| Still Going – Ironer Rebuilds
Better than Ever
Excerpted from Textile Rental
By Randy Vansparrentak
 Scott Burke has served as president of Loop Linen in Westwego, La. for 22 years but the flatwork ironers he manages have served for much longer. During the rebuilding of one of his four Super Sylon flatwork ironers from American Laundry Machinery, a stamp on the cast iron chest was revealed documenting its date of manufacture from the 1940's. Surely no one at the time expected these eight-roll machines to remain in service well into the 21st century yet they continue to perform day after day.
In fact, the newest American flatwork ironers were installed more than 40 years ago and it's not uncommon to happen across one of these ironers in continuous operation for more than 100 years. "For hospitality work, you just can't get a better finish than a Super Sylon - and they'll last forever," says Burke, who had all four of his Super Sylons rebuilt over the course of his tenure, one just last year.
While new ironer styles make a splash every few years touting one new advance after another, these small roll Sylons, Super Sylons and Hypro models just keep going. Even the TRSA's former CEO Roger Cocivera remarked during a tour of Burke's plant, "That Super Sylon is the best finishing ironer ever produced."
And as long as laundry managers focus their teams on diligently following a preventative maintenance program, these stalwart machines will likely outlast the maintenance staffers themselves. "We're very careful about upkeep but all we have to do is clean the chests every day, change the aprons, pads and covers once a year and keep moving parts greased," says Burke, "It's so simple, if I checked the order history, I'd bet we haven't had to replace more than a few parts over the course of two decades since the initial rebuilds. We're more likely to offer our spares to other area laundries to help them out of a jam then to use them for our own ironers."
Before buying two rebuilt ironers and having two other ironers rebuilt top to bottom, Burke weighed a variety of factors. Certainly, the cost of a rebuild versus the cost of a new ironer offers substantial savings – often more than half the initial cost - but it's also important to weigh the merits of adding the latest computer controls, safety mechanisms and more... Click here to read the whole article.
Latest
Innovation I
Perma Pad Prevents Powdering Out
 Most polyester flatwork ironer pads eventually turn to dust due to hydrolysis if they are allowed to retain water. By powdering out, they can disintegrate right on the roll, contaminate the linens with dust and reduce efficiency if it's not addressed.
This new Perma Pad with a proprietary construction and acrylic fiber base prevents the moisture buildup in the first place. No more messing around with removing pieces of frayed ironer padding.
- In 40-inch width and custom sizes, 55 oz. per square yard.
- Offered exclusively from Tingue, Brown & Co.
- Get details from your rep
Latest
Innovation II
Color-Code Your Carts
With a choice of 21 different colors as standard plus custom colors and 30 different sizes plus custom sizes, these cart covers may offer the easiest way to color-code your operation, avoid delivery mistakes and improve efficiency.
Just assign one color per customer, route or product and cover those carts in the proper color cart cover. Colors communicate faster than written or printed papers, labels and tags alone and from a greater distance plus the covers guard against contamination and add security.
See more cart covers here.
Support for Sling System Operators
More than one table has collapsed under the weight or impact of a loaded sling bag. Whether during manual unloading or when automatically discharged from a chute, or by accident, these sling bags can present a weighty safety issue.
This rugged sorting table can be placed right under the overhead rail system for handling the sling discharge, sorting and conveying. It can catch up to 400 lbs. of goods and is rotationally molded in one smooth piece of 100 percent polyethylene that cannot harbor bacteria and wipes clean with a sponge.
Plus, it rolls on premium casters for easy, ergonomic movement around the plant.
See more photos here.
Don't get stuck without your rep's cell phone! Get it here.
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