tanding in the midst of the Jeltema brothers’ 50,000-square-foot laundry in Grand Rapids, MI, a visitor is struck by the sight of the plant’s fast-moving shuttle system. 
 
Every 90 seconds or so, the shuttle takes another load of linens down a 300-foot conveyor system to the tunnel washer or washer/extractors. A low-pitched whir of metal on metal sounds as gravity-led slings hurtle toward the next stage of their journey. The textiles inside ultimately will go back to customers who’ve entrusted them to Jeltema’s company, Valley City Linen. Jeltema engineered the conveyor himself and much of the plant ...