News & Innovations

JENSEN Futurail: the navigation system for every laundry

More output
Futurail automates the whole laundry handling and storage process, from reception of soiled linen to the finishing stations on the clean side. In the reception area, unsorted soiled linen is rapidly unloaded and, if required, fed into the primary system. Separated by product, customer or route, the laundry is taken to the sorting area, where it is sorted, weighed or even counted. These loads are stored before arriving in the washroom section. Futurail sorts by customer, finishing category and washing program, putting soiled linen into stainless steel containers. Once a load is complete, bags are loaded from these containers and then conveyed to the soiled linen store under the roof. In this classified system, machine loads are stored automatically. Futurail's new software allows optimum planning of bag feed into the laundry room, avoiding logjams and standstills in the tunnel washers and dryers, and massively increasing the productivity of the laundry room as a whole.

More space
Ceiling-mounted storage and transport high overhead save valuable space compared to mobile laundry trolleys. Even the tunnel washers are loaded automatically, with the bag of sorted laundry running up to the washing tunnel, being positioned above the loading hopper and opening at a command from the tunnel washer. After the washing and drying process, Futurail stores the dry or prepared linen until it is passed to the appropriate finishing machine. Space is thus quickly made for new loads in all areas of the laundry.

More health
The Futurail rail is made of high-quality stainless steel with surfaces which are quick and easy to clean, allowing the high hygiene standards of the healthcare sector, in particular, to be met. Yet Futurail protects the health of laundry staff as well as the hygiene and thus health of patients and nursing staff. Sorting staff can work at ground level and manual transport of linen trolleys is no longer required. These convenient working conditions protect employees from the heavy, repetitive tasks which sooner or later lead to physical problems and time off work. The JENSEN development department places particular emphasis on ergonomics, as improvement here leads to even higher team productivity. 

More stability
The rails and running gear are designed for maximum load. The stainless steel rail hardly wears down, even under the heaviest loads, and guarantees that the running gear runs smoothly. The center of gravity is on the neutral axis for ideal weight distribution. The chassis has high strength and precision. A stainless steel strut let into the chassis supports the lower articulated arm so that the casters always remain perpendicular to the running surface, even when they stop. The rail fixings are secured both top and bottom to keep maintenance complexity to a minimum. The ball bearings are sealed in the housing, so only minimal external lubrication is required; as a result, there are no lubricants on the rails or casters, attracting much less lint.

More automation
Without a doubt, the new call-off process is one of the most important components of the Futurail software, conveying sorted sacks of soiled laundry from storage to the washing area in the most efficient sequence. The process takes account of a series of elementary process parameters, such as drying time and production requirements, to optimize the production sequence still further. The process can also react automatically to incidents on the line, machine failure for example, so that bottlenecks can be avoided.

More clever thinking
Planning and implementing Futurail conveying systems is and always will be a human task. JENSEN specialists have many years' experience with the logistics systems of industrial laundries, enabling them to satisfy any requirements in a specific project.

The laundry transport system with a brain
Futurail can be compared to the GPS navigation systems in cars. That system plans the optimum route to ensure efficient arrival at a destination. This includes avoiding heavy traffic, planning the optimum route and incorporating current traffic news. Futurail performs precisely these tasks when moving laundry around a laundry facility.

This pioneering laundry system improves the utilization of all machines and thus increases productivity.