May/June 2022 - 60

West Point Overhauls Athletic Laundry
for Launched Productivity
By Haley Jorgensen
" We're in a business where we accomplish our tasks
quickly and accurately, " said Nick Determan, assistant
athletic director for equipment operations at the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point (West Point), N.Y. In
his role, Determan oversees eight full-time staff who
manage the equipment and laundry for 28 NCAA
Division I teams and 1,200 athletes. Of his staff's duties,
laundry processing is the most time-consuming - taking
upwards of 6 hours per day, per person.
Retools Laundry
Seeking a solution to reduce laundry processing time
and improve wash quality, West Point recently upgraded
one of four athletic laundry facilities on campus. In April
2019, technicians at Americare Systems (Americare),
a commercial cleaning equipment distributor in West
Orange, N.J., went to work. They unbolted and removed
West Point's lower performing hard-mount laundry
equipment in favor of Sports Laundry Systems® (SLS)
soft-mount washers and complementing dryers.
Same-Day Installation
The installation - made within the same footprint as
the old machines - included one 40- and four 70-pound
capacity freestanding SLS Washer-Extractors and four 75and
two 85-pound capacity dryers with moisture sensing.
" Once we connected on the equipment mix, the
Americare team worked around my time frame and got
it all done in 24 hours, " said Determan. " That was huge
because we are very reliant on that laundry. "
Immediately, the laundry gained 150 pounds
of capacity, better wash quality, and superior
programmability for washing and sanitizing a huge array
of items - from loops and delicate uniforms to towels,
warm-ups, coaches' attire, and more. Most critically,
laundry productivity catapulted - slimming six hours of
processing time to four.
" I wanted to do more laundry than ever and get it done
faster, " said Determan.
Benefits of Soft-Mount Washers Over HardMount
Washers
At the end of the day, the decision to go with soft- over
hard-mount washers was a no-brainer. Unlike hardmount
washers, soft-mount machines are simple to install
without bolt-down. This made for a quick, no-impact, and
less costly installation process. Soft-mount washers also
produce considerably higher extract speeds - up to 405
G-force. This ensures more water is removed from every
load, which cuts resulting dry time by up to 50 percent -
60 MAY/JUNE 2022
launching productivity. Because the dryers run less often,
due to lower dry times, West Point expects to also save
on natural gas and uniform replacement costs.
" Wash time on a 60 pound load of workout gear
decreased from 55 to 40 minutes and dry time decreased
from 55 to 35 minutes, " said Determan. " Items are nearly
dry coming out of the washer. We dry almost everything
on low, so washer extract speed is crucial. "
Programmability Essential to Properly Washing
a Variety of Items
Once installed, the washers were programmed to
automatically combine the perfect type and quantity of
detergents, softeners, and sanitizers with the right water
temperature, mechanical action, and cycle time. The SLS
Washers offer complete programmable control over every
variable of the wash process, according to Determan.
Operators simply load, enter a program number, and
press start.
" We are so happy with the increase in productivity,
wash quality, and dependability, plans are in the works to
also replace the equipment in our three other laundries, "
said Determan. " The upgrade will free up our staff for
other critical responsibilities. "
To discover more about Sports Laundry Systems, visit
sportslaundry.com. To learn more about West Point, visit
westpoint.edu.
http://www.sportslaundry.com http://www.westpoint.edu
May/June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2022
