The demand for high standards of finish on laundered linen and garments has never been greater.
In the care sector businesses are seeking a finish that can only be obtained from ironing while guests staying in five star hotels expect bed- and table-linen to reflect that five star luxury in both looks and feel.
To meet those standards, a business requires reliable, high performance equipment to justify its investment in an on-premise laundry package.
At present customers in the OPL sector are understandably cautious about upgrading equipment and this is slowing the market. According to Jason Todd, on premises laundry sales manager for Armstrong Commercial Laundry Systems, the UK-based distributor for manufacturers such as GMP, Lapauw and its sister company Laco, most sectors of the OPL equipment market have shown little or no growth recently.
Todd says that business owners have been cautious, reluctant to commit to large investment in non-core areas.
However, he adds that, there are signs of improvement, in finishing equipment in particular. In the hospitality sector, for instance, competitive pressure is leading to higher standards of finish and so demand for better, more “professional” ironing machines.
Peter Marsh, managing director at Girbau UK, says OPL ironer sales are being driven by customers that want to increase productivity and reduce operating costs. “Broadly, I believe the market for OPL ironers has been stable this year.”
The OPL market is continuing to grow says Doug Walker, country manager at Electrolux Laundry Systems but at a slower rate than expected due to restricted capital outlay over the past 12/18 months. He says that all market areas have delayed or shelved plans to invest in equipment.
Laundry is a prime example of an area where customers want longer life from their investment. Walker finds that equipment will only be replaced when the business feels it is absolutely necessary. But he adds: “The OPL market does appear to continue to expand due to the financial benefits and flexibility involved”
Malcolm Martin, product manager at Miele Professional says that recently sales of entry-level ironers have declined. This may be a reflection of the economic downturn in certain market sectors and also of customers choosing to repair rather than replace.
He explains that there has been a marked increase in sales of larger models, those with rollers of 1.4 – 1.6m. This has been especially noticeable in the first quarter of 2010 and the increase largely comes from the hospitality sector.
“The conclusion here is that more medium-size hotels are investing in flatwork finishing in an effort to raise quality standards.”
He adds that Miele’s entry-level models, such as the HM1680 and HM1683, are still popular with guesthouses and bed and breakfast operators, particularly the HM1680 which has a steam finish function.
According to Todd at Armstrong, the main customer considerations, as ever, are quality, both of finish and equipment and reliability. Equipment must also be backed by comprehensive expert support.
He says correct sizing and specification is vital at the planning stage. The economics of flatwork finishing point to one-pass solutions wherever possible.
This means that establishments that use duvets or plan to do so will need bigger machines that can handle at least double-thicknesses.
Energy consumption remains an important consideration. Few OPLs have the benefit of steam, says Todd, and his company’s advice, almost invariably, is to opt for gas-heated rather than electric-heated equipment as gas heating is the most cost-effective option.
“It should be borne in mind, however, that energy consumption is just one of the factors that contribute to an ironer’s lifetime costs,” he adds.“The longevity of the machine and hence the annual cost of capital, spares and servicing must all be taken into account. Lapauw and Laco increasingly score highly with OPL customers because of the equipment’s cost-effectiveness over its lifetime.”
The majority of ironers in the Lapauw range have traditionally been used by industrial-size laundries but are also installed in the larger OPLs.
Laco ironers are frequently chosen by OPLs.
Todd says that continuous product development has resulted in the roll being covered with polyester needlefelt or meta-aramid to allow for higher temperature operation. Vacuum on the roll helps the rapid removal of excess moisture. In addition, frequency inverter drives give greater control over ironer speed and hydraulic rams that ensure good roll-to-bed contact also ensure high quality.
OPL requirements are specific, according to Tom Spratt, special projects and laundry consultant for Electrolux Laundry Systems. He says: “It is important to note than an ironer is the end part of a laundry process. Therefore the quality of ancillaries and equipment used can affect the performance of that process.”
Exact requirements
Because every customer is different, Electrolux works with OPLs, and indeed all other customers, to determine the exact requirements before making recommendations about equipment. “We would seek to find out what the customer requires in terms of quality,” says Spratt. “Other important factors to consider are volumes of work, space available, utilities, operators’ skills and access.”
Customers demand as quick a return on investment as possible. A short payback time, lower running costs, ease of use, low maintenance, reliability and speedy response with problem solving are all essential in today’s market.
Energy consumption is becoming more and more important as utility costs increase and will continue to do so for the forseeable future.
Spratt agrees that energy consumption is one of the main criteria used to calculate the return on investment before customers make their final purchasing decision. He explains that the recent changes in the economic environment mean that customers now concentrate on short-term savings and the initial outlay, rather than the lifetime costs of the equipment.
The required finish varies across different levels of hotels, says Spratt. He continues: “The hospitality sector mostly uses double-bed sized linen and on-site laundries may also have to handle large table-cloths, usually of cotton or linen.”
Pre-set programs
He points out that the control systems on Electrolux equipment come with a wide range of pre-set programs that can be tailored further to individual requirements.
“Therefore if there is a change in the type of material used, it is simply a case of adjusting the settings – the customer does not need to purchase another machine,” he says.
The Electrolux range includes machines with return/straight feed, and with manual or automatic feeding or folding.
Suitable for use with both traditional and modern fabrics, the FFS range of return-feed ironers allows one person to feed, iron, dry, fold, cross-fold and stack sheets, duvet covers and table cloths as well as processing standard small-piece work such as napkins and pillowcases.
The thermal oil flow inside the patented Dubixium cylinders ensures that heat is always evenly distributed throughout the length of the ironer, so avoiding the loss of production that results from uneven temperatures.
The FFS is fully programmable and user-friendly and can process various sizes and types of material.
Peter Marsh at Girbau UK says that customers want a high quality product while still reducing their running costs.
They are also looking for features that save energy so we have seen a greater take up of more energy-efficient gas-heated ironers. Energy saving and automation combine to provide a cost effective solution that maintains quality.
OPL laundries are trying to maximise the productivity and energy efficiency, even when a larger ironer makes economic sense. So Girbau has upgraded its PS5 flatwork ironers with features designed to offer higher productivity and energy efficiency.
Product development
As part of Girbau’s commitment to product development, the PS/PSP51 ironers have tougher end covers for added protection, while operating speed has been increased to a maximum of 9m/minute.
Redesigned versions of the PSP5125 (cylinder width 2.5m) and the PSP5132 (cylinder width 3.2m) now have multiple photocells rather than just one.
Marsh explains that this upgrade allows two operators to iron items of varying sizes simultaneously, so allowing more production options. As the full width of the roller is used, both productivity and energy efficiency are improved.
Danube International supplies a full range of flatwork dryer-ironers (heated-cylinder type), built to meet the needs of hotels, nursing homes, hospitals and OPLs.
The company produces four ranges – the Micra, Delta, Maxima and Sygma – that cover cylinder diameters of 200, 320 and 500mm, and widths from 1,400 – 3,200mm, while the Ecomina model has been developed for the budget market.
Bernard Jomard of Danube International reports a switch in demand to smaller-diameter models, with increased orders for the 325mm diameter ironers in Danube’s Delta range and away from the 500mm models found in the company’s Maxima range.
The Delta and Maxima ranges both benefit from Danube’s automatic speed adjustment system that takes into account linen and room humidity, so allowing the linen to go from washer to ironer without any manual adjustment.
Danube’s “smart system” is based upon a stainless-steel tub that measures the residual moisture of the linen at three separate points.
A mini vacuum brings the moisture in contact with a sensor, which analyses the residual moisture, room humidity and temperature. A cool-down stage operates while the cylinder continues to rotate.
The frequency inverter uses sensor data to control roller speed, which is automatically adjusted 100 times per second.
Electric and gas heating options are available on the Delta and gas, electric and steam heating on both the Maxima and Sygma ironers.