Whether your laundry is automated or manual, an efficient, high-productivity process starts with managing incoming soiled items, according to several operators and suppliers we queried on this topic. For laundries in North America, many sorting operations are still primarily manual. But that’s changing as suppliers deploy automation that saves labor, while improving accuracy in delivering textiles to end users.

Phil Sharpe, president/CEO of United Hospitality Services LLC, Austell, GA, near Atlanta, is one such operator. He’s in the planning stages of implementing an automated soil-sorting system. But whether it’s the manual system that he currently operates or the automated one ...