LLT Customizes Tunnel System at Advantage Linen

Advantage Linen, Lexington, KY, recently upgraded its wash aisle with a Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc. (LLT), custom-designed, eight chamber LT-Series tunnel washer, extraction press, conveyor system and two TT-745 dryers, according to a news release.

“We were originally looking at keeping our older tunnel and replacing just the dryers and press,” said Johnny Wills, Advantage Linen’s vice president of operations. “We thought it would be cost prohibitive to change the entire system. But a hodge-podge of equipment connecting one manufacturer’s tunnel to another’s press to another’s dryer would lead to the same kind of inefficiencies we were trying to eliminate. So we decided to get a quote on a tunnel, too.”

Founded in 1995, Advantage Linen employs 30 people and runs one shift, five days a week at its 20,000-square-foot facility. Advantage Linen launders linens from a variety of hotels, food and beverage, medical and industrial accounts within a 60-mile radius of downtown Lexington.

“We try to approach every customer like Advantage Linen,” said LLT President Mark Thrasher, Beacon Falls, CT, who visited the company to discuss a possible partnership. “To meet their needs for long-term value, there is no simple off-the-shelf solution. So we put in the extra effort to analyze their operation and goals. Doing so allows us to propose, design and engineer the right system that will deliver the lowest cost of ownership over a lifetime of use.”

John Van Nagel III, Advantage Linen owner and CEO, said that, “We could have found a cheaper tunnel, but we don’t want to sit back and be a follower. We’re doing everything we can to stay on the cutting edge. Our success has come from listening to what our customers need, and evolving our company to meet those needs. That’s what I liked about Mark Thrasher’s visit. We’re eventually going to outgrow our plant and Mark’s long-term vision, combined with ours, means that LLT can take us to the next level. It’s a wonderful partnership.”

To view the installation at the Advantage Linen plant, visit www.lltusa.com/customers.php.