Inglewood Commercial Laundry
Inglewood Environmental Laundry hub of Taranaki
Our laundry plant in Inglewood has now been up and running since May 2007. The state-of-the-art equipment from Germany has been master by our skilled team and we are now reaping the rewards.
Preparing the plant had its challenges, including a lack of light in the back section of the giant, two-part plant. It was so dark, we couldn't see all the way to the end! This was rectified, not only by use of lighting but also by installing skylights, which have the advantage of providing natural light, which is good for picking up marks on garments and linen.
How it works
The plant was designed along the simple idea of the laundry coming in dirty at one end of the building and coming out clean at the other. A computerised load cell weighs the product as it is brought in, and then sends it up to the tunnel washer.
This is a Continuous Batch Washer (CBW), which has nine compartments for the separate stages of washing. The product is automatically moved from one compartment to the next.
The computerised continuous batch process means that the different requirements of the various types of product can be met at the same time. For example, the first compartment may be starting the process for a batch of linen, while garments are undergoing the second stage in the next compartment and towels the next step in the third. 50 kilos of product is washed every three and a half minutes.
The automated process uses considerably less water than older traditional laundry equipment. The Inglewood plant uses 9 litres of water per kilogram of product, compared with 22 litres at the old Hawera plant.
After washing, the product is automatically transferred to an extractor, which removes the worst of the moisture before tipping the product into a shuttle. The next step depends on the type of product being washed. Some will be lifted up into one of three large dryers. Other items bypass this stage. A conveyor at the back of the dryers then takes the product up to a trolley in the rear area of the plant.
Up to this point, the product has not been manhandled. The product is then taken through the dividing wall to awaiting trolleys full of tea towels, pillow slips, linen and cabinet towels are taken to the ironer, after which they are folded automatically and placed onto shelves, ready for orders to be made up.
Overalls, shirts and trousers for example, are placed on hangers and fed into one end of the tunnel, dried and come out at the other end.
This process gives them better presentation and makes them last longer, as there is less mechanical action to wear out the fabric.
A sorting system assigns the garments to the appropriate accounts. There is a repair station in this part of the plant, plus a robot garment folder and racks for hanging the garments, that are delivered back on hangers.
The plant has been designed with an eye to the future. There is room for a second conveyor and ironing line, though installation of these is expected to be about five years away.
Our fleet of 10 vehicles is constantly being upgraded to ensure they are efficient and well presented.
The new plant is well situated for all our Taranaki clients, being 15 minutes from New Plymouth, Bell Block and Waitara and 35 minutes from Hawera.
Inglewood Site
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