October 1, 2023
Neutripuro is a traditional laundry located in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal. The company offers rental and cleaning services for linen and work clothes.
Until now, the identification, sorting and counting of linen was done manually. In addition to the fact that many linens were lost each year, performing these tasks manually was error-prone and time consuming.
Recently, the company has significantly improved the overall efficiency of its business by identifying and controlling its laundry with RFID.
RFID-based linen identification to improve operational efficiency in industrial laundries
Neutripuro has adopted RFID in its operations by:
- - Identifying each garment with an RFID tag,
- Installation of fixed UHF RFID reading systems, antennas and readers, at the entrance and exit of the laundry premises,
- The provision of UHF mobile terminals to each company's employees in the field.
The benefits of using RFID in laundry are multiple:
Faster and more reliable laundry control
Equipped with an RFID tag, the clothes are controlled at the exit and entrance of the laundry.
All garments have been equipped with an RFID tag. Thus, RFID technology enables fast tracking of items : the linen are identified in volume, blindly and within a few seconds when they enter/exit the factory.
RFID identification also facilitates damages management.
The quantity of linen delivered is also checked at the customer's premises, as well as the quantity of dirty linen collected from the customer's premises, using a UHF mobile terminal.
Accurate management of storehouses at the customers place and in the company
RFID facilitates the management and control of multiple stocks. Neutripuro knows the exact status of its various stocks, including those at the customer's premises. With accurate stock visibility, it also allows for smaller stocks.
Reliable and up-to-date history
Thanks to its unique identification with an RFID tag, a garment is tracked during its entire life cycle:
- Number of times it has been used
- Number of washing cycles it has endured
- The customer or customers to whom it was rented
- Its durability
Reliable and automated billing
As soon as a customer's dirty laundry is received in the laundry, it is automatically identified by the fixed RFID system. The customer is invoiced for the laundry service right away.
Improved customer service
RFID technology enable better customer service : with live reporting, Neutripuro can anticipate its customers’ needs.
The return on investment of RFID adoption in their companies is significant:
- Time saving
- Elimination of processing errors
- Accurate and up-to-date stock visibility
- Long-term forecasting of linen replenishment
- Easier invoicing
Why AXEM Technology
Neutripuro was convinced that RFID was the solution for their traceability needs. Although they had tested this technology, AXEM Technology's RFID products gave them the most accurate results and convinced them to deploy RFID at the same time they their internal management software.
Perspective
In order to expand, the company plans to offer cleaning services for customers' personal linen. RFID will make it much easier to manage customers' personal linen stock, alongside their own clothing stock.