John comes into work on Thursday at the Widget Company and finds that he only has one more uniform shirt, but his delivery day is not until Tuesday. What is John to do as he has the responsibility to maintain the image and professionalism of the company?
Described above is an example of shortages in the rental textile industry and the negative effects it can have on a business. Shortages are just one of the common issues companies renting textiles and garments may face. Over the course of the next few months, the other five issues will be discussed on this blog to include: repairs, billing, replacements, responsiveness, and cleanliness & condition.
Shortages can occur for a number of reasons, either on the part of the customer or the launderer. If a wearer is not consistently turning in the amount of garments allotted for the week, often times they will be misplaced. A wearer may also use and turn in more than their weekly allotment of uniforms in any one given week, which would create a shortage the following week. A garment may also be tagged for repairing or replacement at a facility, and then is not returned to go out for delivery on time.
Fortunately, Roscoe has a variety of measures in place to ensure that shortages are kept at bay or that they are handled promptly. First, each garment has a barcode with a number that is specific to that shirt, pant, butcher coat, jacket, high visibility vest, etc… The bar code is easily identifiable and ensures that the right uniform is placed in the correct locker. This barcode serves as a back up to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Chip placed in garments and mats. The RFID chips are completely safe, efficient and cost-effective. The RFID speeds up processing by a day which leaves more time for inspection to ensure completeness of load, while reducing the chance of human error.
This uniform company uses the RFID to scan in all garments and mats and scans them out when ready for delivery. Before delivery, products are scanned out by wearer and twist tied to maintain delivery integrity and eliminate wearer’s garments being mixed together. Not only that, but the customer is able to check on our website the status of their garments. Not all our products are/can be equipped with rfid technology, so to mend this, other products are counted for accuracy.
Roscoe is able to generate exception reports for our products that track any deviations, for example, if a garment needs to be repaired. This uniform company scans garments at each station (over five) and can easily see where it might have been separated from its correct load. Furthermore, we are able to generate a load sheet that is reviewed for discrepancies two days before a delivery, because this uniform company launders products picked up the following day. Therefore, Roscoe is able to account for everything a Route Service Representative picks up and is staged for delivery.
While this Chicago uniform company does its best to make sure shortages do not occur, there are certain steps wearers can take as well:
- Use of our Yellow Bag Program when a garment needs to be repaired or replaced
- Wearing the allotted garments per week
- Turning in soiled garments before your designated pick-up day
- Placing uniform in your designated locker
- Contacting us immediately with any questions or issues
Let’s work together to eliminate shortages and continue to maintain the integrity and image of your business!
Contact us to learn more about Roscoe: The Chicago Work Uniform Rental Company
