Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine - July/August 2020 by Rankin Publishing

July/August 2020

Suppliers Of Fiber & Filament Remain Bullish Despite Pandemic Challenges Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine

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Wire Suppliers To The Cleaning Industry Navigate The Choppy Waters Of COVID-19

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Broom, Brush & Mop A RANKIN PUBLISHING PUBLICATION

July/August 2020

Volume 110, Number 4

Features

Calendar Of Events

Suppliers Of Fiber & Filament Remain Bullish Despite Pandemic Challenges _________________________6

NOVEMBER 16-19, 2020

Wire Suppliers To The Cleaning Industry Navigating The Choppy Waters Of COVID-19 ________________________26

MARCH 17-20, 2021

2020 SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY _______36 Industry News _____________________54

National Broom, Mop & Brush Meeting Cancelled For 2020 Due To COVID-19

The 2020 National Broom, Mop & Brush Meeting has been cancelled, due to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was recently made by the meetingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cochairmen Andrew Dailey, of the Jones Family of Companies, Humboldt, TN; and Joel Hastings, of Nexstep Commercial Products, Paxton, IL. The annual event, traditionally held in November, has taken place the past several years in St. Louis, MO, and is expected to resume in 2021.

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS ABMA..........................................................................55 American Select Tubing...................................................9 Bizzotto Giovanni Automation ........................................25 Borghi USA ..................................................................29 Boucherie Borghi Group ....................................Back Cover Brush Fibers ..................................................................3 Distribuidora Perfect, S.A. .............................................30 DKSH Switzerland Ltd...................................................13 DuPont Filaments .........................................................11 Ebser...........................................................................35 Filkemp .......................................................................17 Gordon Brush Mfg. Co. Inc. ...........................................37 H. Arnold Wood Turning, Inc..............................Front Cover Jones Companies ............................................................7 Loos & Co. Inc .............................................................32

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Madison Steel ..............................................................34 Mill-Rose .....................................................................23 Monahan Partners.........................................................20 PelRay International........................................................2 Perlon..........................................................................15 PMM ...........................................................................18 Royal Paint Roller .........................................................33 Ruifeng Brushes ...........................................................31 St. Nick Brush Co.........................................................10 Stainless Steel Products ................................................27 Taihing Nylon ...............................................................19 WÃ¶hler Brush Tech GmbH..............................................24 Wolf Filaments ...............................................................5 WOMA .........................................................................21

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

FIBER & FILAMENT

SUPPLIERS OF

REMAIN BULLISH DESPITE PANDEMIC CHALLENGES By Harrell Kerkhoff | Broom, Brush & Mop Editor

Natural and synthetic fiber and filament are key ingredients in the production of brushes and brooms. Fiber/filament comes from different raw material sources and features various sizes, colors and characteristics. Due to the importance of fibers and filaments, demand often remains quite high throughout many regions of the world. Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine recently interviewed several well-known suppliers/manufacturers of fibers and filaments to learn how their businesses have fared thus far in 2020, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DuPont Filaments

uPont Filaments has been involved for over 80 years in producing synthetic filaments that enable brush manufacturers to address emerging trends and evolving consumer expectations. “We offer a diverse portfolio of nylon and polyester filaments. They are tailored to address the needs of toothbrush (manual, power, interdental, etc.), cosmetic brush (nail, mascara, powder, etc.), industrial abrasive brush (deburring, polishing, floor care, etc.) and paintbrush manufacturers,” John Hackney, Americas business manager - Filaments, DuPont Transportation & Industrial, said. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, commonly referred to as DuPont, was founded in 1802 as a producer of gun powder, and has transformed many times over its 200-plus-year history. The most recent transformation occurred on June 1, 2019, when the company launched as DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DuPont). The new DuPont began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol DD. Among the company’s well-known inventions are: Vespel®, neoprene, nylon, Corian®, Teflon®, Mylar®, Kevlar®, Zemdrain®, M5 fiber, Nomex®, Tyvek®, Sorona®, Corfam, Lycra®, Tynex®, Chinex®, and Orel®.

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Relating to the brush industry, the company’s first commercial filament production began in Arlington, NJ, in 1938. In 1948, the filaments plant was moved to Parkersburg, WV, and since then has expanded several times. Outside of the United States, the company started toothbrush filament production in Hilcote, England, and later moved that production to Landgraaf, The Netherlands. It John Hackney also has manufacturing facilities in Madurai, India, and Wuxi, China, commencing, respectively, in 1996 and 2004. When asked for the current status of the overall filament business at DuPont, Hackney stated 2020 has been a very challenging year, thus far, given the COVID-19 pandemic. “The first four months of the year were very strong for DuPont Filaments. As with many businesses, however, we saw demand decline in the late second quarter and early third quarter. There were significant reductions in certain industrial abrasive BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

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applications,” Hackney said. “Demand for Tynex® A abrasive filaments declined due to shutdowns and slowdowns in the automotive and aerospace industries. “The oral care market also experienced declines during that period. In North America, a significant number of toothbrushes are sourced by dental professionals. The American Dental Association recommended closure of U.S. dentist offices during the first few months of the pandemic. That resulted in decreased demand for oral care products. Consumer demand for cosmetic applicators also decreased during the same period.” On a positive note, Hackney said the North American

paintbrush market has remained fairly stable during the pandemic. He attributed that, in part, to an

increase in do-it-yourself projects, as many people have spent more time at home. He added that DuPont Filaments has remained customerfocused throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our manufacturing sites are considered essential. Manufacturing has continued throughout the pandemic. Procedures have been implemented at our sites to ensure employee safety. DuPont’s global supply chain personnel have also worked closely with our suppliers, ensuring a reliable and consistent flow of raw materials,” Hackney said. “We’ve been able to service our customers without disruptions. DuPont Filaments will maintain its discipline and continue planning and preparing in the event of a second wave of coronavirus. “During the third quarter, we are starting to see recovery take place in some of our key segments. While demand

decreases were dramatic and occurred suddenly, the recovery is occurring gradually. However, DuPont

Filaments’ capabilities in polymer science and materials processing — combined with its operational capabilities and global market access — ensure the company is well positioned to support the recovery.” Hackney added that DuPont invented nylon, and was the first company to use the material as a filament. That deep-rooted knowledge in polymer science, and backward integration into polymerization, provides the company with the ability to design the product at a fundamental level, and deliver functionalities and attributes beyond colors, shapes and sizes. “We are proud of our product quality and being a truly global filament supplier. That enables us to provide consistent, high-quality products and stable supply to customers all over the world,” Hackney said. “Moreover, other businesses within the DuPont corporation participate directly in the automotive, electronic, consumer and other industrial value chains. That unparalleled network allows our team to stay informed and ahead of the curve in designing offerings, which are aligned with emerging market needs and trends. Empowered with those capabilities, we are able to tell our customers, ‘Your brush deserves the best filaments.’” Hackney explained that some of DuPont Filaments’ customers are becoming, if not already, global players. In addition to stringent product requirements, they need sophisticated supply-chain solutions, sometimes tailored to specific countries or regions, to work with their production and channel requirements. “That is globalization. Since DuPont is a global company, we are experienced in multinational operations, and we can efficiently fulfill customer needs,” he said. “Meanwhile, our sales force and technical support teams are spread across the United States, PG 8

Europe, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and South America. That depth allows us to provide better on-time service to customers on the ground.” Sustainable options are also important. With greater access to information, ever-widening choice of goods and more opportunities to share their experiences, Hackney explained that, on a daily basis, consumers are becoming more

demanding, and expecting greater functionality from the products they use, as well as the brands with which they are associated. Sustainability, therefore, is a key topic in almost every discussion.

“There are more customers asking for materials that conform with various global regulatory standards. Innovation thus becomes a critical differentiator for companies producing high-end synthetic filaments,” Hackney said. “We remain optimistic about the various markets that our company works in on a global basis, and are focused on implementing advanced science and research behind each type of product we offer.” Contact DuPont Filaments in North America at 1-800-635-9695, through email at dupont.filaments@dupont.com, or by visiting www.filaments.dupont.com.

Perlon/Hahl Inc.

eporting on the current synthetic filament marketplace is global provider Perlon®, which is made up of five individual limited companies, located on three continents. That includes Hahl Inc., of Lexington, SC. All five businesses come with decades of experience in the extrusion of synthetic filaments, according to Andrew McIlroy, sales & marketing director, of Perlon’s Hahl Range. “Overall, Perlon operates from five locations in Germany, the United States and China. Our portfolio incorporates an extremely diverse range of products, for almost any industrial application,” McIlroy said. “We extrude mostly main-stream engineering polymers (polyamide, polyester, polypropylene) as well as specialty polymers including PPS, PEEK, PVDF and POM. “Perlon’s filaments are used in hundreds of brush applications for industry, personal care, dental Andrew McIlroy care and in the home. Our range of spooled monofilaments is used to manufacture technical textiles for automotive, filtration, conveyor belting and paper machine clothing (PMC) segments, as well as in consumer applications (fishing line, tennis racket string, grass trimmer). “For the brush industry, Perlon’s abrasive filament range features Abralon, Abrafil® and our new high-heat AbraMaXX®. We are seeing all of those products in high demand throughout the world.” McIlroy added that Perlon’s product quality, flexibility and innovation have all stood the test of time, and have helped the company remain a leader in its field. He credits Perlon’s strength in

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

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the brush industry to its name and reputation for providing high quality products, and a high level of technical and customer service. “We offer the largest product range in the industry, much of it from stock, but we are also capable of making pretty much any extruded filament, as long as the polymer is part of our range,” he said. “Our standard range in abrasive and non-abrasive filaments from stock enables us to meet customer demands for small volumes with short lead times. That helps our customers gain, and supply, more orders.” In November 2018, Perlon completed construction and opened a new manufacturing site in Haining, China, according to McIlroy. The company now has production to support its monofilament PMC-market segment. McIlroy commented further on the 2020 marketplace business climate. “As with most businesses, starting in March of this year, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic did interrupt what started out to be a very successful 2020. Since then, business worldwide has been negatively impacted by the shutdown of many of our focus markets, including automotive, aerospace, agriculture, industrial and technical — just to name a few,” he said. “However, we are starting to

see an increase in our business segments. They are still not back to budgeted levels, but there is an improvement taking place.

“Hopefully, by the start of 2021, we will be able to pick up on the business climate where we left off at the start of 2020.” Contact: Hahl Inc., 126 Glassmaster Rd., Columbia, SC 29072. Phone: 803-359-0706. Email: info.lex@perlon.com. Website: www.perlon.com.

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AST Filaments

f there has ever been a time in business impossible to forecast, it’s been the first half of 2020. That has certainly been the case for companies involved in the global fiber/ filament marketplace. “Due to COVID-19, our filament business has fluctuated in ways that no one could’ve possibly predicted,” AST Filaments Sales Manager Dustin Maninfior said. “We’ve seen an increase in demand for many of the commodity fibers typically used in cleaning, and decreases in demand for fibers used in industrial applications. COVID19 has sharply divided our customer base. Many are doing Dustin Maninfior extremely well, and we have to work diligently to keep up with their demands. Others are struggling to get by. Therefore, we have to be mindful of their situations, and do our best to accommodate and help them through today’s difficult times. “Overall, business so far has been stable this year. Fortunately, our partnerships with Filkemp and Plasticfibre have remained strong, and shipments have been uninterrupted. Accurately predicting what our customers will demand in the

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

YOUR BRU Y USH DESEERVES T BE THE BEST EST T FILA FILAMEN AM MEN NTS

near future is challenging, but we have stocking programs in place for many of them. That provides a cushion for when there are sudden fluctuations.” AST Filaments, located in Mattoon, IL, is a division of American Select Tubing (AST), which was founded in 2012. From 2012 to 2016, AST strictly produced metal handles for use in household, commercial and lawn/garden applications. AST acquired Carolina Filaments in 2016, and began offering both abrasive and non-abrasive mono-filaments, in addition to its handle products. Today, AST Filaments offers such items as abrasive nylon filaments with SiC, AO, ceramic and diamond grits, as well as all types of nylon, polyester, polypropylene, SAN, styrene and polyethylene filaments. The company’s items are used in the industrial, floorcare, agricultural, automotive, food service and jan/san industries. “AST Filaments is now offering Filkemp’s agricultural monofilaments to customers in the United States. That is in addition to an extensive catalog of other Filkemp products that we have been distributing since first partnering with the company in February 2016,” Maninfior said. “AST Filaments will be assuming its representation (of the agricultural monofilaments) from Wire and Cable Specialties, Inc., of Coatesville, PA. “Agrofilaments are high tenacity polyester or polyamide (nylon) filaments with diameters from .070” to .118”. In agriculture, they can be used to replace metal wire, cover greenhouses, support fabrics, provide trellising for fruit vines and fence livestock. The AgroPET filaments, or F580 (made of nylon), are sold in spools and are often used as guidelines and cable pulls.” Along with providing a wide variety of products, Maninfior attributes the success of AST Filaments to it employees and customer service offerings. “At AST, what makes our organization strong is its people. Without great employees, suppliers and management personnel, we would be a much different company. The team that we have today is dependable, and will keep us strong for generations to come,” Maninfior said. “Prompt and friendly customer service has also been an area that we pride ourselves on. Our customers know they can rely on us to help them through whatever challenges that are ahead.” Despite the current realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maninfior is bullish on the future of the brush industry.

Monahan Filaments

emand for synthetic filaments has held up reasonably well in certain areas of the brush industry, despite the challenges brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to Monahan Filaments Vice President of Sales Tom Vichich. “Although there are some areas of the brush industry where we are seeing less demand, due to the pandemic, our company has stayed busy,” Vichich said. “Some areas of the cleaning products market have slowed due to COVID-19, as many large facilities had to close. When closed, they don’t need to be cleaned as often. That trend, however, appears to be slowly reversing itself. It helps that most automotive factories Tom Vichich have reopened, increasing the need for brushes.” Located in Arcola, IL, Monahan Filaments is a producer of synthetic materials for the brush and other industries. Among the items provided by the company are: nylon 6, nylon 6.6, nylon 6.10 and nylon 6.12 — sold under the WYTEX® brand; PBT filament, sold under the PLYER® X brand; polyethylene filament, sold under the PEX® brand; polypropylene filament, sold under the PROSTRAN® brand; polystyrene and SAN filaments, sold under the Durastran® brand; and PET and PPS filaments. Those products are used in brush and non-brush applications for such market segments as: industrial, oral care, construction, food service, janitorial, paint, agriculture, automotive and cosmetic. Vichich said that officials at Monahan Filaments have been successful working around delays, due to the pandemic, when it comes to receiving raw materials needed to produce its products. “There have been intermittent issues with raw material shortages, but those issues to starting to ease. Our resin suppliers currently seem to be in good shape, with no projected major disruptions,” Vichich said. “Fortunately, we keep enough products in our inventory to help carry us through such shortages.” Another challenge officials at Monahan Filaments have been addressing during today’s “new normal” business activity, due to the pandemic, is how to properly communicate with clients. “Nobody is traveling right now. There has been a lack of faceto-face meetings for obvious reasons,” Vichich said. “Therefore,

“Being considered an essential business gives me great confidence that brush making will remain strong. This industry has been forced to adapt to many changes in the we have worked to communicate with custpast, and I believe will successfully do the omers in other ways. Consistent and open same in the future,” he said. “I’m also confident about communication with customers has been very the future of AST Filaments. Our partnerships with Filkemp important for Monahan Filaments in the past, and Plasticfibre are as strong as ever. That will allow us to and that will continue, even if we can’t directly continue providing quality products and superior customer meet with one another. service for years to come, at a level our customers have come to expect.” Contact AST Filaments LLC at 217-234-7300, send an email to dustinm@astfilaments.com, or visit www.astfilaments.com. PG 12

“We also work hard to acknowledge our shipping dates within 48 hours. It’s important to keep in mind that most of our items are customized. Our quality response system is very robust.” As for the rest of 2020, Vichich said he remains optimistic, despite continual national and international uncertainties brought about by the pandemic. BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

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“Our customer base has remained steady. We haven’t seen a lot of movement, although there have been some consolidations take place within the industries we serve,” he said. “Sales of our filaments used in toothbrush production have been strong all year. The same is true for filaments used in the making of certain cleaning brushes.

“I think end-users are becoming more sensitive to how long they want to keep older brushes around, thus increasing the need for new brush production. That speaks well for the future.” Contact: Monahan Filaments, LLC, 215 Egyptian Trail, Arcola, IL 61910. Toll free: 888-833-1097; Phone: 217-268-4957. Email: info@monahanfilaments.com. Website: www.monahanfilaments.com.

PelRay International Co.

t’s been a roller coaster year thus far in 2020 for many businesses involved in the fiber/filament segment, including PelRay International, located in San Antonio, TX. The company is a natural and synthetic fiber/filament supplier that dates 100-plus years, and has experienced many industry-related ups and downs through the decades. “The year started out just fine for us. It wasn’t until mid-March before things really shut down (due to the COVID-19 pandemic),” PelRay International President Bart Pelton said. “New orders dried up by late March, and April was very slow. Since then, however, the U.S. economy has started to open up. Business improved for us in May, June and July. “There are some parts of the (brush, broom and mop) industry, however, that haven’t fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Many of our customers sell products commercially to such places as restaurants, theaters, bars, convention centers and schools. A lot of those venues are not operating at full capacity, if Bart Pelton they are open at all. It’s still very unclear how many schools will be open across the nation. If a lot of schools do open, that will be good for the cleaning industry, since those schools will be cleaned carefully and frequently. “On the supply side, for the most part, many of our suppliers have been allowed to operate (during the pandemic). Some of them did shut down briefly, for maybe a month or so, but most did not. Disruptions to our company’s supply chain have been minimal.” It was announced in 2019 that Brush Fibers, Inc., had acquired PelRay International. PelRay continues to operate from its existing location in San Antonio, as a division of Brush Fibers, with its current management and sales team remaining in place. Natural fibers that have long been supplied by PelRay International include broom corn, yucca fiber (also known as bear grass), African broom grass, tampico and palmyra fiber. “At the moment, there hasn’t been much change taking place in the market as far as natural fibers are concerned. There isn’t

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a lot of broom corn, yucca fiber or African grass being sold in the United States and Canada right now, as most natural broom manufacturing currently takes place in Mexico. However, we still sell a fair amount of broom corn to broom crafters located in the United States and Canada,” Pelton said. “There is

also a growing market for broom corn by hunters who build duck blinds. We have even started carrying a special length of broom corn for those making the blinds.”

The majority of broom corn used in North America is grown in the Torreon region of northern Mexico. Pelton said that this year’s first Torreon harvest, which took place in July, was fairly small. “Broom corn prices haven’t gone up much in the past several years, yet the expense remains for spraying the crop against aphids. All of that makes the growing of other crops in Mexico more attractive,” he explained. “The other reason for the small broom corn crop is the lack of strong demand. Plus, there is a fair amount of carry-over broom corn still available from previous years.” Another material often used in the production of natural brooms is yucca fiber, which is harvested in parts of Mexico and the southwestern United States. Like broom corn, the U.S. yucca fiber market has decreased over the years, but the fiber is still popular among Mexican broom makers. “The typical ‘corn’ broom from Mexico right now can be up to 80 percent or more yucca fiber,” Pelton said. “In fact, some natural fiber brooms don’t even contain broom corn. They are comprised of 100 percent yucca fiber, or in some cases, yucca fiber and African grass. They don’t sweep as well, but the price is right for many people. One result of so much yucca fiber being used in today’s ‘corn’ brooms is that the demand for broom corn is not as great as in past years.” PelRay International is also a longtime importer of natural and black-dyed tampico fiber from Mexico, used to make such products as push brooms and scrub brushes, as well as palmyra fiber from India, which comes in both unshredded stalks and prime stiff oiled fiber. The stalks are used in corn broom production, while the oiled fiber is used to produce such items as push brooms and scrub brushes. “The tampico market is famous for running either hot or cold. It seems we either are sold out of tampico for six months, or we don’t have any orders. However, we are currently in one of those unusual time periods where supply and demand for tampico is pretty even,” Pelton said. On the synthetic filament side of business, PelRay International supplies PVC, polypropylene and PET, all which can be used to manufacture many types of cleaning-related products. “Much of our PVC fiber, which we import from Italy, is used to produce floor and counter brushes, as well as push brooms,” PelRay International Sales Manager David McGee said. “Most of the PVC fiber we sell is gray, but we do have some reddish fiber as well. Our PVC fiber suppliers in Italy were pretty much shut down for a couple of months during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. It was almost a total shutdown of the entire industry, but they are back on their feet. We make it a practice to order ahead, and usually have about a year’s supply on hand for our customers. “We also have available polypropylene fiber, which PelRay International is now able to obtain from Monahan Filaments. That fiber is often purchased by institutional customers, such as prisons and the industries for the blind. They make cleaning products used in government offices.” Meanwhile, the reprocessed PET that PelRay International sells BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

is thick fiber that comes from Mexico and is often used to make plastic brooms, McGee added. One big plus for producers, suppliers and buyers of synthetic filament has been the low price of crude oil for much of 2020. Petroleum plays a key role in the production of many types of synthetic filament.

“Overall, pricing for synthetic filament has been stable due, in part, to the low cost of oil, which hit rock bottom in 2020,” McGee said. Contact: PelRay International Co., 4712 Macro, San Antonio, TX 78218. Email: bart@pelray.com. Phone: 210-757-4640. Website: www.pelray.com.

Brush Fibers, Inc.

roviding natural fibers and animal hair for brush and broom production continues to be the main focus at Brush Fibers, Inc., an Arcola, IL-based supplier of tampico, palmyra, coco, arenga, bassine, hog bristle, horse hair and all types of mixes. Brush Fibers also supplies foam and solid plastic brush blocks as well as stapling wire. The company has multiple warehousing facilities in North America and a centralized headquarters in Arcola, which is located in central Illinois. In addition, Brush Fibers can combine orders with sister company, Monahan Fila-ments (also located in Arcola), to reduce shipping costs for customers. Brush Fibers acquired PelRay International in April 2019, adding to its diverse lines and multiple shipping locations in San Antonio, TX, Los Angeles, CA, and Georgia. “We provide one-stop shopping opportunities between all companies,” Brush Fibers President Chris Monahan said. “Warehouse space has also been increased in Arcola to better hold blanket orders.” Chris Monahan Monahan added that this helps customers better meet the challenges brought on by foreign competition. Brush Fibers’ product lineup also includes hog bristle. The company is the exclusive North American distributor of that bristle for DKSH Brush & Apparel Ltd., of Zurich, Switzerland. “Hog bristle is mainly used to make paintbrushes and some specialty items. We have a warehouse in New Jersey for that bristle,” Monahan said. “Hog bristle fits in well with Brush Fibers’ current lineup, and DKSH has decades of experience sourcing bristle from the very best facilities in China. We also have the leadership of Ian Moss, who manages our bristle department.” Various natural fiber materials provided by Brush Fibers are used to make brush and broom products designed for different market segments, such as retail, household, janitorial/sanitary and industrial. Those products include angle and push brooms as well as car wash and industrial brushes. “Business at Brush Fibers was steady prior to COVID-19. Natural

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fibers is a mature market, however, and under pressure from imported finished brushes,” Monahan said. “A consistent policy of efficiently shipping products within 24 hours, and keeping a large stock of inventory at competitive prices, provides additional opportunities for our company. “I believe customers appreciate that effort, which includes our ability to place quite a few different orders in one shipment to save on freight costs. Customers are also able to call us anytime with questions or service needs. We work quickly to solve problems.” As a domestic fiber supplier, Monahan said he sees encouraging signs within the industry. That is partly due to certain U.S. manufacturers focusing more on purchasing raw materials “at home.” “The gap between the United States and overseas is getting smaller, especially with the recent pandemic, which has created havoc with supply chains,” Monahan said. “Our large inventory in the United States, and ability to ship immediately, helps a lot of our customers in a pinch, when materials are quickly needed. “In addition, we are able to take blanket orders and hold stock. That has been welcomed during these uncertain times, as we have worked with our customers to help them manage inventory. They can be confident that they will have their materials when needed.” Monahan added: “There continues to be challenges, but hopefully brighter days are ahead for everybody. The

growth of our company mostly tracks the U.S. brush manufacturing industry. U.S. brush companies seem to be more than holding their own against foreign competition, and the economy shows signs of improving. ‘Made in the USA’ is popular again.” Contact: Brush Fibers, Inc., 202 N. Oak St., Arcola, IL 61910. Phone: 217-268-3012. Email: chris@brushfibers.com. Website: www.brushfibers.com.

PMM

MM continues to focus on the production of syntheticallyengineered plastic monofilaments. Those products are made from various types of nylon (6, 6 plus, 6.6 and 6.12), polyester (PBT), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). They are available in a wide range of calibers, profiles and colors, according to PMM Sales Manager Dennise Silva. She reported that the company’s best sellers are nylon filaments for such major markets as toothbrush, cosmetic brush and medical application brush production. “Overall, business at PMM in 2020 continues to keep us busy,” Silva said. The different monofilaments available from PMM, which is located in Mexico City, Mexico, are mainly used to make toothbrushes as well as interdental, cosmetic and medical brushes; and for industrial brush applications. “We work hard to serve differing markets with our traditional combination of excellent quality, good service and competitive pricing,” Silva said. The company’s product line continues to grow and develop. That is due, in part, to the flexibility of PMM representatives as they adapt to customers’ new specifications, according to Silva. She added that PMM uses a specific sales policy that enhances its operation.

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

Working together for new solutions

Custom Made

ABRASIVE FILAMENTS Round or Flat Profile • Grit Sizes of 36 up to 4000 From 0.25 mm (0.010 in) to 3.00 mm (0.120 in) Diameters Level or Crimped Filaments • Cuts, Spools or Hanks Cuts from 44 mm (1.73 in) to 1405 mm (55.31 in) In a Broad Variety of Colors • SiC, AO, Ceramic or Diamond Grit

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PMM USA Sales Team: Karen, Dennise, Anahi and Rocio

“Punctual deliveries and strong service are key factors to our success,” she said. “Even though PMM was founded in 1976, the company is full of young people. They bring new ideas, and have helped us evolve into an innovation and creativity center. Included is an impeccable sense of quality and an international perspective. “The combination of quality products, good service and fair prices has helped PMM prosper. We are also in the process of

increasing the company’s production capacity. There is always a desire to offer customized products to our customer base. Nothing is standard at PMM.”

A key element in the company’s corporate culture, Silva explained, is a strong drive for joint achievement with customers. “That partnership is the ‘secret ingredient’ that transforms ‘good’ into ‘outstanding,’” Silva said. “PMM has demonstrated to our customers that they can trust us. We are here to help with their R&D projects, and to support them everyday with a smile, consistent service and the quality of our products. “Many U.S. companies involved in the different industries we serve (toothbrushes, cosmetic brushes and industrial brushes) are adding products to their catalogs. In response, PMM remains focused on providing shorter lead times, and helping customers with their new product developments.” Contact Proveedora Mexicana de Monofilamentos (PMM) at the company’s toll free line for the United States and Canada: 1-877-202-9320. E-mail: pmm@pmm-mex.com. Website: www.pmmbrightline.com.

PMM Quality Assurance Team: Jimena, Nora and Alejandra

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BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

Filkemp

uppling products that are specifically tailored to each customer’s needs has been a long-standing objective at Filkemp, a producer of nylon-based abrasive brush filaments, as well as filaments used in other industries. “We are finding that standard filaments containing SIC grit are still in the highest demand. However, filaments with either diamond or special aluminum oxide grits are gaining marketshare,” Filkemp Product Manager of Abrasive Filaments Eva Kerekes said. Filkemp was founded in 1998 as a spin-off from a monofilaments department set up in the 1970s as a subsidiary of the Eva Kerekes multinational Hoechst AG, in its day a world leader in chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Filkemp’s founder and long-time president, the late Wolf-gang Kemper, was sent to Portugal in 1964 to manage Hoechst Portugal. Kemper grew the company into an industrial conglomerate, with activities in a wide range of fields, including the production of monofilaments, and having over 1,200 employees. In 1998, when Hoechst decided to spin off all non-core businesses in order to focus only on life sciences, Kemper and two other managers of the monofilament business unit decided to go ahead with an MBO (management-buy-out) of that unit. The following years proved to be very successful, as the company entered new business

areas, producing all types of filaments. Kerekes said Filkemp currently holds a global leading position in the production of PET, PA6, PA610, PA612 and various combinations of special polymers and copolymers, which act as a base in the production of technical polymers for the paper industry, conveyor belts and industrial filtration, abrasive brushes, recreational and commercial fishing products, tennis racket strings, mooring lines, agricultural items and, most recently, filaments for 3D printing. “Competitiveness and excellence of products, combined with our flexible service, are the keys to the close and long-lasting relationships that Filkemp has enjoyed with clients around the world,” Kerekes said. “We work hard to match a client’s needs and expectations with the right products.

“We are committed to extending our product portfolio even further, in order to provide a wider scale of products for our clients. With our company’s

solid team and financial structure, Filkemp representatives remain committed to continuing the growth of the business with quality products and services.” Contact: Filkemp, Rua Francisco Lyon de Castro, 28 2725-397 Mem Martins, Portugal. Phone: +351 219 229 410. E-mail: geral@filkemp.com. Website: www.filkemp.com.

Shenzhen Tide/WOLF Filaments

stablished in 2007, Shenzhen Tide Filaments Co., Ltd., located in Shenzhen, China, produces global abrasive brush filaments under the WOLF Filaments name. The company’s filaments and applications are classified under the following four categories: n SCF (Super Cleaning Filaments): Used in the manufacture of household abrasive cleaning brushes designed for rapid friction, dirt removal and polishing; n OAF industrial abrasive filaments: Used to produce finishing, polishing and deburring industrial abrasive brushes; n DAF (Diamond Abrasive Filaments): Designed for faster and better grinding brush capabilities; and, n COVER abrasive filaments: Designed for the tips of grinding brushes that clean surfaces. “Due to COVID-19, China’s annual holiday in 2020 was extended by a month as a measure to quarantine and block infection. That was done to get China’s production, economy and life back to normal,” WOLF Filaments General Manager Sally Lee said. “Due to the pandemic, we have seen demand for industrial abrasive brushes decrease by 20 percent, while the demand for BBQ abrasive brush material has increased by about 50 percent. “WOLF’s BBQ brush filaments are mainly exported to Europe and the United States, as more consumers there are choosing to eat at home, and hence, are spending more to update their kitchenware.” • Order Od der with wiiith th attached a ched ch d According to Lee, WOLF continues to serve rubber berr blade b ade e for or upgrade! grrade de industries seeking different abrasive and other brush filaments. MADE E IN USA “Through our research on working principles and technical characteristics based on specific case

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BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

studies, we select and use advanced abrasives and highquality nylon to produce quality and affordable abrasive brush filaments,” she said. “WOLF’s SCF filaments designed for cleaning-brush production, for example, show broad potential and allow space for market development. Roughness at the end of the brush filament is greatly increased, compared to pure nylon yarn, increasing Sally Lee contact friction during brushing. That helps improve the cleaning process. “The roughness of the brush wire enhances the cleaning and descaling functions of the brush filament. According to the needs of the application, the appropriate roughness or friction removal ability can be achieved by using grits with different thicknesses, and/or increased grit content. Therefore, we believe that

industrial cleaning and descaling can be applied to civilian brushes to remove heavy dirt and scale deposits, which provides a wide range of possible applications. Those include the cleaning of

floors, bathrooms, garbage cans, shoe soles, etc.” Regarding the tufting of those special filaments, despite any increase in equipment abrasion and the slower production speeds, Lee said it is possible to tuft abrasive filaments in large quantities and high efficiency by replacing wear-resistant tufting machine parts. “Accordingly, consumers will be happy to pay for the quality cleaning brushes to compensate for added costs,” Lee said. “In addition, for the application of industrial abrasive brushes, we have provided greater focus on the aspects of polishing and deburring metal surfaces.” Thus, the following new materials have been introduced: n Z1.SIC / Z2.SIC — These primary and secondary enhanced silicon carbide brush filaments offer more than a 30 percent increase in abrasive and removal capabilities, Lee said; and, n A series of GA, enhanced with AO grits — Used to grind and polish metal surfaces, such as aluminum and copper. When using enhanced brush filaments, Lee said it is important to assess and mitigate the parameters involved: e.g. grinding hours, brush filament depths, support and back pressure relief, lower speeds of revolution, etc. “An engineering principle follows that if the end-face of the brush filament is rougher/sharper, then shorter working hours, faster processing and/or low-speed precision abrasion must be allowed for, thus achieving greater wear resistance, longer service life and larger volumes processed,” Lee said. Contact: Shenzhen Tide Filaments Co., Ltd./WOLF Filaments. Visit www.tidesz.com or send email to sallylee@tidesz.com for more information.

Tai Hing Nylon Filament Prod. Co., Ltd.,

aking available a wide variety of synthetic filaments to a growing number of customers and industries remains a major focus of Tai Hing Nylon Filament Products Co., Ltd., located in Hong Kong, China. “Tai Hing provides a diverse assortment of plastic filaments that

M PG 22

include different colors and functional elements to meet different needs,” Tai Hing Sales Manager Peter Pang said. “At present, Tai Hing’s product portfolio exceeds 4,300 items, used in over 12 industries. With 35 years of in-depth knowledge pertaining to plastic monofilaments and their applications, Tai Hing is capable of producing a wide range of items that come with different features and functions — and on a large scale.” Among the company’s filaments are nylon, PBT, PET, PP, PS, PE, PPS and PEEK. They are made by processing polymers obtained from petrochemical or plant sources, from suppliers located in Europe, the United States, Japan and other parts of the world. Tai Hing’s most popular filaments include: n Nylon fine filaments: According to Pang, the company’s nylon series monofilament products are among its most competitive. Nylon fine filaments with a diameter of less than 0.12mm, as well as Nylon 612 and Nylon 610 fine filaments, are used in the production of such products as high quality toothbrushes, makeup brushes and nail polish brushes. Peter Pang Softness, flexibility and bending resilience are among the key characteristics of those filaments.

“As the living standards of many people grow, so to do their requirements for better personal care and household cleaning products,” Pang said. “They are

not as satisfied with conventional products and accessories, but rather are interested in pursuing innovative items that provide higher quality and higher cleaning efficiency. It’s therefore important that we, at Tai Hing, properly respond to those growing needs and demands.” n PP brush filaments: “Our PP filaments possess excellent mechanical properties, low water absorption and good chemical stability,” Pang said. “PP monofilaments are suitable for road sweeping brushes, snow sweeping brushes and other cleaning and sanitary brushes. The abrasion resistance of our PP brush filaments has been recognized by customers in such places as Korea, the United States, Italy and Australia.” n Antibacterial brush filaments: Pang said such filaments are produced with raw materials that meet ROHS, REACH, FDA and other standards. “Compared to organic antibacterial agents, the halogen-free feature of our filaments allows direct contact with the skin,” he added. “Tai Hing’s antibacterial brush filaments feature stable antibacterial properties. The filaments are used to produce fruit and vegetable cleaning brushes, medical cleaning brushes, etc.” n Tapered filaments: Tai Hing’s tapered filaments are designed to deep-clean in hard-to-reach areas, and feature soft and resilient characteristics. That leads to better cleaning results, Pang said. “They also have good absorbing and liquid-releasing capabilities, allowing painting products to be more efficient. Our tapered filaments are used in the oral cleaning, beauty, building decoration and other industries,” he added. “Those filaments have been supplied for a long time to markets located in Japan, Taiwan, Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe.” Other popular types of brushes that use filaments provided by Tai Hing are: n Industrial brushes — Used in a wide range of industrial BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

Expertise e 100 Y Years ears in the Ma Making. aking. It all startedd a century ago in a small store in Cleveland, Ohio. From this humble humble beginning we have grown to become the largest U.S. US manufacturer of twisted-wire brushes. Mill-Rose has set the standard for quality, performance, and innovation in brush technology for the past 100 years. We design, engineer, and manufacture standard and custom brushes in any quantity, and our expertise is second-to-none. Choose from thousands of standard and not-so-standard sizes and shapes. Call or visit MillRose.com.

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applications, Tai Hing’s PBT, PA66, PA612 and abrasive filament products come in various sizes and can adapt to different surface treatments. n Daily household cleaning brushes — Many of the company’s monofilament products in this category are soft and have key elasticity features. n Hairbrushes — Tai Hing’s filaments for hairbrushes are designed to work well in different environments. Pang said that resistance to high temperatures is a required trait. n Paintbrushes— Filaments from Tai Hing that are designed for paintbrush use often come with soft tips and proper elasticity. “The hollow design of those filaments allows paintbrushes to properly absorb and release paint, as well as evenly spread the

paint on a surface,” Pang said. n Road cleaning brushes — Tai Hing filaments used to produce road cleaning brushes/sweepers are designed to feature the proper level of rigidity and wear-resistant characteristics. Pang also addressed Tai Hing’s efforts to overcome challenges brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic. “As work resumed, Tai Hing Chairman Wilson Lau encouraged us to keep calm, and made a solemn promise of ‘no layoffs, no pay cuts.’ Our company has continued its focus on research and development, including the launch of a 100 percent plastic nose bridge bar for domestic mask manufacturers. That was done to fully support efforts to combat the pandemic,” Pang said. “In this difficult period, as a company, we are keeping in place our strong belief of ‘be progressive, be excellent.’ It’s important to maintain our primary focus of producing high quality and innovative brush filaments. We continue to conduct research associated with the cleaning and hygiene industries, helping us maintain a consistent and high level of service and products. “Tai Hing also provides professional brush filament solutions, as well as improved production technology, as it pertains to such product categories as antibacterial nylon fine filaments. We work as well to expand the application and scope of other products, such as with vacuum cleaner and household cleaning tools. Another focus is supporting the development of greater abrasive filaments, such as those used in the industrial polishing and cleaning industries.” Looking ahead, Pang said that despite current business and industry challenges, he remains optimistic about the future. “Tai Hing is committed to becoming a leader in the development process as it relates to future brushes and cleaning appliances. We will provide added brush materials to meet the various customized needs of customers, while also adding to our resources,” he said. “Brushes enjoy a very long history, and their uses continue to grow — from floor cleaning to personal care, household cleaning, industrial applications, etc. In order to adapt to different working environments, new monofilaments must be developed, helping brushes of the future improve cleaning efficiencies and meet the growing needs of consumers. That focus, within the brush industry, will serve as an important guide for us, as a filament supplier, during the years to come.”

the World of BrushmakingMachines

JOIN THE POSSIBILITIES www.woehlerbrushtech.com

Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH Wöhler-Platz 2 | 33181 Bad Wünnenberg | GERMANY | Tel: +49 2953 73 300 | bt@woehler.com

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Contact: Tai Hing Nylon Filament Products by phone at +86 852 24940233; email: Marketing@taihingnylon.com; or website: www.taihingnylon.com.

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

Wire Suppliers TO THE CLEANING INDUSTRY

NAVIGATING THE CHOPPY WATERS

OF COVID-19

By Rick Mullen | Broom, Brush & Mop Associate Editor

The major challenge facing companies at this hour is the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy and their respective businesses and workforces. Broom, Brush & Mop recently spoke with four executives of companies that supply wire to the cleaning industry. The business leaders discussed many issues associated with the pandemic that are impacting their respective companies, employees and customer bases.

tainless Steel Products, a division of RMR International Co., Inc., of Deer Park, NY, was founded in 1995. A year later, it added wire importing and distribution services, and, in 2002, began manufacturing wire. Deer Park is located on Long Island. On the western part of Long Island are the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The central and eastern parts contain the suburban Nassau and Suffolk counties. When locals say Long Island, they are generally referring to the suburban counties. Deer Park is in Suffolk County. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York City area was hit especially hard. However, the number of recorded cases and deaths has dropped dramatically since peaking in mid-April. As of July 28, New York City has recorded 417,591 cases, and 32,218 deaths. Nassau and Suffolk counties together have reported 86,083 cases, resulting in 4,749 deaths, according to the New York

PG 26

Times. The newspaper also reports that most of New York state, except for New York City, is in Phase 3 of reopening, which allows for gatherings of up to 25 people, and indoor dining at restaurants at a maximum of 50 percent capacity. All phases require social distancing guidelines, such as wearing a face covering in crowded public spaces. “Following a crazy rollout, the company was eventually Ralph Rosenbaum ordered to shut down,” said SSP President Ralph Rosenbaum. Indeed, as Rosenbaum pointed out, in the beginning of the pandemic, the situation changed daily, as reported cases began to spike rapidly. According to www.governor.ny.gov, on March 18, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered a 50 percent workforce shutdown, allowing nonessential employees to work from home. “At that point, SSP had entered into the state’s shared-work program, which allowed us to not have to lay off half our staff,” Rosenbaum said. Then, the next day, Cuomo upped it to a 75 percent workforce reduction. “With the 75 percent workforce reduction order, the sharedwork program went out the window,” Rosenbaum said. The next day, March 20, the governor ordered a 100 percent workforce reduction. “So, we closed. I came into work to try to figure out how to stay open. Within two days, we were able to get about 15 to 18 letters BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

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ÞƷ‫ژ‬ Ƚ Ʒǹ ǹ ‫ژ‬ ɫ ƌȵ Ǡ ȏɓȽ ‫ژ‬ ǒƌɓǒƷȽ ‫ژ‬ ƌȄư‫ژ‬ ƌǹ ǹ ȏɲ‫ژ‬ ɬǠ ȵ Ʒِ ‫ژ‬ °Ȳȏȏǹ Ƚ ‫ژ‬ Ƚ Ǡ ɼ ƷȽ ƩƌȄ‫ژ‬ ȵ ƌȄǒƷ‫ژ‬ Ǒ ȵ ȏȂ‫ژ‬ ‫׏‬ ‫׎‬ǹ ƨȽ ‫ٮ‬ ‫׏‬ ً ‫ژ׎׎׎‬ ǹ ƨȽ ِ ‫ژ‬ uƌɋ Ʒȵ Ǡ ƌǹ Ƚ ‫ژ‬ Ǡ ȄƩǹ ɓưƷ‫ژ‬ ǒƌǹ ɫ ƌȄǠ ɼ Ʒưً ‫ژ‬ Ƚ ɋ ƌǠ Ȅǹ ƷȽ Ƚ ً ‫ژ‬ ȄǠ ƩǵƷǹ ‫ژ‬ Ƚ Ǡ ǹ ɫ Ʒȵ ً ‫ژ‬ ƌȄư‫ژ‬ Ȃȏȵ Ʒِ

‫׏בה‬ ِ ‫ِבגא‬ ‫׏‬ ‫ژژژ׎׎ד‬Ƚ ƌǹ ƷȽ ‫ۮ‬Ƚ ɋ ƌǠ Ȅǹ ƷȽ Ƚ ɬǠ ȵ ƷȽ ِ ƩȏȂ‫ژ‬ ‫ژژ‬ɬɬɬِ Ƚ ɋ ƌǠ Ȅǹ ƷȽ Ƚ ɬǠ ȵ ƷȽ ِ ƩȏȂ

from companies verifying we were essential suppliers to their essential businesses,” Rosenbaum said. “With that, we were able to make the case that we should stay open. We downloaded the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines for COVID-19 workplaces. Leadership met on a Wednesday. We went over the OSHA guidelines, and came up with a plan of attack, engaged in implementing all aspects of the OSHA guidelines, and reopened that Thursday. We created new operational procedures and sanitized the entire facility, splitting everybody equally into two shifts.” SSP adjusted the times the shifts would begin and end to eliminate an overlap, keeping people apart as much as possible. Employees were provided with masks and cleaning supply kits. “Our COVID-19 procedures dictate employees must clean their stations before and after their shifts,” Rosenbaum said. “We made everyone sign a document saying they understood the new procedures.” In the beginning, SSP paid employees’ full salaries if they opted to stay home because of a COVID-19 related issue. “If an employee wasn’t feeling well, we told him/her to stay home and quarantine for two weeks and we would pay his/her salary,” Rosenbaum said. “That was before the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program, Small Business Administration) laws came into effect. A couple of people did quarantine, because some of their family members tested positive. One person didn’t want to come back under any circumstances, so he quit. We are still operating in the same environment. “We have sanitizers everywhere and encourage washing hands. No employees have gotten sick, so far. People have quarantined because family members became ill.” As far as business is concerned, Rosenbaum said, “We were going ‘gangbusters,’ until about mid-May, working off orders we already had. Then orders slowly trickled downward. It is pretty slow right now. Some customers have extended deliveries, while some have stayed the course. Overall, we are down about 25 percent.” SSP offers standard and high-fatigue resistant wire, including brush fills, staple wire, scratch brush wire, power brush wire, crimped wire, retaining wire, straightened and cut-to-length wire, winding wire, stranded wire and flat wire. The company’s wire products are used in many applications including power brushes, scratch brushes, crimped wheel brushes, strip brushes, twisted-in-wire brushes and more. SSP also offers stainless steel strip, bar, cut to length wire up to 1/4-inch diameters, pipes and tubing and lightly assembled or formed products. Segments SSP serves include manufacturers of brushes, chain, cheese cutting equipment, custom specialty products, dental products, filtration equipment, flexible metal hoses, jewelry, medical products, mesh, springs, staples, wire braid, wire forms, wire thread and wire yarn. Raw materials are sourced mostly from India, China and American mills. SSP sells brass wire, as well as nickel silver and phosphor bronze wire, which are made partially from copper. The pandemic has had minimal impact on the company’s raw material supply chain. “There was one raw material we use that couldn’t be shipped and was about two months late. That was for one product not used in the brush industry, and that was all,” Rosenbaum said. PG 28

“We are sitting on a lot of inventory, which has buffered any issues that have come up. All of our raw material suppliers are now back online.”

Tariffs for steel and aluminum are still in place. There is still a 25 percent tariff steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum materials. “There was an additional tariff on products from China of 15 percent, on top of the 25 percent tariff. That has now dropped to 7.5 percent,” Rosenbaum said. “Nonetheless, prices are fairly steady, which is surprising given the lack of economic activity. They are not high by any means, but they are not dropping like a rock either.” To keep track of the nickel and copper markets, there are graphs on SSP’s website, www.stainlesswires.com, that show 30-day pricing for the two commodities. The graphs update on a daily basis. “The website has been upgraded, but it needs more work. That is something I am currently focusing on,” Rosenbaum said. “I’m going to also add an aluminum chart. A lot of the non-ferrous wires are either copper-based or aluminum.” SSP also manufactures crimped filament wire in various materials including stainless, carbon steel, brass plated steel, brass, phosphor bronze, and more. During the past several years, SSP has been working on the technical challenges involved in producing high quality fine diameters for wire brushes. “SSP has a system for supplying fine diameters. We are in the process of installing some new wire drawing machines,” Rosenbaum said. “For non-ferrous wire, we are able to draw down to very small diameters. We straighten material, but below .009-inch diameter, we import it straight, as opposed to doing it in house. “We have recently built two additional straightening lines, and we want to build two more. All crimping lines are in use right now. There is also a focus on used wire drawing machines that we purchased, refurbishing them to meet our needs. Hopefully, two will operational by the middle of August. Then we will work on the next two.” Rosenbaum said an effort to expand into carbon steel products has been slow. “However, SSP is expanding more into the brass market. We have put in more drawing machines dedicated for non-ferrous materials, which also includes nickel, silver and phosphor bronze,” Rosenbaum said. “We recently hired a new inside sales person with a background in the electronics industry. Hopefully we can take advantage of that and sell more to the electronics segment.” SSP has also completed upgrading its wire cleaning line. Some companies, in various segments, including the brush industry, have wire that needs cleaning. Usually, when wire is drawn, there are residuals present. In some processes, the residuals are irrelevant, but, in some cases, residuals can be problematic, and the wire needs to be cleaned, Rosenbaum explained. The company’s Application Engineering Services program is also ongoing. “It is one of the key things we like to do,” Rosenbaum said. “The program targets engineers and people who need assistance from a materials point of view. That has helped us with larger accounts.” Some features of the Application Engineering Services include: BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

n SSP can help companies looking for basic assistance or for someone to write material specifications; n For companies needing help figuring out the ideal material chemistry, SSP can find out what companies are using and why some materials are working while others fail; n SSP will test materials to determine tensile, break, yield strength, elongation, fatigue resistance and more; n SSP can advise companies on what standards may apply to their products with respect to materials; and, n SSP can offer prototype runs on projects for companies looking to improve processes/materials. Another ongoing program gives employees the opportunity to be educated in some of the company’s pertinent vocational and technical skills, especially in the area of electronics. This effort is to help the company better understand how electronics apply to the machines it builds. “We have people taking online courses and going to Eastern Suffolk BOCES Adult & Continuing Education institution on Long Island,” Rosenbaum said. “We pay people to take courses, especially as they relate to electronics, welding, and machine building. Hopefully, in the fall, BOCES will have classes again. Most of the courses have been online recently.” Rosenbaum said it is tough to say what might happen in the future. “A lot hinges on what happens after the election and with the response to COVID-19,” he said. “It is amazing the different attitudes, concerning the pandemic, that people have in different parts of the country.” Contact: Stainless Steel Products, 561-T Acorn St., Deer Park, NY 11729. Phone: 631-243-1500. Website: www.stainlesswires.com.

spiking upward dramatically, he paused the reopening. San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County. According to the New York Times, as of July 28, the county had recorded 36,450 cases of the coronavirus, resulting in 480 deaths. Also, as of July 28, there were 403,060 cases in the state of Texas, with 6,306 deaths. “The impact of COVID-19 has been quite uneven across our customer base,” Pelton said. Bart Pelton “Companies that sell to the major retailers, and the ones who sell online, are experiencing fairly strong sales. However, customers who sell into commercial markets, i.e., jan/san, food service, etc., are finding business to be slow.” As COVID-19 cases are rising again in Texas, keeping employees as safe as possible is a matter of the utmost importance. “We have a couple of employees working from home, but since we are in the business of shipping and receiving, that can’t be done from home,” Pelton said. “We have remained opened the whole time, but with fewer people working in the same office space. We have plenty of space, so people don’t have to work closely together. “We are also checking the temperature of anybody who misses work because of sickness, even if for a day. We are requiring that all

exas is one of the states currently experiencing a significant spike in coronavirus cases. Bart Pelton, president of PelRay International, of San Antonio, TX, is working to guide PelRay, and sister company Caddy Supply, also located in San Antonio, through the pandemic, while keeping employees as safe as possible. Both PelRay and Caddy Supply Company are divisions of Brush Fibers, Inc., of Arcola, IL. Caddy Supply’s lead sales manager is Kenneth Pelton. For many years, PelRay and Caddy have imported ga-lvanized wire from Mexico for the mop and broom markets. As a division of Brush Fibers, the companies now also sell American-made wire. “In March and April, the pandemic situation wasn’t too bad around here, but it has gotten much worse in the past six weeks or so,” Bart Pelton said. “Business was pretty good the first two months of 2020. March was also fairly decent, because we were still shipping orders that we had received before the shutdown in mid-March. Then, business slowed down dramatically in April. Sales that month were the worst since the Great Recession in 2009. However, sales bounced back nicely in May

and June, although not quite up to what they were last year. We are seeing business gradually recover and get stronger.”

On March 19, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the temporary shutdown of nonessential businesses, schools, etc., to combat the rising cases of coronavirus. In May, Abbott allowed the economy to begin to open. However, in June, as COVID-19 cases were again BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

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visitors wear masks. We are discouraging visitors at the moment. “In addition, we have pretty much shut down all corporate travel. I haven’t been on an airplane since I flew back from the ABMA annual meeting in March. First of all, if you do travel, would anybody want to meet with you, in person? The other thing is, you might get quarantined if you travel to certain states. Between all that, and other concerns related to the pandemic, we’ve done pretty much zero traveling since mid-March. The upside is, reduced travel has reduced expenses, which has helped to lower our costs, while sales are slow.” Caddy and PelRay sell American-made wire, primarily tinned and galvanized. They also import galvanized wire from Mexico. “In addition, we are importing wire from Germany,” Pelton said. “We have received feedback that customers really like the quality of the German wire.” Tinned wire is the wire of choice for broom makers. However, with the decline of broom manufacturing in the United States, the market has shrunk, Pelton said. “There are a few U.S. and Canadian broom companies that use tinned wire to wind brooms. There is also some demand from craft broom manufacturers,” Pelton said. “Broom manufacturers like tinned wire because it is bright and shiny, as opposed to Mexican galvanized wire, which has a dull finish. Tinned wire makes their brooms stand out. The tin alloy finish will hold a shine for a long time.” Caddy Supply caters to the craft broom market. Rustic-looking unfinished handles are popular with craft broom artisans and hobbyists. Caddy has switched from selling ash handles to assorted hardwoods, including sweet gum, hickory, poplar and others. “Sweet gum handles, in particular, are very popular. Crafters

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really like the rustic look of unfinished handles. Plus, they can purchase them, and not have to forage around in the woods to find their own to use,” Pelton said. “Unfinished ash handles became hard to get because of an infestation of ash bore insects in states where we sourced the items.” Customers are welcome to email Kenneth Pelton at kenneth @caddysupply.com or kenneth@pelray.com, or call 803-829-7072 to get updated pricing and availability. “We try to keep a good inventory of broom making supplies, including craft broom corn,” Bart Pelton said. In addition, Caddy’s website, www.caddysupply.com, has a store for crafters who want to place orders online. Unfortunately, the craft broom industry has taken some heavy blows associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Crafters are struggling right now,” Pelton said. “Many craft broom makers’ and artisans’ shops are located in tourist areas. There are a lot of little storefronts where tourists can walk in and watch brooms being made.” Many of the little shops had to close during the lockdowns. Furthermore, the craft broom segment is heavily dependent on the tourist trade. During the pandemic, major tourist destinations, such as the Ozarks, Smokey Mountains and others, have seen little traffic, Pelton explained. “Between having to close their stores for awhile, and the lack of tourists, their businesses are struggling,” Pelton said. “In addition, crafters sell their brooms at fairs and festivals. Many of those events have been cancelled. The only ones that are doing OK are selling online through their websites.”

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

Caddy and PelRay also import metal handles, from both Europe and Mexico. There is a 3.2 percent import duty on European handles, and no duty on Mexican handles, Pelton said.

“Even though steel costs are higher in the United States, the low duty has kept metal handle prices fairly stable,” Pelton said. “Overall, wire prices have also been steady. While steel

prices have fluctuated, most of the wire mills have managed to hold their selling prices fairly steady. Demand was slow from midMarch to the end of April, but it has since picked up, and is pretty close to where it was last year.” The struggling U.S economy caused by COVID-19 has impacted truck freight rates, allowing Caddy and PelRay to take advantage of unusually good deals. “When business slowed down in March, all of a sudden there were a lot of truckers just begging for loads. There were more trucks and truckers than there was freight to haul,” Pelton said. “For awhile, it became very easy to get trucks. In addition, the price of oil and diesel declined. I know it is higher in other parts of the country, but diesel got down to about $1.75 a gallon in Texas. It hadn’t been below $2 for years. Between lower fuel prices and lower demand, we got some unusually good freight rates in March and April. “Demand has picked up since then. Oil prices have gone up some, although diesel has only gone up about 10 cents a gallon, at least around here. “With the demand up, we are not getting the good bargains on freight that we did a couple of months ago. But, for the most part,

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

getting trucks isn’t a problem.” Ocean freight rates have been fluctuating, Pelton said. Mandates forcing some steamship lines to upgrade the type of fuel they use is causing some ripples in freight rates. “One month, prices are up. The next month, they are down,” Pelton said. “In many cases, the steamship lines are being forced to use cleaner-burning diesel, rather than bunker fuel oil. “Bunker fuel is the cheapest, bottom of the barrel, of the refining process. It is also the dirtiest fuel to burn, other than coal. Having to switch to the more expensive diesel caused some temporary increases in ocean prices.” Caddy and PelRay had been warned, because of the usage of the cleaner fuel, ocean rates might go up as much as 20 to 25 percent. However, that number was tamped down to where it was not much of an issue, due to a dip in oil prices, Pelton said. As Caddy and PelRay import from both Mexico and Europe, Pelton keeps abreast of monetary exchange rates between the euro, peso and U.S dollar. “The Mexican economy slowdown caused by the pandemic caused the peso to become very weak. Mexico depends a lot on exports to the United States,” Pelton said. “The country also relies a great deal on the tourist trade, which is way down. So, the peso weakened considerably, going from around 19 pesos to a dollar to as much as 25 pesos to a dollar. “Now, with the economy recovering somewhat, the peso is strengthening. It went from 25 pesos to a dollar back to almost 22 pesos to a dollar. “When the peso weakens, Mexican companies are pretty quick to

PG 31

adjust their prices. You can get some bargains, but they are fleeting.” While not as severe as the peso, euro exchange rates have fluctuated, as well. “Going into the early part of this year, the euro was pretty weak. It was running around 1.11 to 1.12 euros to a dollar,” Pelton said. “The last part of 2019, the euro weakened down to 1.08 to a dollar. Then it got stronger and weaker again. Now, it is strong. The rate has been in the range of 1.07 to 1.14 euros to a dollar. “A lot of Europeans sell in euros, making European imports more expensive right now. One thing driving up the euro is the incredible amount of monetary and fiscal stimulus from the U.S. federal reserve and the federal government. The economy is well lubricated with liquidity, which is making the dollar weaker against the euro.” Contact: Caddy Supply, 4712 Macro, San Antonio, TX 78218. Phone: 803-829-7072. Email: Kenneth@caddysupply.com or Kenneth@pelray.com. Website: www.caddysupply.com.

or more than 60 years, the Loos and Company Jewel Wire Division, of Pomfret, CT, has manu-factured custom brush wire products to perform under the harshest conditions. Using a mixture of metallurgical and structural properties, its brush wire products offer high performance and custom-izable solutions for the brush industry, according to the company. Like companies throughout the United States, as well as world-wide, Jewel Wire is navigating the difficulties brought to bear by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Pomfret is located in Windham County, which is in the northeast corner of the Nutmeg state, said Jewel Wire Division Sales Manager Mike Fredrickson. Because the area is rural and not densely populated, it has not been hit as hard by the pandemic as counties that butt against New York City, where a high number of cases and deaths have been reported. Mike Fredrickson “We are quite a few miles from the New York City line,” Fredrickson said. “Fairfield County, in the southwestern corner of the state, has been hit hard because a lot of people there work in New York City.” According to the New York Times, as of July 28, Windham County had reported 668 cases of coronavirus, resulting in 15, deaths. Also, as of July 28, there were 48,983 cases statewide, and 4,418 virus related deaths. Currently, the state is in Phase 2 of reopening. In early July, Gov. Ned Lamont paused Phase 3, as coronavirus cases began spiking upward in some areas of the United States. “As a company, we have made adjustments as a result of the pandemic,” Fredrickson said. “In the office and the factory, wearing masks is required, if a six-foot distance between people cannot be maintained. Hand sanitizers have been supplied and we check the temperature of employees daily. “Furthermore, we tell employees if they don’t feel well, stay home. People are being diligent and maintaining a healthy environment in our facility to make sure they, and their families, stay healthy.” Like at most companies, the pandemic has affected orders. While shipments have continued, order backlog was lower than average for several months. However, they are now rebounding in an upward trend, Fredrickson said. “When ‘shock and awe’ hit in March, we were declared an essential company, so, we never closed,” Fredrickson said. “Some customers were required by the state to shut down, but it wasn’t a major number. “We are taking it one day at a time. Production has fluctuated with order levels. We are making it through OK, and we are starting to see business moving up the ladder, which is good.” Jewel Wire’s products are made with stainless steel and nickel alloys, carbon steel, phosphor bronze and brass. The company offers nearly all varieties of stainless steel wire, including 302, 304, 305, 316, as well as Inconel®. The phosphor bronze alloy is comprised of 95 percent copper and 5 percent tin. This alloy is highly conductive, has a long fatigue life, and low elastic modulus. The company’s brass alloy is 70 percent copper and 30 percent zinc, is corrosion resistant and highly conductive. It is the alloy used in the manufacture of all brass brushes, according to the company. Jewel Wire’s product offerings include: n Scratch brush wire used in hand brushes for industrial applications; n Power brush wire used in manufacturing for removing burrs and sharp edges; n Crimped wire, which increases column strength, improving brush performance; BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

n Straight and cut lengths available in a large range of sizes and alloys; n Retaining wires used to attach brush wire filaments inside of brush channels; n Stranded wire, which are large sets of wires grouped together before being put on spools; and, n Winding wire used to attach bristles to the brush handle. Jewel Wire has traditionally sourced its raw materials both domestically and from overseas. However, the company is making a concentrated effort to obtain most of its raw materials from U.S. sources.

“We are steering more toward DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement) compliant material, rather than major imports from Asia,” Fredrickson said. “We try to keep everything onshore when possible.”

DFARS is a set of restrictions for the origination of raw materials intended to protect the U.S. defense industry from the vulnerabilities of being overly dependent on foreign sources of supply. Long lead times for raw materials have been a challenge for the past several years, but now that situation seems to be at a more manageable level.

“Lead times for raw materials are now at a reasonable three months,” Fredrickson said.

Because of lead times, there are risks involved in purchasing raw materials months in advance. For example, costs can change, because there are surcharges when the material is released from the mills. As such, extra planning is needed to

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

make sure there is enough product on hand. Jewel Wire evaluates the raw material picture monthly, based on a 12-month cycle. The evaluation also includes examining the history of lead times, especially when it comes to bronze and brass materials. “The evaluation process is a little more difficult now,” Fredrickson said. “Orders are coming in, but many customers are cautious; therefore, we are seeing more smaller orders — spot-buy type of orders. Ten years ago, we knew that every quarter, certain customers were going to buy a certain amount of material. Those days are gone. “Customers want to keep their inventories down, and so does Jewel Wire. However, as a salesperson, if I don’t have the material, I’m not selling it. So, those are the risks that you take.” Today’s high unemployment numbers would seem to indicate there are more workers in the job pool. Prior to the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic, the situation was the opposite, as unemployment was very low. However, there is evidence that today’s numbers are not easing the challenge of finding quality employees. “Even though the unemployment rate is high, people in the industry I have been talking to are still looking for employees,” Fredrickson said. “At Jewel Wire, we are also looking for talented manufacturing personnel. We constantly have advertisements out there seeking employees.” While there has never been a “crystal ball” to look into the future, prior to the pandemic, there was a certain amount of predictability companies could rely on for future planning. As the pandemic crisis brings new challenges daily, what is going to happen post-COVID-19 is anybody’s guess. However, Fredrickson is maintaining a positive outlook.

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“I’m very optimistic as we take it one day at a time. We are doing what we can to support our employees and our customer base. You make the best of it and be safe, and keep your employees safe. Keep them working, that is the main

thing,” Fredrickson said. “You look at the news everyday, and it is a bit crazy. However, as a manufacturer in northeast Connecticut, business has been pretty good. When the economic faucet opens up, it is going to get very busy, and we’re going to be ready for it. “Our wish is that everybody out there is safe. Let’s get through this. Let’s get back to normal. My customers and competitors are all friends. We are such a small group. Jewel Wire will be here to help support our customers.” On a personal note, being a member of the American Brush Manufacturers Association (ABMA) board of directors is very important to Fredrickson. “Because Connecticut was hit so hard by the pandemic in the beginning, I wasn’t able to attend the ABMA annual meeting last March,” Fredrickson said. “It was just too risky to travel. It is the first one I have missed in years. However, I’m looking forward to the board of directors meeting in November. It will be a virtual meeting, so we won’t be traveling to Chicago.” The board of directors meeting is scheduled for November 6. The meeting will be on Zoom, and will be open to ABMA directors and committee members, according to ABMA. Contact: Loos and Company Jewel Wire Division, 16B Mashamoquet Road, Pomfret, CT 06258. Phone: 860-533-Loos. Email: sales@loosco.com. Website: www.loosco.com. ounded in 2008, Madison Steel, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, is a global supplier of steel wire and related products, servicing a variety of industries. “We specialize in high-carbon wires with various coatings used in industrial manufacturing processes,” Madison Steel CEO Al Hickson said. Madison Steel maintains seven distribution locations throughout the United States, giving the company the ability to provide customers with just-in-time deliveries. “We are pleased to have a wide variety of customers that use our products. Our base is broad, and includes industrial manufacturing,

agricultural industries, infrastructure and utilities,” Hickson said. “Our supply chain remains well defined and strong. We’ve worked with the same manufacturers for more than a decade. Our relationships on both the vendor and customer sides have been a great benefit to our company, and the business as a whole.” Madison Steel’s product offerings fall under three basic categories, according to the company: n Steel wires: Includes music wire, oil-tempered wire, handdrawn wire, chrome silicon wire, broom wire and duct wire. Steel wires can be drawn into diameters ranging from thick to very thin, and are available in varying strengths, usually determined by the carbon content. n Stranded products: Pre-stressed concrete strand (PC strand) is a high-grade, low-relaxation, seven-strand steel cord used in the reinforcement and strengthening of pre-stressed concrete structures. Because it is used in critical applications, this strand consists of high-carbon steel with a high tensile strength. PC strand is available in several different thicknesses, ranging between .25 inches and .6 inches in diameter. n Reinforcing products: Rebar — The term “rebar” refers to “reinforcing steel bars,” which are used to reinforce concrete and masonry structures. Rebar is usually made from high-carbon tempered steel. It may be tied together in cross patterns for further reinforcement, and is cast with a ridged surface to aid in adherence to the concrete. Wire mesh — In construction, wire mesh is used for reinforcement in concrete and asphalt applications, helping to reinforce roadways, walkways and floors, and reducing the risk of cracks and deterioration of concrete, without the added expense of rebar. Filtering — The principle behind filtering is to trap certain things, while letting other things through. The permeability of wire mesh makes it perfect for all sorts of filtering applications. On a larger scale, wire mesh is used to manage falling rocks from cliff sides, or even as ball stops at driving ranges and batting cages. On a smaller scale, thin wire mesh is useful in kitchen strainers and other household items. Pre-stressed concrete wire (PC wire) — PC wire is a highgrade, low-relaxation steel wire that is primarily used to counter the low-tension qualities inherent in concrete. “Wire demand has been fairly steady, but with tariffs and interruptions to the supply chain, some wire has become more expensive,” Hickson said.

Your Y our dependable dep pendable global supplier of steel wire products. STEEL WIRE W | STRANDED | REINFORCING | RECYCLING

madisonsteel.com

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BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

Like some other states, Georgia is battling a surge in COVID19 cases and deaths. Atlanta, the state capital, is also the county seat of Fulton County. Hickson said business at Madison Steel remains “strong at its core.” He added: “Overall, demand remains strong and any supply chain interruptions related to COVID-19 continue to be closely monitored and resolved. Madison Steel already had a progressive work environment, with most of our employees working remotely or from home. Our transition to work-from-home was easy and efficient, and allowed us to continue working without any real interruption of service to our customers.” Hickson reported that steel prices have been stable. “But, with tariffs being artificially inflated, we

think that impending pressure on the dollar will invariably put pressure on pricing,” Hicks said. “Of course, as import prices rise, domestic prices will reflect that and increase.” Offering stellar customer service has been a key in Madison Steel’s ability to foster strong and lasting relationships with customers. COVID-19 has also caused the company to change the way it goes about customer service, at least temporarily. “Unfortunately, the pandemic has meant we can’t physically visit or see customers, but we continue to reach out and develop new tools and methods for maintaining an open line with them. The struggles of the effects of the pandemic have shown the true strength of our customer relationships. “We were already in a strong position with our customers, because of delivering and providing products quickly and easily. Switching to remote calls and video conferences has also been a seamless transition.” While even in the best of times, there are challenges to overcome. Uncertainties in the marketplace, caused by COVID-19, is making conducting business even more difficult. “Like other companies in our field, global interruption of trade, and its downstream effects for local manufacturing remains a concern for Madison Steel,” Hickson said. “In today’s market, uncertainty abounds, but with our years of experience working with dedicated manufacturing partners, we’ll be in the best position possible for our customers, regardless of changing tides.” Looking ahead, Hickson remains optimistic about the future of Madison Steel and the U.S. economy, as a whole. “Our team continues to invest in new avenues for growth, product innovations, and other assets to continually be the premiere source for industrial high-carbon wire,” Hickson said. “We are very bullish on both the American people and the American economy. Madison Steel is

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

confident the pandemic, and the subsequent economic downturn, will pass in due time and business will quickly bounce back. “Madison Steel is looking forward to continued growth across all markets we service. We will continue to understand and adapt for whatever our customers need next. “We’re optimistic about the future. Our goal is to stay

ahead of the curve for our customers, keep our supply chain steady, our prices down, and our customers happy.” Contact: Madison Steel, 977 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, No. 2, Atlanta, GA 30306. Phone: 404-343-4855. Email: spencer.roberts@madisonsteel.com. Website: www.madisonsteel.com.

VMC546

machi c nees for th h brus he r sh h ind n us u trry

Made in Germany since 1920

www.ebser.de

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SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY ABCO Products Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Abtex Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 ACS Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Algoma Mop Manufacturers . . . . . . . . . . . .38 ABMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 American Select Tubing/AST Filaments . . . .38 Birdwell Cleaning Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . .39 Bizzotto Giovanni Automation srl . . . . . . . . .39 Bo-Buck Mills, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Bodam International Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Borghi s.p.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Boucherie USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 G.B. Boucherie N.V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Briarwood Products LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Brosses Lacasse Inc. / Norman Brush Inc. . .41 Bruin Plastics Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Brush Fibers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Brush Technology Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Brushes Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Bruske Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Carlisle FoodService Products . . . . . . . . . . .41 Carolina Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Carolina Mop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Charles E. Green & Son, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .41 CiBrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Corona Brushes, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 CWP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Deco Products Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Deligh Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Distribuidora Perfect S.A. de C.V. . . . . . . . .42 DKSH Switzerland, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Don Leventhal Group, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Dorden & Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Draper Knitting Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 DuPont Filaments — Americas, LLC . . . . . .42 Ebser Mechanical Engineering e.K. . . . . . . .42 Epic Resins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 EAB Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 F.M. Brush Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Felton, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Fibratexsa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Fili & Forme SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Filkemp - Industria de Filamentos, S.A. . . . .43 Filmop USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 FIMM Italia S.p.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Fuller Industries LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 G.D.F. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Gator Cleaning Products, LLC . . . . . . . . . . .43 Gift Sales Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Giori Automation/Global Line Group Srl . . . .44 Golden Star Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

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2020

Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .44 E. Gornell & Sons, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Gover, Horowitz & Blunt Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . .44 H. Arnold Wood Turning, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .44 Ha-Ste Manufacturing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Hahl Inc., a Div. of Perlon The Filament Co. 44 Haviland Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Hebei Founder Int. Trading Corp., Ltd. . . . . .44 Hillbrush Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 HIMESA Hilos Y Mechas S.A. de C.V. . . . . .45 Indian Bristle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Industrial Brush Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . .45 The InterWire Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Jason Mills, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Jersey Jerry Broomsquire . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Jones Yarn - Jones Family of Companies . . .45 Justman Brush Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Keystone Plastics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 La Crosse Brush, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Lafitte Mop Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Lambskin Specialties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Lanoco Specialty Wire Products, Inc. . . . . . .46 Lemieux Spinning Mill, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Lessmann GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Libman Company, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Loos & Co., Inc. Jewel Wire Division . . . . . .46 M2 Professional Cleaning Products LTD . . . .46 Madison Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Magni Giovanni snc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Magnolia Brush Manufacturers, Ltd. . . . . . .47 Malish Corporation, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Marco Kracht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Maryland Brush Company . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 M-B Companies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 MFC, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Michigan Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . .47 Mileva Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Mill-Rose Company, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Milliken Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Milwaukee Dustless Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Monahan Filaments, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Monahan Partners, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Thomas Monahan Co., The . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Monterey Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Mount Joy Wire Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Mr. LongArm, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Multi Brosses Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 National Wire & Metal Technologies, Inc. . . .49 Nexstep Commercial Products . . . . . . . . . .49 Norshel Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Nyco Products Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

INDEX O’Dell Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Padco Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Paint Brush Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Patrick Yarn Mills, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Paul Brothers & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 PelRay International Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Pennellificio 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Perfex Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 PFERD INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Pogliani SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Precision Brush Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Premier Mop & Broom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 PMM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Purdy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Reit Price Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Remco Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Rol-Brush Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Royal Paint Roller Mfg. Corp. . . . . . . . . . . .50 Schaefer Brush Mfg., LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Schlesinger Maschinenbau GmbH . . . . . . . .51 Shanghai Jiasheng Products Co., LTD . . . . .51 Shanghai Yi Heng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Shurhold Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 SIBO Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Sieko Brushware (India) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 S.M. Arnold, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Spiral Brushes Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 St. Nick Brush Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Stainless Steel Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Stolzfus Brooms & Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Suzhou SUIKING Electric Co. Ltd. . . . . . . .52 Tai Hing Nylon Filament Products Co., Ltd. .52 Tanis, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Thomas Textile Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Unimac S.r.l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 United Rotary Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Vonco Products, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Weiler Abrasives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Whitley Monahan Handle Co. . . . . . . . . . . .52 Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Wolf Filaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 WOMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 WOMAtec Maschinenbau GmbH . . . . . . . . .53 Wool Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Wooster Brush Company, The . . . . . . . . . . .53 Young & Swartz, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Zahoransky AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Zahoransky USA, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Zelazoski Wood Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .54 Zephyr Manufacturing Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Zhenjiang Ruifeng Brush Co., Ltd. . . . . . . . .54

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2020

SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY BROOM, BRUSH & MOP MAGAZINE

ABCO Products Corp. 6800 N.W. 36th Ave. Miami, FL 33147 USA Phone: 305-694-2226 Website: www.abcoproducts.com Products: ABCO Products is a vertically integrated, minority-owned business enterprise that manufactures and markets cleaning products as well as HACCP compliant colorcoded tools into the professional cleaning, food service, industrial, QSR floor safety and food processing market segments. 18 Abtex Corporation 89 Main St. Dresden, NY 14441 USA Phone: 315-536-7403 Email: sales@abtex.com Website: www.abtex.com Products: Abrasive filament brushes and deburring equipment. 19 ACS Industries, Inc. One New England Way Lincoln, RI 02865 USA Toll Free: 800-222-2880 Email: rbeaudette@acsind.com Website: www.acs-cp.com Company Officers: Steven Buckler, President; Rory Beaudette, Vice President Sales & COO; Peter Botvin, Executive Vice President Products: From the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beginnings in 1939 as a wire sponge manufacturer in Rhode Island, ACS has grown its product offerings. It is a global organization with corporate and R&D functions in the USA and manufacturing operations in Mexico and China. Vertical integration has taken the company to five facilities with almost 4,000 employees. Its Cleaning Products Division includes hand

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pads, stainless scrubbers, sponges, soap pads, grill screens and grill bricks. It produces a full range of mops, brooms and brushes. Its floor maintenance line includes non woven floor pads, steel wool floor pads, sand screens and many specialty floor pads. ACS has achieved UL validation regarding 100 percent recycled material in all of its non woven hand and floor pads from post-consumer to post-industrial. 20 Algoma Mop Manufacturers 813 Rabas St. Algoma, WI 54201 USA Toll Free: 800-216-3478 Email: sales@algomamop.com Website: www.algomamop.com Products: Wet mops, dust mops, microfiber products. Mops manufactured are made by people with disabilities in Algoma, WI. The company offers a full line of mops and microfiber products. Custom manufacturing capabilities are available. Most of the products can be private labeled with company information. Algoma Mop serves wholesalers, distributors, schools, universities, hospitals, laundry and linen services, janitorial contractors, restaurants, correctional and governmental facilities. Purchases help train and employ people in obtaining their personal independence and employment goals. 20 American Brush Manufacturers Association (ABMA) 736 Main Ave., Suite 7 Durango, CO 81301-5479 USA Phone: 720-392-2262 Email: info@abma.org Website: www.abma.org Company Officers: David C. Parr, Executive Director Products: Founded in 1917 to assist North American brush manufacturers and their

suppliers by enhancing industry knowledge, providing a variety of networking opportunities, and promoting profitability for its members. ABMA strives to promote and strengthen value for its members to be the preferred and innovative source for broom, brush and mop products worldwide. ABMA provides an industry freight and transportation guide and newsletter, industry statistics, ANSI safety standards, ASTM packaging standards, leads generation, the ABMA Annual Convention including the Suppliers Display, classifieds on the association website (www.abma.org), discounted freight program, employees screening program and merchant services program. ABMA also serves the industry as its voice in Washington, D.C., and provides member services to a common group that individual members of the group may find difficult or impossible to manage alone. Comprised of manufacturers and suppliers who seek to constantly expand and improve the North American broom, brush, mop and roller industry. Membership is open to brush making manufacturers and component, machinery and service suppliers worldwide. 20 American Select Tubing/AST Filaments 4005 DeWitt Ave. Mattoon, IL 61938 USA Phone: 217-234-7300 Email: dustinm@astubing.com Website: www.astubing.com Company Officer: Mark Maninfior, General Manager Products: Metal handles for brooms, brushes, mops, snow shovels, rakes and other tools. Diameters - 21mm, 22mm, 23.5mm, 25mm, 28.5mm. Extension handles in steel, aluminum and fiberglass. Abrasive and non-

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY abrasive filaments for many brush and industrial applications using PP, PVC, PE, PS, RPET, PBT, PET, nylon 6, nylon 6.6, nylon 6.10, nylon 6.12, SIC, AO, ceramic, diamond grit, and SAN. 20 Birdwell Cleaning Products, Inc. P. O. Box 1388 Burleson, TX 76097 USA Toll Free: 800-722-8006 Website: www.birdwellcleaning.com Products: Manufactures a complete line of push brooms, angle brooms, concrete finishing brooms, deck brushes, acid brushes, roof brushes, counter dusters, dish brushes, bowl brushes, nail brushes, animal care brushes and bar-b-que grill brushes. 14 Bizzotto Giovanni Automation srl Via Buonarroti, 67 35010 Paviola di S.Giorgio in Bosco (Padova) ITALY Phone: +39 049 9451067 Email: info@bizzottoautomation.com Website: www.bizzottoautomation.com Products: Bizzotto is a supplier of totally customized machinery for different industrial sectors. It focuses on a complete partnership with the customer, that expresses itself in the capacity to understand the needs of the customer and provide that customer with “made-to-measure” solutions. The Bizzotto Company supplies automatic and semi-automatic machines (totally controlled by programmable logics on PC or on numerical control centers, with man-machine interactive and supervision systems) for the handle, broom and brush industry, as well as complex automations for the assembly of particular products. Bizzotto is specialized in three main sectors: Handle Machinery Sector: Sanders, chucking machinery (i.e. doming, tapering, tenoning, threading, end-boring, cross-boring, etc.), painting machinery (lacquering), labeling systems and packing machinery for the production of wooden handles. Complete machinery lines for the production of metal handles, starting from the flat steel or aluminum band coil, including painting lines, machines for assembling the various plastic inserts (hanger tips, thread inserts, mop inserts, tapered inserts, etc.), boring, deforming and cutting, as well as labeling systems and machines for packaging with the use of different systems, even robotized; Woodworking Machinery Sector: Profiling and shaping machines, boring and tapping machines, sanders for the production of broom and brush blocks, paintbrush handles and similar items; and; Industrial Automation Sector: Customiz-

BBM MAGAZINE | July/August 2020

ed machinery for the preparation, positioning and assembly of particular products and accessories for the cleaning industry (mops, floor scrubbers, detergent dispensers, velvet lint brushes for clothes cleaning, adhesive lint brushes for clothes cleaning, toothbrush/accessories, etc.), automotive industry and the kitchen appliance industry. 20 Bo-Buck Mills, Inc. P. O. Box 692 921 E. Blvd. Chesterfield, SC 29709 USA Phone: 843-623-2158 Website: www.bobuckmills.com Products: Narrow fabrics (polyester and cotton). The company was founded in the early 1950s, and has been continuously operating as a manufacturer of narrow fabrics. It has supplied trim/binding to the mop industry as well as other specialty industries for many years. Capable of manufacturing a wide variety of colors, finishes, and patterns. Features include instock programs for immediate releases. 11 Bodam International Ltd. 903 Cirelli Court Aberdeen, MD 21001 USA Phone: 410-272-9797 Email: cp@bodam.com Website: www.bodam.com Company Officer: Carlos Petzold, President Products: Borghi broom and brush manufacturing equipment – staple-set, anchor-set, twisted-in-wire, manufacturing machinery for all types of brooms and brushes. Also, trimmers, flaggers, cutters, strip brush machinery, mop manufacturing machinery, injection molds, as well as assembly and packing machinery, are available from Borghi (www.borghi.com); Boucherie broom and brush manufacturing equipment – staple-set, anchor-set, twisted-in-wire, manufacturing machinery for all types of brooms and brushes. Also, trimmers, flaggers, cutters, monofilament hank cutters, and injection molds are available from Boucherie (www.boucherie.com); Carnevali Dino trimming units – Motorized clipper heads, monofilament hank cutters, metal wire hank cutters, rotary cutters, and specialty cutters for abrasive materials such as grit brushes (www.carnevalidino.com); Sima monofilament extrusion lines – equipment and know-how to produce broom and brush monofilaments for PP, PET, PS, PBT, SAN and many other types of polymers. Sima also produces lines for manufacturing PET strapping and for concrete reinforcement monofilaments (www.sima-ds.com); and,

Unimac power brush manufacturing equipment and metal handle manufacturing equipment – machinery and technology used to manufacture crimped-wire power brushes as well as twisted-knot power brushes made in the various formats: wheel brushes, cup brushes, end brushes, wafer brushes as well as quality control equipment for power brushes, machinery to convert wire from spools to cut-to-length bundles as well as equipment for crimping wire and converted into spools that are then fed into power brush manufacturing machinery. Unimac also specializes in complete production lines or specific-use machinery to produce fixed metal handles that are either powder coated or plastic coated, as well as equipment for extension handles (telescopic handles). Unimac’s tube-mill can also be used in other applications to produce tubes for other products (www.unimac.it). 20 Borghi s.p.a. Via Cristoforo Colombo, 12 Loc. Cavazzona Castelfranco Emilia (Modena) 41013 ITALY Phone: +39-059-953-3911 Email: info@borghi.it Website: www.borghi.com Company Officers: Paolo Roversi, President Borghi is partners with Boucherie of Belgium (www.boucherie.com) and Unimac of Italy (www.unimac.it), forming the Boucherie Borghi Group. Products: Staple-set/anchor-set brush manufacturing machines of all types; trimmers, flaggers and finishing machinery for brooms and brushes; twisted-in-wire brush manufacturing machinery; strip brush manufacturing machinery; mop manufacturing machinery; injection molds; and, specialty machinery for automation, packaging, etc., of brooms, brushes and mops. Borghi is known as a leader in staple-set and anchor-set brush manufacturing machinery, sometimes referred to in the brush industry as “drilling and filling” machinery. Borghi also has many decades of experience in producing equipment for the production of twisted-in-wire brushes. Borghi also offers production solutions for mop manufacturing and various types of injection molds. Borghi not only provides the mold itself, but also helps with product design, prototyping and testing the injection molds for plastic parts. Understanding that customers need a continuous renewal of their product lines, and that this takes time between the various phases of engineering and development, Borghi is able to offer a prompt response to those needs. Borghi is a

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY strong partner with the know-how to help customers to develop new ideas for injectionmolded products, in absolute privacy. Borghi not only provides technology for brooms and brushes, but with Borghi’s engineering capacity and technical manufacturing strength, requests for automation have been met with the realization of machinery for special types of paintbrushes, paint roller assembly, and many types of mops. Furthermore, Borghi has been producing machinery for manufacturing strip brushes since 2004. Borghi also goes beyond just providing equipment to produce “the product.” It provides specialty machinery, macro- and micro-assembly equipment and machinery to automate packaging and other requirements that a given product may require before it is completely finished and ready to go into the warehouse or out the door. Borghi’s flexibility in offering custom solutions is what keeps its level of technology fresh and cutting-edge. Contact Borghi s.p.a. or one of its agents. For machinery sales in the USA and Canada, contact: Bodam Int. Ltd., 903 Cirelli Court, Aberdeen, MD 21001, USA. Telephone: 410-272-9797; Fax: 410-2720799; Email: bodam@bodam.com; Website: www.bodam.com; Contact: Carlos Petzold, President. For technical support and spare parts in the USA and Canada, contact: Borghi USA, Inc., 903 Cirelli Court, Aberdeen, MD 21001, USA. Phone: 410-272-9797, Fax: 410-272-0799, Email: usatec@borghiusa.com (technical support) and usaparts@borghiusa.com (spare parts). Contacts: Matt Tompkins, Leo Juarez and Miguel Medrano. 20 Boucherie USA Inc. 8748 Gleason Rd. Knoxville, TN 37923 USA Phone: 865-247-6091 Email: sales@boucherie.com Website: www.boucherie.com G.B. Boucherie N.V. Stuivenbergstraat 106 8870 Izegem, Belgium Phone: ++32 51 31 21 41 Email: info@boucherie.be Company Officers: John Williams, President Boucherie is partners with Borghi of Italy (www.borghi.com), forming the Boucherie Borghi Group. Boucherie USA Inc., has been selling Boucherie brush machines, sophisticated multi-component injection molds and

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packaging equipment in North, Central and South America for more than 30 years. In May 2014, G.B. Boucherie and Borghi Spa (www.borghi.com) merged into the Boucherie-Borghi Group. The joint programs of these two companies cover a large scope of brush making, and the sales and service network gives worldwide coverage. In addition to Boucherie USA, Borghi USA and its team support Boucherie customers for household and technical brush machines. Boucherie Products: Tufting machines for brooms; household, industrial and personal care brushes; and toothbrushes. Household brush production lines: The Ovale is a high-output caroussel machine with two drills and two filling tools for the production of a wide variety of household brushes. The unique feature of this machine is that the caroussel moves from drilling to filling without a stop of the filling tools, which boosts the production. Full 5-axis control of the brush holders, on-board trimming and a very universal handle feeder make this a highautomated yet flexible machine. The DMU machine is a small flexible drilling and filling machine with a very short change-over time. Different tool strokes are available to cover as many applications as possible. Hair brush and tufted personal care brushes can also be manufactured. Toothbrush Production Lines and Work Centers: Boucherie has developed a variety of toothbrush manufacturing equipment. These range from the very affordable Hepta tufting machine, through the Hepta-FM, which has an integrated finishing machine and a universal handle feeder, all the way up to the doubleheader Hepta-2-FM machine. All of these machines are now available with the new Hepta filling tool that runs at up to 1200 tufts per minute, and are completely re-engineered for ease of maintenance and affordability. For the highest production, Boucherie has the very compact Hepta-2-FM double header, but also offers the double-headed or triple-headed TB32-Flexi and TB33-Flexi cells, which can produce up to 80 brushes per minute when the filling tools run in parallel, or for complex brushes with two different hole sizes when the filling tools run sequentially. Because this type of machine is modular in its construction, flexibility is built into the concept of the machine, and can be used effortlessly. Since the introduction of the Flexi concept, TB35-Flexi cells with five filling tools have been built and delivered. Anchorless Toothbrush Production Lines and Work Centers: In the field of machinery for the oral care industry,

Boucherie clearly established a leadership position in anchorless technology with the introduction of the AFT/CNC machine already more than 20 years ago. With the new PTt machine, however, Boucherie is making a giant step in flexibility of brush designs and to bring anchorless toothbrush production to more toothbrush makers. The PTt machine works with normal toothbrush handles with pre-cored holes, and requires no brush head plate. This makes for more compact brush heads, with a more comfortable brushing feeling because less plastic is holding the tufts. Block tufts, strip tufts and various combinations of tuft angles widen the range of design options for the toothbrush heads. The machine is very suitable for the processing of tapered filaments, and rubber elements can be integrated in the brush head, such as massaging fingers or tongue cleaners. The machine works with pre-cut filament pucks, and end-rounding of the bristle tips happens in-line in the fibrebox, without the need for intermediate stocking or cumbersome transfers of raw materials. IDM Machine: The IDM is a compact carousel machine for the high-speed production of inter-dental and mascara brushes. It is now possible to produce up to 95 high-quality brushes per minute, even while using the smallest wire sizes, since the brush remains in the same clamp throughout the whole production process. The IDM is available in versions with spool feed of the nylon, or with fiber boxes for pre-cut filaments. An integrated vision system for the automatic inspection of finished brushes is also available. Injection Molds: Boucherie produces single-component molds, multi-component molds with manual or automatic transfer, and multi-component, high cavitation, valve gated, hot runner stack molds. Boucherie molds are used to produce a wide range of consumer, medical and engineering products. Packaging Machines: Cooperating with the ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH of Heilbronn, Germany, Boucherie now has a high-performance packaging line for carton blisters in the range, so the brushes can be packaged in a ecologically friendly and attractive packaging. Furthermore, form, fill and seal blister packaging machines for traditional blisters are available in heat seal and high frequency seal versions for toothbrushes and personal care brushes. All of these may be operated as stand-alone machines or integrated into one or two tufting machines. 20

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Briarwood Products LLC 2900 Bradwell Ave. Cleveland, OH 44109 USA Phone: 216-398-1107 Email: bp@briarwoodproducts.com Website: www.BriarwoodProducts.com Products: Briarwood Products is a leading innovator and manufacturer of safe correctional cleaning tools. Its extensive product line is comprised of dust mop frames, brooms, brushes, squeegees, and more. All products in the line are made from a plastic that is unable to be sharpened into a weapon, adding an extra level of security to correctional facilities. The design of each cleaning tool enables it to be strong and durable, while disrupting an inmate’s ability of hand-crafting shanks and weapons. 19 Brosses Lacasse Inc. / Norman Brush Inc. 107 Authier St. St-Alphonse-de-Granby, QC J0E 2A0 CANADA Toll Free: 800-940-2829 Website: www.brosseslacasse.com Products: Brosses Lacasse Inc./Norman Brush Inc. specializes in the manufacturing and refurbishing of custom-made industrial brushes. The company’s customers cover a wide range of industries. Some specialities include cylinder brushes, twisted wire brushes, block and belt brushes, strip brushes, rotary brushes, maple product brushes, spiral wound brushes, and track and switch brooms. 15 Bruin Plastics Co., Inc. 61 Joslin Rd. P. O. Box 700 Glendale, RI 02826 USA Phone: 401-568-3081 Toll Free: 800-556-7764 Email: sales@bruinplastics.com Website: www.bruinplastics.com Products: Since 1964, Bruin Plastics Company has been a producer of industrial textiles. Bruin provides mildew and rot resistant VCM® (vinyl coated mesh) for wet mop head bands in a variety of colors, slit to a customer’s specific width requirements. 20 Brush Fibers, Inc. 202 North Oak St. Arcola, IL 61910 USA Phone: 217-268-3012 Email: chris@brushfibers.com Website: www.brushfibers.com Company Officers: Chris Monahan, President; Jaye Roberts, Customer Service Manager; Ian Moss, Bristle Trading Manager Products: Vegetable fibers: Tampico fiber (natural white, black, grey, bleached, patent,

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union), palmyra fiber, palmyra stalks, bassine, sherbro piassava, coco fiber and arenga fiber. Also offered are hog hair, horse hair, mixtures, staple wire, foam and solid plastic brush blocks. Established in 1979, Brush Fibers, Inc., is a supplier of a full range of brush filling materials to brush manufacturers around the world. Brush Fibers offers customers a comprehensive line, serviced from its Arcola warehouse, supported by warehousing facilities in New Jersey and Montreal. 20 Brush Technology Ltd 3 Throckley Ind Estate New Castle, Tyne & Wear NE159EW ENGLAND Phone: +44 01912291666 Email: info@brushtec.com Website: www.brushtec.com Products: Manufacturer of brushware and large injection moldings for industrial and municipal applications. 17 Brushes Corp. 5400 Smith Rd. Brook Park, OH 44142 USA Phone: 216-267-9080 Website: www.brushescorp.com Products: Twisted-in-wire brushes of all materials and sizes for industrial, medical, automotive, plumbing, bottle, textile and government. The company supplies both standard and custom engineered brushes and can accommodate any size order. 19 Bruske Products 7447 Duvan Dr. Tinley Park, IL 60477 USA Phone: 708-532-3800 Email: bruskeproducts@ameritech.net Website: www.bruskeproducts.com Company Officers: Steve Schafer, President; Priscilla Bruske, Treasurer Products: Metal-backed floor brushes, power sweeping brushes, power scrubbing brushes, knob scrubs, washing brushes, deck scrubs, street sweeps, floor squeegees, sponges, upright brooms, metal cap upright brooms, counter dusters, lobby brooms, corn brooms, floor scrapers, concentrated soap, block floor brushes, and replacement squeegees for power scrubbing machines. 20 Carlisle FoodService Products 4711 E. Hefner Rd. Oklahoma City, OK 73131 USA Toll Free: 800-654-8210 Email: customerservice@carlislefsp.com Website: www.carlislefsp.com Products: Sparta brush and brush accessories,

wet and dry mopping products, EZ Snap Floor Care, waste and material handling products. 15 Carolina Brush 3093 Northwest Blvd., P.O. Box 2469 Gastonia, NC 28052-2469 USA Toll Free: 800-822-1160 Website: www.carolinabrush.com Products: Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019, Carolina Brush manufactures custom industrial strip brushes, staple-set brushes, twisted-in-wire brushes and more. Industrial brushes can be created in a broad range of sizes, and with a large number of filament types, channels and holders to meet various application requirements. 19 Carolina Mop 819 Whitehall Rd., P. O. Box 5072 Anderson, SC 29623 USA Toll Free: 800-845-9725 Phone: 864-225-8351 Email: customerservice@carolinamop.com Website: www.carolinamop.com Company Officers: Jay Ritter, President; Giles Canter, National Sales Manager Products: Wet mops, dust mops, brooms, brushes, carpet bonnets, squeegees, wet floor signs, mop buckets, microfiber towels, and many more specialty janitorial products. 20 Charles E. Green & Son, Inc. 625 3rd St. Newark, NJ 07107 USA Phone: 973-485-3630 Email: sales@charlesegreen.com Website: www.charlesegreen.com Products: Paint brush ferrules, roller components, Milliken Machines, Milliken spare parts, brush pins, plastic handles, wood handles, steel stamps, industrial knits, and general metal stamping. 16 CiBrush Room 7, Building 4, Timecourt, No. 6, Shuguang Xili, Chaoyang District Beijing, CHINA Toll Free: +86 10 58678210 Email: cibrush@hjtexpo.com Website: www.cibrush.com/en/ Products: The next biennial Shanghai International Brushes & Brush Making Industry Exhibition (CiBRUSH) is scheduled for Dec. 5-7, 2021, at the Shanghai (China) International Expo Centre (SNIEC). 19 Corona Brushes, Inc. 5065 Savarese Cir. Tampa, FL 33634 USA Phone: 813-885-2525 Email: info@coronabrushes.com

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Website: www.coronabrushes.com Company Officers: Benjamin Waksman, President; Albert Waksman, Vice President Products: Corona Brushes, Inc., is a fourthgeneration family company. Corona designs and constructs contractor painting tools to give optimum performance and durability. Its brushes and rollers are handmade to exacting standards to ensure this built-in quality. The primary goal of the company is to manufacture quality painting products. 20 CWP 3871 West 150th St. Cleveland, OH 44111 USA Phone: 216-252-1190 Email: info@cwptechnologies.com Website: www.cwptechnologies.com Products: All kinds of floor brushes. Primarily vacuum cleaner brushes and attachments, floor machine brushes and janitorial cleaning brushes for tile and grout as well as hard floors and carpet. 14 Deco Products Co. 506 Sanford St. Decorah, IA 52101 USA Phone: 563-387-9077 Email: sales@decoprod.com Website: www.decoprod.com Company Officers: Chris Storlie, General Manager; Randy Tanger, Operation Manager; Mike Murphy, Engineer Manager; and Dave Magner, Director of Sales & Marketing Products: Custom die cast, broom tips and handle ends. 20 Deligh Industries, Inc. P. O. Box 310-154 255 Conover St. Brooklyn, NY 11231 USA Phone: 718-875-1511 Website: www.deligh.com Products: Tinned broom wire; galvanized mop and broom bands; galvanized and stainless steel brush stapling wire; gal-vanized stainless steel and plastic coated twisting wire; oil tempered and stainless steel scratch brush wire; brass and phosphor bronze brush filling wire; oil tempered, hard drawn and stainless steel power brush wire; wood brush blocks and broom handles. 19 Distribuidora Perfect S.A. de C.V. Calle Cuatro No. 32 Naucalpan Edo de MEXICO 53370 Phone: 011 52 55 53 87 04 00 Email: rrk@brochasperfect.com.mx Website: www.brochasperfect.com.mx Products: The company offers tampico fiber, cup brushes, solvents, paintbrushes, end

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brushes, artist brushes, clothes brushes, paint rollers, shoe brushes, kits and trays, washing brushes, wire brushes, Loosen Up WE-60, paint pads (square brushes), color sprays, circular wire brushes, and painter complementary items. Perfect has been in business for over 60 years in Mexico. The company first started selling paintbrushes and all sorts of brushes for domestic uses and industrial applications. The company later started distributing tooling for the construction industry, as well as tampico fiber all over the world. The company now offers lamb’s wool paint rollers, rollers that eliminate bubbles when applying varnish, and abrasive circular wire brushes. 10 DKSH Switzerland, Ltd. Wiesenstrasse 8 8034 Zurich, SWITZERLAND Phone: +41 44 386 7900 Website: www.dksh.ch Products: Various types of bristle, fiber and hair for the brush industry. DKSH is a global leader in Market Expansion Services, employing 22,000 specialists in 560 business locations all over the world. The exclusive North American agent is Brush Fibers, Inc., of Arcola, IL. Contact Ian Moss at ian.moss@brushfibers.com or call 978-290-0731. 20 Don Leventhal Group, LLC 1508 W. Jourdan St. Newton, IL 62448 USA Phone: 618-783-4424 Email: sales@newtonbroom.com Website: www.newtonbroom.com Products: Broom corn brooms, railroad switch brooms, angle brooms, soft sweep brooms, cob web and fan dusters, push brooms and floor brushes, bowl brushes, kitchen and scrub brushes. 14 Dorden & Company, Inc. a/k/a Dorden Squeegee™© 7446 Central Ave., P. O. Box 10247 Detroit, MI 48210 USA Phone: 313-834-7910, 313-407-7557 Email: mmfgcoinc@gmail.com Website: www.dordensqueegee.com Company Officer: Bruce M. Gale, President/Managing Director Products: Manufacturing “The World’s Finest Squeegees™©” and made in the USA. Dorden is a contract manufacturer of floor and heavy-duty commercial, industrial and specialty high quality “Not Just For Windows - Window Squeegees™©.” Dorden can seamlessly expand a customer’s product line

and increase the bottom line through its “Dorden Private Label Customer-Centric Tailored Squeegee Program™©” to fit specific needs. 20 Draper Knitting Company 28 Draper Lane Canton, MA 02021 USA Phone: 781-828-0029 Email: kdraper@draperknitting.com Website: www.draperknitting.com Products: Develops and manufactures quality paint roller materials. It offers a broad spectrum of paint roller cover fabrics from the mainstream economical quality to contractor grade materials for some of the most wellknown national suppliers. With an onsite paint roller lab, full coating/finishing department, and a custom dye house, Draper can create any blend, pile height, density, color, and texture that is required. The company has years of experience working with wool blends, recycled and synthetic fibers. Draper Knitting has been a “Made in the USA” family run business for over 160 years, creating fabrics for a variety of technical, sustainable and protective applications. 19 DuPont Filaments — Americas, LLC Washington Works Plant 8480 DuPont Road, Bldg. 158 Washington, WV 26181 USA Toll Free: 800-635-9695 Phone: 304-863-4908 Email: dupont.filaments@usa.dupont.com Website: www.filaments.dupont.com Products: DuPont™Tynex® 612 nylon level filaments for toothbrushes; DuPont™ Tynex® 612 nylon fine filaments for cosmetic brushes; DuPont™Tynex® 612 nylon tapered filaments for paintbrushes; DuPont™ Tynex® A 612 nylon abrasive filaments for floor care and industrial brushes; DuPont™Chinex® 612 nylon synthetic bristle for paintbrushes; DuPont™ Herox® 610 nylon level filaments for toothbrushes; DuPont™Natrafil® polyester filaments for cosmetic brushes; and, DuPont™ Orel® polyester tapered filaments for paintbrushes. 19 Ebser Mechanical Engineering e.K. Schönauer Str. 34 D-79674 Todtnau, GERMANY Phone: +49 7671 992308-0 Email: info@ebser.de Website: www.ebser.de Products: At EBSER, company representatives love the exciting, unpredictable, spectacular facets of life. That is why the company has been developing and producing machines for the brush industry in Todtnau,

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Germany since 1920. These are machines with trendsetting technologies, intelligent solutions and outstanding quality. In 1920, Gottlieb Ebser started building hand-tufting machines for the brush industry in Todtnau. Over the decades, the program has been steadily expanded. Semiautomatic, and later, fully automatic drilling and tufting machines, trimming, stamping as well as labeling machines have been developed and added. Secondhand machines are also available. 20 Epic Resins 600 Industrial Blvd. Palmyra, WI 53156 USA Phone: 262-495-3400 Email: sales@epicresins.com Website: www.epicresins.com Products: Offering paintbrush and paint roller adhesives. These adhesives offer adhesion to natural bristles, nylon, polyester and olefin filaments, as well as vinyl substrates. Epic Resins provides both two component epoxy resin adhesives as well as one component polyurethane moisture cure adhesives to serve the paintbrush and paint roller markets. Epic Resins is a custom formulator of epoxy resin and polyurethane compounds for original equipment manufacturers (OEM). In business since 1958, Epic Resins specializes in custom manufacturing and formulating materials. 11 Evansville Association For The Blind EAB Industries P. O. Box 6445 500 N. Second Ave. Evansville, IN 47719 USA Phone: 812-422-1181 Email: danleraris@aol.com Website: www.evansvilleblind.org Company Officers: Karla Horrell, Executive Director & Controller; Dan Leraris, Sales & Marketing Products: Deck mops: cotton and rayon; mop heads: cotton and rayon. Traditional and custom sizes available. Made in the USA. Manufacturing time available for mop production due to expanded capacity. 20 F.M. Brush Co., Inc. 70-02 72nd Place Glendale, NY 11385 USA Phone: 718-821-5939 Email: info@fmbrush.com Website: www.fmbrush.com Products: Artist brushes, from professional to student, all levels. Industrial affiliations, marking, stencil, and parts cleaning available. Camel hair to red sable plus a full range of synthetics. Painted and unpainted handles. Assembled in the United States and

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Thailand. Large quantities for bids at all price ranges. Name brand and private label with quick delivery. 11 Felton, Inc. 7 Burton Dr. Londonderry, NH 03053 USA Phone: 603-425-0200 Website: www.feltoninc.com Products: Custom brushes and technical assemblies. 14 Fibratexsa P. O. Box 118 San Pedro Sula, HONDURAS Website: www.fibratexsa.com Products: Mop making machinery including loop end and deck mop machines, sewing stations, automatic cutters and more. 12 Fili & Forme SRL Via del Lavoro, 10 41018 San Cesareo sul Panaro (MO) ITALY Phone: ++39059921462 Email: info@filieforme.com Website: www.filieforme.com Products: Product line includes: Monofilaments in PVC that can be produced as UV resistant for long lasting under sun exposure, and antibacterial to reduce and avoid the formation of offensive odors; monofilaments in polypropylene, PS and SAN. For more than 30 years, Fili & Forme has produced monofilaments for various markets like home, personal care, industrial, technical and sports. It offers a completely automated manufacturing process, with cutting edge technology and machines, quality control, efficiency and competitive prices. 10 Filkemp - Industria de Filamentos, S.A. Rua Francisco Lyon de Castro 28 Mem Martins 2725-397 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 21 922 6416 Email: info@filkemp.com Website: www.filkemp.com Products: Custom-made abrasive filaments based on PA6, PA 6.10 and PA 6.12, used in polishing and deburring tool accessories worldwide. Great variety of grits available. Filkemp also produces polyamide and polyester monofilaments for fishing, technical applications, 3D printing and agricultural appliances. 18 Filmop USA 13410 Hwy 105 West Conroe, TX 77304 USA Phone: 936-588-8942 Email: info@filmopusa.com Website: www.filmopusa.com

Products: Designing, manufacturing and distribution of engineered cleaning systems for health care and facility environments. Products include workstations, linen collection hampers, mobile trash cans, buckets/wringers, microfiber mops (wet and dry), handles, mop holders, dusters, microfiber cloths, and bucketless mops. 20 FIMM Italia S.p.A. via della Repubblica 153 50050 STABBIA (Firenze), ITALY Phone: +39-0571-956124 Website: www.spinelli-group.com Products: Manufacturer of metal broom handles, telescopic handles, extension poles, multipiece handles, mop handles. The history of FIMM ITALIA S.p.A. dates to the 1890s, and is part of the Spinelli Group, a machinery and molds manufacturer. Companies are located in Italy, the United States, Mexico and China. 13 Fuller Industries LLC 1 Fuller Way Great Bend, KS 67530 USA Toll Free: 800-848-4901 Website: www.fullercommercial.com Products: FullPro, Franklin Cleaning Technology, Trumix DC2 and Masury Columbia. 16 G.D.F. di De Franceschi Gabriella & C. s.a.s. Via Mazzini 27 Bazzano 40053 Valsamoggia ITALY Phone: +39 051830189 Email: gdf@gdfsrl.eu Website: www.gdfsrl.eu Company Officer: Gabriella De Franceschi Products: Foamed and solid plastic blocks, metal handles, telescopic poles, buckets, mops and cleaning tools. 20 Gator Cleaning Products, LLC 725 McKinley St. Eugene, OR 97402 USA Website: www.groutgator.com Products: The Grout Gator: clean grout two to eight times faster with the multi-brush head Grout Gator. Featuring an award-winning and patented design, the Grout Gator is saving time for both home owners and professional cleaners in the United States, Canada, Australia, Dubai, and the United Kingdom. 17 Gift Sales Co. P. O. Box 17082 513 S. St. Francis Wichita, KS 67217 USA Phone: 316-267-0671 Toll Free: 800-992-0181

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Email: gscjansplymfr@juno.com, mskate@juno.com Website: www.giftsalescompany.net Company Officer: Bill Myers Products: Bowl block, urinal para and nonparablock, 20-pound sewer block, non-para dumpster system, bowl caddy, mint abso-rbent, urinal screens (all kinds), putty knives, dust pans (metal and plastic), and other supplies. 20 Giori Automation/Global Line Group Srl Via Francesca 2942 B Larciano, Pistoia 51036 ITALY Phone: 0039-0573-84564 Email: info@giori.it Website: www.giori.it Products: Machines for the manufacturing of wet mops; machines for the flagging and trimming of brooms; machines for the finishing of brushes; monofilament production lines and PET bottle washing plants. 19 Golden Star Inc. 6445 Metcalf Ave. Overland Park, KS 66202 USA Phone: 816-842-0233 Email: goldenstar@goldenstar.com Website: www.goldenstar.com Products: Golden Star is a full line, vertically integrated manufacturer of professional surface cleaning tools, systems and accessories since 1908. The company offers private branding cap-abilities and marketing tools to better grow customers’ brands. Products include wet and dust mops, microfiber pads and cloths, dusters, bonnets, corn brooms, push brooms and hardware. 20 Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. 3737 Capitol Ave. City of Industry, CA 90601 USA Phone: 323-724-7777 Email: sales@gordonbrush.com Website: www.gordonbrush.com Company Officer: Kenneth L. Rakusin, President and CEO Products: Hand-held brushes, scratch brushes, platers’ brushes, medical brushes, instrument cleaning brushes, applicator brushes, detail brushes, parts cleaning brushes, military brushes, block brushes, upright brushes, paintbrushes, flow-thru brushes, high-pressure brushes, strip brushes, micro-spiral brushes, abrasive brushes, spiral brushes, twisted-in-wire brushes, vacuum brushes, condenser tube brushes, paddle brushes, bore brushes, radiator brushes, spoke brushes, refrigeration and plumbing brushes, tube-fitting brushes, bowl brushes, vat brushes, janitorial brushes, brooms, squeegees, polycorn uprights, truck wash brushes, lobby brooms, dusters, cylinder brushes, bonded disc brushes, bonded

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flap brushes, abrasive nylon brushes, spiral round coil brushes, rotary brushes, fine filament brushes, Thunderon® brushes, dome brushes, acid brushes, power brushes, specialty brushes, hygienic brushes, mops, buffs, dressing sheets and handpads. 20 E. Gornell & Sons, Inc. 2241 N. Knox Ave. Chicago, IL 60639 USA Phone: 773-489-2330 Email: sales@gornellbrush.com Website: www.gornellbrush.com Products: Gornell built its reputation as a custom designer and manufacturer of quality brushes for industry and maintenance. Gornell is a supplier of scratch, platers and welder brushes, staple set on the latest CNC-controlled machinery. It offers custom-design and manufactures staple set and wire-drawn brushes for industry, using all types of wire, synthetic and natural fill materials. Will imprint and private label brushes for the brush industry. CAD/CAM design available. Special packaging is offered to meet specific requirements. 18 Gover, Horowitz & Blunt Ltd. 15 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8PS UNITED KINGDOM Phone: +44 207 838-7000 Email: mr@ghb.co.uk Website: www.ghb.co.uk Products: Synthetic monofilaments (PVC, PPN, PET, nylon, etc), bassine, palmyra, coco, tampico and cotton mop yarn. 16 H. Arnold Wood Turning, Inc. 220 White Plains Rd., Suite 245 Tarrytown, NY 10591 USA Phone: 914-381-0801 Email: staff@arnoldwood.com Website: www.arnoldwood.com Products: Broom and mop handles; lawn, garden and agricultural tool handles; snow shovel handles; concrete prep handles; grill and pizza handles; squeegee handles; plunger handles; dowels and dowel handles; turned and shaped handles; brush blocks; mouldings; CNC and shaped parts; most finishing and secondary work available. 20 Ha-Ste Manufacturing, Inc. P. O. Box 168 Union City, IN 47390 USA Phone: 800-228-6677 (MOPS) or, 937-968-4858 Email: service@hastemops.com Website: www.hastemops.com Products: Manufacturer of quality (Made in the USA) mopping products. Specializing in janitorial and industrial hard floor care. Quality

product line of wet mops, dust mops, microfiber products, hardware and no-lint monofilament finish mops. Includes custom factory and private labeling as well as construction modifications to suit customers’ needs. 14 Hahl Inc., a Div. of Perlon The Filament Co. 126 Glassmaster Rd. Lexington, SC 29072 USA Phone: 803-359-0706 Email: customerservice@perlon.com Website: www.perlon.com Products: Synthetic bristle in diameters ranging from .003” - .120” nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 612, nylon 610, polyester PBT, polypropylene. Abrasive fibers in diameters ranging from .010” - .070” nylon 6, nylon 612, nylon 610 with abrasive grit types silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, ceramic and diamond. Specialty fibers are a big part of Hahl’s product offering: nylon 6 flaggeable, nylon 6 UL94VO, nylon 6 “anti-static”, nylon 6 “conductive”, nylon “HT”, polyester “metal detectable”, PEEK, PPS, HT-150, HT-250 and a full range of toothbrush filaments. 17 Haviland Corporation P. O. Box 769 200 S. Hwy. U Linn, MO 65051 USA Phone: 573-897-3672 Email: squeegees@havilandcorp.com Website: www.havilandcorp.com Products: Since 1946, Haviland Corporation continues to manufacture premium floor and window squeegees; waterbrooms; replacement blades for sweeper scrubbers; and paving tools in the United States. The newest addition to Haviland’s floor squeegee selection is the Quick Flip. This versatile squeegee features a blade on each side of the frame. Choose the same type of blade on both sides and increase the life of the unit, or choose different blades to be used on different surfaces. The product saves time, money, and provides more options. 20 Hebei Founder Int. Trading Corp., Ltd. No. 345, Youyi North St. Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050071 CHINA Phone: 0086-311-85271256 Email: hairs88@hotmail.com Website: www.brushhairs.com Products: Animal hair materials, synthetic filament and related components for brush making including artist brushes, shaving brushes and cosmetic brushes. 19 Hillbrush Inc. 811 Rolyn Ave. Baltimore, MD 21237 USA Phone: 410-325-7000

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Email: info@hillbrush.com Website: www.hillbrush.com Products: Wooden brooms, paintbrushes, brushware, dust pans and brushes, mops, hygienic cleaning tools, Resin-Set DRS®, anti-microbial brushware and hygienic tools, metal and x-ray detectable brushware and hygienic tools. 16 HIMESA Hilos Y Mechas S.A. de C.V. P. O. Box 118 San Pedro Sula HONDURAS Phone (USA): 954-323-8692 Phone: ++504-2558-8141 Email: himesa@himesa.com Website: www.himesa.com Products: HIMESA is a Latin American textile producer. Its textiles spin a wide array of cotton, rayon blends, Acrylex®, synthetics, antimicrobial yarns, 100 percent recycled, etc. The various styles that HIMESA uses for spinning yarns are ring, open end/friction and core spun. These different methods enable HIMESA to produce an array of titles, colors and form options. HIMESA also produces various types of mops (loop end, cut end, deck mops, dust mops and disposables). It also offers an assortment of custom mops such as lay flat style, double tailbanded mops, wire/connector mops, quik on, etc. All these mops are custom designed to customers’ specs, such as for retail, industrial, foodservice, healthcare, janitorial, etc. The company also offers twine, sewing threads, industrial threads, agricultural threads/twines and more. Its facilities include complete weaving operations for a variety of products like canvas, sheeting, tarpaulins, towels, cleaning and grill cloths, diapers, mop tape, etc. HIMESA has ventured into plastics with success in making a variety of products for the industry. 15 Indian Bristle Company unit of Sieko Brushware (India) Sieko House, 4/15, Bagichi St. Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara, Dehli - 110032 INDIA Phone: +91 11 45645617 Email: siekobrush@hotmail.com, siekobrush@yahoo.com, siekobrush@gmail.com Products: Exporter of Indian bristles. 17 Industrial Brush Corporation 763 E. Commerce Dr. St. George, UT 84790 USA Phone: 435-673-7500 Email: sales@industrialbrush.com Website: www.industrialbrush.com Products: Custom designs and prototypes. Designs and manufactures thousands of

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different brushes to satisfy a wide variety of industrial and food processing applications. Also offered are standard and custom design staple set, metal channel strip and other brush constructions including straight and formed strip, coil, cylinder cup, inside and outside disc, twisted-in-wire, wire scratch, wheel cup and stem brushes, acid, paint and artist brushes. All types of fill materials are provided including synthetic, natural, hair and wire. Common applications include brushes for washing, drying, waxing, polishing, peeling and harvesting various fruits and vegetables. Other applications include scrubbing and deburring printed circuit boards; washing silicon chips; finishing and deburring metal; sanding, de-nibbling, staining and dusting wood products; glass and mirror washing; egg washing; static elimination; trommel cleaning; conveyor cleaning; mold cleaning and vehicle washing. Products are marketed throughout North America, Western Europe and Asia. 09 The InterWire Group 355 Main St. Armonk, NY 10504 USA Toll Free: 800-699-6633 Website: www.interwiregroup.com Products: National distributor of wire for the brush, broom, mop and other industries. 17 Jason Mills, LLC 440 S. Main St. Milltown, NJ 08850 USA Phone: 732-651-7200 Email: info@jasonmills.com Website: www.jasonmills.com Products: Jason Mills manufactures textile fabrics for industrial, commercial, military and personal safety end-users. Specific industries include automotive, aeronautical, healthcare and law enforcement. It has an extensive stock program which includes fire retardant, Berry compliant, MIL-SPEC and NAFTA-certified fabrics. 16 Jersey Jerry Broomsquire 911 Larkspur Pl., S. Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 USA Phone: 856-222-0713 Email: moyerbase@aol.com Products: Broomcorn seed for multicolored broomcorn, designed for machine harvest with three genetic traits: 1. 4-5 foot tall, 2. stem/peduncle longer than 12 inches, 3. top leaf/boot covers only little of brush for easy drying. Also easier to cut by machete than pull by hand. Also available, directions for making a machine/reaper to harvest/cut broomcorn designed for the machine (see

YouTube video of broomcorn harvester designed by Dr. Sam Moyer); and directions for making broom winders. 20 Jones Yarn - Jones Family of Companies 312 S. 14th Ave. Humboldt, TN 38343 USA Toll Free: 800-238-8334 Phone: 731-784-2832 Email: adailey@jonesyarn.com Website: www.jonesyarn.com Company Officers: William Ralph Jones III, Executive Chairman; CP Davis, Chief Executive Officer & President; Doug McIlvaine, Chief Financial Officer; Andrew Dailey, Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development; Monica Cadaret, Vice President of Operations; Jim Thomas, Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics. Products: Jones Yarn offers USA-produced and globally sourced yarns engineered to meet the performance requirements of the floor care industry no matter what the market: healthcare, hospitality, food service, retail or jan/san. Yarns are produced with various spinning technologies using fiber blends of cotton/ polyester, rayon/polyester, cotton/ polyester/rayon, anti-microbial/cotton, antimicro bial/rayon and microfiber blends. Trademarked yarns include RF-Yarns™Recycled Fiber Yarns, Enviro-Color™ Yarns, AM-Yarns™ - Anti-microbial, and nWET™ - non-woven edge trim. In addition to the variety of yarns, Jones offers mop tape, mesh and sewing thread. The Jones Next Generation product line includes microfiber tube mops, microfiber towels, microfiber carpet bonnets, synthetic carpet bonnets and cotton carpet bonnets. Also available are yarn for wet mops, dust mops and finishing mops. Jones Yarn’s other services include product testing, customer exclusive product development, sales training, market intelligence, warehousing, supply-chain management and logistics services. 20 Justman Brush Company 5401 F St. Omaha, NE 68117 USA Toll Free: 800-800-6940 Email: customerservice@justmanbrush.com Website: www.justmanbrush.com Products: Justman Brush is an American manufacturer of twisted-in-wire, staple-set and heat-fused hygienic brushes. ISO 2015:9001 registered. Justman’s reputation is built on 90 years of production for the commercial, industrial, laboratory scientific, medical, water

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY treatment, and foodservice industries, with capabilities to manufacture to customer specifications. With two acquisitions in 2017, including Tucel Industries, Justman is a leading manufacturer of metal-free, color-coded foodservice grade brushes. Products include: Brooms, squeegees, hand-held scrubs, counter dusters, parts cleaning brushes, small to large utility brushes, tank and vat brushes, sieve cleaning brushes, nail brushes and rotary drill attachment scrubbing brushes. 20 Keystone Plastics Inc. 3451 S. Clinton Ave. South Plainfield, NJ 07080 USA Phone: 908-561-1300; 800-635-1300 Website: www.keystonesweepersbrushes.com Products: Extruded polypropylene filaments (custom color match) will meet exact specifications. 06 La Crosse Brush, Inc. 3235 George St. La Crosse, WI 54603 USA Toll Free: 888-683-7491 Email: customerservice@lacrossebrush.com Website: www.lacrossebrush.com Products: Manufacturer of brooms and brushes for various industries: color-coded products for food processing, including brooms, brushes, squeegees, fiberglass handles, shovels, scoops and scrapers, etc.; industrial/maintenance brooms and brushes, including floor sweeps, scrub brushes, counter brushes, wood handles, etc.; and, various brooms and brushes for the dairy industry, including tank brushes, barn brooms, scrub brushes, etc. 19 Lafitte Mop Co., Inc. P. O. Box 577 Villa Rica, GA 30180 USA Phone: 770-459-5966 Email: lmc@lafittemop.com Website: www.lafittemop.com Company Officers: John Lafitte, President; Cathy Lafitte, Secretary Products: USA-made products include: Looped-end and conventional cut-end mopheads in rayon, cotton and blended yarnswhite and colors; stick mops, all sizes and yarn types; green environmental dust mops and mopheads; and specialty mops including nonwoven mops and dust mops in cotton, synthetic and launderable. Additional products: brooms, brushes, handles, microfiber products and industrial roofing items. 20 Lambskin Specialties 250 Dufferin Ave. Winnipeg, MB R2W 5J1 CANADA Toll Free: 800-665-0202

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Email: info@lambskin.com Website: www.lambskin.com Products: Manufacturer of DUST WAND wool dusters, wash mitts, Window Pro stripwashers, applicator pads, Floor Master polishing bonnets, and VacGuard Bumper Pillow. Also available, feather and synthetic dusters, glider microfiber mops, utility handles, natural synthetic chamois, squeegees, the Biomop biodegradable floor/wall duster, pad holder and MultiFlex flexible multi-purpose tool. 18 Lanoco Specialty Wire Products, Inc. 7 John Rd. Sutton, MA 01590 USA Phone: 508-865-1500 Website: www.lanoco.com Products: Manufacturer of stainless steel wire for the power brush industry. Wire includes pin crimped, gear crimped, or straight in multiple strands, hanks, coils, cut to lengths, or bobbin form. 09 Lemieux Spinning Mill, Inc. 125 Route 108 Est., C.P. 2039 St. Ephrem, Beauce QC G0M 1R0 CANADA Phone: 418-484-2169 Email: sergel@lemieuxspinning.com Website: www.lemieuxspinning.com Products: Rayon blend white and colored mop yarn, Price-Wise economy synthetic white and colored mop yarn, dust control synthetic white and colored dust mop yarn. Rayon blend mop yarn treated with Ultra-Fresh (antibacterial), cotton blend mop yarn, and exclusive and custom mop yarn. Greentex mop yarn is an environmentally friendly blend of recycled PET and post-consumer fiber. Lemieux Spinning Mill’s history dates to 1906 when J.A. Lemieux founded his business on first-rate service and top quality products. With well-established experience, Lemieux’s vision is constantly focused on the future. No matter what the specific requirements or needs are, Lemieux Spinning Mills, Inc., has the team and resources to meet them. 15 Lessmann GmbH The German Brush Company Lucas-Schultes-Str. 2 Oettingen 86732 GERMANY Phone: 0049 9082 707 0 Email: info@lessmann.com Website: www.lessmann.com Products: Brushes made in Germany: technical brushes, industrial brushes, wire brushes, wheel brushes, bevel brushes, hand brushes, interior brushes, shank brushes, end brushes, disc brushes and others. Lessmann provides a wide

product range of standard and special brushes. The brushes are used for cleaning, deburring, polishing and surface finishing in the metal working industry, tube and pipeline industry, wood working industry, automotive industry, aircraft industry and others. 16 Libman Company, The 1 Libman Way Arcola, IL 61910 USA Toll-Free: 800-646-6262 Email: info@libmanpro.com Website: www.libmanpro.com Products: Mops, brooms, brushes, buckets, squugees, dusters, dust pans, and more. Libman manufactures the vast majority of its products, from raw materials to finished goods, in its 1.4million-square-foot plant in Central Illinois. 20 Loos & Co., Inc. Jewel Wire Division P. O. Box 282 Pomfret, CT 06258 USA Phone: 860-928-7981 Email: sales@loosco.com Website: www.loosco.com Products: Stainless steel, high fatigue power brush wire, scratch brush wire, and draw wire; also available, stainless steel and nickel silver staple wire along with stem wire. Jewel Wire offers a full line of wire products in the following materials and alloys: brass alloy 260, phosphor bronze alloy 510, nickel silver alloy 745, untempered high carbon steel, and galvanized low carbon steel. All alloys are available straight (level), pin or gear crimped. Standard packaging available: hanks, coils, precision cut to length, single strand and multi-stranded on spools and cores. Jewel Wire also offers packaging to customer specifications. 18 M2 Professional Cleaning Products LTD 59 Talman Ct. Concord, ON L4K 4L5 CANADA Phone: 905-738-2007 Website: www.m2mfg.com Products: M2 Professional Cleaning Products Ltd., is a manufacturer of buckets and wringers, along with a complete line of professional cleaning products including wet mops, dust mops, as well as assorted brushes and push brooms. M2 has over 40 years of manufacturing experience in the cleaning industry. 16 Madison Steel 977 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE #204 Atlanta, GA 30306 USA Phone: 404-343-4855 Email: info@madisonsteel.com Website: www.madisonsteel.com Company Officer: Al Hickson, CEO

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Products: Steel Wire: music wire, duct wire, broom wire, hand-drawn wire, oil tempered, chrome silicon, high/low carbon, patented wire; Stranded products: PC strand, galvanized PC strand, aircraft cable, guy strand; Reinforcing products: rebar, wire mesh, PC wire. 20 Magni Giovanni snc Via Lecco, 20/B 22036 Erba CO ITALY Phone: 0039-031-643224 Email: info@maiertools.com Website: www.maiertools.com Products: Manufacturer of drill bits for brushmakers, selling products all around the world for over 60 years. The company produces CNC-machined bits in HSS 8-solid carbide in all sizes and types. 18 Magnolia Brush Manufacturers, Ltd. P. O. Box 932 - 1001 N. Cedar Clarksville, TX 75426 USA Phone: 903-427-2261 Email: sales@magnoliabrush.com Website: www.magnoliabrush.com Products: Full line of floor, street, garage brushes; deck, scrub brushes; floor and window squeegees; dust mops; wet mops; microfiber; galvanized pails; tubs; detail brushes; and other assorted maintenance items. 20 Malish Corporation, The 7333 Corporate Blvd. Mentor, OH 44060 USA Phone: 440-951-5356 Email: info@malish.com Website: www.malish.com Company Officers: Terry J. Malish, Chairman; Jeff Malish, President & CEO; Fred Lombardi, Vice President of Sales & Marketing Products: Manufacturer of commercial and industrial floor machine brushes, including a full range of rotary brushes, foodservice/ color-coded brushes, as well as janitorial brushes. Malish recently introduced the DiamabrushbyMalish Floor Preparation System that features products for concrete prep and polish, as well as products for wood and mastic removal. 20 Marco Kracht Via L Biagi, 55/C15 20099 Sesto San Giovanni, MI ITALY Phone: 0039-02-24416854 Email: info@marcokracht.com Website: www.marcokracht.com Products: Flagging knives, blades for trimming units, blades for cutting metal pipe of broom

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handles, needles for Dal Maschio and other machine manufacturers for sewing corn brooms and similar types of brooms. 19 Maryland Brush Company - A Div. of MBC Ventures, Inc. 3221 Frederick Ave. Baltimore, MD 21229 USA Toll Free: 800-654-0774 Email: sales@marylandbrush.com Website: www.marylandbrush.com Products: Power-driven and hand-held brushes of wire, synthetic, and abrasive filaments; maintenance brushes and paint applicators; and custom-engineered brush products. 18 M-B Companies, Inc. P. O. Box 200 1615 Wisconsin Ave. New Holstein, WI 54915 USA Toll Free: 800-558-5800 Email: sales@m-bco.com Website: www.m-bco.com Products: Tube brooms, gutter brooms, runway wafers, strip brooms, poly wafers, wire wafers, poly/wire wafers. Brushes for all makes and models of attachment brooms, runway snow removal equipment, and street sweepers. 12 MFC, Ltd. 1904 Freight St. Laredo, TX 78041 USA Phone: 956-724-5191 Email: info@mfc-usa.com Website: www.mfc-usa.com Products: Tampico fibers, union mix, semipatent fiber, palmyra, bassine, horsehair, horsehair mixtures with tampico fiber and/or synthetic. Boar bristle mixtures (natural and/or with synthetics), paintbrush mixtures of synthetic and natural bristles. Tipping, flagging, mixing and dyeing of taper synthetic fiber for paintbrush industry. Also rice (broom) root and metal handles. 16 Michigan Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. P. O. Box 10247 7446 Central Ave. Detroit, MI 48210-0247 USA Phone: 313-834-1070 Toll Free: 800-642-7874 Website: www.mi-brush.com, www.michiganbrush.com Products: Specializing in all types of brooms, brushes, mops, squeegees, paint rollers and related products. Special order products are available for machinery and equipment, including oversize paint rollers, brushes and squeegees. Prototypes, long and short runs invited. 18

Mileva Srl Via Gerbolina 36 Viadana, MN 46019 ITALY Phone: +39-0375-785912 Email: info@mileva.it Website: www.mileva.it Products: Mileva was founded in 1976 and is involved in the business of molding plastic materials for the production of blocks for cleaning articles. It operates in two establishments on a total area of 16,000 mqs in Viadana (MN), in the north of Italy. Mileva Srl offers a wide range of standard plastic blocks for brooms, brushes, floor brushes and squeegees, manufactured in foamed or solid polypropylene, also with co-injected rubber. In addition to a wide range of standard articles, Mileva Srl offers aluminum and steel molds manufactured for the production of customized models. Mileva Srl has gained a good reputation on the market for the high quality of its products, for reliable service and for meeting delivery deadlines. 19 Mill-Rose Company, The 7995 Tyler Blvd. Mentor, OH 44060 USA Phone: 440-255-9171 Email: info@millrose.com Website: www.millrose.com Products: U.S. manufacturer of twisted-wire brushes and a market leader for brushes of all uses. The company designs, engineers, manufactures, and delivers brushes in small, as well as large quantities catering to a customer’s specific needs. Mill-Rose brushes are used in virtually every industry around the world, including, but not limited to, aerospace, agriculture, automotive, defense, energy, manufacturing, medical, technology, and telecommunications. Customers can choose from “standard” and “not-so-standard” sizes and shapes of brushes that deburr, polish, finish, sort, auger, conduct, dissipate, collect, move and protect materials. Mill-Rose brushes are often used in nonbrushing applications to solve engineering, design, and production problems. Mill-Rose has designed more than 100,000 special brushes with unique configurations for unique applications. Strong demand for Mill-Rose brushes by the plumbing, heating and cooling industry led to the formation of Clean-Fit Products serving professional contractors, hardware wholesalers and Do-It-Yourself home centers. Clean-Fit Products offers contractors a complete line of brushes, abrasives, PTFE sealants and specialty tools, including the line of Blue Monster® professional-grade products. Mill-Rose Laboratories manufactures a complete line of disposable and reusable

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY brushes, snares and baskets used throughout the medical industry. It’s a leading source for laboratory and scientific brushes, biopsy and micro brushes, and stainless steel wire forms used in a broad range of applications. 14 Milliken Machine 625 3rd St. Newark, NJ 07107 USA Phone: 973-485-3630 Email: info@millikenmachine.com Website: www.millikenmachine.com Products: Brush nailing equipment including brush pins/nails. 16 Milwaukee Dustless Brush 3737 Capitol Ave. City of Industry, CA 90601 USA Phone: 323-724-7777 Email: sales@milwaukeedustless.com Website: www.milwaukeedustless.com Products: Floor brooms, handles, polycorn upright brooms, corn brooms, lobby brooms, dust pans, bench/counter dusters, squeegees (floor), truck wash brushes, sponge mops, bucketless mops, utility brushes, window and feather dusters, commercial kitchen brushes, valve brushes, dish brushes, detail brushes, scoops and shovels, wire brushes, scratch brushes, stencil, acid and parts wash brushes, paintbrushes, specialty brushes, power brushes, block brushes, nail brushes, bowl brushes, scrub brushes, and tank brushes. 16 Monahan Filaments, LLC 215 Egyptian Trail Arcola, IL 61910 USA Phone: 217-268-4957 Customer Service: 888-833-1097 Email: info@monahanfilaments.com Website: www.monahanfilaments.com Company Officers: Matt Monahan, President; Tom Vichich, Vice President Sales & Marketing Products: Broad selection of synthetic filaments in a wide range of diameters for the brush and monofilament industries. Nylon, polyester, polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene fibers for applications in industrial, construction, automotive, personal care, paint, cosmetic, and janitorial markets. Founded in early 2007 with the acquisition of Specialty Filaments, the company has consolidated operations into a new facility in Arcola, IL. Centrally located in the Midwest, MFI is well positioned to meet the challenging needs of all customers. Sister company Brush Fibers, Inc., is also located in Arcola and able to ship all items together with Monahan

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Filaments, further saving on freight. Now offering high temperature nylon filaments for demanding applications and V0 grade nylon. 20 Monahan Partners, Inc. 202 N. Oak St. Arcola, IL 61910 USA Phone: 217-268-5771 Website: www.monahanpartners.com Company Officers: Kevin Monahan, President; Pat Monahan, Ambassador; Matt Short, Vice President Products: Monahan Partners assembles wood, metal and fiberglass mopsticks. It offers a full range of metal and plastic attachments for both wet and dry mops, and sells the component parts for self-assembly. Monahan Partners offers popular plastic and metal janitor quick changes and grippers (jaws), household and janitor springs and levers. And for dust mops, the company offers nylon slide connectors and a patented flexible connector. Other popular products are dust mop frames and cotton heads as well as wedge mop heads and frames. Monahan Partners also sells broom braces; broom twine; industrial T-bars; plastic/wire connectors for layflat mops; twist mops made with either cotton yarn or non-woven strips; microfiber yarn wet mops; and fiberglass handles with swivel cap and thread. Monahan Partners now also sells competitively-priced wet floor signs; dust pans; large and small angle brooms; and a popular, made in USA, economical, patented lobby dust pan. The company is also a leading producer of fiberglass handle mopsticks. In addition, Monahan Partners is offering a patentpending, stainless steel, multi-piece “Freight Buster” handle. Monahan Partners was spun out of The Thomas Monahan Company, in December 2010. Formerly, a division of the family business, Monahan Partners continues a long history of great service. 20 Thomas Monahan Co., The 202 N. Oak St. Arcola, IL 61910 USA Phone: 217-268-4955 Email: tim@thomasmonahan.com Website: www.thomasmonahan.com Company Officers: Tim, Jon, Matt, and Chris Monahan. Products: The Thomas Monahan Company is the parent of the Monahan family of companies – Brush Fibers, Inc. (natural filaments); Monahan Filaments (synthetic filaments); and PelRay International Company. See separate

listings for these companies in this issue. The Thomas Monahan Company manufactures and sells component parts for the manufacture of brooms, brushes, and mops. It has proven sources in the USA, China, Mexico and around the world. The company has been a family business since 1922, now managed by its fourth generation of Monahans. The Thomas Monahan Co. stands behind everything it sells. The company prides itself on fast, courteous service. 20 Monterey Mills P. O. Box 790 Janesville, WI 53547 USA Phone: 608-754-2866 Website: www.montereymills.com Products: Monterey Mills has been a premier sliver knitter since 1946. The company carries hundreds of years of collective experience. In addition to being a paint roller fabric supplier, Monterey supplies roller products with less shedding and superior pick up and release. Further paint applications and filtration fabric can be found with the supplier’s exclusive and patented FIBERLOCK™ technology, which enhances paint performance while minimizing shedding. Monterey Mills supplies paint roller manufacturers in the United States, and exports paint roller fabric to over a dozen countries. The company can create custom designs and colors, coupled with the flexibility to alter any aspect of its knit fabric. It can also service made-to orders including apparel, pet bed fabrics, air and water filtration, medical pads, buffing pads, case liners, and stuffing. 16 Mount Joy Wire Corp. 1000 E. Main St. Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA Phone: 717-653-1461 Toll Free: 800-321-2305 Email: sales@mjwire.com Website: www.mjwire.com Products: Wide range of brush wire products – carbon steel, stainless steel, brass plated, galvanized, tinned, flats. All sizes of tempered and hard drawn brush wire with full capabilities in crimping, bunching, and cutting in hanks. 11 Mr. LongArm, Inc. P.O. Box 377, 400 Walnut St. Greenwood, MO 64034 USA Toll Free: 800-821-3508 Email: info@mrlongarm.com Website: www.mrlongarm.com Products: Extension poles, cleaning brushes, flow-thru cleaning products, deck stain

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY applicators, paint rollers, paint pad applicators, light bulb changers, dusters, window cleaning products and solar panel cleaning kits. 19 Multi Brosses Inc. 300 Rue Principale St. Jules, QC G0N 1R0 CANADA Toll Free: 418-397-1870 Website: www.multibrosses.com Products: Manufacturer of brushes, brooms, mops and handles. 19 National Wire & Metal Technologies, Inc. 22 Carolina St. Jamestown, NY 14701 USA Phone: 716-661-9180 Email: info@nationalwire.us Website: www.homemaid.us Products: Broom braces, roller mops, hinge mops, butterfly mops, dust mops and heads, quick change mops, stirrup mops, furniture hardware, oval bands, rivets and squeegees. 18 Nexstep Commercial Products (O-Cedar Commercial) 1450 W. Ottawa Rd. Paxton, IL 60957 USA Toll Free: 800-252-7666 Email: customerservice@ocedarcommercial.com Website: www.ocedarcommercial.com Company Officers: Todd Leventhal, President; Joel Hastings, General Manager; Steve Keller, CFO; Erin E. Busch, National Director of Sales & Marketing Products: Nexstep Commercial Products is the exclusive licensee of O-Cedar products for the commercial cleaning market. O-Cedar is one of the most recognized and prominent manufacturers of cleaning tools in the USA and Nexstep’s commercial grade tools truly deliver on the well-known slogan “Makes Your Life Easier.” The company’s products are manufactured and distributed in jan/san, foodservice and industrial markets. Over 70 percent of the products are made in the USA, including angle brooms and wet mops. Nexstep’s full line includes microfiber products, mops with handles, mopsticks, mop bucket and wringers, cleaning equipment, waste containers, dust mops, plastic brooms, dust pans, floor sweeps, brushes, handles, bathroom accessories, squeegees and scrapers, dusters, gloves, corn brooms, and rotary brushes. The company’s dedicated to providing innovative, top quality products at very competitive prices and world class customer service. 20

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Norshel Industries, Inc. 2933 River Rd. Croydon, PA 19021 USA Toll Free: 800-255-6677 Email: sales@norshel.com Website: www.norshel.com Company Officers: Eric Leibowitz; Aaron Leibowitz Products: Manufacturer of wet mops and handles. Importer and master wholesaler of a complete line of janitorial and industrial products. Servicing distributors in the jan/san, food service, educational, industrial, hospitality, construction and health care industries. 20 Nyco Products Company 5332 Dansher Rd. Countryside, IL 60525 USA Phone: 708-579-9898 Email: jticsay@nycoproducts.com Website: www.nycoproducts.com Company Officers: John Wunderlich, President Products: Carpet cleaners, spotters and stain removers; upholstery cleaners; floor strippers; floor cleaners; floor finish chemicals; floor sealers; floor preparation chemicals; ice film neutralizer; dust mop treatment; and liquids, aerosols, powders. 19 O’Dell Corporation P.O. Box 540 Ware Shoals, SC 29646 USA Toll Free: 800-342-2843 Email: info@odellcorp.com Website: www.odellcorp.com Products: Wet mops, dust mops, handles, brushes, janitor carts, microfiber. 12 Padco Inc. 3501 Broadway St., N.E. Minneapolis, MN 55413 USA Phone: 612-378-7270 Toll Free: 800-328-5513 Email: info@padco.com Website: www.padco.com Products: Paint pads, paint rollers, floor finish applicators, painting accessories and trays. 19 Paint Brush Corporation P. O. Box 371 27 W. Cherry St. Vermillion, SD 57069 USA Phone: 605-624-8601 Email: info@paintbrushcorp.com Website: www.paintbrushcorp.com Products: Natural and synthetic bristle paintbrushes, and automotive parts cleaning brushes. 20

Patrick Yarn Mills, Inc. 501 York Rd. Kings Mountain, NC 28086 USA Phone: 704-739-4119 Email: sales@patrickyarns.com Website: www.patrickyarns.com Products: Patrick Yarn Mills offers a complete product line of high quality yarns for wet mops, dust mops and finish mops. The company’s modern manufacturing facilities produce cotton yarns, synthetic blends, and specialty mop yarns, including anti-microbial and microfiber products. 06 Paul Brothers & Co. Bros India Group, Muhamma Alappuzha, Kerala 688525 INDIA Phone: 91 478 2862344 / 2863593 Email: brosindia@brosindia.com Website: www.brosindia.com Products: Natural palmyra fiber; oiled palmyra fiber; bassine (dyed palmyra fiber); extra fine palmyra stalks (natural and dyed); regular natural stalks (RNS); mixture of palmyra fiber and stalks (50/50, 60/40, 70/30); union mixture of poly and palmyra fiber (50/50, 60/40, 80/20). 19 PelRay International Co., a division of Brush Fibers, Inc. 4712 Macro San Antonio, TX 78218 USA Phone: 210-757-4640 Email: info@PelRay.com Website: www.PelRay.com; www.caddysupply.com Company Officers: Chris Monahan, CEO; Bart Pelton, President; Ron Cherryholmes, Vice President Products: As of April 1, 2019, Brush Fibers, Inc., acquired PelRay International Company. Now, PelRay can offer its customers a complete line of natural fibers with additional product lines to serve all cleaning industry supply needs. From natural fibers (broomcorn, African grass, palmyra and Tampico) to mop yarn (blended, cotton, rayon, natural or dyed) to OEM products made to customer specifications (angle broom heads, corn brooms or mops) to handles (wood or metal), PelRay has it available and can ship in mixed loads to help customers manage their inventories better. Need items shipped with bar codes already on the box or item? PelRay can do that too, and box them to meet customers’ specifications. For those customers looking for products “made in the USA,” PelRay can supply poplar and pine handles as well as imported FSC-certified pine handles. The company also stocks an extensive inventory

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY for artisans and crafters who need unprocessed “craft” broomcorn, wire, stitching needles, twine and more. 20 Pennellificio 2000 Via Biagi 10 46019 Viadana, (MN) ITALY Phone: +39 328 0096893 Email: export@pennellificio2000.com Website: www.pennellificio2000.com Products: Paintbrushes: flat brushes and block brushes; radiator brushes; spalter/ decoration brushes; paint rollers: acrylic, polyester, polyamide, velour and micro-fiber, 7- and 9inches plus other sizes, with many kinds of fibers and with plastic ergonomic handles or rubber handles/grips; decorative accessories including tampons, rollers and sponges. 18 Perfex Corporation 32 Case St. Poland, NY 13431 USA Phone: 315-826-3600 Email: perfex@perfexonline.com Website: www.perfexonline.com Products: Cleanroom mopping systems, cleanroom mops, color-coded brooms and brushes, hygienic material handling tools, laboratory brushes, natural fiber brooms and chisel brooms. 20 PFERD INC. 9201 W. Heather Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53224 USA Toll Free: 800-342-9015 Email: sales@pferdusa.com Website: www.pferd.com Products: Brooms, floor sweeps, squeegees, paintbrushes and accessories, scratch and chip brushes, utility and deck scrub brushes, power wire brushes and abrasive filament nylon brushes (M-BRAD®). 17 Pogliani SRL Via Volta 7/A 23845 Costa Masnaga (LC) ITALY Phone: 0039 031856986 Email: info@poglianisrl.com Website: www.poglianisrl.com Products: All kinds of raw materials for the brush, broom and paintbrush industries. This includes wires, synthetic filaments, and natural fibers. 19 Precision Brush Company 6700 Parkland Blvd. Solon, OH 44124 USA Phone: 440-542-9600 Website: www.precisionbrush.com Products: The technology, expertise and

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experience to satisfy industrial brush requirements. The company can customize nearly every aspect of a brush, including brush length, bristle length, stiffness, density, coarseness, fill material and base materials. These custom brushes can be constructed out of materials that resist certain harsh chemicals, temperature extremes, or both. Conversely, Precision’s industrial brushes can be gentle and soft enough to spread confectioner’s sugar on doughnuts. From food processing, steel processing, glass manufacturing, pharmaceutical production and data cable management—Precision is a provider of custom industrial brushes that can handle the demands of nearly any industry. The manufacturing capabilities of Precision Brush Company have allowed it to offer clients customized bristle tools for an almost infinite number of brush applications, including, but not limited to: metal channel strip brushes, plastic channel strip brushes, twisted wire brushes, brush seals and specialty brushes. 13 Premier Mop & Broom 2395 Railroad St. Corona, CA 92880 USA Toll Free: 800-959-3402 Email: topmop@sbcglobal.net Website: www.premiermop.com Products: Premier Mop & Broom is a full-line manufacturer of wet mops, dust mops, corn brooms and related products. It specializes in manufacturing custom private label products made to customer specifications. The company has been manufacturing products in the USA for over 65 years. 19 Proveedora Mexicana de Monofilamentos, S.A. de C.V. (PMM) Oriente 217 No. 190 Agricola Oriental 08500 Mexico City MEXICO Phone: 00 5255 5763 86 63 Email: pmm@pmm-mex.com Website: www.pmmbrightline.com Company Officers: Enrique Mejia, General Manager; Dennise Silva, Sales Manager Products: PMM produces synthetic engineered monofilaments for the brush industry. It offers nylon 6.12, nylon 6, nylon 6.6, nylon 6 plus, polyester PBT, polyethylene and polypropylene filaments in a wide range of calipers and colors. It specializes in critical applications, where consistency and quality are a must. 20 Purdy 101 Prospect Ave. Cleveland, OH 44115 USA Toll Free: 800-547-0780

Website: www.purdy.com Products: Purdy offers a broad assortment of brushes, roller covers, faux finishing tools and painting accessories. 11 Reit Price Company 532 W. Chestnut St. Union City, IN 47390 USA Phone: 765-964-3252 Email: sales@reitprice.com Website: www.reitprice.com Company Officers: Thomas Kerns, President; R. Allen Kerns, Vice President Products: Janitorial floor supplies featuring “Black Cat” metal band mops, handles, squeegees, floor brushes and scrapers, along with traditional sewn band and screw type mops, brooms, dust mops, microfiber pads and cleaning cloths. 20 Remco Products 4735 W. 106th St. Zionsville, IN 46077 USA Phone: 317-876-9856 Website: www.remcoproducts.com Products: Designers and manufacturers of quality plastic products. Color-coded polypropylene one- and two-piece shovels, mixing paddles, scoops, scrapers, metal detectable tools, HDPE tubs, lids, pallets, and steel undercarriages. Remco also offers the Vikan hygiene system® line of color-coded hand brushes, floor and wall brushes, squeegees, pails, pad holder system, paddle/floor scrapers, tube and valve brushes, handles (regular and specialized), wall brackets and waterfed brushes and handles. 11 Rol-Brush Mfg., Division of Michigan Brush Mfg. Co. Inc. P. O. Box 10247 7446 Central Ave. Detroit, MI 48210-0247 USA Phone: 313-834-1070 Toll Free: 800-642-7874 Website: www.mi-brush.com Products: Company offers paint rollers, covers and trays. Private label is the company’s specialty. Rol-Brush is a prime manufacturer, an OEM source and is a member of the American Brush Manufacturers Association. 10 Royal Paint Roller Mfg. Corp. 248 Wyandanch Ave. West Babylon, NY 11704 USA Phone: 631-643-8012 Email: royalpaintroller@aol.com Products: Paint roller covers made of lambskin, microfiber, kodel, lambswool, synthetic blends, “Lint Free” woven fabrics. All

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY sizes available. Jumbo 2-1/4” ID to Slim Jim covers, plus roller frames, trays, paintbrushes and a full line of painting accessories for the professional and do-it-yourself markets. Providing top quality paint rollers and painting accessories for the professional and do-it-yourself markets for over 50 years. It takes pride in the reputation it has established over the years of being more than simply a supplier, but rather a “business partner” to customers. Along with the many items offered in its catalog, the company has increased the number of items it manufactures according to customer specifications. Offers private labeling to many volume purchasers. 19 Schaefer Brush Mfg., LLC 1101 S. Prairie Ave. Waukesha, WI 53186 USA Phone: 262-547-3500 Website: www.schaeferbrush.com Products: Experts in twisted-in-wire, staple set and hand drawn brushes since 1905. Custom or specialty brushes, exclusively designed and made for many Schaefer customers, represents a growing part of the company’s business. It offers a full line catalog of standard in stock items as well. Schaefer works with customers in the development of a brush perfectly suited to a specific application. 16 Schlesinger Maschinenbau GmbH ForststraBe 3 Burgwald, Hessen 35099 GERMANY Phone: 0049-6451-719180 Email: info@schlesinger.de Website: www.schlesinger.de Products: Brush production machinery; automatic cleaning and trimming machinery; high performance and special machinery; appliances for brush production; performance, modern and versatile machine constructions; powerful technics and reliable service. 10 Shanghai Jiasheng Products Co., LTD 33 Lane, Huanqiao Rd., Pudong Shanghai Shanghai 201315 CHINA Phone: +86-21-50890438 Website: www.jiashengco.com Products: Shanghai Jiasheng Products is a onestop source for high quality professional cleaning products with competitive prices and good service. The company offers a variety of dust mops and wet mops, covering the full range of yarns, styles and prices. Also offered are floor squeegees, window squeegees, mop wringer buckets, janitor carts, service carts, trash bins, floor signs, mop and broom accessories, mop sticks, sponge mops, microfiber mops and

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cloths, trash pickers, wool dusters, dust pans and brooms, brushes, etc. The company also offers OEM and R&D services. 15 Shanghai Yi Heng Daily-Use Products Co., Ltd. No. 27 Si Cheng Rd. Ma Lu Town, Jia Ding District Shanghai, P.R. 201208 CHINA Phone: 86-21-69158000, Ext. 8077 Website: www.sh-yiyuan.com Products: Cleaning products, daily-use products, brooms, brushes, mops, mop buckets, squeegees, dusters, etc. Also offered are machinery such as broom stitchers, cutting machines, binding machines, as well as furniture. Founded in 1996, headquartered in Shanghai. Manufactured products come in various kinds and are kept updated. Primary items cover cleaning products and daily-use products involving over 400 kinds, and are exported to the United States, Australia, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia. Since the establishment of the company, both Yi Heng representatives and customers have witnessed a rapid development that comes from the company’s management team. Innovation in management, research and development, especially in sales, enable the company to accommodate further growth. Offers American long fiber corn brooms to the U.S. market with over 40 styles. It offers direct sales for American nationwide supermarkets through U.S. partners. 11 Shurhold Industries, Inc. 3119 SW 42nd Ave. Palm City, FL 34990 USA Phone: 772-287-1313 Website: www.shurhold.com Products: Brushes, mops, brooms, handles, and cleaning chemicals. 09 SIBO Engineering Via A. Di Dio, 215 28877 Ornavasso (VB) ITALY Phone: +39 0323 837205 Email: commerciale@sibo.it Website: www.sibo.it Products: Customized machines for the production of paintbrushes, hair brushes, brooms, broom sticks and other wooden articles. 18 Sieko Brushware (India) Sieko House, 4/15, Bagichi St. Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara, Dehli - 110032 INDIA Phone: +91 11 45645617 Email: siekobrush@hotmail.com, siekobrush@yahoo.com,

siekobrush@gmail.com Products: Manufacturer, exporter, trader and importer of brushware and related items. 17 S.M. Arnold, Inc. 7901 Michigan Ave. St. Louis, MO 63111 USA Phone: 314-544-4103 Email: kellyf@smarnoldinc.com Website: www.smarnoldinc.com Company Officers: Joseph Arnold, President; Sanford Arnold, Executive Vice President Products: Scrub brushes, wash brushes, push brooms, upright brooms, floor squeegees, counter dusters, dust pans, sheepskin chamois, Water Sprite drying cloth, Sure-dry towel, microfiber towels, terry towels, Water Blades, wool buffing and polishing pads, foam buffing and polishing pads, wash mops, wash mitts, large variety of absorbent sponges, scrubbing pads, bottles, triggers and more. 20 Spiral Brushes Inc. 1355 Commerce Dr. Stow, OH 44224 USA Toll Free: 800-888-2861 Phone: 330-686-2861 Email: sales@spiralbrushes.com Website: www.spiralbrushes.com Products: Industrial brushes, standard power brushes and custom brushes; metal back strip and cylinder brushes. Fibers include: steel wire, stainless steel wire, brass wire, bronze wire; synthetic fiber including nylon, polypropylene, abrasive nylon; and natural fiber including tampico and horsehair. 19 St. Nick Brush Co. P. O. Box 15 Burton, OH 44021 USA Toll Free: 800-798-1269 Website: www.hardwood-lumber.com Products: For over 30 years, the St. Nick Brush Company (a division of the Hardwood Lumber Company) has been a start-to-finish business that produces a complete line of consumer and industrial brushes, brooms and brush blocks. Every stage of the manufacturing process is overseen by experienced brush makers who are dedicated to creating the highest quality products. Products listed as brushes and brooms: street brooms, floor sweeps, scrub brushes and concrete finishing brushes, specializing in African grass street brooms. Products listed as hardwood brush and broom blocks: shoe handle, scratch brush, bagel block, floor sweep, street broom, deck scrub and all types of scrub brush blocks. 14

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Stainless Steel Products 561 Acorn St., Suite T Deer Park, NY 11729 USA Phone: 631-243-1500 Email: sales@stainlesswires.com Website: www.stainlesswires.com Company Officers: Ralph Rosenbaum, Melissa Rosenbaum Products: Wire and strip made from stainless steel, brass, nickel silver, phosphor bronze, oil tempered steel, patented steel, galvanized steel, and more. The company manufactures round and flat wire in various packages for the brush industry. It also stocks materials of various sizes and tempers for quick shipments and as part of kan-ban programs. It can assist with application engineering. The company’s wires are used for brush staples, filaments, channel wire, stem wire. It offers and stocks strip for strip brushes as well. Stainless Steel Products can assist in prototyping to mass production. 20 39-B Pequea Valley Rd. Kinzers, PA 17535 USA Phone: 717-442-8411 Products: 100 percent broom corn brooms– warehouse, household, whisk, also palmyra added. Equine brooms. Selling broom making supplies to local crafters. Also USA manufactured popular handles. In stock 1 1/8” x 42” through 3/4” x 24” clear lacquered. Buy 50 or a pallet full. The company ships UPS and LEL freight. 20

Stolzfus Brooms & Carpets

Suzhou SUIKING Electric Co. Ltd. 1502 S. Runjie Mansion, No. 9 Dengwei Rd. Suzhou, Jiangsu 215011 CHINA Phone: +86-512-65113989 Website: www.suiking.com Products: A supplier of vacuum cleaners and vacuum cleaner accessories in China. The company makes floor nozzles, tubes, HEPA filters and bags. It does OEM and ODM for various brands/customers. It has two factories and a combined work force of 200, with over 20 injection molding machines and several production lines. 19 Tai Hing Nylon Filament Products Co., Ltd. Shop C, On Ying Mansion, G/F., 1138 Canton Rd. KLN, Hong Kong CHINA Phone: +86-750-3777088; +86-18022927899 Email: marketing@taihingnylon.com, peter@taihingnylon.com Website: www.taihingnylon.com Company Officers: Wilson Lau, Executive Director; Peter Pang, Sales Manager

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Products: Synthetic fibers nylon 6, 46, 66, 610, 612, nylon abrasive, bio-based plasic filament, PBT, PET, PP, PS, PE, PPS, PEEK. 20 Tanis, Inc. 3660 Kettle Ct. East Delafield, WI 53018 USA Phone: 262-646-9000 Email: sales@tanisinc.com Website: www.tanisbrush.com Company Officers: Scott Tanis, President; Mark Kappes, COO Products: Stock and custom brush products. Global customer base includes OEM, distributors and industrial end-users in industries such as aerospace, automotive, agriculture, construction equipment, food service equipment, medical, printing, packaging, and more. Technology platforms include staple set, metal back strip, twisted-in-wire and composite brushes. 20 Thomas Textile Company P. O. Box 35697 Charlotte, NC 28235 USA Phone: 704-342-9200, 704-562-4236 Email: wgtttc@bellsouth.net Company Officer: Bo Thomas, Sales Manager Products: Cotton and rayon blend mop yarns on ball warps, cones, and large singleend wheels. 20 Unimac S.r.l. Via C. Colombo, 22, Loc. Cavazzona 41013 Castelfranco Emilia (Modena) ITALY Phone: + 39-059-932664 Email: paolo@unimac.it Contact: Paolo Malavasi (Sales Office Manager) Website: www.unimac.it Products: Unimac power brush manufacturing equipment and metal handle manufacturing equipment. Unimac produces machinery and technology used to manufacture crimped-wire power brushes as well as twisted-knot power brushes made in various formats: wheel brushes, cup brushes, end brushes, wafer brushes as well as quality control equipment for power brushes, machinery to convert wire from spools to cut-tolength bundles and equipment for crimping wire (one or two planes of crimping) and then spool the multi-end rope of crimped wires. These spools are typically used for power brush manufacturing production. Unimac also specializes in complete production lines or custom-made machinery to produce fixed metal handles that are either powder coated or plastic coated, as well as equipment for extension handles (telescopic handles). Unimac’s tube-mill can also be

used in other applications to produce tubes for other products (www.unimac.it). 20 United Rotary Brush 15607 W. 100th Ter. Lenexa, KS 66219 USA Toll Free: 800-851-5108 Email: toms@united-rotary.com Website: www.united-rotary.com Products: Replacement rotary brooms for street sweepers, paving contractors and airport runways as well as trommel and metal finishing brooms. 20 Vonco Products, LLC. 10826 250th Ave. Trevor, WI 53179 USA Phone: 262-298-7201 Toll Free: 800-323-9077 Email: sales@vonco.com Website: www.vonco.com Products: Vonco designs and manufactures high-performance flexible packaging pro-ducts. Since 1955, it has created customized solutions in materials, bag, pouch and sleeve design, seals and closures. The company moves from concept to production totally in-house to satisfy endcustomer goals and needs. These in-house services, which include tooling and die design, support speed to market and a one-stop process, facilitating ease of doing business. Packaging products include: liquid tight seals; fitments/spouts; customized pouches/ bags/ sleeves; features compartments, steamer, perforation, closures (tape, glue, zipper); air pressure resistance; leak-proof seals; shapes; and rollstock. Vonco also provides speed to market— from concept to commercialization; low tooling and die costs and low minimums; flexo printing on unsupported or laminated structures; sustainable packaging; and sample service. 16 Weiler Abrasives One Weiler Dr. Cresco, PA 18326 USA Toll Free: 800-835-9999 Email: info@weilerabrasives.com Website: www.weilerabrasives.com Products: Sweeps; floor, garage, and street brushes; handles; upright and whisk brooms; dusters and dust pans; squeegees and window brushes; vehicle care brushes; scrub and utility brushes; mops and accessories; scratch brushes; flue brushes; tube fitting brushes; paintbrushes; rollers and accessories. 20 Whitley Monahan Handle Co. 3827 Whitley Rd. Midland, NC 28107 USA

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Phone: 704-888-2625 Email: patrick@whitleyhandle.com Website: www.whitleyhandle.com Company Officers: Patrick Peebles, President; Jim Monahan, Vice President of Sales; Lorraine Peebles, Secretary/Treasurer Products: Whitley Monahan Handle offers a complete line of wood handles for the broom, mop, brush and specialty trade. It manufactures handles in a modern plant located in Midland, NC. The company has capabilities to manufacture wood handles from 15 inch lengths to 12 feet, in diameter from 3/4-inch up to 1 1/4 inch. It can lacquer finish with end treatments of tapers, threads, and metal threads. The company can also label and pack to specifications. 20 Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH Wöhler-Platz 2 33181 Bad Wünnenberg GERMANY Phone: 0049 2953 73 300 Email: bt@woehler.com Website: www.woehlerbrushtech.com Company Officers: Matthias Peveling, Managing Director Dipl. - Ing.; Daniel Horenkamp, MBA Products: Strip brush machines; roll brush machines; power brush machines; street sweeper brush machines; dental and polishing brush machines; twisted-in-wire brush machines; paintbrush and roller machines; brush trimming machines; machines for crimping, cutting and bundling of brushes and filaments. 20 Wolf Filaments (Shenzhen Tide Filaments Co., Ltd.) 4th building, Yong Yuanjin Industrial Park, No.8 Jinlong 4th Rd. Tongle, Longgang District Shenzhen, 518118 CHINA Mobile: +86 (0)138 2520 3390 Email: sallylee@tidesz.com Skype: tidyfeel WeChat: sally860755 Website: www.tidesz.com Products: A professional manufacturer of industrial/household abrasive filaments and diamond abrasive filaments. 20 WOMA (Wood Machinery Daniel Koehler) Am Langen Streif 8 Bad Salzungen 36433 GERMANY Phone: +49 (0) 3695 858450-0 Email: info@woma-brush.com Website: www.woma-brush.com Company Officers: Daniel Koehler, General Manager; Maria Koehler, Sales Manager Products: Second hand machines for brush industries; second hand wood working machines. 20

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WOMAtec Maschinenbau GmbH Am Langen Streif 8 Bad Salzungen 36433 GERMANY Phone: +49 (0) 3695 858450-0 Email: info@womatec.com Website: www.womatec.com Company Officers: Daniel Koehler, General Manager; Maria Koehler, Sales Manager Products: New brush machines, special machines, strip brush machines and woodworking machines. 20 Wool Shop 21935 Hwy. E Grant City, MO 64456 USA Toll Free: 800-635-8921 Email: jeff@woolshop.com Website: www.woolshop.com Products: Lambswool dusters, lambswool dust mops, 6.5 foot, 9 foot, 13 foot, and 25 foot lambswool telescopic angle dusters, lambswool ceiling fan dusters, and ostrich feather dusters. 19 Wooster Brush Company, The 604 Madison Ave. Wooster, OH 44691 USA Phone: 330-264-4440 Email: customerservice@woosterbrush.com Website: www.woosterbrush.com Products: Wooster is known for its tradition of innovation, and introduces new products each year for professional and DIY painters alike. 16 Young & Swartz, Inc. 39 Cherry St. Buffalo, NY 14204 USA Phone: 716-852-2171 Email: info@youngandswartz.com Website: www.youngandswartz.com Company Officer: Paul E. Winzig Products: Specialty brush manufacturing including staple set, wheels, strip, cylinders, hand and machine brushes. All mediums– natural, synthetic, and wire. Can work in wood, plastic, and leather back. Custom and contract runs invited. Company uses quick change, computerized equipment. 20 Zahoransky AG Anton-Zahoransky-Strasse 1 Todtnau 79674 GERMANY Phone: +49 7671 997 0 Email: info@zahoransky.com Website: www.zahoransky.com Products: As an internationally active, fullrange provider in engineering, automation, and injection molding technology, ZAHORANSKY constructs machines for

four different business areas: automation, mold construction, as well as packaging and brush machines. Molds - From design to production: ZAHORANSKY offers everything under one roof. This includes technical consulting on usage as well as feasibility analysis. The company rounds off its range of services with product optimizations that are tailored to the needs of the client. This allows ZAHORANSKY injection molds to reach optimal performance, precision, quality, and reliability. And these are the vital parameters for seamless production using a ZAHORANSKY injection mold or complete production line. Automation - The integration of up- and downstream work steps is crucial to improving efficiency in injection mold-related manufacturing processes. Therefore, ZAHORANSKY worked out a very simple success formula: tool plus machine plus control equals greater efficiency. The intelligent (inter) connection of tools, machines, and control elements is key. With its innovative solutions for the integrated automation of plastic and metalprocessing manufacturing processes, ZAHORANSKY offers a vital benefit in packaging, medical technology, and personal care. Oral Care - With top-innovations for the toothbrush industry. As a full-range provider of all technologies to produce interdental, hand, and electric toothbrushes, ZAHORANSKY assumes a unique and leading position on the global market from individual machines and tufts to final processing and interlinked production lines. The company’s range of machines offers a host of different options to produce electric and hand toothbrushes. Technical & Household Brushes - As strong as a Z.TIGER, smooth as a Z.PARD, industrious as a Z.WASP, mindful as a Z.LYNX, agile as a Z.SPIDER, fast as a Z.SAILFIN, and brave as a Z.LION. The ZAHORANSKY broom and brush machines have the right traits to meet discerning demands. Whether a drilling, tufting, or trimming machine, ZAHORANSKY has the right machine to produce first-class brushes. Cosmetic - It’s quite probable that a beautyconscious person from anywhere on the globe embellishes his or her daily life with ZAHORANSKY-related products. Women in particular use many brushes for their daily beauty routines: seven brushes on average to brush their teeth and hair, and to apply mascara and nail polish. ZAHORANSKY develops and produces beautiful machines and units to manufacture these beauty products – with unbeatable quality and efficiency.

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2020 | SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY Packaging - Whether deep drawing, sealing or punching out, with its German brand quality and precision, ZAHORANSKY packaging machines simply offer “more”– more flexibility, more productivity, and more costefficient production. Easy sample changes offer the versatility customers need. Combine this with great output numbers and low tool costs, and the various models guarantee the efficient and safe packaging of products. 20 Zahoransky USA, Inc. 1601 Atlantic Dr., Suite 133 West Chicago, IL 60185 USA Phone: 630-507-9872 Email: info.usa@zahoransky.com Website: www.zahoransky.com Company Officers: Steve Bellocchio, Vice President of Sales and Service; Eva Rotolo, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)/Spare Parts Products: A full-line supplier of injection molding tools, automated solutions, final packaging machines, tufting and shearing machines for brushes and brooms in markets such as oral care, health care and beauty, industrial, household and consumer. 20

Zelazoski Wood Products, Inc. P. O. Box 506 835 Ninth Ave. Antigo, WI 54409 USA Toll Free: 800-240-0974 Phone: 715-627-4804 Website: www.zwpi.com Products: Complete line of wooden brush and broom blocks - molded, shaped, and/or turned, finished or plain, manufactured according to customers’ specifications. The company can also machine most plastics. Zelazoski Wood Products began in 1924 as the Thos. Zelazoski Mfg. Co. The company began making wooden blocks for the brush and broom industry in 1928. Over its existence, ZWPI has continued to update machinery, facilities, and processes to meet the ever-changing needs of its customers. Zelazoski Wood Products’ modern facility enables it to manufacture a wide range of parts according to customers’ specifications, especially where close tolerance and high quality are required. Unless imported wood is specifically requested, all brush and broom blocks are made using lumber harvested from managed North American forests. 20 OBITUARY

Tim O’Brien Heads U.S. Business Development For Hillbrush

Hillbrush has appointed Tim O’Brien as business development manager to further develop its business in the United States. An experienced sales person, O’Brien has spent the last 12 years specializing in selling hygiene tools, includTim O’Brien ing Hillbrush lines, to food manufacturers, wineries and breweries throughout North America. He is based on the West Coast. Charlie Coward, managing director of Hillbrush said, “Having been a customer of Hillbrush for many years, through his online sales business, we are delighted that Tim has joined us. He has an in-depth knowledge of our product range and applications as well as excellent contacts within the U.S. food and beverage industry.” Hillbrush holds a Royal Warrant to HM The Queen for supply of brushware.

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Zephyr Manufacturing Co. 200 Mitchell Rd. Sedalia, MO 65301 USA Phone: 660-827-0352 Email: rjl@zephyrmfg.com Website: www.zephyrmfg.com Company Officer: R.J. Lindstrom, President Products: Zephyr offers a complete selection of wet mops and dry mops covering the full range of fibers, styles, and prices. Also offered are brooms, brushes and specialty products, handles, frames, dusters, mop sticks and many related items. 20 Zhenjiang Ruifeng Brush Co., Ltd. Nanshan Miao, Guyang Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212141 CHINA Phone: +86-511-83323108 Email: sales@ruifengbrushes.com Website: www.ruifengbrushes.com Company Officer: Dai Mingshun, Technical Engineer; Dai Yanping, Sales Director Products: Paint brushes, paint rollers, roller kits and paint accessories. 20

Marillyn Newville Of Adjust-A-Brush

Marillyn Alice (formerly Cramblet) Newville died May 29, 2020. She was married to Duane Newville for 68 1/2 years. Survivors include her husband; daughter, Denise; sons, Wayne, Kurt and Eric; and a granddaughter, Nicole. She resided in Town Shores of Gulfport and the Feather Sound community in Clearwater, FL. She was born in Muskegon, MI April 5, 1931, to Marion Kesler Cramblet and Mina DeHorn Cramblet. She graduated from Muskegon High School in 1949 where she and Duane were high school sweethearts. She graduated from Muskegon Junior College, and then attended Hope College in Holland, MI, majoring in elementary education. The couple was married October 20, 1951, at Calvary Baptist Marillyn Newville Church in Gulfport, FL. Duane was in the United States Air Force where he had a 22-year career with assignments in Germany, England, Texas and Alabama; three of their children were born in Europe. While in Europe with their children, they traveled to many different countries, and continued to travel in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean after he left the military. The family moved to Florida in 1968. When her husband started a second career as a sales representative, he saw a need for a product for the RV and mobile home markets. He soon received a patent for his product, and Duane, Marillyn and son, Eric, were instrumental in opening the company called Adjust-A-Brush, which started in the family garage. The family-owned company now operates out of a building in Clearwater. She coined the company name, Adjust-A-Brush, and handled the bookkeeping for the business for many years. Hobbies included sewing, embroidery, reading, playing the piano, and family activities. She was known as a great cook and enjoyed cooking shows. She was a member of St. Johns Historical Society in Virgin Islands, the Protestant Women’s Club in Germany, and she was involved with the Bethany Reform Church in Gulfport.

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Let ABMA take care of the Heavy Lifting