Production optimization is a journey without end. At times, it is a tedious grind. This experience offers no quick fixes. If you’re dedicated, you can achieve results with your own operation in a manner comparable to those described below. For this case study, conducted over six months, we improved pounds per operator hour (PPOH) from around 55 PPOH to more than 80 PPOH. Getting such results takes time and effort, but it is doable.

To understand and optimize productivity in a laundry, it’s critical to establish key performance indicators (KPIs). Because, as the industrial engineer, W. Edwards Deming once said ...