Although high-quality industrial laundry equipment is built to withstand extreme pressure and experiences minimal wear and tear, even Yamamoto’s machines can benefit from preventative maintenance! In previous blogs, we’ve discussed some of what needs to be done to maintain your commercial washing equipment. However, why do you need to? What are some of the benefits of preventative maintenance, professional or otherwise? Allow Yamamoto North America to show you why standard maintenance and upkeep of your washers and dryers are crucial to your business’s operation.

Staying Productive

If in charge of the laundry operations of a hospital or hotel, you likely have countless loads of laundry that need processing every day. So, when a washing machine suddenly stops working, the laundering capabilities of your facility can become compromised. And such machine downtime can significantly impact work and cleaning productivity, thus costing you valuable time and money. However, with preventative maintenance performed on your washing equipment, breakdowns are much less likely. Ensuring filters and belts are functioning and undamaged can help you avoid future repairs.

Avoiding Repair Costs

Speaking of avoiding future repairs, preventative maintenance can catch potential problems with your industrial laundry equipment before it becomes worse. Although Yamamoto washers come with a five-year ALL PARTS warranty, labor to fix severe breaks can become costly. Especially if more than one machine breaks within a short period, you begin to wrack up repair costs. Thankfully, the few steps you can take to monitor the condition of your equipment are enough to identify issues before they require fixing.

Ensuring Quality Cleaning

Yamamoto washers can provide high-quality cleaning and sanitization with every load. However, even Yamamoto equipment can fall victim to neglect. For example, if filters aren’t cleaned, they become clogged, impeding water flow into a machine. If too little water is used in washing, your linen cannot be thoroughly cleaned. Or, if you don’t keep loading doors open between periods of use, you risk your washer drum not fully drying and developing a musty smell. Ultimately, this unpleasant odor can affect subsequent loads of laundry. Monthly cleaning and inspection of your machines can avoid these problems and ensure your machine’s cleaning capabilities are to the level they should be.

Lowering Utility Costs

In addition to avoiding repair costs, preventative maintenance can help you save on your utility bill. If parts of your system become dirty or start to break, they work less efficiently. In turn, a less effective commercial washer might draw on more power or water when attempting to wash loads, resulting in increased utility costs to run your equipment. Thankfully, it isn’t difficult to optimize the efficiency of your machines. Yamamoto washers feature easy-to-access metal housing and drain valves, so operators can easily inspect and clean its most crucial components.

Less Stress with Yamamoto

While Yamamoto North America will never deny the incredible benefits of preventative maintenance for your industrial washing equipment, we strive to manufacture machines that outperform what our competitors can offer. Yamamoto washers utilize advanced tech, high-quality materials, and durable parts, making our products some of the longest-lasting on the market. Even without preventative maintenance, our machines outlast similar products from other manufacturers. Thus, with the consistent upkeep of your Yamamoto washer, you can expect it to run for decades!

If you are interested in Yamamoto North America’s line of industrial washing machines, or you’d like to learn more about the benefits of preventative maintenance, call us today at 866-204-0519. Our main office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701, serving clients throughout the United States.

For years, Yamamoto has made great efforts to design cleaning equipment that provides the best clean and simplifies the linen cleaning process. However, once laundry loads are washed and dried, that’s as far as Yamamoto’s equipment can assist. Today, that’s no longer the case! With the introduction of the FUT10BT, Yamamoto’s automatic towel folder, we can now assist laundry operators from start to finish! Read on to learn more about our new towel folders and how your business could benefit from this small addition of automation.

How Our Machines Work

Yamamoto’s towel folders are an innovative and compact piece of equipment that can quickly and easily integrate into any business’s laundry procedure. With a range of helpful features, Yamamoto looks to set the FUT10BT apart from other auto-folders in the linen cleaning industry. From our new towel folders, laundry operators can expect:

• Auto Sorting
  • As the operator loads towels into the machine, it will fold and sort towels in a manner the operator decides ahead of time. The folder will identify the types and sizes of linen products fed into it and perform the preferred folding process based on selected settings. Once folded, the machine will sort linen by size, to different locations and using pre-determined heights.
• Precision Folding Quality
  • Other brands of towel folders blast air to lift the edges of the towel into the folding pattern. However, this method can cause inconsistent results and a lesser quality fold. Conversely, the FUT10BT uses a metal flapper blade to create sharp folds for towels and linen. Additionally, our machine uses an automatic feeder sensor that only allows the belts to move once a towel is loaded. This ensures the linen goes in smooth and flat, preventing jams and poorly finished folds.
• Multifunctional Touch Screen
  • The FUT10BT uses touch screen controls, giving operators access to customized programs for their equipment. Changes to a programmed folding process can be made on the fly without special software. Operators can also manually activate each feature of the FUT10BT independently in the unlikely event of towel jams or maintenance. Finally, the touch screen controls track each operator’s performance so staff can be audited for speed and accuracy.
• Different Unloading Positions
  • The FUT10BT has several options for unloading, which helps operators adopt the equipment into their facility. The folder’s relatively small footprint allows it to fit into smaller areas. Furthermore, the machine’s side or rear feed options allow it to be tucked tightly against other equipment without interfering with existing workflows. All machines come standard with base rollers for easy moving of equipment.

Why Does Your Business Need Auto Folders?

While the laundering process is relatively simple, it can become time-consuming without the right equipment. Not to mention, keeping up with the volume of linen needing folding requires multiple employees and significant time. Automating linen folding can solve concerns of time and labor while ensuring consistent folding quality.

• Time
  • Towel folding by hand is not challenging for laundry operators. However, a towel folder can fold more at once and at a quicker pace. Per American Laundry News, the average person can fold, sort and stack different-sized towels at a rate of 120 pieces per hour. Compare that to the 650 pieces per hour a FUT10BT can manage; you significantly increase production and save time on folding.
• Labor
  • Linen folding and sorting is the most labor-intensive part of the laundering process. While the task isn’t overly complex, it’s effort your operators could be placing elsewhere. And if you wish to help that process along faster, you must introduce more operators into the mix. Conversely, a towel folder can completely automate the folding and sorting process. Your auto-folder can cut labor hours by as much as 87%. Additionally, it only takes one operator to use your FUT10BT.
• Fold Quality
  • Leaving your towel folding to individual operators can mean inconsistent and lower-quality folds. Even the most skilled operator lacks the same consistency of an automated towel folder. With the FUT10BT, you get consistent, high-quality folds with every load. And fold quality matters when preparing fresh linen for storage and transportation.

Check Out the FUT10BT

If you’d like to see Yamamoto’s latest addition to our line of industrial cleaning equipment in action, you can watch a video of our towel folder operating on YouTube. Or, if you have any questions about the FUT10BT, its cost, and when you can begin ordering it, contact Yamamoto NA at 866-437-2550. Our main office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701.

After the last few years of COVID restrictions, quarantining, and Zoom calls, it was both exhilarating and cathartic to finally convene for the 2022 Clean Show. This year, Yamamoto NA was at the convention in force, boasting the largest booth we’ve ever done! Not to mention, we got to show off new products, talk to other industry experts, attend educational sessions, and network to our hearts’ content.

Our Biggest Event Yet!

The Clean Show boasted an impressive figure of 10,000 attendees, with approximately 350 exhibitors, 51 of whom were first-time. Such attendance numbers were impressive, considering this was the first Clean Show since quarantine began in 2020. And at Yamamoto NA’s booth, we had the most visitors we’ve ever had at a conference! While we can’t get exact, we estimate the number of visitors to our booth was 5 to 10 times more than we’ve had in previous years.

What’s New?

At Yamamoto’s booth, we unveiled some exciting new products we plan to offer clients within the coming months. The first, the FUT10BT, is our multi-piece towel folder. This incredible machine can fold up to 650 towels per hour, with precise touch-screen controls that make operation a breeze. We plan on talking more about the FUT10BT in future blog posts. And if you’d like to see a demonstration of our towel folder in action, check out the video below!

Our second piece of equipment that we unveiled was an industrial commercial washer. However, not our standard industrial washer but a coin-operated machine! That’s right, Yamamoto is diving into the coin-operated machinery market! Every machine is similar to Yamamoto’s WUD line of washing equipment, but with the addition of coin operation. This was the first time we publicly introduced the concept of our coin-operated machinery in the US, and we’re excited to talk more about these washers soon!

Who We Met

While we met HUNDREDS of new faces, there were plenty of familiar faces among the crowd! Of those familiar faces, we got to connect with 2-M Kasei’s Masaharu Mizukami. For years, Yamamoto and 2-M have partnered to produce some of the industry’s best wet-cleaning products, helping dry-cleaners provide exceptional cleaning worldwide! And it’s all thanks to the Harmony Wet-Cleaning system! Of course, we couldn’t resist a photo-op with Mizukami.

Another surprising meeting we had at the Clean Show was with one of our first customers in the US! Before Yamamoto had a full presence in the North American market, we only had a few customers utilizing our equipment throughout the country. It was incredible to see one of the first buyers of Yamamoto washers and dryers in the US, and exciting to have them visit our booth! In some sense, it felt like Yamamoto NA was coming full circle.

Our Biggest Takeaway

Without hammering the point anymore, the world has gone through a turbulent past few years. As we finally come into a new normal for our society, participating in conventions like the Clean Show has been a positive experience for all involved. After three years of being stuck behind computer screens, the Clean Show allowed us to see industry friends, partners, and clients face-to-face. Throughout the four-day event, you could feel the excitement and anticipation on the show floor. While we look forward to the next Clean Show, it won’t be easy to top the show we just experienced.

Speaking of Next Clean Show…

That’s right; the Clean Show is happening again! Mark your calendars for August 2025 in sunny Orlando, FL! While it might seem like a far bit off, we couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of the next Clean Show. (Plus, it gives us plenty of time to figure out how we will top this year’s booth.)

Everyone at Yamamoto NA is thankful to those who attended the 2022 Clean Show and visited our booth. The conference was over faster than it began, but we can’t wait to do it all over again. See you at the next Clean Show!

If you’ve spent time reading through Yamamoto NA’s blogs and content, you’ve likely seen the term “high-speed extraction” used more than a few times. In fact, the extraction capability of our industrial washing machines is of incredible importance. So much so that our machines are also called washer extractors, signifying the value of extraction for commercial laundry equipment. So, what exactly is high-speed extraction, and how does it benefit your laundry operations? Allow Yamamoto NA to explain:

What Does Extraction Mean for Commercial Washers?

Extraction is a specific function that only washer extractors can perform. During the extraction process, your washing machine will spin at high speeds. In doing so, centrifugal force removes excess water from the laundry load. If you’ve ever taken a ride on a spinning fair attraction, you’ve likely experienced centrifugal force yourself! As gravity presses on your linen, it pushes all extra moisture and water out from cloth. Unlike traditional washers, only industrial equipment has the capacity, durability and functionality to perform high-speed extractions. Furthermore, the power of your machine’s spin cycle determines the effectiveness of its extraction.

Why Choose Industrial Washer Extractors?

For industries and businesses that manage significant amounts of linen, it makes more sense to include industrial washer extractors as part of standard laundry operations. Not only do washer extractors achieve faster laundry cycles, but they also benefit your bottom line. For example, these are some of the benefits of a washer extractor:

• Faster Laundry Times – You can expect high-speed extractions to remove nearly 40% of excess moisture left in linens after a wash cycle. Depending on the power and size of your equipment, that percentage can be higher. Suffice to say, less moisture in your linen translates to shorter dry times. And if you’re familiar with standard washers and dryers, you understand how some dry cycles can take up to an hour. A washer extractor can significantly cut dry time, shortening linen cleaning time overall.
• Greater Load Capacity – Industrial washer extractors are better equipped to manage large load sizes than other washing machines. Due to the need for washers to stay stable during high-speed extractions, parts and equipment are more durable than standard washers. Yamamoto washers, in particular, utilize an oversized bearing and dual soft-mount suspension with heavy-duty shocks and springs. Combined, these features allow Yamamoto machines to handle high-speed extraction of near any load size.
• Energy Conscience – While running a high-speed extraction takes slightly more power, you’ll save more energy in the long run. Not only do high-speed extractions mean shorter wash cycles, but shorter dry cycles (as previously mentioned). And by reducing the time it takes to clean linen, less energy is used in your washing equipment’s operation. Additionally, your washer extractor’s ability to manage oversized loads means fewer loads per day, further reducing the energy required to run your machines.
• Money Savings – If there’s one significant concern for most laundry operators, it’s the cost it takes to upkeep machinery. Yamamoto has previously discussed the true cost of ownership for industrial laundry machines, and the same applies to washer extractors. Between the money you save with less energy and the maintenance costs you avoid with high-quality, durable equipment, washer extractors will save you thousands. Money savings alone are worth the investment into industrial washer extractors for many businesses.

Why Choose Yamamoto’s Washer Extractors?

While a washer extractor is the next best step for your business’s laundry operations, finding the right machine is crucial when maximizing your cleaning capabilities. For example, Yamamoto’s industrial washers offer some of the most power, strength and stability of any washer extractor on the market. Not to mention, Yamamoto ensures our machines are affordable for businesses looking to invest in in-house linen washing. Additionally, our machines are backed by our five-year ALL PARTS warranty, alleviating operators’ concerns about potentially expensive repairs. Overall, Yamamoto strives to be a leader in washer extractors and other commercial laundry equipment.

Call Today

With a greater understanding of washer extractors and high-speed extractions, you now know how Yamamoto’s industrial washing machines can benefit your industry. If interested in washer extractors or any of our commercial cleaning products, call Yamamoto NA today at 866-204-0519. Our main office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701.

As a business owner that utilizes industrial washing machines, finding the right equipment can be challenging. While finding proper equipment for an affordable price is one concern, it isn’t the only factor that should matter when selecting new commercial washers. Understanding what laundry equipment aspects can help your business’s linen cleaning overall will help you select machines that work best for your facility. And with guidance from the linen and laundry experts at Yamamoto North America, you can secure the best washers for your industry. Here are some of the most crucial factors when selecting commercial laundry equipment:

Size Matters

How many loads of laundry must your facility process per day? Do you wash larger items, such as bed sheets or curtains? How much space do you have allotted for commercial laundry equipment? These are all questions you should be asking yourself before selecting an industrial washing machine. Depending on your answers, you’ll have a more accurate picture of the size of machine you’ll need to purchase. For example, Yamamoto offers smaller units for businesses with less space and fewer loads of laundry to process. Conversely, a few of our biggest industrial washers can manage the cleaning demands of large facilities, given your facility has the space for such equipment.

Utility Cost Savings

Business owners aren’t looking for commercial washers that drastically impact their bottom line. While your washer might give a quick and efficient clean, it can hamper monthly profits with the cost of water and energy it takes to operate. And during times when utility costs are on the rise, finding ways to save is crucial to running a profitable business. Thankfully, machines such as Yamamoto’s are finely-tuned to manage each wash cycle with minimum electricity and water consumption. As a bonus, machines that use less water and electricity are inherently more eco-friendly.

The Ease of Operation

When you finally receive your new commercial laundry machine, you want to have it up and running ASAP. Naturally, it will take some time to learn how to operate your washer fully. However, ideal laundry equipment should be reasonably simple to understand and not require days of reading a manual to “turn on.” Many of the latest industrial washers use touch-screen controls, smart applications, and pre-programmed wash cycles, Yamamoto machines included. Such features allow laundry operators to quickly learn machine controls, easily integrating the new tech into standard cleaning procedures.

Cost of Ownership

In discussing the utility cost savings of some laundry machines, we’ve already begun to get into the cost of ownership for industrial washing equipment. In fact, Yamamoto has discussed the true cost of ownership for your commercial washers in previous articles. The basic idea: some laundry machines implement features that can help reduce the cost of ownership. However, business owners must also consider upfront costs versus the overall cost of ownership. If only a machine existed where the cost of ownership and purchase price was equally low (hint: Yamamoto has the solution).

Your Laundry Machine Provider

Above all other factors, having a reliable laundry machine provider supply your machinery is the most crucial when selecting new commercial washers. There are plenty of manufacturers you will never hear from again after money exchanges hands. Finding a reliable and reputable dealer ensures you have reliable technicians to contact if problems ever occur with your equipment. These same laundry equipment dealers frequently offer incredible warranties, such as Yamamoto NA’s five-year ALL PARTS warranty. Give yourself greater peace of mind when purchasing washing equipment from a manufacturer you can trust.

How Yamamoto Machines Meet Your Needs

While the experienced sales reps and technicians at Yamamoto NA prefer to stay modest, the commercial equipment we sell is genuinely one of a kind. Our machines’ features purposefully target major cleaning hurdles of businesses with the highest cleanliness standards. With Yamamoto’s 70-plus years of developing and innovating cleaning technology, we understand the precise cleaning needs of any industry. Our industrial washing machines solve problems of oversized loads, excessive energy/water usage, complicated controls, and much more. Not to mention, every machine we sell at prices significantly lower than what our competitors can offer.

If interested in the ability and functions of Yamamoto’s commercial washing machines, contact us at 866-204-0519. Also, our main office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701.

If your business is currently weighing the cost-saving benefits of owning industrial laundry equipment or outsourcing laundry services, allow Yamamoto North America to share some insight. While it’s true that purchasing a commercial washing machine(s) can be a significant investment, it’s a decision that could save you thousands of dollars in the long term. In today’s article, Yamamoto NA will go over some of the additional costs associated with owning laundry equipment, how those costs can be lowered, and how Yamamoto machines can save you more.

What You Pay For

Even after purchasing a piece of laundry equipment, there are additional costs for operating and maintaining your machinery. If looking to purchase commercial laundry equipment for your facility, here are some of the costs you should be aware of:

• Labor – For small businesses, labor costs might not be a major concern, especially if you operate the equipment yourself. However, employees must be paid to operate commercial washers for larger businesses with more laundry machines.
• Utilities – You must factor your commercial washer usage into utility bill costs. Your washer is likely to draw enough electricity, gas and water to impact your utility bill. Now, if you consider multiple machines for your laundry cleaning needs, the cost for utilities goes up further.
• Quality – In most cases, the more expensive a piece of machinery, the higher the quality of your equipment. And for most industrial washing machines, this tends to be true. However, with lower quality equipment, you risk the potential for more repair and maintenance fees.
• Warranties – Ideally, you’ll have a warranty to fall back on if your machine breaks down within a few years of use. However, not all warranties are created equal. Some parts warranties are limited, not covering the most crucial components of your machine. Ultimately, the less comprehensive your warranty is, the more likely you’ll pay for repairs yourself.

How You Can Lower the Cost of Ownership

Labor, utility costs, the quality of components and the extent of your warranty are the major contributing factors to the cost of ownership for an industrial washer. And by purchasing the right washer, you can keep ownership costs low while maximizing your cleaning capabilities.

• High-Speed Extractions – The best way to reduce labor costs is by reducing your need for labor. And the only way to do so is by increasing the speed and effectiveness of your laundry machines. More often than not, lower-priced washers will feature lower extraction speeds, which means longer wash cycles. By investing in a higher-quality machine with the ability to perform high-speed extractions, you cut down the time needed to operate.
• Water and Energy Conservation – While some commercial washers and dryers can be a drain on your utilities, other machines are designed with energy and water conservation in mind. Again, you might be required to pay more upfront for a machine that uses fewer resources, but you’ll keep your utility costs within a reasonable margin. And similar to how high-speed extractions reduce the need for labor, shorter washer cycle times mean less energy and water used.
• Less Repair and Maintenance – Once again, cheaper washing equipment can mean higher operation costs. For example, a machine’s price can be lower if it uses parts and materials of lesser quality. However, the tradeoff is a higher likelihood that machine breakdowns can occur. If you continually cover the repair costs of your laundry equipment, you’ll soon pay more than what a higher-quality machine might have cost.
• Better Warranties – Finally, finding a machine with as comprehensive a warranty as possible can save you the pain of repair costs should a breakdown occur. As with any warranty, the longer the period and the more parts it covers, the better off you’ll be. However, the chances of finding a decent warranty on cheaper equipment are slim. Manufacturers understand the overall longevity of their machinery. Thus, a cheaper machine will have a less comprehensive warranty, so the manufacturer can avoid paying for your repair.

How Yamamoto Sets a Higher Standard

By now, you’ve likely noticed the correlation between initial equipment costs and the cost of ownership: higher-priced equipment equals lower cost of ownership, and vice versa. This is where Yamamoto machines differ from our competitors. We strive to offer high speed-extractions, energy and water conservation, high-quality parts, and incredible warranties but still keep the price of our washers lower than what’s standard. With Yamamoto washers, not only do you pay less for our machinery, but you benefit from overall lower costs of ownership.

If interested in our laundry equipment and how we manage to pass more savings to our clients, contact Yamamoto North America today at 866-204-0519. Also, our corporate office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701.

Don’t forget about the Clean Show 2022, coming up at the end of July! We can’t wait to show you some exciting new products from Yamamoto.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, many of our biggest events have been put on hold due to public health and safety concerns. Now, as there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel, the world of laundering and dry cleaning is raring to go! In a big step towards “normal,” The Clean Show is returning this July, and Yamamoto North America will be there.

What Is It?

The Clean Show is the premier event for the commercial laundering, dry cleaning, and textile service industry. Every year (up to 2019), the Clean Show has been the place to show off the latest and greatest cleaning tech the industry offers. With its return in 2022, the Clean Show will be bigger and better than ever! In 2019 alone, the Clean Show welcomed over 11,000 attendees, with over 450 exhibitors representing 22 countries. The sky’s the limit for what we’ll see at this year’s Clean Show.

Will Yamamoto Be There?

Yes! Yamamoto will be in Atlanta, GA, from July 30 through August 2 to attend the 2022 Clean Show. However, we aren’t only attending, but we’ll be exhibitors ourselves! As one of the laundry industry’s leading cleaning equipment manufacturers, Yamamoto has a new slate of products and machines to show off. Some of what you can expect from Yamamoto include:

• All WUN Washers
• All WUD Combo Units
• FUT Folder (New!)
• Coin Laundry Equipment (New!)
• Dryers
• Roller Ironer

We have some of our most popular machines returning to the showroom floor for you to check out. Additionally, we have new models of our machines available to see and some new product offerings from Yamamoto, such as the FUT Folder and our line of coin laundry equipment.

What Do You Need to Know?

Everything you need at the upcoming 2022 Clean Show can be found by visiting their event page: https://the-clean-show.us.messefrankfurt.com/us/en.html. However, for a quick rundown of the most crucial info, Yamamoto NA can help:

• The Clean Show will be taking place from July 30 to August 2.
• This year’s venue will be the Georgia World Congress Center at 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313.
• The first day of the event starts with distributors only from 8 am to 10 am and for attendees from 10 am to 5 pm. The remaining days will take place between 9 am and 5 pm for everyone.
• Yamamoto NA will be presenting in their biggest booth ever! (1,500 square feet). If you’d like to visit us, our booth number will be #3144.
• Here is a direct link to the registration page for those interested in attending the Clean Show: https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/ar?evt_uid=199&TrackCode=WEB1.
• All information regarding COVID-19 Health and Safety protocols can be found here: https://the-clean-show.us.messefrankfurt.com/us/en/planning-preparation.html#venue.

We Can’t Wait to See You There!

We’re only a few months away from the 2022 Clean Show, and the team at Yamamoto NA couldn’t be more excited! If you require new industrial laundry machines for your business, now’s the time to sign up for the Clean Show and check out the latest cleaning equipment tech. Or, if your need for new commercial washers is more urgent, call Yamamoto NA today at 866-204-0519. We look forward to talking to you and meeting you in Atlanta!

In last month’s blog, we covered the ongoing labor shortage in the laundry industry and how employers could begin to take matters into their own hands. However, labor isn’t the only concern for the laundry industry. Supply chain issues have become problematic throughout the pandemic, reaching the corners of every industry. As for laundering, textile and hospitality businesses, they’ve been hit especially hard. While Yamamoto doesn’t have the solution to all your supply chain concerns, we can provide helpful advice on best navigating supply issues. First, it helps to understand the source of the problem.

The Source of Supply Chain Troubles

While you can generally blame the pandemic for overall supply chain issues, it gets more specific than that. Moreover, shortages worldwide can be attributed to several factors related to the pandemic. And many of these factors continue to this day, even as we see the light at the end of the “COVID” tunnel.

• Lockdowns – At the beginning of the pandemic, lockdowns were put into place across the globe. Much of the laundry, textile and hospitality industries had to shut down overnight. Production was halted for linen products and laundry machines, as factories typically “bustling” had to close in lieu of health concerns. And the hospitality industry was impacted even harder, as travel and tourism all but vanished. Now, as the world starts to come back online, production is still struggling to ramp back up to pre-COVID numbers.
• Shipping – A significant amount of laundry and textile products come from overseas. However, due to lockdowns and the like, many of these products were delayed and got stuck in transit. To this day, the world is still attempting to overcome the challenges of restrictive shipping. And with the wait for necessary laundry and textile products becoming impossibly long, businesses are having difficulty meeting the demands of their industry.
• Demand – Speaking of product demand, this has partially contributed to the laundry industry’s supply chain woes. As a result of the pandemic, demand for laundry products and services drastically dropped. However, at the beginning of 2021, demand spiked throughout the world! The problem is that the laundry industry has been unable to keep up.
• Labor Shortages – We already discussed labor shortages in the laundry industry in our previous blog. But, to shortly touch on the matter, every business and industry has been having trouble keeping or attracting new hires. And without trained workers to build our laundry machines, manufacture our linen, or provide service as laundry operators, it’s been a challenging time for the laundry industry.

What Can You Do?

Ideally, as lockdowns are lifted, people get back to work, and vaccines/testing are more widely available, the laundry industry will stabilize. As there will always be a need for clean linen, there will always be a need for laundry products and services! However, as we wait for such stabilization, there are a few things you can do as employers to help manage current supply chain shortages:

• For Hospitality – As a hotel manager with minimal laundry capabilities, you must reduce your linen requirements. For example, encouraging multi-night stays for guests ensures some linen products can be used for longer before cleaning. Additionally, requiring less linen overall and adjusting your room/bed change policies can help long-term.
• For Manufacturing Companies – As much of the supply issues begin at the source, textile companies and laundry machine manufacturers (like Yamamoto) have taken steps to improve the work environment for all our employees. You can see some of these steps for yourself by reading our blog on the subject. Overall, it’s a matter of ensuring your company stays compliant with health procedures while incentivizing employees who are afraid to return to work or are thinking about leaving.
• For Everyone Else – If there’s one major takeaway you should get from this article, it’s the understanding that there will be product delays across the board for the foreseeable future. This means you must begin planning what your business needs much earlier than what is usually standard. With delays in shipping, Yamamoto is seeing equipment being manufactured and delivered in as many as six months out from ordering. While businesses adapt to current global events, the laundry industry must do the same!

Call Yamamoto Today

If your business might require industrial washing machines in the near future, be sure to talk with Yamamoto North America today. The earlier you can get your orders in, the better! And, for those invested in the laundry and cleaning industries, Yamamoto NA will have a booth at this year’s Clean Show 2022, presented by Texcare. Information for the trade show is available here or on their website. Yamamoto NA has a lot of exciting new products to show off, so we can’t wait to see you there!

For more info, contact us today at 866-204-0519. Also, our main office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701.

One of the many consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as many employers are quick to mention, is a severe labor shortage. And while this labor shortage can be attributed to numerous factors, the fact remains: businesses are having a challenging time attracting new hires. Nowhere has this labor shortage become more evident than in the laundries industries.

Keeping and hiring new employees has been so difficult for some, hotel managers have resorted to washing towels and linen at home! However, there are ways that employers can address the labor shortage and keep up with the laundry demands of their business. Allow Yamamoto North America to provide you with a few ideas that you might find helpful in dealing with the lack of new hires and employee turnover.

Making Improvements to Onboarding

If your company can find the people to support your labor needs but has a high rate of turnover, an assessment of onboarding procedures and initial training might be the solution. Like in any industry, employees who feel overwhelmed from the outset of a new job are less likely to stick with it. Thus, it can be challenging to keep employees from quitting or finding other employment.

To combat this scenario, employers and companies can improve their onboarding procedures. By taking more time to train your employees, ensuring they have management support, and giving access to tools and procedures meant to simplify the laundering process, you can bolster new hires’ confidence. Additionally, fostering an environment of teamwork can help employees connect with those they work with and discourage them from outright leaving a position.

Additional Employee Incentives

Some employers looking to attract more employees have found success in offering additional incentives for new hires. Sign-on bonuses are an excellent tool and ensure you can bring in more applications. However, a sign-on bonus doesn’t necessarily help with employee retention. Instead, you could consider increased pay or retention bonuses for employees willing to stay with your company. Other common incentives include health insurance, referral programs for hiring, bonuses, vacation offerings, and more.

Of course, we understand employee incentives are only a viable option if your company has the capital to spare. And not only are the laundries industries facing labor shortages, but rising energy costs and loss of business can further confound your daily operations. Employee incentives, while effective, are only viable if your business can comfortably absorb the cost.

Introduce New Technology

If all else fails and your company continues to suffer due to labor shortages, it might be time to consider long-term solutions to your labor woes. Rather than focus on hiring and retaining more employees, you might consider ways to improve your laundry facility productivity through the use of less labor. And in today’s modern age, the latest laundry technology may hold the key to streamlining your laundry process.

Yamamoto Industrial Washing Machines

Yamamoto North America’s line of industrial washing machines is the most advanced equipment available to today’s laundry industries. Our machines were designed not only to make laundering simple for businesses but to reduce your need for as many laundry operators. For example, our machines feature:

• Oversized Load Management – With our machine’s oversized bearing and dual soft-mount suspension, they can handle large load sizes while providing excellent cleaning and sanitization. And larger loads lessen the need for more machines, thus requiring fewer laundry operators.
• Advanced Tech – Each washing machine features touch controls and over 100 pre-programed cycles. For laundry operators, it means our equipment is quick and easy to run. In response, your employees won’t feel overwhelmed and will learn how to operate a machine faster than ever.
• WUD Machines – Unique to Yamamoto NA, we offer our line of WUD washers. This line of washing machines takes the laundering process of washing and drying linen and combines them into one machine. Doing so requires less work from laundry operators and allows for quicker load washing (and drying).
• Affordability – Yamamoto NA understands that companies can only invest in new washing technology if they have the income to support it. As is the same with employee incentives, not every business can support an upgrade in machinery. However, where Yamamoto differs from other commercial laundry equipment manufacturers, we offer high-quality machinery for more affordable prices. We believe any industry with laundry washing needs deserves to have powerful equipment to support its cleaning capacity.

Talk with Our Team

As the world begins to overcome the worst of the pandemic, we hope that labor shortages will soon be a thing of the past. However, to protect your business in the long term, you should consider implementing changes, incentives or upgrades to your laundering process. And with help from Yamamoto North America, we can provide you with options to combat labor shortages. To learn more about our products, contact us today at 866-204-0519. Also, our main office is located at 507 W Olive St, Bloomington, IL 61701.

Having an efficient and well-designed on-premises laundry room is essential across many different industries, such as hospitality. When you build these rooms, buy equipment, and train staff, you need to give everything the proper attention it deserves to get the most significant number of benefits from these services. Read on to learn more about what to consider when designing an on-premises laundry room.

What Will the Layout Be?

There are several variables to consider while designing your laundry room layout. You must ensure that you have enough floor space to house all necessary equipment and allow for the volume of labor required to run everything effectively. The room must primarily accommodate a range of fixed and portable equipment and accessories, such as sorting tables, folding tables, laundry carts, clothes chutes, safety, and protective equipment, as well as chemical storage.

Flooring

The floor must be level, waterproof, and capable of draining all necessary polluted water to the drain, trapping it in the sewer. When possible, ceramic tiles or well-sealed concrete are your best options. Although other types of flooring, such as vinyl, can be used, they will not last as long before needing repairs or replacement. Ensure that the floor can also bear the weight of the equipment and raise the machines to help with loading and draining them.

Ventilation

Machines tend to generate a lot of heat and humidity during the washing and drying process. That’s why your on-premises laundry room needs to have proper ventilation so that you are drawing hot and humid air away as soon as it’s released. Having the right exhaust installed will take away a good part, while an extraction fan venting to the atmosphere will remove the rest. Make sure fresh air is flowing back into the room at every step.

Drainage

You will need to have the proper drainage systems to dispose of foul water after the washing process. Typically, you’ll be looking at installing a drain trough found underneath, behind, or between machines and have them built according to your location’s specific operational capacity. These troughs get made to withstand a complete dump of every device simultaneously, especially in a power outage. The draining systems will then empty directly into the plumbing, so you need to make sure your systems can effectively handle these additional loads.

Walls

To deal with excess moisture in the air from condensation, the walls should be either painted or plastic coated oil, and there should be no gaps or open places where lint can collect. Having lint buildup is a potential fire hazard that you need to be always on the lookout for. You should be able to install machines near walls without issue as well, such as oddly shaped enclosures or partitions.

Fire Protection

You must guarantee that your on-premises laundry room has several accessible exits in case of a fire, especially if your laundry room is in a basement. You also need to ensure that it complies with all OSHA safety regulations. Make sure the exits are well marked and easy to walk through to a safe area and that fire extinguishers are available throughout the space. You should install a fully automated sprinkler system that responds promptly to danger, as well as placing smoke detectors near tumble driers and where freshly dried linens are stored. You should fully train employees in fire safety protocols to know precisely what to do if a fire breaks out.

Location

Your location can play a big hand in deciding what equipment you will use. When starting construction from the ground up, you should aim for thick cement for your flooring. Furthermore, this flooring should rest on compacted earth and avoid building on top of existing structures to have the option of using hard-mount washer-extractors.

By mounting the washers on stable, concrete flooring, you will significantly reduce the number of vibration-control parts needed. Having fewer components generally means fewer parts that need to be supported and repaired, saving you money and downtime.

Soft-mount washer-extractors should be highly considered when operating inside an existing infrastructure or situating the laundry room on the upper floor of your building. These machines feature stabilizing components that carry minimal vibration down the floor, allowing them to be put almost anywhere without irritating neighbors, employees, or customers on all sides of the laundry room. Therefore, once you’ve determined your possible site, you can begin arranging for the equipment you’ll need.

What Will Training Look Like

The final design decisions you choose will largely determine parts of your training with employees. For example, different machines will have different ideal detergent mixes and wash settings. You will also want to make sure every staff member is using the space as efficiently as possible, whether it’s a system for loading and unloading carts or finding the best possible storage space that is easy to access.

You will also need to consider all the safety measures you will need to put in place that can affect your design and ensure all employees are well versed in proper practices. Create written processes and techniques for how to conduct laundry tasks, particularly laundry collecting and organizing. This will streamline the training process, prevent linens from being lost or damaged, and make everyone’s job a little easier.

Talk To the Experts

One of the best ways to start your on-premises laundry room design is to consult with laundry service representatives who are highly knowledgeable about what type of machines and layouts will work best with your industry needs. Your distributor will give you advice throughout the process to ensure that you have the best possible setup to run your laundry services efficiently. You’ll be able to make decisions on machines more confidently and trust that your linens, garments, and customer clothing is in safe hands.

Hopefully, this guide can help you when you’re looking for what to consider when designing an on-premises laundry room. The best place to start is working with trusted laundry equipment professionals like the experts at Yamamoto. Yamamoto is family-owned and managed in Hiroshima, Japan, and has produced laundry equipment for more than 70 years.

We can provide an industrial-strength washer and dryer that has all the benefits of a split system with half the size requirements. They are perfect when you are designing an on-premises laundry room and want to fit in more machines or have extra space available while still meeting your needs. Feel free to contact us with any questions about our products.