Food-Processing Benefits from Uniform Tracking

Being able to prove you have food-grade uniforms is a must. If you want to have a successful Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), or Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) program, finding an industrial laundry with an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) tracking system is the solution you are looking for.

 

UHF tracking fills a vital FDA prerequisite to “provide the basic environmental and operating conditions that are necessary for the production of safe, wholesome food.” As a uniform company that values our partners, CITY specializes in the food processing industry so HACCP and GFSI regulations are always in mind.

 

“If you have inventory issues with your uniform program, you can’t operate in the food processing industry,” President of CITY, Colin Wetlaufer said. “But our clients never have to worry about this problem because we take care of it for them.”

CITY invested in UHF tracking in 2012 to better serve clients by having detailed reports available of the processing operations. A uniform supplier and launderer that can “document the steps taken to minimize the hazards present in a food-handling environment” is key.

 

UHF tracking is beneficial to the customer because:

 

• We can ensure everything that is turned in will be returned.
• The system allows for good soil separation to eliminate cross contamination because we can track everything.
• We can track the garment’s life cycle by tracking the number of washings, mends, and repairs.

 

With ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) tags sewn into each garment, having plenty of clean, compliant uniforms to facilitate safe operating conditions has never been easier.

 

UHF technology is the most sensitive tracking and sorting system available. CITY takes advantage of this system by passing hundreds of soiled garments through a portal, which scans each and every garment all in one accurate pass-through.

 

“We can scan all soiled garments in the sling before being washed,” Colin Wetlaufer, President of CITY, said. “We get a complete scan of all the pieces, and we know exactly what we need to wash the next day.”

 

“With [CITY’s] service, customers don’t have to deal with all the shortcomings of not having a precise process. CITY has an advantage over other [industrial laundering] companies,” Tom Abbett, Positek RFID sales representative said.

 

Having this predictability allows CITY to launder food-processing garments much more effectively and efficiently.

 

“A benefit for food processing clients is being able to see their real costs,” said Jon Cornick, Operations Manager of CITY. “We track all the garments, and therefore, we can track garment loss. We can notify the customer when garments haven’t been to our facility in a long time and are probably missing. The customer can then manage their costs with this information.”

 

UHF is particularly helpful for clients who require bulk uniform rental, such as clients in the food processing industry who use outer coverings as a barrier of protection. We provide a stable supply of high quality uniforms in all sizes. Your production will never be compromised because an employee cannot find a clean, comfortable uniform.

 

“Because you’re scanning all garments, you know what has to be done to give the customer back the proper amount of garments. You’re not just guessing,” Abbett added.

 

CITY is also unique in that we only bill based on usage instead of inventory. Most other industrial laundries set up an inventory to match the number of employees that need uniforms, and then they also add a percentage of that for overhead. The client is billed for everything whether they use it or not.

 

“Sometimes a business may process more or less than usual, but what you use shouldn’t be determined by your clothing company. It’s determined by your business,” Wetlaufer said.

 

With our UHF system in place, our customers do not have to focus on receiving properly cleaned and maintained uniforms because CITY does it all.

 

“With UHF tracking, everything has gotten a lot simpler for the customer. And it’s become a no-nonsense thing,” Wetlaufer concluded.