HAWTHORNE, Calif. — For its new plant, Door to Door Valet Cleaners initially considered buying an industrial space not open to over-the-counter business, because the square footage would have been cheaper, explains CEO Sajid Veera. Ultimately, it was decided that if the right commercial property came up for sale in a retail environment, the company would opt for that.
Choosing an old, dilapidated furniture store at 13236 Hawthorne Blvd., Door to Door embarked on a major clean-up and remodel that took over a year to complete. Demolition alone took three months.
“What we ended up with was a brand-new plant with brand-new and upsized sewage, water supply, electricity and gas,” Veera says. “The entire shell was insulated, and parts of the structure were reframed and beefed up.”
Clothes run through the production in a “U” shape, with the receiving area and dispatch area being on either end of the process.
“The only place where clothes don’t follow that shape is when there are exceptions, such as an inspection department reject,” Veera says. “We have designed the plant and done the buildout to receive a distribution conveyor down the road; [it] will cut down on walking garments between different departments and processes.”
Equipment for the 11,660-square-foot plant comes from Union, Böwe, Wascomat, Maytag, Sankosha, Hi-Steam, Cissell, Hoffman-New Yorker, Iowa Techniques, Leonard Automatics, Metalprogetti, White Conveyors and Parker Boiler, among other companies.
Skylights provide natural light and help dissipate heat in the plant. All lighting fixtures have “cool” and “warm” light bulbs to combine with the natural light to help in stain inspection and at different points of the production process.
The finishing-area ceiling is 18 feet high, which also helps with heat dissipation. All steam lines are insulated with fiberglass insulation and wrapped with plastic jacketing to help keep pipes clean and hold heat in.
White epoxy floors brighten up the plant and make it feel inviting and comfortable. A full-time janitor keeps the floor and plant clean. All workstations where workers must stand for long stretches are equipped with anti-fatigue mats.
Edward D’Elicio designed the plant layout. Michael Palmer, MPA Architects, was the architect. Wyatt Bennett, US Western Multitex and Les Pringle were equipment distributors for the project. JA Trucking & Machinery Movers took care of moving and logistics, and Scott and Taylor Stopnik handled plant installation.
American Drycleaner extends its congratulations to all of the winners of our 54th Annual Plant Design Awards! If your company will be building a new plant, or upgrading a facility, over the next year, be sure to document your progress and enter your construction or renovation project in the 55th Annual Plant Design Awards to be presented in early 2016. Watch American Drycleaner during the latter half of this year for entry information and deadlines. Contact Editorial Director Bruce Beggs ([email protected]) with any questions. We hope to see your plant in the running next year!
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].