BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — As wash-dry-fold (WDF) and pickup-and-delivery (PUD) services continue to expand, laundry operators are looking for better ways to manage labor, protect revenue, and maintain visibility into machine usage.

Wash-Dry-Fold POS seeks to address a challenge in attended operations — controlling who starts machines and for what purpose — by introducing Machine Start Integrations.

Attendants handling WDF orders have traditionally relied on manual processes, from loading coins to physically starting machines. While cashless systems have streamlined payment ability for laundries that utilize them, staff’s ability to access machine starts could open the door to misuse, Wash-Dry-Fold POS says.

“When I hear another story about how a manager or trusted attendant ‘stole’ $20,000 or $30,000, it’s almost always the same story,” says Ian Gollahon of Wash-Dry-Fold POS. “The employee realizes they have virtually unlimited access to machine starts, and they decide to start their own business on the side. … They’ve found some way to abuse and monetize the machine start capability.”

Wash-Dry-Fold POS’ Machine Start Integrations link machine activation directly to WDF orders within the company’s platform. The new suite of partnerships includes Speed Queen, Huebsch, Laundroworks, FasCard, Flex Card, The Laundry Boss and more.

For Alliance Laundry Systems equipment — including Speed Queen Insights and Huebsch Command — attendants can start washers and dryers by selecting specific machines inside the system’s Order Tracker.

Integrations with systems such as Laundroworks and WashLynx allow attendants to initiate machine starts from personal mobile devices, adding biometric security through Apple or Android facial verification. Vend values are tracked and reported as a percentage of total revenue, giving owners another data point to evaluate efficiency and detect irregularities.

Machine Start integration within the Wash-Dry-Fold POS system is innovative and practical, the company says. It empowers attendants to manage workflows efficiently while giving owners clear, data-driven visibility into everything from order intake to revenue tracking.