How clean is your cleaning plant?
hould cleaning
plants be clean? Of course! But how clean? And when does
profitability enter into the equation? When we gauge various
establishments for cleanliness, we consider restaurants,
grocery stores, hospitals, clinics, dental offices and health
facilities for obvious reasons. But why drycleaners?
The answer is apparent. A
clean environment would certainly add to
the efficiency, but what is the method of compensation?
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Here we have to gauge how the staff is
paid. Salary or hourly are based on how dependable the staff is
and the longevity and record of each employee.
Piece work usually gets the better return
on dollars spent for production achieved, but it also requires
a more diligent final inspection, and a touch-up return system
that must be always in place (Write for my guides on
“Pressed for Perfection” and “Final
Inspections.”)
Cleanliness employs efficiency and the
rule “A place for everything, and everything in its
place.”
I was amazed at a plant I inspected some
years ago that had four pressers, all on salary.
Here was the scenario. The pressers would
complete the garment, then walk two or three paces to secure a
hanger, hang up the garment, walk back to the press for another
garment and again begin finishing. Many times they would stop
to look for a whisk broom, pins, or pleating block, all two or
three paces apart, and repeat hanging up the garment or pants.
Never was the presser instructed or
arrangements made to concentrate on one type of garment, or to
pivot, at arms reach, to a convenient rail that would
automatically feed the hanger and place the finished garment on
its way to inspection and assembly. No area was set aside for
all the necessary tools required for good packaging and quality
finishing.
Since all this was multiplied by four
finishers, all on hourly wage, I calculated the dollars lost,
and the waste to management, andwas able to offer a fully
paid “Hawaiian vacation for two” by just making
some simple changes in motion study. Plus there were savings in
energy with reduced boiler, vacuum, and utilities, along with
the increase in production and more consistent quality.
What does cleanliness have to do with
quality and production and, invariably, with profit?
Most plants never include housekeeping or
maintenance as part of the daily routine. Management simply
watches the clock when it’s time to go home (with the
Boss first in line in the exodus).
The next morning, it’s firing the
boiler for a head of steam, lining up the pressing department,
counting the heads, answering the phone, smiling at the
counter, and making sure the coffee is on! Cleanliness and
maintenance are on the to-do list, but only when there is time.
Seldom do we have an individual assigned
to it under a rigid schedule. What does the well managed plant
have as a fail-safe agenda?
This important job should be parceled out
to each department, and should be part of the job descriptions
given before and immediately upon hiring.
The counter
Each counter person is responsible for
maintaining a neat, orderly area in the call office area and
the marking-in counter. This means the counter is cleaned, any
dust and dirt from checking pockets is discarded and all tags,
pins and staples are replenished for the next day’s
business before the close of the day.
The professional job of floor waxing,
window cleaning, dusting, polishing, lighting and the rotation
of signs, such as wedding or prom gowns on a lighted turntable
display, should be handled and assigned by management on a
scheduled basis.
The final direction and consultation
should be by management and governed by the head of the counter
staff. This all-important task and the standard of excellence
must be set by management, since this is what your valued
customers observe — the clean scene and the mood it
creates. This is no small task. To strive for improvement and
perfection must be the constant order of the day
This is of course your
“image!” With the use of a night light
incorporating motion and color, you have an attractive, clean
and inviting store front, 24 hours a day. Remember “You
never get a second chance for a first impression!”
Finishing department
It is estimated that a third of the
average plant’s overhead is spent on the cost of pressing
and finishing. Keeping that constant cost in mind, it stands to
reason that all waste must be eliminated while striving for
consistent quality and efficiency.
Every morning before the first garment is
handled, the pressing table should be cleaned and dusted. Next,
all tools needed for the day’s production should be
assembled and put in a proper location for continuous use.
Maintenance items — replacement of a
faulty fluorescent light, a leaky steam trap, padding that
needs changing to prevent and inefficient vacuum system —
should be reported to management and corrected as soon as
possible. These problems have a way of creeping in and
affecting the overall quality.
The individual doing final inspection
needs only to look at a garment that has been on the finished
rack any length of time to notice a crinkled lapel or pocket
flap. A broken button is also obvious and a lost customer is
never easy to replace.
This is a dollar-and-sense decision and if
overlooked is deleterious to quality and the future growth of
the business. Unfortunately there is never a red warning light
to alert us of these conditions We need scheduled maintenance
with a dated initial written report of when the grease cup was
filled, and a questionable part replaced.
The drycleaning unit
Fortunately the cleaning unit has
“built in discipline” that brings to a screeching
halt any delay in maintenance. There is a price to pay when
distillation is avoided or filter pressure is disregarded, as
well as failure to add detergent, clean lint screens, separator
and button trap, etc. The unit will not function and correction
of damaged garments is not easy.
Record-keeping is a necessity. The
requirement of an official inspection makes it all compulsory
— how much solvent was used, waste removed, cartridges
discarded, etc., and the records documented and signed for all
to witness.
I had the pleasure of calling on a plant
that had a truly unique system of maintenance. A local, trusted
fireman in the area, with a key to the plant, brought his
mechanical ability to the job along with maintaining the floor
waxing, dusting, lighting changes and even things like
cartridge changing, replacing a pump if needed, blowing down
the boiler, changing padding on the shirt unit, etc. The steam
lines were painted and color coded, with accurate records when
all work was done.
Most important, this was accomplished on a
scheduled basis when the store was closed.
Needless to say, the plant always passed
inspection with flying colors and the cost was inconsequential.
Can your plant pass inspection? In the
process of cleaning up you’ll find, your quality goes up,
and your cost of doing business goes down!
Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric
care industry, has revised and made available three timely
pamphlets: “Up Front Is Where It Counts” for
counter training; “Pressed for Perfection” for
finishing techniques; the popular “Route to Success To
the Home of Office” for complete route training. The
pamphlets are $20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery
with all postage paid is promised. Send requests and payment to
to R. Colucci, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.
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