Why manufacturers are considering bringing laundry in-house

Laundry is often overlooked within manufacturing and engineering businesses, but is essential to keeping plants running smoothly. Many facilities teams are increasingly reviewing their laundry requirements and considering in-sourced laundry rooms, especially in the current economic climate.

But what exactly are the benefits of having a laundry on-site? And is it really as efficient or cost-effective as relying on external providers? We have assessed the key advantages of an on-premises laundry facility can bring, so you can decide if it’s the right direction for your business.

What is an on-premises laundry?

As the term suggests, an on-premises laundry is when an organisation has an in-house laundry facility on-site, including commercial washing machines and tumble dryers required to launder garments without outsourcing any stage to third parties. Many manufacturers may choose to integrate an on-site laundry into their day-to-day operations for a wide variety of reasons.

At face value, it’s perfectly natural to err on the side of caution and air concerns about transitioning from one way of working to another, however there are significant cost, environmental and quality control advantages to in-house laundry facilities.

Cost-effective and no surprise fees

With no need to worry about unexpected service charges, price hikes and maintaining large stocks of laundry, an on-premises laundry can offer greater cost-effectiveness and ease of budgeting. Even when taking into account additional staffing and energy costs, many JLA customers have made significant savings from bringing the entire laundry process on-premises.

Carbon footprint

The emissions from transporting dirty and clean laundry to the commercial laundry facility could be significant over time. Many companies who are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint in the supply chain are looking at bringing laundry in-house utilising energy efficient commercial laundry equipment as a more sustainable solution.

Better quality control

For organisations with strict hygiene, infection control and operating standards, setting up an on-premises laundry can improve the quality control process. In situations where there may be concerns about the quality of laundry processed by the outsourcing partner or there are strict infection control requirements, this should be an important consideration.

Quicker turnaround times

Utilising commercial laundries can often be a long process from storage of dirty laundry, collection by truck, washing and drying in the commercial laundry, delivery and storage of clean laundry. Taking full control of the process can reduce the time taken to process laundry, which could even reduce the total volume of garments, uniforms and linens required.

Better for smaller volumes

Some commercial laundries have minimum order volumes, which may be unsuitable for smaller and medium-sized businesses. To counteract MOV, some companies are required to store dirty laundry until it reaches a certain threshold, which is not best practice for hygiene standards and there is a cost implication to purchasing and storing additional laundry garments.

Stability in rural locations

In some parts of the UK and Ireland, commercial laundry businesses are no longer operating in rural communities or have reduced service levels significantly due to the cost of transportation and logistics. This has particularly affected smaller manufacturers and engineers in rural locations who are no longer able to outsource their laundry. On-premises laundry would resolve these issues and provide stability for businesses and organisations in rural areas.

Labour resources

Whilst an in-house laundry facility will require staff and internal resources, this can be offset from the time required to manage the outsourced laundry providers, which can often be very significant. Time savings related to counting stock, arranging collections and deliveries, managing the supply chain and quality inspections.

The ancillary laundry

An ancillary laundry will allow you to process all the items your linen provider won’t touch – items that can potentially be damaged by traditional thermal disinfection. These include specialist clothing materials, microfibre cloths and mop heads, slash guards and your drivers’ & engineers’ clothing.

No capital outlay

One of the main objections to in-house laundry in the past has been the capital outlay required to set up and maintain the equipment. With JLA Total Care, you pay nothing upfront and get free installation with 24/7 emergency support, all for a simple monthly fee.

We hope this resource has shone a light on some of the key advantages that can come from bringing your commercial laundry in-house. If you require assistance in setting up a laundry room on your premises, the experts at JLA are here to help.