How does a multi-client hospital laundry service keep track of all incoming and outgoing items to make sure they are returned to the correct facilities in an efficient manner? The technology has become increasingly sophisticated in the last two decades. Tracking systems are particularly crucial when it comes to one-of-a-kind items like custom lab coats or uniforms, just like a medical laundry service would.

There are two main types of systems: radio frequency identification (RFID) and bar coding. RFID is the technology used in microchips that are inserted into pets so that they can be identified and returned home if they are lost. Since RFID is the most modern and efficient, we will focus most of our attention on how it works in tracking clothing.

RFID systems

In an RFID system, a tag or chip is attached to every towel, sheet, garment, or other item. In some cases, they are installed by the manufacturer. In others, the items are labeled by the laundry. The tags / chips are available with low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) or ultra high frequency (UHF) radio bands. The labels have a strong, but small, thin plastic casing that does not interfere with the use of an item, but can withstand harsh commercial laundry processes that use very hot water and chemicals for up to hundreds of washes.

How RFID Tracking Works

The antennas attached to the readers are placed in places where items pass or are stored at key points during their time in the laundry service. This includes doorways, dirty laundry baskets, clean laundry baskets, and uniform shelves. Entire bedding containers can be scanned at once. The reader is linked to a software system that collects and manages the data. The system also enables a laundromat to quickly and accurately inventory their hotel, restaurant and hospital bedding, with little labor required.

Barcode labeling

Bar coding is an older and simpler technology than RFID. It is generally less expensive, but not as efficient at tracking large amounts of inventory. A barcode labeling system, which is essentially what is used in stores to display price and other information about the items we purchase, records information about each item, such as when it was issued, how many times it was processed, and when surrendered for the last time.

RFID versus barcode

• Barcode labeling generally requires that the tagged item be within the reader’s line of sight and therefore requires an employee to operate the reader. Most RFID readers remain in a fixed location and items can be read even if they are not directly in front of them. The employees do not operate the readers.
• Bar codes can read only one item at a time, while RFID systems can read multiple labels simultaneously.
• RFID tags can be read at much greater distances (up to more than one hundred yards) compared to five yards for a barcode.
• RFID readers can read much faster – several hundred or more tags per second.
• A barcode is read-only, whereas most RFID tags can read and write, which means that new information can be written over existing information. It’s kind of like the difference between readable / writable and readable CDs.
• RFID tags can identify each tagged item individually, whereas most barcodes can only identify the type of item.

Some large laundry companies, such as those that handle medical bedding for various hospitals, place RFID tags and barcode labels on each of their items. The barcode is there as a backup in case the RFID system cannot read an article. However, RFID tags are almost 100% accurate.

How Tracking Improves Laundry Services

Tracking systems improve efficiency and reduce the time and effort involved in processing, shipping, and receiving at a laundry facility. They allow business owners to track every item in their inventory from purchase to disposal. They provide an accurate inventory so that laundry companies never have to run out of bedding, tablecloths, or whatever items they handle. The most advanced tracking systems can even generate billing reports when items are shipped to customers.

As Steve Kallenbach, a former member of the American Laundry News Expert Panel, points out, “If you don’t have good reconciliation processes, any of these systems will just let you know what’s missing.” However, tracking systems can go a long way in helping medical laundry services and other laundry businesses run more efficiently.