American Drycleaner - July 2016

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drycleaner

July 2016 Vol. 83, No. 4

DEPARTMENTS

Pre-Inspection 4 Summer Breeze Closer Look 18 Cleaner Business Systems

Spotting Tips 26 Bleach This Martin Young Industry Observations 30 Run Efficient, Run Deep Howard Scott Texcare International 32 Breaks Records Largest version of trade fair since its inception in 1956. Matt Poe

COVER: Wet Side Story

Get the story of water reuse in fabricare today. How we manage the conservation of our water resources will define us.

Tim Burke, Editor

12 Advantage, You

Is there a “new kid in town” in your local market? Don’t spend time looking in your rearview mirror. Just keep doing what you do best. Dry cleaners from across the country share their own ideas on accentuating your business. Go do what you do!

Tim Burke, Editor

20 Dream Catcher

To uplift a company, CEOs need time to think and dream. Find the time in your business to visualize your future. Avoid the brain-drain of grinding daily decisions. Let managers manage so you can dream the dream.

Diana Vollmer

Around the Industry 34 Classified Advertising 38 Advertiser Index 39 Wrinkle In Time 40 GOTCHA!

NEED HELP FINDING THE HIDDEN HANGER?

Scan this QR Code for help in finding the hidden hanger on this month’s cover. Good luck!

“Business has never been better.”

“The support from CBS was great. Even before we signed up, they were responsive and flexible in their approach. They have helped our team become more efficient.”

“I don’t have to rely on anybody for information. I can see immediately what I have for inventory, orders and accounts receivable.”

Summer Breeze

Some say it is possible to smell greatness. Why not? We can smell a bargain. We can sniff out a deal. We can smell quality.

We have drycleaning stores that are impressive from the street. The high level of innovation and caring shows.

Operators know curb appeal and know the synergy of not only firstclass service and quality but the very look and smell of having a great store.

It’s amazing how many of you strive to redefine the image of the industry—and you are! You’re changing the game. And you want more. You’re after that big jump forward.

Fly the flag out front; clean the windows, floors, and counters til they sparkle; apply a fresh coat of paint; add bright flowers; hire polite employees; offer fresh coffee; and one of the simplest and easiest — a great smell. Ahhh, the smell of clean clothing. It’s our lifeblood! So simple. But so important.

You know that uplifting, fresh-washed smell we love in our clothes? That ‘summer breeze’ smell associated with your business? That’s a powerful thing.

If it isn’t already, strive to get that great smell permeating everything in your business.

When customers are happy to come in because they love the look, the feel and the smell (and, of course, your great service and quality), you’ve jumped forward.

Tim Burke

It takes investment in time and money, but as one dry cleaner told me recently, you can start with lots of little things that get noticed.

Publisher

Charles Thompson 312-361-1680 cthompson@ATMags.com

Editorial Director

Bruce Beggs 312-361-1683 bbeggs@ATMags.com

Editor Tim Burke 312-361-1684 tburke@ATMags.com

National Sales Director

Donald Feinstein 312-361-1682 dfeinstein@ATMags.com

Digital Media Director

Nathan Frerichs 312-361-1681 nfrerichs@ATMags.com

Production Manager

Roger Napiwocki

Read this issue and get a jump: on competing in your local market, on water reuse (our cover story), and on managing your time so you can dream your dreams to be great.

Time to get breezin’! ADC

Advisory Board

Steven Dubinski Mike Nesbit Herron Rowland Fred Schwarzmann

Contributing Editors

Howard Scott Diana Vollmer Martin Young

Main: 312-361-1700 Fax: 312-361-1685

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American Drycleaner (ISSN 0002-8258) is published monthly except Nov/Dec combined. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S., 1 year $46.00; 2 years $92.00. Foreign, 1 year $109.00; 2 years $218.00. Single copies $9.00 for U.S., $18.00 for all other countries. Published by American Trade Magazines LLC, 566 West Lake Street, Suite 420, Chicago, IL 60661. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER, Send changes of address and form 3579 to American Drycleaner, Subscription Dept., 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Volume 83, number 4. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 566 West Lake Street, Suite 420, Chicago, IL 60661. Charles Thompson, President and Publisher. American Drycleaner is distributed selectively to: qualified dry cleaning plants and distributors in the United States. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising for any reason.

© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2016. Printed in U.S.A. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher or his representative. American Drycleaner does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any article, product, service or information found within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Drycleaner or its staff. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s contents at time of publication, neither the editors, publishers nor its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom.

American Drycleaner, July 2016

WetSide Story

ater is life. How we manage it defines us economically and socially. In the world of fabricare and garment cleaning, it’s nothing short of elemental.

Rob Walker, president of Max I. Walker in Omaha, Neb., runs 26 locations in his operation, two central plant laundries, four package plant shirt laundries, and also a uniform rental operation running 12 routes.

By Tim Burke, Editor

taken for granted such as drinking water, showering, doing dishes—and fabricare. The state of affairs in the area of water conservation for Walker’s midwestern region of the United States is not as critical as California or Arizona, he points out.

“In our drycleaning operation, we try to use wash formulas that reduce the amount of water needed in the wheel for laundered shirts,” says Walker. “Also, cooling towers are used for hydrocarbon cleaning machines, reducing the amount of city water used for cooling.”

The drought in the western United States has elevated awareness about water management. If you live or travel there, you know all about water-use restrictions, lowflow devices, and the need to change basic habits once

“But that doesn’t mean we don’t look at all areas that we can, to save water in our operation. This is very critical in our uniform rental operation, as we use large amounts of water and incur sewer surcharges based on usage,” says Walker.

“This area of our business is where we see the most investment in technology and equipment being made because of the volume of water being used,” he adds.

Mike Bleier is the owner of Drive Cleaning and Greenercleaner, a Chicago-area five-store operation, in business for more than 20 years.

“In Illinois, we don’t have the issue with water restrictions but we take water seriously,” says

While wet grows, water conservation swells, too; goal remains clean water at low cost

Bleier, who notes that his company is “water-responsible all the time.”

According to Bleier’s website, the company is the first 100% wet cleaner in the United States, having started in 1995.

“We take our water used for cooling our drycleaning machines, which has been heated through use, and we put it back into our laundry machines for reuse, thus saving money by conserving water,” Bleier explains.

Clean water is everyone’s responsibility — citizens and businesses alike.

Environmental Protection Agency regulations are only one part of the picture. Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) are another part. Changes to the drycleaning and fabricare industry, such as the emphasis on wet cleaning and wash and fold, are still another part of the story.

In answer to a question about water conservation challenges today, Walker indicates, “As the market demands more wet washing, things will change. You are already seeing this in the home washer market with new watersaving technology.”

Regarding testing, “on the uniform side, local POTW inspectors do on-site sampling twice a year, pulling hourly wastewater samples each hour for 24 hours, seven days in a row.”

Testing to meet regulations is just one part of a large “watershed” issue for the fabricare industry. Water and energy costs, along with water reuse, are part of an operator’s daily dialogue now.

WATER UP

Kevin Minissian is CEO of Los Angeles-based Norchem Corp., a clean tech engineering company that offers water conservation solutions and green laundry chemistry to the fabricare market, according to the company’s website.

About challenges ahead, he notes that “as the fabricare industry continues to be one of the most significant users of water, dry cleaners, although not the greatest users in the category, are now starting to witness hikes in water and sewer costs,” says Minissian.

“As more and more dry cleaners convert to wet wash,” he continues, “increased cost of water and sewer will increase sewer impact fees and show under city POTW radar.”

American Drycleaner, July 2016

Speaking about water conservation, the rising costs play a role but so do other factors such as water safety and treatment.

Over the past 12 years, notes Minissian, “the minimum bill for water customers has increased at a rate of 5.6% while the corresponding sewer bill has increased more than 20.1%, according to a report released by Black & Veatch.” Black & Veatch is a global engineering and consulting firm that publishes its own water industry report.

“Rising commodity prices of electricity, chemicals and fuel have increased the cost of transporting water and heating it,” says Minissian.

“Lack of capital funding has led to more utilities raising prices for water so they can afford to update their treatment facilities. Aging infrastructure needs preventative maintenance, thus utilities are charging more to have funds available for such investments.”

Global recognition of the value of water security and the concern over wastewater pollution has sparked interest in water conservation methodologies, Minissian explains.

“Government regulations,” he points out, “and incentive programs offered by state water suppliers are key influencers in helping drive capital investment in water treatment and reuse.”

Regulations on wastewater content are tightening everywhere and the local municipalities are the ones enforcing them, Minissian says.

EPA’s Clean Water Act (CWA) of the 1970s is the main regulation all cities and counties follow. “All POTW inspect and regulate the discharge limits and collect sewer charges,” he adds.

Greenercleaner owner Mike Bleier stands near his wetcleaning machine with an employee inspecting clothing already finished at his Drive Cleaning store located in the Chicago suburb of Skokie. (Photo: Tim Burke)

We all understand the need for clean water. It’s life’s most precious thing. Business has evolved an eco-friendly position. Conservation concerns are identifiable. But what about the specific solutions?

DRINK IT IN

“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink” — from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Many operators are no doubt already immersed in water reuse, following water-saving practices and utilizing necessary equipment. Are these strategies solving today’s water worries?

Enter Mike Diedling with some observations; he’s manager of the applications engineering department at Pellerin Milnor, the Kenner, La.-based laundry equipment manufacturer in business since 1947.

“Most laundry and drycleaner operators have already taken advantage of one or more of the following techniques to reduce their water and sewer costs,” says Diedling.

First are “tweaked wash formulas to achieve minimum water use.”

Second, he indicates that cleaners have “purchased equipment to allow water reuse (e.g., save last rinse to use on flush of next load).”

Next, he points out, dry cleaners should have “applied for evaporation credits so sewer charges are not based on the same water quantity as incoming water.”

Finally, Diedling says operators should have “purchased equipment to recycle water.”

Population growth, drought and education about water conservation has brought to the forefront the need to protect our most precious commodity — safe, fresh, drinkable water.

Diedling brings some frothy perspective: “On the availability side, the numbers I’ve seen say that only about 3% of the water in the world is potable (drinkable).”

He explains that half of the 3% is used for agriculture, while the rest is divided between personal consumption and “the remaining 20% of the 3% is for industry, including laundries and dry cleaners.”

As the population increases, he notes, “We are more and more susceptible to shortages which can be exacerbated by lack of normal rainfall. Costs for water and sewer charges are rapidly increasing. There

American Drycleaner, July 2016

are already several areas in the U.S. with combined water and sewer charges well in excess of $30 per 1,000 gallons.”

Regulations uphold the high-tide standards that keep us all safe — businesses and consumers alike.

On the disposal side, the EPA sets minimum quality standards for discharging water into oceans, lakes, rivers and streams.

“Typically,” Diedling says, “it is your local POTW that sets its own minimum quality standards for water it receives from homes, offices and industrial sites in its district.”

Local water quality standards for POTW must be equal to or more stringent than EPA in order for the POTW to participate in government grants to build and maintain facilities, he says.

“To participate in the grants, the EPA requires local POTWs charge for wastewater based on quantity and quality.”

Conserving water in your operation is at a high level of importance.

Will reused and recycled water quality be up to industry standards?

“The reuse and recycled water must meet very highquality standard to prevent any issues with wash quality,” says Minissian.

“The benefits of cold water washing is shorter wash times, improved fabric longevity, and immense water/ heat savings.”

Greenercleaner’s Bleier says, “Part of our DNA is to have a responsible water and energy footprint.”

“Fresh, potable water is becoming the new oil in terms of cost and availability,” says Diedling.

Circle of life! Here’s a water reuse system featuring tanks that hold water from final rinse that will be coursing back to the machine as the first bath for the next load. (Photo: Pellerin Milnor)

Advantage,

By Tim Burke, Editor

Go do, that voodoo, that you do, so well,” exclaimed Harvey Korman in Blazing Saddles.

And he was right: Go do what you do best.

Don’t fear a new competitor entering your area. After all, a new player in town can serve to re-focus attention on what makes your own store special, what makes it great.

“Someone who opens across the street is competing for the same two square miles,” says John-Claude Hallak, president of Hallak Cleaners in New York City. “To put it simply, that new competitor sheds light on whether or not you are a good operator.”

That competitor comes in and tries to offer specials, Hallak points out, “luring people away to try the ‘new flavor of ice cream today.’”

But Hallak insists that if you are doing a good job, those defectors will filter back to you. He says “lots of new operators are P&L-driven but may not have eyes on the long game.” And insists that operators shouldn’t worry about the first skirmish: “win the war, not the single battle,” he notes.

Forget the rest, do what you do best.

“Stop looking over your shoulder all the time. It can be very distracting and can slow growth and create

fear,” says Dave Coyle, owner of In The Bag Cleaners in Wichita, Kan., and member of the Tuchman Cost Group. He says he has grown his business from 1% to 70% market share in only 15 years.

“Aggressive marketing,” Coyle explains, “telling our story, making relationships, having great retail team members on the counter, giving away

Competition in local market actually helps accentuate your services, re-sharpen your ideals

home-baked cookies and bottled waters — all of these things are part of the picture.”

According to Coyle, most clients are lost to a competitor when the existing business leaves the door open and has some type of consistent problem.

“Unresolved claims, claims that take too long to settle, lost garments, too many ‘We’re sorry’ stain tags (not getting clothes cleaned), missing buttons, double creases, rude attitudes on the counter,” he notes.

Don’t fight with clients over claims. Listen intently and then offer a solution. Mismanaged claims can be death to a dry cleaner, Coyle points out. Competitors look for weaknesses to exploit. Don’t give them any. Put your plant’s best foot forward.

In agreement with not letting claims become a factor, Hallak shares this thought with American Drycleaner: “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in a room with owners who let small claims get under their skin.”

“This sign is on the front door of every single store I own,” says Dave Coyle, owner, In The Bag Cleaners, Wichita, Kan. The first week on LinkedIn, it topped 30,000 Likes. It’s another way to show customers you truly care. (Photo: In The Bag Cleaners)

fans. They will focus their attention on just trying to keep up, while you keep introducing more and more client-based services and initiatives.”

Coyle likes to create loyalty “in ways that have nothing to do with our products and services.”

“Tug at people’s heart strings. Get involved with charities that your clients are interested in. And make sure you widely publicize that you are involved in them,” he notes.

“Give unconditionally” is his motto, and he has a popular sign that is on the front of every single store he owns: If you are unemployed and need an outfit cleaned for an interview, we will clean it for free!

Coyle says “printing and matting these two-sided signs for our 16 stores was the best $300 I have ever spent.

“The first week that it hit LinkedIn, it topped over 30,000 ‘Likes’ from all over the world! It shows your business is community-involved and has a heart.”

Hallak says, “I’d rather pay off one big claim and move on, than have 40 small claims.”

“Stand behind what you do,” he adds. “You do things the right way and meet industry regulations but just maybe that competitor isn’t going by the book like you are.”

NEW KID

Be forward-thinking in your business approach.

“I think big,” Coyle says. “And I think 95% of the time about my course of action and focus less than 5% on what my competitors are doing.”

He says it’s kind of like looking at the windshield of a car.

“The windshield is 95% of the space if you are looking forward, and that small rearview mirror represents less than 5%.”

Along with thinking big, he also insists you become a game-changer.

“If you can change the game in your market,” he says, “(then) your biggest competitors will be your most loyal

American Drycleaner, July 2016

That’s not all. Use the perceived “specter” of the invading new store across the mall parking lot or down the block to motivate, innovate and promote your operation.

“Put the owner’s name, signature, and picture on everything,” says Coyle. “You will be surprised how much loyalty is built by doing this. Clients will say how well they know the owner, even if you have never met before!”

A new kid in town can cause you to look at new avenues of business as well. One opportunity Coyle mentions is to partner with clothing stores in your area.

“We give 50% off to the associates of all clothing stores, almost 400 people in our area,” says Coyle. “They become awesome spokespeople for your business. Give the occasional free comforter cleaning or shoe shine to these associates as well.”

He indicates that his business has given some upscale clothing stores a “first time free” cleaning coupon to hand out to their clients whenever a drycleanable item or nice dress shirt is purchased.

“They bring this coupon in,” he adds, (continued)

“along with their receipt and we highlight the item cleaned. Very effective!”

SO PERSONAL

Smart, effective marketing in the community not only includes goodwill participation and workable business partnerships but also must take into account electronic services and print as well.

“The U.S. mail, while expensive, is a great way to remind people in specific neighborhoods of your brand,” says Kevin Kneafsey, owner, GreenStreets Cleaners in San Francisco.

“We are in a market with a lot of innovators and appbased business,” says Kneafsey, “including several for dry cleaning.”

He points to convenient online services in dealing with new competition: “We always want to make sure our website is super user-friendly. It’s easily viewed and navigated on a mobile device, and the user experience is seamless.”

For dry cleaners looking to expand their “compete level” online, he notes, “There are a lot of new thirdparty apps/services that people are using to compete in the on-demand economy. So if you are not ready to dip your toes into on-demand delivery, there might be thirdparty vendors that will tackle the logistics side of it for you.”

“To point this out,” says Hallak, “I can relate a quote I heard recently, ‘People may not remember you, but they will remember how you made them feel.’”

Want to know how to weather the occasional storm when a new customer enters the market? “If you’ve stepped up and gone beyond, it will pay dividends.”

His store celebrates a customer’s “anniversary together” of the date the customer first came in. Hallak Cleaners keeps electronic records and makes use of them in this way.

“We give a coffee mug with our company logo printed on it, and inside the mug we tuck a $10 Starbucks gift card on the customer’s anniversary day,” says Hallak. “You can make an indelible impression on a customer this way. We use data, use information, to stay in touch.”

Also, his company sends a personal letter saying “We miss you” to go the extra step to reach out and bring those lapsed customers back. He reaches out to 10 or 15 a week to bring them back.

“It takes a little commitment and a little time to stand out,” says Hallak. “Some things seem obvious, but many don’t take the time to do them.”

Another tip: “If you want your customers treated well, treat your employees well! It trickles down.” It’s a philosophy that can and should be part of your whole operation, all your employees, he adds.

These ideas can “apply in any niche,” notes Hallak.

New meat isn’t bad. Fresh players are a barometer of vitality. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats.

“Competition in the marketplace is healthy,” says Steven Toltz, president, Denver’s Dependable Cleaners, an environmentally responsible dry cleaner that uses only green solvents.

“It allows for us as business owners to constantly be striving to improve our services and features, and it offers options to consumers for where they take their business,” he adds.

To compete from strength, place the emphasis on the personal touch with your customers.

There’s little proprietary equipment in the drycleaning industry, Hallak relates, but service is the key. “How you reach out to customers is the differentiating factor,” he expresses.

American Drycleaner, July 2016

Toltz says that being environmentally responsible and dedicated to customer convenience are a couple of the things he believes elevates his business.

“Marketplace competition allows us to think of how to continue to perform in those standards while we strive to improve and bring in new customers,” Toltz says.

Coyle suggests: “Send your best clients flowers, just because, to show appreciation for their loyalty. Have you ever heard of getting flowers from your cleaners? I didn’t think so. It will be talked about a lot!”

Whether your operation is in a big city or a rural area, making your customer feel special is the overall theme of competing successfully.

So go do what you do best. Voodoo it up to the max. Don’t worry about the other guy. Show you care.

“Personal touches,” concludes Hallak, “have impact!”

Making your customer feel special is the overall theme of competing successfully.

A new kid in town can cause you to look at new avenues of business.

Cleaner Business Systems

In this month’s Closer Look, which profiles manufacturers, distributors or other businesses that serve the drycleaning industry, American Drycleaner shines its spotlight on Cleaner Business Systems, Burnsville, Minn., a computer systems company.

Q: How long has your business been serving the drycleaning industry?

A: 17 years.

Q: Tell our readers, generally, about your company’s current product and/or service offerings.

A: We have been providing our point of sale solution from Cleaner Business Systems since 2002. We offer related products such as data backup, installation, business operational consulting, computer hardware and, of course, support for all the products we sell.

Q: Where are your company’s products made, and how are they sold/distributed to end-users?

A: Our products are made in the United States, and we generally sell direct to the end-user or customer using our products.

Q: Why is your company successful?

A: We understand our customers’ needs and provide them a solution to meet their needs. We understand our customers’ needs change, and we are committed to enhancing our offerings to meeting our customers’ needs. The most important service we offer is our support after the sale. We continue to maintain a high level of customer support, and we credit this to our success.

Q: What makes your business different from other businesses like it?

A: Our level of commitment to our support system. We feel we offer a more turnkey solution with full support on our solutions we sell.

D

Catcher ream

Strong Managers Can Free the CEO to Visualize And Transform the Organization; Catch Your Dream Yet?

By Diana Vollmer

To uplift a company, owners, leaders and CEOs need time to think and dream.

They need time to visualize the company of the future and time to determine the steps needed to transform the current organization into that better, more profitable future version.

According to Wikipedia: “Leadership is a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

“The Chief Executive Officer is the person who makes all the decisions regarding the upliftment of the company, which includes all sectors and fields of the business like operations, marketing, business development, finance, and human resources, etc.”

One of the biggest drains on this visualization and planning time is the day-to-day operation of the business.

What if managers managed themselves in a way that the business could self-manage, too? The time to actually perform the primary CEO duties could magically appear on the over-scheduled calendar.

Self-management is not as elusive as it may seem when you are battling the alligators snapping at your ankles with your left hand and putting out fires with your right.

The dream of manager self-management is a primary reason for the popularity of the old and new systems for strategic planning and project management.

Regardless of the current name, the systems are sound management tools that help get the job done in a timely manner without your daily involvement. Whether your reference point is Management by Objectives, Good to Great, The One Minute Manager or some other iteration leading up to the current trend leader, Traction’s The Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS), these systems work.

Not only do these systems get the job done, they encourage delegation. Also, they test for and develop leadership throughout the organization.

The process of choosing your implementation system should include evaluation of the success in other respected operations with challenges similar to yours.

Most businesses face similar challenges

(Images licensed by Ingram Publishing)

dealing with people, resource allocation, time constraints, competition, operations, logistics, financial control, sales and profit growth, leadership development, site selection, et al.

The list is long and complex, so look both inside and outside the drycleaning world for examples of successful companies that have moved from good to great and ask how they have done it.

Key components of all of these systems are:

• Status assessment

• Mission/vision/core values or guiding principles

• Measurable goals (both short- and long-term)

• Responsibility assignments (team leader and team members)

• Accountability

• Specific timelines/deadlines

• Shared scheduled updates (including successes and failed strategies)

• Monitoring actual performance compared to goals

• Plan refinement

A distinct shared vision combined with strong guiding principles forge a clearer path for everyone to know how to choose to do the right thing when presented with uncertain decisions.

As the CEO, you will be deeply involved in leading your management team through the long-term goal phase and then coaching them as they develop their short-term goals and plans for immediate implementation.

The more practice your team members have with the process, the more proficient they will become in moving

American Drycleaner, July 2016

the plans forward on a timely basis and holding subordinates accountable (as well as themselves) for the completion of the action steps needed along the way.

Monitoring and refinement feedback will become less time-consuming as your team matures as managers, leaders, planners and implementers.

WHERE YOU AT?

This is the phase that reviews where you are today as a company and as a team.

The traditional approach is the Strengths/Weaknesses/ Opportunities/Threats (SWOT) assessment that lists all the items related to each category, with the first three category definitions being rather obvious.

For this purpose, threats are defined as outside influences that cannot be controlled by the company management. Examples would be changing environmental regulations or fashion trends that change cleaning and maintenance usage patterns. They need to be addressed in other ways, i.e. insurance, lobbying governmental bodies, and influencing trend-setters.

For this planning session, take your team off-site to minimize interruptions. Encourage them to think beyond the obvious and create a comprehensive list for each portion of SWOT. Newsprint pads with sticky strips are ideal for brainstorming and recording in this assessment session.

TO THE CORE

Your vision for your company may be crystal clear in your mind.

For example, you may want your fabricare company to increase sales to $8 million in three years with profitability of 25%. Involving your team in sharing that vision and possibly improving upon it will be the focus for gaining their commitment and understanding that you are in business to make a profit and consistently improve upon the current status.

Clarity of guiding principles is more challenging than it appears on the surface since it is designed to underlie every aspect of a business by solidifying a set of jointly held beliefs and standards.

These core value statements “become the deeply ingrained principle and fabric that guide employee behavior and company decisions and actions — the behaviors the company and employees expect of themselves,” says Eric Jacobson, a former executive who writes about management and leadership.

Create these values by answering the following questions and condensing the answers into concise statements:

What does our company stand for?

What values do our employees hold?

What do we contribute to the world (products, services, values)?

For example, the online retailer Zappos famously holds these 10 core values: 1) Deliver wow through service, 2) embrace and drive change, 3) create fun and a little weirdness, 4) be adventurous, creative, and open-minded, 5) pursue growth and learning, 6) build open and honest relationships with communication, 7) build a positive team and family spirit, 8) do more with less, 9) be passionate and determined, and 10) be humble.

measurable, feelings are not.

The next phase: Action teams are formed with leaders and members assigned specific tasks for which they will be held accountable on a defined timeline. The team leaders direct the members to develop step-by-step plans and hold them accountable so you only need to hold the team leader accountable.

Accountability is the key to an effective management system. There should be rewards for success and consequences for failure to perform the assigned responsibilities that contribute to the success of the whole company. Success takes coordinated effort.

Deadlines are essential to the efficient project management required to move many efforts forward simultaneously.

There are many simple manual systems for accomplishing smooth project management. More frequently, electronic versions (many with free versions) are used to keep everyone informed and integrated into their own project crew. If you don’t have a favorite, try One-Page Project Manager or a similar user-friendly option.

By having the entire management team meet regularly for mutual updates, they are held accountable to their responsibilities and deadlines, and learn from each other’s successes as well as the things that didn’t work so well. They also know if the projects are moving forward at the planned pace.

Perfect plans don’t exist ...

Be prepared to be flexible and adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Wegmans Food Markets lists their Who We Are values as: Caring, high standards, making a difference, respect, and empowerment.

With these values in place, the team knows what is expected both internally and externally and is more likely to act accordingly.

ROAD MAP

With the future vision of the company and the guiding principles firmly in mind, the management team can move on to goal-setting for the long term.

This is the road map for achieving the company of the future that you envisioned together and the specific directions to move to goal completion: Longterm goals will direct the short-term goals, which direct the specific action plans and the time frames within which to accomplish them. Remember, numbers are

American Drycleaner, July 2016

Comparing actual performance to desired goals allows you, as the CEO, to be informed about all the initiatives and assess if they are moving forward in a coordinated way. It also helps you manage by exception to shore up the weak links and develop both your strong and weaker managers to meet their maximum potential.

Perfect plans don’t exist, so most plans require revision along the way as planning meets reality and dynamic markets change. Be prepared to be flexible and adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Creating a comprehensive management structure, a sound process and monitoring system and providing the tools to perform the responsibilities will give your staff team-building opportunities, and give you better managers, more effective employees, more time to be the CEO and, most importantly, will help your company prosper.

Diana Vollmer is a managing director for Methods for Man agement, which has served the drycleaning and laundry in dustry with affordable management expertise and improved profitability since 1953. For assistance with implementing your management systems, contact her at dvollmer@mfmi. com or call her at 415-577-6544.

Sometimes We Like To Strut Our Stuff.

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To try our Drapery Strut, go to www.mbhangers.com to find your local distributor, or call 888-699-5644 to speak with one of our customer service representatives.

SPOTTING TIPS

Bleach This

Any time I mention the word “bleach,” it seems someone in the room has all the blood drain from their face. Then they go on the attack about how reckless it is to put such a chemical tool into the hands of an employee.

The term bleach can and does refer to more than chlorine (sodium hypochlorite).

Have an open mind.

It is a lot of little things that separate a good garment-care professional from a great garment-care professional. My goal has always been to help you move from “me, too” to being the go-to cleaner in your market. It is a short trip when you make the effort to gain and apply additional knowledge of supplemental stain removal.

A must-have among your chemical tools is hydrogen peroxide. It is used at the spotting board in various strengths, from 3% to 30% concentrations. The bottle you can buy at the drug store is usually only a 3% concentration.

Peroxide can be applied to a pastel silk to get out the last traces of a stain. Small amounts of 10%, 20% and 30% concentration can be acquired from a hair salon supply store. Peroxide is the only bleaching agent that I can recommend for protein fibers like wool, silk, angora, cashmere and camel hair.

You must be patient, as the milder the concentration, the more repeated applications will be required to achieve the desired results. Peroxide should be applied with an eye dropper or a cotton swab to avoid skin contact.

To use hydrogen peroxide in a soaking bath, use 6 ounces of 3% peroxide to a gallon of water at a temperature of 120 F. It will work slowly and only as long as the water temperature remains above 100 F. Peroxide is my first choice when it comes to removing scorch.

Another bleach that is useful in the cleaning department is sodium perborate.

This chemical tool is purchased as a white powder and

can be used at the spotting board as well as in a soaking bath. At the spotting board, it is sprinkled over the last traces of a stain that is still warm and moist from wet-side stain removal.

You then heat the sodium perborate crystals over the solid portion of the board with a wisp of steam from the steam gun. This will melt the bleach through the stain and activate the bleaching action. The bleach should then be neutralized with a drop of acetic acid.

To restore garments that are dingy from age, or those that contain large areas of stains, sodium perborate can be used in a bleach bath.

In a non-metal container that is large enough to move the garment around, dissolve 1 ounce of sodium perborate powder per gallon of water at a temperature of 120 F.

Sodium perborate works slowly and can even be left overnight, if you choose. Perborate is my

To find past Spotting Tips columns or share this month’s with your colleagues, visit AmericanDrycleaner.com.

Martin Young

(Photo: ©iStockphoto/nullplus)

first choice when it comes to removing perspiration.

A “first cousin” to sodium perborate is sodium percar bonate. This is also a white powder that can be used in the same way as perborate, but is much more aggressive than perborate at temps above 100 F. It’s a good choice on thermos-polymer synthetics, used at 80 F to 90 F.

HERO COOL

Chlorine bleach does have a place in stain removal. We all know that it is highly aggressive and that once the damage is done, it is irreversible.

Chlorine bleach can’t be used on protein fiber under any conditions. The chemical burn that results is yelloworange-brown or any shade between.

But on fabric other than protein, sodium hypochlorite is a good choice for mildew removal. You must dilute the concentration, in the beginning, from the 5% concentration found in the store. It should only be used on white and the lightest of pastel colors.

At the spotting board, I recommend application with a wooden toothpick to control the quantity applied and the point of application; I once saved six golf shirts for a young wife when the red, company-embroidered logo bled on the white fabric.

If you choose to use a bleach bath with sodium hypo chlorite, it should be four parts water to one part bleach. Start with cool water and gradually heat the water to achieve the desired results. Do not soak.

Stay with the garment and gradually warm the water while moving the garment around in the container. Sodium hypochlorite can be neutralized with sodium bisulfite or sodium hydrosulfite. When a customer brings in a white shirt that is tan on the double layers of the cuffs and front button flap, it may well be the result of retaining chlorine bleach from past washings.

You can look like a hero by giving the shirt a quick bath in sodium bisulfite or sodium hydrosulfite to neutralize the chlorine, then wash the shirt like normal.

TO DYE FOR

This brings me to the reducing bleaches that are used to remove fugitive dyes. The two mentioned, sodium bisulfite and sodium hydrosulfite, are closely related.

Sodium bisulfite is the weaker of the two but no dye stripper is truly mild. Both chemicals come as a white

American Drycleaner, July 2016

powder and are an excellent choice to remove berry stains in fabric and dyes that will stand their aggressive action. Sodium hydrosulfite is my first choice when I am dealing with a red dye.

Either of them can be used at the spotting board by dis solving 1 teaspoon of the white powder in 4 ounces of warm water, then applying with a cotton swab or wooden toothpick. Flush thoroughly with cold water after the stain is removed.

Either of these bleaches can be used in a bath. For sodi um bisulfite, use 1 tablespoon of powder for each gallon of water at 100 F plus a dash of acetic acid to accelerate. For sodium hydrosulfite, use ½ tablespoon of powder for each gallon of water at 100 F.

Another dye remover is titanium sulfate, which comes as a purple liquid. This reducing bleach is my first choice to remove blue dyes such as the last traces of stubborn ink.

Titanium sulfate is used at the spotting board at full strength and is best applied with a cotton swab to control the volume applied. It is used in a bath using 1 ounce of liquid to each gallon of water at 120 F.

With all dye strippers, I recommend using cool water to begin and gradually warm the water until you achieve the desired result.

You should not soak garments in a dye stripper. Stay with the garment and keep it moving while warming the water to remove the dye.

Being familiar with bleaches will give you the choice of an additional chemical tool to do a better job in supplemental stain removal. ADC

Martin L. Young Jr. has been an industry consultant and trainer for 20 years, and a member of various stakeholder groups on environmental issues. He grew up in his parents’ plant in Concord, N.C., Young Cleaners, which he operates to this day. Phone: 704-786-3011, e-mail: mayoung@vnet. net.

You can look like a hero by giving the shirt a quick bath in sodium bisulfite or sodium hydrosulfite to neutralize the chlorine, then wash the shirt like normal.

Run Efficient, Run Deep

As a dry cleaner, you run a factory. The unifying principle of all factories is efficiency.

If you question my metaphor of a dry cleaner as a factory, it is correct that a dry cleaner does not turn out a product, but instead imparts a service onto goods. But by adding to that product — providing cleaning and wearability — you qualify as a production operation.

Make every operation the most efficient it can be and your cost per unit will be the lowest possible sum.

With a low cost of goods sold, your profit will be greater. You will have more money to grow your business, develop specialty niches and establish a commanding presence in your market.

If you could lower your direct production costs from 38% to 36%, and you worked on a 4% profit margin, you would be increasing profits by 50%—that’s significant.

Pieces per operating hour (PPOH) is your mantra.

How many shirts can you turn out on your double buck per hour? How many slacks does the trousers presser push out each hour? What output is your cleaner capable of in daily poundage? How long does it take for your inspector to inspect 100 garments? How many deliveries can your route man make in an 8-hour shift? Every aspect of your factory is an operation.

Let’s take a look at one aspect: How many garments does your presser turn out per hour? In other words, what is the PPOH?

“Seventy garments an hour,” you might say. You’ve computed that by totaling weekly output and dividing by hours worked.

How can you boost PPOH to 75 without compromising quality? Maybe a new, state-of-the-art machine would enable increased PPOH.

This is tricky because sometimes the latest models just have more bells and whistles, with no built-in speed advantages. On the other hand, technical advances can increase efficiency. You must make a careful study of the latest technology and decide whether the new unit offers enhanced efficiency.

Did you observe something the presser is doing which, if eliminated, would result in a higher PPOH?

For example, the presser might be taking 10 steps to bring each garment to his machine. If these clothes were placed within reach, there would be no disruption in processing. A continuous workflow leads to a higher PPOH.

Urge a rhythm, so that there is no interruption in movement. Maybe a rack can be set up alongside the press er and the presser needs to fill it only every 10 garments.

Spend time observing the presser. Sit alongside and maybe see an efficiency that wasn’t apparent.

For instance, envision a stand fashioned to the press’ base, so that a sprayer can sit on it and be a hand’s length away so the presser can just reach and spray. Such an alteration doesn’t seem like much, but the improvement allows the presser to make a continuous, subconscious motion to press a garment.

In essence, careful observation is the study of time and motion, created by industrial engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor in the late 19th century. Taylor went to factories, ran his studies, and saved companies time and money, part of the “great efficiency” movement.

Efficiency experts saw better ways to do things. They saw how motions could be eliminated. They revamped the production floor.

You need to learn to become a careful observer. Put on your “ultra-violet glasses” that remove the extraneous stuff around the individual and focus on movements, motions and thought processes.

Keep trying to improve, to refine the production process. Visit other businesses. You never know when a new machine will fit your operation.

When you visit a business, go with a notebook, for nothing ensures idea retention better than writing it down. How do you line up these visits? Your competitors won’t welcome you.

Join a cost group. Visit dry cleaners in other markets that you met at trade conventions. On a road trip, line up several dry cleaners to visit. Call fellow association members to arrange for swap visits — you visit my place and I’ll visit your place, and we’ll learn from each other.

Develop performance benchmarks. Keep these figures in a notebook. In time, you will look back and see the

Howard Scott

efficiency strides you have made. You will be able to correlate these improvements with equipment purchases.

See the big picture.

Envision the whole process: The product arrives at the counter, is tagged, goes to the cleaning machine, goes to the pressers, then finishers, then the inspector and is brought to the rail for retrieval.

Could machines be shifted around to make the process move more smoothly? Can you push a wall back to give more room? Can the truck bay be placed on the other side of the building so that clothes can be unloaded at the intake operation?

Always remember that production is logic—the logic of efficient utilization, of flow.

Motivating staffers helps.

Every production worker likes a chance to earn a bonus. Possibly a team bonus would be best, where the production staff earns $200 every week they exceed the production in the required hours with no overtime. If there are eight people, that’s $25 each. Not a bad bonus for a good week’s work.

Yes, this will cost the company $10,000 (presuming the goal is achieved each week), but it could be the motivator that achieves top performance. Even on a dollar basis, spending $10,000 on bonuses might be better than paying 800 hours of overtime, at $15 an hour, which comes to $12,000.

At the same, never sacrifice quality. Maintaining quality is absolutely nec essary for your business to succeed. It would be easy for production workers to go after the bonuses you offer, letting quality deteriorate.

Keep a watchful eye on your quality standards for each operation and see that they are maintained. Respond to all customer complaints, identify the guilty party and take prompt corrective action.

Now go into your plant and make it the most efficient operation possible. ADC

Howard Scott is a longtime industry writer and dryclean ing consultant. He welcomes questions and comments, and can be reached by writing Howard Scott, Dancing Hill, Pembroke, Mass. 02359, by calling 781-293-9027, or via e-mail at dancinghill@gmail.com.

crdn.com

(Photo: ©iStockphoto/sebastianbroways)

Breaks Records 2016

Largest version of trade fair since it began in 1956

By Matt Poe

Texcare International 2016 was staged in Frankfurt, Germany, June 11-15, and textile professionals from around the world had a lot to take in.

The 2016 edition of the World Market for Modern Textile Care was the largest in the trade fair’s 60-year history, officials say.

Messe Frankfurt, the show manager, said a record 15,700 textile services professionals from around the world visited the trade fair over the five days, slightly more than attended in 2012.

Texcare International also broke records this year in terms of vendors. A record 319 exhibitors from 28 countries displayed products and services, according to the show operator.

Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of Messe Frankfurt, opened the show from the steps of the Galleria, in between Hall 8 and the Hall 9 into which the fair expanded for the first time ever.

“For the first time, we are opening the fair in the middle of the exhibition, because vendors decided to expand their presence here,” Marzin says. “This goes to show that textile care is one of the biggest growth industries in the world.”

60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The opening of the trade fair in the Galleria featured something special: a celebration in honor of the event’s 60th anniversary.

The fair started in 1956 as the International Laundry Trade Exhibition, with 164 exhibitors. From 1968 to 1990, it was called the International Laundry and Dry Cleaning Exhibition (IWC). In 1994, the trade fair started using the Texcare name.

Of the original exhibiting companies — Burnus, Cordes, Clayton, Kannegiesser, Kreussler, Miele, Polymark, Seibt + Kapp, Seitz and Gottlob Stahl — nine have attended the fair every four years since its inception.

Representatives from each were honored during the anniversary celebration.

Some of the companies with U.S. ties in attendance included Alliance Laundry Systems, Chicago Dryer Co., Colmac Industries, Dexter Laundry, Ecolab, Electrolux, Girbau, Image Laundry Systems, JENSEN, Kannegiesser, Lavatec Laundry Technology, Pellerin Milnor Corp. and Whirlpool.

“The ultimate goal here is to show complete automation in the laundry process,” says Phil Hart, president of Kannegiesser USA. “The industry isn’t there, yet. What we’re trying to show here is a process that replicates quality.”

TEXCARE FORUM

Knowledge was the focus of the educational side of the trade fair, known as Texcare Forum. Each afternoon during the first four days, two hours of lectures were offered to attendees on a variety of topics.

Andreas Schumacher, managing director of the German Dry Cleaning Association (Deutscher Textilreinigungsverband – DTV), says, “Very popular was the opportunity to exchange information and opinions about subjects of topical importance to the sector at Texcare Forum in addition to visiting the exhibition stands.”

The first day’s lectures had a training focus, because the growth in the industry is making it difficult for companies

Really big show! Texcare International 2016 exhibitors filled two Galleria halls from floor to ceiling in the largest turnout since the fair was conceived 60 years ago. (Photo: Matt Poe)

to find skilled employees—around the world.

Katrin Rasch with the Vocational Training Institute of the University of Cologne says training for employment at a laundry needs to become a “career-making concept.”

“We need to have theoretical and practical training,” she says. “Theoretical learning in the school setting and practical in the plant. We also need to make potential employees believe that the training will lead to a career.”

The second day’s Forum looked at technological advances. About creating added value, Dr. ir. Henk Gooijer of TKT, the Dutch technical knowledge center, says, “Growth and demand will be met by polysynthetic fiber.”

Sustainability of the industry, along with resource efficiency, in a world with a growing population and shrinking resources was the following day’s Forum theme. Topics covered included water reuse and heat recovery, sustainable fabrics and available sustainability tools.

“Laundry 4.0” was the focus of the final day of Texcare Forum, with topics ranging from automation to RFID technological advances.

“Qualified personnel is expensive and difficult to find,” says Gunter Veit, managing director and owner of VEIT Group, as he spoke on the subject. “Automation decreases the level of dependency on skilled personnel and ensures constant quality.”

Industry 4.0 concluded with Mathias Schafer, product manager for Kannegiesser, taking a look at what a “Smart Laundry” is. “It has consistent and continuous workflow with synchronization of data and materials,” he says.

FASHION AND IRON

Texcare International 2016 hosted other events of interest to attendees in the various segments of the textile care industry.

Besides hosting the opening ceremony, the naturally lit, spacious Galleria was the perfect setting for the Fashion Shows that displayed the latest trends in work, protective and professional clothing.

On three consecutive days, competitors faced off in ironing competitions at various exhibitor displays throughout the trade fair halls.

Exhibitors and attendees alike said Texcare International 2016 provided good business opportunities and education that will benefit the textile services industry.

Now everyone can rest, make use of the deals and contacts made at the trade fair—and look ahead to what’s in store at the next Texcare International in 2020. ADC

Matt Poe is the editor of American Laundry News, a sister publication of American Drycleaner.

‘Beautiful moments of kindness’ highlight prom dress weekend

MW Cleaners recently collected, cleaned and donated 1,800 dresses for the MW Cares Prom Dress Drive and Giving Gown Foundation “Boutique Days” in Houston.

“My favorite thing about our event is seeing the gen erosity of our community through businesses like MW Cleaners, as well as our volunteers who poured love into our princesses,” says Cassie Miller, director of opera tions for Giving Gown Foundation, a non-profit commu nity service organization that collects donations of new and like-new formal gowns and accessories.

For the second year in a row, MW Cleaners partnered with Giving Gown Foundation for this special event. The

drive was conceived last year by MW Cleaners President Mike Nesbit to collect new and gently used prom gowns, which are collected all year long at his company’s 37 locations.

MW Cleaners was thankful for the generous donations from its customers who donated dresses, some still with price tags of $900 and greater, notes the company.

Gowns were professionally cleaned and then sent to Giving Gown’s facilities for Boutique Days.

At the April 7-9 event, 1,100 young ladies were each paired with personal shoppers (450 volunteers were on hand) who helped them choose a prom gown, shoes and accessories, the company relates.

Recipients received on-site alterations (MW Cleaners donated the work of a seamstress for those young ladies needing a dress that day), attended a self-esteem semi nar, ate a boutique lunch and received a “swag bag” of hygiene and beauty products, the company adds.

“These young ladies are being taught that, in this world, there are people who care, that there are people who love you and want to help you move forward,” says Nesbit.

“Boutique Days is not only a great representation of that, but it also teaches them about self-esteem. We want to be part of that investment into these young ladies’ future.”

“There were so many beautiful moments of kindness, compassion and understanding,” says Miller. “It was a beautiful weekend.”

MW Cleaners President Mike Nesbit stands with one of the recipients of a beautiful prom dress at “Boutique Days,” hosted by the Giving Gown Foun dation in early April. (Photo: MW Cares)

Besides the cleaning and dona tion of the dresses, MW Cleaners donated $5,000 so the non-profit could purchase additional gowns in sizes 18-36.

“We’re thrilled to have MW Cleaners stand beside us in uplifting and encouraging our princesses,” Miller says.

Hallak Cleaners celebrates 50th

Hallak Cleaners, which opened in 1966, hosted an open house recently to celebrate its 50th anniversary in the drycleaning business, highlighted by sweet treats, prizes and 50 years of friendships.

“It was really nice to visit with cli ents,” says President John-Claude Hallak, “and at the New York City open house in particular, it was great to visit with people, some of whom I delivered cleaning to as a kid 50 years ago helping my dad in the business.

“To meet them again and spend some time with them is almost like seeing old friends. It was wonderful to see people embrace the multi-gen erations, from my father and mother to me and my brother Joe.”

The special celebration was staged on separate dates at two locations— in Manhattan and at the company’s Bergen County, N.J., retail plant.

Guests were greeted with cham pagne, refreshments, sounds of the ’60s and a dessert buffet. Door prizes included a $500 gift card toward dry cleaning, notes the company.

Hallak Cleaners is one of the na tion’s leading couture dry cleaners

and was born out of Joseph Hallak Sr.’s uncompromising dream. Hallak Sr. is deceased and today the busi ness is run by his sons, John-Claude and Joe Jr., and their mother, MarieLouise Hallak.

About the open house, JohnClaude Hallak adds, “To have 50 years of friendships embrace our family business, that was touching.”

left) John-Claude Hallak, Marie-Louise Hallak and Joe Hallak Jr. enjoy their company’s 50th anniversary event in New York City, sharing a half-century of memories with friends. (Photo: Hallak Cleaners)

DLI , S tarchup partner to offer smart routes

The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) reports it has partnered with Starchup, a digital platform that builds custom mobile/web apps, to offer DLI members in good standing a 15% discount on smart-route mobile technol ogy for their drycleaning customers.

“Implementing a system on this level is something many cleaners can’t do on their own,” says Mary Scalco, CEO at DLI. “It’s just too involved and detailed.”

This service is custom-branded for each cleaner and al lows customers to place an order anytime, DLI says.

“Starchup helps DLI members run optimal routes, with the capability to offer static routes, on-demand service, or a hybrid of the two,” says Rob Johnson, Starchup’s head of marketing.

Starchup CEO Nick Chapleau says teaming with DLI will help members offer a better customer service experi ence through technology.

“It’s no secret that consumers are doing more of their spending online; Starchup helps DLI members capture this spending in a service that more than pays for itself,” says Chapleau.

Scalco says the service would help members offer a new level of convenience for customers.

“Like it or not, the public perception is that most dry cleaners are, generally, inconvenient, unnecessary, and behind the times,” she says.

“We’re hitting this image problem head-on by offering this service. We’re giving DLI members the opportunity to stand out as technologically advanced, attuned to their customers’ desires, and ready to serve any time.”

With this advanced system, DLI says, cleaners are able to operate a smarter business. “Why reinvent the wheel when Starchup is more than willing to help.” ADC

(continued from page 18)

Q: Which is more important to your organization— mission, core values or vision—and why?

A: Our core values are the most important as we feel that impacts our employees and customers. This impacts the benefit our customers get from the products and services they buy. Without core values, our customers would not get the service levels we feel we need to maintain.

Q: How does your company keep up with the industry to ensure it is offering the products and/or services that potential customers want or need?

A: We are always taking customer feedback and suggestions so we can keep CBS up to date with the latest features that are trending in the industry.

Q: How would you characterize the current state of

the drycleaning industry?

A: There are a number of new models popping up. We continue to watch for opportunities for our customers but it appears that most of our customers are doing well and either maintaining their business or growing.

Q: What do you think will change about the drycleaning industry in the next five years?

A: We expect to see stronger operating cleaners that embrace new technologies from new business models, and new equipment operating more profitably than it is today.

Q: If there is one thing you could change about the drycleaning industry, what would it be?

A: Create a bigger market with joint consumer marketing.

For example, for a June ad, the closing date is May 1st. PAYMENT FOR CLASSIFIED

ADS: Must accompany order. PARTS FOR SALE

GOTCHA!

10 YEARS AGO. Temperatures are rising throughout the country, and nine out of 10 (89.7%) dry cleaners say that their investment in cooling equipment has paid off in terms of employee morale and productivity, according to the most recent survey to appear in the Wire, American Drycleaner’s e-mail newsletter. Many plants are already well-equipped with equipment that keeps employees cool. … Holland America recently awarded a contract to install wetcleaning systems on its fleet of five-star cruise ships, replacing solvent systems used for on-board dry cleaning. Following successful trials at sea, Solvent Free Solutions — a partnership between Winning Brands Corp., Bioglobe Industries and Miele — has converted Holland America’s flagship, the M.S. Rotterdam. Specializing in regulatory solutions, Winning Brands says it expects to convert more than 100 cruise ships worldwide to wetcleaning systems in the next five years.

ards Act, or GOTCHA! Our thanks to the Neighborhood Cleaners Association for this enlightenment.

50 YEARS AGO. Cleaners who were uneasy about recent news of paper dresses and other garments can relax. All they need to do is see the paper dresses being offered by one of the big supermarket chains. There’s a choice of two patterns, one a “bandana” and the other an “op-art.” Cost per dress, including handling, is $1.25. “Wear it for kicks,” says the display, “then give it the air.” The material doesn’t feel like paper — at least the ordinary, crackly kind — but it doesn’t feel like fabric either. … Cleaners may be surprised to learn that they are legally responsible for the emotional health of their employees. This isn’t any new ruling but is the conclusion from a study of court rulings, arbitration awards and workmen’s compensation awards. The two Cornell University researchers who made the study predict that, in time, alcoholism will be included among “emotional disturbances.”

July 1991

25 YEARS AGO. EPA has been ordered to announce the Clean Air Act guidelines for the drycleaning industry by November 1991. Afterward, the state environmental agencies will begin to revise their regulations to meet federal guidelines, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association reports. … NEPA says tell what you’re going to do before you do it. OSHA says tell how you’re doing it. CAA says do not put anything up the stack. CWA says do not put it out the pipe. SDWA says do not put it in a hole in the ground. RCRA says do not put it anywhere else. HMTA says do not even carry it around. TSCA says if it’s such bad news, do not even make it in the first place. CERCLA says if you put it in the ground in the past, dig it up. Congress is proposing to combine all these points into the Generalized, Overall Toxic and Chemical Haz-

75 YEARS AGO. A woman is now president of the Michigan State Association of Cleaners & Dyers. She is Mrs. Ustinas Gray of Ann Arbor, who was vice president and was elevated to the presidency by the death of the association president June 9. As far as the Rambler knows, Mrs. Gray is the first woman to head a state cleaners association. … To W.J. Julius of Julius Klean Klose Shop, Storm Lake, Iowa, visitors’ days are “our very best advertisement medium.” The plant is an attractive modern one which he is proud to show to the public. Each year, the chemistry and home economics classes from the local high school and college visit the plant. As a chemist and registered pharmacist himself, Julius finds it easy to show the chemistry students that there is a practical use for chemistry in dry cleaning. To the home economics students, he displays different fabrics dyed with various dyes, and explains how both fabrics and dyes are tested in his plant. ADC

— Compiled by Tim Burke, Editor

To read more of American Drycleaner’s chronicling of the industry over the years, visit www. americandrycleaner.com.

Steam Boilers

101-105 Series

We expect 15 to 25 years from our interchangeable tube bundles, and 30 to 40 years of life our more out the boiler.

Indirect Fired Water Heaters

209-211 Series

We normally expect 10-25 years out of the copper heat exchanger, 30 to 40 years out of the boiler.

Thermal Liquid Heaters

207 Series

We expect 30 to 50 years out of our thermal fluid heater models

On all of the above units we have continued to build, and will continue to have available any part of the pressure vessel, burners, cabinet, and controls meaning that for as long as a customer wants, they will be able to infinitely repair their equipment rather than replace the equipment.

We are asked by many new and existing customers on what is our projected life expectancy of our products. We are not always the lowest initial price but know we have one of the lowest cost of ownership of any boiler manufactured in North America. These facts are based on our 90 plus years of boiler manufacturing, feedback and experiences from our end users, service departments, and all of our representatives and dealers worldwide. These life spans are based on our boilers being installed properly, and do receive our minimal recommended care, are applied to the correct application, and include the proper maintenance and water treatment programs.