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November/December 2011
Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine SERVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1912
National Broom & Mop Meeting Detailed Suppliers Reports New Panel Discussion Is A Hit Broom, Brush & Mop To Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Centennial Yearbook
ISSA Show Photo Gallery From Las Vegas Import/Export Totals Trending Even To Down
2011 National Broom & Mop Meeting
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SCU-CNC QUICK AND EASY, VERSATILITY AT ITS BEST Boucherie has pushed the envelope once again when it comes to flexible machinery : the SCU-CNC can be converted from scrubbing brushes to toilet brushes, or from 24” brooms to tank cleaning brushes in a matter of minutes. It speaks for itself that, just like any other Boucherie machine, the output of the SCU-CNC is extremely high and the reliability is unsurpassed. > available as a manually loaded machine or with any customized automation level > single, double or triple fibre box > variety of quick-change brush holder turrets available > turret change with click-on system > anchor- or staple filling tools > user friendly computer interface with touch-screen > 3D software “WinBrush” for easy CNC program creation or modification > compact footprint with excellent accessibility
USA INC.
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boucherie Latin America Kra. 104 No. 11-25 Apto 102 Puerto de Hierro Cali, Colombia Phone 57-2-333-6873 E-Mail andres@boucherie.com
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World renown manufacturer of specialized and custom yarns. LEMIEUX SPINNING INC. has been in the textile industry since 1906. The company opted out for marketing high added value products. They rely on the latest technologies and the qualification of their personnel to offer top quality custom products and services worldwide.
Synthetic rayon and cotton blended yarn for wet or dust mop.
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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
November/December 2011
Broom, Brush & Mop A RANKIN PUBLISHING PUBLICATION
November/December 2011
FEATURES
Volume 101, Number 6
ASSOCIATIONS
National Broom & Mop Meeting
AMERICAN BRUSH MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 2111 W. Plum St., Aurora, IL 60506 • (630) 631-5217
Detailed Suppliers Reports ___________________6 New Panel Discussion A Hit _________________14
AMERICAN HARDWARE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 801 North Plaza Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4977 • (847) 605-1025 FEIBP EUROPEAN BRUSH FEDERATION P.O. Box 90154, 5000 LG Tilburg, The Netherlands • 00 31 13 5944 678
Broom, Brush & Mop To Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Centennial Yearbook _______________________32
INTERNATIONAL SANITARY SUPPLY ASSOCIATION 7373 N. Lincoln Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60646-1799 • (847) 982-0800 INTERNATIONAL HOUSEWARES ASSOCIATION 6400 Shafer Court, Suite 650, Rosemont, IL 60018 • (847) 292-4200
ISSA Show Photo Gallery____________________36
STAFF DEPARTMENTS
CO-PUBLISHERS Don Rankin
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rick Mullen
Import/Export Overview ____________________22 August Imports & Exports ___________________24
drankin@consolidated.net
rankinmag@consolidated.net
Linda Rankin
GRAPHIC/PRODUCTION Missy Larson RECEPTION Sandy Pierce
lrankin@consolidated.net
EDITOR Harrell Kerkhoff rankinmag@consolidated.net
Rankin Publishing, Inc. 204 E. Main St., P.O. Box 130 • Arcola, Illinois 61910-0130, USA Phone: (217) 268-4959 • Fax: (217) 268-4815 Website: www.rankinpublishing.com
Send News Of Your Company To: rankinmag@consolidated.net
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS ABMA ....................................................................................41
Lemieux Spinning Mill Inc. .....................................................3
Amerwood ..............................................................................12
Line Manufacturing, Inc.........................................................16
Borghi USA ............................................................................44
Manufacturers Resource ...........................................................9
Boucherie USA.........................................................................2
Monahan Filaments ................................................................34
Caddy & Co., Inc., R.E. .........................................................20
MonahanPartners ....................................................................31
Crystal Lake ...........................................................................19
PelRay International ...............................................................43
Deco Products Co...................................................................15
PMM.........................................................................................8
Distribuidora Perfect, S.A. .....................................................40
Royal Paint Roller ..................................................................21
DuPont......................................................................................7
Shanghai AuBi Metals Co. .....................................................13
Gordon Brush Mfg. Co. Inc. ..................................................17
St. Nick Brush Co. .................................................................20
Interbrush................................................................................35
WorldWide Integrated Resources ...........................................11
Jewel Wire ..............................................................................31
Zahoransky ...............................................................................5
Jones Companies ......................................................................1
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Detailed Suppliers Reports Given At Broom & Mop Meeting
National Broom & Mop Meeting co-chairmen in 2011 and 2012 are Joel Hastings, left, and Andrew Dailey.
By Harrell Kerkhoff Broom, Brush & Mop Editor
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anufacturers and suppliers representing various types of cleaning tools once again converged in St. Louis, MO, for the annual National Broom & Mop Meeting. The event took place November 17-18 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. Industry reports, networking opportunities and a panel session (see accompanying article) were part of this year’s agenda. Chairmen for the event were Andrew Dailey of Jones Companies, Ltd., in Humboldt, TN; and Joel Hastings of Nexstep Commercial Products in Paxton, IL. A large portion of this year’s meeting once again centered around various reports presented by suppliers associated with the production of brooms, mops, brushes and other cleaning items.
Natural Fibers / Synthetic Filaments peaking on the current status of both natural fibers and synthetic filaments was Chris Monahan of Brush Fibers, Inc., in Arcola, IL. On the natural fiber side, Monahan said the supply of palmyra, which comes from India, has been influenced by a harsh rainy season. There has also been increased demand from Asian markets for palmyra. “Another factor for U.S. buyers of palmyra fiber to consider is a labor situation developing as India continues to become a more technological-driven country,” Monahan said. “Regarding tampico, which comes from Mexico, currency volatility has had an impact. There are also security concerns in Mexico, but supply remains decent.” As it pertains to synthetic filaments, Monahan added that a period of volatility remains. This is mostly driven by the price of oil. “There has also been further consolidation at the producer level, which has further squeezed supply,” he said. Monahan also invited everyone to attended the 2012 American Brush Manufacturers Association (ABMA) Annual Convention, held March 710 at Palm Beach Gardens, FL; and the InterBrush exposition, scheduled for May 9-11 at Freiburg, Germany.
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He noted that ABMA will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2017 and is collecting historical memorabilia from companies/individuals in the cleaning industry. Those interested in supplying material should contact Monahan. Mop Yarn, Polyester & Rayon s part of his report on mop yarn, Ralph Jones of Jones Companies, Ltd., reported on the “wild ride” in cotton prices during the past year. “It’s been somewhat refreshing to see cotton prices (stabilize) over the past 30 to 60 days. The price is currently around $1 a pound,” Jones said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but there is literally no demand for cotton right now. Most of the mills in the United States, and a lot of them from around the world, are trying to work through $2 a pound cotton they currently (have in inventory). “Many (mills) will be working through this higher priced cotton until the end of the year. They had to buy their contracts months ago and now they are having to take possession of that cotton and produce from it. Many retailers are not exactly participating in this process very well. They are backing off, saying they are not going to buy at those high levels.” He added some Asian producers are reneging on past contracts, indicating they are not going to take ownership of the (higher priced) cotton. However, they can be placed on a black list by reneging on these contracts. “The problem is, they (the producers) just pop up under a different name, particularly in Asia. And it’s just not those from China. They are also from places like Vietnam and Cambodia. This is putting a lot of pressure on U.S. domestic spinners, particularly those still working through the higher priced cotton. It’s having an impact on the by-products coming from these U.S. domestic cotton spinners,” Jones said. He added that the price for cotton could continue to drop. However, any demand on the global level could force a new spike in cotton prices. “There may be more volatility over the next 10 to 20 years based on
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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP changes taking place throughout the world regarding what type and size of crops being planted, whether grains, cotton, etc. All of these crops could be more volatile,” Jones said. “A lot of it has to do with the growing population and growing influence of the population, particularly from India and China. This can put additional pressure on cotton prices. “In the United States, we really need $1 a pound cotton to provide farmers enough incentive to plant the crop in large enough quantities next spring. We are a long way from March, April and May, but if cotton prices should fall, say into the 85 to 90 cents a pound range, we will see more farmers go to soybeans and corn. If that happens, we will have a short (cotton) crop again next year (in acreage) and could go through the cycle where prices spike. It’s part of the volatility (process) that we are seeing.” Jones added that cotton yarn prices will probably not fall much, if at all, in the near future. “If you look at the by-products used in the mop yarn industry for cotton yarns today, such as gin motes and textile mill waste, both of these are higher (in price) today than they were at this time last year,” Jones said. When discussing polyester, whether it’s filaments or injection molded, he added that some strange things have been going on in this market. “Even as demand has fallen due to the slow economy around the world, we have seen polyester prices actually go up. Where it used to be priced on a quarterly basis, it’s now being priced on a 30-day basis. This adds to the volatility, even with polyester staple,” Jones said. “(Prices) moved up significantly since around June. We have seen some softening during the past 30 days, however.” When it comes to rayon, he added that very few spinners in the mop yarn industry today use staple rayon. Most are using recycled rayon, resulting from products that have been reconstituted from a fabric into fiber form. “Reconstituted rayon prices have been very stable, but (this type of rayon) is very short in supply. There is not a lot of it out there,” Jones said. “When looking at staple rayon, which is virgin material, prices have
November/December 2011 actually come down some but are still significantly higher than reconstituted rayon.” Metal & Wood Handles n giving his metal handle report, Jim Monahan of FIMM USA in Arcola, IL, stated most metal handles are manufactured in Italy, the United States, Mexico and China. “We are seeing an increase in volume coming out of China in the last year or two. Italy and the United States are relatively stable in production. Demand has been stable in the past year because of the status of business here in the United States and worldwide,” Jim Monahan said. He added a big factor with metal handles concerns the supply and cost of steel in the United States and around the globe. “Steel has undergone a tremendous consolidation of producers and the major companies producing steel are doing a better job of controlling inventories and price,” Jim Monahan said. “Therefore, steel has been very stable. It did go up in price a little bit earlier this year. We will probably not see any big decreases in steel prices like previously because I don’t think the big steel companies will over produce like they did in the past. “In the United States, Detroit still uses a lot of steel for the production of cars. This production has come back fairly strong. It’s not near the levels experienced three to five years ago, but U.S. auto makers are showing improvements. Thus, demand for steel is still quite strong. “We are seeing finished goods coming out of China with metal handles already on the product, which is influencing the market as well.” Jim Monahan added there remains concern regarding the future of various exchange rates and how the U.S. dollar will compare to the euro. “There is a lot of (metal handle) production coming out of Italy, and I think this will continue,” he said. Jim Monahan, who also represents Whitley-Monahan Handle Co., in Midland, NC, reported as well on the status of hardwood supplies from Brazil. These supplies are used in the making of certain types of wooden handles. He noted there are concerns regarding the exchange rate between the United States and this South American country. “Brazil’s economy has been very strong. The exchange rate has fluctuated about 10 to 15 percent this past year between the U.S. dollar and the Brazilian real. This has resulted in a major concern about the future cost of the raw material,” Jim Monahan said.
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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
“The Brazilian government also continues to put a lot of pressure on illegal cutting of trees in that country. The government has a permit system in place. This won’t affect supply, but may influence the cost of logs that the mills have to work with in Brazil.” Wayne Pringle of Amerwood in Ft. Worth, TX, gave his annual report on pine handles from Honduras. He noted that past troubles within the Honduran government have stabilized and the recent rainy season in the Central American country has been mild. “The country is still in its rainy season, but production has been stable. Quality also seems to be holding up,” Pringle said. “Ocean freight prices, however, have gone up and down, mostly up. One of the steamship companies have already told us about upcoming increases in fuel surcharges.” He added there used to be a lot of hardwood produced in Honduras, but this has subsided. In fact, most of the furniture factories in the country now import hardwood from the United States. “The main forest product there is pine. In Honduras, there is a tropical part and a mountainous part; and pine grows in the mountains. Today, it’s mostly plantation pine,” Pringle said. “The government is really taking care of the forests now. There are a lot of regulations in place. You just can’t go in and wipe out a forest. You have to have permits (for logging). It looks like (the supply of pine) is going to be stable for quite some time.” Broom Corn & Yucca Fiber he annual broom corn and yucca fiber report was presented by Ray LeBlanc of PelRay International, LLC, in San Antonio, TX. Most broom corn today used in the United States is grown and processed in northern Mexico. LeBlanc said two events in 2011 have greatly influenced, in a negative way, the North American broom corn industry. These events are a major drought taking place in the Torreon, Mexico, broom corn growing region; and the ongoing violence plaguing northern Mexico due to drug gangs. “The drought and lack of planting in the Torreon area means the crop size has been off around 45 percent this year. This has generated a shortage of broom corn,” LeBlanc said. “In Mexico, there are irrigation lakes in place. If you own land in one of the irrigation districts, you are allowed water for a certain percentage of your acreage based on how much water is in the lakes. During the last four or five years, (broom corn growers) have been able to plant 100 percent of their acreage. Next year, however, they have already been told they can only plant 50 percent of their acreage due to the lack of water in those irrigation lakes.” As bad as the drought has been, it pales in comparison to the violence that has taken place in recent years in northern Mexico. “Security issues around Monterrey and Cadereyta (in northern Mexico) are getting worse almost by the month. There are gunfights practically every day in Monterrey. Among other problems, this creates some significant issues for conducting broom corn business down there. The U.S. State Department recently said that drug cartels seem to now be targeting Americans and U.S. government employees. This raises the security level,” LeBlanc said. “(The overall) death toll is getting very high, almost 40,000 dead since the drug wars started. People down there have learned how to live under these conditions.” As far as the broom corn industry is concerned, LeBlanc said increased violence and security issues have raised the price of doing business in the region. “We can’t get into the growing areas like we used to and receive good estimates on crop sizes as well as quality inspections,” he said. “This all increases expenses and raises the cost of broom corn.” Overall, LeBlanc added that the size of the broom corn crop from Mexico continues to drop. In 2011, no reported broom corn was harvested from the Apatzingan and “local” areas, while not nearly as much broom corn came from the two Torreon harvests. Only the Sinaloa region
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November/December 2011
Noted Broom Corn Researcher, Dr. Henry Hadley, Dies Longtime broom corn researcher and seed specialist Dr. Henry Hadley died on Nov. 23, 2011, in Urbana, IL. He was 94. Dr. Hadley helped develop an anthracnose-resistant broom corn (sorghum) variety named Deer, which was released in the late 1960s. It has been dominant among broom corn varieties in North America and influenced the creation of the Nolan Broom Corn Trust. The trust was set up to promote broom corn research. In later years, Dr. Hadley was instrumental in the development of mechanically harvestable dwarf-size broom corn. Dr. Hadley was professor emeritus in the Department of Crop Sciences, College of ACES at the University of Illinois. He retired as full professor of plant breeding in 1987, but Dr. Henry Hadley is shown remained active in broom in 2002 holding broom corn corn research. plants at a University A 1940 graduate of the of Illinois research plot. University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, Dr. Hadley accepted an assistantship offered by the genetics department of Texas A & M University, where he received his master’s degree in genetics in 1942. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, Dr. Hadley accepted a position at Texas A&M as assistant professor of genetics. In addition to teaching genetics and plant breeding, he conducted research on sorghum and worked toward a Ph.D. degree, which he received in 1954 from the University of Illinois. He moved back to the University of Illinois in 1957 as an associate professor in the agronomy department, conducting research in soybeans and sorghum, in addition to teaching courses in cytogenetics and plant breeding. “Dr. Hadley greatly contributed to the broom corn industry, spending a large part of his life working with broom corn seed,” broom corn dealer Tim Monahan, of The Thomas Monahan Company, said. “He was an unsung hero who kept the (broom corn) seed bank going, helping to develop many favorable properties in new broom corn varieties. He was also a very modest and nice person.” Dr. Hadley was born on July 25, 1917, near Blackstone, IL, the son of James C. and Mabel (Dahl) Hadley. He married Frances Leonard in 1946. She preceded him in death in 1987. He then married Alice Omaggio, who survives. Others survivors include three sons. Memorials may be made to Grace Lutheran Church in Champaign, IL. Morgan Memorial Home (217-356-5858) in Savoy, IL, is handling arrangements.
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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
November/December 2011
Chris Monahan, of Brush Fibers
Ralph Jones, of The Jones Companies
Jim Monahan, of The Thomas Monahan Co.
Wayne Pringle, of Amerwood
Ray LeBlanc, of PelRay International
Bart Pelton, of PelRay International
Les Laske, of Vonco Products
Don Leventhal, of Newton Broom & Brush
provided more broom corn (at 1,100 tons) this year than usual. “Torreon normally brings 2,000 to 3,000 tons for the first crop and another couple of thousand for the second crop. This year, there were 350 tons harvested for the first crop and 130 tons for the second crop. This is a big problem for us in broom corn,” LeBlanc said. “Also, the Sinaloa crop, which is normally heavy to insides anyway, produced almost 100 percent insides.” The Torreon crop, meanwhile, was much shorter than normal due to the dry weather, so it too produced a lot more insides than hurl. “The spread between hurl and insides is going to increase. In fact, there are places now, where if you buy a bale of hurl, you have to take two bales of insides as well,” LeBlanc said. When discussing current broom corn supply versus demand, he added that the Mexican broom corn crop has been falling 10 to 15 percent a year on average in size and this appears will continue. “There are about 1,100 tons of broom corn (in Mexico) right now. Consumption is currently running at about 200 tons a month, which means (production) is around 500 tons short. And 500 tons for a crop as small as broom corn is a lot,” LeBlanc said. “That is almost certainly going to drive up prices next spring. One reason prices haven’t moved a lot yet is due to the exchange rate. The strength of the U.S. dollar (versus the Mexican peso) has kept prices from moving very far as of right now. But I think we are going to see some problems in the spring — both in shortages of hurl and pricing. “(Overall broom corn consumption) is coming down, but not as fast as the crop dropped off this year. We got a double whammy with the drought and the drug violence.” He added there is definitely an overall shrinkage in the sale of broom corn brooms in North America. However, this is not true everywhere. “Sales of these types of brooms are still strong in Europe,” LeBlanc said.
Continued On Page 40
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New Panel Discussion
A Hit At Broom & Mop Meeting
By Harrell Kerkhoff Broom, Brush & Mop Editor
A
new feature during the annual National Broom & Mop Meeting was well received this year as four industry panelists fielded questions and shared their thoughts on several subjects. Two of the panelists are suppliers to the mop, brush, broom and related industries: Chris Monahan of Brush Fibers in Arcola, IL; and Richard Caddy of R.E. Caddy & Company in Greensboro, NC. The other two panelists are manufacturers: R.J. Lindstrom of Zephyr Manufacturing in Sedalia, MO; and Eric Leibowitz of Norshel Industries in Croydon, PA. Moderators for the panel session were Bob Lawrence of Brushware Magazine and Harrell Kerkhoff of Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine. The four panelists were given questions in advance as well as asked questions written by attendees of the meeting. Several attendees also provided their own input during the session. Question: What impact do you see the current economic crisis in Europe having on the U.S. broom, mop and brush industries? Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “In today’s global community, we are all connected very closely. If there are problems in Europe, this can be felt in the United States. It can first be felt in our banking industry, but the overall U.S. economy can feel the impact as well. “There may be future problems in Europe with citizen unrest and political changes. Further down the line, if the euro ever dissolved, then the real impact on the U.S. broom, brush and mop industries would be that
each European country would have its own currency like the old days.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “At Norshel Industries, we are a redistributor in addition to being a mop and mop handle manufacturer. We kind of have a different perspective. From a sourcing perspective, the difficulties that are being seen in Europe have put pressure on the euro. As a result, the euro has come down (in value) and given us opportunities to buy certain products (in Europe) that were once too expensive. “Therefore, this could open a lot more sources (in Europe) that have always been there but became unaffordable in recent years compared to other countries.” Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “We rely on Europe for a lot of raw materials and finished goods such as handles, angle brooms, etc. The question is, how safe is the chain of supply for these materials?” Question: What changes do you feel are occurring in the sanitary supply distribution channels that will change our industry over the next 5 years? R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “The main thing that I see, even within the last couple of years, is consolidation taking place among distributors. We are seeing fewer ‘little guys.’ These are the local companies that still have the route salesman in place and work to solve specific customer problems. More people are going to larger distributorships that have a greater corporate mentality. “Because of that, a lot of our customers are looking for more of a two-
Panelists during the National Broom & Mop Meeting were, left to right, Chris Monahan, Richard Caddy, R.J. Lindstrom and Eric Leibowitz.
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way partnership. They want you to partner up with them and work out special deals and work with their sales reps. They are big enough to ask for this kind of service. There are not a whole lot of new customers in our industry, so you have to buy your way into new channels. “(Larger distributors) are going to keep buying the smaller distributors. In battling this, the smaller companies that are still around usually focus more on selling (a service) rather than just a product. They sell solutions, helping customers with their processes and procedures. A lot of these distributors teach their customers how to clean an area, such as a bathroom, faster and which type of products work best. This provides greater efficiency.” Question: How will the big box stores distribution of cleaning products impact the cleaning industry in the next three to five years? Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “From the supplier side, we try to work very closely with our customers who have these direct relationships with the big box stores. We provide them with the raw materials they are going to need to satisfy high volumes. This includes broom corn, wire, handles, etc. It’s the suppliers job to stay a step ahead in terms of anticipating what customers are going to need to fill their contracts. Usually, this works pretty well. We have good relationships. “The down side comes when a big box company decides, for economic reasons, it doesn’t need any more products for awhile. When this happens, my customers are probably going to be stuck with a lot of finished goods or a lot of unused inventory and, of course, we (as a supplier) can be stuck with inventory as well. If this is custom-made inventory for a specific retailer, then you can’t always just pass it on to some other customer. “From a suppliers standpoint, you also have to have a backup in place where you can get extra raw material when business is booming.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “I look at this from the perspective of a redistributor. I think the big box stores have become more aggressive. They have a lot of growth in place when they gobble up (smaller retailers,) and they are continuing to look for more places to grow their business. They realize that janitorial supplies are great disposable products and place them in highly visible areas of a store. They are kind of impulse buy products. I think there are some pretty decent margins in place. (The large retailers) pay a lot more attention to (such janitorial supplies). “In addition, many (of these retailers) have added outside reps. They are not just a cash and carry store anymore but actually are going after a distributor’s business. They have set up distribution channels in order to do this, looking for additional ways to grow their business.” R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “From what I have seen, some big box stores have a price point they
BROOM CAPS
November/December 2011
want to hit, regardless of the quality or size of the product, or how well it performs. This messes with the regular channels of distribution. For example, a distributor’s customer can go to (a big box store) and pick up a corn broom. However, that corn broom may not actually contain any broom corn and it’s not nearly as good as the corn broom a distributor can sell for $1 more. But it hits a certain price point. The same can be true with mops. Many people just go for the price point and it becomes a big challenge within the normal channels of distribution. “Focus is also taking off of the door-to-door service that a lot of distributors offer. People first have to travel to that big box store and pick up an item themselves and bring it back. This is a cost most people don’t factor in, whereas a distributor will deliver that product and bring something a person specifically needs. This is slowly going by the wayside because of the price point that the big box guys offer.” Lindstrom was also asked if his customers look for products such as mops that meet certain ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. “There was definitely that selling point for a number of years,” Lindstrom said. “But you try to sell somebody a rayon mop now, for example, and it’s all about price. We tell people a true rayon mop must contain a certain percentage of rayon, and he/she normally doesn’t care.” Question: Will the focus on “green” products and sustainability only grow larger over the next 5 to 10 years; and if so, how will this influence the cleaning products industry overall? R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “As far as the overall janitorial/sanitary industry goes, green is only going to get bigger. It’s applied mostly to chemicals and cleaning processes, but not so much to such cleaning tools as brooms and mops. “You can offer a recycled mop, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not entirely more environmentally friendly than a regular cotton mop. Once you take the PET plastic and recycle it, put it in a mop and keep that plastic out of the landfill for one more product cycle, it still eventually will go into the landfill (after the mop is discarded). Whereas if you use a cotton mop, it’s a renewable resource that biodegrades. How green can a mop be? There are all sorts of perspectives. “New areas in the green world include iodized water that is considered chemical-free cleaning. Floor machine companies are also coming out with many different floor machine sizes so the end-user can better clean smaller hallways or more hallways in the same amount of time. This can all be considered green, especially if the equipment is using fewer chemicals.” Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “From a (broom, brush and mop) suppliers prospective, there was a large push a few years ago of, ‘Get me green,’ until they saw the extra price on some of these items. The focus on green, however, will impact
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the end-user. It’s a slower process than what we probably thought would take place a few years ago, but it’s not going away.” Question: Based on the growth of big box competition, is private labeling moving away and destined to be part of industry history? R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “We do have fewer customers asking for private label. I don’t know if this is due to big box stores or not. There are people who don’t want to take the effort to develop their own label and use their own marketing to push these products. They would rather rely on manufacturers to push their marketing through.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “Private labeling has never been stronger with us. The small (companies) that still are around want to continue to push their name and create repeat sales. “We have seen smaller (companies) who will open and try to establish themselves and come up with a new name and marketing theme. They like to private label because they want to grow their brand recognition.”
Moderators for the panel session were Bob Lawrence of Brushware Magazine (left) and Harrell Kerkhoff of Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine. Two attendees representing manufacturers also spoke highly of private labeling during the panel session. Mark Quinn of Quinn Broom Works, Inc., in Greenup, IL, said he still gets a lot of calls from customers about private labeling. “I’m willing to continue to (provide private label products) because of those customers. And really, it’s for people who don’t mind listening to consumers a little bit more,” Quinn said. Stan Koschnick of Nexstep Commercial Products in Paxton, IL, agreed. “The more we can do for our customers with private labeling, the less likely they are to go to China or somewhere else to buy (products),” Koschnick said. Question: What two or three things can the U.S. government do right now to help U.S. suppliers and manufacturers in both the short- and long-term? Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “We have had a lot of hassles the last couple of years importing broom corn. I don’t know if this is relevant to other fibers that come in or not. You would think that since broom corn has been imported through Laredo, TX, for years that we wouldn’t have some of these issues. “(The hassles result in) delay in shipments and material sometimes getting destroyed during the inspection process. This costs money. It’s not a great amount of money, but when you combine lost materials and fees it all adds up.
November/December 2011
“Anything the government can do to reduce regulations would be a help. At some point you would like to see (the government) make it easier for companies to hire. If we didn’t have concerns about the health care law and other items, it might make it easier for us to hire more people. “It’s also very hard right now for people to borrow money, regardless of their past credit history and credit rating. It’s like the banks are saying, ‘We really would rather not lend you money unless you jump through enough hoops.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “We are in a global economy now, so it’s difficult to turn things back to the past, but if (the government) was able to provide more tax incentives to buy American (products), then I think that would help tremendously. “It’s hard for (the government) to tariff imported goods, but I think it’s a conversation that they should probably look at a little more. Obviously, the Asian currency manipulation has hurt a lot of folks here. It would also be good to free up some capital for suppliers.” R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “I recently read a study indicating the United States has a 20 percent cost disadvantage due to taxes and regulations compared to the top U.S. trading partners. If there was any relief to this, then U.S. manufacturers could be much more competitive against imported products.” Question: In the wake of today’s advances in technology, what value should still be placed on “old-fashioned” craftsmanship in the mop, broom and brush industries? Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “Unfortunately, what I see (in retail) with a lot of finished items is that they have been devalued over time due to inferior quality and consumers really aren’t aware that this is going on. They take whatever is on the shelf. However, I think there still is that segment of the professional commercial user who does appreciate and know the difference in quality. It would be interesting to do a study on the cost value of buying one good broom that would last five years versus having to go out and purchase three to five inferior brooms over the same period of time.” Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “You might have a better chance of displaying your craftsmanship if you are not in retail. Selling a true corn broom or 24-ounce mop may be more meaningful to those people in jan/san.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “We used to sell against imports where their quality was not up to American standards. This is not necessarily true anymore. Many (foreign manufacturers) are making much better products than they used to make, and with better materials.” Question: There are many family-owned businesses in this room with years of experience. Can they survive or will trends ultimately work against their continued existence? Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “It’s a challenge. Things change awfully fast today. As consolidation happens at the very top, its rolls down hill. In order to handle a lot of the big guys, you have to be big yourself. It’s kind of a ‘sink or swim’ type mentality out there. Things are moving fast, but I don’t plan on doing anything else, so hopefully we can stay around.” R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “I don’t want to be the guy who takes our family business down. Statistically speaking, there is less than a 2 percent chance of a company surviving to the fourth generation. It’s amazing that our company is still around for me to work at (as a fourth generation member). “If you look at Zephyr from the first generation to now, it’s a completely different company. My point is, Zephyr will make it, but it may not make it in the same shape or form as it was when I started working for the company. You have to change with the times and do what you need to do to still make money and remain relevant in the marketplace.
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“(Zephyr) started out simply as a broom winding company, and now it doesn’t have any broom winders. We didn’t sell mops in the beginning, and now mops are our main product line. A lot of things have changed over the years to help make Zephyr competitive and remain in the marketplace.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “I would like to have (Norshel Industries) around for my son who is 11 and my nephew who is 17 ... or at least have that opportunity available to them so they can make their own decision on whether they would want to go into this business or not. At this point, they really don’t know what they want to do. It would be great for them to join the company, especially after seeing the lack of jobs available to college graduates these days. “This may not be the most glamourous business in the world, but it has put food on our table and roofs over our heads for many years. I would love to have it available for them.” Question: Once the U.S. economy gets back to “normal” levels, what main challenges do you feel will still remain for the cleaning products industry that must be addressed? Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “I’m sure most people in this room run their businesses pretty closely by watching costs and quality. This will remain true when the economy becomes better. There might be more room for business expansion in the future, but good business owners will still watch their costs and service levels.” R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “The one thing that strikes me is the question, ‘What is normal going to be when better times arrive?’ It’s probably not going to be what we’re used to. For example, just because there used to be 10-year stretches
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November/December 2011
where not much changed in the jan/san industry doesn’t mean this is going to be the case anymore. The big question for us is the future price of cotton. It quadrupled in price within four months, and now it’s back down to a reasonable level. But what about the future? The demand for worldwide cotton is constantly changing. “Also, during the past recession, a lot of our customers and their customers cut back on spending. One of the first categories that almost everybody cuts back on is cleaning. Now that they have become used to a decreased budget, how quickly are they going to go back to their old spending levels when the economy improves? They will probably be doing more with less until something changes. “There are also a lot of changes taking place with new building construction and the type of floors being installed. For awhile, the trend was that everybody had carpeting, and then everybody had tile floors, and now a lot of people have polished concrete. All of these floors require different cleaning methods. Some can be cleaned with machines, some take waxing and some don’t. That is going to play a role in the future of this industry as well.” Stan Koschnick of Nexstep Commercial Products added: “My experience over 50 years (in the cleaning products industry) is that business is often better during a down economy. I have always attributed this to companies keeping their key employees busy (through cleaning projects), and homeowners doing more work themselves rather than hiring contractors. This all requires them to purchase more cleaning supplies.” Question: Which is the greater challenge, product innovation or selling that innovation through distribution? Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “A lot of innovation comes internally, but it also comes from our customers who bring us new ideas. Selling (innovation) on a mass scale can be difficult from a suppliers perspective unless the new innovation leads to a ‘must have’ type of product. The real trick from our perspective is to come up with that innovation, brand it, label it and sell it through a wide customer base. We have to answer the question, ‘Is the money that must be spent on innovation going to be worth it?’” Question: In the near future, who carries the burden of innovation — manufacturers or suppliers? Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “As a supplier, we would love to spend money on R & D and come up with great ideas, but I don’t think we are really convinced that the ROI (return on investment) is there automatically. It would be if you hit a home run, but it’s tough to come up with that home run. “One challenge that I think we all face is continuing to educate our customers on what we can provide and help them with. I see this need when
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we visit some of our customers who are larger and have a lot of turnover in their management or purchasing departments. Continued education is important. (Customers) love it when you bring them innovation, but to get them to fully understand that innovation and its benefits can be difficult.” R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “I think the demand for innovation is a combined responsibility. We sometimes don’t know what our suppliers are capable of making, so we don’t know if there is a solution to a problem that we may have. You have to work together to solve these issues. “Selling the innovation, in my limited experience, is very difficult. People use what they want to use and what they have been using for 30 years. Suppliers have to let us know what they are capable of providing. We then have to see if we can find a niche for it and put it through distribution.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “I think microfiber is a good example of innovation in our industry that has actually (worked well). It took a little while, but I think it’s taken hold. I think this has to do with education and the way companies are pushing it today. Different products continued to be made of this type of material.” Question: Can a product like the Swiffer® (from Procter & Gamble) carry over into the industrial marketplace for commercial cleaning, or is it limited to household cleaning? R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “Some people like the Swiffer because they know the name, but are they really going to use it in an industrial application without making it at least 18- or 24-inches wide?” Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “A challenge a lot of companies face is that they don’t have the mar-
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keting budget of Procter & Gamble. (The Swiffer) certainly has made an impact, but I don’t know of many companies in our industry that can pour the same kind of money into innovation that they (Procter & Gamble) have over the years.” Question: If a person becomes accustomed to using a product like the Swiffer at home, then how easy is it to introduce that product into the commercial marketplace? R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “I think the appeal of the Swiffer at home versus commercial is different. People at home like that they can use the pad (of the Swiffer) once and then throw it away while then putting (the Swiffer) in the closet. The method for commercial cleaning is completely different. When you use a string mop to clean a large floor, there is a whole different method in place compared to a flat mop. A lot of people who have been cleaning these (large commercial) areas have been doing so for a long time and are used to their string mop and bucket.” Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “Advertising often pre-dates demand. A lot of procurement agents within distributorships are not the people actually using the products they buy. They get influenced by what they see on TV. If you can walk into their office and show them something that is similar to what they have seen on TV, then they are more receptive to that item. It makes for an easier sell, or at least getting in the door.” Question: How can the cleaning products industry improve promotion of the message that a properly cleaned facility is also a healthy facility; resulting in less sickness and absenteeism and overall better health?
Continued On Page 34
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November/December 2011
Import/Export Totals Trending Even To Down By Rick Mullen | Broom, Brush & Mop, Associate Editor U.S. government trade figures for the first eight months of 2011 indicate raw material imports were up in two of the four categories outlined in this issue, compared to the first eight months of 2010. For August 2011, raw material imports were down in three of the four categories outlined, compared to August 2010. Import totals for the first eight months of 2011 were down in four of the six finished goods categories outlined from the same time period in 2010. In August 2011, five of the six categories outlined recorded decreases, compared to August 2010. RAW MATERIAL IMPORTS Hog Bristle The United States imported 39,940 kilograms of hog bristle in August 2011, down 42 percent from 68,400 kilograms imported in August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 281,984 kilograms of hog bristle were imported, a 19 percent increase from 237,665 kilograms imported during the first eight months of 2010. China sent all the hog bristle imported by the United States during the first eight months of 2011. The average price per kilogram for August 2011 was $11.18, up 200 percent from the average price per kilogram for August 2010 of $3.73. The average price per kilogram for the first eight months of 2011 was $9.76, up 34 percent from the average price per kilogram of $7.30 for the first eight months of 2010. Broom And Mop Handles The import total of broom and mop handles during August 2011 was 2.2 million, up 10 percent from 2 million for August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 15.7 million broom and mop handles were imported, up 15 percent from 13.7 million for the first eight months of 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, the United States received 6.8 million broom and mop handles from Brazil, 3.5 million from China and 3.3 million from Honduras. The average price per handle for August 2011 was 78 cents, down 5 percent from the average price for August 2010 of 82 cents. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was 80 cents, up 11 percent from 72 cents for the first eight months of 2010. Brush Backs August 2011 imports of brush backs totaled 378,486, down 30 percent from the August 2010 total of 541,222 brush backs. During the first eight months of 2011, 4 million brush backs were imported, down 27 percent from 5.5 million for the first eight months of 2010. Sri Lanka shipped 1.9 million brush backs to the United States during the first eight months of 2011, while Canada shipped 1.8 million. The average price per brush back was 48 cents during August 2011, down 14 percent from the average price for August 2010 of 56 cents. For the first eight months of 2011, the average price per brush back was 48 cents, the same as the average price for the first eight months of 2010. Metal Handles The import total of metal handles during August 2011 was 2.3 million, down 49 percent from 4.5 million for August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 23.7 million metal handles were imported, down 11 percent from 26.6 million for the first eight months of 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, Italy shipped 9.7 million metal handles to the United States, while China sent 8.8 million and Spain shipped 4.3 million. The average price per handle for August 2011 was 85 cents, up 52 percent from 56 cents for August 2010. The average price for the first eight
months of 2011 was 70 cents, up 40 percent from 50 cents for the first eight months of 2010. FINISHED GOODS IMPORTS Brooms Of Broom Corn Valued At Less Than 96 Cents Imports of brooms of broom corn valued at less than 96 cents per broom during August 2011 totaled 15,780, down 4 percent from 16,392 brooms imported during August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 131,748 brooms of broom corn were imported, up 60 percent from 82,092 imported during the first eight months of 2010. All the brooms were imported from Mexico. The average price per broom in August 2011 was 86 cents, up 9 percent from 79 cents for August 2010. The average price per broom for the first eight months of 2011 was 81 cents, down 2 cents from the average price for the first eight months of 2010. Brooms Of Broom Corn Valued At More Than 96 Cents The United States imported 770,517 brooms of broom corn valued at more than 96 cents per broom during August 2011, down 4 percent from 803,466 for August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 5.9 million brooms of broom corn were imported, down 8 percent from 6.4 million imported during the first eight months of 2010. Mexico shipped 5.7 million brooms to the United States during the first eight months of 2011, while Honduras sent the remainder. The average price per broom for August 2011 was $2.36, down 2 percent from the average price for August 2010 of $2.40. The average price per broom for the first eight months of 2011 was $2.40, down 1 percent from $2.43 for the first eight months of 2010. Brooms & Brushes Of Vegetable Material The import total of brooms and brushes of vegetable material during August 2011 was 209,688, down 9 percent from 230,319 brooms and brushes imported during August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 1.2 million brooms and brushes were imported, down 40 percent from 2 million imported during the first eight months of 2010. Sri Lanka exported 711,911 brooms and brushes to the United States during the first eight months of 2011, while Vietnam sent 193,340 and China shipped 119,263. The average price per unit for August 2011 was $1.10, down 40 percent from $1.83 for August 2010. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was $1.23, a decrease of 17 percent from the average price recorded for the first eight months of 2010 of $1.49. Toothbrushes The United States imported 76.1 million toothbrushes in August 2011, down 20 percent from 94.9 million imported in August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 602.9 million toothbrushes were imported, an decrease of 2 percent from 613.4 million imported during the first eight months of 2010. China sent 411.3 million toothbrushes to the United States during the first eight months of 2011. Also shipping toothbrushes to the United States were Switzerland, 57.1 million; Vietnam, 44.7 million; India, 28.6 million; and Germany, 20 million. The average price per toothbrush for August 2011 was 24 cents, up 2 cents from the average price for August 2010. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was 23 cents, also up 2 cents from the average price for the first eight months of 2010. Shaving Brushes The United States imported 12.7 million shaving brushes in August
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2011, up 21 percent from 10.5 million imported in August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 76.8 million shaving brushes were imported, up 4 percent from 74 million imported during the first eight months of 2010. China sent 33.9 million shaving brushes to the United States during the first eight months of 2011, while Mexico sent 22 million, South Korea shipped 10.1 million and Germany exported 8.7 million. The average price per shaving brush for August 2011 was 9 cents, down 36 percent from 14 cents for August 2010. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was 11 cents, down 2 cents from the average price for the first eight months of 2010. Paintbrushes U.S. companies imported 21.4 million paintbrushes during August 2011, down 15 percent from 25.2 million paintbrushes imported during August 2010. Paintbrush imports for the first eight months of 2011 were 155.8 million, down 13 percent from 178.9 million recorded for the first eight months of 2010. China shipped 124.4 million paintbrushes to the United States during the first eight months of 2011, while Indonesia exported 27.2 million. The average price per paintbrush for August 2011 was 30 cents, up 1 cent from the average price for August 2010. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was 31 cents, up 15 percent from the average price of 27 cents for the first eight months of 2010.
PAGE 23
an increase of 56 percent from the average price per dozen for the first eight months of 2010 of $34.54. Toothbrushes During August 2011, the United States exported 8.8 million toothbrushes, down slightly from the total recorded in August 2010 of 8.9 million. During the first eight months of 2011, 64.4 million toothbrushes were exported, down 8 percent from 70 million exported during the first eight months of 2010. The United States exported 26.8 million toothbrushes to Canada during the first eight months of 2011, while sending 11.3 million toothbrushes to Mexico, 5.4 million to Hong Kong and 4.7 million to Ireland. The average price per toothbrush for August 2011 was 68 cents, down 2 cents from the average price for August 2010. The average price per toothbrush for the first eight months of 2011 was 61 cents, down 14 percent from 71 cents for the first eight months of 2010.
EXPORTS Export totals for the first eight months of 2011 were up in two of the four categories outlined, compared to the first eight months of 2010. In August 2011, all four categories outlined reported decreases in exports, compared to August 2010.
Shaving Brushes The United States exported 1.7 million shaving brushes during August 2011, down 41 percent from 2.9 million shaving brushes exported for August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 15.4 million shaving brushes were exported, up 14 percent from 13.3 million during the first eight months of 2010. Mexico imported 4.5 million shaving brushes from the United States during the first eight months of 2011. Meanwhile, Brazil imported 3.1 million, Canada received 3 million and Colombia imported 1.8 million. The average price per shaving brush for August 2011 was 70 cents, up 47 percent from 57 cents for August 2010. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was 59 cents, down 25 percent from 79 cents recorded for the first eight months of 2010.
Brooms & Brushes Of Vegetable Materials The United States exported 4,214 dozen brooms and brushes of vegetable materials during August 2011, down 43 percent from the August 2010 total of 7,356 dozen. Exports of brooms and brushes of vegetable materials during the first eight months of 2011 were 55,963 dozen, down 22 percent from 71,551 dozen for the first eight months of 2010. The United States sent 22,670 dozen brooms and brushes to Canada during the first eight months of 2011 and 8,390 dozen to The United Kingdom. The average price per dozen brooms and brushes was $64.17 in August 2011, up 35 percent from $47.54 for August 2010. The average price per dozen brooms and brushes for the first eight months of 2011 was $53.97,
Paintbrushes The export total of paintbrushes during August 2011 was 202,300, down 4 percent from 209,808 paintbrush exports recorded for August 2010. During the first eight months of 2011, 1.5 million paintbrushes were exported, up 7 percent from 1.4 million during the first eight months of 2010. Canada imported 1.1 million paintbrushes from the United States during the first eight months of 2011. The average price per paintbrush for August 2011 was $10.95, up 4 percent from $10.49 for August 2010. The average price for the first eight months of 2011 was $9.59, down 16 percent from $11.47 recorded for the first eight months of 2010.
PFERD Cut-Off Wheels Provide Cutting Performance On Steel The new PFERD 4-1/2-inch, 5-inch and 6-inch x .045-inch thin T-SGP cut-off wheels offers competitive wheels in cutting speed as well as service life, according to the company. They are especially recommended for cutting sheet and tube stock in a short time and with little burr formation. The company says these flat (Type 1) wheels with 7/8-inch arbor hole meet the highest demands for efficient steel cutting applications, while offering excellent handling characteristics, such as low vibration and smooth, free cutting performance. The addition of the .045-inch thickness rounds out a complete range of high performance PFERD cut-off wheels for steel. The T-Hardness SG-PLUS wheels are available in 4-1/2-inch through 9-inch diameters, with thicknesses ranging from .040-inch for thin sheet and thin wall tube through 3/32-inch for universal cutting applications on all steel work-
pieces. Product selections include flat (Type 1) and depressed center (Type 27) PFERD also manufactures cut-off wheels for stainless steel (INOX), aluminum and non-ferrous metals, titanium and exotic alloys, and more. All PFERD wheels feature an easy-to-follow color coding system to help operators select the optimum wheel and performance level for their workpiece material and application. For additional information, visit www.pferdusa.com or call 1-800-3429015. ADVANCE BRUSH is a subsidiary of PFERD INC.
BBM.11.11_FInal_Layout 1 12/2/11 10:03 AM Page 24
PAGE 24
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
EXPORTS August Exports By Country
Domestic Merchandise 1404902000 Broomcorn (Sorghum Vulgare Var. Technicum) Used Primarily In Brooms Or In Brushes, Whether or Not In Hanks or Bundles August Year To Date Country Net Q/Ton Value Net Q/Ton Value Hondura 3 12,278 France 38 143,424 Germany 1 3,020 Croatia 1 9,330 TOTAL 43 168,052 9603100000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigs or Other Vegetable Materials Bound Together, With or Without Handles August Year To Date Country Net Q/Dozen Value Net Q/Dozen Value Canada 1,947 111,712 22,670 916,003 Mexico 502 31,376 1,067 54,288 Guatmal 126 4,140 Salvadr 104 3,444 Hondura 80 2,626 Nicarag 12 2,851 C Rica 211 8,100 535 15,598 Panama 268 4,818 991 31,843 Bahamas 245 50,475 1,002 213,574 Jamaica 486 14,255 Dom Rep 21 6,956 Dominca 5 2,859 Colomb 267 9,388 Venez 5 5,940 Chile 32 8,310 Brazil 127 4,187 1,156 48,411 Uruguay 8 3,260 U King 320 10,539 8,390 976,143 Ireland 1,912 41,551 Nethlds 269 2,953 Belgium 386 15,722 France 140 29,443 Germany 695 32,924 Poland 378 15,556 Russia 2 5,138 6 7,827 Spain 4 4,719 Portugl 18 9,675 Lebanon 7 2,512 Israel 83 3,840 83 3,840 Kuwait 117 3,446 S Arab 1,746 47,097 Qatar 100 9,260 India 16 5,376 Phil R 1 2,709 Macau 100 4,375 China 1,095 31,509 Kor Rep 167 13,573 469 33,216 Hg Kong 7 6,020 1,756 41,532 Taiwan 131 4,320 Japan 131 13,748 3,195 113,036 Austral 82 2,698 6,225 225,401 Egypt 122 4,209 122 4,209 Guinea 24 5,382 Angola 11 2,808 TOTAL 4,214 270,433 55,963 3,020,287
Country
9603210000 Toothbrushes August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No.
Value
Canada Mexico Guatmal Belize Salvadr Hondura Nicarag C Rica Panama Bermuda Bahamas Jamaica Cayman Haiti Dom Rep Antigua S Lucia Grenada Barbado Trinid N Antil Curaco Aruba Colomb Venez Guyana Surinam Ecuador Peru Chile Brazil Paragua Uruguay Argent Sweden Finland U King Ireland Nethlds France Germany Austria Slovak Hungary Switzld Poland Russia Ukraine Italy Turkey Lebanon Israel Kuwait S Arab Qatar Arab Em India Thailnd Vietnam Malaysa Singapr Indnsia Phil R China Kor Rep Hg Kong Taiwan Japan Austral N Zeal Mauritn Rep Saf TOTAL
November/December 2011 4,291,072 1,507,282
3,041,804 541,705
37,364
40,718
2,631 52,272
19,066 32,744
357 8,238
5,660 42,297
21,240
22,450
5,000 1,572 50,310
14,583 3,530 34,929
14,264 52,256 8,360
39,435 47,420 6,678
13,520
4,681
40,862 2,554
151,502 26,130
7,250
3,335
5,283
39,200
31,783
325,598
316,062
165,693
1,858
19,008
1,798
10,210
1,188 13,810 182,400 1,200
12,150 120,875 318,060 4,120
5,822 6,600 2,466
44,151 2,641 25,230
455,063 1,414,302 162,106 59,518 7,278
200,824 452,811 67,707 55,375 10,794
19,728 8,804,669
5,763 5,958,877
26,826,921 11,342,628 3,361 84,672 58,124 25,869 250 3,206 1,156,954 4,440 7,114 52,333 808 1,358 255,482 16,321 5,557 6,303 69,652 167,343 1,869 9,000 8,156 157,081 456,121 21,210 2,160 42,071 120,402 52,552 129,238 828 18,639 789,463 2,554 12,000 267,943 4,660,451 44,684 16,122 653,802 29,718 618 3,379,486 400 15,320 5,084 5,760 15,913 5,540 1,240 1,798 72,918 28,331 2,376 155,256 898,560 20,991 5,591 8,702 53,199 108,834 85,070 982,528 4,422,282 5,415,867 411,826 312,435 326,987 16,548 2,000 24,847 64,371,067
14,975,715 4,548,936 32,629 60,760 78,372 102,270 3,490 28,294 1,150,043 2,644 42,295 77,950 7,147 7,577 188,792 18,931 15,682 30,817 55,138 309,468 12,792 6,437 18,449 289,511 408,242 36,962 2,787 18,203 71,753 60,666 62,739 8,469 113,884 949,910 26,130 5,480 477,420 1,572,420 209,975 17,233 2,334,431 18,210 3,508 1,749,248 4,867 14,033 44,427 15,030 116,053 10,244 2,547 10,210 36,037 18,696 24,300 229,497 1,742,634 53,694 57,200 46,817 80,768 83,089 146,801 561,630 2,147,654 2,363,641 180,758 400,497 590,444 12,836 2,900 20,193 39,229,306
BBM.11.11_FInal_Layout 1 12/2/11 10:03 AM Page 25
November/December 2011
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
9603290000 Shaving Brushes, Hairbrushes, Nail Brushes, Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use on the Person August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q./No. Value Canada 509,230 408,180 3,004,108 2,212,651 Mexico 30,415 151,745 4,536,462 1,609,593 Guatmal 4,812 9,641 8,805 24,668 Hondura 72 6,732 C Rica 5,499 23,872 10,389 47,414 Panama 2,115 19,540 Dom Rep 4,443 38,080 Trinid 2,922 36,000 22,384 224,097 N Antil 1,511 2,638 Colomb 1,840,742 623,986 Venez 646,052 182,401 Surinam 2,916 7,097 Ecuador 3,263 21,079 Peru 520 11,960 Chile 16,358 23,740 Brazil 807,250 172,066 3,116,030 705,930 Paragua 20,640 8,333 Uruguay 1,200 2,886 Argent 152,750 46,270 1,092,750 236,700 Sweden 304 2,781 5,683 51,968 Norway 4,510 43,422 Finland 375 3,428 U King 16,322 45,999 88,116 329,918 Ireland 1,108 13,751 Nethlds 4,533 43,868 Belgium 18,872 173,298 France 502 4,589 53,861 194,008 Germany 25,291 85,561 118,748 496,214 Austria 2,078 19,000 Czech 648 2,592 Switzld 1,736 15,882 Lithuan 1,344 3,116 Ukraine 3,284 18,982 Spain 4,129 34,951 Italy 41,108 52,353 Turkey 6,300 40,367 S Arab 412 10,289 Arab Em 31,554 153,498 India 1,896 17,340 6,026 33,283 Thailnd 2,694 24,639 21,897 200,254 Malaysa 1,203 3,000 Singapr 400 4,572 201,453 83,364 Phil R 3,714 33,966 5,104 46,369 China 3,596 32,887 53,491 469,675 Kor Rep 542 4,961 4,814 39,118 Hg Kong 9,792 5,716 20,979 59,191 Taiwan 3,132 9,208 3,537 12,908 Japan 131,260 46,720 316,423 138,072 Austral 4,092 35,890 23,108 205,394 N Zeal 98 3,022 8,423 30,328 Ghana 283 10,878 Nigeria 144 2,655 Rep Saf 1,792 102,429 TOTAL 1,716,513 1,205,625 15,387,836 9,147,348 9603300000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes and Similar Brushes for the Application of Cosmetics August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 636,163 1,075,712 3,730,669 7,624,261 Mexico 99,937 352,488 473,708 1,617,738 Salvadr 8,869 14,874 Hondura 22,258 52,720 C Rica 1,295 4,777 Panama 41,679 114,269 Cayman 2,334 5,589 2,334 5,589 Barbado 23,186 85,550 Colomb 10,245 29,976 Venez 1,919 9,888
Ecuador Chile Brazil Paragua Uruguay Sweden Norway Finland Denmark U King Ireland Nethlds Belgium France Germany Austria Slovak Switzld Estonia Latvia Poland Russia Ukraine Armenia Kazakhs Spain Italy Greece Turkey Israel Jordan Arab Em India Thailnd Vietnam Singapr Indnsia Phil R China Kor Rep Hg Kong Taiwan Japan Austral N Zeal Rep Saf TOTAL
Country Canada Mexico Guatmal Salvadr Hondura C Rica Panama Bermuda Bahamas Jamaica Haiti Dom Rep St K N S Lucia S Vn Gr Barbado Trinid Colomb Venez Ecuador Peru Chile
PAGE 25 3,771 3,976 1,218,986 13,644 8,643 17,402 7,719 60,459 536,668 604,374 5,000 14,737 39,968 59,957 22,898 4,178 151 5,459 4,022 1,075 53,994 9,160 54,915 6,103 8,609 1,750 40,573 11,160 939 38,869 800 27,902 2,680 14,379 900 1,831 3,105 57,000 121,807 50,545 78,682 8,052 58,730 165,822 6,624 25,076 7,799,256
7,281 9,813 1,050,834 50,342 31,893 66,841 30,206 225,726 1,983,640 2,552,611 18,448 68,606 102,282 249,652 81,040 13,017 9,527 22,929 27,716 16,039 197,297 40,543 77,260 22,518 101,616 2,739 151,447 14,910 3,464 143,410 4,555 122,436 4,001 61,839 9,696 15,144 11,456 53,789 449,420 221,371 322,848 45,196 196,920 762,329 20,704 92,523 19,327,516
9603402000 Paint Rollers August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 221,671 455,663 1,545,107 169,660 295,291 357,230 12,120 3,864 3,450 15,731 11,462 1,116 2,668 18,942 20 5,800 10,576 18,601 249 1,042 2,316 239 4,203 239 7,000 239 11,664 1,417 1,371 27,766
Value 3,368,713 854,961 14,702 4,657 11,698 115,400 23,588 31,343 3,210 5,993 20,339 211,053 4,369 7,800 2,760 4,203 7,924 4,198 32,633 24,868 29,065 36,678
8,643
31,893
572 42,271 4,004 2,617 3,210 5,415 1,040
3,280 105,680 14,774 10,850 11,845 19,021 3,837
1,200 500
12,000 7,460
939
3,464
7,772
35,636
5,524
22,681
6,000 32,429 4,758 11,958 2,168 1,797 29,814
5,662 119,651 17,554 48,301 14,286 6,933 166,532
911,065
2,095,129
BBM.11.11_FInal_Layout 1 12/2/11 10:03 AM Page 26
PAGE 26 Paragua Argent Sweden Finland Denmark U King Ireland Nethlds Belgium France Germany Switzld Russia Israel S Arab Qatar Arab Em Bahrain India Thailnd Singapr Indnsia China Kor Rep Hg Kong Japan Austral N Zeal Ghana Nigeria Rep Saf TOTAL
Country Mexico Nicarag Panama Bermuda Bahamas Dom Rep Barbado Aruba Venez Peru Argent Sweden Finland Belgium Germany Spain Romania Kuwait S Arab Thailnd Malaysa Singapr China Kor Rep Austral TOTAL
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP 174 72 39 1,126 3,711 6,353 6,086 19,167 203 692 48,849 20,727 15,606 1,062 11,026 610 16,344 780 7,609 176 2,018 19,356 3,855 1,947 2,620 3,140 165,626 8,059 199 2,299 176,394 2,602,131
3,050 3,456 3,175 7,673 19,159 53,827 55,515 100,361 3,569 7,846 204,259 46,077 25,664 18,649 12,507 3,972 23,833 3,712 61,763 11,176 3,600 79,473 67,660 34,989 51,673 20,418 1,220,368 31,135 3,299 40,358 121,713 7,164,084
9603404020 Paint Pads August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 8,983 14,751 57,657 423 47 1,010 406 322 166 15 356 2,525 356 1,173 715 12 4,000 1,120 226 11,411 728 1,761 1,800 970 6,889 1,453 1,310 3,968 1,500 954 6,774 72,352 18,216 20,219 56,723 29,479 51,158 220,654
Value 98,750 3,000 5,910 7,166 2,880 9,140 3,215 2,670 2,525 3,127 7,448 2,676 6,640 2,560 2,949 83,722 5,171 12,500 6,131 10,316 9,300 13,434 4,860 527,419 103,847 937,356
285
5,000
619 96
12,447 4,884
3,275 1,200 13,146
30,689 3,262 19,953
6,000
10,140
3,210
30,335
420,517
874,535
9603404050 Paint, Distemper, Varnish or Similar Brushes (Except Brushes of 9603.30) August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 146,985 1,075,141 1,118,766 7,800,728 Mexico 1,883 39,064 44,419 888,579 Salvadr 150 3,119 Hondura 9,678 133,215 Nicarag 3,128 15,019 C Rica 2,685 56,608 Panama 6,046 166,611
Bermuda Bahamas Jamaica Cayman Haiti Dom Rep B Virgn Antigua S Lucia S Vn Gr Grenada Barbado Trinid N Antil Aruba Colomb Venez Guyana Peru Chile Brazil Argent Iceland Sweden Finland Denmark U King Ireland Nethlds Belgium France Germany Austria Czech Poland Russia Spain Malta Slvenia Turkey Iraq Israel S Arab Arab Em India Sri Lka Thailnd Vietnam Malaysa Singapr Indnsia China Kor Rep Hg Kong Taiwan Japan Austral N Zeal Samoa Fr Poly Sier Ln Nigeria Angola Rep Saf TOTAL
November/December 2011 1,112 10,115
15,214 209,802
597 352
12,380 11,702
506
10,500
1,099
25,868
10,553 190 1,446 10,554 1,212 584
253,587 3,944 30,000 218,906 7,256 14,429
533
11,045
8,388
175,587
762
7,260
505
10,460
1,455
12,337
300
3,450
300 750 129 726 819
3,450 13,875 2,672 15,066 16,984
445 202,300
14,402 2,214,381
5,389 31,134 581 1,157 754 791 2,191 352 33 611 752 517 2,589 530 741 5,815 140 131 2,562 1,905 539 2,314 666 4,091 1,396 8,098 83,354 5,265 53,316 24,595 7,394 10,106 381 120 1,305 533 183 1,182 300 16 1,146 14,843 133 1,680 258 184 1,297 1,373 6,651 11,634 4,138 2,702 8,527 4,900 750 5,507 20,912 7,461 901 93 107 1,319 468 445 1,546,130
78,532 529,874 12,075 23,052 15,630 16,405 33,479 11,702 3,616 18,281 3,534 19,098 53,712 11,000 5,784 121,169 2,895 2,721 84,237 25,051 11,196 48,004 8,591 67,751 12,879 258,739 934,847 43,111 994,365 483,327 116,829 177,935 3,047 2,920 19,823 11,045 3,804 7,814 2,617 2,592 23,760 314,297 2,756 18,398 11,579 3,822 19,395 28,460 97,983 98,843 94,369 69,568 164,361 57,065 13,875 59,717 211,210 66,249 18,687 7,465 7,775 76,986 6,280 14,402 14,834,264
9603900000 Hand-Operated Mechanical Floor Sweepers, Not Motorized, Mops & Feather Dusters; Prepared Knots & Tufts for Broom or Brush Making, NESOI August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 223,031 2,495,576 2,092,932 18,675,908 Mexico 74,348 1,031,110 517,783 6,892,095 Guatmal 21,592 63,187
BBM.11.11_FInal_Layout 1 12/2/11 10:05 AM Page 27
November/December 2011 Belize Salvadr Hondura Nicarag C Rica Panama Bermuda Bahamas Jamaica Cayman Haiti Dom Rep B Virgn S Lucia Barbado Trinid N Antil Curaco Aruba Colomb Venez Ecuador Peru Bolivia Chile Brazil Argent Norway Finland Denmark U King Ireland Nethlds Belgium Luxmbrg France Germany Austria Czech Hungary Switzld Latvia Poland Russia Ukraine Moldova Spain Portugl Italy Turkey Lebanon Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait S Arab Qatar Arab Em Bahrain Afghan India Sri Lka Thailnd Vietnam Laos Malaysa Singapr Indnsia Phil R China Mongola Kor Rep Hg Kong
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
216 2,373 908 1,078
3,499 42,970 4,333 3,397
133
2,501
1,895
6,149
393
15,799
229 1,026 2,212
3,709 22,536 42,936
3,240
10,514
18,419 1,345 24,196 974
113,061 45,491 309,273 15,805
1,528 2,912
26,780 43,769
236
3,822
3,543
83,153
883
2,683
1,213
11,510
1,178
8,167
1,000 3,851
6,500 27,422
13,264
91,618
1,072 734
17,387 5,663
485 488
7,870 12,337
3,245
59,661
4,104 1,084
59,551 15,612
1,971 572 1,323 16 9,433 19,077 5,106 2,453 694 1,877 495 2,391 1,254 2,088 282 2,948 1,212 160 2,129 6,386 10,440 9,599 6,447 229 37,042 29,562 236 1,488 19,202 1,696 85,491 10,555 58,570 32,945 1,884 5,277 50,467 873 222 255 4,748 1,200 438 18,078 482 883 169 690 17,313 1,510 2,054 308 1,349 1,813 7,915 49,294 708 32,244 187 7,520 11,622 154 2,692 450 244 5,290 6,020 391 1,072 33,771 170 23,467 13,839
15,798 19,341 22,859 3,513 92,691 362,892 18,784 12,286 8,368 30,449 8,025 27,088 22,447 9,272 7,931 43,469 8,158 5,382 27,720 94,224 111,686 89,843 93,927 3,709 414,410 364,912 3,825 24,145 125,006 27,498 1,229,884 213,304 582,065 235,135 43,043 84,299 628,488 14,147 3,608 4,141 61,436 6,885 27,385 268,037 7,823 2,683 2,748 7,908 157,046 6,064 13,689 5,000 23,478 29,408 94,092 415,877 11,485 283,715 3,037 126,758 122,772 2,501 43,539 4,193 3,960 88,113 106,204 6,341 17,384 423,880 2,763 294,240 241,616
Taiwan Japan Austral N Zeal Moroc Eq Guin Camroon Sier Ln Togo Nigeria Angola Kenya Rep Saf TOTAL
PAGE 27 224 10,861 4,190 3,207
10,808 66,661 71,587 9,532
300
4,861
415,618
4,815,613
5,959 64,872 63,513 18,036 749 300 269 200 160 964 812 262 5,205 3,466,040
93,231 470,473 854,294 115,158 15,100 4,861 3,821 3,964 3,171 12,126 12,131 4,249 33,752 35,307,353
IMPORTS Broom and Brush
August Imports By Country
Country Thailnd China TOTAL
0502100000 Pigs’, Hogs’ or Boars’ Bristles and Hair and Waste Thereof August Year To Date Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG 65 3,756 146 39,875 442,701 281,838 39,940 446,457 281,984
Value 10,335 2,741,314 2,751,649
Country U King Germany Thailnd China TOTAL
0502900000 Badger Hair and Other Brushmaking Hair and Waste Thereof August Year To Date Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG 37 168 195 11,310 1,397 312 16,858 26,528 507 28,168 28,130
Value 67,602 163,753 84,363 690,023 1,005,741
0511993300 Horsehair and Horsehair Waste, Whether or Not Put Up As A Layer With or Without Supporting Material August Year To Date Country Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG Value Paragua 10,253 107,674 Germany 4,600 41,172 China 56,278 562,878 197,100 2,101,008 Rep Saf 15 3,379 TOTAL 56,278 562,878 211,968 2,253,233 1404903000 Istle Used Primarily In Brooms or In Brushes, Whether or Not In Hanks or Bundles August Year To Date Country Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG Value Mexico 20,514 112,433 266,023 1,328,582 TOTAL 20,514 112,433 266,023 1,328,582 4417002000 Broom and Mop Handles, 1.9 CM or More In Diameter and 97 CM or More In Length, Of Wood August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 1,615 5,085 Mexico 58,850 8,552 293,280 76,704 Hondura 511,052 239,261 3,259,084 1,507,661 Colomb 10,800 3,782 87,888 35,484 Brazil 784,060 904,354 6,757,861 7,501,893 Belgium 58,045 73,717 India 3,273 4,343 Sri Lka 47,500 59,890 419,650 530,035 Indnsia 176,331 226,677 1,303,704 1,183,969 China 561,436 224,960 3,510,013 1,696,051 Taiwan 46,212 43,409 TOTAL 2,150,029 1,667,476 15,740,625 12,658,351
BBM.11.11_FInal_Layout 1 12/2/11 10:05 AM Page 28
PAGE 28
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
4417004000 Paint Brush August Country Net Q/Variable Germany Czech Poland Italy Thailnd Indnsia China Taiwan TOTAL
Country Canada Brazil Sri Lka China TOTAL
Country Canada Mexico Brazil U King Nethlds Germany India Vietnam Indnsia China Taiwan TOTAL
and Paint Roller Handles, Of Wood Year To Date Value Net Q/Variable Value 7,167 47,274 107,856 728,205 4,106,795 4,550 36,792 164,920 630,907 77,755 1,241,925 19,296 975,430 6,198,012
4417006000 Brush Backs, Of Wood August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 206,120 85,044 1,823,249 31,050 172,366 96,894 1,907,589 226,620 378,486 181,938 3,988,508 4417008010 Tool Handles of Wood August Year To Date Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable 9,339 2,884 279,850
52,342 36,077 61,333 31,250 473,075
Value 727,322 34,643 1,100,182 59,939 1,922,086
Value 101,929 118,091 1,900,547 5,858 17,494 9,371 4,282 311,650 36,077 481,745 190,548 3,177,592
4417008090 Tools, Tool Bodies, Broom or Brush Bodies, Shoe Lasts and Trees, of Wood August Year To Date Country Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable Value Canada 57,067 608,681 Mexico 28,037 75,887 Hondura 17,200 Nicarag 2,477 2,477 Chile 588,928 4,829,649 Brazil 9,376 9,376 Sweden 10,594 Denmark 5,121 5,121 U King 3,631 60,463 Germany 12,960 Austria 4,920 Czech 2,688 Poland 2,650 Spain 58,252 Italy 11,846 45,023 India 95,589 717,350 Sri Lka 105,316 Vietnam 7,421 157,000 Indnsia 7,067 67,637 China 411,327 1,810,583 Taiwan 62,689 Japan 225,118 2,486,301 Austral 2,145 TOTAL 1,453,005 11,154,962 7326908576 Metal Handles For Brooms, Mops, Paint Applicators August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 120,000 8,414 Mexico 10,000 4,540 136,048 48,411 Brazil 260,110 165,582
Sweden Denmark Germany Spain Italy Israel China Hg Kong Taiwan TOTAL
November/December 2011
200
4,322
5,760 898,936
5,512 993,217
1,398,857
948,563
2,313,753
1,956,154
215 2,710 14 4,314,672 9,727,946 2,421 8,762,930 4,165 407,753 23,738,984
3,365 36,099 2,821 1,992,876 7,759,193 2,416 6,471,404 5,464 223,230 16,719,275
9603100500 Wiskbrooms, of Broom Corn, LT=.96 EA. Prior to Entry or Withdrawal for Consumption of 61,655 Dozen In Calendar Year August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Mexico 5,520 4,688 24,504 21,162 China 12,240 9,094 TOTAL 5,520 4,688 36,744 30,256 9603104000 Other Brooms, of Broomcorn, LT=.96 EA, Prior to Entry or Withdrawal For Consumption of GT=121,478 Dozen in Calendar Year August Year To Date Mexico 30,252 24,553 TOTAL 30,252 24,553 9603105000 Other Brooms, of Broomcorn, LT=.96 EA, at Entry or Withdrawal For Consumption of GT=121,478 Dozen in Calendar Year August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Mexico 15,780 13,621 131,748 106,743 TOTAL 15,780 13,621 131,748 106,743 9603106000 Other Brooms, Of Broomcorn, Valued Over .96 Each August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Mexico 744,819 1,772,894 5,681,862 13,679,752 Hondura 25,698 47,537 187,014 381,455 TOTAL 770,517 1,820,431 5,868,876 14,061,207 9603109000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigs or Other Vegetable Materials Bound Together, With or Without Handles, NESOI August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 900 6,998 4,296 35,493 Mexico 7,296 7,921 50,523 75,702 Sweden 200 3,021 200 3,021 U King 1,001 10,845 France 7 6,708 Germany 2,486 11,032 Estonia 9,000 20,256 9,000 20,256 Turkey 2,000 5,560 India 4,654 11,598 Sri Lka 115,598 101,912 711,911 704,219 Thailnd 12,500 15,909 43,936 95,777 Vietnam 27,160 27,123 193,340 194,934 Phil R 5,000 8,666 15,620 26,820 China 31,034 35,814 119,263 221,053 Kor Rep 900 3,127 Japan 1,000 2,546 1,001 4,743 TOTAL 209,688 230,166 1,160,138 1,430,888 9603210000 Toothbrushes, Incl. Dental-Plate Brushes August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 15,154 31,040 117,129 97,190 Mexico 277,936 128,845 3,992,320 1,285,837 Guatmal 76,800 15,730 76,800 15,730 Brazil 1,001,011 209,092 4,729,531 1,423,395 Sweden 268,426 152,562 427,545 274,259 Norway 23,550 11,709 U King 31,520 61,119 Ireland 237,628 374,776 1,796,620 2,363,646
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November/December 2011 Nethlds Belgium France Germany Hungary Switzld Poland Spain Italy Turkey Israel India Thailnd Vietnam Malaysa Indnsia China Kor Rep Hg Kong Taiwan Japan Austral Gabon TOTAL
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
44,312
10,392
2,399,908 2,688 4,247,724
1,963,897 6,056 2,101,190
140,400
56,076
3,057,480 214,520 6,295,944 1,082,000 143,960 55,174,182 1,143,040 205,399 41,452 5,620
356,835 47,320 564,008 76,957 14,268 11,730,625 61,780 39,291 55,793 25,228
76,075,584
18,021,761
401,740 1 8,000 19,995,439 34,563 57,124,840 413,952 40,800 1,580,444 12,664 467,120 28,583,165 1,223,384 44,704,776 12,745,800 960,172 411,345,880 5,402,898 685,065 1,776,260 3,035,704 28,130 1,171,872 602,937,684
57,070 2,995 7,452 15,517,089 75,299 22,904,152 46,663 3,975 540,870 24,902 65,572 3,746,513 329,268 2,811,438 572,907 103,224 82,284,369 721,574 268,398 556,271 783,434 18,003 164,241 137,138,564
9603294010 Hairbrushes, Valued Not Over .40 Each August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Italy 6,483 2,671 Thailnd 33,600 12,698 Vietnam 7,200 3,312 26,400 10,693 China 6,167,931 1,657,069 31,351,912 9,012,397 Kor Rep 7,896 2,956 Hg Kong 64,800 9,936 463,920 66,552 Taiwan 50,652 17,015 TOTAL 6,239,931 1,670,317 31,940,863 9,124,982 9603294090 Shaving Brushes, Nail Brushes, Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use On The Valued Not Over .40 Each August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Mexico 3,400,800 234,621 21,994,150 France 48,000 4,552 158,000 Germany 298,000 68,122 8,670,411 Switzld 67,200 Italy 31,800 India 490,180 17,877 1,485,580 China 6,328,728 782,148 33,867,690 Kor Rep 2,100,000 43,567 10,144,900 Hg Kong 50,400 6,974 184,440 Taiwan 18,520 3,662 207,620 Japan 282 TOTAL 12,734,628 1,161,523 76,812,073
Person,
Value 1,774,593 11,452 1,740,337 12,826 5,004 54,459 4,741,844 203,065 30,450 53,297 5,534 8,632,861
9603302000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes For Application Of Cosmetics, Valued Not Over .05 Each August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Mexico 180,000 8,187 6,694,367 210,910 France 3,000,000 100,600 Germany 2,072,740 94,739 23,304,740 1,048,202 Italy 9,591,000 111,005 51,467,700 580,064 India 309,247 12,205 3,531,967 59,659 China 10,760,396 268,879 104,276,344 2,720,677 Kor Rep 5,200,000 142,369 21,592,000 581,266 Hg Kong 347,824 10,118 Taiwan 500,000 4,144 5,197,000 112,918 Japan 600,000 27,051 TOTAL 28,613,383 641,528 220,011,942 5,451,465 9603304000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes For Application of Cosmetics, Valued Over .05 But not Over .10 Each August Year To Date
Country Mexico Brazil Germany India Thailnd China Kor Rep Hg Kong Taiwan TOTAL
PAGE 29 Net Q/No. 9,214,797
Value 693,422
2,596,884 169,240
174,452 14,346
8,989,170
680,571
106,000 528,640 21,604,731
8,793 32,796 1,604,380
Net Q/No. 58,899,267 288,000 14,296,631 672,830 514,894 86,062,792 2,193,980 1,529,214 5,530,256 169,987,864
Value 4,450,375 22,249 1,006,364 55,342 60,483 6,446,894 163,324 120,788 366,813 12,692,632
9603306000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes For Application Of Cosmetics, Valued Over .10 Each August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 4,575 44,765 6,368 109,837 Mexico 12,874,122 2,128,742 95,153,615 15,829,252 Dom Rep 133,291 162,922 1,015,452 1,138,089 Chile 336 2,763 Brazil 120 7,357 120 7,357 U King 91,948 224,648 612,705 1,452,311 Ireland 1,437 11,690 Nethlds 2,220 11,946 2,220 11,946 France 59,388 219,679 608,987 2,390,893 Germany 938,972 293,030 9,299,638 2,673,314 Austria 100 12,504 Czech 24,760 3,446 Switzld 210 6,959 958 30,871 Spain 15,157 73,204 111,140 544,428 Italy 56,250 24,023 126,427 145,891 Greece 1,133 31,637 Israel 6,383 19,935 India 655,727 257,454 4,515,192 1,797,222 Sri Lka 210,300 145,443 1,350,606 779,592 Thailnd 292,872 310,588 2,655,992 1,626,718 Singapr 684 4,590 Indnsia 74,782 85,218 Phil R 2,592 9,470 China 19,618,904 14,058,694 141,811,089 92,881,651 Kor Rep 193,466 177,937 2,069,978 2,007,203 Hg Kong 573,442 251,365 4,267,843 2,428,645 Taiwan 413,325 117,541 2,001,257 751,603 Japan 201,082 1,081,427 2,619,753 10,290,102 Austral 1,506 14,024 Mauritn 3,745 16,878 59,149 172,454 Maurit 11,000 7,600 TOTAL 36,339,116 19,614,602 268,413,202 137,272,256
Country Canada Mexico Brazil Sweden U King Nethlds Germany Czech Switzld Italy Singapr China Hg Kong Taiwan Japan TOTAL
9603402000 Paint Rollers August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 17,638 873,563 389,731 8,780,712 5,052 1,000 4,710 4,200 316 4,403 44,422 950 287,804 95,330 2,750,545 3,200 4,245 10,800 52,800 15,462 52,800 23,500 36,000 7,434 47,730 4,199,287 1,604,014 31,442,172 133,755 2,748 75 5,453,970 2,125,329 43,317,099
Value 20,434 3,354,655 5,816 22,954 40,529 6,823 640,946 11,857 15,462 15,993 22,404 14,213,754 84,876 4,334 2,309 18,463,146
9603404020 Paint Pads (Other Than Of Subheading 9603.30) August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 9,460 4,647 U King 19,220 18,551 57,390 70,710
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PAGE 30 Pakistn Indnsia China Taiwan TOTAL
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP 24,800
2,607
710,797
589,341
754,817
610,499
117,200 2,736 8,238,781 59,760 8,485,327
12,819 4,321 5,302,772 13,688 5,408,957
9603404040 Natural Bristle Brushes, Other Than Brushes Of Subheading 9603.30 August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 12,658 16,318 100,291 130,024 Guatmal 21,168 22,864 U King 6,501 22,476 88,876 156,997 Germany 57,124 27,133 66,456 76,127 Italy 696 3,930 Turkey 39,200 130,777 Sri Lka 6,192 18,127 Thailnd 94,320 65,572 911,120 504,646 Vietnam 355,276 40,975 1,095,184 136,702 Indnsia 4,926,213 851,194 42,833,938 7,208,787 China 1,145,590 253,653 4,963,240 1,084,500 Taiwan 1,530 4,082 754,610 175,773 Japan 4,600 9,932 TOTAL 6,599,212 1,281,403 50,885,571 9,659,186 9603404060 Paint, Distemper, Varnish/Similr Brushes Exc Brushes of Subheading 9603.30 NESOI August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Canada 1,786 2,298 36,307 51,467 Mexico 18,504 25,474 Guatmal 62,062 63,381 Brazil 4,176 2,588 Sweden 217,671 60,633 590,320 176,449 U King 161,863 124,790 Belgium 25,060 13,837 France 1,000 6,980 1,000 6,980 Germany 289,358 44,333 315,614 167,977 Spain 204 3,796 1,504 7,897 Italy 45,262 139,184 Greece 138 2,451 Turkey 14,616 44,456 53,752 178,603 India 359,978 81,268 Sri Lka 48,960 97,188 Vietnam 454 2,303 27,512 59,203 Singapr 7,719 3,155 7,719 3,155 Indnsia 4,162,894 749,473 27,198,712 4,660,933 China 16,433,230 5,436,335 124,447,287 41,425,424 Kor Rep 78,552 23,836 Hg Kong 489,369 60,188 Taiwan 225,366 68,467 1,765,090 616,247 Japan 8,160 10,860 35,743 79,460 TOTAL 21,362,458 6,433,089 155,774,484 48,067,980
Country Mexico Germany Spain India China Hg Kong Taiwan TOTAL
9603908010 Wiskbrooms August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 1,812 3,654 39,216 1,775 10,129 1,775 3,456 4,008 57,614 53,954 351,471 480 1,008 61,201 67,737 401,414
Value 41,114 10,129 6,456 3,819 382,224 5,783 2,389 451,914
Country Mexico Guatmal Colomb Brazil Argent
9603908020 Upright Brooms August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 69,316 86,965 367,513 19,320 23,575 57,452 29,748 68,813 2,624 6,935 11,568
Value 447,030 105,598 27,869 283,604 24,701
Germany Spain Italy Sri Lka China Taiwan Egypt TOTAL
November/December 2011 1,000 2,592 55,540 58,224 977,021
17,383 4,788 81,061 117,986 1,444,292
15,228 1,200,865
12,102 1,795,087
1,140 48,321 285,272 196,200 6,959,187 6,012 48,420 8,079,646
19,517 83,639 374,411 387,724 8,665,563 43,337 40,963 10,503,956
9603908030 Push Brooms, 41 CM or Less in Width August Year To Date Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. Value Mexico 11,772 39,350 36,640 129,761 India 1,224 2,670 Sri Lka 37,890 155,393 243,304 899,528 China 25,208 129,348 336,670 1,405,067 Taiwan 420 3,453 TOTAL 74,870 324,091 618,258 2,440,479
Country Canada Mexico Guatmal Salvadr Colomb Brazil U King Germany Czech Lithuan Spain Italy Israel India Bngldsh Sri Lka Thailnd Vietnam Phil R China Kor Rep Taiwan TOTAL
Country Canada Mexico Guatmal Salvadr Hondura Dom Rep Colomb Brazil Sweden Norway Finland Denmark U King Ireland Nethlds Belgium France Germany Austria Czech Switzld Estonia Latvia Lithuan
9603908040 Other Brooms, NESOI August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 150,961 366,970 732,675 509,487 693,894 3,211,269 139,041 138,569 41,100 20,144 203,466 26,030 76,587 290,926 2,060 15 49,248 46,340 327,552 250 33,744 61,091 81,464 41,292 79,322 665,241 1,320 6,233 11,294 33,108 60 67,640 86,092 840,610 7,300 11,060 68,650 9,950 13,720 58,510 80 581,609 1,524,074 4,181,662 2,705 5,747 1,524,594 2,990,588 10,984,980 9603908050 Brooms, Brushes, Sqeegees, Etc., NESOI August Year To Date Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. 2,328,789 2,500,300
1,341,840 15,150 143,973 80,612 20,691 3,719 4,527 204,736 42,414 221,705 3,882 8,950 306,865 74,647 14,677 11,483 27,050
Value 1,442,057 5,016,046 131,240 177,963 299,497 419,833 28,299 3,621 322,998 5,397 156,052 1,167,552 2,865 57,830 2,700 1,308,937 119,768 80,331 2,414 12,001,507 18,261 33,405 22,798,573
Value 16,454,191 20,795,134 6,115 150,474 9,884,496 239,502 758,047 429,295 113,780 20,410 128,604 1,399,574 409,937 2,194 1,923,488 806,143 96,584 1,747,533 2,252 631,312 105,431 6,682 36,535 250,964
BBM.11.11_FInal_Layout 1 12/2/11 10:05 AM Page 31
November/December 2011 Poland Russia Spain Italy Slvenia Romania Turkey Israel India Pakistn Sri Lka Thailnd Vietnam Malaysa Singapr Indnsia Phil R China Kor Rep Hg Kong Taiwan Japan Austral Egypt Rep Saf TOTAL
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP 30,802 9,755 545,699 15,939 11,674 16,078 92,162 301,760 178,980 347,320 114,776 30,410 4,150 2,463 32,748,440 199,120 610,792 1,073,970 101,904 18,611 43,810,815
PAGE 31
371,547 5,880 643,877 3,651,787 13,850 172,890 63,718 246,466 491,653 3,093,517 2,237,990 2,954,396 361,875 187,070 4,150 261,457 6,890 240,377,874 1,728,559 6,170,266 9,416,361 653,953 643,106 104,209 2,430 330,264,448
ZAHORANSKY Group Wins Award From Procter & Gamble ZAHORANSKY Group of Todtnau/Freiburg, Germany has been honored again by Procter & Gamble (P&G). This year the company says it received an even higher honor than in 2010. It is one of only 12 partners of the American consumer goods company to receive the “Business Partner of the Year Award.” The award was given out of 75,000 candidate suppliers and agencies. ZAHORANSKY also received the Excellence Award last year. P&G recognizes its top performing external business partners each year during an awards ceremony in Cincinnati, OH. Ulrich Zahoransky, Gerd Schelshorn (key account manager for P&G), and Winfried Ebner (CEO of ZAHORANSKY Formenbau GmbH) received the award at the event on behalf of the business from Todtnau. “We have tremendous partnerships with our external business partners around the world,” said Bob McDonald, P&G’s chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer. “These partnerships are powerful because they are focused on a common purpose — to touch and improve people's everyday lives.” “I congratulate all of our award winners, especially those who were recognized as ‘Business Partner of the Year,’” said Rick Hughes, P&G chief purchasing officer. “Our external business partners are an important part of the company’s ability to innovate and grow, and critical to the work we do at P&G every day.” Visit www.zahoransky-group.com for more information.
Same Great People Place Products Prices Performance Plus helping you find
THE NEXT BETTER PRODUCT
Visit Us Online At: www.broombrushandmop.com
pat@monahanpartners.com 200 N. Oak, Arcola, IL 61910 217-268-5754
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Broom, Brush & Mop
To Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Centennial Yearbook
B
room, Brush & Mop magazine is turning 100 years old on Feb. 27, 2012, and will celebrate this milestone with its 100th Anniversary Centennial Yearbook to be published in October 2012. The yearbook will be filled with the history of, not only the publication, but also the industries it serves. Today’s Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine, published in Arcola, IL, includes in-depth company features, market-specific interviews, convention coverage, raw material and import/export reviews and statistics, and more. The predecessor to today’s 4-color worldwide trade magazine — printed on coated stock and serving the brush, mop, broom and related industries — was Broom and Broom Corn News, which focused on a vital crop once grown in the flat fertile fields of east central Illinois. At the start of the 20th century, the broom corn industry was a vital part of this area’s agricultural landscape. It was during this time that a publication dedicated to that industry was born. The first issue of Broom and Broom Corn News was dated Feb. 27, 1912. Although broom corn production has since moved from the rich soil of Illinois to such areas as northern Mexico, Broom, Brush & Mop magazine continues to be published in Arcola, a town known for its annual Broom Corn Festival and title, “Broom Corn Capital of the World.” Broom and Broom Corn News was started in Arcola by brothers Frank F. and W.L. “Roy” Collins. They served not only as the publication’s owners, but its editors and publishers as well. For many years prior to 1912, the Collins brothers had devoted a page or more of each issue of their Arcola Record-Herald newspaper to news about broom corn and allied industries. The newspaper’s “Broom Corn Corner” was a regular department of the Record-Herald. Frank Collins would remain owner of Broom and Broom Corn News until 1941. The inaugural issue of Broom and Broom Corn News on Feb. 27, 1912, included an announcement explaining the focus of the new publication. It also included articles addressing such topics as expansion of broom corn growing regions to such far away places as Texas, current broom prices (as of 1912), and a report on discrimination against broom corn dealers by insurance companies. This discrimination claim stemmed from a dispute regarding the level of flammability of broom corn bales. The lone photo in the first issue showed a stately gentleman in a horse
and buggy in front of a large home. It served as the obituary photo for Col. S.R. Duncan, who was described in the obituary as, “A prominent Central broom corn dealer.” The obituary stated that the Colonel entered the field as a buyer in 1886 and had “handled over 70,000 tons of broom corn, representing a cash outlay of approximately $7 million during (his) connection with the trade.” The obituary added that this was “enough broom corn to sweep the entire world for a year.” In 1931, the Collins brothers purchased Broom Corn Review, which had been published in Wichita, KS, for 19 years. The brothers merged the Kansas publication with Broom and Broom Corn News, thus giving advertisers complete coverage of the field with one publication. It was reported the purchase also brought increased circulation at the time, as well as greater advertising patronage. Broom and Broom Corn News was printed in tabloid newspaper format. As can be expected, many other changes have occurred over the past 10 decades for not only the broom corn industry, but Broom and Broom Corn News as well. After several ownership changes, Don and Linda Rankin purchased the publication on Dec. 5, 1977. The two have remained owners/publishers ever since. Between the Collins brothers and the Rankins, other owners of Broom and Broom Corn News were P.A. Lindenmeyer and J.D. Bailey; Mr. and Mrs. Larry Graham; Dick and Laura Williams; and John and Mary File. A major change took place on March 13, 1982, when the editorial focus of Broom and Broom Corn News expanded and its name was changed to Broom, Brush & Mop magazine. It was noted at the time that as broom corn production had moved out of the United States and many broom making shops had consolidated and become larger, a need to focus on related industries was imperative. The most recent change took place in January 2011 when the electronic Broom, Brush & Mop magazine eNews was launched in addition to the print issue. The newsletter is emailed bimonthly to subscribers and includes company features, an import/export report and statistics, a broom corn dealer survey and industry news. Today’s Broom, Brush & Mop Magazine also has a presence on Facebook and on social media. Broom, Brush & Mop magazine invites all companies in the industry to participate in its 100th Anniversary Centennial Yearbook as a joint celebration. The editorial and advertising space reservation deadline is Sept. 3, 2012, while the advertising materials deadline is Sept. 21, 2012. For more information, visit www.broombrushandmop.com, send an email to drankin@consolidated.net, or call 217-268-4959.
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PAGE 34
BROOM, BRUSH & MOP
Panel Discussion Continued From Page 21
Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “The ISSA is working hard to get this message out. I think the tagline is, ‘What is the value of clean.’ It puts an ROI on lost wages and lost time, getting people’s attention by placing a dollar figure on what they are losing by not having a clean facility. “We could be one big food scare away from getting national attention on this matter. When something like that happens, it really gets the attention of everybody.� Pat Monahan of Monahan Partners in Arcola, IL, added: “Our country in general is paying a lot more attention to cleaning. There are all kinds of antimicrobial literature available. There is a new generation of people who are very conscious of where germs come from and how they get passed around. “It’s good for more people to realize that it’s worth some extra dollars to make sure their house, car and office are properly cleaned.� Question: Are there certain parts of the world that you feel could be future “hot spots� for receiving exported mops, brushes and/or brooms supplied by U.S. companies? R.J. Lindstrom — Zephyr Manufacturing “I don’t see a lot of opportunity (to export more) string mops. It may be different with some of the more technical (cleaning) products.� Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “The little exporting that we do is not necessarily with commodities. It’s obviously very hard to compete on a global basis when it comes to commodities. (Exporting products) is easier when you have something that other countries struggle to meet in regards to quality or innovation.� Ralph Jones of Jones Companies Ltd., in Humboldt, TN, added: “There are a number of U.S. mops being exported to other
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November/December 2011
parts of the world in container load quantities. It’s not in huge volumes, but it’s occurring. There are markets being served by U.S. manufacturers.� Question: Do your customers care where the products they buy are made? Is “Made In The USA� a meaningful selling point? Eric Leibowitz — Norshel Industries “We stress it on a regular basis. We have on our boxes a little USA flag and state, ‘Made In the USA.’ We try to make it an important feature. Whether customers are buying these products for that reason or they are buying them because they come with a comparable price to imports, I don’t know.� Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “I think smaller manufacturers are more responsive to that than the bigger ones. It can be a tough sell. We do include an American flag tag on our wire products.� Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “I think it depends on who you are talking to today. One fear from the domestic supplier perspective is that as long as big companies look overseas for many of their raw materials, this can start squeezing domestic supplies more. It could get to the point where companies won’t have a domestic supplier base to choose from. Then when they need something quickly, where are they going to get that supply? Hopefully, these companies won’t squeeze domestic suppliers to the point where there are no options left.� Mark Quinn of Quinn Broom Works added: “I’m seeing smaller customers slowly coming to us and dropping away from farmed out corn brooms from another market. They don’t mind paying that extra buck. What the consumer really wants out there is value in a product the truly works.� Stan Koschnick of Nexstep Commercial Products added: “With all that is going on right now in the United States concerning people protesting against Wall Street and everything else, maybe we will have a generation coming up that is more interested in buying American products. Maybe some of these movements will get more people thinking about what this country needs to be doing.� Chris Monahan — Brush Fibers “I think we are seeing (the focus on American-made products) discussed more on a political level, more so than in the past decade. It’s becoming a hot button. Where that goes I’m not sure. There is an election year coming up.� Ray LeBlanc of PelRay International in San Antonio, TX, added: “Recently, several of our customers have come to us and said, ‘Made in the United States is now more important to their customers than green.’� Question: The 1995 and 1996 broom and mop manufacturers meeting focused on the curse of NAFTA. Was the impact as bad as expected? Richard Caddy — R.E. Caddy & Company “A lot of companies have adapted, but there’s no doubt that (NAFTA) also put a lot of companies out of business as well. On the other end, if your company imports products you do benefit to some extent (from NAFTA). “It was nice when this meeting was full of companies in 1995 and 1996. There were two or three times more people at this meeting during those years compared to today. At that time in the early 1990s, we all felt (NAFTA) would be a big disaster.� Bart Pelton of PelRay International added: “One impact from NAFTA is that there are now more mop manufacturers at this meeting compared to broom manufacturers. It’s now much more difficult to be competitive making corn brooms in the United States. Broom corn imports are down around 90 percent since 1994.�
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Crystal Lake Manufacturing, Inc., supplies the cleaning industry with such items as corn and plastic brooms; deck, wet and dust mops; handles for floor brushes; street brooms and mop sticks. Shown are Cindy Rone, customer service & bid coordinator; and Edward Pearson, president.
Haviland Corporation would like to thank all who visited with company representatives at the show. A special thank you to those who continue to support American Made products. Shown in front row, left to right: Randy Wolfe, manager of replacement blade division; Diane Wolfe, Haviland assistant; Joe Schmidt, catalyst sales team; Alice Haviland Andrews, director of strategic planning; and Joyce Dudenhoeffer, marketing director. Shown in back row, left to right, Gary Garavaglia, catalyst sales team; and Dale Heidbrink, vice president of operations.
Remco Products provides color-coded cleaning and material handling tools for the food processing, jan/san, pharmaceutical, safety and material handling industries. Shown are Ann Bambrough, national accounts manager; and Steve Hawhee, vice president of sales & marketing.
Briarwood Products Co., offers Adjusta-Turn surface cleaning tools, all-plastic floor squeegees, dry dust mop frames and related mopping and ceiling cleaning equipment. Shown, left to right, are company representatives Larry Stephenson and Manfred Tomm.
ACS Industries, Inc./Scrubble® Division provides such items as stainless steel scrubbers, nylon scouring pads, grill cleaning products, mops, brooms, brushes, floor pads, steel wool and sand screen disks. The ACS Team is shown fielding questions about their Scrubble® products.
Zephyr Manufacturing Co., Inc., is a provider of such cleaningrelated products as wet and dust mops, brooms, brushes, dusters, handles, and more. Zephyr’s Bob Schneider, vice president of sales, is shown talking to a customer while at the company’s ISSA booth.
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Magnolia Brush Manufacturers Ltd., provides many types of brushes, brooms, mops, squeegees, buckets, handles, sponges and dust pans for the janitorial supply trade.
Tucel Industries, Inc., features green/recyclable products containing no glues, metal staples and harmful chemical elements. Tucel products are also made with up to 35 to 40 percent fewer raw materials. Products include fused brushware (no staples) used in food processing, food service, infectious disease control, safety and janitorial sanitation. Shown are John C. Lewis Jr., president; and Joanne Raleigh, vice president.
Continental Commercial Products, LLC, provided product demonstrations at the company’s ISSA booth. Continental provides a complete line of janitorial and sanitary maintenance products.
S.M. Arnold, Inc., is a manufacturer of janitorial, automotive and marine cleaning maintenance accessories for the professional, industrial and consumer markets. Shown is company representative Kelly Friederich.
Lambskin Specialties offers such cleaning-related items as lambswool, feather and synthetic dusters; applicator pads; polishing bonnets; chamois; Window Pro strip washers; squeegees and utility handles.
The Malish Corp., provides floor machine brushes, Diamabrush™ prep and polish system, push brooms, hand maintenance brushes, handles, clutch plates, plastic extrusions and specialty brushes. Shown, left to right, are Fred Lombardi, VP sales & marketing; Jeff Malish, president & CEO; Kevin Young, OEM sales manager; Kim Fiorello, inside sales/customer service; Chris Shaw, northeast regional sales manager; Gordon Overs, VP of operations; Tom Van De Motter, Diamabrush sales specialist; and, Ken Shary, VP of engineering and Asian operations.
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Milwaukee Dustless Brush, Gordon Brush Wisconsin, LLC, manufactures several styles of steel-backed floor brushes, deck scrubs, upright brooms, corn brooms, squeegees, sponge and microfiber mops. Shown, left to right, are company representatives Alan Schechter, Tony Perry, Ken Rakusin and Jeff Feder.
Nexstep Commercial Products provides various types of cleaning products including wet and dust mops, mop sticks, buckets and wringers, brooms, brushes and squeegees. Shown is Todd Mauer, vice president/sales & marketing.
Filmop USA designs and produces a large range of microfiber mop systems; mop buckets; and maid, janitorial, hospital and hotel carts stocked in the USA.
Emsco Group Commercial Products is a provider of such cleaning items as mop heads, stick mops, mop handles, dry and sponge mops, poly and galvanized wringer pails, brushes and various types of brooms.
ABCO Products Corp., is a manufacturer and marketer of mops, brooms, handles and buckets for the commercial cleaning market. Shown is Christopher Meaney, vice president of sales & marketing.
Padco, Inc., offers a full line of floor finish applicators, trim pads, extension poles, paint applicators and accessories. Shown are company representatives Ludmilla Goldstein and Ed Goldstein.
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Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc., provides high level window washers, aluminum telescoping handles, specialty brushes, awning cleaning systems and spot-free water treatment options. Shown are company representatives Carole Tucker and Robin Bradley Tucker.
Marino Vileda Professional is a provider of innovative cleaning solutions and systems for professional users in various application areas, such as general building and healthcare. Shown, left to right, are company representatives John Selfslaghs, Ryan Kinsella and Steven Camara.
The Libman Company is a U.S.-based manufacturer of various types of brooms, mops, brushes, dust pans, buckets and other cleaning accessories. Shown, left to right, are Terry Wiggins, director of sales - south; and Desi Csoka, commercial sales.
Fuller Brush Commercial Products represents Franklin Cleaning Products, Masury-Columbia and Fuller Professional product lines. Shown, left to right, are Michael Leonard, vice president of sales; George Lawrence, northeast region manager; Steve Phillips, Midwest region manager; Brett Hughes, director of marketing; Cindi Bentley, director of national/OEM accounts; and Stephen Haines, southeast region manager.
Ettore Products Co., provided a window cleaning demonstration at its booth during ISSA. The company supplies squeegees, washers, scrapers, extension poles, dusters and a variety of other professional janitorial products.
Unger Enterprises, Inc., offers a complete line of professional cleaning tools. This includes window and restroom cleaning systems as well as floor care items. Shown at the company’s restroom cleaning display area is Joseph Garcia, supervisor of custodial services at Mt. San Antonio College, of Walnut, CA.
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Broom & Mop Meeting Continued From Page 12
After his presentation on broom corn from Mexico, LeBlanc was asked about past efforts to grow and import broom corn from Ethiopia. He responded that the broom corn program hit a serious snag in this African nation when the Ethiopian government changed from a democracy to a dictatorship. A lot of problems resulted regarding exports. “The last time I checked, there were still six or seven container loads of processed broom corn (in Ethiopia) and one load of brooms that never got out,” LeBlanc said. On the subject of yucca fiber, LeBlanc added that production remains stable. “There are the same few (producers) in business and they are producing for the Mexican market, because the U.S. consumption of yucca fiber is very small compared to Mexican consumption,” he said. “The Mexican buyers want No. 2 yucca fiber mixed with their No. 1. Therefore, if you want to get yucca fiber for the United States and want No. 1, you have to convinced the (supplier) to provide a special production . But, even with all of that, it’s about the same price. There has been little or no price movement, and I don’t expect (this to change).” Poly Packaging & Plastic Film resenting a report on poly packaging/plastic film used within the broom and mop industries was Les Laske of Vonco Products, Inc., in Lake Villa, IL. “It’s been interesting this year. Pricing has been up and down while lead times have increased. Historically, I could get film for a custom order in 10 days. Now, it takes three weeks. These are probably the longest leads times since when the Gulf War started in 1991,” he said. “I am seeing business coming back to us from companies that tested the waters overseas. Some of it is due to pricing, quality and/or service. It’s
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nice to see this business coming back. We (at Vonco Products) have become more automated and efficient in order to become more competitive.” He added that several big box retailers have recently sent letters out asking their suppliers for proof that they comply with state laws regarding toxics in packaging. “The majority of these issues are with supplies coming from China. We (at Vonco Products) have certifications from our suppliers that state our inks and other materials pass these regulations,” Laske said. The Currency Connection highlight again this year during the National Broom & Mop Meeting was a presentation by Bart Pelton of PelRay International regarding various global monetary exchange rate and commodity market trends. Many of these exchange rates and commodity changes influence the raw materials used by the broom, mop and brush industries. By tracking changes, a business can attain a better feeling of what future pricing is likely to be concerning a component or product. Pelton presented charts detailing activity during the past year of various foreign currencies. This included the European euro, Canadian dollar, Mexican peso, Chinese yuan, Brazilian real and Indonesian rupiah. These are the currencies of countries where many imported raw materials originate from that impact the production of American-made mops, brooms and other cleaning supplies. Concerning the euro, Pelton said this currency experienced a lot of activity during the past year although its current rate (as of November 2011) was nearly the same as in 2010. “The euro affects our industry because we import a lot of material from Europe. (The euro) impacts the cost of imported metal handles, along with angle brooms and some brushes and synthetic fibers,” Pelton said. “Most Europeans want to sell in their own currency and don’t want to sell
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in ours. Therefore, we are importing products in euros and selling them back to our customers in U.S. dollars. When the euro is up, European products are not as competitive. In some cases, buyers will switch to importing from China.” Pelton added he is amazed the euro has remained as strong as it’s been considering all the debt problems several European countries have faced in 2011. Regarding the Canadian dollar, Pelton said this currency also saw a great amount of activity within the past year. He added that when it comes to the cleaning products industry, Canada is a key player with imports and exports. “A year ago, one Canadian dollar was worth just under one U.S. dollar. It’s about at that same level right now (as of November 2011). It’s been as high as $1.06 and as low as 94 cents. There was a 10 percent range between the high and the low for the year,” Pelton said. “I believe we are more competitive as an industry right now selling into the Canadian market than they are selling into the U.S. market.” Pelton also discussed current trends with the Mexican peso and Chinese yuan — two currencies that remain very familiar to many U.S. companies involved with mops, brooms, brushes and related cleaning tools. “At one point during the past year, the U.S. dollar bought 11.5 pesos. The range went from 11.5 to 14. Now it’s around 13.6 pesos. With the broom corn crop being so short (in quantity) this year, we would be seeing a lot more price increases from Mexico if it were not for the jump in the value of the U.S. dollar (against the peso). This has helped in terms of the price of all imports from Mexico,” Pelton said. “It’s also important to note that Mexico imports a lot from the United States. It’s not just a one-way street.” Concerning the yuan, Pelton said whether the Chinese government wants to admit it or not, their currency remains pegged to the U.S. dollar. He added China is now letting the yuan slowly appreciate. “It’s about a 7 percent increase over the course of a year. When you import from China, what that means is, every time you buy something, (a Chinese company) wants a little bit more than the previous time. That has been our experience,” Pelton said. “I think we (the United States) are gradually getting more competitive with Chinese imports. With China pegging their currency to our currency, it’s been a wonderful jobs program for them as China has enjoyed an export-driven economy. The down side is that they are starting to have more inflation.” Another currency that has seen a lot of movement in the past year has been the Brazilian real, although it was about at the same level during this past November compared to November 2010. “A lot of wood handles, especially hardwoods that we use in the industry, are imported from Brazil. The (Brazilian) domestic market pertaining to construction and lumber materials is still fairly strong. Therefore, we (the cleaning products industry) are not seeing many of the benefits from a better exchange rate (between the U.S. dollar and the real),” Pelton said. “(The Brazilian) economy is one of the strongest in the world. Their currency is more tightly controlled than such currencies as the euro or Canadian dollar. Interest rates are a lot higher in Brazil — some of the highest in the world. They are coming down but very slowly. Brazil had a terrible experience with hyper-inflation in the 1980s and 1990s. The country doesn't want to go back to that type of problem, so they are maintaining high interest rates to keep inflation under control.” He added that tariffs remain high in the South American country. “We don’t have a free trade agreement with Brazil. It’s hard to export to the country,” Pelton said. When discussing the Indonesian rupiah, Pelton said once again this currency went on a roller coaster ride during the past year. “Our industry does import handles from Indonesia along with mop yarn. There has been quite a bit of fluctuation taking place,” he said. The second part of Pelton’s presentation centered on commodities that influence the cost of many raw materials linked to the U.S. broom, mop and related marketplaces. These commodities include oil, natural gas, gold, corn, cotton and lumber. “The price of oil impacts the cost of everything. All products have freight factored in their price. Oil is the transportation fuel for the world.
November/December 2011
It influences the price of both ocean and inland freight rates, not to mention plastics which are oil based,” Pelton said. “The price of oil has been on a wild ride. There is a surplus of oil right now in the midcontinent of North America, due to surging oil production in places like Canada and North Dakota. Much of this is due to new technologies designed to produce more oil and gas.” He noted that oil has been approximately $20 a barrel higher in Europe than in the United States, providing domestic producers with a certain amount of competitive advantage. One commodity that has seen a sharp decrease in value is natural gas. Pelton said natural gas is now almost considered a byproduct when producing oil. When speaking of gold, Pelton said its value continues to be strong. However, it doesn’t always go straight up in value like some people may think. “Gold is used as a proxy ... people use it like a currency to hedge themselves against inflation. Most is held by central banks and a little is used in making jewelry,” Pelton said. Two key commodities that are grown every year are corn and cotton. “Corn is used for both food and ethanol. If corn gets expensive, it means certain farmers are going to grow more than cotton or broom corn, which our industry uses. That is why it’s important to pay attention to corn prices,” Pelton said. “As Ralph (Jones) mentioned earlier, it’s nice to see some price stability finally take place with cotton. A lot of (the U.S.) cotton crop was grown in drought-stressed areas this year. I’m not sure how this will impact raw material costs (in the future).” When it comes to lumber, the collapse of the U.S. housing market has had a large influence. “(U.S.) lumber prices are in the dumps. It’s actually economically feasible, in some cases, to take (U.S.) boards and cut them into dowels for the wooden handle market,” Pelton said. “This would never have happened several years ago. The lumber would have been too valuable to turn into dowels. This (downward trend) will probably last as long as the U.S. housing market is in the tank.” Also during the National Broom & Mop Meeting, a letter supporting passage of S. 1619, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Act of 2011, was shared by its sender, Don Leventhal of Newton Broom & Brush Co., in Newton, IL. The letter was addressed to U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) in September and was also sent to other Illinois members of the U.S. Congress. Leventhal noted the act passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. Senate, but did not get very far in the U.S. House of Representatives. “In 1985, our trade deficit (with China) was $6 billion. We were exporting almost as much as we were importing from China. However, the trade deficit has grown dramatically,” Leventhal said. He added that even as the level of U.S. exports to China has grown over the years, these exports haven’t significantly changed as a percentage to imports coming into the United States and the current deficit is now over $275 billion. “I do believe China does respond to pressure, and what was done in the (U.S.) Senate makes (the Chinese rulers) very uncomfortable,” Leventhal said. “(China) has several economic advantages. Among those are lower labor costs and a huge surplus of dollars to buy newer equipment. The major issue for me, however, is the negative impact their currency manipulation has on the U.S. trade deficit and on U.S. manufacturers.” Leventhal’s letter stated, in part, that, “China, the world’s second largest economy and a member of the World Trade Organization, does not allow its currency to be traded. Unlike the (U.S.) dollar, the pound, the euro, the yen, the peso and the real, the Chinese yuan is not traded freely and is pegged to the (U.S.) dollar ... Our government (in the United States) could create 1 million jobs if it would do something about currency manipulation.” Leventhal added during the National Broom & Mop Meeting that he understands there are people and companies in the United States that do not want to change the status quo with China. “But I think for our group, as manufacturers, this is an important issue,” he said.
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