARCO/Murray.
Following the tour, conference attendees had an opportunity to ask company executives questions about the plant in a break room. The previous day of the Healthcare Conference also featured a panel titled “Pre-Tour Session: Plant Design and Layout,” with several executives talking in-depth about the project. Panelists included:
- Greg Cox, vice president, NOVO Health Services LLC
- Ed Kwasnick, director of business development, ARCO/Murray
- Justin Herald, project manager, ARCO/Murray
- Keith Ware, vice president of sales, Lavatec Laundry Technology
- Seth Willer, national sales manager, Girbau Industrial