Rivers Casino Institutes UHF-RFID Technology to Monitor Worker's Attire

Rivers Casino Des Plaines, fields more than 20,000 custom-designed staff uniforms to maintain the attractive look that casino guests enjoy and use; InvoTech's GIMS Uniform System UHF-RFID with technology.

“RFID tracking technology enables us to run an effective garment operation with just four people,” says Olga Pellecer, Rivers Casino wardrobe supervisor.

InvoTech provides Rivers Casino’s uniform supplier with UHF-RFID tracking tags, so new uniforms arrive with tags already sewn in. The GIMS real-time tracking system knows the location of each uniform once it arrives on property.

When employees come to work each day, they wave their ID card near a reader in the uniform room. This triggers an automated conveyer system that delivers the correct uniform in less than a minute. InvoTech’s GIMS Uniform System automatically records which uniforms were picked up, and to whom the uniforms were issued.

“Returning soiled uniforms is as easy as dropping clothing into a hamper,” Pellecer says.

“A GIMS reader detects each item, logs it into the soiled bin and registers it for cleaning.” When moving soiled garments to and from the laundry pick up area, the staff pushes full carts past a GIMS UHF-RFID tracking station. GIMS automatically and instantly identifies, counts, and logs hundreds of uniforms per minute without hand sorting.

“When uniforms go out, we have one person pushing laundry carts,” says Pellecer.

“When we receive deliveries from the laundry, one person can take delivery of 20 boxes with 1,000 pieces in a single operation. The GIMS system automatically cross-references our records against our vendor’s invoice, and then we can send the garments to a storage area. Without GIMS, we would need two or three people to do a manual count. That would take much more time for a much less accurate accounting.”

“The system always knows who has each garment item. We’ve cut way back on losses. I know whether a garment is on our conveyor awaiting pickup, issued to staff, or out for cleaning or repair. If a piece goes missing, I know who’s responsible.”

GIMS also allows Pellecer to check the vendor’s invoice against resort records. “We can instantly access which garments we sent for what treatment or repair and compare this with the laundry’s billing. I always know if we’ve been charged correctly and this saves us a great deal of money.”

Because GIMS creates a history for each garment, the system also simplifies uniform reordering. 

“We know how often a piece has been worn, cleaned, and repaired,” Pellecer explains. “Department heads come to me for an accurate new uniform budget since GIMS tracks when it’s time to reorder each garment style. There’s no more guess work. With GIMS I am completely up to date on inventory and our system does a better job across our entire uniform operation with fewer staff and less time.”