Despite its being located on the outskirts of the Magic Kingdom, there is no magic involved in the Disney World's laundry's annual production of about 20,000,000 lbs. of linen and garments, clean weight. Rather, the figure is achieved through the efforts of more than 160 employees, two 8-hour shifts, a well-equipped plant, and excel- lent management.
The plant began operations almost nine years ago, and was originally set up at a cost of $3.5 million. It also was set up to produce 12,000,000 lbs. a year on a one-shift, 7-day-a-week basis. (Most behind-the-scenes support services operate every day of the week, just as the Magic Kingdom does.) But the Disney World planners made a slight mistake their projections about the number of people who would visit the Magic Kingdom proved to be con- servative. (Average annual attendance is now 14,000,000.) Consequently, as more visitors than anticipated filled the Kingdom, the laundry load that poured in from the hotels, restaurants, and employees became ever bigger.
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