By Bianca Budde, Marketing Manager JENSEN Germany
Environmental protection and resource efficiency are also playing an increasingly important role in the healthcare sector. Water and energy should be used as economically as possible. To conserve resources, our customer CWS has thought in closed loops for years. CWS has also embedded sustainable action in its circular business model with the motto: “Think Circular.” After all, only a truly circular economy can successfully contribute to overcoming the global challenges of resource scarcity and climate change, and reducing the health-related consequences of these trends. That is why this core belief was the basis of the latest project with CWS: equipping the new laundry for CWS Healthcare at the new location in Brehna, Germany.
The goal: 100% automation from feeding to acceptance
Approaching to land: One of the new JENSEN DT 60 batch transfer drying tumblers
CWS Healthcare is the solution area of CWS that reliably supplies hygienic textiles – from work clothes to complete professional laundry processing – to outpatient care, nursing homes, rescue services and fire departments. A new location has been added to the five existing locations throughout Germany: “Think Circular” has also applied in Brehna since the beginning of May.
Brehna is just under 45 minutes by car to the north of Leipzig and directly on the A9 highway between Munich and Berlin at central Germany’s Leipzig-Halle hub. The new CWS Healthcare location covers the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Brandenburg. Location Manager Steffen Dreyer reported proudly: “With the new location, we are now even closer to our customers, can intensify our regional support and at the same time, continue to reduce our carbon emissions.”
To satisfy the stringent requirements for the new location, the goal of the collaboration with JENSEN was 100% automation: from laundry feed to acceptance for post-treatment. “The greatest challenge for us was to coordinate the supply chains to ensure that the facility was ready for operation quickly,” said Regional Sales Manager Andreas Kirchhof. “From consulting to commissioning, we were in close contact to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Shortly before we were finally ready in May 2022, we trained the entire laundry facility team to use the new JENSEN machines to prepare for the kick-off in advance.”
Ready for all the hygienic requirements of the health care sector
The new laundry facility for disinfecting washing processes is certified in accordance with RAL 992/1-4 in order to avoid spreading pathogens. The laundry processing sectors in which clean and dirty laundry is processed are physically separated and the facility also has locks for personnel and containers. “Due to separation and certification according to RAL standards, the laundry satisfies all the hygienic requirements of the health care sector,” explained Markus Schad, Regional Managing Director Cleanrooms & Healthcare.
In the new JENSEN Senking Universal P36 tunnel washer for occupants’ laundry, a highly flexible batch washer with internal energy and
The new JENSEN wash line is the centerpiece of the laundry facility in Brehna
water recovery, laundry is consistently washed in the bath exchange process (in standing baths). The certified wash process is preprogrammed and automatically applied in the process control. Each batch remains in its own bath and receives its individually programmed quantity of detergent, process water temperature and bath level. Consistent blue-white separation with double conduit routing ensures maximum flexibility and optimal water recovery. Large, modular EcoTanks are used as interim storage tanks for drained process water, virtually 100% of which is reused. The FlexRinse process contributes to a further reduction in the consumption of fresh water and is in line with “Think Circular,” as the process is also based on closed loops. The optimal recovery of process water conserves energy and resources while delivering the best wash results.
The new, patented UVClean system is also installed in the facility for CWS Brehna. It prevents the growth of bacteria in double-drum sectors automatically and without using chemicals. It is the most natural, most environmentally friendly and most efficient way to remove germs and bacteria. UVClean also prevents bacteria from becoming resistant to UV radiation – in contrast to chemical methods.
The new JENSEN Z1200 Plus high-performance centrifuge extracts water fast. The patented cushioning system ensures optimal balancing to enable very high G-forces even for short cycle times in order to increase productivity. Inflatable air cushions decouple the drum from the base frame, enabling minimum dynamic floor loads. During operation in the lower speed range, four removable friction absorbers automatically fix the drum unit in place and cushion possible vibrations. Outside this range, the absorbers are opened to ensure complete decoupling between the drum unit and the base frame. This patented system reduces the reallocation of laundry in order to meet predefined cycle times and achieve very low moisture retention values.
In the downstream JENSEN DT 60 batch transfer drying tumblers, the textiles are dried gently and effectively. The InfraCare infrared control further optimizes the drying process. Depending on the type of laundry, it leads to significant energy savings and much shorter drying times. In turn, this raises economic efficiency and productivity. Other systems are based on the temperature or moisture content of the exhaust air. The key difference with InfraCare is that the actual temperature of the items in the laundry batch is permanently measured by a sensor on the dryer. This temperature is the point of departure for an extremely reliable regulating process that meters the energy feed-in with high precision or specifies certain phases in the drying cycle, for example. The relevant parameters can be programmed individually for any type of laundry. InfraCare also takes fluctuating batch sizes or residual moisture within a type of laundry into account, and the drying process is adapted accordingly.
To separately process special laundry items, stand-alone JENSEN JBW barrier washers and a JENSEN stand-alone JTD dryer were procured.
A brand new Metricon transport system for garment handling and sorting is also in use at the laundry in Brehna. In conjunction with 750 Lobster system hangers, the JENSEN Butterfly Fox AF takes care of all steps such as feeding, folding, sorting and stacking fully automatically. Garment processing is highly automated with a high and constant output.
A state-of-the-art location with top working conditions
“We are pleased to be operating a state-of-the-art location in Brehna. With our investment in the health care growth sector, we are responding to the market situation and have created a location with the best possible working conditions for our employees. Our customers’ standards are the focus of our work. We meet them with cutting-edge technology and the appropriate construction measures,” said Markus Schad.
Thanks to the new health care location, 35 new jobs were also created in Brehna in 2022. But Steffen Dreyer is certain that this is just the beginning: “To meet the growing demand for disinfecting laundry services in our typical high quality in the future as well, we will hire more employees. Our highly efficient JENSEN equipment makes a significant contribution to achieving our goals. We are very happy about this successful partnership.”
The CWS Group provides everything around services for commercial customers – from hygiene to protective clothing – and encompasses a total of six areas: hygiene, fire protection, work clothing, health & care, dust control mats and clean room. With around 11,000 employees in 15 countries, CWS offers integrated, sustainable solutions.
