I’ve been involved in RFID implementation in commercial laundries for over a decade. My work at SPL helped bring them to the point where they were able to automatically generate orders for customers, based on usage, and create their “Linen Hubs”: the “just walk out” linen store for short term stays.
I think most commercial laundry operators are aware of the hardware and software costs involved in implementation, and are okay with the investment when it actually delivers on the promises. But I’ve seen so many RFID readers in laundries collecting dust, to recognise the pattern.
A laundry operator invests in hardware, software, and starts shipping the linen. They focus on it for a quarter or two, but the system never progresses to the point where anyone in the business actually trusts the data. And if the laundry doesn’t trust the data, how can you expect your customers to?
So the RFID Project is never officially decommissioned. The portals stay installed, the linen is still purchased with chips, “RFID Capabilities” are still added on tenders. But the system never actually delivers any value to the laundry.
So why does this happen?
Imagine if you heard about the efficiency gains of tunnel washers, so you decide to invest in one. You see the cost of the hardware and install, do the ROI and say “great let’s do it!”
The truth is that RFID implementation at a commercial laundry needs to be treated as a similar paradigm shift as moving from washer extractors to CBWs.
You then rip out all your washer extractors and install a CBW. On its own. No conveyor systems, no batch transfer dryers, no changes to the rest of the operational flow of the laundry. I’m sure you can imagine this would be an unmitigated disaster.
For RFID adoption in a commercial laundry to be a success — that is, provide actual linen spend savings — it needs to be accompanied by an operational shift the likes of moving to batch washing.
The RFID readers and software will provide absolutely no value, if it’s not coupled with absolute commitment from every level of the business to ensuring the data is accurate.
So what does the operational change look like?
RFID rollouts fail because the RFID data is treated as optional.
After a successful RFID rollout, if the dispatch readers went down, then the laundry isn’t sending out the door. An RFID reader going down is treated with the same operational urgency as an ironer or washer breaking down, i.e., it stops production.
Lack of data integrity is the reason laundries aren’t using their RFID systems, and you can’t have data integrity without a commitment to ensuring that all linen sent to a customer is chipped, registered, and scanned correctly. Regular audits must also be conducted to ensure soil readers are operational.Getting to that point means implementing processes on the factory floor that are followed with the utmost diligence.
This may sound ludicrous to some, but it’s a natural fallout of treating the RFID data as “not optional”. Only when a laundry has that level of commitment to data integrity, can they sit down with a customer with utmost confidence when they show them the data.
Only then can they automate the ordering process according to demand, which allows them to minimise cold stock at customer sites, which allows them to reduce linen spend.
So why can’t you afford RFID?
An investment without ROI isn’t something any business can afford. It’s a waste of not only money, but time.
You’d laugh at an operator installing a tunnel washer without making any operational changes on the floor, but so many do the same with RFID rollouts: throw in some readers and expect it to start generating savings on its own.
If you can’t afford the time to nurse an operational change project over 6–12 months, you can’t afford RFID.
