The drycleaning industry may not have a multi-million-dollar advertising and promotion budget, but it does have millions of opportunities every day to promote itself to the public. A few hundred thousand of those go by every time a customer leaves the store carrying a finished order. A polybag hanging in a car window might as well be a message touting the benefits of professional garment care.
Thousands more travel the highways and biways in the form of trucks -- some on their way to pick up or deliver customers' clothes, others on their way to distribute supplies from warehouses to cleaning plants.
Over the years, the industry has been exhorted to take advantage of these opportunities. Some cleaners and suppliers have done so, but not, to date at least, on a massive scale. Most recently, it has been Bill Bogus, president of Textile Restoration Services in Maryland, who has been urging the industry to use its built in public relations clout to firm up its image with the public. This has been a response, in part, to the massive advertising campaign by Procter and Gamble and other purveyors of kits touted on billboards, newspaper ads and television spots as a way to care for dryclean-only garments at home.
As Bogus notes in an article in this month's National Clothesline, "What home drycleaning does not mention in television ads, nor anywhere else, are the words: 'Satisfaction guaranteed.' They don't because they can't. Drycleaners do, because they accept responsibility."
Among the first to answer Bogus's call for the industry to raise its voice was Amato Industries of Silver Spring, MD. The Washington DC area drycleaning and laundry supplier has been displaying the message: "We've Been to Your Dry Cleaner this Week. Have You?" on its delivery trucks. The company reckons that more than 25,000 DC-area motorists see the message each day.
Additional messages and illustration will be placed on the trucks in the coming year as Amato urges everyone to visit their drycleaner regularly.
Joseph Amato, president of Amato Industries, said, "We will do everything we can to promote the consumer's use of our valued customers, the Washington area drycleaning and laundry industry."
"Just like any other product, the general public needs to see the promotion and be reminded that drycleaning is the way to preserve their valuable clothing and look good every day, even those clothes that we call casual or dress down, are for the most part, designer labels that require special care.
"It's a win-win situation and we will be doing all e can to bring the point home to the consumer."
Amato has participated in many promotional programs in its more than 70 years of service in the Washington area. The company also backs the industry through its support of the International Fabricare Institute, the Korean American Drycleaners Association and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Cleaners.
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Texas Rep. Joe Barton reaffirms his commitment to his Small Business Remediation Act. which would help the industry out of its site cleanup logjam in a visit to the SDA trade show in Forth Worth in March. Wearing a blue baseball cap, he is pictured with, from left, Andy Stanley, SDA executive director, Sam Choi IFI vice president of Asian Affairs, Pat Williams, IFI vice president of legislative affairs, and Shirley Reichstadt, SDA president. |
Texas Rep. Joe Barton, in an open letter to the industry, reaffirmed that his Small Business Remediation Act "continues to be a top legislative priority for me" and outlined the strategy he envisions for gaining relief for the drycleaning industry from unnecessarily rigid cleanup standards.
Barton also attended the Southwest Drycleaners Association exhibit in Fort Worth last month where he visited with cleaners and exhibitors on the floor and reiterated his support for the industry.
"The bottom line is that I am very much committed to pursuing relief for the drycleaning industry," Barton said. "Establishment of a common-sense clean-ups standard for drycleaning solvent in soils is possible and I will not stop until we have succeeded."
Barton outlined several approaches to achieve this goal. Through legislation, either as part of Superfund reform, the stand-alone small Business Remediation Act (HR 2726) or by including language in EPA's FY 2001 appropriations bill.
Barton acknowledged that the stand-alone HR 2726, which he introduced last summer, faces an "uphill battle" in this election year. Nevertheless, he wants to keep this option open. Barton currently has 48 cosponsors on the bill.
He also suggested that the drycleaning provisions of his legislation could be inserted into another, unspecified "smaller Superfund bill that begins to move."
An administrative remedy is also a possibility. Discussions among Barton, industry representatives and EPA officials have taken place.
"High level EPA officials continue to tell me an administrative solution is possible," Barton said, but added that efforts to achieve one have been frustrated thus far.
The International Fabricare Institute sounded a similar note on that score. Reform initiatives that would provide relief to cleaners from third-party liability claims were discussed in a recent meeting with EPA officials, IFI said, but the outcome of the meeting was "disappointing."
However, IFI and EPA did agree to continue discussions, working together to develop regulations that would be mutually acceptable," IFI said. Barton's assistance, IFI added, "has facilitated a working relationship between the agency and IFI."
IFI said it has "strongly advocated regulatory language that would ensure protection for innocent landlords, protection for drycleaners from innocent landlords and consideration of EPA's soil screening guidance that presume that actual -- not potential -- use of groundwater."
In his letter Barton noted the slow pace of action in Washington, but added that "I am convinced that we are closer than ever to a solution to the costly and needless clean-up levels facing the nation's drycleaners."
Now that the Internet has significantly changed the way many households purchase garments (see accompanying article) web-based drycleaners and laundry delivery services are popping up faster than you can say dot-com.
Whether or not these e-drycleaning businesses will prove to be successful is yet to be determined, but the trend certainly reflects the public's growing desire for a higher level of convenience.
The diverse scope of these new Internet business ventures ranges considerably. On one end of the www spectrum are companies that specialize in transporting laundry to and from cleaning facilities for customers.
For example, Luxury Laundry Services, Inc. located in Omaha, NE (www.luxurylaundry.com) hopes to offer customers less hassle and more time by charging a flat delivery fee to transport clothes back and forth to the customer's drycleaning plant of choice.
Another company, 1-800-DryClean (www.1800dryclean.com) is offering franchise opportunities for those interested in providing drycleaning delivery service. Customers can call (800) DryClean or visit the website, and, after providing their zip code, the service directs them to the closest 1-800-DryClean delivery service franchisee.
However, many companies feel that providing the same luxury of pick-up and delivery can be obtained without a go-between delivery service.
Such businesses subscribe to the belief that the entire drycleaning experience, from pick-up to fabricare to delivery, can be accessed with the click of a mouse: Point... Click... Dryclean.
With the success of web-based companies such as Webvan (www.webvan.com) -- a full-service online grocer and drugstore based in the San Francisco Bay area -- several online drycleaning businesses have taken a page out of the same book and are currently in the development stage.
PurpleTie.com (www.purpletie.com), led by Payam Zamani, co-founder and former CEO of Autoweb.com -- a website which links car shoppers to more than 200 dealerships in the U.S. -- has announced plans to begin its drycleaning and laundry service on the Internet this summer.
Zamani has assembled a team of managers and advisors that include backgrounds with UPS, Visa USA, Coca Cola, Microsoft, XOOM.com and GE Capital.
"This is a very large, but highly fragmented and inefficient industry that is not moving with the times," said Zamani in a press release. "We wanted to change an industry that needs changing."
The company, which is headquartered in the outskirts of Silicon Valley, CA, will initially target the Bay Area with a Manteca facility.
Within three years, PurpleTie.com seeks to spend $400 million and expand to nationwide service.
PurpleTie.com aims to combine advanced, automated and environmentally safe technology with a free, localized pick-up and delivery system that promises a 24-hour turnaround.
Currently, the company's $20-million drycleaning facility in Manteca is in the hiring process for approximately 200 people, including positions for truck drivers, laundry cleaners and some management positions.
SpinCycle hits the web
SpinCycle, Inc., one of the nation's leading chain of coin-operated laundry facilities, is also introducing a web-based laundry service in Miami, FL and Houston, TX.
Referred to as Total Laundry Care, SpinCycle, Inc. will offer consumers the chance to visit their website (www.e-wash.net) and choose to have their laundry, whether it is everyday or dryclean-only clothing, picked-up and delivered directly to their home.
"We believe that given the option, most consumers will choose no to do their laundry, but rather call us to have it done for them," said Peter Ax, SpinCycle's CEO and chairman.
Total Laundry Care will include: sorting, washing, drying and folding using "name brand detergents and softeners by well-trained attendants." The service also promises not to combine laundry orders.
SpinCycle currently owns and operates 16 coin laundries in Miami, and operates over 170 large format stores in the U.S.
An "e-bay" for cleaners
Not every new web-based company has set its sights solely on drycleaning customers -- cleaners.bid.com (www.cleanersbid.com) is attempting to be the "e-bay" of drycleaning equipment for fabric care specialists.
Based out of Houston, Texas, cleaners.bid.com hopes to find success by offering to drycleaners an online auction service that is presently offering hundreds of pieces of drycleaning equipment daily on its home page. The site also auctions parts for drycleaning equipment.
"We want to make shopping convenient," said Arif Mawji, president of cleanersbid.com. "You can come to the site and save money."
The rules for the auction are posted on the site: "The highest bid wins: within 24 hours of placing your bid, you will be alerted via e-mail as to whether or not you bid has been accepted."
Site visitors can register and earn "cleanersbid points" for each auction purchase. Cleanersbid points can be used for future discounts on auction purchases.
Currently, cleanersbid.com is auctioning items from its distributor, Cleaner's Depot Equipment, Co., but the company is already planning to offer site visitors the opportunity to auction their drycleaning parts and equipment through them.
In addition to providing equipment auctions, cleanersbid.com also includes features such as industry analysis and a drycleaner's forum.
More drycleaning online
Consumers looking for drycleaners near their home will soon be able to find them online by simply typing in their zip code on an online search engine.
The Tailored Apparel, Jewelry and Accessories Council (TAJAC), a coalition of 11 major trade associations whose members include the American Apparel Manufacturers Association, the International Fabricare Institute, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association and the Textile Care Allied Trades Association, is currently working on its website, www.itstimetogetdressed.com.
TAJAC's website will offer a step-by-step process for consumers, helping them with everything from deciding what clothing to wear, to finding out where to purchase, to drycleaning it.
Another website that will link consumers to drycleaners will be www.mydrycleaner.com, a web page being developed by Westgate Plaza, the Salt Lake City-based company that provides software and systems to the drycleaning industry.
The website has designs to suit the needs of drycleaners and customers. Store owners will be able to privately check information about their plant from their home computer and compare their store to the rest of the industry.
Customers will be able to find a cleaner in their area or track the progress of their garments that are undergoing the drycleaning process .
MyDrycleaner.com will also have general information on garment care, government regulations and separate forums for drycleaners and customers.
News, links, etc.
Though not everyone is convinced that e-drycleaning is the wave of the future, the Internet has already proven to be a valuable source for cleaners.
Industry news can be found at the National Clothesline site, www.natclo.com, which contains an archive of past issues published during the current year.
In addition, most industry associations already have an informational website for members (go to www.natclo.com and click on "Industry Links" for a comprehensive listing).
Perhaps the most resourceful online tool for cleaners is the fabricare forum, which allows drycleaners everywhere to discuss a wide variety of industry issues and problems via the Internet. To join the forum, send a requesting to be added to the forum by e-mail to fabricare@egroups.com . The forum is free to anyone active in the industry.
Consumers are turning to the Internet in greater numbers for apparel purchases and the demographics of on-line consumers is changing rapidly, according to a study by Ernst & Young.
About 17 percent of U.S. households, or 39 million people, are currently shopping on-line, the firm's Global Online Retailing study found. Of those cybershoppers, 46 percent purchased apparel last year compared to 21 percent who did so in 1998.
Women's apparel was the eighth most popular category of on-line purchases in 1999, compared to just a "blip on the screen" for that category in 1998. Men's wear and children's wear tied for 12th place on the list.
The growth of apparel purchases is indicative of the changing profile of cybershoppers.
"Until a year or so ago, the on-line demographic (of shoppers) was very different from the off-line demographic," according to Stephanie Shern, vice chairman and global director of retail and consumer product markets at Ernst & Young.
The third annual study discovered a drastic shift in Internet shopping. "The online shopper became more mainstream and was no longer dominated by geeky males in their 20s," Shern said.
Shern presented the findings during a program on internet retailing at the recent National Retail Federation convention. The study was based on a survey of 3,000 consumers and 38 Internet retailers.
In 1999 the typical U.S. cybershopper, according to the survey, was 41 years old, just as likely to be female as male, and had an annual household income of $59,000.
"To say that the Internet market is changing would be an understatement," Shern said.
The arrival of "mainstream" Internet shoppers boosted some familiar names of the brick-and-mortar retailing world into the Top 10 of the most-visited e-commerce sites in 1999.
J.C. Penney (www.jcpenney.com) placed sixth on the list with visits from 15 percent of the cybershoppers. Disney (www.disney.com) was eighth, Wal-Mart (www.wal-mart.com) was ninth and QVC (www.qvc.com) was 10th.
The list was headed by two booksellers -- Amazon (www.amazon.com) and Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com). More than half of all cybershoppers paid at least one visit to Amazon in 1999, according to the Ernst & Young study.
Shern expects the growth trend to continue, fueled by the launch of more e-commerce sites by fashion players.
"We will probably see around 25 percent of the apparel brands go online this year, based on the companies we're now consulting with on Web site strategy and development," Shern estimated.
"In 1999, some of these companies weren't sure the Internet was an important channel," she added. Now they realize they have to look at it."
After New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney called for a federal study to examine a potential links between drycleaning and breast cancer, the International Fabricare Institute set up a meeting to discuss the issue with the Democratic representative.
Maloney's interest grew out of the release last fall of a breast cancer study by the Silent Spring Institute. IFI cited serious flaws in the study at the time.
Meeting with Maloney were Bill Fisher, IFI's CEO; Pat Williams, IFI's government affairs vice president; and Steve risotto, director of the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance.
IFI suggested that any study should ensure that any scientific review is thorough and complete and does not have an inherent bias against drycleaning. IFI also said a study should "strike any unsubstantiated statement alleging links between drycleaning solvents and breast cancer because they foster unfair prejudice against the industry."
Maloney told IFI and HSIA representatives that she is willing to have the study to look at other issues related to breast cancer.
She also noted that she has more than 300 drycleaners in her New York district and was concerned about the economic hardship that new regulations would place on them.
She also noted that the meeting was her first with a cleaning industry trade group and that she is willing to work with industry representatives on these economic issues.
Dick Van Dyne, former CEO of Adco Inc., died at the age of 85 on Feb. 22.
He was a son of John R. Van Dyne, who founded Adco (American Disinfecting Co.) in Sedalia, MO, in 1908, and Vivia D. Van Dyne, who managed the company for many years.
When John Van Dyne died in 1916, his wife, Vivia, and their eldest son, Clifford, took over operations of the firm. When Clifford entered the armed forces in World War I, Vivia took charge of the company. Clifford returned after the war to manage the company until his death in 1930.
Under the direction of Vivia D. Van Dyne as president and chairman of the board, Adco experienced constant growth in the thirties, forties and fifties and she maintained an active role in the company well into her 80s.
Three other Van Dyne offspring contributed to Adco's growth during those years, too, after they completed college and joined the family business.
Charles M. joined the company in 1926, John R. Jr., in 1931 and Dick in 1934, and, except for stints in World War II, all three were active in company and sales management.
In the ensuing years, Adco introduced a synthetic batch soap and moisture carrier and, after introducing its charge soaps in the late 1940s began developing a national sales force.
In 1951, all three Van Dyne brothers were elected executive vice presidents of the company.
Upon Charles' death, John R. and Dick worked together as Vice presidents until John R. retired on January 1, 1981. Dick then served as CEO from 1981 through 1994 at which time he became chairman emeritus of the Adco board of directors.
At that time, Clifford Van Dyne's son, John D. "Jack" Van Dyne, became president and chief executive officer. He retired at the end of 1996 and Charles' son, Van Van Dyne, took over as President and CEO.
The company continues as family owned and operated to this day.
Cleaning technologies
Here is my assessment of where we stand with regard to current cleaning systems, from solvent-based to the newest, most exotic technologies.
1.Perchloroethylene. Although the users of perc have achieved significant reductions in perc usage compared to the early 1980s (due in large part to the adoption of fourth- and fifth-generation machines), there is not much chance that additional, significant drops in perc use will follow.
I also think that perc producers themselves will announce new rounds of testing, in an attempt to resolve the health-related issues. Perc will remain the most highly regulated cleaning solvent, at least in the short term.
2.Petroleum. Although not as trouble-free as some of its proponents claim, petroleum does pose a lower risk of creating a serious contamination problem.
One downside, however, is that some petroleum cleaners report problems with residual odors in clothing as well as other operational problems. There does seem to be increased interest in using petroleum due to the higher flash point solvents that are on the market. Petroleum appears to be in use in many new locations.
3.Wetcleaning. At this time, there are not very many wetclean-only plants in operation. A number of cleaners are, however, using it as an adjunct process.
Beware of proponents who tell you that it is easy to wetclean 100 percent of the garments coming through the door. Research conducted by IFI found that up to 40 percent of garments can be wetcleaned quite readily.
With a serious commitment to proper training, you can wetclean from 60 to 80 percent of all garments. To reach levels approaching 90 percent, a wetcleaner must make an extraordinary commitment to refining his or her skills.
Additionally, the question of how the regulatory authorities will address wetcleaning wastewater has not been satisfactorily resolved.
4.Rynex/Glycol Ethers. IFI staff has visited a plant in Connecticut that uses this solvent, and initial reports are encouraging. To date, there are no scientific data on shrinkage, color loss or other issues. Because it has a flash point of 203 degrees F, it is not officially approved for use in perc machines.
5. Carbon Dioxide. There has been considerable discussion of CO2 since Micell Technologies launched its marketing campaign last year. It's our understanding that an investment of $160,000 is required to obtain a 40-50 lb. machine, which, by the way, you cannot purchase alone.
Micell's strategy is to "sell" this technology as part of a franchise package that includes equipment for the entire plant, as well as other fees that, when totaled, will approach $1 million. Perhaps even more disconcertingly, Micell has shown a decided unwillingness to be "part" of our industry. I base my viewpoint on Micell's strategy of attracting outside investors.
6. Methyl siloxane. It may have more potential to become a viable alternative to perc or petroleum, but because so little is known, it is impossible to hazard a guess. There are some issues with methyl siloxanes that need to be resolved, and IFI's view is that these should be quickly and openly addressed.
A five-year projection
Here is my outlook on the near-term future of the following cleaning processes:
Perc operations: Slight decrease.
Petroleum operations: Slight increase.
Wetcleaning some garments: Large increase.
Wetcleaning most/all garments: Very few
Carbon dioxide: Some new plants.
Methyl siloxanes: Possible significant use?
Rynex/glycol ethers: Who knows?
Critical criteria
From my perspective, here are the key attributes that must be part and parcel of any process that wants to become the industry standard:
1. Will not create future contamination.
2. Has no known or expected health issues.
3. Has financially realistic capital costs.
4. Has realistic and affordable labor and operating costs.
5. Will readily clean garments that are efficiently processed with current drycleaning systems.
Threats to the industry
Our industry faces threats from several directions: consumer preferences and trends, economic issues, government directives, and our own short-sighted policies and practices.
Changing consumer. First, consumer preferences and societal trends. You know, on my travels to meet with grassroots cleaners around the country, I continue to hear about this study or that company policy signaling that the days of casual dressing are numbered. In fact, there are no signs of any significant return to more formal dressing.
Overall, I believe that casual dressing and products such as Dryel will continue to limit the number of garments available to drycleaners for processing. In other words, the pool of garments available for cleaning has shrunk, and I don't see that trend reversing soon.
The economy, which is booming for so many sectors, is not really helping cleaners. Labor markets are their tightest in 30 years, thus driving up the cost of labor. National unemployment rates of 4 percent enable entry-level workers to have job choices. We need to differentiate ourselves from other employers of low-skilled workers by emphasizing our positives (such as flexible working hours).
Government regulations. New government regulations would pose additional hardships. In the United States, a new exposure standard for perc could come about in two to three years. Labor unions are pushing a standard of 3 ppm.
Over at the U.S. EPA, there are officials who, by their words and deeds, believe that any cleaning process is preferable to perc. And don't underestimate local and state governments that may push for a total ban on perc in their jurisdictions.
The FTC is close to issuing a care label rule that will mandate "wash" instructions on any garment that can be washed. The EPA's Design for the Environment program has encouraged this change. It is, however, strongly opposed by garment manufacturers.
Given this backdrop, it's easy to see that the industry is susceptible to "snake-oil salesmen" who will tell you anything to promote their brand of cleaning system or solvent. And you can expect attacks on perc and petroleum from some of the manufacturers and users of alternative processes. In fact, despite their pledge not to, Micell Technologies has repeatedly referred to perc as a "probable human carcinogen."
Industry issue. Finally, there are industry-related issues that pose threats to our livelihoods. Given the shrinking pool of garments, many observers believe that the industry is overstored. With the recent emergence of new operators such as Zoots, even more plants are entering the market.
Franchise operators who target the "one-price drycleaning" niche are sparking localized price wars, and the established cleaners who are dropping their prices to regain or retain market share are sacrificing profitability, even as they are processing fewer garments.
Operators who are losing money and processing fewer garments are unlikely to survive for long, and history shows such a strategy is futile.
In the 33 years that I have been involved in this industry, I believe quality is probably at an all-time low in a majority of plants.
What I am talking about? How about distillation frequency, use of sizing, adequate detergent levels, and basic stain removal. Are customers willing to pay "full" price for poor quality? They will quickly see that such service has no value -- and move on to the discount cleaners. And that is happening now, to some extent.
Solutions to our problems
Drycleaning is nothing if not a service industry. Today, we provide notoriously poor service. Here is an example: Most of us can identify a 24-hour supermarket, drugstore, and gas station in our communities. How many of us know of a 24-hour drycleaner?
These issues played perfectly into the hands of Procter & Gamble. Why?
We may not like to hear it, but it needs to be said nevertheless: P&G's consumer research obviously found some degree of consumer dissatisfaction with drycleaners. And that is our own fault.
Here's what I mean.
You only need to look at P&G's advertising copy to know they intend to capitalize on our weaknesses. For example, IFI senior staff reviewed Dryel TV spots before they ever aired. All seven spots used the same tag line, which referred to the "hassles of drycleaning." Could they be referencing a general lack of convenience (such as with store hours)? You bet they are!
These are the kinds of issues we have the power to address. My point is, should we run our service businesses for our convenience, or for the convenience of our customers?
Getting back to the casual dress trend, if we look at any number of white-collar workplaces and even white table cloth restaurants we can see that relaxation in dress requirements may, if anything, become even more widespread.
That begs the question: Who is setting a good example for appropriate dress standards? Is it you, the drycleaning professional?
Here is a question each person in the industry should ponder: If you are not actually cleaning or finishing garments on a daily basis, how can you justify not wearing at least a coat and tie every day to work? What kind of messages are we sending to our customers, our employees, and to the general public?
There is an ancient Chinese proverb, "May you live in interesting times." It carries an implied warning that applies to drycleaning today.
As cleaning professionals, we do indeed live in interesting times. And it's high time to think about new ways of running our businesses.
What Miss Piggy started is the nucleus of a major international styling trend.
Styles change. To meet the styling needs, the materials used to create the latest fashions must also change. Rarely, however, has leather or suede been changed to meet the style.
The most recent instance of this was a decade ago when the Indiana Jones Bomber Jacket style became popular. Now that this style has faded away, leather and suede tanners and garment manufacturers are looking in a new direction.
Bonding leather or suede to fabric is the latest "look," and judging from what we see here in the U.S., and throughout the world, it soon will be the craze. Major garment houses, including DKNY, already are producing these pieces.
Background
In 1999 our research and development facility began receiving samples of bonded leathers for after-care testing. The first samples were bonded grain pigment finished pigskin with nylon stretch material bonded -- by adhesives -- to the leather.
Garment manufacturers were concerned with the durability of the bonding adhesives in regard to cleaning procedures. And well they should have been.
Results
Any type of solvent cleaning will damage the adhesive bond between the leather and the backing material. Once the adhesive is dissolved by solvent, distortion of the leather quickly occurs.
While neither the leather nor the backing material is directly damaged, the garment shape and appearance is. Severely wrinkled distortion, however, does occur.
Attempts to press the leather flat and smooth are thwarted by the residual adhesive which tends to grab the leather into clumps. Tearing of the skins occurs where efforts are undertaken to peel the misshapen skin from the backing fabric in any effort to restore original appearance.
On a recent trip to Japan, we tested more bonded pig suede. Here, acrylic fleece was bonded to the skins, with the acrylic acting as lining material. The effect was that of a fake or faux shearling, using inexpensive pig suede to create the look of expensive suede shearlings.
Pigs with wigs!
Solvent tests of this material created separation of the two materials through the removal and redistribution of the solvent's action on the adhesive.
Adhesive or glue stains were highly visible on the suede surface, in all seams, and distortion or shifting of the bonded materials again occurred.
At the same time, tests conducted using one of the Suede-Life "Clean & Green" processes safely and efficiently produced excellent results on these new products. So there existed a method for safe handling.
Conclusions
Why bond the leather or suede to a lining?
The answer is surprisingly simple. It is very cost effective. Here you cut only one pattern, not two, as would be the case where you were making a regular pig suede garment with a separate acrylic lining.
Sewing is minimized for the same one-piece reasoning. Manufacturers will save considerable labor expense
Comparatively, inexpensive pig suede and acrylic can be used to produce a garment look that replicates that of very expensive shearlings.
In the case of DKNY's products we've seen sheep suede bonded to polyester fabric. The look that of a faux shearling.
Solvent cleaning (perchloroethylene and/or petroleum, aka hydrocarbon) must be avoided!
Proper wetcleaning procedures are the only method known that can used to process these new pieces.
Robert Stewart is president of Kirk's Suede-Life Inc. based in Chicago, IL. He can be reached at (312) 733-6611. The company's web site is www.suedelife.com.In this space last month we passed along a letter from a potential drycleaner named David who asked some basic and pertinent questions about the industry. Before jumping into the business, David wanted to know if the industry has a "bright future." He was curious as to whether Americans have drastically changed the way they dress for work and pleasure and how those changes have affected the drycleaning business. Has There been a turn-down in the industry? Have we become a wash-and-wear society?
We asked readers to help us answer David's questions. Several sent replies and they are still coming in, so we are gathering them for a report in next month's issue. Anyone who wants to get their two cents worth in still has time. Just send us your thoughts and note that they are your "answers to David."
If you are looking for some food for those thoughts, we recommend to you the article by IFI CEO Bill Fisher which begins on page 22 of this issue. While most people in the industry probably have some fairly well formed opinions on the issues that David raised, we think Fisher has done an excellent job of encapsulating the major issues confronting the industry today. If we were to answer David's queries based on that article, we would have to say that the future of the industry is not necessarily "bright." Instead we would say that we face serious challenges and some outright threats to our well being, but for the intelligent and resourceful operator there is opportunity in those challenges.
Some may ponder David's questions, the state of the industry and Fisher's article and conclude that there is no hope for this industry. Those people would be right -- for themselves. Perhaps for them, and for the rest of us, it would be best if they made their escape and clear the road for others, both current and future industry members, who want to tackle the challenges and changes of today and build a bigger, stronger industry for the future.
So our short answer to David's first question (with the longer one yet to come), is "Yes. There is a bright future for the industry... if you are willing to work hard, be creative, adapt to change and, perhaps most important, ask the right questions. David, you sound like our kind of guy."
For those of us who use the Internet on a daily basis, there is little question that it is an invaluable time saver. Do you need to know the weather? Click. Do you need to know driving directions? Click. Do you need to know stock reports, sports scores, traffic conditions? Click, click, click.
The possibilities are endless and it is only a matter of time before all industries will be affected by the Internet's marketing potential. Drycleaning is already well on its way (see the article on page one).
Does that mean that there may come a day when there is no room for the old-fashioned mom-and-pop operation down the street? Of course not. A smiling counter person makes a greater impact than a sleekly-designed web page.
However, more and more drycleaners are going to have to focus on superior quality if they want to survive. It is already happening -- a person can go online, type up a drycleaning order and wait for the delivery person to come pick up their garments. For a society of people who are increasingly seeking convenience, that sounds just fine. But, an important question to ask is: what happens when the delivery person returns the garments?
Will consumers still prefer convenience if quality is lacking? No way. Bet on quality over convenience, every time. After all, quality is the actual driving force behind the whole industry. Professionals need to project a strong image and the quality drycleaners are the ones who help them do that. Of course, professionals wouldn't mind saving some precious time, either.
So, why gamble? If two companies offer the same level of quality, but one is more convenient...well, many drivers prefer gas stations on the right of the street because they offer quicker and easier access. People will always want the best of both worlds. If you have already achieved an excellent level of quality, then the next step is to ask yourself: how can I make my plant more accessible to my customers?
Plotting for the future is not done in leaps and bounds. It is done day to day, one day at a time.
What we do now will be revealed in the future. For those who procrastinate, the future will reveal the passing of time and nothing more.
Years ago, drycleaning came into existence by accident, not by invention. However, people during that time recognized the merit of that accident and immediately perceived the possibilities. They were hungry for new ideas and better methods of cleaning outer clothes. From the beginning invention, innovation and hard work took hold of this accident, making it a strong and necessary industry -- drycleaning.
What our predecessors had accomplished gave us a field of opportunities. Business was real good, and good times kept rolling. Cleaning plants sprouted everywhere -- more than were needed. Prosperity brought on competition; the battle for volume became open warfare.
For many, discounting was the means for survival. Price-cutting became razor sharp, and quality lost its edge. We seem to have forgotten on what premise the drycleaning industry was established. Consumers still know: It was established on good work, known as quality.
Even today we should ask, "Are we fulfilling the essential needs that our customers want, or have we become less essential?"
If the latter is not true, then what are we doing now that makes drycleaning more essential?
Serious-minded drycleaners in for the long haul believe in doing the kind of work that pleases customers. They believe the road to success has to be paved with good innovations and good ideas. Thomas Edison had a good idea that became a bright idea when he invented the light bulb. Adon J. Hoffman, a pants presser, had a good idea that revolutionized pressing and garment finishing.
Some people believe that all good things needed for better living have already been invented. This kind of thinking probably is why we are now being bombarded with goofy, useless, non-essential junk. People are buying, but they can't explain why. As they say in the advertising business, "if you can fake sincerity, you can sell most anything."
Highly promoted drycleaning-in-a-bag by super giants is done with smoke and mirror advertisements. What the consumer gets is all smoke. When looking at themselves in the mirror, they see themselves as being "taken."
How can drycleaners expose such fakery? They can't by doing battle with the mega-buck giants. The giants are big and have lots of money to spend on advertising. How many mom-and-pop drycleaners made the Fortune 500 List? Nary a one that I know of.
However, there is something we can do. First, we come out with a strong, honest message focused on consumers, telling them the benefits of drycleaning and the good things we do.
We don't need to fake the truth as long as we provide good services. In the drycleaning industry, drycleaners and customers see eye-to-eye and face-to-face. In this communicative mode, honesty prevails. Fakery doesn't have a chance.
Mom-and-pop and other small businesses are local. They are community oriented. When something needs to be fixed or drycleaned, people go to small businesses for help, not to the super giants. This is what makes small businesses and mom-and-pop drycleaners necessary. And this is the reason why small businesses, especially drycleaners, let themselves be known in the community for the benefits they can provide.
What home drycleaning does not mention in television ads, nor anywhere else, are the words: "Satisfaction guaranteed." They don't, because they can't. Drycleaners do, because they accept responsibility.
As of late, a number of drycleaning suppliers have started putting on their trucks a meaningful message giving merit to drycleaning. National Clothesline will print photographs from suppliers who are participating in the drycleaning promotion program.
Messages for the program will be at the discretion of all participants. All drycleaners are encouraged to get involved. We need the support of everyone. We don't need to grab the tiger by the tail. All we've got to do is chase him out of the yard.
The national media will give attention to our message only when it is energized by thunder and lightning and not by a little ol' lightning bug. In a common venture we can gain more by sharing than by fighting.
Here are some messages you may adapt to enlighten your thinking:
Dryclean for good appearance.
Drycleaned clothes last longer.
Drycleaning chases dirt.
New lasts longer when drycleaned
Dirty clothes need drycleaning.
A thought to be remembered: The art of not speaking out is not difficult to master.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.Many people in the industry allocate cost based on the revenue generated, but in most cases revenue has little or nothing to do with your cost.
This practice has led to a pricing structure that virtually ignores the relationship between what it costs to process a garment and the price charged to perform the service.
First take a plant charging $1.50 per laundered shirt, $4 for a pair of pants, making a 25 percent profit. Now we'll compare total costs to produce an order of four shirts versus four pairs of pants.
If we allocate cost based on revenue, our cost to produce the shirts would be 75 percent of $1.50, or $1.125 each, and the cost to produce a pair of pants would be 75 percent of $4, or $3.
Total cost for all eight pieces would be $16.50 with the four shirts costing $4.50 and the pants $12.
Now let's look at it from a different angle. Lets compare the difference in processing costs between the two orders, starting with labor costs.
It takes just as long to write up four shirts and four pairs of pants, so incoming customer service for both orders will be equal.
Tagging time will actually favor the four pieces of drycleaning, but the time savings would be minimal, so we will ignore it.
Washing and preparing the shirts to be pressed will take about 20 seconds each, which translates into 16 cents.
Cleaning and spotting four pairs of pants should take no more than 1 minute each, or 4 minutes total. At 15 cents per minute that works out to 60 cents.
The net cost savings here is about 44 cents.
Finishing time for pants and shirts should be about equal if you are using a topper/legger and a single or double buck. Inspection, assembly, bagging, filing and outgoing customer service should also be equal. So the total difference in labor cost between the two orders is 44 cents.
Pants hangers cost about 3 cents more than shirt hangers. Other than that each, order will require the same packaging supplies. This makes the supply cost difference 12 cents.
We'll allow an extra 10 cents per pair of pants for rent because drycleaning production areas consume more floor space than a shirt laundry producing the same number of pieces.
This will add another 40 cents to our cost to produce the pants.
No cost differential will be made for utilities because shirt units require higher operating pressures and consume the bulk of water and energy needed to produce hot water. Other cost differences will be minimal.
In total the four pair of pants cost us about 96 cents more than the four shirts. Total cost to produce these items was $16.50.
The pants cost us 96 cents more than the shirts to produce, so we'll take the $16.50, subtract 96 cents and the total is $15.54.
If our calculations are correct, the four shirts cost $7.77, or $1.94 each. The four pants cost $8.73 ($7.77 + $.96), or $2.18 each.
If it cost us $1.94 to produce a laundered shirt, what do we hope to accomplish by selling it for $1.50?
While cost allocation is an inexact science and no single model can accurately tell the whole story, it is clear that many drycleaners need to re-think their cost allocation methods. Finding better ways to allocate costs will provide new opportunities to those who are willing to open their minds to better cost allocation methods.
Bill Bohannon is the owner of Hollin Hall Cleaners in Alexandria, VA. He can be reached by phone at (703) 765-5518 or e-mail at bohannon@tidalwave.net.It has been two years since I retired at an early age from this industry. In my case, I am a second generation family member and now my company is owned by my children, who represent the third generation.
Our company has been very successful over the years and is over 70 years old. Personally, I spent almost 40 years in the business.
Over the years, I made time to become involved with cost groups, as well as holding senior positions in other associations. When I retired, it was my hope to assist many other operators with the knowledge and expertise I learned over the years. Therefore, I became a laundry and drycleaning consultant. My only expectations were to be compensated for my time and ability to convey my knowledge in helping other drycleaners and launderers help themselves.
I did all the right things by advertising, and letting those in the industry know that I was available. What I found out was that most people in the industry would not spend a dime to help themselves. The wealth of knowledge that I, and others, possess could help many to improve their operations, save money, and improve the profit for the company. However, they cannot see the forest for the trees.
In one case, I prevented a hotel from many costly mistakes and saved them many thousands of dollars in building a new laundry; in another case I saved a laundry operation a minimum of $25,000 dollars a year in improving their production.
Recently, I got a call from one drycleaning operator in San Francisco who complained that she could not make any money as a result of coupon competition. Even after I said that I could help her evaluate her operation and her ability to set her operation apart from the competition, she was reluctant to spend any money to accomplish this.
This type of thinking has to stop if there are to be more successful operators in the industry. We all need help from time to time, whether it is from a consultant or from a cost group made up of similar operations. I hope that those reading this letter will think again about the lack of investment in their own business
Sidney Chelsky, President
Careful Consulting Services
Toronto, Ontario
Courses are available at the International Fabricare Institute in a variety of subjects on an ongoing basis. The educational facilities at IFI include 16 stain removal boards, various types of presses, perc and petroleum cleaning machines and a wetcleaning machine.
All classes feature hands-on training and classroom work.
Drycleaning Processes and Equipment. This course covers operation of perc and petroleum systems, understanding textiles and drycleaning, simplifying classification, improving filtration and distillation, management solvent, detergent and moisture, learning about drying and vapor recovery, troubleshooting drycleaning machines and streamlining invoicing and tagging.
Dates: April 13-14; May 11-12; July 10-11; August 17-18; September 14-15; October 9-10; November 9-10.
Cost: $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.
Stain Removal. Students gain an understanding of textiles and stain removal and learn how to organize stain removal tools and equipment, simplify stain removal agents, improve stain removal procedures, modify the use of bleaches and manage stain removal and specialty fabrics.
Dates: April 10-12; May 8-10; June 12-14 ; July 12-14; August 14-16; September 11-13; October 11-13; November 6-8.
Cost: $299 for IFI members and $449 for non-members.
Finishing. The course covers quality finishing points, finishing procedures, special finishing tools, basic techniques for skirts, pants, coats, blouses and dresses, specialty items like pleats, velvets and pile fabrics and effective packaging.
Dates: April 17-18; May 15-16; June 15-16; July 17-18; August 21-22; September 18-19; October 16-17; November 13-14.
Cost: $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.
Shirts. The course covers invoicing and tagging, inspection and classification, removal of common stains, effective wash formulas, solving problems and finishing.
Dates: July 19; October 18.
Cost: $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.
Wetcleaning. The course will cover removing stains, understanding bleach baths, understanding wetcleaning equipment, handling special items and master wetcleaning and finishing techniques.
Dates: July 20-21; October 19-20.
Cost: $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.
Wedding Gowns. Students will gain an understanding of fibers and fabrics specific to wedding gowns, inspection procedures, cleaning and restoration and finishing techniques, effective packaging and marketing.
Dates: July 24; October 23.
Cost: $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.
Business Practices, Students will learn to organize inventory control, simplify business analysis, build employee teams, motivate employees, develop effective advertising and streamline plant layout.
Dates: July 25-26; October 24-25.
Cost: $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.
Legislation. The course will cover care label rules, OSHA and EPA regulations and soil and groundwater contamination.
Dates: July 27; October 26.
Cost: $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.
Customer Service. The course will cover customer expectations and attitudes, managing potential cleaning problems, customer interaction and handling difficult situations.
Dates: July 28; October 27.
Cost: $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.
In addition to registering for individual classes, students can also register for a full week ($450 for IFI members, $695 for non-members) or the complete three-week cycle ($1,250 for IFI members, $1,995 for non-members). The full three-week cycle will be offered two more times in 2000 beginning July 10 and October 9.
Those who complete all nine courses will receive a "General Drycleaning Course Certificate" that indicates knowledge of professional drycleaning standards and practices.
A non-refundable deposit of 10 percent is required with the application and the balance is due four weeks before the class starts.
Several scholarships are available to cover tuition costs for the IFI courses.
For more information, call the IFI education Department, (800) 434-6222, ext. 144, or send e-mail to education@ifi.org.
The International Fabricare Institute now has nine courses available via the Internet with its Cyberspace Learning Center.
The courses can be taken by any IFI member anytime and anywhere in the world. All that is needed is a computer and modem with internet access and a web browser. The web address for the learning center is www.smart.net/~jwalton.
Each course is password protected. Interactive questions let the student answer first, then the correct answer is displayed on the screen. After all chapters of the course are completed, the student fills out a final exam and e-mails it to IFI.
The cost of each course is $75. Any six of the courses can be purchased at the reduced price of $355.
Currently available courses and their descriptions are as follows:
Drycleaning and the Environment covers environmentally-safe operating practices and procedures and outlines EPA, OSHA, and other federal and state regulations. This self-study course is not the equivalent of the Certified Environmental Drycleaner (CED) examination.
Customer Service in Drycleaning discusses the role of the customer service representative, customer service procedures, communication with customers, resolution of customer claims, and identification of customer needs and preferences.
Fibers and Fabrics, a prerequisite of the stain removal and drycleaning courses, covers fiber sources, fabric construction, fiber identification, dyes and pigmentation, and fabric finishes.
Finishing Procedures in Drycleaning covers finishing equipment, aids, step-by-step procedures for finishing pants, coats, skirts, blouses, dresses, and sweaters.
Drycleaning Business Management covers the essentials of effective business management, profit analysis, production standards, training, quality control, and diversification.
Stain Removal Techniques sharpens stain removal skills with an understanding of fibers and fabrics, stain removal agents, tools, stain identification, removal procedures, pH scale, and solving unique problems.
Fundamentals of Laundry Management, targeted to professionals in institutional or commercial laundry operations, explains operational and managerial techniques, soil types, washing procedures, maintenance programs, soil-sort room, finishing equipment, personnel management, and washroom chemistry.
Drycleaning Fundamentals covers drycleaning operational techniques and procedures, filtration, distillation, solvents, detergents, moisture and equipment.
Power Plant Operations covers boiler operations, steam characteristics, types of boilers, water testing, air compressors, maintenance and piping.
"The More You Know..." will be the theme of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association convention at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra, FL, May 3-6.
Jeffrey Gitomer, president of Buy Gitomer Inc. will be the featured speaker on, Friday, May 5, the opening day of the business program. Gitomer, an authority in the field of sales and customer service, will draw from his experience as founder and president of three businesses in telling how companies can improve their sales strategies, sales performance and service.
Gitomer has written several books on customer service, including The Sales Bible, which was listed as one of 10 books every sales person should read by the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Program.
The second day of the business program will feature a panel of speakers from the Disney Corp. They will discuss how to provide top-notch customer service and answer questions form the audience.
TCATA is planning the convention's business program for two consecutive days so members who can't attend the entire four-day convention can at least participate in all the business sessions.
Other activities planned for the convention include manufacturer and distributor meetings and the first timers and Opening receptions on Wednesday, May 5; golf and tennis tournaments and a reception and dinner on Thursday, May 4; a spouse program and a dessert reception on Friday, May 5; and the Silver Circle Club Reception and Luncheon and the Young Timers Party on Saturday, May 6.
The Young Timers party will be modeled after the ABC hit show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Participants will test their knowledge of trivia and winners will receive cash prizes.
The Thursday night dinner party will be held at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine which houses a collection that includes many examples of Brilliant Period cut glass and Victorian art glass.
More information on the convention is available from the TCATA office, (973) 244-1790. The organization can also be reached on the Internet through its web site: www.tcata.org.
Employment in the British laundry and drycleaning industry appears to be declining according to a report cited in a recent issue of the UK publication, Laundry and Cleaning News.
The report from Plimsoll Publishing suggests a decrease of as much as 22.1 percent in employment -- or a loss of 5,802 jobs.
The report found that 30 percent of the 85 companies were employing fewer people than they had a year earlier.
Low salaries for drycleaning workers are a major problem, the report said. The average salary for a drycleaning employee was US$12,500 which compares unfavorably to the UK average of US$29,280.
"Companies are keen to retain key staff but are not making the profit margins to do so," the LCN article noted. "By matching next year's salary expectations against this year's sales, 53 percent of the industry would fall into the red."
That makes a bad situation worse, LCN noted, since 24 percent of the companies are already in a loss-making position, assuming that the industry has zero growth in this year. Currently, 40 percent of the companies surveyed reported zero growth.
LCN noted that "determining the industry average is perhaps not all that useful.
"There is little common ground between the few large companies that dominate the industry (in the UK) and the vast majority of small family business that trade alongside them," the magazine noted. The industry appears to lack a medium sized sector."
The U.S. apparel and textile industries lost 98,000 jobs in 1999 despite a period of job growth in the economy as a whole.
Apparel manufacturers dropped nearly 10 percent of their work force last year, ending the year employing 658,000, a drop of 66,000. The textile industry lost 32,000 jobs to end the year with 551,000 workers.
The job losses continue a trend from the previous two years. There were a combined 109,000 jobs lost in 1998 and 57,000 in 1997.
Analysts attribute the declining employment to competition from low-cost imports, consumer demand for "value-priced" garments and improved technology which results in reduced payrolls but higher productivity. Employment declines are likely to continue as long as the pressure on price and quality remains.
On the retail side of the industry, employment actually increased last year, up 1.9 percent, or 427,000 jobs. That follows a 1.7 percent gain in 1998.
The nation's unemployment rate in December was at a 30-year low of 4.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that textile apparel imports rose 10.3 percent in 1999, the third year in a row that foreign apparel and textile sourcing jumped at double-digit rates. Increases of 13.3 and 20.1 percent were recorded in the previous two years.
Mexico was the top foreign supplier of textiles and apparel last year with increases noted in cotton trousers, cotton knit shirts and blouses and man-made fiber-knit shirts.
Canada was the second largest foreign apparel and textile supplier and was the largest supplier last year of yarns and fabrics.
In the third spot was China, followed by Pakistan, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Thailand, Hong Kong and Honduras.
Retirees age 65 and older can earn more money this year without jeopardizing their Social Security benefits.
Changes that took effect on Jan. 1 let retirees earn up to $17,000 a year without losing Social Security benefits. In fact, continued employment on a part-time basis can help increase a retiree's benefits since the additional income increases the retirement base.
With nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population now 65 or older, retirees can be a good source of part-time employees, the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute noted in an article in its January-February bulletin. Many still enjoy good health, have an excellent work ethic and want to continue working. Plus, they can bring experience and maturity to the work force.
"Employees who are retired typically are not interested in high salaries, fringe benefits or other special considerations, except they may demand more flexible working periods, extended leave time for vacations or transportation," WFI noted. "Jobs that are not physically strenuous can be ideal for a retiree."
Disney, one of the nation's largest employers, used to hire young people almost exclusively to work the rides and staff the shops at its theme parks. Now, with the ranks of young workers thinning out, Disney hires many older persons for those positions.
"When looking to expand your workforce, consider the many benefits of hiring a retiree," WFI suggested. "In some cases you might want to hire two or perhaps three retirees to fill one position, thus allowing each of them to work fewer hours, stay under their Social Security earnings limits and give you maximum effort."
China 2000, billed as the "one and only pro expo on cleaning technology in China," will be held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China, Sept. 12-15.
The exhibition will encompass all types of cleaning machinery -- building maintenance was well as textile and garment care equipment. In addition to the exhibits, participating companies may offer technical seminars to further explain their products and technologies.
The exhibition is sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Shanghai Industry Foundation. Shanghai Industry & Commerce Exhibition co. Ltd. and Worldwide Exhibitions Service Co., Ltd. are the organizers of the show.
The promoters of the exhibition noted that China is one of the largest markets for industrial cleaning and garment care equipment but that the cleaning industry is still in its infancy, having no professional, large-scale companies whose annual ales amount to more than $10 million.
"More and more people wear famous brand fashionable clothes suits and leather clothes of high quality as well as high price," the promoters noted. "Quality requirements on laundering also are higher than before."
"Equipment and technology on cleaning is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade," they said, adding that "the low quality of domestic cleaning technology and equipment leaves great potential for foreign companies in this sector."
For information on the show, contact Ms. Carol Gan at Worldwide Exhibitions Service Co., Ltd. by phone at 86-21-52340650; by fax at 86-21-52340649, or by e-mail weszhou@online.sh.cn.
Date created: Mar 30 2000 Copyright © 1999, National Clothesline Maintained by: Hal Horning Hal Horning