Linen control is one of the most high-priority processes for any
commercial laundry, regardless of size and scale. For facilities that rent out
their own linen, however, this is arguably more important as mismanaged linen
can impact service delivery and customer service – two factors you can’t afford
to be careless about.
What
goes into effective linen management? What does it take to ensure
that linen flow and inventory is maintained with high levels of control and
efficiency?
In
our post, we unravel this topic and discover what it means to practice
effective linen control and the tools and strategies that can help you stay on
top.
Calculate
your par stock levels and maintain them at all times
Par
stock levels refer to the minimum quantity of linen necessary to ensure service
supply according to your existing requirements. While this is a crude
definition, there are actual calculations that can help you estimate the
appropriate level for your commercial laundry.
According
to the Laundry Forum, this takes the form of unit par level = Daily average usage X
a safety stock (1.25) X the number of days supply is needed.
With
certain commercial laundry management
systems, you can digitise and automate this part of
your laundry. Certain systems even feature RFID tags, which help you identify
each item of linen, telling you either at what stage of the washing process
each is in or with which specific client it’s with.
This
ensures that at any given time, you know exactly where your linen is. Setting
par stock, then, can be formulated with details as specific as the individual
items of linen to be maintained as a part of your par stock.
Establish
clear linen rental and customer guidelines
Another
way you can practice effective linen control is by laying down clear guidelines
and policies about how your linen should be used and returned.
This
way, you ensure that clients don’t get reckless with linen that’s not even
theirs, to begin with, and return your linen on time and in good condition.
These policies can include late penalties for delayed returns and the costs of
damage so that you have a clear framework in place if something goes wrong.
A
seemingly small step like this will help you with two things: (1) Maintain your
stock and guarantee the durability and long-term use of your linen and (2)
maintain complete linen control regardless of how big your operations are.
Invest
in RFID garment tracking
Linen
control also becomes a dream when you have RFID capabilities within your
commercial laundry.
Radio
Frequency Identification tracking, as it is known in full, can be leveraged as
a standalone solution or one that’s part of an overarching commercial laundry
system. Regardless, this tool is inventory control’s best friend, given that it
can identify where each item of linen is at any given time.
Through
the functionality of the handy little RFID tag embedded onto your linen, you
can even automate certain laundry handling processes that otherwise take
significant manual effort. This includes directing each item to the right part
of the cleaning cycle and increasing efficiency and speed within your facility.
Together
with a comprehensive commercial laundry system, the degree of linen control
you’re likely to enjoy is unparalleled.
Leverage
laundry automation and industry best practices for effective linen control
At Bundle
Laundry, we believe that linen control and the overarching component
of inventory control is one of the most important things for
long-term success in a commercial laundry.
In
fact, we’re not alone in holding this belief. Facilities all around the world
are adopting the latest technology and incorporating best practices into their
work to ensure that their stock, as well as those of their clients’, are accounted
for and delivered without a hitch.
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