Ecotex - High-tech in textile care

Washboards and curd soap are things of yesteryear: Nowadays, professional textile care is a complex undertaking that demands lots of high-tech and know-how. Industrial laundries and dry cleaners therefore rely on automation and have their existing systems retrofitted. As a retrofit expert, Ecotex GmbH & Co. KG brings not only individual machines but entire systems up to date with the help of ultra-modern sensors from autosen.

Countless companies, hospitals and institutions have outsourced their laundry cleaning, or even the entire laundry logistics, to highly specialised companies. These ensure that workwear, bedding and table linen are always clean and hygienic. The high proportion of costs for staff, energy and water in laundries (in total around 70 per cent of total expenditure) and the latent shortage of skilled workers are challenges that are easier to overcome with automation technology. In view of the high time and cost pressure, many companies are opting to purchase modernised machines or to retrofit their own existing equipment. These are far-reaching and extensive measures – a larger company may easily manage up to 15 machines, from the washing line, dryer and ironer to the folding machine. Demand is great, with Ecotex alone handling several of these major projects each year.

Robust sensors for harsh environments

Intelligent networking, M2M communication, dashboards, through which all machine states can be viewed in real-time: Industry 4.0 has long since been part of the dry cleaning industry. This makes the quality and reliability of the data with which controllers are supplied all the more important. If the flow of data dries up, the result is expensive downtime. In general, Ecotex therefore only uses high-quality spare parts in OEM quality to ensure smooth, trouble-free operation. When it comes to sensors, the company relies on components from autosen. The robust sensors must be particularly suitable for the harsh conditions in laundries. As a result, they are characterised by high precision even under the most difficult ambient conditions. After all, moisture, steam, high temperatures or mechanical stress – part and parcel of the work in laundries – must not negatively impact correct functioning of the devices or the validity of data. Another advantage for Ecotex: Due to the rapid availability offered by autosen's online distribution service there is no need to stockpile items. Various sensors that are required on a project-by-project basis and in varying quantities can be ordered at short notice.