To choose an industrial laundry in Monterrey, compare six things: real daily capacity, pickup and delivery times, how your pieces get counted, who answers for what goes missing, how they treat fabric, and whether you can try them before signing. Leave price per piece or per kilo for last. You can only compare it once the rest is clear.
These are the questions we would ask any supplier, ourselves included. They work for hotels, event venues, banquet companies and restaurants.
1. How much do they process a day, and how much is free?
Installed capacity tells you little if it is already taken. Ask how many kilos or tons the plant handles on a normal day, how much room is left, and what happens in high season, when every client wants more at once.
Work out your own volume first. One month of records showing how many pieces leave each day tells you what to ask for, and it shows you your worst day. That peak is what your supplier has to handle. For reference, our plant processes up to 2 tons a day.
2. How often do they pick up and deliver?
Your inventory depends on this number. If the laundry takes two days to return what it collects, you need more sets of linen than if it takes one, and you pay for those extra sets.
Get schedules in writing and ask about Sundays, holidays and urgent orders. If you work with events, ask specifically whether there is an express service and how much notice it needs. A vague answer here can turn into a ballroom with no tablecloths on a Saturday.
3. How do they count your pieces?
This question separates suppliers more than any other. There are three possible answers:
- By hand, on a sheet signed by whoever receives it. This is the most common, and the number depends on who counted and how rushed they were.
- By weight. It works for billing, but it won't tell you which piece is missing.
- By piece, with an RFID chip in each item. There is a record of what left, what came back and when, and both sides see the same data.
4. Who answers when something is missing?
Sooner or later something will go missing, and what matters is what happens next. Before you sign, ask how a discrepancy gets reported, how many days it takes to settle, and who pays for a lost or damaged piece.
If neither side has a record the other accepts, losses get negotiated on every invoice. In a mid-size hotel, counting a shipment before it leaves can also take up to two hours of a housekeeper's day. That time is a cost of the supplier you choose, even though it never shows up on their quote.
5. How do they treat the fabric?
A bad wash process shortens the life of your linens, and replacing them comes out of your budget. Ask what they do with stained pieces, whether they sort by fabric and color, and what happens to items that are no longer fit for use.
Visit the plant if you can. Look at how dirty and clean linen are kept apart, at the ironing equipment and at the packing. A laundry that won't let you in is telling you something. Also ask to see finished linens from another client, with names removed, to check the pressing and folding.
6. Can you try them before signing?
A trial with your own linens teaches you more than any presentation. You check punctuality, quality and counting against your real operation, and you see how they respond when something goes wrong.
We offer one day of full service at no cost. Whoever you talk to, ask for something similar: a week's trial, one floor or one event. If a supplier only accepts long contracts with no trial, ask why.
How to compare the quotes
Once you have two or three proposals, put them in one table. Convert everything to cost per piece or per occupied room, then add what the quote leaves out: monthly minimums, express fees, stain charges, transport and payment terms.
Then add what counting and losses cost you under each option. A laundry that charges a little more per piece can work out cheaper if it saves you counting hours and lost linen. To run that math with your numbers, see our article on what lost linens cost a hotel.
On Clean has been operating in Monterrey for 2 years, with 12 active clients and more than 5,000 tagged pieces. That doesn't make us the right choice for everyone. If you compare with these six questions, you'll know whether we are for you.