Choosing a new industrial washer-extractor can be tricky. Indeed, one should not only take into account the linen to be produced per day. For instance, a luxury hotel with a spa must offer an impeccable and quality linen to customers, the quantity can also vary greatly depending on the season. Hospitals wash large quantities of linen each day, which must be perfectly decontaminated. There must therefore be 2 well separated flows between dirty linen and treated linen. 2 examples of organization dealing with linen, 2 opposite realities.
What are unhappy customers’ most common concerns with their former supplier of industrial washer-extractors? When talking to laundry professionals, the first thing they tell us about their production is their level of problem:
• My rewash rate is too high:
“My napkins turn yellow after a few washes”,” The shirts I provide to my staff are still stained “; Or “The towels and bathrobes in the hotel spa quickly lose in quality and softness”.My washer requires too much maintenance, it is not reliable.
Washing linen requires playing with 4 elements in order to find an optimal result:
- Temperature
- Time
- Chemicals
- Mechanical strength
Deleting one of these elements requires the 3 others to compensate for it (example: less time available will require more temperature and / or chemicals for the same result).
Here are the main criteria to be taken into account to find the industrial washer-extractor that meets your needs.
Size and capacity of the industrial washer-extractor
This is one of the main characteristics to be taken into account when choosing an industrial washer-extractor.
How much linen do you need to wash per hour? How many hours a day do you work?
This is of course very important. We always suggest that you increase your current volume by 20% to find out the washing capacity per hour required, in order to give you the opportunity to increase your customer base without major modifications to your laundry.
Size of the machine. We often hear: “I have to wash 200kg / hour, I will rather choose 4 machines of 50kg than one of 200, that leaves me margin of safety in the event of breakdown” This is legitimate but extremely false and expensive:
Below 100kg it is no longer industrial machines but rather semi-industrial. Their lifespan is very different (on average 5 years for semi-industrial). The average lifespan of a UNICA industrial washer-extractor is 21 years.
More machines take up more space in the factory.
We cannot be 100% convinced of our choice when it is a choice that anticipates a breakdown.
The industrial machine cannot break. When you take the plane is there a second plane following you in the event of a breakdown?
More machines = more cost:
Greater water and chemical consumption
Loss of time to load and unload
More maintenance cost
Price of the industrial washer-extractor
When choosing an industrial washer-extractor, you should not only look at the price on the purchase invoice but also take into account all the costs associated with the machine during its lifetime. To know the real cost of a machine we must analyze the “total cost of ownership (TCO)”.Take an example, you decide to buy 4 machines of 50kg at 15,000 € / pcs for a total of 60,000 € because the quote is cheaper than a 200kg industrial machine at 80,000 €. You estimate saving € 20,000… which is quite significant, right?
This reasoning is false because the lifespan of a semi industrial machine is 5 years on average. So every 5 years you will invest 60,000 € again for a total of 240,000 € after 20 years while the industrial machine is made to last as many years. At the end of the operation you will have lost in our example 160,000 € (4 * 60,000 € – 80,000 €). In addition to the cost of maintenance, the cost of breakdowns, the consumption of the machine, etc. What is your real economy… incredible isn’t it?
Types of industrial washer-extractors
A machine with compartments: this type of machine is particularly intended for hotel linen and large items (such as sheets). Machines with several compartments prevent the linen from forming large knots making unloading difficult (which generates human health costs but also an increase in unloading time). In addition, this type of machine has a higher mechanical force making it possible to reduce the use of chemical product (cf. sopra: 4 factors for effective washing: we increase the mechanical force and therefore we can reduce the contribution of the chemical).
A medical machine is used to create 2 flows in the factory. A flow of dirty linen and a completely different and physically isolated flow of decontaminated linen. It is a compartment machine with 2 openings at the front for loading and at the rear for unloading.
The window machines have a huge, wide open drum. They are particularly suitable for washing the dust mat. Allowing them to deploy in the drum and allow water to easily pass through.
Delivery, Installation and Warranty
Some manufacturers or retailers offer delivery and installation services when purchasing a machine. These services may also include placing the machine in the designated location, connections and recovering an old machine.
There are also all-in services. Maintenance is included in the sale of the machine. You no longer have to worry about maintenance and you focus on the core of your business: washing clothes.
All UNICA washer-extractors are designed to be easy to install. They do not require foundation or fixing to the ground.
And what about after-sales service? A professional manufacturer must respond quickly to your needs in the event of a breakdown or replacement of a part. In the event of a breakdown, the reaction time is an important factor to be taken into account. You cannot stay with a no longer producing machine for too long. UNICA helps you resolve your concerns over the phone to save you additional costs. If a spare part is available, it is in stock and sent to you the same day (if you order before 3 p.m.) to be delivered the next day everywhere in Europe.
Consult customer reviews for more information.
Energy consumption
The ability of a machine to save electricity, water and chemicals is a factor to consider. The search for a highly efficient washing machine must take into account its energy consumption.
In Europe, eco-design standards are applied to industrial washer-extractors. This CE label guarantees you a “cleaner” wash, for the planet as for your laundry.
As seen above, there are 4 important factors that influence the efficiency of your washer-extractor (temperature, time, chemicals and mechanical strength) and therefore the resulting ecological impact. However, UNICA washers have such mechanical strength that they allow you to reduce your consumption of water and chemical products for the same result. By choosing UNICA machines, you win on both counts: you save money whilst protecting the environment.
Discover our Unica Medicare model to find out more.
Unica stands by the side of those who fight daily against Coronavirus. In order to guarantee the best possible quality, we work to ensure all our customers receive their machines and spare parts on time.