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RFID TRACEABILITY SOLUTION FOR LAUNDRIES - FLAT LINEN

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Traceability solutions

3. Traceability solutions in the laundry supply chain

4. Solution Architecture

5. Basic linen traceability inside the laundry

6. Basic linen traceability outside the laundry

7. ROI

8. Conclusion

9. UBI Solutions
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INTRODUCTION
Although the numbers vary significantly based on the individual hotel or hospitals, a minimum of 20%
of the linen placed annually into service are replacing product that was incidentally lost or stolen.

One of our early Laundry Customer, the Hospital laundry from Paris, washing the linen for all the 60
Paris hospitals claimed to have halved the linen textile purchases.

Traceability solutions at unique item level in the linen supply chain controls and analyses how linen
is processed, distributed, utilised, returned, and managed. To be able to extract impacting information
a big data analysis solution is indispensable for driving efficiency and reducing costs. Collecting
and managing loss data has become fundamental to textile asset management and new levels of
automated, intelligent track and trace solutions are making the process faster and more accurate.

With such solutions, laundries can visualise the different flows of linen directly through a cloud-
based platform with big data processed to provide real time reporting to support smart decision
making.

Full stock and losses transparency per category

and customer thanks to UBI Cloud

Automated traceability allows procurement and operational teams to forecast and control inventory
costs, budget annual linen needs, schedule new stock, and manage effective utilisation so they
can focus efforts on educating users to prevent abuse. Intelligent item level data helps provide a more
accurate picture of total linen inventory and cost.
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TRACEABILITY SOLUTION
Traceability solutions can drive efficiencies and cost savings at all points in the supply chain
regardless of the supply chain model. Contracted full service is when all linen supplies and all
subsequent laundering is provided under a single contract with an external contractor. Here the
contractor has a very vested interest in the management of their inventory as any new efficiency
gains deliver top and bottom-line benefits, but any loses are their costs to recover. Full service in-
house is where all linen supplies and all subsequent laundering is undertaken internally. Therefore, the
ability to drive operational efficiency, reduce spend and prevent careless costs are the priority of
the end user customer. A hybrid model exists where linen and laundry services are a combination
of in-house and contracted services where the end customer may purchase all linen, but all
laundering is undertaken by a contractor. In this model both end customer and service provider share a
mutual interest in inventory management and control, operational efficiency, and the need to
prevent careless costs. Real time visibility at item level through automated track and trace has the
additional benefits of a more integrated and visible supply chain and reduces any disagreement
between service provider and end customer.

The use of calibrated scales, for example, for receiving and shipping laundry is one method
in practice to account for inventory movement between locations in the supply chain. This is
faster than a manual count and acceptably accurate with clean laundry. The lack of
integration into ERP systems reduces the visibility benefit and requires human intervention
processing data which is time consuming and open to error. There is no exact accuracy with
soiled linen though and there is no way to knowing the condition of each soiled linen item. The
accepted solution is to weigh them and apply a soil-to-clean factor to compare the returned
volume with the previously delivered volume. Typically, soil adds 10% to 12% weight to
hospitality linen but by no means fully accurate.

This paper focuses on automated identification of individual linen using

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a wireless non-contact use of radio
frequency waves to transfer data. Tagging linen items with RFID labels
allows users to automatically and uniquely identify, count and track
inventory. RFID tags sewn into each item, usually at source, are designed to
withstand high-temperatures and repeated washing, drying, and ironing. Fixed RFID reader

Fixed RFID “readers” can be installed in doorways, entrances, exits, on

conveyors and even integrated into laundry machinery to interrogate tags at
different points in the supply chain cycle. Item information is read, without
line of sight to the tag, in vast numbers simultaneously, storing and
processing unique data on linen movement. Mobile handheld RFID devices
provide additional flexibility to read whole location inventories, anywhere
in a matter of seconds. Mobile RFID device
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Using RFID technologies, it is now possible to track hotel and hospital linens and workwear thereby
automating the inventory process and the life-cycle management of individual linens or textiles and
reducing loses. For laundries, hotels, hospitals, and healthcare facilities, it can be challenging to
manage the massive inventory of linen and workwear. Investment in RFID is too often viewed as
expensive but with streamlined, automated laundry processes to drive accuracy and efficiency and
reduces loses the ROI is incredibly fast, often just a few months. Through RFID traceability, you will
always have complete visibility of laundry inventory, as well as reliable and accurate information
about the usage and total lifecycle of every item.

Tracking of linen
throughout the chain
using RFID

TRACEABILITY SOLUTIONS IN THE LAUNDRY

SUPPLY CHAIN
An RFID system for flat linen will generate millions of records. The more RFID reading points a
system has the more data is generated. With such a solution, laundries can visualise the
different flows of linen directly on the cloud-based platform. By knowing the flow, you can limit
the losses and optimise the stock is a more profitable way.

Solution Architecture
The local middleware makes it possible for different elements of the traceability network to
exchange data with each other. This management software has the task of collecting data from
a wide range of reading devices, connecting to third party applications, monitoring and
supervising, and data aggregation and filtering for the Cloud.
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Each time an item is read by a device, the management software gets the following information:

The tag ID: the EPC identifier unique to the linen item
The date-time of the read
The device that made the read
The “movement type”: For example, each time an item is read at the soiled
entry of a laundry, it is doing a “Laundry Soiled Return” movement
Location: where the read has occurred

The information will be processed and makes a first filtering and pre-calculation of indicators. For
example, when a device is scanned at Soiled reading portal, it will check where it was sent last time,
and will calculate the downtime of the item, meaning how much time it has spent in the customer’s
site and can generate automated delivery and billing notes.
A Cloud platform and a central management software will centralise all the information within the
linen cycles. Management software will act as a translator for local ERPs and information systems.
This architecture can prove very effective in a wider project, where different stages in the value chain
may use different ERPs and information systems.

BASIC LINEN TRACEABILITY INSIDE THE LAUNDRY

The diagram above is the basic level of traceability RFID.

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In this example, four tag interrogation points are represented, but a solution design depends on
laundry layout, process, and volume of linen:

At the entrance of the laundry (gantry, portal readers)

Between sorting and cleaning (sling bag, conveyor readers)
Between cleaning and shipping (agnostic connection to existing ironers)
At the exit of the laundry (cabinet readers)

Soiled linen normally arrives at the laundry in cages. Once the cages are lowered from the truck, an
operator moves the cages one by one into the laundry. The cages go through the RFID reading gantry
or portal where all tags are detected, read and processed changing the status and location of
each unique linen item in the database.

With the RFID gantry, when the operator enters with the cage, the screen can show the area of the
room for soiled linen, in which the operator must place the cage. Thus, if the screen displays "300
sheets, red zone" or "100 pillowcases, yellow zones", the operator places the cage in the area
dedicated to the category of the container. It is possible to interact between an ERP or a production
system in an interactive manner.
This feature is useful to control which linen must be washed first depending on the production
program. This panel PC connected to the entrance gantry is not mandatory for traceability of the linen.
However, this is an example of a performance tool to help to optimise the stock utilisation at the
laundry.
Once the laundry is sorted into bags they can be delivered to the washing machine via a rail system
or conveyor: the bag is suspended from a rail or sorted lose and placed on a conveyor. During this
movement, the bag passes through a second RFID reader, a Sling Bag gantry or Conveyor gantry.

When 100% of the linen at the laundry is tagged (or 100% of the linen for a specific customer is
tagged and the laundry works on a per customer washing basis), additional reader stations can also be
installed at the ironers. Reading point at the ironer means linen can be rejected or managed during
this process. If the reader identifies that the linen is not the correct category or the belongs to another
customer, then the linen can be ejected from the ironer. With the capability to integrate the readers
and management software to specific industrial machines (Kannegieser, Jensen, etc...). the ironer
will understand automatically which linen is expected.

Shipping orders is critical for the traceability of the linen. This is where the linen will be allocated to a
customer. The operator places the requested amount on linen per customer in the RFID cabinet. He
closes the door, and the software will count the linen through an RFID reader and antennas (doors
can be manual or automatic, depending on budget). The operator can then verify that the amount
corresponds to the customer order. Multiple options are possible, especially when a connection to an
existing ERP system is made. It is now possible to compare automatically the quantity read with
the expected quantities to be shipped. Specific actions or discrepancies reports can be trigged.
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The RFID cabinet can also be used to assign brand new linen, on mass, to specific customer
ownership, book to stock or remove condemned stock from the database.

BASIC LINEN TRACEABILITY OUTSIDE THE LAUNDRY

The linen room is the middle point between the laundry and the end customer. In some cases, the linen
room is directly at the end customer building. In a hospital, there may be several linen rooms each
belonging to a service (pediatrics, emergency room, etc.). In many big hotels, there are linen rooms at
each floor instead of one linen room for the entire hotel; each linen room contains the linen for all the
rooms of its floor.

CLEAN operator
in the UK
delivering clean
linen at Major
London Hotel

The main role of a linen room is to order linen to the laundry and redistribute it to the end-
customer. Each linen room has a RFID Handheld. A RFID Handheld enables end customers to know
the content of a cage just by holding it close to the cage.

First, the RFID Handheld will allow the user to simplify the daily counting when the cages arrive at
the linen room. Secondly, this Handheld is used to adding a control point in the traceability of the
solution. Moreover, the PDA is connected to the cloud via Wi-Fi or 2G/4G.

With the tag number identified through the Handheld, it is possible to check and change the status in
the cloud.
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Hand-held readers
to provide full
traceability at end-
user consumption
points

RFID Handhelds also allow laundry customers to perform inventories of their stocks whenever
they wish. Even though the linen is traced from one end to the other of their cycle, sometimes some
linen is not located where it should be. Moreover, some hotels or hospitals keep too much clean linen
in stock, forcing the laundry to buy linen to face the continuing demand. Other times the stock of
linen is too low, resulting in a shortage of laundry and consequently service disruption at the
customer locations.

ROI
Customers have achieved a very short ROI through a reduction of yearly linen purchase and the level
of stocks. Customers have reduced their stocks and accelerate its rotation. The tracking of the linen
and the information to all stake holders have had an impact of linen losses. With these two
parameters, the laundries have spent less at the end of the year on purchased new linen, increased
their service to their customers and reduced the extra hours needed to deliver the appropriate
quantities in due time to their customers.

Within an existing operation, where it is not easy to change the production processes and existing
customer contracts, the most profitable way of implementing an RFID solution is to start tagging only
the new purchased linen, or a new category or some specific customers or a mix of these 3
options.

Over the years, the laundry will can keep replacing the linen, propose new types of customer
contracts and step by step adapt the production process to fully take advantage of the possibility to
gain on production productivity. Such an approach gives the laundry the possibility to analyse the
complete flow of linen with all categories and customers reducing the investment costs at the same
time. It is then possible to recognise which customer does not return the linen but also to see which
linen is missing for a customer.
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CONCLUSION
The process of this RFID solution represents the basic linen traceability inside a laundry. Customise
this process and make it even more efficient by adding additional reading points inside and outside the
laundry. These reading points provide the laundry with important KPIs about their process.

The hardware (antennas, readers mounted on specific designed gantries and cabinets) reads the tags
and creates data associated to this event. This data is relocated in a cloud. The cloud is the tool that
allows the laundry to have a global view about its flow: quantity of linen ordered, location, downtime…
The laundry is now able to know very precisely the stock of its customers. Stock circulates faster,
downtime decreases, and losses reduce. There is an increased transparency delivered by the cloud
because it is accessible by anyone, anywhere without putting the IT security of the laundry in jeopardy.
Customers can see for themselves the flow of linen and manage their stock more effectively
driving full value add/USP to the laundry and to the supply chain.

RFID Laundry traceability solutions:

Reduce human intervention on time-consuming and

repetitive tasks:
This reduces human error and improves productivity by saving time
on monotonous tasks, leaving staff to perform more rewarding tasks.

Obtain full stock visibility in real time:

RFID offers complete traceability for the production chain, thus
minimising the risk of stock-outs or overstocking.

Automate processes:
By automating tasks, as is the case for inventories in particular, errors
can be reduced considerably, and productivity can be increased.

Reduce losses and thefts:

It is possible to have real time knowledge of the location of each
article of linen thanks to the reliable information provided by the
traceability system, which will record the data.
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Reduce the environmental impact:

Due to the unique identification of laundry items via RFID tags and
RFID chips, it is possible to mix linen from different customers and
therefore reduce the consumption of water, gas, washing products...

Improve customer relations:

By reducing errors and having complete visibility of the entire
production chain, the laundry has all the necessary information to
offer a quality service and thus increase customer loyalty.

Reduce costs:
The implementation of a traceability system makes it possible to
optimise the life cycle of the linen, reduce losses and personnel costs.

UBI SOLUTIONS
For more than 10 years Ubi Solutions have provided track and traceability solutions into more than 600
customers across 30 countries. Our Cloud based solution is tech agnostic; we look at the exact
needs and match the technology to this specific need and application for the best possible results. Ubi
Solutions collect, analyse, process and report on more than 1 billion transactions every year using
best fit and best of breed technologies including RFID/BLE/GPS. Every solution belongs to the exact
needs and requirements of our customers to deliver fully customised solutions to support individual
operations, data, and KPI/reporting.

For more information on careless costs and driving operational efficiencies in linen and laundry
management or to read more about the hundreds of our laundry customer projects please
CONTACT US.
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UBI Solutions Paris (Siège)

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Tel : +33 9 81 70 04 81
[email protected]

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