American Laundry News - August 2019

Late News

Caldwell & Gregory partners with Equipment Marketers

RICHMOND, Va. — Caldwell & Gregory, a provider of valuebased laundry service programs to the college and university market, reports it has partnered with Equipment Marketers, a laundry service provider headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The company says it will bring Equipment Marketer’s route and distribution divisions under its direction, allowing the owners to retire, adding that the partnership will ensure Equipment Marketers’ clients and employees continue to have an exceptional experience.

“When Equipment Marketers’ founders, Dick and Sue LaMaina, approached us about needing a partner that would care for their clients and their team members in the exceptional way they have for over 40 years, I was extremely excited,” says Caldwell & Gregory President and CEO Bob Dinnie.

“I have always admired the LaMainas’ commitment to excellence and for building a company of tremendous integrity.” ALN

Clean ’19 marches into the future

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

NEW ORLEANS — The classic spiritual, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” is the unofficial anthem of New Orleans.

And the 2019 edition of the Clean Show went marching into the past and the future here June 20-23 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Clean ’19, the 42nd year of the show, marched into the past as the long history of John Riddle and his Atlanta-based company, Riddle & Associates, being the show manager came to a close.

Riddle & Associates has managed the show since 1992. John Riddle has been associated with Clean since 1981.

“I’m going to miss all of you,” Riddle says. “This show may not have reached the numbers of Las Vegas, but it was up there. The industry did some great business. It was a good last show.”

Both attendees and exhibitors agreed

that business was good in New Orleans. “Traffic in our booth may have been down, but the conversations were more meaningful,” says Steve Kallenbach, CMO, director of market solutions for ADI American Dawn in Los Angeles. “We’re

Laundry/linen services need to analyze branding

First impressions count, especially a logo, author says

BY GARY DEAN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “We help you have a better image” is a line that many textile rental companies tell prospective customers when asked why they should be hired for linen or uniform services.

But rarely do we in the industry take a step back to objectively analyze our own brands. We know it’s important, but in the changing routine of day-to-day priorities, it’s apt to fall way down the list.

When was the last time you stopped to analyze your logo, tagline, website, social media and marketing materials? Do they offer consistency across all platforms in appearance and message to your prospects and customers? Do they evoke an image that you are proud of, and one that is rel-

evant to your universe of potential customers? Is your brand current and relevant?

The first step in making improvements to your image is to organize a brand audit. Whether you do this internally or with a third-party consultant, you’ll want to

assemble all the materials that represent your company.

This laundry list of items includes, but is not necessarily limited to, your name,

Clean Roundup

Didn’t make it to New Orleans? Check out what some exhibitors highlighted at Clean.

Panel of Experts

In this issue, the experts talk strategies for Clean Show follow up that also works with new contacts.

Customer Migration

Three experts share how to gather information from and then transition new customers.

Messe Frankfurt era of Clean starts with solid contacts made, business done

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

walking away with some good agreements.” Russ Arbuckle, president of Wholesale Commercial Laundry Equipment S.E. LLC in Southside, Ala., echoes Kallenbach’s

Leaders of the sponsoring associations and Messe Frankfurt cut the ribbon to open Clean 2019. (Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

ALEXANDRIA, Va., and RICHMOND, Ky. — In May of this year, the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) published an article on the initial pilot research project completed by the Association for Linen Management (ALM). This project was undertaken following the guidelines essential for recipients of federal grants.

ALM says the primary aim of this observational study was to quantitatively identify what microbial levels are present on a sample of hygienically clean healthcare textiles in the United States, taking into consideration the handling, transport and storage following processing.

The Hygienically Clean Healthcare Advisory Board and Healthcare Committee of TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services, responded by rejecting ALM’s assertion that it has taken “the first step to identify microbial levels present on healthcare textiles in the U.S. today” and its self-characterization as “the textile industry’s best resource.”

TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci, CAE, says that ALM’s plans to conduct research on microbial testing ignore wellestablished internationally developed and recognized standards and measurements.

“ALM appears to be highlighting and solving a problem that doesn’t exist, while committing resources to develop measurements that already exist,” Ricci says. “U.S. hospital patients’ risk

of obtaining HAIs from healthcare textiles over the past 43 years is less than 0.000007%, conservatively.”

TRSA points out that the study begins with nearly 800 words tying linen to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), although noting there have only been 12 cases of HAIs indirectly linked to linens worldwide (including three in the United States) over the past 43 years.

ALM says it appreciates TRSA’s comments related to the recently published, vetted study in AJIC, adding that “they are an example of the discussions we could have as a collaborative organization.”

well as the more than $1 billion in linen loss created by mismanagement and misuse of linens and scrubs,” says Ricci.

The anticipated outcome of further research is unclear, according to TRSA. References in the AJIC research indicate there is no U.S. “standard,” when voluntary industry guidelines have been in effect for nearly a decade, which TRSA says implies that ALM intends to pursue government regulation and prescriptive processing formulas.

• An eight-question survey accompanied the textiles through the process, including information on location/ methods of storage, rotation of textiles, covering of the textiles, etc., to provide insight on the impact of storage methods within the hospital.

• Textiles remaining on these same carts after 24-28 hours were tested to measure the impact of textiles in use prior to delivery for patient use.

• Nowhere in this study was laundry processing in question or evaluated.

• Laundries both accredited and non-accredited were included in the research group.

Publisher

Charles Thompson

Phone: 312-361-1680

E-Mail: cthompson@ ATMags.com

Associate Publisher/ National Sales Director

Donald Feinstein

Phone: 312-361-1682

E-Mail: dfeinstein@ ATMags.com

Editorial Director

Bruce Beggs

Phone: 312-361-1683

E-Mail: bbeggs@ ATMags.com

Editor

Matt Poe

Phone: 866-942-5694

E-Mail: mpoe@ ATMags.com

Production Manager

Roger Napiwocki

Digital Media Director

Nathan Frerichs

Phone: 312-361-1681

TRSA points out that it has supplemented robust inspection protocols with a quantifiable healthcare textile (HCT) performance level through its Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification program. In addition, it says its long-standing Healthcare Committee has developed dozens of resources to educate the linen, uniform and facility services industry and healthcare professionals.

“Resources would be better spent focusing on real issues, such as the hygiene of washing healthcare textiles at home that endangers patients and others, as

TRSA says the AJIC report contends that further U.S. research is required to validate global protocols in the United States. International standards apply just as well to the United States as anywhere else in the world; essentially the same microbial tests and laundering techniques are used everywhere, observes Ricci.

ALM went on to clarify that as stated in the study, “Research shows that how healthcare laundry is processed, handled, transported and stored can impact the microbial level or contamination of the textiles, which, in turn, can lead to an increased risk of transmission to high-risk patients.”

The association says that the study, referenced in the AJIC article, first measured textiles as they arrived at the hospital. This was to establish a baseline measure of the hygienically clean textiles upon arrival. In addition, ALM says it is important to note that this study did not include any on-premises laundries since transportation by vehicle from the laundry to the hospital was required by all.

ALM adds that:

• A nine-question survey followed the textiles to provide insight as to the impact that methods and length of storage, road conditions and transportation might have on the textiles.

• Textiles were handled by the hospital following their standards of practice and placed in use on patient-care areas in three specific units (obstetrics, intensive care, medicalsurgical floor) within the hospital and stored according to the various methods utilized on each of those units.

All laundries participating in this study were ALM members processing textiles at commercial, cooperative and central laundry processing facilities. Commercial, cooperative and central laundries comprise 63% of ALM laundry processing members.

Given the limited resources available for the initial research project and the identified need for further research, ALM shares it has formed the Textile Research Council (TRC), a collaborative industry organization to continue with further textile care research efforts. The association announced the TRC at the recent Clean Show in New Orleans.

TRSA says it will not participate in ALM’s new research council and will encourage its association members not to participate.

“I’ve not spoken directly with anyone from their organization, but based on their comments, I don’t believe they understand the intent of the new organization,” says Linda Fairbanks, ALM’s executive director. “However, if they choose not to participate, that’s their prerogative and we will respect that decision.”

In lieu of the council’s formation, TRSA has proposed inviting Judy Reino, as the operator of a Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certified and HLAC Accredited laundry, and the president of ALM, to serve on the Hygienically Clean Advisory Board.

This would “foster ALM’s understanding of already established standards of hygienically clean linens as a starting point to research instead of starting from zero,” Ricci says.

“Our goal with the Textile Research Council is to unite those within the industry, not divide,” says TRC chairperson Cindy Molko, CLLM, RLLD. ALN

E-Mail: nfrerichs@ ATMags.com

Advisory Board

David Barbe • Jim Buik

Tony Jackson • Janice Larson Tom Marks

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

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© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2019. 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 Laundry News 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 Laundry News 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.

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TRSA says research ‘solving a problem that doesn’t exist’; ALM’s goal is to unite, not divide

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Coming down after Clean

It’s difficult to believe Clean 2019 has already come and gone.

Although I’m not sure my feet have recovered, yet.

Yes, like all attendees, I did a lot of walking up and down the aisles at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

I’m always fascinated by the myriad ways laundry/linen service suppliers set up their booths on the trade show floor.

Some booths were huge, with massive, functioning laundry equipment. In many of these areas, employees or volunteers actually spent their days operating the equipment—especially feeders, folders and overhead rail systems.

Yes, the booths can get massive at Clean, but I found that every booth in New Orleans had its own special set up, a unique way to show off their products and services. From

The Editor’s Desk

MATT POE

monitors to laundry carts, from informational displays to fuzzy giveaways, each and every vendor made a distinct impression at Clean. But what if you couldn’t make it this year? Then this issue of American Laundry News is for you.

To start with, on page 1 you’ll find the beginning of an overall show report, complete with thoughts

from vendors and fellow laundry/ linen service operators.

Then on page 8, you’ll find the beginning of a “roundup” of information gathered from exhibitors in New Orleans. I visited with as many suppliers of products and services of interest to the industrial and OPL markets in order to share with you what they had at Clean. While not complete, I did follow up to get as much information as possible.

Speaking of following up, our Panel of Experts (page 26) offer their advice on following up with contacts after Clean, or whenever you make a new contact.

And that’s really the benefit of the Clean Show—making contacts, face-to-face.

I look forward to seeing you all again in 2021 (hopefully before), but until then, stay in touch and keep it clean, everybody! ALN

Reader says article should be ‘mandatory orientation’

Best “Employer drug, alcohol

policies” article I have ever seen in over 30 years [June 2019, pages 29-31].

Comprehensive, comparing the nationwide laws such as OSHA, ADA, EEOC, and FMLA. Yet succinct, for to-thepoint reading.

Definitely a keeper! This should be mandatory orientation for all new supervisors, managers and owners.

Chief Donald E. White Former Director of Safety and Security Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute Falls Church, Va.

T

he 2019 edition of the Clean Show is now in the books. Every time I have attended one of these shows I have come away amazed at the changes that were on display. New and better controls, improved database systems, improved chemicals, improved textile products.

The one consistent theme of the Clean Show has been to highlight changes in our various laundry industries.

When I was a young man back in the early ’60s studying chemistry in high school, I can remember going over the periodic table with my father, who was a research chemist. He said that when he took chemistry, the table was much smaller and the chemists of those days were sure they had every known element represented in the table.

Then came many discoveries and the table expanded by over 20 elements. Man’s understanding of the universe and his ability to understand the world around him continues to expand.

Back in 1972 when I first went to work in the laundry industry, my boss was an old-school laundry manager and still used tallowbased soap in this washroom. The fabrics in use in healthcare were just beginning to change from a 100% cotton to polyester/ cotton blends. The tallowbased soaps did not work as well on these products as they had on 100% cotton.

The industry needed to adapt to the new fabric and it did.

That laundry had a smallpiece folder on an ironer that worked with a mechanical timer. When properly maintained, it worked very well, but not as good as the computer-enhanced controls of today.

“W E NEED T O BE A L WAYS FL EXIB L E AS WE TRY T O ADA P T NEW TECHN OLOGIES AND PRO DUCTS INT O O UR EXISTING L AUNDRY. NO THING STAYS THE SAME; THERE IS N O P ERFECT WAY O F D O ING THINGS. T HE BEST TECHN OLOGY OF TO DAY WI LL BE EC LIP SED TOMO RR O W.”

I can remember cutting charts to program my washer and being very limited in what items I could control during the wash cycle. Today’s modern controls allow us to do so much more and be so much more precise than we could back in 1972.

All areas of the laundry industry continue to advance, and it has become a constant challenge to stay up with the various changes.

I recently went on a vacation to Thailand in January to spend time with my then fiancé (now wife) and spend time with her family. My oldest son and his wife joined me for part of the trip. I was worried because of my hectic schedule that I would not be able to spend as much time with them as I wanted. His answer to me was “Semper Gumby.” This caught me by surprise, and I asked what he meant by that. He simply said, “Always flexible.”

I have reflected on his saying often since January and feel that would be a good motto for most laundry mangers.

We need to be always flexible as we try to adapt new technologies and products into our existing laundry. Nothing stays the same; there is no perfect way of doing things. The best technology of today will be eclipsed tomorrow. We must be ready and willing to meet change.

The Clean Show provides a large showcase for those changes every two years. It provides attendees the chance to catch up on the latest and the best and to discuss how these changes might be incorporated into their laundries. As managers we must make do with what we have while looking for ways to incorporate the new and better into our system.

To be successful we must be “Semper Gumby.”

Eric Frederick served 44 years in laundry management before retiring and remains active in the industry as a laundry operations consultant. You can contact him by e-mail at elfrederick@cox.net, or by phone at 540-520-6288.

From

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Eric L. Frederick, RLLD

Letter to the Editor

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

sentiments.

“It’s been a worthwhile investment,” he says. “There have been quality people, decision makers—not just tire kickers.”

The 224,500-square-foot trade show floor was sold out, with more than 430 companies exhibiting. Officials say more than 11,000 professionals attended the show.

The Clean Show marched into the future in New Orleans under the new ownership of Germanybased Messe Frankfurt, an international trade fair, congress and event organizer—the largest in the textile care industry.

In December, Messe Frankfurt, purchased the Clean Show from the five sponsoring associations: Association for Linen Management (ALM), Coin Laundry Association (CLA), Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI), Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) and TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services.

“It’s a milestone for all of us,” says Iris Jeglitza-Moshage, senior vice president-technology for Messe Frankfurt. “We at Messe Frankfurt are honored that you gave us your trust and will give us the chance to go on with this wonderful product, this extremely successful show.

“We will not only tell you that we will continue to improve and go on the best we can, but we will also show to everybody that we will do it in the future.”

Konstantin von Vieregge became president/CEO of Messe Frankfurt North America, based in Atlanta, about three months ago to lead the company’s efforts to run and grow shows like Clean.

“You need a strong team in the country to run these types of shows,” he says. “You can’t manage a show like Clean out of Frankfurt.”

Von Vieregge goes on to say that the Clean Show in the future won’t be about Messe Frankfurt; it’s about doing business. He also says that the base of the Clean Show is stable and strong, and the company isn’t going to change that.

He adds that part of the continuation plan is to maintain the every-other-year schedule going forward. The 2021 show will take place in Atlanta, June 10-13. Following shows scheduled are May 18-21, 2023, in Orlando, and June 9-12, 2025, in Las Vegas.

“This is a company that understood what we’re trying to do from a quality standpoint, and a management standpoint, to be able to service the group that we have and not really change the

show dramatically,” says Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA and chairman of Clean ’19.

Ricci shares that as part of the sales agreement, the five associations will be part of the show for 10 years—five shows.

“We’re going to be a part of the show as long as we can,” he says. “We think the show is valuable to the industry as a whole here in North America.”

Besides new ownership, the Clean Show stepped into the future of laundry/linen services with the products and services attendees were able to experience from show exhibitors.

“It’s very positive on the floor,” says Doug Waldman, president of Superior Linen Service based in Tulsa, Okla. “I haven’t visited many booths because I’ve been seeing people I know and talking. I’ve noticed the commercial side of the show has been very busy.”

Products and services on the floor ranged from the latest advances in equipment to services like insurance.

“I’m looking to redo my plant from the ground up,” says Phil Jones, general manager for Hotelier Linen Services in Lakeland, Fla. “I’ve been looking at everything, and I have quite a few ideas to look into for the plant.”

Some of the “trending” items on the floor include remote equipment access and control, reporting technology, and virtual assistance for operators and maintenance technicians.

“I’ve seen some interesting technology on feeding and folding, and the new equipment,” says Paul Jewison, general manager for Textile Care Services in Rochester, Minn. “I’ve also seen what I think is one of the most amazing things—the artificial intelligence where people can put on a pair of goggles, and it can instruct them on how to do repairs on equipment, install equipment.

“It’s extremely interesting technology for our industry. You can train people and help them repair the equipment, so that is a very big innovation.”

Besides visiting exhibitor booths, attendees had the opportunity to gain knowledge with 30 hours of educational sessions. Some of the topics covered include customer migration and contracts, benchmarking, healthcare linen cleanliness, social media/websites, labor law compliance, and sexual harassment/ discrimination policies.

Once the trade show floor closed for the day, exhibitors and associations hosted social/ networking events around the Big Easy at locations such as the House of Blues, Generations Hall and The Jazz Playhouse at The Royal Sonesta. Some events even had themes, such as “Once Upon a Time” and “Boas & Beads on Bourbon.”

As Clean ’19 drew to a close,

sentiment from the floor indicates that both the laundry/linen services industry and the show are in good hands.

“This show is just going to keep going up,” says Riddle. ALN

Once the ribbon was cut, attendees flooded the floor. (Photo: Matt Poe)

Exhibitors reported brisk business on the floor Thursday and Friday (Photo: Messe Frankfurt)

The education sessions offered at Clean 2019 were well attended. (Photo: Matt Poe)

The trade show floor definitely had a New Orleans flair. (Photo: Bruce Beggs)

At Girbau Industrial, we tout the industry’s most comprehensive offering of washing/ drying/ feeding/ironing/folding/stacking solutions! So no matter your laundry’s size, scope or claim to fame, we’ll deliver advanced equipment engineered to take you farther and make you better. We have equipment in inventory ready for installation!

Laundry is ‘Big Easy’ with Clean 2019

COMPILED BY MATT POE, EDITOR

NEW ORLEANS — One of New Orleans’ nicknames is “The Big Easy,” and laundry and linen service operators who attended Clean 2019 learned ways to make their operations easier, and better, on the trade show floor at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center June 20-23.

Many companies took advantage of Clean ’19 to introduce brand-new products, roll out newly improved products or exhibit well-established product lines.

Still others exhibited at the biennial show for the first time.

New show owner company Messe Frankfurt reports that 60 new companies were part of the more than 430 exhibitors on the floor, which covered a sold-out 224,500 net square feet of exhibit space, surpassing the square footage of 195,140 that was previously recorded at the last New Orleans edition of the Clean Show in 2013.

American Laundry News presents this report describing just some of the companies and the products they exhibited in New Orleans. With a sold-out show, this article isn’t intended to be allencompassing.

Readers are encouraged to follow American Laundry News in print and online (www.americanlaundrynews.com) during the coming months for product announcements from these companies and others.

ADI American Dawn Representatives from American Dawn, a provider of reusable textile solutions to the industrial and commercial linen laundry market,

reports that while traffic was slow at Clean, the conversations that took place were in-depth.

ADI supplies towels, bed linens, table linens and other related products to laundry customers throughout the United States and Canada.

With company-owned distribution centers in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Philadelphia, ADI says it is logistically positioned to serve more than 85% of the U.S. laundry market with same-day shipping and nextday delivery.

American Dawn says its products are manufactured in the United States, Pakistan, India, China, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, to name a few countries. Additionally, ADI has partnerships with carefully evaluated sourcing mills, and the company says its partner mills are monitored closely by ADI management and have well-established quality systems, which are integrated with its own quality assurance (QA) systems.

Leonard Automatics

The theme for Leonard Automatics at this year’s Clean Show was “Take a Look at Leonard.” Although Leonard has been known as a steam tunnel finisher manufacturer for years, the company says its diversification into other markets since the recession of 2008-2009 warranted attendees taking a serious look at their product line.

In New Orleans, Leonard says its booth was the largest in the company’s 50-year history. Leonard had to accommodate three new pieces of equipment designed specifically for feeding, folding and stacking of linen.

The LVF (Leonard Vacuum Feeder) is a small- or large-piece vacuum feeder that will increase operator production and accuracy. The LF Series large piece/small piece folder, crossfolder, draper, stacker provides great versatility for those ironer lines that are not dedicated to a single product. And the LFH “Hybrid” is a full-blown Stack-N-Store small-piece draping stacker for napkins, pillow slips and aprons that will also process large pieces in one or two lanes with up to two primary folds.

Leonard also showed its new LCS-UV cart sanitizer that does not use water or chemistry to clean carts, only ultraviolet light, sanitizing quickly and safely.

EzProducts International

EzPi put the spotlight on its EzBar™, an improved version of the 100-year-old Z-Bar that allows operators to quickly and easily slide up to 100 garments horizontally off one EzBar and onto another EzBar or onto the rails in a delivery van.

EZPi says EzBar is available in three configurations:

• EzBar-1, a direct replacement for conventional Z-Bars.

• EzBar-2 a customized EzBar designed to mount and hold the new EzSort garment sorting and Assembly System. (EzSort will be available 4th quarter.)

• EzBar-3 a customized EzBar designed to mount a pointof-sale computer system, including computer system, touch-screen monitor, barcode scanner and up to seven receipt printers.

UniMac

In New Orleans, UniMac, a manufacturer of on-premises commercial laundry machines, introduced attendees to what’s coming in its TotalVue 2.0. The upgraded monitoring

and management tool will give operators advanced reporting and analytics, real-time efficiency and error alerts (E 2 Alerts), remote programming capability, enhanced labor flex calculations and reporting, and Total Proof.

Bottom line, say representatives, is it becomes a far more active tool with real-time data to make on-the-fly adjustments to ensure quality and consistency.

UniMac also reminded attendees that the core of TotalVue is “Protect-Monitor-Elevate.”

Protect equipment, linen and reputation to deliver lowest cost of ownership. TotalVue gives maximum visibility to what’s happening in a laundry room, allowing unprecedented ability to precisely control laundry process.

Monitor operations (labor and utility costs) and performance to achieve maximum efficiency. With the real-time information TotalVue provides, the company says operators can more accurately predict demand and allocate labor to match needs. And, they have permanent records of all operational data for the life of the machine.

Finally, elevate laundry stan-

dards to perfection to ensure great guest experience. TotalVue allows operators to verify that the laundry is delivering superior wash quality every day, all day.

A.L. Wilson Chemical

A.L. Wilson Chemical demonstrated the effectiveness of its product lines in New Orleans.

The company says it continues to manufacture high-performance stain removers that contribute to the success of the cleaners and launderers who use them, valuable tools that let operators deliver the quality stain removal that their customers desire.

A.L. Wilson says its products pair high levels of effectiveness with equally high levels of safety for material color and tensile strength so that operators can remove more stains completely and safely. The company says its newly developed products are also designed to be safer for workers and the environment.

Norchem Corp.

Norchem highlighted its UltraPure® Wastewater Filtration

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt)

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt)

Attendees at the 2019 Clean Show learn about new products, make face-to-face connections

Notice Anything?

InkGo® Is Now Odor Free!

InkGo has been reformulated to remove its odor… and to improve its performance.

InkGo is still the environmentally friendly,* safe way to remove ink stains from all types of fabric. It’s still great at removing autoclave tape and adhesives. And since it’s odor-free, InkGo is more pleasant to work with.

Does odor really matter? As more drycleaners position themselves as good environmental stewards, keeping chemical odors in the plant to a minimum can help them differentiate from their competition. And odor-free is a real plus if you’re working on ink for an extended period of time.

Now that’s worth noticing!

*InkGo is Biodegradable and is California Prop-65 and California VOC Compliant.

Become a STAIN WIZARD at ALWilson.com

To learn more, visit ALWilson.com or call 800-526-1188 A. L. WILSON CHEMICAL CO.

Clean

and Recycling System at Clean 2019.

The company says UltraPure cross-flow ceramic water filtration and recycling systems are an effective solution for optimizing water heating efficiency, mitigating rising water and sewer costs, fluctuations in supply and demand, and exceeding POTW compli-

The ceramic membrane technology distinguishes itself by maintaining exceptional recycling percentages (up to 85%) while tolerating high FOG loading at all pH levels. The membrane’s 10-plus-year lifespan and anti-fouling composition keeps recycle flows

Norchem says UltraPure is a proven industry solution available to date with successful installations and integrations within all laundry types and wash floor configura-

Hamilton Engineering

Hamilton displayed its SOLSTREAM™ Direct Fired Water Heaters, a complete range of high efficiency, compact, all-stainless-steel water heaters, which it says are dependable, simple in design and operation, and suitable for a wide variety of hot water applications.

With standard operating capacities between 1 million and 15 million Btu per hour and customized systems up to 25 million Btu per hour, the company says SOLSTREAM™ water heaters often deliver fuel savings as high as 30-60% when compared to steam/water heating systems.

With a small footprint, 99.7% or greater heat transfer efficiencies, dependability, ease of maintenance, and the ability to operate well with poor water quality, Hamilton says SOLSTREAM™ Direct Fired Water Heaters are the product of choice for high-volume hot water users seeking to achieve Energy Conservation Measure (ECM) and Reduced Carbon Footprint objectives.

Positek RFID, a provider of complete RFID systems, solutions and integration for the textile maintenance industry, showcased its latest innovations in RFID at Clean Show

the company displayed

Hurricane RFID Portal—A smaller, costeffective portal that reads thousands of items in 10 seconds.

• Jet Stream Portal—An open portal with a pass-through design for fast, highly

accurate reading.

• Lightning RFID Portal—Available in multiple configurations, the Lightning RFID Portal provides the same fast and accurate reading as its larger models in a more compact design.

• Updraft RFID Portal—The Updraft Portal is designed to fit over existing floor scales and can be installed on ground level or recessed into the floor.

• UHF Tunnel—Built to mount on conveyors, the UHF Tunnel provides consistent and accurate reading.

• Wave RFID Station—The Wave Station replaces manual sorting with higher accuracy at double the speed.

Hydro Systems

Hydro Systems,part of Dover, which delivers chemical dispensing and dosing solutions, introduced its Hydro Connect Real-Time Module at the 2019 Clean Show in New Orleans.

When paired with a Real-Time Module, Hydro Connect offers instant data streaming to further improve the laundry process, according to the company.

“The Real-Time Module helps laundries operate more efficiently, reduce costs and quickly address any abnormal conditions,” says John Goetz, global product manager.

“Previously, our customers could view historical reports on productivity, chemical usage, costs and alarms. Now, operational data is available as it occurs, allowing immediate action to drive continuous improvement.”

Hydro Connect is a cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform that populates data generated from the company’s Dositec Central Dosing Systems that Hydro Systems says operate in laundries across the world. The platform offers chemical providers increased visibility into their operations while also optimizing production, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction.

The Real-Time Module can be retrofitted to existing Dositec installs, allowing ongoing data streaming to the Hydro Connect cloud. With a real-time dashboard, chemical providers and end-users can easily see what’s happening in every washer or in every module of tunnel washers. There is no guesswork about which formula is running, success of each chemical delivery or whether hygiene compliance is being met.

In addition to providing a clear view of measures like efficiency by shift, washer turn times and water and chemical usage, the company says its Real-Time Module enables users to set alarm thresholds and receive e-mails and SMS notifications if one or more is triggered. This allows laundries to reduce downtime, rewash rates and larger issues that

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

can impact the bottom line. Hydro Systems also offers a monthly data analysis plan to provide insights and recommendations for busy laundry operators.

Odorcide

This was the first year for Odorcide to attend Clean, and representatives were very pleased with the show. The company shared its expertise on odor elimination and how its products can be help at all levels of the laundry industry.

The company’s product offers the same contact chemistry that is used in the veterinary products, is a non-enzymatic product that works instantly, has no dwell time after application, and is safe for use on any surface.

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

At the conclusion of the 2019 Clean Show in New Orleans, Pellerin Milnor’s vice president of sales and marketing, Rick Kelly, said he was pleased with the traffic in the Milnor booth.

This year’s Clean show highlighted the introduction of the MilRail™ sling system.

“As we continue to grow our footprint in the commercial and industrial laundry market space, a natural progression for us was to develop our own rail system,” explains Kelly.

In keeping with the idea of expanding its product offerings, Milnor introduced the MTF Series and MWF125 to grow its soft mount line. The introduction of the MWB Series barrier washers provided additional solutions for the healthcare and clean room markets.

Kemco Systems

Kemco Systems, a global water and energy technology company, introduced Clean attendees to CONSERVE, a program that delivers water recycling as a service to the laundry industry.

Built around the company’s understanding of the challenges of running a laundry, CONSERVE allows laundry operators to install systems that can recycle up to 90% of their water with zero capital investment.

Kemco says CONSERVE takes care of the burden of ownership of water recycling equipment. The company owns and maintains the equipment with limited support from the plant for system maintenance. This smooths plant operation and maximizes uptime.

The company says CONSERVE is allinclusive, including everything an operator needs to increase plant efficiencies: stateof-the-art equipment, turnkey installation, consumables, replacement parts, scheduled maintenance, remote monitoring, extended warranty, and full coverage of any and all

system failures.

CONSERVE produces many performance, environmental and financial benefits, such as, reduced utility costs and surcharges, exceptional water quality free of all viruses, bacteria, PFOA, PFOS and microplastics, improved product quality, increased longevity of wash aisle equipment, and reduced environmental footprint, according to Kemco.

Davis Packaging

Representatives from Davis Packaging report overwhelming response and positive feedback for its new Laundry Wrapper models and retro-fit upgrade kits released at the show.

The company says this is the biggest enhancement and design change in more than 20 years for manual wrappers.

Working directly from customer feedback, Davis Packaging says it rebuilt its most popular wrappers from the ground up, integrating such highly desired features as height adjustability, advanced anti-burn safety protection, enhanced temperature control, improved film loading, and component strength and durability.

Davis says the results are an affordable, dependable, easy-to-use, ergonomic and safety-minded laundry wrappers.

For those with existing Davis Packaging wrappers, the company says easy-to-install add-on height adjustment and safety protection kits are also available.

Girbau North America

Continental Girbau Inc. had a lot to share in New Orleans with a name change and new products.

Continental announced that it recently changed its name to Girbau North America (GNA), according to President Mike Floyd. Spearheaded by Girbau Global Laundry Solutions, the parent company of the North American subsidiary, the name change to Girbau North America provides a clearer representation of the company and its brands, says Floyd.

“As a company, GNA has grown significantly in terms of product offerings, distributor reach, markets and end users since first established in 1995 as Continental Girbau Inc.,” he says. “We feel as Girbau North America, the company better illustrates its broad scope in both product offerings and services area.”

He adds that the name change helps eliminate any brand/company name confusion.

Girbau North America’s brands, which remain unchanged, include Continental Girbau®, marketed to vended, commer-

cial and on-premises laundries; Express Laundry Center®, marketed to vended laundries; Girbau Industrial®, marketed to industrial laundries; Sports Laundry Systems®, marketed to athletic laundries and health clubs; OnePress® Ironers, marketed to commercial and on-premises laundries; and Poseidon Textile Care Systems®, marketed to fabricare and dry cleaning operations.

The name-changing initiative also impacts Girbau’s other 15 subsidiary companies across the globe, which are now named, simply, Girbau.

New products included the Compact+ 5-in-One Ironing System, a new all-in-one machine that automatically feeds, irons, folds, stacks and accumulates; the space-saving Compact+ Laundry Solution; the FR+ Folder; and 300and 160-pound capacity industrial dryers.

Foltex USA

Foltex USA, a provider of feeders, folders and stackers, took a unique approach to Clean 2019. Instead of enticing attendees with traditional trade show gifts, the company donated $5 per badge scanned to Second Harvest Food

Bank of South Louisiana.

Foltex representatives say the company’s mission was not only to give back to the community, but also to challenge others in the industry to consider doing the same.

The company also showed off new equipment options, including:

• RFID Technology. Foltex can equip its folders with a built-in antenna and a reader that will reject on item level.

• Lifting Stacker. The company now has a lifting stacker option on its FlexFold models that allow one stacker to meet items as they release from the stacker flaps, therefore creating neat, tidy stacks. This is a popular option for washcloths. This is also an excellent option for companies that want to process smaller items in mixed batches.

• Reversing Crossfold. This allows garments to stack with the collar up.

SMC Corp. of America

SMC Corp. of America used Clean to feature its wireless communication technology in EtherNet/IPTM protocol supporting solenoid valve manifolds, as well as the latest technologies supporting Internet of Things (IoT) in the industrial and processing space.

SMC products there were on

exhibit included:

EX600 Wireless Fieldbus Communication for EtherNet/ IPTM Protocol—Safe, secure wireless communication within a 10-meter radius and frequency hopping every five milliseconds.

Energy Saving Solenoid Valves, New SY Series—Versatile, side, top and bottom porting locations with built-in safety features such as back pressure check valve options. Long cycle life from 70 million up to 200 million cycles. Available in IP67 protection.

LEH Electric Grippers—Twoand three-finger electric grippers enable picking up and placing work pieces of varying diameters and widths without tool changes by simply changing the command programming. They are designed with robust dust seals to assure quality performance.

Two-way Solenoid Valves On/off solenoid valves for air, water and other fluids for controlling fluid flow and for piloting other larger valves are equipped with energy saving coils to extend service life.

AMG Water Removal Unit Removes condensate water that will be problematic to any industrial system risking premature corrosion, rust and pipe scale causing costly downtime and repair costs.

ABG Systems North America

ABG Systems North America displayed its latest innovations in

textile RFID tracking and dispensing.

The company shared that RFID tracking and process automation has become an essential tool that helps laundries, hospitals and supply chain managers oversee their entire linen operations in realtime. So, the company showed off the latest products, trends and strategies, including intelligent textile management demonstrations with its ONE software and WHITE line products.

ABG Systems North America is a new branch of the company that was established last year.

Select Risk Insurance Services

Most Cleanattendees were already familiar with Select Risk as an insurance, risk management and business consulting firm for industry, the company says.

However, it did share a secret, saying that Select Risk is well on its way to gaining similar recognition and status as being the vendor of choice for all textile care support companies.

Meese

Meese, a provider of rotomolded products for the laundry industry and also a division of Tingue, introduced Silva-Trux in New Orleans.

The company says the new plastic cart is the first proven antimicrobial laundry cart in the industry,

helping the laundry and healthcare industries maintain high standards of safety and cleanliness.

Meese says the carts help prevent the spread of infection by thwarting bacteria, mold, fungi and viruses, protecting anyone who comes into contact with the cart’s contents.

The company shares that the AATCC Method 147 Test was used to determine the cart’s antibacterial activity.

ABS Laundry Business Solutions

Over the past year, ABS says its development team has focused on making further improvements to the core functions and modules of ABSSolute, which were shared with attendees in New Orleans.

The company says it doesn’t just stop with improvements, with new apps that will enhance any industrial textile and/or garment laundry to work smarter, reduce administration time, and improve their customer service and support.

Gotli Labs

The team from Gotli Labs excited guests visiting the booth with its product GLOBE.

GLOBE consolidates the data management in heavy-duty laundries, saying it is the first and only solution to manage all laundry

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt)

data, including staff scheduling, time and attendance, and a track and trace functionality.

Gotli Labs says it’s the most complete production information system in the entire laundry industry and an essential tool in the plan/do/check/plan cycle.

GLOBE helps laundries to know all details, facts and figures on the process flow with real-time data and gives an immediate feedback on the product status.

Gotli Labs is partnered with equipment manufacturer JENSEN.

Hydrofinity

Hydrofinity exhibited its new commercial XDrumTM at the Clean Show. XDrum is a simple, lowcost solution for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to easily incorporate water saving XOrbTM polymer technology into their machine designs, the company says.

This means that for the first time, manufacturers will be able to bring the latest science and technology to their machines while still having the option of running existing cycles.

Reusable, recyclable and safe, XOrbs gently clean and protect clothes using less water and chemicals, Hydrofinity says. They mix into the XDrum at the start of the wash and gently remove dirt and stains while protecting clothing like tiny hands.

When the wash cycle is completed, the XOrbs automatically go back inside the XDrum and are ready to be used again for the next wash. If an operator would prefer to run a cycle without XOrbs, just simply select a non-XOrb program.

Sea-lion America Co.

In celebration of its 50 years in business and ever-expanding market presence, Jiangsu Sea-lion Machinery Co., Ltd. launched Sealion America Co., a joint venture designed to support Asia’s top pro-

ducer of high-end laundry equipment for the North American, Mexican and Caribbean markets.

Headed by laundry industry veterans Ed Kirejczyk and Caroline Wojcicki, the goal of Sea-lion America Co. is to provide unparalleled local sales and service support for the full range of automation, washing, and finishing technologies produced by Jiangsu Sea-lion, according to the company.

These disciplines include automation technologies, such as loading and sorting conveyors; overhead monorails; shuttles, elevators and material movers; and the SCADA network control center

Washing technologies include tunnel washers with press and extractor; pass-through, automated tumble dryers integrated with tunnel washer; stand-alone, openpocket, high-speed washer-extractors; barrier-type, Pullman-style washer-extractors for hospitals and clean rooms; and stand-alone electric, gas and steam tumble dryers

Finishing technologies offered include spreader feeders; flatwork folders; flatwork, double chest and multi-roll ironers; towel and uniform folders; and tunnel finishers.

Rennco

Attendees were introduced to Rennco’s VerticL-PP weigh bagging system on the show floor in New Orleans.

At up to four bags per minute (or up to 24,000 wash clothes per hour at approximately 100 per bag), the new VerticL-PP weigh bagging system from Rennco, a product brand of ProMach, provides the perfect solution for bagging of hospital fitted sheets, ISO gowns, wash clothes, bar wipes, micro fibers and more, the company says.

An operator simply loads the weigh bin with singles or batches of linens (dependent on required inspection). Once the target weight is achieved, the operator simply presses the cycle switch to drop the batch onto a conveyor. The batch then travels up the incline conveyor and is automatically bagged on the wide mouth bagger.

Rennco says the system uses

generic center-folded Poly film, (LDPE); therefore, it is available from many sources, at significant savings compared to pre-made bags on a roll. Bag sizes up to 24 by 27 inches can be changed on the touch screen in seconds, without having to change the roll. Therefore, only one supply item is ever needed.

Reigel Linen

The main attraction for attendees visiting Riegel Linen’s booth in New Orleans included the company’s Craft Collection and its Premier spun polyester line. Both feature new colorGUARD™ technology that extends the lifecycle of the textile and ensures a color rich product from the first wash to the last.

“We are excited to come to Clean 2019 with a new look and some really cool products,” says Vice President Chris Gowdy. “For the first time we are bringing the Craft Collection of aprons and coordinating napkins to the Clean Show. This collection was designed by listening to our customers. The color pallet is just as artsy as the collection’s name, and the spunpolyester, denim-inspired fabric is ideal for venues with an earthy, local farm-to-table flair.

“We are also bringing our popular Premier line back to the show, but this time we will be sporting new colors that stand the test of time, wash after wash, now that they are manufactured with colorGUARD™ technology.”

Consolidated Laundry Machinery

CLM showed Clean attendees how they could dry more goods, faster and for less money. CLM manufactures and rebuilds highquality, 200-1,200-pound, durable industrial dryers.

Known for customizable, heavyduty, high-efficiency and highproductivity equipment, CLM says its new technologies and innovations have brought these high-performers to a new level.

A sophisticated MicroCommand Ill PLC (MC-Ill) utilizes an easy-to-read color touchscreen display with the ability to create 96 unique formulas.

The company’s newest dryer control platform is the ConsoliDry SmarTouch 4.0. The platform features a high-definition touch display, is compatible with Smart Sensors, offers remote technician troubleshooting/maintenance, has next-generation burner controls, and delivers dryer data reports remotely accessed via cloud.

With worldwide customers, CLM says it cements its high-quality reputation by providing ongoing parts and dependable responsive service and support.

Whirlpool Corp.

Decision-makers in the commercial laundry industry discovered new business solutions, product innovations, technology advancements and an overall new

perspective within the Whirlpool Corp. booth at Clean 2019.

The company says it continues to invest in the commercial laundry industry and strengthen its portfolio of brands, including Maytag® Commercial Laundry, ADC™ Laundry and Whirlpool® Commercial Laundry.

During Clean 2019, attendees viewed the results of those investments as the three brands demonstrate quality equipment and innovative thinking that help address the various challenges within the different industry segments.

“We understand that our customers don’t simply buy machines, they buy solutions,” says Trey Northrup, general manager, JennAir and commercial laundry for Whirlpool Corporation. “Maytag® Commercial Laundry, ADC™ Laundry and Whirlpool® Commercial Laundry command confidence in facilities around the world due to their history of performance and reliability.

“Each brand focuses on a unique industry segment, because we recognize the needs of a four-chair salon are different from a 200-bed hotel, a bustling Laundromat, or an industrial facility.”

During Clean 2019, Maytag® Commercial Laundry demonstrated key components of its full solution line up, offering attendees a front-row view to equipment and business decisions that can help impact their bottom line.

Included in this line up is the brand’s newest solution for the vended and on-premises laundry markets, the Maytag® Multi-Load Washer. Designed to handle heavy loads of laundry turn after turn, the Multi-Load Washers are available in rigid-mount construction in 20-65-pound capacities, with a phased rollout of additional configurations continuing through 2019.

Clean 2019 attendees also had the chance to see how ADC™ dryers can meet unique business needs, from equipment that provides fast drying to helping improve throughput and optimize productivity. The innovations on display included the AAFC (Automatic Air Flow Compensator), which is optional on the i-Series, and the engineer-driven AD Series, which is a popular choice by laundry operators. The brand also

showcased stack multi-load dryers designed for space-savings and the large capacity AD-170 available in electric, gas and steam heat options.

Whirlpool® Commercial Laundry provides commercial laundry washers and dryers for small businesses and multi-housing markets that are seeking quality, reliable machines to serve a specific need within their business. The brand aims to deliver the simplicity that end-users demand, while still providing the technology to elevate experiences, such as the new stacked products that help save space.

EcoKnit

EcoKnit® introduced its snagfree, quick-drying products into the United States during Clean 2019.

“It’s been a long time coming, we have sharpened our teeth on other international markets and supplying top international fivestar hotels like the Okada Manila hotel,” says Paul Balladon, director of the company. “Now with proof and ample testing of the product, we can show with confidence how EcoKnit can save money.”

The company says testing shows, on average, 40% reduced drying times. Further is the 15% reduction in water consumption, which leads to reduction in chemicals and heating water.

As a result of reducing energy comes the reduction in CO2 emissions, and reducing water and chemicals means lower impact on the environment.

The product has been designed for heavy commercial use, and its unique construction means it is snag free and it will not fall to pieces like traditional cotton towels, extending the life of the product and saving on replacement costs, according to the company.

MAXI-PRESS

MAXI-PRESS presented membranes and spare parts at the Clean Show in New Orleans, with fast delivery service for water extraction membranes and spare parts

To avoid long and thus costly downtimes, MAXI-PRESS offers a fast delivery service for membranes and spare parts for all com-

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

mon laundry machines.

Drainage membranes for water extraction presses are the core product of MAXI-PRESS. The high-tech membranes provide the highest degree of moisture removal with low wear during laundry operation, effectively helping to save resources and costs, according to the company. The drier the laundry, the less energy has to be invested in the drying process.

MAXI-PRESS develops, manufactures and sells vendor-neutral drainage membranes. It says its EASYFIX water extraction membranes are very popular among customers. EASYFIX membranes feature an inseparable built-in fixing ring, so there is no need of use of the additional fixing rings which make the installation more complicated. This gives the installer a huge reduction in installation time.

MAXI-PRESS says some of its customers even report time savings of up to 80% when installing the membrane. Additionally, customers report obtaining more savings since there is no longer any need to replace the old and worn out fixing rings, which are very costly to replace.

The company adds that customers particularly appreciate the high-quality material and the long service life of EASYFIX membranes. For example, the press cycles of an EASYFIX membrane significantly exceeds the pressing cycles of conventional membranes from other manufacturers.

MAXI-PRESS produces the membranes from specially developed rubber compounds that meet the highest demands. The effective EASYFIX membranes are available for presses JENSEN SEP 36-90 MD/HD, Lavatec LP 571583, Kannegiesser PP10 and PP13, Girbau SPR 50 presses, and also for Passat presses EP 841-9XX.

Since 2006 MAXI-PRESS says it has manufactured and sold water extraction membranes and other spare and wear parts for batch washers, water extraction presses, dryers, flatwork ironers, etc.

Particularly worth mentioning, says the company, is the large selection of ironer supplies, such as cylinder coverings, ironer textiles, ironer tapes, ironer waxes and much more, which complete its product range.

Lavatec Laundry Technology

New Orleans has a reputation for celebration, and that’s exactly what Lavatec did after a successful run at Clean 2019. In addition to the highly anticipated launch of the new LP583 LAVASPEED extraction press, Lavatec found new homes for almost all of the equipment it displayed at the show.

“It was a very good show. We

had a sizeable amount of people in our booth and it generated a substantial amount of new leads for us,” says Keith Ware, vice president of sales.

“We expected good results with the new extraction press and the type of equipment we were offering in the booth. LAVASPEED attracted a lot of interest, and people who understand the technological advancements of today’s machines spent the majority of their time asking questions about it. They were intrigued with the reduced moisture level and how it helps reduce drying times.”

Ware was referring to the faster extraction times made possible with LAVASPEED’s energy efficient hydraulics program. Separate high- and low-pressure systems, combined with an inverter controlled, high-pressure pump, allows the machine to reach maximum pressure quicker and improve moisture extraction.

Helping drive plant efficiency is Lavatec’s osLaundry software package. The newest version of the state-of-the-art software control program was a discussion point at the show. Available with LAVASPEED and other Lavatec equipment, it provides operators with information in real time, giving them the power to make more informed decisions faster so they can save time and money, according to the company.

LAVASPEED can also be custom built to match with any LAVATRAC tunnel system. In this case, the LP583 and a 12-compartment LT100 tunnel washer on the Clean Show floor were sold to Division Laundry & Cleaners of San Antonio, Texas.

Lavatec featured a pair of dryers at Clean Show. Huebsch Services, a uniform rental and floor mat company in Eau Claire, Wis., took home a front-loading FL633 gas unit. Corporate uniform and apparel provider Cintas purchased the TT756 gas dryer.

The TT series of dryers features a line burner system that covers the entire drum and infrared sensors that improve drying times by up to 15%. Lavatec says the end benefits result in higher throughput, linen that is not over-dried, and energy cost savings via reduced gas consumption.

Colmac Industries

Colmac Industries Inc. celebrated its 60th anniversary by debuting a new tunnel finisher at the Clean Show. This machine improves finish quality and increases standard features all while maintaining a competitive cost, according to the company.

Featuring Colmac’s proven patented steam air mixing technology and innovative internal construction, the company says this machine delivers even and consistent steam and airflow throughout.

Other features include modularity, expandability, 81-inch process height, operator productivity monitoring, PLC service

diagnostics, stainless-steel internal construction and a revolutionary bi-directional design allowing for incorporation into most plant layouts.

Additionally, Colmacmanufactured standard and carrier pendant chain, 180° conveyor drive and ability to create custom conveyor layouts accompany the new tunnel.

The company also highlighted its AccuCounter® Soil Counting system, which sorts, manages inventory, interfaces seamlessly with route accounting software and monitors operator performance.

Colmac says the unit has touchscreen operation, a built-in barcode scanner (optional RFID reader available), an ergonomic worktable, and more.

LG Electronics

At Clean ’19, LG Electronics showcased the company’s complete offering of commercial onpremises laundry product.

Spotlighted machines included the new 35-pound-capacity Titan C Commercial Washer; the Giant C 22.5-pound capacity washer and complementing dryer; and the LG Styler TrueSteam Clothing Care System.

“LG commercial laundry products are designed for use in a variety of on-premises laundry applications, including beauty salons, spas, restaurants, gyms and healthcare clinics,” says Gustavo Gutierrez, LG USA national sales manager. “Our products offer ease of installation, superior efficiency, quiet operation and flexible programmability—simplifying laundry processing.”

The 35-pound capacity Titan C and 22.5-pound capacity Giant C Washers offer inverter Direct Drive systems for superior durability, an optimized washing system that automatically detects over-sudsing, and a twin spray water-delivery system that ensures a quality wash without machine stall-outs. They are configurable to meet the needs of nearly any onpremises laundry application and can stand alone or be stacked with matching dryers.

Offering a simple-to-use control with a large digital display, the washers allow for intuitive programming of a variety of functions, including water temperatures, fill levels, cycle times, spin speed and automatic chemical injection. The washers offer a variety of program offerings.

JENSEN

The JENSEN-GROUP continues to focus on smart digital solutions for heavy-duty laundries. Its booth at this year’s Clean Show in New Orleans reflected its twotier sales strategy with high-tech products from its American and European factories as well as single machines exported from China under the ALPHA by JENSEN brand.

The JENSEN booth also fea-

tured new, innovative solutions from its partners Inwatec and Gotli Labs, as well as a brand-new washroom and a brand-new finishing experience.

The brand-new JENSEN UniQ tunnel washer with integrated ExQ press is based on proven concepts from many years of development and has been revolutionized with many innovations, such as the innovative JENSEN Operating System (JOS), according to the company.

The transfer times are 10% faster than in any other tunnel washer thanks to the open drum design, and the FlexWash and FlexRinse Technology guarantee full batch integrity in the entire machine. The new UVClean system prevents bacterial growth in double drum sections automatically and without any chemical supply. The new JENSEN Operating System (JOS) guarantees a higher usability thanks to the new HMI with a unified look and feel through all JENSEN-technologies.

JOS is the new, state-of-theart control with aligned software and hardware architecture and ready for Industry 4.0. The new ErgoVision video monitoring of the loading and unloading process ensures a higher operational safety.

At the Clean Show, JENSEN presented a completely new finishing line consisting of a new feeder, a new ironer, and a new folder.

The new simplified KliQ feeder, designed for both the healthcare and the hospitality sectors, offers a high and uniform finishing quality. A transfer beam with a mechanical holding bar replaces the vacuum section. In the receiving position, the holding bar is open while the linen is held between the transfer beam and a fixation tube. During the transfer, the holding bar is closed. Based on the clamp design of the successful Logic 2000 feeder, the new spreading clamp is a masterpiece of operator convenience.

The new EXFG ironer has 6% increased capacity and 10% lower gas consumption, as it combines the benefits of a fixed chest with the benefits of a flexible chest. The energy savings are achieved with a new triple-pass boiler design and optional PID regulation. Thanks to the increased oil volume and larger flow channels in the chest, the capacity is much higher than in conventional ironers. The higher

temperature of the newly designed gap piece with direct heating increases the quality of the leading edge and reduces the risk of creating a jam when the leading edge passes it.

The new Katana folder is a compact solution with four inline stackers. Laundries can install up to five stackers underneath the folder to sort all existing sizes of large pieces. All crossfold stations are equipped with reversing conveyors and knife, ensuring optimum control of the folding position and a great finish of light and heavy material. The multiblade technology in both lateral and crossfold section replaces the airblow, which means that laundries can save 50% on compressed air consumption. As an extra bonus, the working environment is much quieter.

The company’s new valueengineered brand premiered in the United States, showing a tunnel washer ALPHA TW5 and a towel folder ALPHA T5. ALPHA by JENSEN machines are standalone equipment, offered in standard configurations with limited options and customizations.

Inwatec’s automated soil-side sorting system minimizes the need for human interaction to quality control and surveillance, and consists of an X-ray machine and a learning system. The robot picks up the individual laundry pieces from conveyor belts and transports them to RFID chip readers to identify and register each garment. Directly after that, an X-ray scanner automatically detects unwanted hidden objects in the pockets and automatically rejects these garments.

With X-ray technology, harmful foreign sharps such as needles, scissors, scalpels, etc. can no longer remain undetected in the pockets. Only approved laundry articles are forwarded further to be sorted accordingly by the system.

G.A. Braun

Equipment manufacturer G.A. Braun took advantage of Clean in New Orleans to announce the availability of a new tunnel washer press, an expanded offering of side-by-side dryers and a new spreader/feeder.

The company says its new SmoothFlow® Batch Tunnel

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

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Washer Press has been engineered with the focus on performance, reliability and safety.

Some of the new features include a waterless membrane, which reduces the impact of punctures and cuts; a white membrane with molded clamp ring that significantly reduces downtime for unplanned membrane change out; a floating press head in a nonlinear fashion for even membrane wear; inverter drive electric belt; and up to 50 Bar adjustable.

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Braun also announced the expanded offering of its Side-BySide Dryers. SBS tunnel system dryers are available in natural gas or steam, in a non-chute or a patent-pending chute loading system, in 300-pound and now 500-pound processing capacities.

Finally, Braun says its new Precision Series® Spreader/Feeder serves a wide variety of flatwork laundry processing needs, including hospitality, healthcare, commercial linen providers and general industrial laundries.

Unique to the new spreader/ feeder is a single motor servo spread drive technology coupled with new spread detection and speed synchronized spread belts.

The short list of a few innovative design changes includes new feed and spread clamps, lower feed carriage heights, lane marking belts on the small-piece table, ball bearing carriers for all transport motions and optional large format station counters.

B&C Technologies

B&C Technologies reports it had a great show, premiering its WashTools™ Android programming app that streamlines and simplifies the process of programming its FM7 control (standard on all B&C washers).

Washtools is an application used to program B&C Technologies’ FM7 washing machine controls.

It allows operators to easily create and edit programs using a simple programming format and a wizard creation mode. Programs are automatically scaled for any machine size and easily sent to machines via Bluetooth.

Representatives say the app was well received, and many people downloaded and began using it.

Utilimaster

Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services, a business unit of Spartan Motors Inc., which specializes in commercial, retail and specialty service vehicle and upfit design, manufacturing and assembling under its Utilimaster® brand, showcased the latest technology

and capabilities of walk-in vans for linen and laundry service providers at Clean.

Utilitmaster industry-first solutions were on display at the booth and featured improved driver ergonomics and safety provisions, including an innovative curbside liftgate to make entry and egress with heavy laundry carts in tow safer and easier for drivers.

The company says its curbside liftgate is quick and easy to operate and has the durability to handle multiple loads and deliveries. The gate folds up vertically, maximizing the vehicle’s interior storage space, and can lift more than 1,000 pounds. All liftgate controls and components are housed inside the van, keeping them out of the elements, which improves longevity and minimizes maintenance requirements.

Additionally, Utilimaster demonstrated new safety technology for linen and laundry vehicles that enhance driver safety and ease of operation via an integrated 360-degree camera system, enhanced exterior and interior lighting, crash mitigation systems, and hands-free Bluetooth connectivity.

The company says the truck provides multi-view vantage points for drivers to help avoid accidents and prevent damage. Utilimaster’s 360-degree camera system features Mobileye technology, which provides collision mitigation and lane departure warnings while the interior and exterior LED lighting package makes the vehicle easier to see for other drivers and brightens the cargo area.

“Our Work-Driven Design™ approach dictates that we see our solutions through the lens of our customers’ unique needs,” says Chad Heminover, president, Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services. “We were proud to showcase our innovative technologies at the Clean Show that have made Utilimaster the go-to provider for vocational fleet solutions in North America.”

OMNI Solutions

OMNI Solutions used the Clean Show to introducing its Bag Zapper, which the company says is an efficient and cost-effective way to “ZAP! Bagteria” out of laundry bags.

OMNI says a normal bag clean-

ing process is time consuming, laborious and not very cost effective.

Created in a joint effort between OMNI Solutions and Kannegiesser ETECH, the Bag Zapper is automated and integrated into a laundry’s rail system, cleaning bags after every use.

A UV light is lowered into each bag, effectively and quickly killing undesirable organisms.

OMNI says there is no downtime, no labor involved and a mere fraction of what the typical bag cleaning process costs.

Railex Corp.

Railex says the highlight of the show was just being able to exhibit for the second time in a row. Prior to 2017 it had been 20 years since the company had been at Clean.

Railex is under new ownership, and it is working hard to get its product out in front of customers. Company representatives say Railex has new conveyors and sortation lines—all of which feature new control packages.

The company says its product offerings in Slick Rail keep growing, and it is an everyday task to keep customers up-to-date on additional offerings.

The most important factor for Railex’s customers in New Orleans was automation to keep labor costs low. The coming $15 per hour wages have everyone looking at ways to reduce labor and increase throughput, and representatives say everything Railex does is about process improvement.

TOLON

Clean 2019 was the first time TOLON had its own booth and participated in a U.S. show, and the company believes that the exhibition was the ideal moment to enhance its brand recognition and business in the United States.

TOLON believes the work it has done over the past two-plus years paid off at Clean 2019.

The company showcased its TTF 200 Triple Sort Towel folder, which drew a tremendous amount of attention due to its high throughput, reliable performance and simple parameters.

The TOLON booth had continuous activity from potential distributors from across the country and around the world looking

for an opportunity to represent the TOLON line. Representatives say the company signed three new distributors at the show to represent strategic regions of the United States.

In addition, the company says attendees made many inquiries about the TOLON–JENSENGROUP alliance, which the company says gives it crdibility because of JENSEN-GROUP’s reputation.

Gusher Pumps

Gusher Pumps, which offers centrifugal pumps available from a single manufacturer, showed off its numerous models and sizes of pumps at Clean.

It says the wide variety permits selection of the most hydraulically suitable pump for many capacity/ head ranges without having to up or down size operating characteristics.

Representatives says laundry operators can bring information on their specific laundry application and they will custom engineer a pump to meet exact operating specifications.

Gusher Pumps is manufacturer of Rumaco®, Ruthman and Gusher® pumps, a division of Ruthman Companies.

ARCO/Murray

ARCO/Murray shared its goal, which is the same today as it was when the company started in 1992, to be the very best design-build contractor in the industry with Clean attendees.

The company says it uses a proven design-build methodology to bring a client’s vision to life while delivering the very best experience.

ARCO/Murray has delivered more than 200 laundry projects to date, and its expert team of inhouse architects, engineers, project managers and superintendents are capable of designing and building the most demanding projects anywhere in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

Lavo Solutions

Lavo Solutions provides a full line of intuitive, cost effective and accurate chemical dispensing solutions for the cleaning and hygiene industry, which it showed to those stopping by its booth in New Orleans.

Product categories include proportioning dilution systems, warewash, drain dosing, foaming and spray, and commercial laundry systems.

Lavo says it believes in connected products, processes and people, and that it is a solutions partner that customizes its offering to each customer and their unique needs.

Brim Laundry Machinery Co.

For more than four decades, the Brim family says it has been the trusted source for the best in commercial laundry equipment, and its machines are always backed by Brim’s unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.

That’s the message company representatives shared during Clean ’19

Brim manufactures industrial washroom equipment, including open-pocket washer-extractors, dryers, and conveyors/controls/ technology for washroom automation.

The company says its entire line of machinery is built using standard industrial components whenever possible, and its knowledgeable parts and technical specialists make it easy to keep machines up and running.

Fibertech

Being relatively young to the laundry and linen services industry, Fibertech says its Clean Show presence just keeps getting better and better.

While Fibertech has been in the rotational molding industry for nearly 30 years, it is still considered new to the laundry industry. New Orleans was the company’s fourth Clean Show, and it says each year has proven to have a big impact on its business.

This year Fibertech says it had several different carts and customizations that the industry hadn’t seen before. Fibertech prides itself on making the carts that customers need, saying that having face-toface time with to show what they like, dislike or need was invaluable.

“I look back over the years and I see large companies who have lost the drive and commitment to service their customers,” says Michael Bruce, COO. “Fibertech is here to prove to everyone the difference one company can make to an entire industry, with an open ear to our customer and commitment through our people.”

TBR Associates

During the Clean Show, TBR Associates, a division of Tingue, introduced attendees to its custom-tailored consulting services, featuring Lean Six Sigma.

The company says Lean Six Sigma helps improve process, people and company-wide performance to deliver quantifiable results and bottom-line returns. This is achieved by taking a collaborative team effort that focuses on improving performance by systematically identifying and then eliminating waste and process variation.

Attendees learned about TBR’s guaranteed results via its Shared Savings Program. That means clients are only billed based on actual savings. The company says that if it doesn’t recognize measured improvement, it won’t bill for its services.

Thomaston Mills

Thomaston Mills, a provider of linen products to the industry, showed off its American Boutique line in New Orleans.

The company says the products are natural, breathable and soft, European-style, high-threadcount linens for environmentally

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt)

and socially responsible hotels, guest houses and lodging.

Made from 100% American cotton, Thomaston Mills says American Boutique linen are a new standard of durable brightness and comfort. And the items are finished in an environmentally responsible manner in the United States.

Clean Cycle Systems

Clean Cycles Systems highlighted two products on the show floor: the DLF-500 Series filtration system and the Lint Lasso.

The company says its System 500 models require minimum space to install while providing a large area of filtration. They are available in fiberglass or stainlesssteel body assemblies in eight different sizes.

The System 500 screen area is a large, cylindrical-shaped media, and an automatic blowdown mechanism rotates the top and bottom rotors with air jets stripping the linen from the screen into a collection bag below.

Clean Cycle Systems says its Lint Lasso is an economical lint filter for in-line dryer exhaust ducts for tight spaces too small to accommodate a central lint collector.

Tecni-Quip Carts

Tecni-Quip Carts, manufacturers of laundry carts, showed attendees its durable carts for laundry transport made of aluminum and fiberglass.

The L-Series Enclosed is for clean linen only and meets healthcare regulations and joint accreditation. Locking door models are for sterile processing, security and scrubs.

The Round-Tripper provides for over-the-road transport of clean and soiled goods in the same cart. The company also has outdoor weatherproof models and hotel carts for room make-up in small and traditional sizes.

Other product options include basket/bulk carts with spring-load bottoms, auto powered battery assists for any cart for employee safety and pass-through style cart covers.

Washing Systems

Washing Systems (WSI) shared with Clean attendees that it has garnered several prestigious environmental awards due to its TRUpath™ wash process.

In June it was awarded the Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution prevention, in partnership with the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute.

The award promotes the environmental and economic benefits of developing and using innovative green chemistry.

TRUpath is a patent-pending wash process free of alkali, which WSI says is a breakthrough in cleaning quality, providing a gentler wash environment, extend-

ing the life of linens and reducing energy and water consumption.

Other awards WSI highlighted include the Ohio EPA E3 Platinum Level, the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable’s MVP2 Award and TRSA’s Clean Green Innovation Award.

Cupron Medical Textiles

Cupron introduced Clean attendees to its copper-based antimicrobial healthcare linen technology.

The company embeds various copper formulations in select polymers, which enables finished

products to offer antimicrobial properties.

Cupron says five peer-reviewed and published studies demonstrate its textiles offer 20-40% reductions in C. diff and MRSA rates.

The company shares that its products offers an extra layer of protection by targeting the areas closest to the patient, and no changes are required in hospital or laundry procedures.

Laundry Machinery

RAMCO put the spotlight on two washer-extractors and a towel folder in New Orleans.

The company says its HWE 110 washer-extractor is a hard-mountdesigned machine that is capable of up to 250 G-force. The unit comes with a microprocessor that has 30 programmable formulas.

RAMCO says the HWE 100 has seals and bearings made of highquality materials, and its stainlesssteel drum and panels are corrosion resistant. The inverter has a variable-frequency drive, and the large front door allows for easy access.

Next, the company showed off its SWE 450TIB Industrial tilting washed-extractor, an open struc-

ture, soft mount machine.

The open structure allows for easier maintenance, repair and cleaning, according to RAMCO, and the unit has a 2-degree back tilt while washing to protect linens from damage.

Finally, attendees learned about the Spartan Towel Folder. RAMCO says key features include auto sorting of three items in one formula, the ability to process larger items, lateral folds performed by blades for accurate folds and a color touch-screen microproces-

RAMCO

sor control.

Energenics Corp.

Kartwashers technology was displayed by Energenics Corp. in New Orleans, including added ultraviolet, “quick kill” and quaternary chemicals features.

The company says standard Kartwasher models include fiberglass insulated construction with antimicrobial inner and outer wall surfaces, which are also noncorrosive, sound deadening and with no heat transfer to outside surfaces.

Other standard options include low water consumption, no concrete work required with built-in sump and UL listed controls and components.

Energenics’ ultraviolet (UV-C) light option excludes the need for water, using the light to kill dangerous microorganisms. “Quick kill” technology uses a salt brine solution to produce sodium hydroxide, which is an effective degreaser. In addition, hypochlorous acid is a potent oxidizing agent to kill microorganisms

Finally, quaternary chemicals, ammonium compounds applied at the end of the drying cycle, are effective against bacteria.

SonicAire

Representatives from SonicAire showed off the benefits of the company’s fan systems against overhead fugitive dust.

The company highlights its BarrierAire technology, which uses high velocity and high mass airflow. It controls the direction of dust to force it to the floor by preventing upward currents. It also prevents stagnant air, which keeps dust in the air and causes accumulation.

SonicAire says its fan systems prevent dust buildup in hard-toreach areas and can reduce cleaning costs.

In addition, the company’s team will consult with clients to develop

a customized, engineered layout of its fans.

Movexx

The folks at Movexx offered hands-on demonstrations of its compact push/pull units at Clean 2019.

The electric-powered units promote a healthy, ergonomic working laundry environment, the company says.

Movexx says that for more than 10 years it has developed compact push/pull assists for various markets and industries.

The units are capable of pushing or pulling load carriers on wheels with weights of 2,200 pounds and higher. The company says the compact design is ideal for linen carts at hospitals, hotels and laundries.

EAM-Mosca Corp.

EAM-Mosca Corp., a manufacturer and international supplier of plastic strapping and strapping equipment for a wide range of industrial packaging, bundling and unitizing applications, highlighted its ROM Fusion Strapping Machine in New Orleans.

The company says the ROM Fusion is appropriate for midlevel strapping needs. It’s a walkup, operator-cycled system built around EAM-Mosca’s DC brushless direct-drive technology.

Representatives shared that the ROM Fusion features much of the same technology featured in higher priced models, including up to 50 cycles a minute, three track sizes with three strap widths and an ergonomic front-loading dispenser.

Miele

Commercial laundry equipment manufacture Miele shared a washer-extractor and a dryer with Clean attendees.

The company’s PW 6321 71-pound washer is soft-mounted for low machine vibration and ease of installation. Miele says the load capacity supports commercial applications with stainless-steel construction.

Other features include automatic load redistribution, a 180-degree

opening door and Profitronic M control.

Miele says its dryer, the PT 8807, offers 90 pounds of load capacity with residual moisture sensors for optimum throughput and results. It also features alternating tumbling action for improved garment dispersion and even, gentle drying.

Like the washer, the company says the dryer has a 180-degree opening door and Profitronic M control.

American Pride Linen Co.

Representatives from American Pride Linen Co. displayed its variety of hospitality and industrial linen products at Clean 2019.

On the hospitality side of the industry, the company showed off its Pearl Collection, T-180 line of pillowcases, draw sheets, flat sheets and fitted sheets. It also highlighted its Gold Collection, T-200.

For terry towels, American Pride Linen Co. focused on its Premium Collection, which is bale packed in 16 singles, and its Ruby Collection, which is ringspun and box packed in 16 singles. Both lines are made of 86% cotton and 14% polyester.

On the industrial side, attendees saw the company’s barmops and shop towels, which come in a range of sizes and colors.

AquaRecycle

AquaRecycle, a developer of water recycling systems for laundries, shared that its customers have saved more than 10 billion gallons of water with its products.

The company says its PURE System is designed to maximize water and energy savings while providing recycled laundry wash water for high-level hospitality linen. The system includes AquaSmart, a high-speed, secure private network providing 24/7 data and error detecting software.

In addition, AquaRecycle showed off Mr. H.E.A.T., an energy savings system for commercial dryers.

The company says the system fits virtually any commercial dryer, using its proprietary thermal heat wheel to capture waste heat naturally discharged from dryers, recovering it to incoming air.

EDRO Corp.

EDRO Corp., manufacturers of washer-extractors, tumbler dryers and environmentally friendly ozone systems, shared its 20192020 product catalog with Clean attendees.

The full-color 16-page catalog features the company’s state-ofthe-art DynaTrol 3.0 HMi touch screen control panel. With its extensive program step and event memory, and simple and intuitive navigation, the control operating

system is simple enough to use for the basic operator, in multilingual formats, while offering an array of machine information for owner management, according to the company.

Also featured is EDRO’s side loader washer-extractor range. Available in a split two- or threepocket configuration, with model loading capacities of up to 230 and 450 pounds, the machine incorporates a large automatic main door that grants multiple load and unload positioning, EDRO’s proven DynaMount suspension system for reduced vibration transmission, DynaTrol 3.0 HMi, and inverter with single motor drive for energy efficiency.

With the C-SERIES range of commercial tumbler dryers, available in 80- and 110-pound models, EDRO says it has combined its experience with years of extensive research to create the perfect balance of quality and affordability. The resulting series of gas, steam and electric tumbler dryers dry fast and dry efficiently and are designed to meet the needs of virtually every on-premises and commercial laundry facility.

Ecolab

Ecolab, which partners with textile rental and commercial laundries to provide service and consulting, cleaning solutions, and continuous improvement through innovative datadriven technology to optimize total plant performance, highlighted several products in New Orleans.

The company shared Shield Water Optimizer, which buffers the effects of hard water and heavy metals by removing impurities with a phosphate-free chemistry blend. Ecolab says the optimizer enhances the cleaning performance of detergents and oxidizers.

Ecolab’s Performance Industrial XXL soil-removing technology provides industrial-strength clean with lower alkalinity. In addition, Polyvantage is a low-alkali detergent that is effective in removing

oil from food and beverage linen.

The company also shared its digital technology, called Edge, which uses mixed reality tools for real-time troubleshooting, a database of video instruction, and hands-on training tools.

Finally, Ecolab highlighted its water and energy equipment, which uses in-line process filtration to improve tunnel water re-use and energy recovery.

Spindle

Spindle is a technology company that builds the infrastructure for laundries to measure and improve their productivity. At Clean, the company showed off its software, which helps laundries collect data and manage their industrial operations more efficiently.

First, attendees saw SpindleLIVE, with real-time information that is actionable and easy-to-use for both supervisors and employees.

SpindlePRO automates the collection of data that already exists in a plant and presents the information in easy-to-interpret dashboards.

Finally, representatives showed how Spindle Water & Energy automates the collection of the utilities data around plant, also presenting it in easy-to-understand dashboards.

Gurtler Industries

Gurtler Industries, a manufacturer of advanced detergents and specialty chemicals for the commercial laundry industry, introduced Clean Show attendees to its newest Vis•Tex equipment family product: the Auto Tank Fill System.

The company says the system has been engineered to meet the stringent safety requirements for bulk chemical handling systems. It can handle up to eight unique day tanks, adaptable to any tank size and configuration.

The Auto Tank Fill System will also monitor bulk tank levels and alert operators and their Gurtler representative when it’s time to re-order chemicals.

The company says unique sonic sensors in the fully integrated systems monitor tank levels to within 4 mm for extremely accurate readings. Also, the sensors never touch the liquid chemicals, so neither clogging nor corrosion will interfere.

Finally, Gurtler says it has a special app that allows operators to monitor the system via smartphone, tablet or desktop computer.

Encompass Group

Encompass is a manufacturer and marketer of reusable textiles, professional apparel and disposable and single-use medical prod-

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

Your table linens touch every Customer at every event. Your linen needs to speak their language… fresh, clean, safe, consistent, reliable, and yes elegant. They count on it.

Together, ADI and Milliken have set the standard of linen excellence for decades. USA made Signature Plus fabric. Soft luxurious hand, consistent long-lasting color. Whites that stay white, and colors that stay bright.

ADI American Dawn. The world’s leading supplier of Milliken Signature table linen products. Count on us.

Signature Plus is a registered trademark for Milliken & Company for fabrics.

ucts, and at the Clean Show the company displayed some of its specialty products.

The company’s Behavioral Health Patient Apparel was specially design for behavioral health patients, adding security and safety features. The hunter green color is a common indicator of behavioral health.

Encompass says its Synergy Professional Apparel now offers two new styles—a long-sleeve top for OR settings and a modestypanel v-neck top.

Finally, the company showed off its UltraLinks blankets. Encompass says this is the next generation of blankets, providing extreme durability for longer process life while maintaining a soft hand for patient comfort.

Ellis Corp.

Ellis Corp. is a provider of industrial laundry technology, wastewater treatment equipment and heat reclamation equipment.

In New Orleans, Ellis put a spotlight on its UptimeTM machine management system, which it says is a simple but smart control and reporting system that minimizes the time equipment is offline.

Uptime is said to provide critical machine information, along with step-by-step scheduled upkeep instructions. Ellis calls the system a “24/7 virtual engineer.”

Ellis also shared its Nautilus 2.0 Ceramic Filtration System. The company says the closed filtration systems can tackle the alkaline wastewater streams that a conventional process can’t, including high levels of TSS, oil and grease, proteins, colloids, heavy metals, and detergent-laden chemicals.

Chem-Tainer Industries

Chem-Tainer Industries, which provides material handling problems solutions, re-introduced Clean attendees to its Maxi-Mover line of trucks and containers for the laundry industry.

The company manufactures Bulk Delivery Trucks, Shelved Exchange Trucks, Tilt Trucks, along with Utility and Bushel Carts.

In 1972, Chem-Tainer says it introduced the nation’s first line of plastic transportation solutions to the material handling and textile processing industries.

More durable than the canvas units and less costly than the metal or fiberglass options available at the time, the company says MaxiMovers and their globally licensed plastics manufacturing technologies spawned a new industry and revolutionized the industries they served.

Beck’s Classic Manufacturing

Textile and linen provider Beck’s Classic Manufacturing

made sure Clean attendees understood the importance of purchasing American-made linens.

Beck’s adds that “Staying in America” has paid off with the proven construction and reliability that customers deserve and expect.

It adds that having manufacturing and corporate offices under one roof leads to efficient production, top quality and very competitive pricing.

The company makes many products, including Reusable Incontinence Products, Underpads, Clothing Protectors, Diapers and Briefs.

In New Orleans, representatives highlighted the company’s Arid Collection, reusable underpads with wicking and absorbency that focuses on patient care with dryness and comfort.

Planiform Conveyors

Planiform showed off its latest generation of Automatic Garment Sorters in New Orleans.

The company says its Automatic Garment Sorter is compatible with both RFIDs and barcodes, allowing companies with high throughput to reduce their labor costs and increase their efficiency.

Thanks to its modular components, the layout can easily be adjusted to fit a laundry’s space, according to Planiform. This system can sort an unlimited number of garments per batch given that sufficient floor space is available.

The Automatic Garment Sorter was just one of many products Planiform had to offer. Other products shared included:

• Garment Conveyors

• V-Rail—Garment Monorail Systems

• Garment Open Rail Systems

• Soiled laundry sorting tables

• And more.

Planiform also shared its RFID Portal, which allows operators to scan entire bags or boxes of garments upon arrival to a facility. That way, laundries know exactly which items came in.

The Portal has a very small footprint, can be installed nearly anywhere in a plant and takes only seconds to scan a whole bundle of garments, the company says.

Texas Microfiber

Texas Microfiber is a textile manufacturer of microfiber and cotton finished textiles, and the company shared it options with Clean attendees.

These include cloths, mops, linens, cotton terry towels, woven cotton and polyester roll goods, and finished goods.

Texas Microfiber says it produces retail-ready products ranging from textiles for hospitals and automotive to specialty textiles for laboratory testing.

Private labeling, OEM specifications and sizes are available, along with logo embroidery, printed and branded customization for allowing a company’s name to stand out.

Dura-Cast Products

Dura-Cast Products is a rotational molding company that shared its complete line of material handling, laundry and linen, and hospitality solutions to Clean attendees.

The company says its LinenMaster Carts were designed for laundry professionals to meet ergonomic requirements for today’s workforce.

Its Poly-Bushel Cart is designed for smaller workforces, with sides lowered for easy reach. They can be configured with one, two or four compartments. In addition, a spring bottom can be added, or use the new cover to keep contents clean and secure.

A special focus was placed on the Dura-Cast’s Housekeeping Metro Cart, which is attractive, ergonomically correct, and allows for increased efficiency. The higher storage capacity allows for supplies for up to 15 rooms.

The DECC Co.

The DECC Co. serves the commercial laundry market by applying an abrasion-resistant, nonstick coating to dryer panels.

In New Orleans, the company shared that the coating exhibits tremendous release qualities, drastically reducing the amount of plastic and debris that adheres to the inside of a dryer. The abrasionresistant qualities of the coating greatly increase its durability, as well, ensuring extended performance.

With reduced downtime and labor for cleaning, combined with increased production capacity and lowered energy costs, the ROI for coated panels could be as little as a few months, according to DECC.

Irving Weber Associates

Irving Weber Associates invited Clean attendees to its booth to talk about its Fabricare Advantage. This insurance is designed for dry cleaners, coin-ops, linen suppliers, commercial launders, and uniform rental.

Representatives shared that coverage under this program includes equipment breakdown, auto coverage for all size fleets, scalable umbrella limits, identity recovery, business interruption, and all other usual and necessary textile coverages.

IWA also has risk-control services, including loss prevention techniques, pre-loss valuations, disaster planning, business interruption valuation and asset valuations.

UNX

UNX, which provides cleaning formulations and chemical dispensing systems to the laundry/ linen services industry, highlighted a dispensing system in New Orleans: the Minitron Dispensing System.

The system, which comes in Minitron and Minitron+, is a compact unit that can stand on the floor in a wash area, against

the wall or be mounted to the wall.

UNX says the Minitron dispenses up to six chemicals to three washers with visually verifiable injection of every chemical.

In addition, the unit includes up to 20 wash formulas with full event mode and automatic formula select, plus operators can access production reports online from anywhere.

Kannegiesser ETECH

The 2019 Clean Show in New Orleans was a tremendous success for the Kannegiesser ETECH team, the company says. Kannegiesser ETECH is the North American arm of Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH of Vlotho, Germany.

As a company with a global presence, Kannegiesser representatives from all over the world were on hand to greet attendees and introduce them to the “Integrated World of Automated Laundry Systems.”

All exhibited machinery was shown in working demonstration mode. These demonstrations allowed visitors to see, in action, the latest innovations for laundries in terms of high production throughput, operator ergonomics and finishing quality.

Additionally, these individual machines were shown as integrated systems, which allow the synchronization of material flow and data flow for the highest overall throughput in a laundry.

By using integrated production systems, Kannegiesser says it helps operators create that competitive advantage.

One example of this shown in the Kannegiesser ETECH booth, centered on mixed terry toweling being transported within the laundry, separately identified, fed and folded into type-specific stacks all without human interaction. This is possible with the “RFT” robotic towel feeding system for the completely automatic feeding of the XFM Speedline towel folder.

The booth had a large, fully operational monorail linen distribution system that automatically delivered the right linens to the right operation in the right time. This was all controlled by the company’s state-of-the-art eVue Control software.

By seeing these demonstrations in action, the company says visitors to the Kannegiesser ETECH booth were inspired to look at innovations and improvements to their own laundry operations, adding the business climate is ideal at the present time for operators to move forward with reinvestments in their own laundries that will drive competitive advantages in their respective markets.

Chicago Dryer Co.

Chicago Dryer Co. was attendees’ first stop as they entered the convention hall, located to the left of the show entrance.

The company showcased its full line of flatwork finishing equipment including separators, feeders,

ironers and folders, with operators live feeding to demonstrate new data tracking technology—a full 18 models.

During the show, the company highlighted several products, such as SkyFeed, which utilizes an integral rail system to store and optimally position linen to eliminate processing interruptions for maximum throughput and outstanding hand fed linen quality.

Edge Tri•Maxx is the newest addition to the Edge Maxx CT series. It offers a three-station high output model for even greater throughput, as well as individual production tracking by operator.

Air Chicago Quattro is a newly designed high-speed towel and gown folder that combines the precision processing standards of the original Air Chicago with a specialized four lane exit conveyor configuration, giving it the potential to sort three or four unique items in a single program, depending on finished package size.

CHI•VISION® automatically detects and recognizes stains, tears and holes to assure production and delivery of high-quality bed and table linen. It can also classify, sort and count flatwork based on size, color, patterning and/or logos.

Versa automatically folds and stacks a wide array of garments for hospitality, healthcare, and workwear goods. With more than 1,000 different folding programs and option for up to four sorts, the company says Versa is the solution for all garment folding needs.

Carousell is a multi-lane labor saving folder stacker that automatically receives and stacks flat small pieces. Often used as an automatic napkin folder and stacker, the Carousell also is ideal for pillowcases, bar towels, and aprons.

Finally, Chicago Dryer Co. says its ATM² is the industry’s first machine of its kind—an automatic “hands-free” washcloth separator/ stacker.

Venus Group

Venus says it exhibited at Clean as a global manufacturer and distributor of sustainable textile innovative products.

The company showcased its ISO certification, eco-friendly initiatives and manufacturing capabilities, in addition to its core soft goods, case goods and technology products.

Venus Group has offered service to the government, healthcare, institution and hospitality industries since 1972. The company has manufacturing and distribution facilities in California and South Carolina. Both facilities are equipped with automated machinery and manual cut-andsew operations.

Venus says custom manufactured orders can ship within 48 hours in most cases, and stock items can ship the same day.

CMV Sharper Finish manu-

CMV Sharper Finish

mark of 300 G-force, all while consuming at least 50% less water and 40% less electricity throughout the wash cycle.

On the notion of “seeing is believing,” the company displayed its 500-pound capacity model in its booth, the GC500, demonstrating auto-balance and extract of a 100pound load, at 400 G-force, freestanding, throughout the show.

With its large comprehensive line of feeders, folders, blanket and full-dry folders, VEGA says all of its units are designed and built to the highest standards in the market for processing quality and

productivity.

For one example of innovative superiority, the company highlighted the VEGAFOLD-S flatwork folder, which is available in traditional left- or right-side discharge options.

But VEGA says its most popular design integrates automatic sorting and stacking up to four lanes within the frame of the unit, then discharging out the back. This standard design feature saves valuable space as it completely eliminates external left or right large-piece stacking units.

In addition to its equipment

design innovations, the company also displayed its VEGA Perform System, which is a machine and employee performance software management system, as well as its new RFID tagging technology with its USTEK partners.

Fashion Seal Healthcare

Fashion Seal Healthcare® is a manufacturer and provider of scrubs, lab coats, patient and ancillary apparel to hospitals, distributors and industrial laundries across the country. The company,

factures more than 100 different flatwork ironer and ironer/folder models for all a laundry/linen service’s needs, which the company shared with Clean attendees.

The company says its ironers are used in hotels, hospitals, restaurants, nursing homes, country clubs, rental companies, cruise ships, households and commercial laundries.

CMV Sharper Finish says its ironers are known for simplified designs, simplified operation and durability, and all machinery is made in the United States.

Lapauw USA

Lapauw USA represented the Lapauw product line in New Orleans, and attendees learned about the company’s washers, flatwork feeders, ironers, folders, cart washers and garment finishing tunnels.

The company says its equipment is known worldwide as a pioneer in many areas of laundry machinery technology.

Lapauw USA adds that customers buy Lapauw equipment because it provides superior quality and excellent throughput, with industry-leading low total cost of ownership.

The team in North America includes management, administration, finance, and is the location for the company’s spare parts inventory.

VEGA Systems USA

VEGA Systems USA showcased many products in its booth, including a few select pieces of equipment from its wash line through its finishing line.

From its wash line, VEGA showcased the SmartLine tunnel system, featuring one of its SL tunnel washers; an RP press with its unique 8-inch-thick steel frame that provides a 7.5X safety factor and eliminates the industry standard four-post design; and the DT series pass-through batch dryer line.

From the conventional wash line, the company introduced its new Game Changer series of openpocket wash technology.

Because of innovative design features, VEGA says Game Changers extract at a programmable speed up to 400 G-force, a 33% increase over the industry

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

a part of the Superior Group of Companies, introduced attendees to its stylish, quality apparel that delivers a fresh look to healthcare partners.

Joining Fashion Seal Healthcare in its booth was CID Resources, owners of popular retail scrub brands such as WonderWink®, Carhartt, Vera Bradley, and Zoe + Chloe.

Together, the company says it will be able to offer healthcare and laundry partners with additional styles, designs and more.

Dexter Laundry

Dexter Laundry is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, and the celebration spilled over into New Orleans. On hand in the booth was a circa 1915 DoubleTub Wooden Washer.

But the company’s Clean Show experience wasn’t all about the past. Representatives. shared how it offers a full line of commercial washers, dryers and laundry management systems for both the vended and on-premises industries.

With the old, Dexter highlighted the new T-170 on-premises dryer, which the company says has the capacity to process more laundry than ever before.

R.W. Martin & Sons

R.W. Martin used the Clean Show to highlight its position in commercial laundry equipment and parts sales, facility evaluations, maintenance, operator training, preventative maintenance, troubleshooting, tuning, and servicing for all major brands of laundry equipment.

The company says its preowned equipment and parts inventory is available 24/7 to enable operators to be more productive, adding that if a laundry is looking for anything from ironer tape to a reconditioned 900-pound washer, expert equipment advice and service or process water solutions, R.W. Martin is its final destination.

G.S. Manufacturing

G.S. Manufacturing is dedicated to the design and production of laundry carts for the institutional, healthcare and hospitality laundry industry. G.S.M. showed Clean attendees that quality and functionality are its primary considerations, because it knows the carts it supplies to services have to work hard, work well and last a long time.

The laundry industry has seen a lot of change and growth, and now, more than ever, a good linen cart has to be a lot more than shelving on wheels, says G.S.M., and the company shared three main reasons why its carts are the right decision for a laundry.

G.S.M. carts are built of aluminum. They are clean, lightweight and easily maneuverable. They are non-combustible and will not rust. The anodized finish will never rust, peel or chip.

G.S.M. carts have an all-welded construction of structuralgrade extruded aluminum. They are extremely rugged, require little maintenance and are carefully engineered to give years of service, even in the most punishing offsite operations.

All G.S.M. carts are made to order. G.S.M. warehouses material, not finished product. Along with keeping costs down, this allows the company complete freedom to manipulate dimensions, configurations and options to suit individual requirements.

There is no extra setup charge for specification changes, and cart prices are adjusted based on material and labor only.

Royal Basket Trucks

At Clean ’19,Royal Basket Trucks introduced the company’s New Motorized Stair Climbing Cart.

“The Royal Stair Climber Cart is a great addition to our growing motorized offering,” says Cindy Lapidakis, vice president of sales and marketing.

The company shared that customers with no elevator function available will benefit from Royal’s New Motorized Stair Climbing Cart.

Royal Basket Trucks also shared information in its wide range of

products and services, including carts and containers for collecting, sorting, storing and transporting, designed to maximize material handling efficiencies in the laundry industries, as well as healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing.

J.P. Equipment

J.P. Equipment buys and sells used industrial laundry equipment, and it shared with attendees that it is here to assist every step of the way with all industrial laundry equipment needs.

The company says it has been in the used industrial laundry business since 1998 and sells equipment worldwide.

J.P. Equipment says what separates it from competitors is that it owns almost all of its equipment outright, giving the flexibility to sell equipment “as is,” cleaned and tested, or fully reconditioned.

The company also sells equipment on consignment, adding that it provides unparalleled service whether a customer is buying or selling equipment, building a new laundry or upgrading an existing facility.

Parker Boiler

Parker Boiler representatives shared with Clean attendees why its boilers are dependably furnishing steam and hot water for the laundry and linen services industry.

Customers can choose from gas, oil or combination gas/oil firing models. Low NOx is available on all models.

Representatives share that a superior boiler can cut steam or hot water generating costs. Also, they say clients will be surprised at the low initial costs.

Monarch Brands

Textile provider Monarch Brands showed off its “better resort towel”: Clear Water Cabana Towels. The company says its dope-dyed rPET and regenerated cellulose yarn blending process creates beautifully soft-to-thetouch yarn in unique color combinations.

When implementing a Clear Water Cabana towel program, Monarch says customers know

they are getting a plush, oversized, go-anywhere cabana towel.

Monarch adds that customers are also helping to save the planet, since these resort towels don’t contribute to global industrial water pollution.

Monarch says its towels use zero water in the dying process and therefore, zero waste water runs into our oceans.

Another benefit of the dying process is that the yarn takes color in a way that will not oxidize (whiten) when in contact with harmful chemicals. The company adds that with eight color combinations, there’s a wholesale resort towel for every hotel.

Monarch is sure that resort guests will love these towels so much that they’ll want to take them home with them, so the company packaged them in twos for retail display in resort shops.

Maxon

Maxon expects customers to choose its lift gates based on the merits of its products and the quality of its service. So, the manufacturer shared with Clean attendees what the company could offer their truck fleets.

Representatives say the show afforded MAXON “a ton” of face-to-face contacts with the linen industry, displaying lift gate products such as the The Railift™ Series with dock loading capability and conventional liftgates stored flush against the door of trucks or trailers

The company also displayed the Tuk-A-Way liftgate with a platform that can fold and stow under the truck body in the dock ready position, plus other options.

Lattner Boilers

Lattner Boilers introduced Clean attendees to its more than 100 years of quality steam boiler production.

Lattner manufactures both gasfired and electric steam boilers and electric hot water boilers for a variety of industrial applications including dry cleaning, health club steam room systems, food processing including steam jacketed kettles, medical sterilization equipment and more.

Laundrylux

Laundrylux is the North American supplier of Electrolux and Wascomat commercial laundry equipment, and the company highlighted new machines on the trade show floor in New Orleans.

Attendees were introduced to the second generation of Encore washers and dryers by Laundrylux. Ideal for laundromats, on-premises laundry rooms, healthcare facilities and more, the company says Encore reflects months of intense research and engineering to build the best performing and most reliable small chassis commercial front load washers and dryers available today.

Laundrylux says its new toploading washer is a washer only it could build. Featuring the longest life of any top load washer, this is the industry’s first true commercial top loader. The servicefriendly design makes it simple to repair.

Heat Seal

Heat Seal LLC exhibited at its first Clean Show in New Orleans, and representatives say it received great interest from show attendees.

The company featured its Model HDX350 Heavy Duty Combo Shrink System, Model 3040 Heavy Duty L Bar Sealer and Model T4832 Shrink Tunnel.

The HDX350’s simple to operate and compact design make it the perfect fit to wrap and protect items at both party rental and dry cleaner/wash and fold facilities, the company says.

For those needing a larger capacity machine, the HDX3040 and T4832 can handle any bundles produced at commercial laundry facilities

Whether it is stacks of folded napkins or tablecloths, stacks of plates and silverware, or large bundles of blankets and towels, Heat Seal says it can provide equipment that can quickly provide stackable, great-looking packages clients will be pleased with.

Heat Seal says its heavy-duty shrink systems provide a consistent package three times faster than manual wrapping methods.

(Photo: Messe Frankfurt)

(Photo: Nathan Frerichs)

ALM introduces

NEW ORLEANS — The Association for Linen Management (ALM) launched what is calls a revolutionary new industry benchmarking platform, LaundryMarksTM by ALM during the Clean Show here in June.

ALM says LaundryMarks offers dynamic, customizable data to provide the entire laundry industry, not just association members, with actionable, updated nearreal-time business intelligence.

Through industry comparisons in hospitality, healthcare and industrial facilities, the LaundryMarks platform (www. laundrymarks.com) will drive business performance for both single- and multi-location laundries, according to ALM. The data is processed through a secure, robust, digital system.

“ALM saw a need for actionable and updated business intelligence, and therefore made a significant investment to develop this cutting-edge benchmarking platform that provides constantly updated, customizable, and immediately accessible information,” says David Bernstein, president of Propeller Solutions Group, chair of the benchmarking task force, and member of the ALM board of directors.

“LaundryMarks was a labor of love through a year of intense work by a dedicated team of experienced industry experts representing a broad spectrum of laundry types. I am confident the information gained from LaundryMarks will advance business performance across the entire laundry industry.”

LaundryMarks generates reports on a wide variety of industry-specific key performance indicators in the areas of production, workforce efficiency, utilities, safety and quality, ALM says.

The custom reports can be filtered by location, pounds processed, product line, level of automation and more than 15 other user-customizable factors. The reports provide data essential for determining opportunities for improvement, planning resources and investments, and building a business plan, according to the association.

“By introducing LaundryMarks, ALM is giving the industry a sound operational tool to equip each laundry with the data essential to drive performance and improvements in efficiency, safety and quality,” says ALM Executive Director Linda Fairbanks. “The entire industry will benefit from the ability to access comparative data. The LaundryMarks platform represents a great leap forward in business performance intelligence and is the first digital benchmarking tool for the laundry industry.”

ALM says LaundryMarks provides the laundry industry with insights into similar organizations’ performance and how they stand in comparison. Previous printed benchmarking reports are no longer available, and this dynamic new platform is designed for the digital age, according to the association.

All laundry facilities may enter

data and access filtered reporting comparing their company to the database in aggregate at no charge.

ALM laundry members will have additional filtering capabilities. New features and reports will

be added as more data and information is entered into the secure benchmarking database. ALN

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Contact follow-up strategies for success

have missed because you were helping another customer. You might have missed a customer that wanted to speak with you directly, and reviewing those scanned badges gives you a chance to fix that missed opportunity for one-on-one time with your customer.

lar machine you are looking at. Your overall satisfaction with the machine will depend on your distributor. Find out how large their parts department is—how many items do they keep on the shelf?

be daunting without a follow-up action plan.

and follow through.

T he Clean Show is the premier trade show in our industry.

Owners and operators come in from around the world to see the latest and greatest technologies that are offered for the industry.

It can be a challenge sometimes to remember whom you met and what was discussed.

If I have the time, I try to give myself notes on meetings and later prioritize those notes to see who needs the most attention. You cannot always write yourself notes because you might be pulled into meetings after meetings, all day long.

Sometimes, customers just need to get quick answers, like dimensions on a new machine, other times they require a site visit. I try to get site visits into those customers as soon as possible so that the customer understands that they are important and we keep up the level of discussion that we had at the Clean Show.

Follow-up e-mails and phone calls are important, too, because it keeps the discussion going post-Clean Show with customers. Keep the review e-mails to your customers short; there is no need to overload them with too much information that they will just disregard anyway.

Reviewing the business cards you collected during the show is a good idea, too, because it might help stimulate an idea or thought you had at the time that you might not have right now.

Even if you answered a question for a customer, continue to follow up with them to see if they have additional questions, this keeps the level of communication open with your customer. Do not give your customer information that is not relative to their needs.

If you purchased lead-scanning software for the show, do not forget to review the scanned badges for leads that you might

As long as you have the mentality that you will continue to be a resource for your customers, you will be just fine. You must be helpful for your customers before, during and after the Clean Show. It is impossible to help everybody, but when you are with a customer, make sure to give him or her the undivided attention that they deserve.

Go and see a machine currently working in a plant. Manufacturers will take you to see machines they currently have installed. A machine folding perfectly in an air-conditioned showroom with new linen, may not perform quite as well in your facility.

Always take some of your linen when your visit the facility. There is a huge difference associated with folding white linen and color linen. This is caused by the photocells that many vendors use in their machinery, so make sure the items you are wanting to fold can indeed be folded on this machine.

Regardless if you were part of the factory and vendor group responsible for facilitating and rigging in and out the large industrial equipment, a volunteer demonstrating the equipment, an interested business owner, a chief engineer, a guest speaker, a class instructor, or panel host, the basics hold true—there is a ton of information and much to do and see within a short window of time.

Remember the old adage, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Grab a cup of coffee and let’s prepare to eat our elephants.

Time Management. Devote short 15-minute segments to organize your thoughts and the business cards acquired. This practice alone will render remarkable results.

So, no matter if you were at the Clean Show or making connections on a daily basis, I am a firm believer there are no coincidental conversations, nor accidental meetings. The discussions and subsequent follow up we manage every day can bring us closer to our objectives and goals, provided we show up, literally and physically.

P.S. Congratulations, you ate the elephant!

I hope everyone had a safe trip back from the show. It was a very informative show for myself and my colleagues.

No matter how much you think that you are keeping up with new machinery, there always seems to be a new vendor or machine that makes you rethink your production. I always see an item that I think can be a game changer for our plant.

Now comes the hard part. Which of those game-changer ideas should you pursue? I have a process that I use when I return from the show.

You need to get real and accurate production numbers that reflect what you are currently getting from production. Then, you have to decide if what is holding you back is indeed your machinery. Putting a new machine into a bad process will not make any improvements.

The next step is to take your plant layout and see which product best fits your work flow. I saw quite a few really nice machines at the show this year that just are not realistic to install in our plant.

Research who would be your local distributor for the particu-

There are quite a few vendors at the show that are not selling equipment. Every year chemical providers seem to make great strides in their products. Once again you want to make sure if you make a chemical change your new chemical provider will have local representation. Take a visit to see what quality current customers are getting from their chemicals.

Business Cards. Review the information on the front and the scribbled notes on the back and get the information scanned, copied, logged onto a spreadsheet or secured in a binder.

Phone Calls. Give the contact a quick phone call or leave a brief voicemail to say hello, thank them for their time or arrange a follow-up visit.

Cold Calls. Run by the contact’s office or facility to say hello and determine if you can be of assistance, as it pertains to a product they may need or a service they appeared interested in.

C lean 2019 just ended, and you are on the flight home from The Big Easy. Motivation is high. You have a brain full of operation-enhancing ideas to bring to the home team.

You are armed with a stack of 150 business cards and lots of cute tchotchkes from vendors. You have seen shiny new robotic feeders and folders that promise to improve productivity. You were sold the benefits of quickdrying, anti-microbial linens.

You witnessed washing technology that uses less water, chemistry and heat, all while producing cleaner textiles faster.

You discovered tools to help manage linen inventories. You even met with an operator that shared her plant’s processes for achieving a 170 PPOH!

F

eeling a little overwhelmed, not to mention feeling shot out, burned out and worn out after several days of walking, talking greeting and meeting?

There were so many wonderful people to meet, great food to eat and amazing products to review … wondering how you will ever get through?

Trust me, we have all experienced the same thing at some point. Although each Clean Show leaves us thankful for reconnecting with industry associates, reviewing products and making new connections, it can

E-mail. Send a follow-up e-mail after the show to say hello, to remind the new clients of your company and to determine if they have any needs.

Meetings. Schedule a coffee, brunch, lunch or dinner meeting to discuss current and future opportunities.

Snail Mail. Send a handwritten thank-you note. Etiquette never goes out of style.

Social Media. Whether it is Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or another venue, there is an opportunity to connect.

Communicate. Regardless if you promised to get someone a phone number, introduce them to a group, stop by for a visit or prepare a proposal, follow up

Now it is time to bring the secret sauces from Clean and put them to work in you plant. Now it’s time to make a plan to leverage your Clean experience for your operation.

Start by organizing the collateral you received, including brochures, business cards and handouts, while they are fresh in your mind. It is a good idea to scan and tag business cards so you can search them electronically.

I suggest organizing your follow-ups into logical categories such as:

• Plant Efficiency •

“Clean 2019 in New Orleans just wrapped up. How can

I best follow up with the contacts I made and make use of the information I gathered? How about for follow-up doing normal dayto-day business?”

Equipment Manufacturing

Brock Pellerin

Pellerin Milnor Corp., Kenner, La.

Equipment/ Supply Distribution

Janice Ayers Davis TLC Tri-State Laundry Companies, Valdosta, Ga.

Commercial Laundry David Griggs

Superior Linen Service, Muskogee, Okla.

Healthcare Laundry

Gregory Gicewicz Sterile Surgical Systems, Tumwater, Wash.

• Employee

• Plant Hygiene

Then rank, in importance, opportunities in these areas.

Share contacts and findings with relevant team members. Did you see a new folding line that will help your finish efficiency? Bring in your production and engineering teams and share your findings. Set follow-up meetings with company representatives.

Did you see innovative textiles that may help several of your healthcare accounts? Share with your sales team and schedule a customer demonstration. See if the manufacturer will send one of their expert representatives to the demonstration.

Determine if you can use these innovations to create a new, more profitable SKU or better yet improve customer satisfaction. Share with your engineering and production team to ensure your plant can handle these.

Remember, you have limited resources for new initiatives and projects. Once you have shown your team the wares from the Clean Show, prioritize what makes sense to implement when. Creating cost/benefit matrices can be a helpful way to quantify where it makes the most sense to focus.

At a minimum, account for the below fields and be sure to weight them appropriately:

• External Cost—What you will pay the vendor?

• Internal Cost—What it will cost your team to implement?

• Timeline—How long this will take?

• Risk—What can possibly go wrong? Include impact and likelihood.

• Internal Savings—How much you will save internally?

• Revenue Gain—How much new revenue you will realize?

• Internal and External Financial Protection—How much revenue this will protect?

Remember, the real-world implementations are never as good as the showroom floor demonstrations. If it can go wrong, it will.

With good planning, collaboration and strategizing, turn those sleek Clean Show gadgets into dividend-paying improvements to your entire laundry ecosystem!

as owner-operators and decision makers, I am willing to bet that most of us met and sat with our internal management teams several times. During these meetings we discussed and developed a game plan of what we wanted to focus on while attending Clean 2019 in order to make our operations run smoother and more efficiently, while hopefully giving us an edge over our competition.

We discussed areas in our operations that needed to be addressed and improved and then developed our wish list of items, new technologic ideas, as

well as vendors, we wanted to visit while attending Clean 2019.

Our task at hand was to visit vendors, meet with them, discover new ideas and concepts, and ultimately determine what will help us increase productivity and become better at what we do and improve products offered to our customers.

What new ideas, machinery, technology and new products could we discover and learn from our one-on-one meetings to make our businesses run smoother and be more profitable in today’s ever-changing competitive business environ-

ment? Innovative technology in processing equipment geared to assist our facilities in producing more with less labor and less energy? New chemical technology that will clean and sanitize soiled linen and/or uniforms while reducing our costs and replacements?

What new fabrics and uniforms did we stumble upon that will give us the edge over our competition? What new distribution systems did we find that will help us get product into the hands of our customers quicker? What new fabrics did we stumble across that could

change the landscape of scrubs and other apparel being offered to the market?

After several long, grueling days of walking the aisles meeting and speaking to many vendors our follow-up lists got longer and longer. Now that the show is finally over and our visits to Bourbon Street and Café Du Monde for beignets are in the rearview mirror and behind us, the tedious task of follow up begins.

It is important that as a team we sit and discuss what we saw,

W ow, hard to believe Clean is here and gone already.

Prior to attending Clean 2019

Branding

logo, business cards, letterhead, brochures, product sheets, website and social media pages.

Also pay special attention to internal documents, such as new hire or new customer welcome packets, standard operating procedures, and even internal memos and documents.

While evaluating the various components, assess their utility. Are they necessary to your marketing effort? Try to put yourself into a prospective customer’s mindset and take a fresh look at what you’ve laid out. Is there consistency in the materials? Are they up-to date? Do they project the image you want your customers to see?

In the hustle and bustle of the textile rental business, we often handle each marketing issue as it pops up. Need a brochure? Quick, throw one together. Need more information on your website? Just add a page here and there. Need new business

ARCO/Murray begins construction of new laundry for Montana Linen

BELGRADE, Mont. ARCO/Murray reports it recently broke ground on a new 41,400-square-foot laundry buildto-suit for Montana Linen located here.

Construction began in late May and will finish in December. The new facility will provide additional capacity to support Montana Linen’s rapid growth as it continues to serve local and regional customers in the food and beverage, hospitality, industrial and healthcare markets.

Steve Lane is serving as project manager, and Mike Epperly is the project superintendent.

The new laundry includes a central dock area, mechanical room, upgraded main utilities, new offices, and a combination of new equipment provided by Western State Design and used equipment relocated from the existing laundry.

ARCO/Murray is providing a complete design/build solution including laundry design, architectural and engineering design, permitting, building construction, process mechanical and electrical installation, and final equipment connections.

The is ARCO/Murray’s first project with Montana Linen. ALN

cards? Just order something fast without checking for consistency.

While these may seem to be minor stopgaps, piecemeal changes accumulate over time, diluting your brand and hampering your perception as a market leader. After all, why should someone select you as custodian of their brand when you can’t manage your own?

For starters, when was the last time you took a look at your own logo … a close look? In an industry where independent companies tend to be passed down from generation to generation, has your logo been passed down as well?

If you want your customers to see you as fresh and relevant, your logo needs to represent future potential. Evaluate the imagery you are using and look at it with a fresh set of eyes to make sure that your logo is not too dated, generic or cartoon-like.

Has your primary business changed? Many laundries started out as dry cleaners or something else and evolved over the years. Does your brand represent your current operation? Your prospect is more likely to seek obvious business partners than spend time working to figure out what business is open for.

Once you’ve taken a closer look at your logo, begin to review all the pieces of your “identity package,” including your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, notecards, etc. Make certain each piece has a clear objective and that it complements the other parts of the package.

You want to be sure that employees aren’t stretching your logo or changing the colors in any way. Brand consistency is of the utmost importance; seemingly minor inconsistencies can subtly communicate a lack of reliability and professionalism.

Next, evaluate all the other places where you use your logo—signage, trucks, employee uniforms, brochures, etc. Do they look as if they are coming from the same company? Are they formatted the same?

If you change logos and don’t want to throw all your current materials away instantly, ensure you set a timeline for when you will have completed the change and eliminate all old materials.

Whether you have an internal marketing department or you use an outside agency or consulting firm, any true marketing partner will tell you that first you have to take a true look at who you are and evalu-

ate how you are perceived. That’s the goal of the branding audit.

Next, they’ll work with you to understand where you want to go as a business. How do you want to be perceived? In other words, what is your aspirational brand message, and how do you protect your rental company from entering a mature and stagnant phase in its business lifecycle?

Once you know who you currently are and who you want to be, your marketing team should be able to help build a strategic communication plan to get you there while growing sales along the way. Branding yourself properly means more of your prospective customers will entrust you with helping them protect their own image.

Ironing out your image may take a few top-line dollars, but in every business sector, leaders know it delivers bottom-line results. ALN

Gary Dean is a consultant for Performance Matters, a team of professionals that helps textile rental companies build stronger sales organizations, create and instill better growth strategies, and develop sustainable profitability.

Associations present honors, awards at Clean

NEW ORLEANS — Both the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) and the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) presented honors and awards here during Clean 2019.

TCATA presented John Riddle, president and owner of Riddle & Associates, a plaque and a gift on behalf of all the association’s members, many of whom have exhibited at the Clean Show for many years.

Clean 2019 was Riddle’s final time managing the show since it was purchased by trade show organizer Messe Frankfurt

“It has been an honor to have been associated with the Clean Show for so many years, and I thank everyone for the opportunity to have been a part of it,” says Riddle. “I absolutely could not have accomplished this without all the members of my staff who are, in my opinion, the best in the tradeshow industry. I have made many friends over the years that I will miss very much.”

TCATA also honored three members celebrating anniversaries of their membership in the association.

Ellis Corporation of Itasca, Ill., and M & L Equipment of Akron, Ohio, were presented awards in honor of their 75th anniversaries. Realstar of McDonough, Ga., was honored for 25 years

of membership.

Forenta of Morristown, Tenn., will receive its award for 50 years of membership at TCATA’s annual conference later this summer.

ARTA held its fifth Breakfast at Clean here, and the association says the event provides members and nonmembers the opportunity to enjoy a hot meal and socialize before attending the Clean Show and its offerings.

This year’s event also featured several awards, including the presentation of the Nate Belkin Award for Excellence in Marketing Reusable Textiles. This award is presented biennially to the ARTA member company or member that best exemplifies ARTA’s mission.

Nate Belkin, Ph.D., founded ARTA in 1982 while working for Fashion Seal Healthcare. He passed in 2010.

ARTA President Brendan O’Neill presented the awards, as follows:

2019 Nate Belkin Award—ARTA says Greg Gurtler and Gurtler Industries have provided steady leadership for ARTA as president of ARTA from 2003 to 2005, and as a director for several terms.

It was under the presidency of Greg Gurtler that ARTA first brought in operator members, which expanded ARTA membership. In addition, Gurtler has generously supported ARTA by allowing staff, such as Steve Tinker and Kevin McLaren, to serve on the ARTA board and support ARTA initiatives.

Gurtler Industries is a family-owned chemical manufacturer based in South Holland, Ill. Greg Gurtler is the second generation providing leadership for the company.

VIP Award—The association says Kevin McLaren, a chemist for Gurtler Industries, has played a key role in overseeing the ARTA C. diff study for the past two years.

ARTA Service Award—ARTA presented this award to past director Myles Noel for his past service as a director for the association from 2012 to 2018.

Noel is the CEO of COMTEX (Central Ohio Medical Textile) located in Columbus, Ohio. COMTEX currently serves 34 hospitals and more than 325 ancillary sites by processing 40-plus million pounds of healthcare linen annually.

ARCO/Murray broke ground on the new Montana Linen facility in May. (Photo: ARCO/Murray)

John Riddle (left) with TCATA CEO David Cotter. (Photo: TCATA)

Greg Gurtler (left) accepts the Nate Belkin Award from ARTA President Brendan O’Neill. (Photo: ARTA)

ITSA to host World Textile Services Congress in 2020

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The International Textile Services Alliance (ITSA), a global community of national and regional linen, workwear and textile services associations, will host the World Textile Services Congress (WTSC) June 18-19, 2020, in Frankfurt, Germany, prior to Texcare International.

ITSA says it will build on the success and momentum of WTSC 2016 held in Bruges, Belgium, which attracted nearly 200 linen, uniform and facility services professionals from around the globe.

The World Textile Services Congress will be organized by the following associations who will participate on the program development task force and host respective board of directors meetings on June 18 in conjunction with the Congress:

• De Federatie van de Belgische Textielverzorging (FBT – Belgium)

• Deutscher Textilreinigungs Verband (DTV – Germany)

• Laundry Association of Australia (LAA – Australia)

• Textile Services Association (TSA – United Kingdom)

• TRSA, the Association for Linen, Uniform and Facility Services (North America)

“Our vision is to create a global forum for CEOs and senior executives to exchange information on best practices, market trends and innovations,” says TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. “As the linen, workwear and textile services industry associa-

tion leaders, ITSA participants understand the importance of sharing information on global issues impacting our industry such as improving cleanliness and safety, reducing energy and water consumption, and creating sustainable business practices and processes based on guidelines and standards.”

The WTSC will focus on global issues, including sustainability, safety, workforce development digitalization, as well as regulation and standards.

ITSA says the Congress will kick off with new research on the Demand Sector Outlooks: Global Opportunities for the Textile Services Industry conducted and presented by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the provider of worldwide forecasting and advisory services. The research presentation will focus on site by global region and business sector including a five-year forecast of market sector demand (size, growth rate) and country-specific analysis of opportunities and challenges.

Like WTSC 2016, attendance will be limited to linen, workwear and textile services CEOs, executives and owner-delegates and CEOs/senior executives from sponsoring supplier partners. Current sponsors include JENSEN-GROUP and Pellerin Milnor Corp.

Moving forward, ITSA says the World Textile Services Congress (WTSC) will be held every few years in conjunction with an international linen, workwear and textile services event, such as Texcare International in 2020 in Frankfurt and The Clean Show in

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2023 in Orlando.

In addition, ITSA and its members will work with event organizers such as Messe Frankfurt and the World Educational Congress for Launderers & Drycleaners to develop content for other international conferences and tradeshows.

ITSA also reports launching its new information-sharing, interactive website (www.

itsa-alliance.org) with content and resources contributed and managed by each participating association.

The site will focus on broad, global issues as directed by the subject-matter experts of the respective participating associations such as natural resources, environmental sustainability, digitalization and technology, hygiene and labor. ALN

liked and disliked. Maybe what we initially thought would work and improve our operation, while meeting and talking with the vendors exhibiting at Clean 2019 our opinions changed because we stumbled upon and discovered something better and more efficient.

It is important to get feedback from our team members, as everyone sees something from a different perspective. It is also important that we follow up and make sure the ideas discussed are addressed and determine if they would indeed help our daily operations or hinder them.

Let’s not forget the costs as well and how they will impact our bottom line.

We also want to make sure we align ourselves with vendors that follow up with us as well. Strong relationships lead to successful partners and ultimately growth.

From a vendor perspective, it is imperative that we, too, follow up with our leads and the customers/operators we met at Clean 2019. Good, thorough follow-up leads to strong business relationships and, at times, instant gratification. Good reputable vendors are the key to our success. They bring us the ideas and the solutions to the “what ifs” in our daily operations.

Bottom line here is that good, thorough follow up, both internally and externally, leads to a stronger successful business.

ALN

Onboarding new customers as seamlessly as possible

Key

considerations include contracts, planning, communication

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

NEW ORLEANS — At some point in the life of a laundry/linen service, it will have the chance to service a new customer.

In that instance, two things must occur: a plan and contract must be put in place and the company has to take over service from the old vendor.

The keys to onboarding new customers are operation data and planning. A laundry service has to know everything that’s relevant to onboarding new customers, and it has to be prepared.

Three experts—Liz Remillong, vice president, strategic alliance, Crothall; Nicole Grubich, executive director, West Michigan Shared Hospital Laundry; and Suzy Ward, director of client services, Crothall—presented information to help guide laundry/ linen services through this process in the healthcare market during the educational session Customer

Migration: Be Prepared to be

Successful at the Clean Show here in June.

PRICING, SERVICE PLAN

Remillong started the session by discussing developing the initial phase of a relationship with a customer—gathering information so a laundry/linen service can put together a pricing and service plan.

“Pounds and pieces obviously are important, and if it’s an existing facility with a service provider, they should be able to give you that information,” she says. “But as you know, sometimes they don’t, or they won’t, so the you have to be a little bit creative in how you get that information.”

For pounds processed, that may be as time-consuming as going through physical invoices to calculate poundage, but with all the technology available, there are varying ways to get that information, adds Remillong.

When it comes to pieces, one question to investigate is the client’s product mix, she says. Do

they want rental, customer-owned goods (COG) or some kind of combination?

“You have to deep dive to know how they want it priced and what the expectation on method of delivery is and daily ordering methodology,” Remillong says. Are they going to just order, are they going to be on a flat rate? Are they going to do an inventory, or are they going to use a software

that makes a difference on the accuracy of that order?

“How they’re used to ordering is very important,” she points out. “Your language might not be their language.”

Another factor to determine is the client’s finishing requirements, such as packaging with hangers, plastic wrapped, bundle tied, not bundle tied, bagged, etc.

“It is very important to under-

stand that, because that could make a difference if it’s different from what the norm in your plant is, and you can price accordingly and meet their expectations from that first delivery,” says Remillong. “And delivery requirements is a big one.”

How many times a week does the client expect delivery, and what’s the window of opportunity to deliver and pick up? Where will

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

goods be delivered and picked up? How much time, on average, is the driver going to be at that location?

“It makes a big difference because, as you know, we’re all experiencing challenges with drivers,” shares Remillong. “The rates we’re paying for drivers is going up, and when you look at overtime and benefits for a driver in our business, it’s in excess of as high as 35-plus dollars. So, it makes a difference to understand the driver commitment time right off the bat.”

Other normal factors she shares that laundries need to gather from clients include length of agreement and payment methodology.

Besides what Remillong calls normal, or common, factors a laundry/linen service needs to gather to create a pricing and service plan, there will be other “not so generic” information, especially for acute-care facilities, that will be important.

“How are you going to handle extraordinary increases in your cost and what is included?” she says. “Is it electricity? Is it water? Is it fuel? And, most importantly, is that wages? And how is it defined?

“How’s it going to be measured, and how are you going to be able to pass it on? Obviously, one of the biggest ones for all of us is how loss is handled, and there are a significant number of ways, and

growing, on how to handle that.”

Remillong also points out that service measurables are important. What is important to the customer?

“Is it the fill rate, on-time delivery and quality?” she says. “That list seems to be growing. Right off the bat, you want to know if you’ll have an expense related to that and what their expectations are. Based on that initial feedback, you’ll have a pretty good idea on how that customer is going to be to service.”

The customer may also want to push vendor requirements, such as encouraging the laundry use linen from a certain manufacturer because they have a relationship.

“Is there an expectation that you source your product from a specific vendor for that customer?” Remillong says. “Because that could change the way you do business and how you have to handle those goods through the plant for that customer and may increase price.”

The billing cycle is also key to determine. Will it be weekly? Monthly?

“That may make a difference to you based on how your operation is run,” she points out. “You may be used to billing weekly, but they want monthly, and that may also impact your contract and your pricing.”

Other factors to determine

include penalties, savings credits, service expectations on-site, bundling expectations, reporting expectations and training. She says if it will add an expense, determine that before entering a contract in writing.

Remillong adds that are many “what if” scenarios that should be addressed. For example, laundry/ linen services need to be aware of termination for cause factors: what it is, what it includes and the time period that makes sense.

“Usually it’s just for non-payment, but for how long and how much time do they have?” she points out. “That is important language.”

Remillong also points out there have been lots of mergers and closures, lots of activity in the industry.

“How easy is it for a customer to get out of an agreement?” she says. “They get bought by another entity, which happens quite a bit, is it your expectation that they hold through the term of the agreement? Are they going to use the termination for convenience and you have to make another agreement with the new owner?”

Beyond market changes, Remillong points out many changes take place in the industry that need to be addressed when determining pricing and service.

“They’re in your generic pool

and they’re using your sheet and your towel, but they want a special spread or they want a special gown or special VIP linen and they commit to a volume and all of a sudden six months into it, they’re not using it,” she points out. “What are your options? And are you able to charge the difference again? It comes up a lot, especially if everybody wants something unique.”

Remillong suggests services get customers to commit in writing what the expectation of usage is and what happens if that volume drops to a certain percentage that would impact the laundry’s business.

She also says it’s important to determine early termination penalties.

“If you’ve got a lot of capital involved and you think you have a five-year deal and they want to cancel in year two, how much are you able to recoup should be stated in the agreement,” she shares. “If they leave early, they should know the dollar amount that they have to pay.”

End-of-contract costs should also be determined. This refers the options available to when a client leaves service and not all goods, such as linens and carts, are returned.

“Is there a clear understanding what happens when that contract ends?” she says.

Finally, Remillong discussed a service-resolution plan. What is the process when a customer has an issue? Is it clearly defined, contractually, and what is their expectation? Determine reasonable procedures and timeframes.

To make this information-gathering period as effective as possible, Remillong has several suggestions.

“Ask open-ended questions,” she says. “For example, ‘What do you like best about your current service,’ and then make them talk. What else? What else? What else? So, you’ll find out what’s important to them based on the things that they’re sharing, on the things they like best about their current provider.”

She also recommends asking about what the customer would like to see improved?

“The session is to get them to talk about the things that they have challenges with because that leads right into what are the pain points for you,” Remillong says.

“What does that mean? When this happens to you, is there usually cost or angst or something associated with those issues with service? By doing this, you can understand the current situation, you can identify the problems and hopefully provide a solution

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that doesn’t always come back to price.”

TRANSITION STRATEGY

Then, Grubich and Ward discussed strategies for the actual shift when a laundry/linen service takes over textile services for a healthcare provider, focusing on key points at different phases of the transition process from one linen service to another.

Ninety days out from the transition, Ward says it’s important for a service to get to know the team inside the hospital, in the facility.

“Visit your client and gather as much data as possible,” she recommends. “That’s so critical. So, you’ve got to ask all the right questions. Get to know what their expectations are.”

This information is important to build a transition plan so that the facility has linens readily available as the old company moves out and the new laundry service supplier moves in.

“We actually find out from the client what each unit needs on each bed to create a pack based on that unit and what their needs are,” says Ward. “So, when we go in we just take that pack of your sheets, your pillowcase, and your wash cloths, and we put it on each bed. They’re ensured to have the linen there when they need to get that bed made if they have a patient coming in.

“It just kind of speeds up the process of it while we’re getting those carts filled up.”

Thirty days prior, assign customer service, a strategic account manager who will handle the

account.

“Assign someone who’s going to service the client, who’s going to be your front-line person to get in there and work with these folks and educate them and work with them on learning the linen distribution software,” says Ward.

Also at this time, prior to “install,” she says to confirm the linen to be delivered to the facility. Make sure that everybody at the plant is prepared and the linen is arriving.

“Make sure you communicate every step of the way,” Grubich points out. “It’s so important to hold an open house at the facility for questions and answers. We’re usually given a room somewhere near the lunch room and set up all of our items. Allow those employees to come and see the goods and ask questions.”

She goes on to say that at this time, visit key areas again in the hospital to meet people and figure out where all the linen really is, plus confirm the schedule.

“It’s so important from a customer service perspective that there is communication with operations inside the plant and knowing that this is what we need and this is when we need it,” says Grubich.

She also recommends to start staging the linens, since facilities have limited space.

“Where are we going to fill these carts and get prepared 14 days prior?” Ward adds. “You have to really be thinking ahead where you’re going to put it.”

It’s also important to order more linens than you think you need. In healthcare facilities, employees find a variety of “nooks and crannies” in which to store linens, so, as Remillong points out, if a service is prepared with three par, the actual amount needed to get

the facility up and running will be many times more. A service could be behind before it gets started.

But Grubich points out that starting out, yes, it takes a lot of linens to stock a new customer, but services don’t want to bring it all at once. So, it’s important to bring the linen in stages for the transition.

“When we show up for transition day, there’s five days of a par level there,” she says. “It’s coming throughout the day with the key items that you need. The second day, we send three day’s par, and then the third day, we kind of see where we’re at.”

Ward says four to seven days prior to transition day, set and organize the hospital linen room, get all the details down with the team for questions such as, how will sign-out be handled? Will utilization software be used? Are they trained? How will calls coming in be handled? Is a log being kept on how the information is tracked?

“You want to make sure your linen room is ready with appropriate signage and training,” she says.

Ward goes on to recommend coordinating the transition with the current vendor.

“I’ve had times where you don’t get a lot of information from the previous vendor,” she says. “The more information you can get from them, the better.”

Also, confirm all key contacts are distributed both at the laundry and the client to make sure everybody knows everybody who’s involved.

“Yes, you’re going to have your front line, but everybody’s going to want to know they’ve got a key contact they can reach on the fly,” she says.

Grubich agrees that it’s import to confirm, communicate and check inventory, making sure that

the laundry has all the linen needed for that first-day install.

“That was the No. 1 thing, making sure you had enough linen on time and making sure you were communicating with everyone in your transition,” Ward says. “Your checklist is important.”

Grubich points out that no matter how well prepared a laundry/ linen service is, something will go wrong during the transition. So, have a backup plan for every facet of the transition imaginable.

The day after transition, it’s time to maintain client relations, says Ward. She recommends being on site for questions and potential issues, and to assist with linen orders to the laundry.

“It could be day two to day three, but no later than a week later, start setting up those appointments with your key user areas,” Grubich says. “How are things going?”

She also says this is the time to start monitoring utilization data entry, making sure employees

are entering data correctly. Also review quality standards of linen in terms of the quality produced and what is considered reject linen.

Fourteen days after transition, do a client survey.

“I do a lot of these,” Ward says. “We go out to the floor and we talk to the team. Are you getting the linen you need? How’s the transition going? How’s the quality of work? Continually getting feedback from these folks daily, weekly, monthly. This is the time to have that linen committee meeting.”

The three ended the session noting that creating pricing and service contracts, and creating and implementing a transition plan, involves much more than could be covered in the time allotted. They recommend seeking out detailed tools and checklists.

Still, with planning and communication, laundry and linen services can conduct successful customer migrations. ALN

From left, Liz Remillong, vice president, strategic alliance, Crothall; Nicole Grubich, executive director, West Michigan Shared Hospital Laundry; and Suzy Ward, director of client services, Crothall, share ideas how to transition customers. (Photo: Matt Poe)

Track Career

Shaw appointed president of VEGA Systems USA

OSS, The Netherlands — VEGA Systems B.V., located here, reports it has appointed Jim (James) Shaw as president of its VEGA Systems USA division.

Shaw is a long-time industry veteran with decades of experience, the company says. Through the years, his previous positions with equipment manufacturers in the industry has been instrumental in both the development of equipment offerings and subsequent company growth.

Colmac hires Lindgren for production team

COLVILLE, Wash. — Colmac Industries, a provider of garment finishing equipment, automated soil sorting and counting for the laundry industry, reports it has added Eric Lindgren to its produc-

tion team.

Lindgren is a carpentry professional with an extensive background in residential, commercial and industrial construction. The company says he will be working with the Colmac quality control production team to maintain the high level of excellence Colmac is known for in the industry.

Brower joins Ellis Corp. as sales director of water solutions

ITASCO, Ill. — Ellis Corp. reports it has added Andy Brower as sales director of water solutions. With more than 15 years of water treatment experience, the company says Brower is a pivotal addition to both the sales team and to Ellis overall, augmenting the growing salesforce with his industry knowledge, experience and expertise in fostering ongoing client relationships.

Before joining Ellis, Brower was an account manager and equipment specialist with SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions (formerly GE Power & Water), where he specialized in sales of a variety of water treatment solutions, including membranes, reverse osmosis systems and standard industrial treatment equipment.

Prior to his time with SUEZ, Brower was a sales engineer within the pump division of Flowserve Corp., providing clients with pump applications and engineered pump repair solutions to ameliorate clients’ pump system needs.

He has a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.

Smith joins Gurtler as mgr. market development

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. — Gurtler Industries Inc., a manufacturer of advanced detergents and specialty chemi-

cals for the commercial laundry industry, reports it hired Justin Smith in May.

Smith will be manager of market development in the Virginia area, according to the company. He brings with him five-plus years of experience in the laundry industry.

Penn Emblem hires service director for Western region

MIRA LOMA, Calif. —Penn Emblem Co. shares that Robert Castro is its new service director for the Western region.

With 30 years of sales and service experience, the company says Castro will be supporting customers as the “go to for all service and technical issues.” He was the recipient of numerous sales awards, including Airgas and Star Gas and Gear Co. ALN

As your appetite for knowledge to improve your business grows, give our American Laundry News Podcast a listen. Join Editor Matt Poe as he engages a special guest in one-on-one conversation about the topic of the day. This free channel provides another convenient way for you to gain laundry and linen management information and insight from industry peers and other experts—no muss, no fuss.

CHECK OUT WHAT YOU’VE MISSED:

The Man Behind the Clean Show

Retiring show manager John Riddle talks Clean history and reminisces about his long career, including his time in pro baseball, stadium management, rodeo production, and more with guest host Bruce Beggs.

Automation’s Effect on Laundry Operations

Guest Brian Polatsek, CEO of EcoBrite Linen, talks about the effect of automation on laundry/linen services and what the laundry of the future will look like in terms of equipment, labor and more.

Clean Healthcare Linens and Public Perception

Get an inside look at what healthcare laundries are doing to ensure linen cleanliness and how they can educate the public in the face of negative media reports from Jason Hartsell, director of operations at United Hospital Services.

Shaw

Lindgren

Brower

Smith

Castro

Pellerin Milnor Corp. P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Pellerin Milnor Corp. P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

WSI receives 2019 Green Chemistry Challenge Award from EPA, ACS

LOVELAND, Ohio — Washing Systems (WSI), a provider of products and services to the commercial laundry processing industry, reports it has been recognized again for its TRUpath™ technology. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with the American Chemical Society (ACS), selected Washing Systems to receive the 2019 Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

“As a recipient of this prestigious award, Washing Systems is distinguished at the national level as an innovator in green chemistry,” says Tracy C. Williamson, Ph.D., chief, industrial chemistry branch of the EPA.

In the 22-year history of the Green Chemistry Challenge, the EPA has presented only five awards per year out of more than 1,600 nominations. Previous winners include Dow Chemical, BASF, Sherwin-Williams, Dupont and Cargill.

WSI says it is the first winner of this award from the commercial laundry industry and was recognized, along with three other winners (Merck & Co., Kalion Inc. and Professor Sanjoy Banerjee), at an event on June 10 in Washington, D.C.

“We are both humbled and extremely proud to be selected as a recipient of this award,” says John Walroth, CEO of WSI. “The selection criteria is exhaustive and sets a very high standard. I believe this elevates our entire laundry industry.”

WSI says it has spearheaded the initiative to remove NPEs, phosphates, EDTA and now alkali (sodium hydroxide). WSI has been awarded for TRUpath™ by the Ohio EPA (Platinum Level), National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, and TRSA’s Clean Green Innovation award.

“On behalf of my whole team, I feel extremely privileged to receive this high honor,” says Roy Praechter, vice president of research and development. “As a career development chemist, this is the pinnacle of our field. I have been with WSI almost since the beginning, and it is with great pride I accept this award on behalf of our research and development department and our entire organization.”

Key criteria for this EPA award include being an original technology never used before and that it must be scientifically valid, withstanding the scrutiny of peer review, have proof of validity, and have a mechanism of action clarified by detailed research.

The technology must also offer these three distinct advantages: a practical and cost-effective approach to green chemistry, a remedy to a real environmental or human health problem, and the innovation must be readily transferrable to other processes, facilities, or industry sectors.

“The exciting thing for us is the huge operational and merchandise savings that our customers experience, while at the same time being able to process in a much safer and sustainable environment,” adds Walroth. “Improved cleaning, shorter wash times, less water and energy, longer lasting textiles and Hi-Vis tapes, elimination of acid treatment, and it goes on and on. It is rewarding for our team to have the EPA distinguishing TRUpath™ in this way. The scale of benefits for our customers has exceeded our own expectations.”

Alliance Laundry Systems to acquire distribution assets of Texas-based Commercial Equipment Co.

RIPON, Wis. — Alliance Laundry Systems, a manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment, has reached an

agreement to purchase the distribution assets of Dallasbased Commercial Equipment Co. (CEC). The deal was expected to be finalized for closing in July, the company reports.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas, CEC has a rich history of servicing the Central and North Texas markets, as well as northern Louisiana, since 1967, according to Alliance.

“CEC has long been a leader in their market, and we are delighted by the opportunity this agreement affords Alliance to build on that reputation,” says Mike Schoeb, CEO of Alliance Laundry Systems.

In 2018, CEC was appointed the UniMac distributor for the north Texas and north Louisiana markets, says Alliance. As a Speed Queen distributor, CEC has been prolific in helping investors enter and thrive in the vended laundry business.

While Alliance will acquire the company’s distribution business assets, CEC’s route segment is not included in the purchase agreement. In addition, CEC President Taylor Smith will remain an active part of the business moving forward with Alliance Laundry Systems.

“I am excited by what this announcement means for our loyal customers,” Smith says. “The Alliance acquisition ensures customers who, for decades, have relied on CEC for exceptional service will receive a new level of support that can only be offered by the world leader in commercial laundry.”

Prudential Overall Supply receives VPP STAR from Arizona DOSH

IRVINE, Calif. — The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) Consultation Department presented Prudential Overall Supply with its “STAR Site” designation through the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) on June 12, the company reports.

Companies and jobsites that are awarded the STAR designation demonstrate exemplary and comprehensive safety and health management systems.

ADOSH held a VPP Ceremony at Prudential’s Mesa, Ariz., cleanroom laundry processing plant during which the location was awarded the STAR designation and presented with the VPP plaque and flag.

During the ceremony, Brandon Stowell, compliance assistance specialist supervisor, spoke on the significance of a VPP achievement and its importance to the State of Arizona.

“This is the third time Prudential Overall Supply has been recognized with the STAR designation,” he says. “It’s so important for companies to receive this recognition because they become the model for top safety in the workplace.

Prudential Overall Supply really is a STAR site when it comes to factoring in the health and safety of every employee on the team.”

VPP is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) highest program of recognition across the United States. It recognizes employers and workers in private and federal workplaces who have exemplified effective safety and health management systems. On average a VPP Star worksite has a Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) case rate of 52% below the average for its industry.

To qualify for VPP status, employers must submit an application to OSHA, have at least three consecutive years of incident rates below industry average and undergo an onsite evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals. ALN

Webinar: TRSA’s New Safety & Health Certification Alexandria, Va. Info: 703-519-0029

11-15 TRSA 55th Executive Management Institute (EMI) Hyattsville, Md. Info: 703-519-0029

11-15 TRSA 30th Production Management Institute (PMI) Hyattsville, Md. Info: 703-519-0029

8th Annual Healthcare Conference & Exchange San Diego, Calif. 703-519-0029 21 Association

Webinar: Laundry Models of the Future Richmond, Ky. 859-624-0177

Prudential Overall Supply’s Mesa, Ariz., cleanroom laundry processing plant was awarded the STAR designation and presented with the VPP plaque and flag. (Photo: Prudential Overall Supply)

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