ORLANDO, FLA.—Developer Orange Lake Resorts, operator of seven Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort destinations, announced that it is taking steps towards minimizing the impact of the company’s carbon footprint by introducing a new $1.4 million PulseFlow tunnel system by Pellerin Milnor Corporation that will save them 15 million gallons of water per year at their flagship Orlando resort.
For nearly 30 years, Orange Lake Resorts has operated the laundry facility for their Orlando resort using three 600 pound washer extractors and six 200 pound dryers processing 1,800 pounds of laundry per hour with 3 gallons of water used per pound, and completing the day’s work of 28,800 pounds of laundry over two shifts. While PulseFlow Technology—which employs enhanced, intermittent counterflow, and RecircONE pump arrangement that continuously circulates water in the first module—was gaining momentum and praise in the laundry industry, Orange Lake’s laundry and facilities leadership teams decided that it was time to make a change in the laundry
operations.
“Orange Lake has an eye on the staff’s overall environment and on improvements in efficiencies and expenditures, so we were thrilled that they committed to the corporate investment of introducing this modern equipment from the best in the industry,” said Bill Bell of Steiner-Atlantic, Milnor’s local distributor for the Orlando area.
Work Reduced to One Shift
Orange Lake’s new Milnor equipment consists of a PulseFlow Milnor CBW washer, a 40 Bar Single Stage press, and four 64058 pass-through dryers. The new equipment processes 4,000 pounds of laundry per hour, using only 0.3 to 0.4 gallons of fresh water per pound, with the day’s work of 30,000 pounds of laundry finishing in just one shift.
The reduction in utilities and water consumption were not the only benefits associated with the new 76039 (150 lb. capacity) PulseFlow tunnel. The CBW’s four-compartment CONWA (loading conveyor) improves labor conditions because it requires less handling by the staff. Once sorted, the soiled goods are loaded on the conveyor to be discharged in the tunnel’s load chute. After the wash, goods are automatically discharged to an MP1604 40- Bar single stage press, which removes excess moisture from the goods. After extraction, an automatic shuttle transports the goods to waiting dryers. All of this automation has improved the working conditions in the laundry.
Before the Milnor tunnel, Orange Lake staff would have to: sort by goods type, manually load soiled goods in the washer, and manually unload (now heavier) damp goods from the washer, and transport to the dryers/flatwork aisle. Aside from the ergonomic benefits of the tunnel over large open-pocket washers, the tunnel’s process times are shorter and quality of linens and towels are enhanced, now enjoying a longer lifespan. In addition, Orange Lake has doubled their hourly production, eliminating the need for a costly second shift.
The Orlando resort, with 2,478 villas and an average of 511,853 annual guests, processes eight million pounds of laundry per year. The new equipment allows the company the ability to grow their laundry operation to process up to approximately 10.5 million pounds of laundry per year.
For more information on Milnor and PulseFlow, click here.
