Start the day with an edge...
Since its founding, Nedlin has been at the forefront of technological developments. These innovations not only make the laundry more sustainable and efficient, they also make the work more fun, lighter and safer. Sander Simons, Plant Manager at Nedlin Healthcare, talks about today’s 6 most important innovations.
1. I-collector
The i-Collector is our dynamic storage system that manages Nedlin Healthcare’s stock at item level. Orders are picked from the racks fully automatically. As a result, manual order picking has come to an end, says Sander. “This means that, walking distances are shorter and carts no longer need to be pulled manually through the warehouse. This has made the work much lighter. Order picking has become easier and less prone to errors, so learning is also faster. And instead of eight, there are now four colleagues doing packing. Which is great, because with our rapid growth, those people come in handy in other areas of the laundry.”
2. Q-gate
The Q-Gate is a digital clothing dispensing system that links bulk clothing to personalised dispensing. The system offers colleagues a lot of convenience. “You can always find the right size in stock. Clothes are always hygienically clean. And the Q-Gate is simple to use, making it quick and easy to learn.” The Q-Gate provides full insight into clothing usage and offers greater control. Hoarding or disappearing clothes are a thing of the past. “That makes clothing management a lot easier. And more fun!”
3. Automatic sorting
‘One of the biggest innovations in our industry’, Sander calls the automatic sorting of laundry. When laundry arrives, all clothes and all bath textiles are automatically sorted to the right laundry programme by robots using chips and camera technology. “As a result, less manual work is needed. It makes the work lighter and less prone to errors.”
4. Hygiëne sluice
Our laundries are only accessible through a hygiene sluice. At both Nedlin Industry and Nedlin Healthcare, this is essential, Sander says. “The laundries meet the highest standards of hygiene and food safety.” The hygiene sluice means no one has to worry about complying with strict hygiene standards. “As soon as customers enter the laundry through the hygiene sluice, they immediately know that we always meet the highest standards. This also applies to all our colleagues. Moreover, the working environment is clean and comfortable, which makes for a pleasant and safe way of working.”
5. X-Ray scanners
Advanced X-Ray scanners automatically recognise foreign objects in the laundry, such as pens, paperclips or scissors. “Without X-Ray scanners, employees have to hand-check each garment. That takes a long time. Missing a pen could contaminate an entire batch. Moreover, there are sometimes sharp objects in the clothes.” Scans show which item it is, and where it is located in the garment. “That makes the work faster, easier, lighter and safer. And because all clothing at Nedlin is consistently scanned, the percentage of ink wash has been reduced by 95%. A huge win for our customers.”
6. Folding robot
At Nedlin Healthcare, towels have been folded fully automatically by robots since the completion of the new building. That task was first performed by colleagues. “This automation makes the work less repetitive. Colleagues become more operator than production force”, says Sander. “The work can be done with fewer people, which gives the laundry room to grow in this tight labour market.” Moreover, it offers colleagues new opportunities to grow. “From the role as a technical operator, colleagues can move on to a traineeship for mechanic.”