PRODUCTION OPERATOR

About the Role

The Production Operator serves as a vital link in Crown Health Care Laundry's mission to deliver sterile, high-quality linens to hospitals and medical facilities. This role is designed for flexibility and growth, requiring operators to rotate through various positions within the plant's "Soil" and "Clean" production areas. Assignments are determined by daily hiring needs and production levels, ensuring the team can adapt to fluctuating demands.

The primary purpose of this position is to facilitate the end-to-end processing of linens, including receiving, sorting, washing, drying, ironing, and loading. You will learn to operate a variety of production equipment, with a typical learning curve of 2–5 working days per position. Standards must be met within two weeks of hire and sustained throughout employment. This is a team-oriented environment where collaboration is essential to ensure linens are sorted, processed, and delivered safely, quickly, and accurately.

All Production Operation employees are required to perform duties as assigned, adhere to strict quality standards, and follow all safety protocols. The role demands the ability to perform essential functions with or without accommodation, including moving between jobs via rotation when needed.

Soil Operations

In the Soil Operations area, the focus is on the initial intake and preparation of returned linens. Operators safely sort returned, soiled linen into appropriate classifications to prepare them for washing. This involves opening customer return bags (weighing approximately 45 lbs.), discarding plastic packaging, and spreading the product on the soil belt for visibility. Operators float between multiple positions on a work platform, moving up and down the belt to sort items into the correct bins. Additionally, Cart Cleaners ensure that the carts used for returned soiled laundry are cleaned, sterilized, dried, and lined, readying them for the Clean Production side of the plant.

Clean Operations

The Clean Operations area transforms processed linens into finished products ready for delivery. Operators rotate through several key positions:

• Catcher: This role involves securing linen carts and stacking linens per customer standards. The Catcher removes items from the Folder machine, counts and stacks them, and pushes full baskets to the staging area. A critical part of this role is quality control; the Catcher must identify and remove non-Crown items, stained linens, or items that do not meet quality standards. They also monitor the machine for jams, contacting maintenance only when necessary.
• Hand Fold: The Hand Folder processes items requiring manual folding. This role involves identifying stack quantities, folding items, and placing them on the countertop or belt for the Catcher. Like the Catcher, the Hand Folder must identify and remove non-company products or defective items.
• Ironer: Operators in this position run clean linen through the Ironer machine (Feeder, ironer, folder). This requires lifting and loosening flat sheets, blankets, and pillowcases before feeding them into the spreader and ironer. The Ironer must make quality decisions regarding items that require re-washing due to holes or stains and ensure all safety requirements are met.
• Shipping Clerk: The Shipping Clerk ensures finished carts are filled, weighed, and loaded onto delivery trucks. Responsibilities include securing order records, attaching order forms to carts, tracking order completion, and operating floor scales to weigh carts. This role requires basic computer knowledge for entering data into shipping software and may involve loading delivery trucks. A Hepatitis B vaccination is required for this position.

Hiring Process & Application

Candidates selected for the Production Operator position will be placed in roles based on current production needs and their individual skills. The company values excellent teamwork and the willingness to rotate through all jobs as needed. While a High School Education or GED is preferred, the focus is on the ability to learn quickly and adhere to safety and quality standards.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Crown Health Care Laundry is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. We consider qualified applicants regardless of background, ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace where safety and quality are paramount.