Windows on the Future of Laundering – Webinar Highlights
TRSA members got a clear look at robotics-driven innovations for linen and uniform service processing during a Nov. 2 webinar that portrayed automated soil-sorting and material handling, plus advanced employee personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Machines More Like People – People More Like Machines,” presented by the Industrial/Uniform/Workwear Committee, featured two systems currently operating in laundries and an ergonomics concept being tested by aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co., Arlington, VA.
Explaining the latter was Christopher Reid, Ph.D., a Boeing technical fellow in human factors and ergonomics. In discussing the most futuristic innovation highlighted during the webinar, he described wearable robotic support for employees. Such exoskeleton technology aims to enhance productivity while protecting against muscle and tendon strains. The concept could be a “game changer” that takes future PPE to a new level by incorporating features that would increase strength of an individual’s appendages (decreasing strain) or even add them, such as providing multiple arms like an octopus for working on several tasks at once.
The two plant systems discussed are present-day game-changers (no science fiction overtone), dramatically increasing productivity and reducing manual labor.
The soil-sorting system uses a robotic arm that separates items in a bin and moves them onto a belt for identification by camera or RFID chip before routing them for accumulation of like items and subsequent sling loading. Items are X-rayed to detect pens and other foreign objects in pockets or folds of clothing before they’re moved to the wash aisle. This system, developed by Inwatec of Denmark, majority owned by JENSEN, can be scaled to eliminate much manual soil handling and can save laundry operators from having to reprocess entire loads of items stained with ink from broken pens, for example, said Mads Andresen, Inwatec director.
Attesting to the system’s value was Mark Bodzioch, president, Clean Uniforms and More, New Bedford, MA, who uses it for garments. He praised its ability to increase throughput with accurate sorts while greatly reducing manual labor. Andresen anticipates a roughly 3-year payback for Clean. To ensure the system stays up to speed, plant maintenance staff do basic upkeep and technicians are available via Zoom calls or through in-person visits to service the system if needed, he said.
A third presentation, by Gerard van de Donk, CEO of ABS Laundry Business Solutions, the Netherlands, featured robotic technology developed by ABS with several partners. This system greatly reduces the manual pushing of carts in uniform-processing plants. Webinar attendees watched a video in which robotic arms place racks of garments into carts and a robot on a track underneath pulls the carts into position for inspection and packout. The video was taken at Rentex, a Dutch launderer that’s using this technology to dramatically boost productivity and save labor, says van de Donk, vice chair of the Industrial/Uniform/Workwear Committee.
Click here to access a recording of this webinar from TRSA’s On-Demand Learning Centers at no charge to association members. TRSA has nearly 150 industry-specific, professional development and training webinars on a wide range of topics including regulatory issues, safety best practices and strategies for enhancing productivity.