The term “feeding time” poses vastly different concerns to a zookeeper and a laundry manager. A zookeeper fusses about what to feed the lions. A manager frets over the finishing department’s pounds per operator hour (PPOH), labor issues and equipment performance. The finishing department’s operating costs comprise a large component of overall expenses. In the historical days of hand irons, the women ironing shirt collars were the most skilled and highest paid in the firm. Times have changed, but not the need to produce a quality finish within economic and output constraints.

In many cases, customers view finish quality (i.e ...