Experts' Corner

Artificial intelligence has a real buzz and is making a huge difference in all kinds of industries, most notably in laundries. The automation of the soil sort area, for instance, is now taken care of by robots utilizing AI. It is the safest, most hygienic and most sustainable way to sort soiled linen – and one day soon, it will be the most common way as well. We asked Martin Jakobsgaard, software engineer at Inwatec ApS, to explain how much “real AI” is involved. But first, let us have a look at the definition of Artificial Intelligence:

Workwear needs to be durable, comfortable and, most importantly, clean. From hospitals to the hospitality sector, from construction sites to firefighters: JENSEN offers smart and sustainable laundry solutions for every industry and requirement.

Energy is no longer an endless resource that can be consumed with no limits. All economic sectors are faced with shortages, drops in performance, and record high prices. Fortunately, modern equipment and new approaches support laundries in recapturing energy.

Since the turn of the millennium, the laundry industry has seen a dramatic increase in automation, leading to significant changes in how we work. This change has allowed the industry to benefit from increased productivity and efficiency.

The Kalor ironer combines the durability and rigidity of a fixed chest ironer with the capacity of a flexible chest ironer. We call it a semi-flexible chest ironer; one of our customers calls it a workhorse that is also a racehorse.

Creating the future in laundry automation - that is a central motto of the JENSEN-GROUP. When it comes to this task, topics such as robotics, artificial intelligence and digitalization are also becoming increasingly important in the textile care industry. In fact, these technologies are already being used successfully. The German trade magazine WRP talked about this with Martin Rauch, Chief Operating Officer of the JENSEN-GROUP.

Feedback from a leading laundry group in Europe operating the Kalor G 1200 gas ironers reports record high performance with record low gas consumption compared to gas ironers of various brands used in a row of tests carried out by the laundry group during 2019. The test was carried out using heavy duvet covers as this type of flatwork contains a lot of residual moisture pushing the ironers to the limit.

For decades, the laundry industry has been looking for solutions that can increase the PPOH by automating as many of the strenuous jobs as possible. A first attempt to feed linen fully automatically resulted in the development of the first generation of Viking separators more than three decades ago.

In order to eliminate the risk of exposing operators in the laundries to germs from soiled hospital linen, the sorting of soiled hospital linen was prohibited in some countries decades ago. This spawned the post-sort operation requiring mixing goods to be washed together, then sorted. As a result, JENSEN invented the Jenrail conveyor system allowing operators to load unsorted, washed and clean flatwork into clamps in front of the feeder, and sort it into sorting lines before feeding it into the feeder via deloading stations.

Picture this: It is the start of a busy day. Laundry is steadily coming into the facility from all different routes. Sorting operators are actively working to fill the soiled storage in the Futurail rail system. Your production plan has set targets for each product line for each day of production.

Everything seems to be moving along nicely, but do you know:

• If, or when, you will hit your production targets?

• What are your production percentages of each category?

• Where are the remaining items located within your laundry?

In order to exploit the full potential of laundry equipment, the entire material flow throughout the entire installation must be considered. Automation and material handling refer to the short-distance movement of laundry – like linen, garments and mats – within the facility, and it is a key to productivity as it ensures that there is a constant flow of goods to be processed. In a nutshell, it is about making sure that the linen is always at the right place, at the right moment to feed the high-capacity machine.

In medicine and everyday life settings, hygiene practices are employed as preventive measures to reduce the possibility of incidence and spreading of disease. Now, that we all are facing the COVID-19 pandemic, we must be sure that professionally processed linen which we come in contact within hospitals or nursing homes is absolutely clean, sterile and germ-free. JENSEN’s Senking MediLine tunnel washer meets the highest clinical and hygienic requirements and is the only one in the industry that is certified according to the German Medicinal Devices Act (MPG) and the European Medical Device Directive (MDD).

The Wäscherei Kellner laundry has been providing "Höchste Qualität rund um Ihre Wäsche" (top quality when it comes to your laundry) for more than 60 years in Osterode am Harz. Environmental friendliness and hygiene are extremely important to Helmut and Ricardo Tröger. The two managing directors of Wäscherei Kellner laundry have now seized the opportunity to retrofit their JENSEN P50-15 tunnel washer from 2017 with UVClean. The new UVClean system (patent granted in 2020) for JENSEN tunnel washers automatically prevents bacteria growth in double drum areas without having to use any chemicals – it is the most natural, most environmentally friendly, and most efficient way to eliminate germs and bacteria.

Washing has played an important role in the history of mankind for thousands of years. In the course of this history, these processes have constantly evolved, however, the mechanism of action behind these processes has basically remained unchanged. In honour of its discoverer, Herbert Sinner, this mechanism of action is called the Sinner’s Circle.

More than ten years ago, JENSEN revolutionized the laundry market by adopting a CleanTech approach. One of major resulting evolutions to the market was that gas heated industrial laundry solutions became readily available - and in many regions quite common. However, this revolution did not reach all the laundry markets of the world, and steam has continued to dominate the laundry industry in the developing laundry markets in Asia, South America, etc. This may now change, as value-engineered gas-heated solutions are offered as an alternative to high-end products.

An investment in JENSEN’s SL-version tunnel washer comes with the guarantee of three key factors of success. The internal water reuse system and patented tankless washing process reliably deliver sustainability with the most economical consumption ever, highest hygiene and flawless washing results.

There is a post-season to everything. The Covid-19 crisis and its constraints on people and businesses have left a severe impact on the world. Even these uniquely challenging months will pass, and they will inevitably be followed by better and brighter times. We look forward to going back to our “new” normal life – and the sooner, the better.

After a prolonged shutdown, your JENSEN equipment can be restarted without any major difficulties. Once your laundry is ready to start back up, it is ideal to follow these simple procedures.

Temperature plays a crucial part of the wash process. If appropriate temperatures are not reached, it could result in dirty or stained linen, or worse: improperly disinfected linen. With a current emphasis on safety and reduced contamination, it is no understatement to stress the importance of guaranteeing the correct temperatures throughout your wash cycle.

From time to time, there might be reasons to turn off laundry machines for a longer time period. The exact procedures are detailed in our operator manuals. However – and especially in these very challenging times when we all have to react fast – please find below a quick overview about the main actions that have to be taken to protect your JENSEN equipment during idle times:

More and more cases of the coronavirus are becoming known worldwide. What do laundries need to know to handle potentially infected linen? JENSEN tunnel washers meet highest hygiene requirements and are designed for disinfecting washing procedures – join us to be on the safe side.

In 2008, JENSEN introduced the CleanTech concept and pioneered a totally new approach for the laundry industry. Dan Munch, Product Development Manager with JENSEN Denmark, explains how all engineering activities have become greener.

The new UVClean system (pat. pend.) in JENSEN tunnel washers prevents bacterial growth in double drum sections automatically and without any chemical supply – it is the most natural, most ecological and most efficient way of eliminating germs and bacteria. And what’s more: contrary to chemical methods, bacteria cannot become resistant to UV radiation. Once again, the JENSEN engineering team has come up with a simple, yet innovative way to add value to our customer’s laundries.

Even in modern industrial laundries, many routines and processes are still heavy, dirty, and potentially dangerous. Especially repetitive tasks often result in employees making mistakes; some of which can be extremely costly. Fortunately, the industry’s leaders recently focused on the development of new solutions such as robots, artificial intelligence and data management.

In the laundry business, and especially for JENSEN, productivity, efficiency and growth are vital key words. This is what interest laundry managers most; how they can grow their business, be more productive and efficient.

Life hacks have become very popular in social media….you may have actually tried some yourself. Some are hilarious and sound crazy, some of them are most useful. But are they useful for the laundry business as well? Let’s have a look at the term to check if this is applicable for the laundry industry.