Finding and retaining skilled labour remains one of the key challenges for industrial laundries. At the same time, requirements for hygiene, workplace safety, and process reliability continue to rise. Automation therefore plays an increasingly important role in ensuring stable production and long-term competitiveness.
Partnership that delivers results, from L to R: Olivier Baudat (operations manager), Yasmine Aounali (branch sales director), Katia Costa (production support) with Thomas Eichenberger (sales manager, Jensen Switzerland)
To meet these challenges, Swiss Laundry Group bardusch relies on intelligent automation solutions from the Jensen-Group and its technology partner Inwatec. With more than 10 years of experience in soil-side sorting and over 170 installed systems worldwide, Inwatec contributes proven technologies that help laundries address labour shortages while improving safety and sorting accuracy.
The recent installation at bardusch Yverdon demonstrates that smart automation is not limited to large-scale operations. Thanks to its modular design, the solution can be efficiently implemented in medium-sized and even compact laundries, enabling sites of all sizes to benefit from reliable, future-proof automation.
Yverdon-les-Bains, located on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, combines historical charm with a strong industrial presence. In the heart of the city, bardusch Yverdon has been delivering professional, hygiene-certified textile services since 1974. The site processes around 27 tons of laundry per day in a single shift from Monday to Friday.
In close collaboration with the Jensen-Group and Inwatec, the plant underwent a targeted modernisation, increasing overall capacity by approximately six per cent. The upgraded setup combines conventional sorting stations with intelligent automation: 24 chutes for flatwork and six silos where Inwatec technology takes over recurring sorting tasks. Workwear, kitchen linen, and small pieces are now processed automatically and efficiently.
A central element of the solution is THOR, the robotic sorting unit that separates bulk-fed laundry into individual items. Equipped with a patented gripping tool, THOR enables machines to handle soiled textiles, reducing direct employee contact with contaminated linen and potentially dangerous foreign objects.
The system is complemented by the HEIMDAL.Camera, which combines RFID technology with camera-based recognition. HEIMDAL reads UHF, HF, and LF tags and identifies garments based on colour, pattern, size, and fabric type. This enables precise sorting.
Another key component is ODIN, Inwatec’s intelligent X-ray scanner. ODIN automatically detects foreign objects such as pens, scissors, or needles and ejects affected items into a dedicated reject bin. This significantly improves employee safety while protecting downstream equipment. Around 9,000 healthcare garments are scanned, checked, and sorted automatically each day – a process that was previously carried out manually.
“The health and safety of our employees is our top priority,” says Olivier Baudat, operations manager at bardusch Yverdon. “Our processes are much clearer, and our finishing department benefits enormously. We are now even ahead of schedule. The machine’s performance has positively surprised us, and daily work has become much more ergonomic for our team.”
Ease of use was also a decisive factor. Katia Costa, production support, adds: “The system is very user-friendly, and we adapted to it extremely quickly. Operating the machine is much more comfortable than manual sorting, and its quiet operation contributes to a pleasant working environment.”
Additional support came from bardusch colleagues at the Basel site, where the same technology has been successfully in use for many years. Based on this experience, the Basel team developed a tailored maintenance concept to ensure long-term system reliability in Yverdon.
The success of the project is the result of close cooperation between bardusch as the customer, Jensen-Group as the system integrator, and Inwatec as the technology partner for soil-side automation. The solution was precisely tailored to the requirements of the Yverdon site and offers the flexibility to grow alongside future business needs.
“This installation clearly shows that laundries can also be more compact and still benefit from automation on the soil side. Smaller Inwatec solutions also provide efficiency and reliability,” says Thomas Eichenberger, sales manager of Jensen Switzerland.
By delegating monotonous and potentially hazardous tasks to machines, laundries can improve workplace safety, streamline workflows, and increase operational efficiency. Beyond safety and efficiency, automation also contributes to optimised production processes, reduced textile damage, and more efficient use of energy and resources. With smarter and more reliable workflows, laundries such as bardusch Yverdon can focus on high-value activities and offer their employees more ergonomic and rewarding jobs.
ODIN detects foreign objects automatically, keeping employees safe and textiles protected
The THOR robot separates bulk-fed laundry into single pieces, making the process safe, fast, and efficient
No comment