brushware the voice of our industry | established 1898
may / june 2021
The Saga of
BROOMCORN
JOHNNY
104TH ABMA CONVENTION COVERAGE
PROFILE: ANDREW MCILROY THE PULSE: INDUSTRIAL BRUSH SECTOR
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from the PUBLISHER
Spring Fever Even though I am still relatively new to the industry and have only attended two in-person ABMA conventions, it still feels a bit odd to be writing this letter without having had the opportunity to see familiar faces in person. Fortunately, I have been able to connect with a few people through calls and email in recent months. And no matter what, the virtual edition of the ABMA convention did seem to put some optimism into the air as it did hit at a time when we can at least look out toward more and more signs that we are nearing the end of pandemic life. It’s been a long haul and there’s still distance to travel, but progress is being made. In fact, I’ve just come off Easter weekend with our extended family, where I happened to be the only adult at the event yet to be vaccinated. With good weather and knowing that fact in advance, it was one of those days where COVID-19 never crossed my mind. And with everyone setting their sights on a more productive future, I am happy to report that it has been a super start to 2021 for Brushware as the activity has been at a level we haven’t experienced prior. We’re getting more emails and even phone calls from folks looking for filament suppliers, machinery contacts and manufacturers specializing in specific areas. We can back up the reports that the paintbrush and roller segment is pretty hot right now. It’s great to see the uptick and we take it as optimism for new business in the industry and we’re glad to take the call or email and help make the connection. That’s our job … be a resource for the industry and it’s nice that people are finding us more and more and reaching out. Getting into this issue, we’re very happy to have new FEIBP President Andrew McIlroy (Perlon) participate in our first Brushware Q&A profile. His responses are engaging and insightful and we really appreciate the time he took to help us launch this new concept.
Issue #21-03 Brushware – a bi-monthly publication edited for key personnel in the brush, roller, broom, mop and applicator industry. Published continuously through the years, the one publication that is the spokesman for the brush and allied industries: 1898-1923, called Brooms, Brushes & Handles; 1924-1947, called Brooms, Brushes & Mops, 1948-today, called Brushware. PUBLICATION OFFICE Brushware Magazine Goodwin World Media LLC P.O. Box 7093 Overland Park, KS 66207 Tel: 913-636-7231 GENERAL MANAGER Susan Goodwin info.brushware@goodwinworldmedia.com PUBLISHER Dylan Goodwin dylan.goodwin@goodwinworldmedia.com MANAGING EDITOR Kristin Summers news.brushware@goodwinworldmedia.com ART DIRECTOR Brandy Ferguson
Following that, I am pleased to present something a bit outside of the box for Brushware as Bob Lawrence has put together a wonderfully entertaining piece on artisan broom maker Brian Newton. It’s a fascinating look at a current trend that is a welcome nod to the history of broom making and in my opinion emphasizes the reach of the culture around brooms and brushware.
CORRESPONDENTS Bob Lawrence Meg Cooper Katharina Goldbeck-Hörz Mark E. Battersby Phil Perry Lisa Anderson
In our final feature, Meg Cooper provides our coverage of the ABMA virtual event and gives us her insider look at an initiative I am certainly watching closely – the ABMA Emerging Leaders group. It is quite impressive how quickly the ABMA is enacting initiatives born from the Vision 2020 sessions.
Brushware (ISSN 00072710) (Canadian Sales Agreement Number 0650153) is published bimonthly by Goodwin World Media LLC, P.O. Box 7093, Overland Park, KS 66207 USA. Periodical postage paid at Overland Park, KS 66207 and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. Subscription: $95/year for US, Canada and Mexico. All other countries $210/year.
You will find plenty more in the issue as we offer up a new Pulse section that focuses on insights from three key leaders in the industrial brush sector – which connects nicely to Lisa Anderson’s column on robots in manufacturing. Happy Spring and we hope you enjoy this edition!
Dylan Goodwin | Publisher
dylan.goodwin@goodwinworldmedia.com
2 | www.brushwaremag.com
POSTMASTER – Send address changes to Brushware Magazine, P.O. Box 7093, Overland Park, KS 66207. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be addressed to: Brushware Magazine, P.O. Box 7093, Overland Park, KS 66207.
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may/june 2021
the voice of our industry
The Saga of Broomcorn Johnny | Page 24
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
16 The Pulse: Industrial Brushes
02 from the PUBLISHER 06 industry NEWS 39 economic DASHBOARD 47 industry EVENTS 48 advertiser INDEX
18 People or Robots? By Lisa Anderson 20 Brushware Profile: Andrew McIlroy By Kristin Summers 24 The Saga of Broomcorn Johnny By Bob Lawrence 30 ABMA Vision Takes Shape By Meg Cooper
www.brushwaremag.com | 5
industry NEWS
GB Boucherie and Borghi Spa:
New Direction
After seven years of intense and positive cooperation within the Boucherie Borghi Group, GB Boucherie of Belgium and Borghi Spa of Italy have announced that they have jointly agreed to continue their respective activities separately. The announcement from Bart Boucherie Jr. of GB Boucherie and Paolo Roversi of Borghi Spa says, “Although we will both run our businesses independently again, all customers and suppliers can be assured that this decision will not affect daily activities. Moreover, both companies will even continue to cooperate in certain fields and projects. We both believe that this choice will further strengthen the long-term position of our respective companies.”
Brush Fibers Adds New Division In Mexico Brush Fibers, Inc. with offices in Arcola, Ill., and San Antonio, Texas, has opened a new company located in Monterrey, Mexico. The new entity is called Fibras y Cepillos (translates to Brush Fibers in English) and will be under the supervision of Roberto Sixtos, who will be the general manager of Mexico operations. Brush Fibers CEO Chris Monahan says, “This will be an excellent opportunity for our customers to be assured of quality control of raw materials and other products that originate in Mexico. Roberto has been working for PelRay International since Jan. 1, 2018, as procurement and sales (Mexico Operations) and has established outstanding relationships with our existing vendors.” PelRay President Bart Pelton also noted that Sixtos has been working in the brush, broom and mop supply business for more than 20 years in Mexico and has been consistently commended for his ability to deliver what the customer needs. For more information, please contact Bart Pelton at bart@ pelray.com or Roberto Sixtos at roberto@pelray.com.
www.brushwaremag.com the voice of our industry 6 | www.brushwaremag.com
The announcement thanked all employees and stakeholders who supported the group during the last seven years and says that both companies will continue their professional activities with the same enthusiasm and dedication as when they were together.
UNIMAC Unveils New Corporate Branding Unimac s.r.l. is proud to launch our completely revamped corporate image by streamlining our website for efficiency and sharing our refreshed catalogs to provide customers with the information they want to know. The website has a more responsive design to easily navigate through our wide range of product information, as well as an efficient and innovative layout. Unimac welcomes everyone to explore the latest news and upcoming events at www.unimac.it. Unimac has new equipment catalogs, highlighting our products in more detail with exact specifications to meet your manufacturing needs. One catalog includes power brush-making machines, from twist-knot brushes and crimped wire brushes to wire handling and special machines. The other catalog contains Unimac’s complete lines and automation for the production and assembly of handles, illustrating all technical data and specifications regarding handle manufacturing machinery.
Gordon Brush Acquires Interest in Platescrape Manufacturer Gordon Brush® has acquired an interest in P.S. Creations, LLC, the manufacturer of the award-winning, American-made, Platescrape product that is used for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. The Platescrape, invented by Nate Stein, is a bucket and brush tool for on-and-off-site pre-sanitation of dishes. The Platescrape can effortlessly clean egg, cheese and dried on sauces, all while saving water, time and money. Restaurants and catering services save thousands of dollars a year in labor, water and energy costs. Gordon Brush manufactures the brushes that are used in the Platescrape system. “The Platescrape is a revolutionary product that can save the environment billions of dollars and preserve precious resources,” says Ken Rakusin, president and CEO, Gordon Brush. “As the manufacturer of the brushes for the Platescrape, we are pleased that our investment in P.S. Creations can help to develop and promote environmentally beneficial products to clean and sanitize, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.” “Gordon Brush’s investment in P.S. Creations will provide the company with additional capital so that we can develop additional environmentally beneficial products to clean and sanitize and to market our existing products. Since founding P.S. Creations, I have been committed to manufacturing in the United States, so I thank Ken and Gordon Brush for building a company that shares that commitment,” says Nate Stein, CEO, P.S. Creations. More information on Platescrape at www.gordonbrush.com/products/platescrape.
www.brushwaremag.com | 7
YOUR BRUSH DESERVES THE BEST FILAMENTS DUPONT FILAMENTS CONTINUES TO LEAD THE WAY IN INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS For more than 70 years, DuPont Filaments has been recognized as a leader in innovative synthetic filaments that enable brush manufacturers to address emerging trends and meet evolving consumer expectations.
HEALTH DESERVES THE BEST FILAMENTS - TOOTHBRUSH FILAMENTS The most important component of a toothbrush lies in the bristle. With outstanding industry expertise accumulated over the years, coupled with our proven technologies, DuPont Filaments is dedicated to the oral care brush industry with our nylon solutions under the brand names of DuPont™ Tynex®(nylon 612) and DuPont™ Herox®(nylon 610) . Leading toothbrush brands and manufacturers are able to produce very high quality brushes with a balance of consistent quality, wear performance and unmatched productivities in tufting and end-rounding by using DuPont filaments. As consumer trends in toothbrush are increasingly focused on the six major areas of 1) Visual Attractiveness, 2) Interdental Cleaning, 3) Plaque Removal, 4) Gum Comfort, 5) Gingival Cleaning and 6) Anti-microbial within the filaments, DuPont Filaments has been working closely with the leading global brands in oral care as well as toothbrush manufacturers by fulfilling these needs with our broad range of innovative products in the portfolio BEAUTY DESERVES THE BEST FILAMENTS - FINE FILAMENTS DuPont™ Natrafil® filaments, a pioneering filament from DuPont’s unique polyester based material, contain proprietary texturizing additives that create a structured surface that mimics animal hair. Natrafil® filaments offer a synthetic alternative to animal hair in premium cosmetic powder brushes with more consistency in the bristle while maintaining the touch-and-feel of premium animal hair. Studies have shown that brushes made with Natrafil® filaments have equal to superior pickup and release performance versus brushes made with animal hair. EFFICIENCY DESERVES THE BEST FILAMENTS – ABRASIVE FILAMENTS Like most industries, steel manufacturers are always looking for
ways to increase productivity. The emphasis is on getting more square feet of metal through the mill, cleaned and coated faster than ever before. To accomplish this, steel mills are using more aggressive cleaning solutions. The problem is that the cleaning brushes typically used were quickly degrading because many plastics used in the brush filaments can’t handle the solutions of the extremes of the PH scale. The technical resources at DuPont Filaments were able to help solve the problem by adding stabilizers to one of our nylon polymer formulations, effectively extending the pH range that these filaments can be used in. Brushes made with these filaments deliver cleaning performance over an improved service life, helping steel manufactures to achieve higher productivity. Another need voiced by customers is higher aggressiveness in metal finishing applications. DuPont™ Tynex® A filaments, a family of ceramic grit-containing filaments, was developed to meet this need. CREATIVITY DESERVES THE BEST FILAMENTS – PAINTBRUSH FILAMENTS When manufacturers began changing their paints to water-based formulations, more people began using paintbrushes made with synthetic bristles because the hog bristles traditionally used in paintbrushes lost stiffness in water-based paints. Synthetics such as DuPont™ Tynex®, DuPont™ Chinex® and DuPont™ Orel® brand filaments quickly became popular choices. As paint manufacturers continue to improve their water-based formulations by reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) content, increasing solid loadings and decreasing drying times, there is an ongoing need for increasingly higher performing brushes. To meet this need, DuPont Filaments continues to innovate and help customize solutions. For example, we developed filaments with stiffer cross-section that can push higher viscosity paints more efficiently. We also changed the shapes of the filaments so that they not only pick up more paint from the can for faster application, but are easier to clean.
YOUR BRUSH DESERVES THE BEST FILAMENTS
Recognition for being the global leader in filaments comes from our customers. You inspire us to make a difference in the world. We will continue to advance our innovations because we believe your BRUSH deserves the best FILAMENTS. filaments.dupont.com
industry NEWS
Wooster Brush Claims Innovation Award The Wooster Brush Company Shortcut Hook and Hold Angle Sash Paintbrush is the 2021 winner of the ABMA William A. Cordes Innovation Excellence Award. The “Willie” as it is known in the industry, is given to recognize outstanding innovation of manufactured products, components or services in the brush, broom, mop and roller Industry. The award is named after William Cordes, who served as the association’s first president from 1917-1928. The durable, comfortable two-inch Wooster Shortcut Hook and Hold Angle Sash Brush makes painting easier on the wall-to-ceiling line, window frames and more. The Wooster Shortcut Hook and Hold features a patented and integrated plastic swivel-hook for hanging the brush on the side of a paint can, bucket or tray. The soft, Shergrip rubber handle is designed to provide extra comfort and control. The full-size head means these small brushes still offer smooth, fast coverage.
Tai Hing Nylon Reports on PA66 and PBT In March, Tai Hing Nylon reported continuing price increases on raw materials for PA66 and PBT. Suppliers have limited supply and that scenario was expected to continue at least into May. Due to the lack of upstream raw materials and price increases, most manufacturers with the limited PA66 had suspended new orders. The notice of force majeure around the Chinese Spring Festival for the upstream manufacturers led to the continued lack of supply and increase in cost.
Other nominees included Boucherie Borghi Group’s one-hand fiber loading system which takes a historically two-handed operation and improves it with a one-handed operation to increase operator safety, performance and productivity. View a video of the system at www.brushwaremag.com/2021abma-innovation-award-candidates/.
PBT was suffering from persistent shortages of the upstream raw material BDO, which saw prices increase nearly 30 percent in February over January. March prices were soaring even higher as there was a 137 percent increase in costs compared with February. Most of the PBT factories in the domestic market were closed in March and had stopped taking orders, with PBT supplies expected to be postponed into April.
Monahan Partners was also nominated for their universal sanitizer dispenser floor stand that features a universal mounting plate for use with all brands of automatic or touchless soap/hand sanitizer dispensers. The stand offers a sign holder to promote hand hygiene and your brand. The unit is portable and freestanding to be conveniently moved to areas where sanitizer is needed most (without drilling holes in walls). The stand is recommended for high touch, high traffic areas including lobbies, building exits/entrances, outside restrooms and in public assembly areas. It is ADA compliant, the optimal height for adults and children and offers a no-drip, integrated tray to prevent sanitizer from spilling on the floor.
Therefore, PA66 and PBT vendors were on extended delivery schedules and expected to remain on extended schedules into May. Limited purchasing was implemented to help minimize the impact on production plans for customers. Tai Hing encourages all clients to place and arrange orders of PA66 and PBT well in advance by contacting the sales team at the earliest convenience. Learn more about Tai Hing Nylon at www.taihingnylon.com.
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New eBook:
Emerging Above & Beyond 21 Insights for 2021: Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Technology Brushware’s supply chain columnist Lisa Anderson has released a new Emerging Above & Beyond eBook download that offers 21 insights for 2021 from experts in manufacturing, supply chain and technology. While Anderson normally releases a prediction report at this time each year, she pivoted to focus on key lessons learned during 2020 and how leaders should adapt and proactively position businesses to emerge above and beyond in 2021. “Following the pandemic, businesses will have more opportunity to pull substantially ahead of the competition than any other time since the period following the Great Depression,” says Anderson. “Are you thinking four moves ahead? If so, you’ll thrive in 2021.” To download the new ebook, visit: www.lma-consultinggroup.com/emerging-above-and-beyond/
Braun Brush Completes New Oregon Facility In March, the Braun Brush Company announced the completion of their new west coast manufacturing facility in Medford, Oregon. Despite the pandemic and local wildfires, the project completed on time and on budget. The new 7,500 square foot facility will house Braun’s unique method of plastic-fused tube and pipe brushes as well as their Wheel Woolie line of automotive detailing brushes. The success of this project is fully attributed to Randy Peña, vice president of West Coast operations for Braun Brush.
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industry NEWS
Wisconsin Brushmakers’ Golf Outing Cancelled
The Inspired Home Show 2021 Cancelled
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2021 edition of the Wisconsin Brushmakers’ Annual Golf and Dinner Outing has been canceled. This year’s host, Schaefer Brush will update everyone with information regarding the 2022 event as it becomes available. To learn more about Schaefer Brush, visit www.schaeferbrush.com.
Citing state restrictions prohibiting large gatherings and government travel restrictions, the IHA canceled The Inspired Home Show 2021 that was scheduled to take place August 7-10, 2021 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Booth space fees from 2020 exhibitors that rolled over to the 2021 show as well as those from new 2021 exhibitors will be rolled over to the 2022 Show. The Inspired Home Show 2022 will be held March 5-8, 2022, at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex.
ON THE GO Jack Bernacki Awarded 2021 ABMA Scholarship The ABMA Foundation awarded the 2021 Kathy K. Parr Scholarship for $2,500 to Miami (Ohio) University student Jack Bernacki who plans to use the money to defray tuition expenses. The foundation made the scholarship decision at their board meeting held on March 11, 2021. The deadline for scholarship consideration for 2022 is March 1, 2022. For more information: www.abma.org/foundation.
David Lintern Joins Hillbrush Hillbrush, the UK’s largest manufacturer of brushware and hygienic cleaning tools has appointed industrial designer David Lintern to lead the company’s new product development program. With more than 20 years of experience in product and industrial design, the majority in the cleaning sector with well-known names such as Numatic and Addis, Lintern’s role will include re-developing Hillbrush’s existing cleaning tool ranges as well as leading the company’s new product development plans, particularly in the area of specialist cleaning tools.
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Brian Cassady is the New CEO at Osborn Osborn, the world’s largest and most complete solution provider of high-quality surface treatment and finishing products, has appointed Brian Cassady as its new chief executive officer. Cassady joins Osborn after serving as president and CEO of Municipal Parking Services, Inc., a software-based parking management and violation detection systems technology company. At the helm of Osborn, Cassady will leverage his extensive manufacturing and international experience to drive the company’s plans for continued growth. “I am thrilled to join Osborn and take charge of leading the company to an even stronger position in the abrasives and polishing products industry,” said Cassady. “I look forward to being able to bring my operational experience to a team that is passionate about developing innovative products for our customers, building on an already illustrious 130+ year history as a global leader in surface finishing and polishing solutions.”
Peter Giannetti Joins IHA Peter Giannetti has joined the International Housewares Association (IHA) as director, editorial, content and education. In this role, Giannetti will oversee the development and delivery of industry-wide content and resources intended to inform, educate and inspire. Giannetti joins IHA after serving for 14 years as editor-in-chief and 14 years before that as editor of HomeWorld Business, a leading print and digital B2B publication for the home and housewares business. He has covered the home and housewares industry since joining HomeWorld Business in 1990.
Reinhold Hörz: 40 Years in the Field of Bristles By Annette Hunt Reinhold Hörz was just 26 years old when he entered the traditional brush and paintbrush industry. As a freshly qualified business economist with training as a banker, he joined the family business in the fourth generation. It was 1980 when he first visited the Interbrossa in Freiburg, Germany. “Basically, that’s what I grew up with,” he says. “I remember that my father and my uncle used to go not only to trade fairs but also to the stock exchange in London with my grandfather to buy good quality hair and fibers. That excited me. I still love to travel the world like a scout and negotiate with producers of raw materials.” Whether in China or Mexico, Hörz is at home in the world of raw materials and the procurement of natural materials, natural bristles and natural hair, vegetable fibers and components. He is known for his passion for language and business. For decades he has been on friendly terms with his suppliers, and he has always felt an obligation to his customers to procure and deliver only the best. “Quality is my top priority. That’s the only way it makes sense and I really enjoy it.” As part of the transition from DESCO to DKSH, Hörz moved from Stuttgart, Germany, to Zurich, Switzerland. Since then he has been commuting between two countries that are both equally dear to him. “I’m very lucky I was able to work successfully in this small industry for so many years and in a great team,” he says. This year, he will be 66 years old and will celebrate 40 years of service with DKSH. He really appreciates being involved in the industry’s global retail market together with his superiors and colleagues. He is looking forward to spending more time with his family or and his hobby of flying.
MILESTONES 1981: J oined the family company HÖRZ based in Stuttgart 1986: Married his wife Katharina Goldbeck-Hörz 1988: HÖRZ GmbH was taken over by DESCO Group 1995: Successfully passed the exam for the PPL flight license 2008: Successful transition from DESCO to DKSH with Hörz as Senior Sales Manager
Mike Jewell Joins Jones as SVP of Operations Jones Family of Companies, a leading manufacturer of technical and engineered nonwoven and floor care products, has hired Mike Jewell as senior vice president of operations. With more than 25 years of manufacturing, supply chain and business improvement experience, Jewell will join the Jones team to lead its manufacturing, engineering and supply chain operations. “Mike embraces visual management and team engagement on the manufacturing floor. He believes in highly disciplined operations and lean standards,” says CP Davis, CEO of Jones. “Mike passionately supports individual and team training and development to drive day-to-day performance improvements and enhance team morale and safety.
Prior to joining Jones Family of Companies, Jewell served as vice president of operations for a major building and home products manufacturer and led multiple production sites throughout the East Coast, guiding more than 1,500 employees to operational excellence. Jewell has also held progressive leadership assignments with both familyowned and private equity-backed companies in operations, quality assurance and business development across multiple industries including durable goods, steel fabrication and automotive sectors. Jewell is a graduate of Kennedy-Western University, holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and is a U.S. Army veteran.
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industry NEWS
FEIBP Releases New Quarterly Report In March, the FEIBP launched its first quarterly market research report covering current brushware industry trends. The report is based on survey results from 36 completed responses out of 292 European companies invited to participate. The report says that household brushes showed the most strength in both the home and export market for the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of 2020. Technical brushes were the weakest in the home market, while hygiene brushes were weakest in the export market. Looking ahead, manufacturers were most optimistic about the paintbrush and roller market with 20 percent of respondents looking for more than 10 percent growth in the next quarter. The next FEIBP quarterly report is scheduled for a June release. View the current report at www. brushwaremag.com/feibp-releasesnew-quarterly-report/.
Home Market Compared to 2020
Home market sales for Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020
Export Market Compared to 2020 90,00% 80,00% 70,00% 60,00% 50,00% 40,00% 30,00% 20,00% 10,00% 0,00%
>-10% >-5% ±0% +5% +10%
Export market sales for Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020
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Thomas O’Connor In February, the ABMA reported that Thomas S. O’Connor, 78, formerly of Dennis, Mass., passed away after a brief illness on Feb 11, 2021, at UMASS Medical Center. O’Connor attended Worcester Boy’s Trade, then enlisted in the United States Air Force for four years. Following his military service, he graduated from Becker Jr. College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Clark University. He worked many years at Parker and Harper Manufacturing. He then co-founded the family business, Lanoco Specialty Wire Products, Inc., of which he was president for 25 years until retirement. O’Connor enjoyed many years golfing in Florida, fishing and boating in Cape Cod Bay and traveling throughout the United States and Europe. He leaves his loving wife of 54 years, Mary Ellen (Bradley) O’Connor; a daughter Maureen and her husband William Rocheleau of Worcester, his son in law Michael Erickson of Auburn, his granddaughter Elizabeth Erickson, sister in law Kathleen Lannon and her husband John of Millbury, sister in law Ann Walsh of Boylston, and many nieces, nephews and friends.
MIXING MACHINE FOR BRISTLES AND FILAMENTS ÒM6ALÓ
PAINT BRUSH HEAD ASSEMBLING MACHINE ÒTPB3Ó
RESIN DISPENSING LINE WITH HANDLE ASSEMBLING AND CURING TUNNEL ÒTPP-HÓ
1951 - 2016 1951-PRESENT 65 YEARS SERVICING THE BRUSH OVER 65 YEARS SERVICING THE INDUSTRY BRUSH INDUSTRY
www.brushwaremag.com | 15
the PULSE
INDUSTRIAL BRUSH SECTOR As we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel on the COVID-19 pandemic, we took the opportunity to catch up with three key players in the industrial brush industry to get their insights on the sector. MICHELLE SWINIARSKI: SCHAEFER BRUSH / GORNELL BRUSH What has been your best-performing product over the past 12 months? Product category sales heightened as they related to the cleaning industry. Brushes related to the MRO industrial sector skyrocketed with the increased cleaning practices required during the height of the pandemic. What made this a challenge during the pandemic was securing raw materials, while various businesses were navigating the challenges of being able to operate and ship, while everyone operated under different business operating rules during this past year. Any underperforming segments in the past 12 months?
sales may become the norm as businesses continue to adjust to the new normal and realize the value of sustaining the cleaning practices learned this past year. Biggest challenges over the past year and any current issues? This past year was a challenge in shifting production schedules and raw material purchases to meet high demand in product categories that excelled during the pandemic. It was also a challenge at times keeping up with the changing information as it related to protocols and cleaning regimens at the onset of the pandemic. We kept open communications with our employees as information was received and held question and answer sessions, so everyone was comfortable and knowledgeable as we faced ever-changing work environments. Any final comments? We are excited about 2021 and beyond. We look forward to meeting with our customers again and are grateful for their business and support. We are thankful that we were able to support so many of our customers as we all navigated this exceptionally challenging past year together. We look forward to seeing everyone again and are enthusiastic about the business growth ahead.
Sales dropped at the beginning of the pandemic as non-essential businesses around the country were closed and medical facilities focused on the COVID-19 virus and training their staff. Our product lines that were related to HVAC took a dip during the pandemic with businesses and residences locked down. Our custom brush category was also down as businesses shut.
JIM BENJAMIN: PRECISION BRUSH COMPANY
How would you characterize your current volume of overall sales?
What has been your best-performing product over the past 12 months?
Schaefer Brush and Gornell Brush sales are extremely strong, and businesses are opening back up and resuming ordering. There is a large backlog of need as businesses open and return to servicing their customers. We are not seeing seasonal sales for items that would typically have low/high sales depending upon the time of the year. Businesses are restocking as quickly as they are able and placing repeat orders rapidly.
We started
What is your 12-month outlook? We anticipate very strong sales as the world reopens and begins normal operations. The trend of increased cleaning product
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out last year pretty strong. We mostly concentrate on custom products, which is a good thing. The one thing that has been steady all long is food processing brushes. Everybody still needs to eat. We are seeing a little bit more of a trend toward automation – companies trying to take out labor, whether it’s cleaning or
scrubbing or processing. It’s been happening over time, but we’ve had a few more projects interested in that. Especially here recently as there’s been talk about increased minimum wages. Any underperforming segments in the past 12 months? I know a lot of the floor cleaning guys got hit hard from the schools being closed and large events and airports … things that need to be cleaned every day like casino floors. We’ve done a lot in oil and gas and I imagine that’s probably going to be a little bit less this year with the cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline. We haven’t seen the repercussions yet, but I imagine that will change a lot of things in deburring and the wire brush industry.
Any final comments? It’s a fairly cohesive industry and people get along fairly well. It’s been sort of a shame to not get together with the group this year. I really miss that. Although we are competitors, we are also friends. There’s always something to be gained and shared when we get together. Whether it’s sharing struggles or hiring techniques or just finding out how everybody’s family is doing. It’s really just a lovely group of people and it’s been a shame to not be able to get together. I’m really looking forward to that in the future.
What is your 12-month outlook?
LANCE CHENEY: BRAUN BRUSH
We’re not projecting substantial growth. Last year, we were down a couple of percent over 2019, which I look at as a grand success compared to being in the restaurant industry or running a movie theater or any other business that was just completely decimated by the virus. This year, we’re starting out on average about the same as we were last year. It may be a little bit lower, but I think the economy is going to be coming back with all the spending that’s happening. But I also feel like that could be a little bit inflationary. We’ve also been seeing inflationary pressures on our raw materials more so than in the past.
What has been your best-performing product over the past 12 months? Automotive detailing by far. Any underperforming segments in the past 12 months? Foodservice and hospitality as is to be expected. How would you characterize your current volume of overall sales?
I don’t see a major change up or down. I think it’s going to be a fairly steady year, which again, I consider as a huge success in these times
Off slightly for the 12 months trailing. We are noticing an uptick now. There is pent-up demand and overall improvement in the marketplace.
Biggest challenges over the past year and any current issues? Hiring workers. We’ve had a pretty good run of success in hiring and the people we have are happy and we’re happy with them and they’re compensated well. But bringing in new people is probably a bigger challenge now than it’s ever been with all of the government assistance that workers or potential workers have for not working. This is probably the driest market we’ve ever seen for hiring. The one thing about almost every brush company ... it really is a small industry, so for somebody that gets into it, there’s room to be able to do a number of different things and become an expert in different manufacturing processes or move up in a small company faster than you could in a larger company. There are obviously repetitive tasks in making brushes, but if someone’s willing to really make a career out of it, most companies have that capability to take someone that’s young and start them in the shipping department and move up to manufacturing and then supervising or management. I would imagine it’s a quicker path than most larger companies can offer.
What is your 12-month outlook? I am optimistic. A further return to “normal” will improve business overall. Historically if we look at the pandemic of the early 1900’s it was replaced by the roaring ’20s. My hope is that we see this reaction again. Biggest challenges over the past year and any current issues? Keeping morale up and focusing on the long term. Any final comments? We did take on some large projects, thinking that we would be much slower than we were. We upgraded our ERP system to Global Shop Systems and built a new factory in Oregon, which just opened last week.
supply CHAIN
Post Pandemic:
People or Robots? By Lisa Anderson According to Statista Research Department, the global market for robots is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 26 percent to reach close to $210 billion by 2025. To back that up, Automation World reports almost 45 percent of respondents to their adoption survey currently use robots in their assembly and manufacturing operations and almost 25 percent expect to add robots in the next year. Clients and colleagues are starting to see the value in robots, and they believe it has become critical to think about how this type of automation could help scale the business successfully. It is no longer people vs. robots; it is people and robots. Robots have been gaining in attractiveness for several years. For example, one key client started down the robot journey over 25 years ago, seeing it as a cost reduction project. Certainly, robots can save labor costs in certain situations, but it is not the only or even typically the most compelling reason to pursue the strategy. Other clients have installed robots to speed up the production process to increase throughput while several others have installed robots to take over repetitive, dirty or hazardous tasks, thereby improving safety and working conditions. Robots have also improved quality, increased consistency and enhanced flexibility. Thus, even pre-pandemic, many executives were investing in robots. The pandemic made robots even more attractive. First, robots offer a good advantage as they can stand within six feet of employees. Clients with close quarters without robots struggled during the pandemic whereas those with robots (or manufacturing processes not requiring the close proximity of people) thrived. Also, if the robots could take on extra tasks, when employees were out due to COVID, manufacturing and distribution didn’t have to stop. Lastly, most clients had to scale up and/or down rapidly during the pandemic, and those clients with robots were more quickly able to adapt to changing conditions by ramping up or down as needed. One aerospace manufacturing client had a bottleneck in their EDM (electrical discharge machining) production area. They had several steps prior to EDM and several steps following EDM in their production process. Unfortunately, because
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EDM required highly skilled resources for complex setups and fine-tuning, a bottleneck built up in front of EDM. They tried running overtime, prioritizing jobs and catching up on Saturdays but they could not increase the output to the level required to meet customer demand. Training another resource would take months, if not years. Then an idea arose to purchase a robot and customize the robot to suit their unique needs. Soon, they were running highly customized jobs and performing all setups on the first shift so that the robot could run on the second and third shifts unsupervised. They tripled their output, the bottleneck disappeared, and customers were thrilled. They have continued to expand the use of robots in EDM to scale the business quickly and profitably. Do robots always make sense? Absolutely not. Another client described the robots on his production floor as both beneficial and wasteful. In this situation, if the production line broke down prior to reaching the robot, there was excess waste because the robot kept running and didn’t realize there was a mechanical failure. It was a bit reminiscent of the “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel couldn’t keep up with the chocolate line and started eating the chocolate. If highly skilled resources are not available, robots could be restrictive rather than flexible, and down more than up. Robots are also not appropriate to all situations. Before wasting time and resources on a poor return on investment, perform a quick evaluation and trial. On the other hand, what is common across every client is the need to consider robots in your technology roadmap. Post pandemic, successfully scaling the business has risen to the top of the executive’s priority list. Thus, evaluating robots must be a top priority. Lisa Anderson is the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation that maximizes the customer experience and enables profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth. She recently released “Future-Proofing Manufacturing and The Supply Chain Post COVID-19” as an ebook that can be found at www.lma-consultinggroup.com/future-proofing-post-covid-19/.
profile
ANDREW MCILROY Company: Perlon GmbH
Location: Munderkingen, Germany
Job Title: Sales and Marketing Director Hahl Range
When and how did you start your career in the industry? I started in December of 1997 in Bishop Auckland, UK, working for Whiting Europe Limited. My dad worked for a Nylon 66 polymer supplier at the time and was asked whether he knew anyone who was young, enthusiastic with foreign language skills. He thoughtfully put his middle son forward. I was 24 at the time and knew nothing about plastics or brushes, but have somehow managed to make it through 23 years to be where I am today.
Favorite part of working in the brushware industry? I love the camaraderie in the industry. Brushes are used in thousands of different applications, many of them unseen and are manufactured in the main by unassuming family businesses all over the world. We are a small industry with a very wide reach and probably quite unusual in that competitors openly trade with one another without any issues. Many people know one another and this makes communication generally very easy.
What is your proudest accomplishment? Apart from being married for 19 years and helping create and raise three (mostly) wonderful kids, I’d say taking the difficult decision 12 years ago to uproot my family and move from the UK
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to Germany to live and work. And still being here 12 years later.
What are the key goals you are focused on in your role as FEIBP president? The highlight for the FEIBP president is taking a very active role at the congresses to be held during the two-year term. I would have taken the reigns at the very end of the congress in September, and hence I have not missed one yet. As there is a very large question mark already against the new date of September 2021, I very much hope I will at some stage get to host our members before my term runs out in 2022! We have already started the process of reducing the average age of our board with two new members joining us before Christmas, and we are working towards a more proactive approach to membership recruitment. We have many brush manufacturing companies all across Europe who are not FEIBP members and we would like to change this. We want to appeal to a younger generation and make active membership and congress attendance as attractive as possible. Finally, we are also working on a redesign of our website to make this more user-friendly.
What are some of the challenges presented by the pandemic and how did the FEIBP overcome them? Initially, the focus was to understand what the heck had happened. This was something, which none of us had experienced before. Many of our members were forced to close at very short notice due to national lockdowns and this, of course, meant issues all the way down the supply chain. People were focused on securing enough raw material to be able to manufacture when it was possible to do so and to cope with the unexpected drop-off in demand.
Photo by Katharina Göldbeck-Hörz
www.brushwaremag.com | 21
Of course, the health and safety of employees was at the forefront for everyone and trying to adapt to a new way of working whilst social distancing, sometimes wearing a mask and so on. Customer visits were canceled and we all had to adapt to using video technology to communicate.
Businesses will look to future proof themselves a little more – whether it be a move to more online sales or the whole concept of homeworking.
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For our FEIBP board, our focus was on keeping our members updated with the situation in each individual country and market represented by our board members and communicating this in newsletters to our entire membership. Once we knew that our congress in Prague had no chance of taking place in September 2020, we needed to make plans to hold our working group meetings and general assembly online, which happened throughout autumn 2020.
There is speculation that even after the pandemic, we’ll potentially not get back to the “old normal.” What do you see as permanent changes ahead that will come from the pandemic for the FEIBP and the industry in general?
Recruiting skilled workers overall and also young workers has been stated as a concern in the recent FEIBP meetings. How do you think that is best addressed? Compared to 20-plus years ago when people were happy to find any kind of job, things have changed a lot. Despite the fact that most companies in our industry are built on very solid foundations and job security is less of an issue, younger people have other priorities nowadays. We need to market our companies to future new employees far more so than in the past – giving people incentives to join us and offering an attractive working environment. To an outsider looking in, brush manufacturing is likely to be classed as a very random area of industry, but only once we have these people on board, they can see how diverse our companies and products are. Finding skilled workers is the same issue – it’s all about marketing your prospects as a company. As this is an issue facing all of our member companies, I think it is important to share our experiences in this field for the benefit of each individual company. Without quality people working for us, we have no business.
I think a lot of people can’t even remember what the “old normal” was. We have all gotten used to video calls with colleagues and customers and the system does have its advantages – particularly in terms of time and cost-savings – reduction in travel costs being the main one. I suppose it depends on what you are wanting to sell. Selling a machine is not typically something you can do online, and there is no replacement for in-person meetings for something like that. I personally think there will be less business travel in the future and more online communication but it won’t be a total replacement.
Are there any new projects/initiatives for the FEIBP coming up in the nearor mid-term future?
I think the idea of contingency is also something businesses will think more about after this. The idea that the governments of our countries can force you to close overnight is something nobody ever would have considered in 2019. Businesses will look to future proof themselves a little more – whether it be a move to more online sales or the whole concept of home-working. I fear that the pandemic will be around for a while yet.
Do you have any key business or leadership tips out there for younger people in the industry looking to ascend to a leadership role?
We would also like to follow the lead set by ABMA in terms of promoting our association to younger people, or younger employees of our members. We have introduced lower rates for under 30s to join the congress and tried to promote this in the past. This needs new energy behind it so we can bear the fruits of this initiative in the next few years. We also plan to improve our online presence with a revamp of our website – our best marketing tool outside of the congress.
Organizations nowadays are so diverse, that it is quite unusual to see only older people in management positions. Younger people offer different ideas to businesses and our customer bases can also change. Younger buyers and decision-makers do not necessarily want to deal with older people so having people from different generations in leadership roles is a benefit for everyone.
Do you have any go-to-metrics that you use for tracking the brushware industry?
Do you have any pop-culture favorites?
No. I’ve never been a big follower of statistics as a lot of these are misleading and these are only as useful as the information, that gets fed into them. We rely heavily on input from our members and customers and this is generally a good yardstick for the state of the industry. FEIBP has just started issuing quarterly surveys to gauge member input.
I do like a good thriller, whether it’s a book or a movie, and anything that makes me laugh.
Are there any sports or teams that you follow? I support Leeds United – back in the English Premier League this season for the first time in 16 years.
Can share with our readers a good business travel tip?
What do you see for the future in the industry? I see continual growth in our areas of expertise. As a supplier (Perlon) I am pleased to see new companies who maybe bought in brushware for their business in the past wanting to invest in machinery to do it themselves. We have such a huge diversity of brushware products used in almost every industry around the world, there is no reason why we cannot go from strength to strength. Being part of an association in my opinion can only offer benefits to companies.
What do you like to do outside of work? I’ve played golf for 35 years and hold a current handicap of 7. I’ve met some fantastic people in the brush industry over the years who share the same passion.
I’ve been lucky to travel a fair bit over the past two decades to customers, predominantly in Europe, but my favorite destination has to be India. Always a warm welcome from the people and never a dull moment. My tip – only drink bottled water or beer!
What is one thing about you that people might find surprising? I’m terrible at math!
What have you learned – in life or in the industry? Treat people as you would like to be treated yourself. Relationships are everything.
the
greatest
brush and broom manufacuturer
in the world (in our humble opinion)
visit our newly designed website
stnickbrush.com ®
www.brushwaremag.com | 23
Bria
n Newton &
THE SAGA OF
BROOMCORN JOHNNY By Bob Lawernce Long before renowned craftsman Brian Newton ever handcrafted a broom, he had several diverse careers: an Air Force jet fighter mechanic; an engineer designing machines to manufacture medical devices based on prototypes; a real estate dealer; and motorcycle shop owner. So why did the Beaufort, South Carolina, native finally settle into specialty broom making that would win him honors, see his work featured in Hollywood movies and TV, and display his wares at the White House? “I had grown up around traditional crafts and wanted to work with my hands and make something useful and unique,” says Newton whose parents were spinners and weavers. It all started in Indiana in the 1990s after Newton purchased broom-making equipment dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and began hand-stitching brooms from broomcorn the way they were made back then. It started as a hobby but it soon morphed into a fifth career for Newton because word got around and people wanted to buy his unique handcrafted brooms. Soon he was displaying and selling them at small craft shows, then large craft shows, followed by affluent juried art shows. Demand grew to the point that in 2009 he opened a retail store in Nashville, Indiana, while also doing some wholesale. The following year, he received his first large wholesale order from Anthropologie, a chain owned by Urban Outfitters, for 1,000 colored Shaker cabin brooms which he describes as “hand-dyed brush, soft shoulder, hand-stitched with hand-finished handles.” The chain sold them in their stores in large cities nationwide and advertised them in their catalog. “At that point, I had two buildings, one for retail and another dedicated to wholesale production where I had employees doing prep work and shipping.” Newton crafts his brooms on machines made between the mid-1800s to 1903 and an electro/pneumatic winder acquired from Newton Broom’s Don Leventhal (the name alignment is a coincidence). Despite the availability of modern machines, he prefers the old ones because “it keeps it real,” explaining that “When I touch the old wood I hear those who came before me. I think about what their lives might have been like. What was happening in their world at the time they were using this same
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machine. I know the back pain they felt because I feel the same pain. In some small way using the old equipment, and making brooms the old ways keeps them from being forgotten. Perhaps I’ll not be forgotten either. There is a legacy in it all. A history. It’s important not to forget.” Regarding his nickname, it’s derived from another aspect of his craft, pertaining to those having the skill sets needed to grow and harvest broomcorn, which he once did when he started out in Indiana. Thus, he says, there are a few broom makers with those skills who share the Broomcorn Johnny moniker. Females in the trade are referred to as Broomcorn Janes. Even so, in doing an Internet search for “Broomcorn Johnny,” Brian Newton dominates. Because planting, growing, and then harvesting broomcorn is both time-consuming and labor intensive, Newton no longer does it, the same reasons mass broomcorn growing in the U.S. vanished more than 60 years ago. By then, Mexico was quickly
I consider
myself to be a traditional
craftsman, but
my work has an artistic element to it, a distinct becoming the world’s major grower and supplier, and it’s where the Grade 1 broomcorn he uses now originates.
look and feel.
Early on, the growth in popularity of his handcrafted brooms resulted from buyers wanting something distinctive, not big box or discount house brooms, says Newton. “They want work that is different, work with character that is obviously professionally handcrafted. Not too folksy, not too witchy. I stayed with hand-stitched, soft-shouldered brooms although I can, and have made all broom types. I also made a point of staying away from the same styles others were doing. I felt, and still do, that the craft grows only through innovation, not by copying ad nauseam what’s already out there. I tell my workshop students to stay away from the Internet, stay away from Pinterest. Find your own voice.” Regarding those workshops, Newton teaches classes in institutional settings throughout the nation to those wanting to learn how to make brooms the traditional way. Even more so than crafting brooms, he gets the most satisfaction from teaching. “Put me in an art or craft school, a living history facility, or a museum, and I shine like a newly minted penny. It’s the energy of it all.” Although his wholesale and retail broom making thrived, Newton eventually dissolved that aspect of his trade because “doing everything by hand takes a lot of time and energy. I love making brooms, but I don’t want to do it six and seven days a week, which is what it takes. I wanted to continue creating special pieces and teach others how to do it.” www.brushwaremag.com | 25
These days, Newton has a studio in Kansas City and also takes one with him when on the road. It’s in an 18’ trailer truck and is fully equipped, allowing him “to travel and still have a studio within arms-reach no matter where I am.” Additionally, it allows him to have roadside sales whereby he “affixes an awning to the truck, set up my displays and sell work to whoever stops and wants to buy. I like the anonymity of it, I don’t have to be Broomcorn Johnny. I’m just a guy selling brooms and mops I’ve made.” Other than those roadside sales, Newton’s brooms are When I touch the no longer sold to the general public because he now devotes old wood I hear his time and energy into making them for the TV and those who came motion picture industries, but before me. I think not cleaning. They appear on screen being used by actors about what their or are in the background as lives might have props. This spring, they’ll appear in HBO’s new series, been like. What “The Gilded Age.” He’s also produced brooms used was happening in in films by Cinemax, 21st their world at the Century Fox and Steiner Studios. He landed all that time they were work after, unbeknownst using this same to him, an Emmy Awardwinning set decorator visited machine. I know his shop in Nashville and later placed an order. “And it grew the back pain they from there, just as business felt because I feel often grows. A colleague tells a colleague, a friend buys the same pain. brooms for all of their friends. I have a broom in the home of a Supreme Court Justice. I’ve made beautiful “house” brooms for the starred Michelin restaurants. They are also in homes of celebrities and in thousands upon thousands of homes of everyday working people.” Although Newton can make any style broom, his specialty is the soft-shouldered Shaker, first designed and made in the late 1700s by the Shakers, a religious order. While some say any flat broom is Shaker, he explains that “there were three main periods of Shaker broom construction. Prior to about 1811, one could order a Shaker-made broom stitched flat or round. By the 1820s, round was no longer an option. I make them in both round and flat, one at a time by hand just as they were made then. Within that discipline, I freely introduce color, textures and materials. And from my mind’s eye, I create beauty, elegance and simplicity.” As such, they don’t come cheap. A basic Shaker-dyed cabin broom has a price tag ranging from $68-$72.
ABOVE: Newton’s studio BELOW: Newton’s broomcorn in the field
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Wholesale brooms created by Newton While it’s rare for the majority of Americans to get a call from the White House, Newton not only received one but with it came an invitation to exhibit his brooms at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He was among 49 companies, one from each state, chosen to display their products at the White House’s first “Made in the USA Product Showcase” as part of its “Made in America” week in July 2017. Governors and members of Congress recommended a company to represent their state and Newton was chosen to represent Indiana. The White House surprise invitation came while he was on the road doing back-to-back shows in the Berkshires and in Connecticut. “I got the call while exhibiting at a show on a Friday, asking if I could be there the following Monday morning.” At the event, nearby his exhibit was Chick-Fil-A from Georgia, Maryland’s Lockheed Martin displaying a model of its new Sikorsky helicopter and Gibson Guitars from Tennessee. Asked to characterize himself, he says, “I consider myself to be a traditional craftsman, but my work has an artistic element to it, a distinct look and feel. I purposely focus on making brooms for upscale urban buyers. Brooms that can be displayed and given as tasteful gifts, functional art. I’ve been designing and creating professionally since I was in my 20’s. Brooms are a fascinating medium to work with.” As for what he gets out of broom making, Newton says it “fulfills my need for unrestrained creativity and the logic of mechanical function.” www.brushwaremag.com | 27
Broomcorn angels
[Customers] want work that is
different, work with character
that is obviously professionally
handcrafted. Not too folksy, not too witchy. Newton teaching at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle, Maine In reflecting on his years in the craft, Newton says he’s “made and sold brooms at a history-based event with more than 350,000 people in attendance, and I’ve sold my brooms out of my truck at a farmers market with only a half dozen other sellers. I’ve made more than 20,000 long brooms and God knows how many smalls. I’ve been slowly working on a book detailing the history of broom making in North America prior to 1790. That’s a magical year you know. That’s when broom making went from being a barn craft done by slaves and Native Americans, to being grown at scale by wealthy white farmers. There is very little talk of the history of American broom making before it became profitable. There are as many stories about broom making as there are broom makers.”
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Newton’s store in Nashville, Tennessee
104th ANNUAL ABMA CONVENTION COVERAGE
ABMA Vision
TAKES SHAPE Vision 2020 efforts take root as the ABMA activates the Emerging Leaders group
Following the main 2021 ABMA Convention meeting held virtually on the afternoon of March 17, the ABMA’s new Emerging Leaders group launched with a group Zoom meeting in the early evening with roughly 12 active participants – four of whom were female. The virtual meeting was led by Emerging Leaders president Kevin White of the Industrial Brush Company and board members Miguel Medrano of Borghi USA and Tom Cottam of Industrial Brush Corporation.
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Image courtesy of beer5020/123rf.com
By Meg Cooper
www.brushwaremag.com | 31
The ABMA’s goal with Emerging Leaders is to provide a peer networking and leadership group aimed at connecting young industry professionals to further develop their interests, expertise and leadership in the industry. The group is open to anyone 45 years old or younger who is actively engaged within the broom, brush, roller, mop, paint industry, through an organization that is an active ABMA member. The launch meeting started with general introductions and then broke off into what was called “breakout groups” consisting of three-to-four members talking in their own private video sessions so they would have a better chance to network more intimately. After coming up with Being a member of several commonalities within the Emerging Leaders the smaller breakout groups, group means having these observations were taken to the larger group and discussed. access to open lines Those areas ranged from wanting of communication to network, wanting to learn and further careers, wearing different to your own peers hats within the company and the and that is a huge relatability and comfort we have component to of reaching out to peers within the industry. Having taken part becoming a better in this group actively myself, employee and, I noticed there was a stronger interaction after the breakout eventually, a groups occurred. It was a unique better leader touch to make networking more achievable in a virtual setting. Following the breakout groups, White and Medrano went over the future plans and goals. This included ideas like community projects, leadership seminars, leadership summits, college portals, monthly Zoom happy hours, workplace navigation discussions and membership presentations. Medrano mentioned that one thing he has consistently appreciated as a member of the ABMA is the ease with which one can approach other members of the organization with questions you may have and how helpful the other members are. Being a member of the Emerging Leaders group means having access to open lines of communication to your own peers and that is a huge component to becoming a better employee and, eventually, a better leader. Recapping the initial meeting, White said, “Something that the online events highlighted is the ABMA’s ability
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to be much more inclusive. I saw many new faces at the ABMA Emerging Leaders event that would not have otherwise been able to join us in person. The same is true for the general assembly; more employees from each company had the ability to tune in, where previously doing so may have been cost-prohibitive or time-consuming, to list two from a multitude of reasons. Online events democratize the organization and create a new symbiosis. If the organization can find a way to offer benefits to a broader audience, that new audience can offer much in return.” “I think the first meeting went pretty well. It was fantastic to see all the participation, especially when we broke into our smaller groups. Emerging Leaders is in its infancy and we’re pretty well focused on recruiting new members so it may be a few meetings before we can focus on the main mission of the group (something that can’t be reached without members). Like any new group or event, there were some growing pains, but it was certainly a way for me to learn quickly. My fellow board members Tom Cottam and Miguel Medrano did an awesome job throughout the process as did the people behind the scenes, Dave Parr and R.J. Lindstrom.” Medrano agreed on the success of the launch meeting, saying, “I think the initial meeting went great and it set a tone of bright ideas to be shared for future endeavors. It was great to meet everyone and listen to them on how involved they are in the brush manufacturing industry.” New ABMA President Greg Miller noted the success of the first meeting, saying, “Considering the program is in its infancy, I thought the turnout was great. Sky’s the limit!” He went on to emphasize that the Emerging Leaders initiative will play an important role in the future success of the ABMA and he wants to encourage the entire membership to consider employees from their organization to become part of the group. It provides a platform for education, interaction and overall exposure to industry topics. Also, looking toward the future for the ABMA and the Emerging Leaders initiative, Medrano says, “My hope is that this group establishes educational resources and leadership opportunities for individuals to grow in their careers. I would like to see members come out of this group to become leaders for their prospective employers as well as for the brush industry. I would like to see informative guest speakers and networking
opportunities that ultimately also create relationships with other members. I want this group to be forerunners in continuing to make the ABMA prosper. I want a large group that I see as colleagues, partners and friends that innovate our industry to grow and succeed. I want to see different perspectives in different roles share their thoughts on new technology and new trends for our businesses to thrive.” With that in mind, White expanded on the roadmap for the new group, saying, “I’d love to see everyone who attended (or wanted to) continue to participate. I’m confident that the team can continue to manage the growth, while still being able to offer the feeling of belonging for its members, something I think was captured well in the first meeting … as a group in its infancy, the executive team has decided to focus our resources on developing only the most immediately desired programs based on group polling. The group’s direction will be entirely membership-driven and the job of the executive board is to provide programs that have been identified as the most impactful.” And to achieve that mission, Medrano noted that the group would need the full support of the ABMA Board. He says, “Without them we will not reach and expose our talents and ideas for the industry to continue to develop
and modernize. We want the older members to encourage participation and allow this group to develop into strong leaders. We want to learn from them, and we hope to have mentorships to further absorb their knowledge about the industry so we can continue the efforts and success they have established. We all want growth, new opportunities, and industry knowledge about what’s to come with new technology and advancements that will make our industry prosper and ensure longevity for the future.” White added to that sentiment, saying, “The most important thing that senior ABMA members can do is to push their younger employees to join Dave Parr Emerging Leaders. For the most part, the proposed programs are participation driven, meaning that the group can provide more value to its members if more people can provide their unique experience to us. If any senior members would like to attend in the future to see if the group is a good fit for your employees, you’re more than welcome!”
America’s Premier Artist Brush Manufacturer
Maker of handcrafted quality brushes since 1929 Producer of private label and branded brushes Two custom manufacturing facilities Family owned and operated FM Brush Company, Inc.
70-02 72nd Place . Glendale . New York . 11385 Ph: 718.821.5939 Fax: 718-821-2385 www.fmbrush.com . email: info@fmbrush.com
Proud Member for 70+ Years.
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2021 ABMA GENERAL SESSION March 17, 2021 The 2021 ABMA virtual general session held via Zoom kicked off at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) with a few notes from Scott Enchelmaier, outgoing ABMA president. After acknowledging the challenges that the year 2020 brought to the organization, he announced the creation of two new programs that helped them “pivot” for the remainder of the year. The first is the Emerging Leaders, a new group founded on the premise of connecting members 45 and younger within the ABMA “to further develop their interests, expertise, and leadership in the industry.” The second initiative highlighted was the ABMA’s Educational Institute with quarterly webinars aimed “to provide timely and important industry education to our membership that will be beneficial deep within the organization.”
Fons Ceelaert (photo by Katharina Göldbeck Hörz)
a mixture of in-person and online meetings – saving us time and travel costs.” He also provided an update on the current issues around raw materials, indicating the sharp increase in global demand combined with a reduction in available production capacity was causing severe shortages and skyrocketing prices. He says products ranging from cardboard to packaging, wood, steel wire, cotton and polymers were all being affected by the situation. Declarations of force majeur for component parts used in the manufacture of many main polymer types including polypropylene, nylon and polyester PBT had driven prices well beyond any level seen in recent years. The availability of resin was also an issue and he said it was unclear how long this scenario would continue but indicated it would cause major issues for all suppliers and customers working with injection molded or extruded products.
Scott Enchelmaier (photo by Katharina Göldbeck Hörz)
These two groups were a direct result of last year’s ABMA convention, Vision 2020, and are aimed at bringing more value through the ABMA membership with education and networking. New FEIBP president Andrew McIlroy was the first speaker and he opened, by saying, “It took 62 years to elect a president from the suppliers division and finally when I get the gig, along comes a worldwide pandemic.” He then provided a rundown on how the past year had transpired from the European perspective and reported that an upturn in trade had started in the fall and sales were returning back to normal levels. He noted the likelihood that the FEIBP Congress set for Prague, Czech Republic, in September would likely be postponed a second time and pushed back to 2022. He stressed the importance of in-person events, but did note some positives with virtual, saying, “All in all, this new way of meeting, definitely offers benefits to our industry. We may find that customer interaction in the future becomes
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Fons Ceelaert, the general manager for the FEIBP, followed and detailed a new initiative to present a quarterly report based on survey results from the FEIBP member companies. The first report was recently released and included responses from 36 companies. See more about this report in the Industry News section. Interbrush CEO Daniel Strowitzski spoke next and expressed concern about coronavirus infection rates rising again. He is eager to see how the vaccinations will work and whether or not Germany will reach its goal for vaccinations by the summer. At the moment, he didn’t have any solid answers as to whether or not Interbrush will be postponed for 2022 but that information is forthcoming. From there the meeting followed the traditional format and the committee reports were presented.
Finance Committee | Chris Monahan The finance committee meeting was held on March 11, and the committee reviewed the 2020 year audited financial statement which showed a gain of $15,835. Mohanan said the 2021 financials YTD financials were
stronger than expected and noted that can be attributed to working against a downsized budget due to the pandemic. He says, “The ABMA’s biggest concern entering 2021 was a fall in membership renewals due to COVID, but we have been fortunate to maintain the large majority of our members and this has had a positive impact on the financials and should result in a positive year for the ABMA.”
Convention Committee | Greg Miller The convention committee meeting took place on March 9, 2021, with the group discussing 2020 annual convention evaluations. Miller said the 2020 convention attendance was affected by COVID-19, so the evaluations were slightly skewed. The committee also talked about future conventions and Miller noted the 2022 convention will be held in Bonita Springs, Florida, and the 2023 edition will be in San Diego at the Hotel Del Coronado. The committee is looking for recommendations for the 2021 destination.
Membership Committee | Kevin Lannon The membership committee meeting took place on February 25, 2021, and based on the information at the meeting Lannon reported the ABMA has 135 member companies or organizations – classified as
Upcoming Webinars July 13, 2021
Enterprise Risk Management Presented by Paul Rutledge, Vice President Risk Management, Masters Gallery Foods, Inc October 12, 2021
Understanding the Advantages of Captive Insurance Presented by Sam Meccia of Captive Resources
65 active, four branch active, 46 affiliate, 11 affiliate branch, seven international and 10 honorary members. The committee reviewed a list of companies that are past due and are considered delinquent. Membership improvement and retention was discussed and the committee has made a recommendation to the board of directors that a membership task force committee should be created to develop an updated membership drive strategy and campaign.
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Public Relations Committee | R.J. Lindstrom The public relations committee met on February 23, 2021, and Lindstom says the committee was busy during the previous year keeping the website up-to-date, adding special pages for the Emerging Leaders group and the Educational Institute, while also building out a COVID-19 resource page. He also noted that they continue to do the Monthly Brush Up newsletter and post all press releases. He highlighted the Educational Institute webinar series and says the first two webinars for this year were well received by members. The rest of the webinar series is already scheduled out for 2021 with “Enterprise Risk Management” set for July 13, 2021 “Understanding the Advantages of Captive Insurance” slated for October 12, 2021. Lindstrom says the group has been focused on the Vision 2020 task force and noted that there were specific instructions based on the results of the responses from Vision 2020 convention. There were three different categories that the members really wanted to see the ABMA excel at: knowledge (mostly education for best practices, roundtables, webinars), networking (greater connection with younger and newer members), and promoting profitability through education and resources for improvement and efficiency and acquiring and sharing knowledge. He emphasized it was this direction that spawned the Emerging Leaders and Educational Institute initiatives.
Stats Committee | Mike Zimmerman The stats committee meeting was held on March 2, 2021. The 2020 survey of business ratios had only seven responses, so it was replaced in 2021 with a survey of wage and benefits. Zimmerman noted the shift in 2021 toward the COVID-19 surveys that covered return to work issues and other questions related to the brush industry during the pandemic.
Greg Miller
Safety Committee | Charlie Coward The safety committee met on March 4, 2021, and the main topics were the safety slip program and the pricing of it. They discussed manufacturers marks, licensing program, and the expert witness program and agreement and noted there are no major updates. The ANSIB165.1 is expected to be completed in the spring of 2021.
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Convention Feedback Greg Miller | ABMA President: The entire board was pleased with the attendance and participation from the members of our association. With the tools we had at our disposal, we all felt that the format and content we provided in a virtual format was well received and worthwhile for all of those who participated … I am not sure on the exact number of members who participated in the virtual Face-2-Face meetings as compared to previous years conventions, but did hear good things. The virtual, Zoom format allowed enough time to cover a variety of topics, and also allowed for additional participants that typically do not attend the convention in person. Scott Enchelmaier | Outgoing ABMA President: All things considered, I think the virtual components that we offered our membership went well. We were able to conduct essential business required by our bylaws and while keeping our members informed as to committee and industry activity. There were 68 organizations registered for the convention. The feedback that I got from suppliers was that the virtual component to the Face-2-Face meetings allowed them to interact with customers that normally do not attend in person conventions. Our company had two additional people who do vital purchasing functions attend. David Kalisz | MFC: Face-2-Face was very good, especially at a time when we had not had the opportunity to visit with our customers in person … I think that the virtual events add value to our members, especially allowing those members that do not attend the annual convention to get more value out of the ABMA. The virtual events allow companies to expose more people in their organization to the ABMA. As a supplier, I would like to see the Face-2-Face event take place virtually once a David Kalisz year and in person at the convention once a year. Perhaps we revive the midyear convention as a virtual event with the virtual Face-2Face and some of the business that might make the annual convention too packed. Miguel Medrano | Borghi USA: I think the ABMA really made this virtual convention engaging and fun for not being able to meet in person. They prepared everything in advance which allowed the members to prepare for each day. The Face-2-Face meetings went great, and I think it was great
ABMA Standards Activity to not only connect with suppliers and manufacturers, but being virtual allowed more participants to participate in the Face-2-Face meetings digitally whether it was at home or in their office. I think there were many positives in having this virtually, (the) first being that having a virtual convention is better than no convention. Secondly, more employees from each company could participate, which allowed more people to get involved. It also provided us with the opportunity to do this again if necessary or at least do part of it virtually in the future. I enjoyed the change under the circumstances, but feel an in-person convention is best. Jeff Mink | FM Brush: The information and guidance provided by ABMA and David Parr throughout this pandemic has been incredible. Truly, a lifeline. The virtual convention was well done and provided an opportunity for our industry to stay connected in a holistic way to both companies and individuals. While I signed up for the Paul Miller event, unfortunately, I was not able to attend. Paul was a good friend and mentor, and he is missed. Chris Monahan | Brush Fibers: In my opinion, the ABMA, and specifically the executive director Dave Parr, did a fantastic job pivoting during the global pandemic and continuing to provide tremendous value to its member
ASTM F2367-04 Broom: The packaging standard is still being maintained by the ABMA. ASTM F2368-04 Mop: Still being maintained by the ABMA. ANSI B165.1 Power Brush: Currently under audit. Expected to be completed in the spring of 2021 at which point there is the expectation of being reaccredited as a standards developer. ASTM D01.61 Paint Applicator: A report was submitted by John Feathers of Dupont and read by Greg Miller: “The subcommittee continues to work on the development of new test methods and practices as needed by the applicator market. Already responsible for updating 15 current standards every five years, the subcommittee continues to work on new methods, including measurement of paintbrush stiffness, evaluating paintbrush performance by means of mechanical and paint out machine and evaluating roller cover paint, pick up and delivery performance. The aim of this subcommittee is to deliver methods that allow for consistent applicator evaluations that may be used to establish performance criteria among suppliers, producers and end-use retailers. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions that cancelled the semi-annual committee meeting, this group has not met in the past year. The next meeting is scheduled for June of 2021.”
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companies through constantly updating the information regarding government COVID programs, organizing industry Zoom meetings/get togethers and the industry surveys regarding business trends, etc., during COVID. I was a bit skeptical about the virtual format but was pleasantly surprised how it went off and the universally positive reactions I heard from other ABMA members. Carlos Petzold | Borghi USA: Our company was pleased that ABMA had a virtual convention instead of a cancelled convention (no convention at all). Having a virtual convention does not mean that this alternative solution would be an automatic success. Immediately following the 2020 ABMA in-person convention in Florida last year, up through this year’s virtual convention, ABMA put in a lot of hard work and preparation to support the membership. Thanks to ABMA’s many surveys, Zoom meetings, publishing of survey results, providing links to help members land upon and navigate the various government support programs (like PPP, state unemployment programs such as work-share, and other employee/ Carlos Petzold business support programs, etc.) The ABMA provided an unprecedented level of support to its membership in the past 12 months! Furthermore, webinars that were very useful to the membership were developed and launched, which was part of bringing more help to the membership throughout the year, instead of just an annual convention. Building upon the above-mentioned successes, ABMA then worked on crafting a virtual convention for 2021 that would have substance for members, that would also take care of the needed annual meeting requirements of the association and included a social component. In my opinion, ABMA pulled off a wonderful virtual convention.
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ABMA NEW OFFICERS President: Greg Miller, Mill Rose Company Vice President: Chris Monahan, Brush Fibers Treasurer: R.J. Lindstrom, Zephyr Manufacturing Past President: Scott Enchelmaier, Industrial Brush Company Directors: Charlie Coward, Hillbrush; Mark Eichelberger, Sherwin Williams; Tim Hack, Epic Resins; Christy Hinnant, Easy Reach Supply; Terry Hogan, Perlon - Hahl Inc; Mark Kappes, Tanis Inc.; Brian Keiser, Osborn; Todd Leventhal, NexStep Commercial Products; Ed Lowder, Monterey Mills; Dustin Maninfior, American Select Tubing, AST Filaments; Bruce Massey, Interwire Products; Chip Preston, Spiral Brushes. Retiring Officers and Directors: Carlos Petzold, Fred Spach, Mike Zimmerman, Kevin Lannon, Steve Bellocchio, Mike Fredrickson
economic DASHBOARD
German Manufacturers Lead Strong Global Rebound
Chinese manufacturing recovery struggles with a fourth straight month of decline
Manufacturing across the world continued to surge as Germany, the U.S. and the Eurozone all registered PMI numbers above 60 percent for March. Demand is strong across the world but China slipped 0.3 percent from February to register a 50.6 PMI reading. India also saw a sharp drop off to 55.4 percent after previously pulling back slightly in February from a January reading of 57.7 percent.
strong growth compared to February,” says Timothy R. Fiore, ISM® Manufacturing Business Survey Committee Chair. “Labor-market difficulties at panelists’ companies and their suppliers persist. End-user lead times (for refilling customers’ inventories) are extending due to very high demand and output restrictions as supply chains continue to recover from COVID-19 impacts.”
GERMANY: Germany led the pack and saw record growth in factory activity due to steep increases in new orders and output to register a 66.6 percent IHS Markit/BMI PMI for March. Both capacity demand and confidence in the business outlook led to an increase in sector employment – the first in over two years. Supply chain issues are the downside of the scenario as March saw input delivery delays that forced cost inflation to a new 10-year peak.
EUROZONE: IHS Markit reported a March PMI of 62.5 percent
UNITED STATES: The ISM® Report On Business® for March
showed a big gain with a PMI of 64.7 percent, an increase of 3.9 percentage points from the February reading of 60.8 percent. “Manufacturing performed well for the 10th straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering
for Eurozone manufacturers. That was a big increase over February’s reading of 57.9 and IHS Markit says this indicates operating conditions were at their highest level in roughly 24 years. Export orders had their fastest increase in survey history, which pushed up output and new orders. Purchasing activity and employment in the sector also saw impressive increases.
ITALY: Italian manufacturers saw strong improvement with IHS Markit reporting a 2.9 percent increase over February to register a 59.8 percent PMI mark for March. This represents the sharpest improvement in manufacturing conditions for Italy in 21 years. Output and new orders rose as client demand for products surged and helped to push up employment as
ISM® MANUFACTURING AT A GLANCE (US) MARCH 2021 Index Manufacturing PMI® New Orders Production Employment Supplier Deliveries Inventories Customers’ Inventories Prices Backlog of Orders New Export Orders Imports
Series Index MAR
Series Index FEB
PCT PT Change Direction
Rate of Change
Trend* (Months)
64.7 60.8 +3.9 Growing Faster 68.0 64.8 +3.2 Growing Faster 68.1 63.2 +4.9 Growing Faster 59.6 54.4 +5.2 Growing Faster 76.6 72.0 +4.6 Slowing Faster 50.8 49.7 +1.1 Growing From Contracting 29.9 32.5 -2.6 Too Low Faster 85.6 86.0 -0.4 Increasing Slower 67.5 64.0 +3.5 Growing Faster 54.5 57.2 -2.7 Growing Slower 56.7 56.1 +0.6 Growing Faster OVERALL ECONOMY Manufacturing Sector
Growing Growing
Faster Faster
10 10 10 4 61 1 54 10 9 9 9 10 10
*Number of months moving in current direction. Source: Institute for Supply Management®, ISM®, PMI®, Report On Business®.
www.brushwaremag.com | 39
economic DASHBOARD companies increased staff. Following the overall trend, supplier delays pushed up costs and concerns about inflation. UNITED KINGDOM: The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI was reported at 58.9 percent for March 2021, which represented the best month of expansion in factory activity since February 2011. Vaccinations and a planned easing of lockdown restrictions along with stronger domestic and export demand helped drive the strong UK reading. Employment growth reached a seven-year high as backlogs rose. Business confidence is at a seven-year high. INDIA: IHS Markit reported a solid 55.4 percent PMI for
Indian manufacturers for March, but that was a drop of 2.1 percent from February and the second straight month of decline. COVID-19 restrictions and lower demand caused employment to decline for a 12th straight month. Input cost inflation was the highest in three years, but selling prices increased only moderately with companies staying conservative to keep competitive in the market. On the plus side, output and new orders expanded moderately and new export orders grew for a seventh straight month.
CHINA: The Caixin China General Manufacturing PMI slipped to 50.6 percent in March to hit the lowest mark since April 2020 suggesting the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is in jeopardy. Output and new orders improved slightly, while employment levels attempted to stabilize. Stock of purchased items is in negative territory for a third straight month and the number of purchases also plunged. Inflationary pressures intensified, with both input costs and output charges increasing. Export sales improved due to the global increase in COVID-19 vaccinations.
ISM® REPORT COMMENTS (U.S.) “The spring and summer months look great for the national oil markets.” Petroleum and Coal Products “A lack of qualified machine and fabrication shop talent makes it difficult to keep up with production demands when there is no backup (second string). Qualified new hires are an ongoing challenge. We have had to provide better compensation to keep qualified talent. Raw-material prices are up 50 percent to 60 percent over the last six months, which results in increased prices to our customers and a disincentive to build inventory.” Fabricated Metal Products
“Widespread supply chain issues. Suppliers are struggling to manage demand and capacity in the face of chronic logistics and labor issues. No end in sight.” Machinery “Tremendous stress on the supply chain since the winter storm in Texas. Chemicals are on allocations or unavailable. Resin is on allocation and unavailable.” Plastics and Rubber Products “Business is even stronger for us this year through the third quarter, and we expect a very healthy growth of our manufacturing sales.” Electrical Equipment, Appliances and Components “Demand remains strong. Significant supply impacts on raw materials due to the Texas freeze. All major raw-material and suppliers on force majeure.” Chemical Products “Late-winter storms in unexpected [areas] of the U.S. had our organization exercising business-continuity plans on a much more aggressive scale than anticipated. While the storms slowed our supply chain down, we did what we could to meet orders, even though few were short. We feel that in the coming month, we will be able to make up the misses as well as continue strong deliveries in the next month. As consumer confidence grows and the academia market reopens globally, we do expect orders to increase.” Computer and Electronic Products Credit: Institute for Supply Management®, ISM®, PMI®, Report On Business®. For more information, visit the ISM® website at www.ismworld.org.
US SECTOR REPORT ISM GROWTH SECTORS (17): Textile Mills; Electrical Equipment, Appliances and Components; Machinery; Computer and Electronic Products; Apparel, Leather and Allied Products; Furniture and Related Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Food, Beverage and Tobacco Products; Primary Metals; Plastics and Rubber Products; Paper Products; Transportation Equipment; Chemical Products; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Printing and Related Support Activities; and Petroleum and Coal Products. ISM CONTRACTION SECTORS (0): No industries reported contraction in March.
LEISTNER DRILLS FOR THE BRUSH INDUSTRY. MADE OF
TUNGSTEN OR HSS. FOR USE ON HIGH PERFORMANCE CNC MACHINES Leistner Werkzeug GmbH Auerbacher Str. 15 D-08328 Stuetzengruen/Germany www.leistner-gmbh.de info@leistner-gmbh.de Ph: +49-(0)37462-288 150 Fx: +49-(0)37462-288 159 Proud Member of
40 | www.brushwaremag.com
Mar-21
Feb-21
Jan-21
Dec-20
Nov-20
Oct-20
Sep-20
Aug-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
May-20
Apr-20
Mar-20
Feb-20
Jan-20
Dec-19
Nov-19
Oct-19
Sep-19
Aug-19
Jul-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Feb-19
Jan-19
Dec-18
Nov-18
Oct-18
Sep-18
Aug-18
Jul-18
Jun-18
May-18
Apr-18
Mar-18
Mar-21
Feb-21
Jan-21
Dec-20
Nov-20
Oct-20
Sep-20
Aug-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
May-20
Apr-20
Mar-20
Feb-20
Jan-20
Dec-19
Nov-19
Oct-19
Sep-19
Aug-19
Jul-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Feb-19
Jan-19
Dec-18
Nov-18
Oct-18
Sep-18
Aug-18
Jul-18
Jun-18
May-18
Apr-18
Mar-18
ISM® US MANUFACTURING PMI
70
36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
Source data: Institute for Supply Management®, ISM®, PMI®, Report On Business®.
70 36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS
GERMANY MANUFACTURING PMI®
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
Source data: Markit Economics.
www.brushwaremag.com | 41
42 | www.brushwaremag.com
Mar-21
Feb-21
Jan-21
Dec-20
Nov-20
Oct-20
Sep-20
Aug-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
May-20
Apr-20
Mar-20
Feb-20
Jan-20
Dec-19
Nov-19
Oct-19
Sep-19
Aug-19
Jul-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Feb-19
Jan-19
Dec-18
Nov-18
Oct-18
Sep-18
Aug-18
Jul-18
Jun-18
May-18
Apr-18
Mar-18
Mar-21
Feb-21
Jan-21
Dec-20
Nov-20
Oct-20
Sep-20
Aug-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
May-20
Apr-20
Mar-20
Feb-20
Jan-20
Dec-19
Nov-19
Oct-19
Sep-19
Aug-19
Jul-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Feb-19
Jan-19
Dec-18
Nov-18
Oct-18
Sep-18
Aug-18
Jul-18
Jun-18
May-18
Apr-18
Mar-18
economic DASHBOARD
EURO AREA MANUFACTURING PMI®
36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS 70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
Source data: Markit Economics.
ITALY PMI® (MANUFACTURING) 65
36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
Source data: Markit Economics.
Mar-21
Feb-21
Jan-21
Dec-20
Nov-20
Oct-20
Sep-20
Aug-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
May-20
Apr-20
Mar-20
Feb-20
Jan-20
Dec-19
Nov-19
Oct-19
Sep-19
Aug-19
Jul-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Feb-19
Jan-19
Dec-18
Nov-18
Oct-18
Sep-18
Aug-18
Jul-18
Jun-18
May-18
Apr-18
Mar-18
Mar-21
Feb-21
Jan-21
Dec-20
Nov-20
Oct-20
Sep-20
Aug-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
May-20
Apr-20
Mar-20
Feb-20
Jan-20
Dec-19
Nov-19
Oct-19
Sep-19
Aug-19
Jul-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Feb-19
Jan-19
Dec-18
Nov-18
Oct-18
Sep-18
Aug-18
Jul-18
Jun-18
May-18
Apr-18
Mar-18
UK MANUFACTURING PMI®
36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS 65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
Source data: Markit Economics.
INDIA PMI® (MANUFACTURING)
36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
Source data: Markit Economics.
www.brushwaremag.com | 43
economic DASHBOARD
CHINA PMI® (MANUFACTURING) 60
36 MONTHS | MOVING AVERAGE: SIX MONTHS 55
50
45
40
Mar-21
Jan-21
Feb-21
Dec-20
Oct-20
Nov-20
Aug-20
Sep-20
Jul-20
Jun-20
Apr-20
May-20
Mar-20
Jan-20
Feb-20
Dec-19
Oct-19
Nov-19
Sep-19
Jul-19
Aug-19
Jun-19
May-19
Apr-19
Mar-19
Jan-19
Feb-19
Dec-18
Oct-18
Nov-18
Sep-18
Jul-18
Aug-18
Jun-18
Apr-18
May-18
Mar-18
35
Source data: Caixin Manufacturing PMI
U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 14.7% 13.3% 11.1% 10.2% 8.4%
7.9% 6.9%
Apr-20
May-20
Jun-20
Jul-20
Aug-20
Sep-20
Oct-20
6.7%
6.7%
Nov-20
Dec-20
6.3%
6.2%
6.0%
Jan-21
Feb-21
Mar-21
Source data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
44 | www.brushwaremag.com
US COTTON #2 FUTURES
COPPER
U.S. COTTON #2 FUTURES
2016-CURRENT | Moving Average: 12 Months COPPER FUTURES
105 2016-CURRENT | Moving Average: 12 Months
4 95
3.5 85
3 2.5
75
2
65
1.5 55
1
45
0.5
35 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
0 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
LUMBER FUTURES LUMBER FUTURES
2016-CURRENT | Moving Average: 12 Months 1200
1000
ABR ASIVE MONOFILAMENTS
800
Your custom-made lament:
600
400
200
0 2016
•
Round or at prooles
•
Grit sizes from grit 36 up to 3500
•
0.01” to 0.12” diameters
•
Cut to 1.73” up to 55.3” or on spools
•
Level or crimped nishing
•
In a broad variety of colors
•
With or without wax coating
depending on grit type
single or multiple ends
We also provide our expertise and lab resources to help with your individual needs and applications.
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
W W W.FILKEMP.COM www.brushwaremag.com | 45
economic DASHBOARD DOW JONES MONTHLY VIEW
NASDAQ MONTHLY VIEW
2016-CURRENT | Moving Average: 12 Months
2016-CURRENT | Moving Average: 12 Months
DOW JONES
NASDAQ
35,000.00
14,000.00
30,000.00
12,000.00
25,000.00
10,000.00
20,000.00
8,000.00
15,000.00
6,000.00
10,000.00
4,000.00
5,000.00
2,000.00
0.00
0.00
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
U.S. GDP BY QUARTER
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
GOLD
2016-CURRENT | Moving Average: 12 Months
GOLD
40.0
30.0
2,000
20.0
1,800
10.0
1,600
0.0
2016
1,400 2016 2016 2016 2016 2017 2017 2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2019 2019 2019 2019 2020 2020 2020 2020 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
-10.0
1,200
-20.0
1,000
-30.0
800
-40.0
Source data: Bureau of Economic Analysis
46 | www.brushwaremag.com
600 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
industry EVENTS
2021 June 9-11, 2021
ISSA Show Canada 2021 | Toronto, ON, Canada
ISSA Show Canada promises to provide a platform to connect like-minded industry professionals focused on keeping buildings clean, green and operating in a sustainable and energy-efficient fashion.
www.issa.com/events/issa-show-canada October 21-23, 2021 (NEW DATES)
National Hardware Show | Las Vegas, Nevada
The National Hardware Show will return for its 75th edition to the Las Vegas Convention Center. We look forward to connecting with the industry face-to-face again, highlighting new products, leading industry connections, new safety protocols, and so much more.
www.nationalhardwareshow.com
October 27-29, 2021 (NEW DATES)
India Brush Expo | Mumbai, India
India’s first B2B exhibition for brush making machinery and finished brushes. The first edition of this show will held at the CIDCO Exhibition & Convention Centre in Mumbai.
March 22-25, 2022
ABMA Annual Convention | Bonita Springs, Florida The American Brush Manufacturer Association’s 2022 Annual Convention.
www.abma.org/abma-annual-convention May 4-6, 2022
Interbrush 2022 | Freiburg, Germany
The world’s leading trade fair for machines, materials and accessories for the broom, brush, paint roller and mop industry. The 2016 trade fair drew in 7,500 visitors from 90 countries with more than 200 exhibitors.
www.interbrush.de
September 12-17, 2022
International Manufacturing Technology Show Chicago, Illinois
The premier manufacturing technology show in North America, IMTS 2022 will raise expectations of what challenges manufacturing can address. Experience the power of new equipment, software, and products to move your business forward. Discover the effectiveness of transformative technologies. Connect with industry experts and peers to partner on new initiatives.
www.imts.com
www.indiabrushexpo.com
September 21-24, 2022
November 15-18, 2021
The Annual Congress of the European Brushware Federation is a great opportunity to meet fellow manufacturers, contact suppliers and receive up-to-date information on the brush industry in Europe.
ISSA Show North America | Las Vegas, Nevada
Join us in 2021 as we continue to change the way the world views cleaning in the newly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.
www.issashow.com
November 23-24, 2021
National Painting/Decorating Show | Coventry, UK
The National Painting and Decorating Show is the industry’s biggest annual UK event held at Ricoh Arena. If you use, sell, stock or specify P&D products, the exhibition is one you can’t afford to miss.
www.paintshow.co.uk
62nd FEIBP Annual Congress | Prague, Czech Republic www.eurobrush.com
2023
March 22-25, 2023
ABMA Annual Convention |San Diego, California
The American Brush Manufacturer Association’s 2023 Annual Convention is planned for San Diego, California.
www.abma.org/abma-annual-convention
December 5-7, 2021
CIBRUSH 2021 | Shanghai, China
2021 China (Shanghai) International Brush Industry Exhibition (CIBRUSH) is a professional brush industry exhibition platform covering both brush making and finished brushes. CIBRUSH keeps up with the times, focuses on specialization, market orientation, global perspective, providing the global brush industry with the opportunities to meet, network, do business, share ideas and shape the future of the Chinese brush market.
www.cibrush.com
2022 March 5-8, 2022
The Inspired Home Show | Chicago, Illinois
The world’s leading home + housewares show formerly known as the international home + housewares show.
www.theinspiredhomeshow.com
www.brushwaremag.com | 47
advertiser INDEX
ABMA.................................................................... 29 www.abma.org ArroWorthy............................................................ 48 www.arroworthy.com Brush Fibers.................................. Inside Back Cover www.brushfibers.com Carnevali Dino...................................................... 07 www.carnevalidino.it DKSH.................................................................... 03 www.dksh.com/ch-de/home DuPont............................................................08-09 www.filaments.dupont.com Filkemp................................................................ 45 www.filkemp.com
FM Brush.............................................................. 33 www.fmbrush.com Gordon Brush........................................................ 35 www.gordonbrush.com Gornell Brush........................................................ 10 www.gornellbrush.com Leistner Drills....................................................... 40 www.leistner-gmbh.de MFC...................................................................... 19 www.mfc-usa.com MGG Srl.........................................Inside Front Cover www.mggmeccanica.com Mill-Rose Co., The................................................. 01 www.millrose.com Monahan Filaments.............................................. 27 www.monahanfilaments.com Paggin.................................................................. 15 www.paggin.it Perlon/Hahl............................................. Back Cover www.perlon.com PMM..................................................................... 11 www.pmmbrightline.com Royal Paint Roller Mfg. Corp.................................. 37 Schaefer Brush..................................................... 38 www.schaeferbrush.com St. Nick Brush Co.................................................. 23 www.stnickbrush.com Stainless Steel...................................................... 04 www.stainlesswires.com Young & Swartz, Inc.............................................. 47 www.youngandswartz.com
48 | www.brushwaremag.com
Great Results Start with Great Materials
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