Ready for the next shift – efficient drying in industry

At Katrinefors combined heat and power plant in Mariestad, Sweden, keeping operations running smoothly is essential. The plant supplies district heating to the local community and steam to industry, with resource efficiency at the heart of its energy production.

The work continues year-round, whatever the weather. For the operations and maintenance teams, that means moving between indoor and outdoor environments – and relying on workwear that can handle moisture, dirt and the demands of daily use.

Workwear built for demanding conditions

Workwear at Katrinefors has to meet the demands of an industrial environment. It needs to be durable and highly visible, while certain tasks also require flame-resistant garments.

Having dry, ready-to-use workwear at the start of each shift is therefore an important part of the working day. Drying cabinets have been part of the operation at Katrinefors for many years.

– Drying cabinets have long played an important role in ensuring that our workwear and protective equipment are dry and ready for the next shift, says Fredrik Gardelach at Katrinefors combined heat and power plant.

Whenever workwear becomes dirty during a shift, it is washed and then placed in the drying cabinets, ready to be used again.

A new drying solution with high demands

As the existing drying cabinets reached the end of their service life, Katrinefors began looking for a new solution that could meet the demands of daily use while delivering reliable drying performance and efficient energy use.

They chose Solano Drying Cabinet 60 from NIMO. Sensor-controlled drying adapts the process to the moisture level of the garments and stops automatically once they are dry. This avoids running the drying cycle longer than necessary and helps keep energy use down.

Capacity was another important consideration. With around 14–16 employees using the cabinets, the new solution needed to handle the demands of everyday operations.

– Our key requirements were shorter drying times, enough capacity for several users and low energy consumption without compromising the drying result, says Fredrik.

Taking care of people and resources

In a demanding working environment, looking after workwear is also about looking after the people who rely on it. At Katrinefors, employees need to know that dry, usable workwear will be available when they need it.

At the same time, using energy and resources efficiently is an important part of the bigger picture – and one that fits naturally with the plant’s focus on resource-efficient energy production.

The new drying cabinets are used every day by the operations and maintenance teams. For Fredrik, the main benefit is the combination of reliable access to dry workwear and lower energy consumption.

– The greatest benefit is knowing that our employees always have dry, usable workwear, while at the same time reducing energy consumption and improving availability.