The new system gives colleagues 24-hour access to uniforms, even when the department is unmanned. The new system gives colleagues 24-hour access to uniforms, even when the department is unmanned.

The programme in practice

With the distribution centre located in the hotel’s back-of-house level one, the centre contains two electronic wardrobe carousels, garment racks and a service counter.

To ensure that the uniforms’ distribution goes as smoothly as possible, the uniform team is on site to assist at all times. The carousel brings the uniforms to any of the two automatic self-service doors where the colleagues can select their own uniforms after swiping their colleague ID card. With the capacity of servicing up to 20 colleagues at a time and a 10-second average waiting time, the system has sped up and dramatically improved the uniform distribution service at the hotel.

The system also tracks where each uniform is at every moment. Lydon explains that the wireless system picks up the RFID tags, and can alert the central system whether the uniform has left the hotel and is at the laundry, or anywhere else.

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A large box has been placed close to the centre where soiled uniforms can be dropped off. A reader is placed in that area as well, along with in the corridors, that track uniforms that are sent to the off-site Jumeirah laundry.

The software system that links to the carousel updates the central records, showing whether the uniform has been picked up by the colleague, checked back in, with the laundry, or gone for repairs. It can also be used to add new employees into the system, with all data against them — including name, ID number, department, section and so on.

The system is also a management method for evaluating costs. By monitoring the cost price of washing every garment, the team knows how much is spent on laundry every day.

The results to date

Lydon reveals that the results have been very positive. “We reduced the manpower, and now the colleagues have 24-hour access. Inventories used to be complicated, but now with a switch of a button we get the inventories. We can budget for next year, we can plan ahead.”

She also confirms that the ease of use of the Hiemac system has meant that she is considering adding extra value by implementing the same for room linens. “We have most of the software to upgrade it for linen. It’s going to be for 2016 budget, so we hope to implement that towards the end of 2017.”