At the end of the day, operating laundry equipment is human work. Mistakes happen; the wrong buttons are pressed. Consequently, the wrong program is run, and the laundry’s process will be delayed. On legacy controls, there are many physical buttons through which programs are selected. The question arose: How can you eliminate all the “button pressing” and make operating a washer or dryer as simple as possible?

Limit error sensitivity

Operators often still control the machines in laundries manually. Depending on the batch, such an operator selects the correct washing program. Vartex co-founder Darius Forouzfar says: “Due to the many manual actions, this is an error-prone process. The consequences of a wrong washing program are serious. A batch of clothing may become completely unusable or may not be clean enough. To save time and costs, companies want to automate this process as much as possible.”

Pre-loaded washing programs on Smart Control for Washers (Girbau)

More Than 100 Programs at the Tip of 1 Finger

One should be able to select the right program with just a click. Vartex’ universal control for standalone washers and dryers, Smart Control, can be loaded up with more than 100 pre-made programs. These programs can be named like T-Shirts. The operator just scrolls through the list and selects T-Shirts to get the machine started. That’s all it takes to start a batch of T-shirts.

Selecting pre-made programs makes making mistakes less likely

Simplicity Equals Errors

In 2020, Schneider Electric published a case study. They researched the benefits of Smart Control at Elis. Here they found that operators make less mistakes when they use Smart Control to operate a washer. The simplicity of the control allows one to go straight to the preferred program.

Still from Schneider Electric case study

How does this all work? Well, Smart Control is powered by a formidable Programmable Logic Controller. The PLC acts like a computer and turns controlling a washer or dryer into a swift affair. Protocol makers can upload their programs to the PLC.

Next, operators use a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to select their desired program. This is a high-resolution touchscreen. Scrolling through the menus or settings is a breeze; it’s not much different from scrolling through contact lists on our smart phone. We often visit large clients that use Smart Control and ask around on the floor. Because the opinion of the user, the person who operates a machine, is essential. With their feedback, we continue to innovate.

Still from Schneider Electric case study

The Heart of the Laundry are its People

When we ask the operators’ opinions, they are highly positive. Compared to the legacy controls on other machines, they appreciate the simplicity of Smart Control. Operators verify Schneider Electric’s case study. They agree, in their respective laundries, less mistakes are made since they started using Smart Control.

A laundry is dependent on human beings. They are the heart of the organization. Without them, hospitals and hotels cannot get their linen in time. That’s why we’re proud of the fact that we can make their work just a bit more pleasant and less heavy. And when their organizations prevent errors in the process, we’re happy that our hard work pays off.

Curious about Smart Control for Washers and Dryers? Learn more on our website or contact us. We’d be happy to share more details. Feel free to download a brochure here:

Smart Control for Washers (Brochure)

Smart Control for Dryers (Brochure)