While it may not always be sunny in Philadelphia, the sun’s shining these days on Arway Linen and Uniform, a local food and beverage (F&B) launderer that endured catastrophic losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arway, an independent operator, is poised to open a new plant next year, about a mile from its current location, that will allow it to dramatically increase productivity and efficiency.

“So today I have 78 people in my plant,” says Mario Stagliano, a partner at Arway Linen. “That figure doesn’t include maintenance, service reps, or managers. To do the same volume that I’m doing today in ...