Press releases

Sorting and transportation systems simplify everyday work in laundries

Gütersloh/Nuremberg, April 2, 2019 No. 26/2019

  • Tailored solutions from Miele and Thermotex

  • Mix-ups ruled out: Laundry sacks and trolleys with LEDs

Washing, drying, sorting and transportation: All available from Miele as a single-source supplier. The Gütersloh-based laundry technology pioneer has teamed up with Thermotex, the world leader in the labelling of laundry. In combination with Miele machines, Thermotex products significantly simplify and speed up processes in on-premise laundries – implementing solutions for efficient laundry management. This starts with the receipt of laundry.

In many institutions, modern laundry transportation and sorting systems simplify everyday work, as for example at the Carl-von-Heß’schen Social Foundation in Franconia. The new laundry was inaugurated in early 2018 and services all 7 nursing homes run by the foundation, profiting from a well-tuned combination of Miele technology and intelligent laundry logistics. Each and every day, around 750 kg of laundry are cleaned. Each item of clothing is scanned, allowing its precise whereabouts to be tracked at any given time – right through to the point where laundry is handed back to residents. The matching accessories come from Thermotex.

The first step is the labelling of laundry items with durable labels or transponders even before the first wash. This ensures that residents are handed back the right blouse or pullover, and enables data to be captured from labelled garments: How often, for example, were items washed and dried? Does an item perhaps needs replacing? What are the highest temperatures fabrics can tolerate? This data is gathered using scanners or an RFID system. Once saved, it forms the basis for the automation of all subsequent stages.

Simple assignment of textiles according to colours and wash processes.

Errors in sorting textiles by colour or process are prevented by colour-coded LEDs. These signalise to users whether textiles have been assigned to the correct laundry sack or not, for example a batch of infectious laundry which has to be subjected to thermal or chemo-thermal treatment. To prevent recontamination of laundry already washed, barrier washing machines providing separated infeed and outfeed sizes are the ideal choice. These machines are developed and produced by Miele at its competence centre in Lehrte near Hanover.

Laundry requiring less strict hygiene (for example duvets and pillows) is best processed in front-loading machines from Miele. These have load capacities of between 10 and 32 kg of laundry and offer more than 90 standard and special-purpose programmes – hence the perfect solution for each type of textile.

Dry and also ironed laundry is returned to residents in many homes by trolley. A second Thermotex system prevents mishaps: As soon as an item of clothing is deposited in the right compartment, confirmation is given by a coloured light. This virtually eliminates the risk of textiles going amiss in the laundry cycle.

 

Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Professional Business Unit). The Miele company, founded in 1899, has eight production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. These are joined by the two plants belonging to Miele's Italian medical technology subsidiary Steelco. 2017/18 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 4.1 bn, with sales outside Germany accounting for 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. Throughout the world, the family-run enterprise, now in its fourth generation, employs a workforce of around 20,100, whereof 11,200 are employed in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.

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Anke Schläger
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Clear signals in the laundry affiliated to the Carl-von-Heß’schen Social Foundation in Germany's Franconia region: The LED on the laundry trolley flashes as soon as an item of clothing is placed in the correct compartment. (Photo: Miele)

 

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Residents' laundry at the Carl-von-Heß’schen Foundation is washed in disinfection programmes – in barrier machines which separate operations on the infeed and outfeed sides. (Photo: Miele)

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