If you’re wondering what happens to all of the blankets used during flights around the world the answer is simple – they are collected, washed, folded and then freshly wrapped for re-use.  OCS Group UK Ltd is one of the companies undertaking this process, and is currently using three Beck Packautomaten Serienpacker SXJ 1750 wrapping machines to handle the throughput.

All of the Beck Serienpacker machines are currently installed at the OCS Laundry site in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and all have been supplied in the past couple of years by UK & Ireland agent, Friedheim International. According to Chief Engineer, Ian Ruse, the Beck Serienpacker wrapping machines are “Brilliant”, as he explains: “We have always used Beck machines, and I still have three ‘original’ units on this site doing other work. 

I have found that there is nothing as strong or reliable on the market today as the Beck machines, and that is why we continue to purchase more as our need arises.”

Set up in 1900 and now operating worldwide, OCS offers Facilities Management Services that involve essential day-to-day property support services such as cleaning, catering, security, waste disposal and grounds maintenance, to businesses and organisations in numerous market sectors.  The OCS Laundry has been based in Stevenage for the past 18 years and currently employs around 200 full time staff operating 17 hours a day, seven days a week.  The site is responsible for the washing, drying and re-packing of all laundry items for airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Delta.

The three ‘new’ Beck Serienpacker machines are responsible for wrapping in polythene all of the pre-folded blankets needed by the various airlines for passengers on their flights.  “We process around 40-50,000 blankets per day on the new Serienpackers,” says Ian Ruse, “and up to 120,000 items per day overall on all of the machines on-site.

“We have had the new machines specially modified by Beck to handle the maximum size we need to process (500 mm wide x 450 mm in length).  Although we also set up the machines for a standard size of product in order save on wastage, the Beck Serienpackers are capable of automatically adjusting themselves if the blanket has been folded to a different size.  This is just one of the many great features and benefits of the machine, and why I think they are quite brilliant in what they do!”