DENMARK
A new plant with an increased focus on effective automation solutions and staff safety was put to the test when a fire put a sister company out of service. The number of uniforms for washing suddenly increased by 60%, according to Inwatec, the Danish-based company that develops machines for industrial laundries.
In its latest online case study, Inwatec explains how in 2017, Koncernservice Vask in Nykøbing Falster, a laundry servicing three regional hospitals in Sjælland, Denmark, decided to focus on automated handling of garments where possible. The solution was implemented following a public tender, including a combination of Inwatec’s Robot Separator, X-ray scanner, and an UHF-RWS sorting system.
The installation was finally implemented in spring 2018, and according to Thomas Petersen, production manager (pictured): “The working environment has become more comfortable because we have a simpler workstation where the dirty clothes enter the system. One person can actually manage all the handling, but sometimes we have two on the job because some of the jerseys have to be reversed.”
The plant is designed for a capacity of around 1,400 uniforms per hour, and with 10 hours of daily operation, it met the requirements for production.
However, the requirements were soon to change significantly. Shortly after the installation, the plant at Nykøbing Falster Hospital came for an involuntary test when the hospital laundry in Holbæk burned down and went out of service. Instead of the usual three hospitals, the list of clients grew to six hospitals, and the Nykøbing laundry found it was handling 60% more uniforms. It met the challenge by extending the opening hours of the plant.
“Usually we work from 6am to 4pm, but after the fire, we’re working from 6am to 11 pm, and with that setup, the production of uniforms for all six hospitals can be handled thanks to the Inwatec solution,” says Petersen.
More details can be found here: