WILMINGTON, Mass. (April 2025) — UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in providing customized business uniform programs, facility service products and first aid and safety services, is proud to announce that its Hammond, Indiana uniform service and processing facility was recognized by the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) as one of the “Best Plants of the Year,” while also earning UniFirst’s internal Star Award for Most Improved Plant of FY2024. This dual recognition celebrates UniFirst Hammond plant’s commitment to operational excellence, sustainability, and community engagement.
The TRSA Best Plants of the Year Award honors plants in the uniform industry that excel in safety, quality, innovation, and environmental stewardship while meeting rigorous industry benchmarks. UniFirst was among six others honored by the TRSA. Complementing this achievement, UniFirst’s internal Star Award recognizes the Hammond facility for its impressive improvements across key performance indicators during FY2024, reflecting its ongoing commitment to excellence.
Key to the plant’s success was its inclusion on UniFirst’s Production Honor Roll (PHR) for FY2024, which evaluates facilities based on critical KPIs such as customer retention, safety, employee turnover, efficiency, production costs, garment cost, and financial performance. The PHR performance is a comprehensive representation of the plant’s overall contributions and teamwork, showcasing how the Hammond team worked across departments to strengthen operations. This ranking played a pivotal role in achieving the internally coveted Star Award, exemplifying the team’s unified effort toward operational success.
“We’re so honored to receive these awards,” said Darren Lane, General Manager of UniFirst Hammond. “I’m extremely proud of our entire Hammond team. Their passion, expertise, and hard work really show in everything we do. We’ve improved our efficiency and stayed laser-focused on delivering the best possible service to our customers.”
Key achievements at the UniFirst Hammond plant include:
- PHR Milestone: Attained excellence across essential KPIs like customer retention, safety, efficiency, and strength of financial performance.
- Operational Efficiency: The plant achieved an impressive 98.2% efficiency in 2024, ranking #21 in UniFirst’s system and improving significantly from previous years.
- Sustainability Practices: The facility is dedicated to water and energy conservation, using just 1.33 gallons of water per laundry pound and managing energy use at 2,399 BTUs per pound.
- Customer Satisfaction: With a 98%+ customer retention rate, the plant consistently delivers high-quality service to over 2,500 customers across industries, including healthcare, food and beverage, and industrial sectors.
- Innovation: The plant leverages the latest equipment, including advanced washers, dryers, and barcode tracking technology, ensuring superior product quality and efficient service.
- Community Role: Since opening in 2020, the plant has contributed to the local economy by providing approximately 80 jobs and processing more than 200,000 pounds of laundry weekly, supporting the uniform service needs of businesses across the region.
The plant’s recent advancements, including updated processing technologies, enhanced inventory control systems, and improved communication tools like Route Assistant software—have further bolstered its reputation for superior service and innovation in the textile rental industry.
“UniFirst’s Hammond, Indiana plant is an integral part of our operations, setting a standard for quality and excellence,” said Steven Sintros, President and CEO, UniFirst. “At every location, we strive for continuous improvement and keep our customers at the heart of everything we do. The Hammond team truly knocked it out of the park with their dedication to delivering industry-leading service, driving success that directly benefits our customers.”
For more information about UniFirst Corporation and its award-winning services, visit www.unifirst.com.
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About UniFirst
Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, facility service products, as well as first aid and safety supplies and services. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. In addition to partnering with leading brands, UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products at its three company-owned ISO-9001 certified manufacturing facilities. With more than 270 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 16,000-plus employee Team Partners, the Company outfits more than 2 million workers every day. For additional information, contact UniFirst at 888.296.2740 or visit UniFirst.com. Follow UniFirst on Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram.
