Super washer completes state of the art laundry facility

03/03/2009 | Super washer for laundry

Hospital linen will be washed faster and “greener” thanks to a new continuous batch washer at Allied Laundry Services in Palmerston North. Enhanced by the latest heat recovery system, the new $1.6 million washing machine cuts water consumption by two-thirds. The addition of the new machine is the culmination of an efficiency revolution at the laundry.

Allied Laundry is a co-operative formed six years ago by MidCentral, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Whanganui District Health Boards and conveniently sited at Palmerston North Hospital. The laundry supplies a wide range of hospital and health care services linen products including theatre packs - collecting, processing and delivering around the lower North Island. Wairarapa DHB is Allied Laundry’s largest non shareholding customer and 100 non-hospital customers access the service which uses bulk processing to achieve cost efficiency. Processing 800,000 items or 230,000kgs of linen a month, the laundry does “a very good job” for the DHBs and commercial customers, General Manager Mark Mabbett says.

Allied Laundry now has one of the most efficient operations in New Zealand.  “Our vision is to be the lowest cost linen provider to DHBs,” Mark says. “We see continued investment in energy saving and processing equipment that improves quality as the best way to achieve this.”
The new 13-pocket Kannegiesser washing machine complements efficiencies gained from a series of plant improvements including a $1m computer controlled automatic soiled linen sorting system installed in 2007.  The continuous batch washer heats each 50kg batch of washing to 85°C during the two minutes it takes to process. Water use with the new machine has dropped from 15 litres a kilo to six litres. The heat recovery system which cools outgoing waste water and warms incoming cold water saves $100,000 a year in energy cost. As an added bonus the continuous batch washer is gentler on the fabric so the linen lasts longer.

“The facility is a leading example of a regional approach for DHB services,” Mark says – bulk processing of laundry brings efficiency gains cutting costs to contributing DHBs. “With the latest plant investment and resulting streamlining Allied Laundry Services has room for more clients to join its successful win:win enterprise,” he adds.