To Dose Or Not To Dose

Justin Kerslake, Operations Director at Christeyns UK, reports on the features and benefits of auto-dosing systems.

Auto dosing is now commonplace in all types of laundries, be that commercial or on-premise. The fact that the industry as a whole is becoming more environmentally aware has led to changes in day-to-day operations and, along with the continued pressure on staying competitive, launderers need to consider ways in which they can meet an increasing number of goals whilst keeping output to a high standard. Auto dosing plays a big part in this.

Retaining high standards involved several things, one of which is using the right chemicals in the right quantities at the right time. This past year has highlighted further that infection control needs to be a priority and again accurate dosing is crucial.

These are the main features and benefits of auto-dosing:

Consistency and reliability: in order to maintain a wash output that is the same on every wash, the chemical input needs to be consistent. Customer retention depends on this.

Precise control: there is no guess work involved in auto-dosing, no dosing of the wrong chemical or the wrong amount and chemicals are dosed at the right time in the wash programme. It also means dosing is not open to human error, as in remembering what product to use when.

Quality: not only will the output be consistent but with an auto-dosed programme, wash quality should be as good as it can be, based on the chemicals used. This means less re-wash.

Safety: there is no direct contact with chemicals and no opportunity for spillage. Pipes are flushed with water between chemicals.

Ease of process: as chemicals are dosed automatically this is not taking up staff time and stocking levels are constantly monitored. Chemicals can be dosed 24/7.

Full traceability: auto-dosing systems provide full traceability on what chemicals are dosed when. Proof of flow units detect the chemicals and a built-in memory card provides reports to clients.

Savings: as there is no wastage, a saving can be made on the purchase of chemicals. There is also the saving in staff time and potentially water and energy, as the most effective dosing programme is in place for each type of wash load.

Many auto dosing systems, like the Flux from Christeyns, are modular, tailor-made systems that fit exact customer needs. A commercial laundry with washer extractors or tunnel washers will need a larger, more complex system whereas a care home or sports club may need one unit to feed 2 or 3 washing machines.