News & Innovations

Hammerl TextilCare – Clean by principle, powered by innovation

Located in Hagenbrunn near Vienna, Hammerl aims to become Europe’s most energy-efficient laundry, producing 45 tons of fresh linen every day with 75 dedicated employees, all on a footprint as large as Vienna’s iconic opera house. Fully equipped with JENSEN machines and solutions, Hammerl combines cutting-edge robotics and eco-conscious innovation, transforming hotel linens into perfectly clean textiles with a choreographed ballet of sustainable excellence. 

Planned in partnership, executed with precision
The origins of the laundry date back to 1906. The laundry itself was taken over in the early 1990s and brings with it a long tradition of textile care. Today, the family-run business is managed by the second generation. Its clientele includes numerous luxury hotels and institutions in the greater Vienna area, including renowned establishments such as the Hilton Group and the Vienna State Opera. Innovative methods and sustainable processes ensure uncompromising quality. With the move to a new, modern facility, Hammerl is setting forward-looking standards and has found a strong partner in the JENSEN-GROUP.

Benedikt Hammerl, a member of the management team, reports: “In planning the overall concept, we were particularly impressed by the speed and creativity of Gerald Dallhammer (General Manager JENSEN Austria) and the JENSEN-GROUP. Mr. Dallhammer contributed excellently from the very beginning and was always one step ahead. It is also clearly noticeable that all employees feel a strong connection to the company. This sense of unity is felt everywhere. Another great advantage is knowing that competent service technicians are nearby.”

Thanks to the collaborative partnership and state-of-the-art technology, every step in the laundry process is executed with precision. From soiled laundry to the finished towel, Hammerl TextilCare designs each work step efficiently, ergonomically, and perfectly coordinated.

Getting it right from the start

Already on the soiled side, a new sense of order and efficiency is immediately noticeable: “At first, we thought the entire process around Futurail would slow us down. But the opposite is true. We are incredibly fast. The workflows on the soiled side are now perfectly organized, which is greatly appreciated by our staff. The tedious back-and-forth movement of laundry carts is completely eliminated. Additionally, the space we’ve gained provides much more freedom of movement, allowing us to easily meet our daily capacity,” says Benedikt Hammerl enthusiastically.

The unsorted soiled laundry is first grouped by customer and then automatically emptied into Futurail bags by cart tilters, and finally it is transported one floor up. Together with the customer, an unusual but highly effective solution was implemented here. Bags weighing up to 100 kg are emptied through a Turnus separator, which separates the individual laundry items. This makes handling much easier, faster, and more efficient for the operators, as the individual pieces can be sorted directly into the Multisort containers.

Thanks to the ideal configuration and modularity of the Multisort stations, the customer can process significantly more laundry and increase productivity. Three stations with eight categories each allow Hammerl to use a total of 24 sorting categories simultaneously. The robust design and generously sized chutes ensure that even large laundry loads can be handled effortlessly.

The laundry, now sorted by item type, is then refilled into Futurail bags (up to 60 kg per bag) and automatically transported back to the upper floor storage via conveyors and lifts. Smaller special orders are also outsourced so that larger volumes can be processed even more quickly.

Efficient washing process with minimal energy use
The Futurail bags filled with laundry are now delivered to one of three UniQ 60-16 tunnel washers, named after their 60-kilogram batch size and 16 chambers. The JENSEN UniQ is based on proven concepts that have been further optimized. Thanks to the open drum design without scoops, JENSEN tunnel washers achieve the shortest transfer times in the industry. A complete batch is moved to the next chamber in just four seconds, made possible by the well-established Archimedean helix design. One tunnel washer is equipped with a high-performance ExQ HD press (51 bar; 740 psi), while the other two have an ExQ MD press with medium pressure (40 bar; 580 psi), ensuring optimal extraction performance in each case.

The laundry is then dried using ten gas-heated XR dryers. The XR dryers can handle even large press cakes with a diameter of 1’300 mm (51’’). The wider unloading door combined with the AirWave function allows for faster unloading times, saving 10 to 20 seconds per batch. Additionally, the new XFlow function with wider drum perforations increases evaporation capacity by 10 to 15 percent by improving ariflow. As a result, the XR dryers offers faster drying times and shorter transfer times while maintaining a gentle and uniform finish.

The entire washing area is fully automated. All machines are placed in a zone where no personnel are required, so there is no exposure to high temperatures. Close collaboration with Ecolab has also made the washing process highly energy-efficient. The heat and energy needed for washing are partially recovered from the dryers and ironing lines, eliminating the need for additional energy. This reduces water consumption to a level never achieved before. “JENSEN really went the extra mile and was extremely accommodating. They embraced new approaches and worked in partnership with Ecolab to find the optimal solution. That is by no means a given and we greatly appreciate it,” emphasizes Benedikt Hammerl.

Finally, the dried laundry is transported in white Futurail bags to the facility’s clean side for finishing.

From manual handling to BLIZZ – Automated towel finishing
Finishing at Hammerl is divided into three areas: full-dry finishing of towels, finishing of large items, and finishing of small items.

In the towel area, a total of six Butterfly towel folders are available. Five of them are operated manually, while one works fully automatically with a BLIZZ robot from our partner Inwatec. This clearly shows that Hammerl selects from the wide range of automation levels offered by the JENSEN-GROUP exactly the solutions that best match its requirements — from manual loading to fully automated processing. The Butterfly machine delivers the highest folding quality for a wide variety of towels. Thanks to longitudinal folding with mechanical templates and folding knives, towels are folded precisely and evenly. With a capacity of up to 1’600 small towels or 1’200 towels of mixed sizes, the machine operates efficiently and flexibly, perfectly tailored to the needs of the operation.

In the fully automated version, the BLIZZ robot handles the entire towel processing. It separates, centers, and feeds towels of various sizes (50×70 cm to 90×150 cm; 19½ x 27½ in  to 35 ½ x 59 in) independently into the folding and sorting machines, without requiring program changes or manual intervention. With an average throughput of 500 towels per hour, the BLIZZ increases productivity, reduces downtime, and allows operators to focus on more important tasks. In the future, three additional BLIZZ robots are planned at Hammerl. This will allow continuous production, with four Butterfly machines running fully automatically and only two requiring manual operation.

Automation does not stop at folding. The folded and stacked towels are then automatically transported via the Jenway conveyor and sorting system to the packaging area, ensuring that the entire process runs efficiently and seamlessly.

Ergonomics and work comfort in large-item finishing
The large items are distributed across a total of three nearly identical ironing lines. First, the clean flatwork linen is dropped from white Futurail bags to feed through a Viking 2000 separator. This ensures a fast yet gentle separation of the large flatwork.

The separated pieces are delivered automatically to the operators at each of the six Jenrail loading stations via a conveyor belt. Thanks to the unique Twin Clamps, which grip two corners at once, the loading process is particularly fast and efficient. The optimal ergonomic working conditions at the loading stations did not go unnoticed by the staff: “A staff member recently came to me and specifically thanked us for this solution, as working here is much more comfortable and ergonomic,” says Benedikt Hammerl.

The large items are then fed via a KliQ Plus loading machine to the Kalor G 1200 ironers. Two of the ironing lines operate with three rolls each, while the third uses two rolls. Thanks to the carbon steel trough area, friction is minimized, resulting in excellent finishing quality.

Finally, two Universal folders and one Classic folder, each combined with a MaxTwin stacker, ensure optimal finishing results. All three ironing lines for large items are connected to the same Jenway system, ensuring the high quality of the finished goods all the way to the dispatch area.

Intelligent finishing of small items – From LED Guide to MFS Trio

The finishing of small items takes place over two ironing lines. On one of these lines, a distinctive feature at the loading stage is immediately noticeable: the Basic Plus feeder is equipped with a colored LED display that signals the lane, width, and size of the laundry piece directly to the operators. The display can be adjusted depending on the laundry category, so different sizes as well as left or right edges are immediately and clearly visible.

On this line, small items are pass through an EXPG 1200 ironer, where they are efficiently smoothed and prepared for the next processing step. The JENSEN Magic folder then performs the primary folding, before the pieces are cross-folded and stacked by the MFS Trio, another unique solution.

The JENSEN MFS Twin is already unique, as it allows automatic sorting of small items across two identical MFS cross-folders and stackers. Hammerl TextilCare has taken automation a step further by introducing the world’s first JENSEN MFS Trio for automatic sorting across three MFS stackers arranged in a row. These stackers sort, fold, and stack the flat linen fully automatically and transport the stacks via shared conveyors to a Jenway system. This reduces the need for pre-sorting of small laundry items, allows operators to work faster, and minimizes errors.

The second small-item ironing line is also fully equipped: a KliQ Plus feeder ensures orderly feeding of the items, the EXPG 1200 ironer efficiently smooths the items, the Universal folder performs precise folding, and the Napkin Bottom-Up Stacker stacks the small pieces from below. Finally, the four Max Stackers collect and stack the finished pieces reliably, allowing up to four different sizes of table linens to be sorted and stacked.

Of course, the “last mile” is also optimally covered as Jenway automatically accepts the folded laundry into the conveyor system, optimizing the flow of stacks all the way to the packaging unit — efficiently, seamlessly, and fully automated.

A comprehensive concept that excels
Hammerl TextilCare impressively demonstrates how tradition, precision, and cutting-edge technology can work hand in hand. From soiled laundry through energy-efficient washing processes to highly automated finishing stations, every step is carefully planned and designed for maximum efficiency. Ergonomic workstations ensure that employees can work comfortably, safely, and with motivation. At the same time, intelligent automation solutions and seamless conveyor and sorting systems guarantee a smooth workflow from the first touch to the last mile. With this comprehensive concept, Hammerl sets new standards for sustainable, innovative laundry technology in Europe. “Rein aus Prinzip. – Clean by Principle” stands for perfect textiles combined with a holistic concept of efficiency, quality, and forward-looking technology.

“A fully coordinated concept based on JENSEN machines makes the work simply efficient and genuinely enjoyable. It is also truly impressive what can be automated in a laundry, and you can tell that JENSEN aims to provide a solution for every step,” says Benedikt Hammerl.

In a city renowned for classical music, imperial architecture, and luxury hotels, only the finest laundry equipment can meet the highest demands. Hammerl TextilCare delivers just that, ensuring every linen experience is as memorable as a Sacher Torte.

From the JENSEN-GROUP’s perspective, the collaboration has also been a complete success. Gerald Dallhammer emphasizes: “Planning was a lot of fun, and seeing how the concept was implemented together with the entire Hammerl team fills us with pride. The close collaboration and partnership made the entire process a thoroughly successful project.”

The JENSEN-GROUP thanks Hammerl for their trust and looks forward to continuing the partnership on the shared path into the future.

Seeing is believing: We invite you to watch our video on YouTube to explore the smart solutions and seamless processes at Hammerl TextilCare.