The Magic Touch – Hotel Launderer Upgrades Plant

Since its grand opening in October 2024, Magic Laundry Services has continued to make efficiency-boosting improvements to its plant in San Bernardino, CA, its first outside a three-plant complex in Montebello, CA.

“We’ve been having dialogue back and forth with Kannegiesser (North America),” said Senior Vice President Garo Jekmeian, speaking of Magic’s equipment vendor during a call with Textile Services Weekly. Jekmeian estimates that improvements to the soil and clean sides of the plant are saving the company as many as nine full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Examples of upgrades to the 75,000-square-foot (6,967-square-meter) plant include:

• An expanded soil-sort area: A new second soil line includes a separate cart dumper and conveyor. This system allows the company to process two sets of customer-owned goods (COG) from separate hotel customers simultaneously. “We expanded this sort station,” Jekmeian said. “We added a secondary line, so they’re back-to-back.” Both areas of the soil line are also equipped with Vectura, a software system that tracks the textiles throughout processing. This system also saves labor by limiting the need for finishing side staff to move bundles of goods during packout.
• Added E-Vue autopilot from Kannegiesser: This program tracks the staging and moving of goods to the wash aisle and finishing areas, thus largely eliminating the need for staff to direct this process. “We’ve been testing that prior to the Clean Show announcement, so now we pretty much have that going,” Jekmeian said. He estimates that the Vectura system is saving his company two FTEs. The system also improves coordination between soil- and finishing-side operations.
• Added clean-side upgrades: A recently installed discharge conveyor going to the clean rail system is expected to save Magic four FTEs, Jekmeian said.
• Added two Kannegiesser Quattro towel folders: This four-lane system can fold and stack towels of multiple sizes simultaneously and automatically discharge them to conveyors or carts. Jekmeian estimates that this equipment is saving three FTEs on the soil side because staff no longer need to sort towels by size before washing.
• Added two ironer lines, thus bringing the total to six ironer lines.

The plant is now processing 800,000 lbs. (363 kg.) per week, mainly for hotels in metro San Diego and the Palm Desert region.

Another area of innovation at Magic Laundry is its focus on water and energy savings. The plant has access to a geothermal well that provides low-mineral “soft” water at 110°-120° F. The heated well water saves on natural gas compared to cooler water from the local utility. Water is also recycled using ceramic filtration and a reverse osmosis system from Kemco Systems Co. LLC, Jekmeian says. He estimates that the plant is processing goods at 0.4-0.6 gallons per lb. Kemco technicians helped train Magic staff on these systems, Jekmeian says, and the equipment is performing as expected.

In addition, Magic is now testing scanning equipment from Mobics to help the company automate quality control of finished textiles. The scanners are placed over the ironers. As textiles, such as sheets or tablecloths, move through the ironer, the scanners detect stains, tears or other defects. Any items that do not meet quality standards are automatically diverted for rewash, repair or ragout. The scanning system is expected to be online by the end of 2026, Jekmeian said.

Magic needs these upgrades in its San Bernardino plant to keep pace with growth in the hospitality business east and south of Los Angeles. The recent conflict in Iran is prompting residents in the area to avoid traveling abroad, Jekmeian says. “Globally, I think there’s more local travel than traveling outside of the U.S. right now, so I think that’s where we’re seeing it,” he says.

Is a fifth plant a possibility for this company in the future? For Magic, founded in 2004 in Montebello (nine miles east of downtown Los Angeles), anything is possible. “We’ll see,” Jekmeian says. “It’s just a matter of how much we grow, and what’s on the horizon for us to expand.” For the moment, continuous improvement at the San Bernardino plant is a key focus. “So right now we’re just working on the infrastructure for plant four (San Bernardino), and we’ll see how it goes.”

Watch for follow-up coverage of Magic’s San Bernardino plant in Textile Services magazine. For more stories about plant innovations and related issues, click here to subscribe to Textile Services.