ALS Completes High-Tech Cleveland Clinic Laundry
American Laundry Systems (ALS), Derry, NH, recently announced that it’s completed the initial-phase rebuild of an all-new, high-tech laundry for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s (CCF) management team in that city.
By luck or coincidence, this project, officially completed on April 5, was ALS’ 100th new full-size laundry. At the same time, ALS also is marking its 25th year in business in 2019, according to a news release.
ALS President and CEO Gerard O’Neill, who acted as project manager and prime consultant on the effort, offered thanks to CCF officials and to several vendors that contributed equipment and other products and services on behalf of the new healthcare laundry. “To all of those wonderful partners who worked days, nights, weekends, holidays and did whatever it took to make this 60,000-square-foot plant one of the most technologically advanced healthcare laundry facilities in North America, if not the world, I want to say ‘Thank you for your help’” O’Neill said. “You should all be proud and stand tall with this accomplishment.”
O’Neill described the plant as one that a person in his position would “dream about building.” It is capable of processing up to 30 million lbs. per year with a focus on advanced automation and infection control. “Special attention was given to the best of the best laundry technology, while adhering to stringent regulations of CCF in-house standards and adherence to TRSA’s Hygienically Clean standards, HLAC, and JCAHO (The Joint Commission) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)!” he said.
O’Neill added that “The amount of duplication, alternate utility services, backup systems, IT systems, remote access log-in capabilities, building management systems, security systems, 100% air-conditioned environment and a 90%+ level of automation on the equipment side sets this plant on a pedestal, over and above the vast majority of the other plants.”
A second phase of the project is slated to begin this summer that will add another 20+ million lbs. capacity per year to the facility.
The equipment vendors noted in the release included:
- Automation Dynamics
- Kannegiesser ETECH
- Kemco Systems
- Leonard Automatics
- R.W. Martin
- Spindle
O’Neill also praised the building contractors, Evergreen Management, Elford General Contracts and various subcontractors that worked on the job. In addition, he commended the “super-human efforts” of Deborah Laursen, owner of Lark-Laursen Consulting; John McCreary, owners rep./CCF; Gerald Knotek, senior director of patient services/CCF; and Ralph Turner, executive director/CCF, in helping to move the project from concept to completion.