The risk in switching laundry supplier is not the new vendor, it is the gap during the change. Run out of linen mid-switch and your front desk feels it immediately. This is a 30-day onboarding plan that moves you from old to new without a supply gap, built around counting, trialling, and confirming before you fully commit.
Week 1: Count what you have and define the scope
Before anything moves, establish a baseline. Count your full linen stock, agree par levels, and confirm exactly which item types are in scope. This is also when you lock the practical details with the new processor: collection points, delivery windows, and who the day-to-day contacts are on both sides.
- →Full physical linen count and par levels
- →Confirmed item types in scope
- →Collection and delivery points agreed
- →Named contacts on both sides
Week 2: Run a trial batch before full commitment
Do not move all your linen on day one. Send a representative trial batch covering your real item mix, then inspect what comes back for cleanliness, finish, and turnaround against what was promised. A trial surfaces problems while you still have your old supplier as a fallback.
- →Send a representative item mix
- →Inspect cleanliness and finish on return
- →Time the actual turnaround
- →Keep the old supplier active as backup
Week 3: Scale up and run both suppliers in parallel
With the trial passed, increase volume to the new processor while the old one still covers part of your load. Running in parallel protects you against a supply gap and lets the new vendor prove they hold up at higher volume. Watch counts closely so nothing slips between the two streams.
- →Increase volume gradually, not all at once
- →Keep partial coverage from the old supplier
- →Reconcile counts across both streams
- →Confirm peak-day performance
Week 4: Full cutover and final reconciliation
Once the new processor has held at volume, move the remaining load across and close out the old supplier. Do a final stock reconciliation so you know exactly what transferred and what, if anything, went missing in the change. Agree the ongoing count and reporting rhythm before you call onboarding done.
- →Move remaining volume to the new processor
- →Final stock reconciliation against baseline
- →Close out the old supplier cleanly
- →Set the ongoing reconciliation schedule
What keeps the switch from going wrong?
Most failed switches come from moving too fast and counting too little. Keep the old supplier as a fallback until the new one proves itself, count linen in and out at every handover, and confirm the new processor can cover your busiest day before you fully commit. A vendor running around the clock with real capacity headroom makes the cutover far less risky.