Every summer, most linen laundry plants face a major challenge. Machines operate in workshops, while workers struggle with excessive heat. This reflects an extremely serious reality which has been ignored for a long time. High-temperature working environments have already been a key bottleneck. It affects stable operation and employee retention in laundry plants.
One senior laundry owner said, “In the past, there was a laundry plant. How hot was its workshop? Workers in the sun felt cool.” Although this is a joke, it reveals a common pain point. More regrettably, this is a stubborn issue in most factories. It is often ignored before construction. And it is difficult to address after completion.
Root Causes
High temperature in laundry workshops is not caused by a single factor. It is affected by multiple factors, including building structure, equipment layout, process heat dissipation, and pipe heat radiation.
● Incomplete plant structure
To save costs, many newly built plants prefer steel-structure buildings. Steel structures conduct heat quickly. But it has poor thermal insulation performance. In summer, sun exposure turns the plant roof into a large radiant heat source. By comparison, brick-concrete structures have a natural advantage in thermal insulation performance.
● Centralized equipment heat dissipation
A large amount of heat is generated by industrial dryers, ironers, and ironing lines in workshops. Direct heat discharge is equivalent to continuously heating a closed space. This creates localized high-temperature zones.
● Pipeline heat loss
There are lots of bare pipelines and valves without insulation treatment in laundry plants. This leads to steam waste. They also become heat sources that continue to release heat to workshops.
● Ineffective spot cooling systems
Many factories install spot cooling systems. However, the air outlets are far from the workers. Fixed airflow directions fail to move along with people. Airflow volume and temperature are not properly controlled. This leads to limited cooling performance.
Systematic Solutions
After-the-fact solutions cannot effectively cope with high-temperature challenges. Systematic consideration should start from the plant planning.
● Building selection & ventilation design
If possible, laundry plants should choose a brick-concrete structure. If steel-structure buildings can only be chosen, plants should ensure a professional ventilation and thermal insulation design. It is recommended that the workshop temperature be more than 5℃ lower than the outdoor temperature in summer. The air change rate in workshops should be at least 10 air changes per hour (ACH). Proper skylights, side windows, and negative-pressure exhaust fans help develop effective air circulation channels.
● Equipment layout
Equipment layout should avoid the heat accumulation effect. This is a key point that is easily ignored by many plants. Heat-generating equipment, such as dryers and ironers, should be centrally installed. Their generated heat requires comprehensive recovery or targeted discharge. Direct circulation in workshops should be prevented. Methods of some advanced laundry plants in Japan are worth learning from. They set up physical partitions between ironers and folders. This thoroughly separates high-temperature zones from finishing areas. So it effectively ensures operator comfort in folding and packing areas.
● Steam pipelines & valve insulation
It is nearly a common blind spot in most laundry plants. Each bare pipeline and valve without insulation treatment continues to release heat and waste energy. Comprehensive thermal insulation treatment can conserve steam. It also significantly reduces workshop temperature.
● Refined spot cooling system design
Air outlets should not only be close to workers but also adjustable and movable. This meets the requirements that employees work at different stations. At the same time, airflow volume and temperature can be independently adjusted to ensure the cooling performance.
Kingstar Practices
Kingstar is a professional manufacturer in the smart laundry equipment industry. It deeply understands that a good working environment is essential for retaining workers, ensuring productivity, and improving quality. Therefore, Kingstar pays more attention to the environmental performance during the equipment design and manufacturing process.
● Kingstar pass-through dryer
A fully enclosed insulation design is used for the panels, outer drum walls, and heater tanks of the entire machine. To a large extent, this reduces heat dissipation to workshops. Meanwhile, it improves drying efficiency and reduces energy consumption.
● Kingstar high-speed ironer
Full heat retention is achieved in both ends of the ironing cylinders, the periphery of tanks, and all steam pipelines. This avoids ineffective heat dissipation and energy waste. So the surface temperature of the equipment is lower. The operating environment around the workstations is more comfortable.
Kingstar believes that an excellent washing machine can efficiently complete production tasks. It should also help improve the working environment rather than be a burden.
Conclusion
The working environment is a key factor affecting employee recruitment and retention. If noise, cotton fibers, and high temperature are not addressed systematically, any short-term benefits cannot fundamentally improve employee retention.
Kingstar always advocates the “integrated smart laundry plant planning and design” idea. It provides high-quality washing machines. It is also willing to help customers fully consider the end-to-end factors (building, layout, ventilation, pipelines, and equipment selection) at the beginning of construction. Kingstar is committed to build a modern laundry plant at the source, which is efficient, energy-saving, and comfortable.
Only when employees are willing to stay and work can a laundry plant really achieve stable and sustainable growth.
Q&A
Q1: Can Kingstar machines really help reduce workshop temperature?
A1: Yes. A fully enclosed insulation design is used for Kingstar heat-generating equipment (dryers and ironers). It can effectively prevent heat on the equipment surface from spreading throughout the workshops. Compared with the regular ones, the surface temperature of Kingstar machines is lower. They have a small heat load contribution to the workshop environment. This reduces the heat accumulation effect at the source.
Q2: What are the real returns of plants after improving the working environment?
A2: In the short term, the employee turnover rate decreases. The hiring costs decline. And the productivity improves. In the medium term, product quality becomes more stable. The rewash rate is lowered. In the long term, an enhanced business reputation is prone to attracting younger generations. From the perspective of environmental investment, this is basically an investment in human capital and productivity.
Q3: Can Kingstar provide environmental planning services?
A3: Of course. Kingstar provides integrated smart laundry plant planning and design services. This includes multiple aspects (plant ventilation, equipment layout, heat source management, and personnel flow). During the early stage of projects, Kingstar cooperates with architects. They work together to ensure a comfortable working environment in the new laundry plant from the first day.
Post time: Jul-23-2026