10 benefits of the Q-Gate, the smart clothing manager

1. COMPLETE INSIGHT

The Q-Gate provides access to the clothing warehouse via a sluice. Employees scan their smartcard in the sluice, walk into the Q-Gate room, grab the necessary clothing there and scan their smartcard again when leaving the room. The garments, each fitted with an RFID chip, are automatically scanned at that point in the sluice and linked to the employee. The system automatically debits the correct credits from the smart card. After returning the clothes to the collection system, the Q-Soil, the credits will be credited again. 

Thanks to the RFID chips, customers as well as Nedlin have full insight into the path of each garment. By linking to the supplier’s Q-Web®, up-to-date information on usage, costs and possible reductions are available 24/7. This way, we can steer together towards optimisation and cost savings, and prevent the loss of clothing.

2. LESS CLOTHING

With the deployment of a Q-Gate, no clothing is left idle. As a result, less stock is needed than for personalised clothing. “That quickly saves 10-15% on clothing”, says Youri. “And that percentage can add up quickly.” This quickly makes the Q-Gate interesting. Not only for organisations with many (flex) employees, but also for smaller companies where a lot of clothing gets lost or valuable clothing is in circulation.

3. LOWER COSTS

The investment required for a Q-Gate is significantly lower than for other automated clothing dispensing systems. Moreover, Nedlin also offers the Q-Gate via a lease structure. Because less clothing is needed, the cost of leasing is often offset by less clothing loss and less clothing supply. When companies choose to purchase the Q-Gate, then the payback period is 5 to 10 years on average. Youri: “In addition, fewer hours are needed for clothing management. Those savings have not yet been added here”.

4. MORE CONTROL

Home laundry is a thing of the past with the Q-Gate, as is the disappearance of clothes. Employees cannot bring more clothes than there are credits on their smartcard. “For companies with a flexible workforce, this is a huge advantage.” Moreover, the clothing manager can see who throws their clothes in the laundry after the shift, and who does not. This way, customers can be sure that all employees actually follow the clothing rules.

5. FULLY CUSTOMISED 

Every Q-Gate is customised. Does your company have 30 employees or more than 1,000? Barely any space or lots of it? The Q-Gate is fully adapted to what is possible and needed. This makes smart clothing management interesting for a wide spectrum of companies. “We often recommend it for large companies”, says Youri, “but also for smaller organisations with a lot of flexible staff or expensive, specialised clothing.”

6. HYGIENIC 

Want to make sure employees change their clothes according to the standards? The Q-Gate can help with that, too. Youri: “By linking with Q-Web®, you can see exactly who changes as agreed and who doesn’t. It is even possible to incorporate a fifo system”. This also makes the Q-Gate an interesting solution for companies that need to work 100% hygienically, such as in the food industry.

7. LITTLE SPACE REQUIRED

A full-fledged Q-Gate is available from as little as 10m2. This makes the space requirement small, especially compared to other automated clothing dispensing systems. If that space is not there, there are other solutions. “At secondary locations, for example, a Q-Lock can be placed”, Youri explains, “a kind of smart cabinet, connected to a Q-Gate at the main location. We can even work with portacabins.” This makes the Q-Gate a flexible system that fits basically anywhere.

8. EASY TO USE

The Q-Gate makes sense and is easy to use. After one instruction, employees know what to do. First through the first door, scan smartcard, second door, grab clothes. And back again. Is that shirt in size S a bit tight after all? Then take size M next time. This is also nice for the clothing manager, who can let go of some of the operational tasks and thus take on a more guiding and analytical role. “This means companies need fewer people to handle clothing”, says Youri. “That also makes the system futureproof in this tight labour market.”

9. 100% SWEDISH

ACG Pulse AB, which makes the Q-Gate, is part of Sweden’s ACG Group. Design, development and production take place entirely in Sweden. “Each Q-Gate is assembled in Sweden, tested, and then taken apart again and shipped to the customer”, Youri says. On a visit to ACG Pulse AB, he saw the plant with his own eyes. “In addition, we are gaining experience with the Q-Gate in our laundry ourselves. So we know exactly what the possibilities are.”

10. PERFECT SERVICE

Customers with a new Q-Gate are guided by Nedlin. If there are any specific questions, then the lines of communication with Sweden are short, says Youri. “We can quickly consult with the people at ACG Pulse AB. For example, to discuss possible improvements, or specific situations.” Customer support is also available 24/7. This makes the Q-Gate especially interesting for companies running fulltime production.