When processing hundreds of pieces of laundry each hour for multiple customers, as First Garment Rental does, keeping track of everything can be tricky.
It is estimated that there are approximately 1-million garments and uniforms currently in circulation through First Garment Rental, and all these garments need to be cleaned, counted and returned to the customers.
So how does an organisation that deals with such vast quantities of clothing – everything from commercial uniforms and work clothes to rented formal wear – keep tabs on its customers’ laundry?
The answer is radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which have been widely deployed across the manufacturing and process industries, enabling work-in-progress tracking, inventory control and logistics. Of course, the very nature of the laundry industry, with its high temperature environments and potentially harsh detergents means that there are unique challenges to be overcome.
According to Carl Gibbins of First Garment Rental, a division of the Bidvest Group, the RFID tag is thus built to be tough enough to last through dozens, if not hundreds of collection, cleaning, sorting and delivery cycles that the garments go through.
“In the past, this industrial laundry process has typically been a very labour intensive process. Inevitably when many people are involved in a process, cost and time increases, while the potential for errors and the attendant customer dissatisfaction multiplies,” he says.
“However, by making use of ISO standards-based, high-frequency 13,56MHz tags, encapsulated in plastic to withstand the harsh temperatures and detergents found in commercial laundries, much of the process can be automated.
“The tags are programmed with a unique ID number that can be read and linked to asset tracking and logistics applications. Moreover, they require no line of sight scanning and can be read while stored in bags or racked on hanger bundles. And since they do not require a battery, they can last the lifetime of the asset.”
He explains that First Garment Rental is utilising RFID readers, placed alongside or integrated into automated conveyor systems in order to track, and then automatically route garments via a series of conveyors. This, he says, means it speeds up productivity and reduces the multiple manual steps in sorting and holding operations.
“RFID and advanced tracking and logistics systems can also pinpoint laundry carts, bags or individual items, making it much easier to track and recover misplaced items. Prior to RIFD, the cost of taking someone off line to locate a single lost item could far exceed the value of the garment, while there is also the not inconsiderable matter of customer dissatisfaction.”
Gibbins adds that the RFID tracking capability also helps in the management of a company’s inventory and product life-cycle management. By monitoring the use and wash-cycles of a particular item, it becomes easy to determine when to take the item out of circulation.
“The industrial laundry industry has always been a highly manual, volume intensive, tight margin business. At every step, efficiencies, return on investment and productivity need to be squeezed out of the work tracking system.
“By utilising RFID for tracking and logistical purposes, we are able to much more effectively manage assets, thereby increasing productivity and improving the service we are able to provide to our customers,” he says.
It is estimated that there are approximately 1-million garments and uniforms currently in circulation through First Garment Rental, and all these garments need to be cleaned, counted and returned to the customers.
So how does an organisation that deals with such vast quantities of clothing – everything from commercial uniforms and work clothes to rented formal wear – keep tabs on its customers’ laundry?
The answer is radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which have been widely deployed across the manufacturing and process industries, enabling work-in-progress tracking, inventory control and logistics. Of course, the very nature of the laundry industry, with its high temperature environments and potentially harsh detergents means that there are unique challenges to be overcome.
According to Carl Gibbins of First Garment Rental, a division of the Bidvest Group, the RFID tag is thus built to be tough enough to last through dozens, if not hundreds of collection, cleaning, sorting and delivery cycles that the garments go through.
“In the past, this industrial laundry process has typically been a very labour intensive process. Inevitably when many people are involved in a process, cost and time increases, while the potential for errors and the attendant customer dissatisfaction multiplies,” he says.
“However, by making use of ISO standards-based, high-frequency 13,56MHz tags, encapsulated in plastic to withstand the harsh temperatures and detergents found in commercial laundries, much of the process can be automated.
“The tags are programmed with a unique ID number that can be read and linked to asset tracking and logistics applications. Moreover, they require no line of sight scanning and can be read while stored in bags or racked on hanger bundles. And since they do not require a battery, they can last the lifetime of the asset.”
He explains that First Garment Rental is utilising RFID readers, placed alongside or integrated into automated conveyor systems in order to track, and then automatically route garments via a series of conveyors. This, he says, means it speeds up productivity and reduces the multiple manual steps in sorting and holding operations.
“RFID and advanced tracking and logistics systems can also pinpoint laundry carts, bags or individual items, making it much easier to track and recover misplaced items. Prior to RIFD, the cost of taking someone off line to locate a single lost item could far exceed the value of the garment, while there is also the not inconsiderable matter of customer dissatisfaction.”
Gibbins adds that the RFID tracking capability also helps in the management of a company’s inventory and product life-cycle management. By monitoring the use and wash-cycles of a particular item, it becomes easy to determine when to take the item out of circulation.
“The industrial laundry industry has always been a highly manual, volume intensive, tight margin business. At every step, efficiencies, return on investment and productivity need to be squeezed out of the work tracking system.
“By utilising RFID for tracking and logistical purposes, we are able to much more effectively manage assets, thereby increasing productivity and improving the service we are able to provide to our customers,” he says.