HID Global RFID Tag Simplifies Commercial Laundry System

Creates Safe and Efficient Work Environment for People with Disabilities in Switzerland

News Highlights:

• HID Global’s RAIN® UHF RFID technology has been deployed by Swiss hotel to create a professional and efficient commercial laundry system.

• Company’s LinTag® UHF Transponders are embedded into bed linens, napkins, towels and clothes for use in hotel laundry facility that handles up to 1.2 tons of laundry per day.

• Robust tags withstand repeated washing and make it possible to count hundreds of laundry items, error-free and in seconds.

HID Global®, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions, today announced its RAIN UHF RFID technology has been deployed by the Foundation of Valais in Favor of Mentally Handicapped Persons (FOVAHM) and mARTigny boutique-hôtel in Valais, Switzerland. The company’s technology is being used to help create a simple and easy-to-use solution that enables personnel with disabilities to work successfully in a commercial laundry environment. The new solution provides a safe and efficient way for laundry staff to work under limited supervision, while maintaining the highest level of quality required in the hospitality industry.

The mARTigny boutique-hôtel was built and is currently managed by FOVAHM, who collaborated with HygieClean Ltd. to design a system that met laundry standards for hospitality services, while addressing the staff’s memory and cognitive challenges at the hotel’s “La Romaine” laundry facility. HygieClean Ltd. partnered with HID Global based on its RFID expertise, quality manufacturing processes and the company’s robust LinTag™ UHF transponders that are easy to apply to linens and can withstand repeated washing (up to 300 loads), drying and ironing.

“The small size and easy application of HID Global’s LinTag UHF tags, compared to competitive products, were the main reasons we selected them over other solutions,” said Hervé Bargibant, CEO of HygieClean Ltd. “Additionally, HID Global’s international culture, and French-speaking engineers enabled quick and easy response times for design and deployment.”

LinTag UHF transponders are securely and discreetly embedded into hotel bed linens, napkins, towels, garments and clothes of FOVAHM residents. The tags are also embedded into standard hotel laundry items during production, making new linens immediately ready for use in the “La Romaine” laundry facility. Every piece of tagged laundry is uniquely identified by the owner’s name, laundry type, color and specific garment or linen treatment for inventory control, precise laundry handling and delivery.

“Being a part of the FOVAHM organization alone is a true honor, and we are now also seeing beneficial business results of using RFID technology,” said Bertrand Gross, Director of the mARTigny boutique-hôtel. “Accurately managing linen lifecycles and inventory save us valuable resources, and our management is able to focus on providing superb hospitality to our guests.”

HID Global’s UHF tags, along with RFID-enabled conveyor belts, sorting and weighting systems and management software, make it possible to sort hundreds of laundry items error-free and in seconds, saving hours of work each day. Additionally, the “La Romaine” laundry facility has now expanded beyond cleaning only the hotel’s linens to include managing laundry for multiple other FOVAHM sites. Daily, the laundry facility team processes over 990 lbs. (450 kg) of laundry with the capacity to handle up to 1.2 tons in future.

“HID Global is excited to be a part of a professional and efficient system that opens new employment opportunities for FOVAHM members and expands mARTigny boutique-hôtel’s laundry operations,” said Richard Aufreiter, Director of Product Management with HID Global. “Leveraging our RFID design and manufacturing excellence to meet FOHVAM’s unique requirements proves that using innovative technology can optimize processes while motivating employees at the same time.”

Daniel Zufferey with FOVAHM added, “People working in the laundry department are happy to work at the hotel and feel proud to use innovative technology in their daily lives.”