Thinking outside the laundry box
Thinking outside the laundry box
A partnership born during Covid has evolved into an innovative, hands-on approach to commercial laundry equipment. Herman Harsevoort of Laundry Total and Gabriele Giotto of Grandimpianti I.L.E. explain their vision to Chris Evans.
Stubborn stains are an occupational hazard for commercial laundries. “We had a chemicals companycustomer recently that had emulsion adhesive spills on their overalls. They were proving difficult to get out,” says Ronald van Velzen, owner of Velzen Textiel in Bolsward, The Netherlands, which provides commercial laundry services to a range of businesses. “Laundry Total stepped in, creating a tailored program with specific chemicals and a longer water cycle. It worked perfectly.” This is the kind of dedicated customer service that Dutch distributor Laundry Total provides. They began selling Grandimpianti I.L.E. washing machines and dryers to local companies during Covid. Although it was a challenging period for many businesses, it highlighted the benefits of the Italian brand’s remotecontrolled appliances, which helped minimize the impact of restricted site access. The partnership has gone from strength to strength ever since. “They are doing a great job of selling and distributing our machines to customers, and their aftercare is incredible,” enthuses Gabriele Giotto, sales and product manager at Grandimpianti I.L.E. “They take a scientific approach and are really focused on the running costs of the machines.” “We are all about ensuring clean laundry in an efficient way,” says Herman Harsevoort, managing director of Laundry Total. “A lot of commercial laundry companies in Holland are old school and put everything on a high wash. But we explain to customers how they can go from a 60 degree wash to 40 and still clean the clothes thoroughly, using the right amount of chemicals and time, thus saving on electricity. It’s about investing in every cycle.”
We are all about ensuring clean laundry in an efficient way
Cloud control
Laundry Total’s work is made easier by their ability to manage Grandimpianti I.L.E. machines remotely through the exclusive TheMind.cloud platform. This system enables them to monitor, track and control all aspects of laundry operations. It includes features for overseeing wash cycles, tracking energy consumption and meeting individual customer requirements. The platform also allows precise control over drying settings, enabling customers to treat even the most delicate items by adjusting time, temperature and drum rotation speed according to fabric type. “With this smart service, customers get a huge amount of information every hour of the day, including electricity and water use, any problems, and where they can save money on washing programs,” says Harsevoort. “It’s an impressive smart package, and we are constantly finding new ways to use the data to improve things for the customers.” Velzen has certainly been won over. “If there’s a problem with some dirt we can’t clean, we call them, and they can change the washing program from wherever they are – adjusting the temperature, adding more soap or water etc.,” says Velzen. The washing machines themselves have a new, interactive control system called Wavy, with a touchscreen interface providing information about the programming and operating of the machine according to the user’s experience. They also come equipped with a weighing system called MWS as standard, “so every load can be monitored, controlled, measured and recorded online, and changed if needed, which saves up to 50% of detergent use,” adds Giotto. But perhaps the most unique, innovative and sustainable feature of the new, ‘hybrid’ model Grandimpianti I.L.E. machines is their use of solar panels. “They use energy from the sun to warm up the water in the boilers, and then some of that water is also used for the dryer, combined with electricity (so a hybrid system), to heat the appliance,” says Velzen. “So this saves us money – and is better for the environment.”
Energy efficiency
All Grandimpianti I.L.E. dryers use fresh air to cool down the motor, exhaust and rear of the machine. “The thermal energy absorbed by this fresh air dries the clothes in the machine. That’s another energy efficient process we introduced. It saves something like 12 minutes per cycle, which is huge,” says Giotto. “You can control the temperature of the air going in and out of the drum at the touch of a button, thanks to an algorithm we developed. Once calculated, the machine adjusts according to the items being put in (whether it’s t-shirts or bathrobes).” Laundry Total and Grandimpianti I.L.E. think creatively when it comes to the set up of the machines themselves. “Laundry rooms
are often hidden away in a corner somewhere, far away from everyone, because they’re dirty, noisy and wet places. We
want customers to think about making the space brighter so they can show off our machines. We offer them 3D images of the best designs that would suit their space,” says Giotto. “If you think about it, with a nice restaurant the first thing a customer sees is the textiles, not the food, and hotel guests see the bed sheets and towels. So ensuring the space where they’re washed is hygienic and efficient should be key.”
Grandimpianti I.L.E. has been
operating in the laundry
industry for over 50 years
The company received the coveted
ISO 45001 certification for its
occupational health and safety
management systems in 2020
Grandimpianti I.L.E.’s new ironers
offer 20% less clutter while
maintaining the same roller length.
They occupy less space, giving
operators more room to work
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Grandimpianti Laundry provides professional solutions for washing, drying and ironing, combining efficiency, technology and expertise.