The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International is starting a poster and hanger tag campaign to promote professional care for casual wear. In an informal survey of its members, NCA-I learned that many in the low- to mid-price range are suffering declines in business of 10 to 20 percent from last year.
Part of the reason, NCA-I believes, is the increase in casual styles, especially in the workplace. "Unfortunately," NCA-I said, "the working population equates causal wear with home care, not professional fabric care, and that cuts into our market." The advent of home care kits for drycleanable garments -- and the millions of dollars spent in promoting them -- further cuts into the drycleaner's business.
The association wants to help counter that mind-set and begin recovering the lost volume with a marketing and public relations effort to encourage consumers to let professional cleaners care for the casual garments. The 18 x 24 inch poster will be sent to all members and a sample hanger tag, based on the theme used on the poster, will be printed in the NCA-I bulletin. The association also said it is considering talking to manufacturers and retailers of casual wear about using a hanger tag/coupon on each garment that would be good for one complimentary drycleaning at a participating NCA-I member.
One final word of caution from NCA-I: "Remember, once you get the opportunity to process this work, you must deliver a product superior to what the customer is able to achieve at home. If you don't, the marketing and public relations effort is wasted."
The National Fire Protection Association gave final approval to a revised fire code for drycleaning plants at its annual meeting in Denver, CO, last month.
The standard, known as NFPA 32, covers requirements for prevention and control of fire and explosion hazards for the protection of life and property in all types of drycleaning plants. Requirements are outlined by type of plant, which is determined by the solvent in use. Of particular interest in the revision are changes that recognize developments in hydrocarbon solvents and machinery over the past few years.
In a statement, NFPA said "The committee better correlated the requirements for each plant type with the relative hazards potentially present. Various protection requirements were made less stringent in cases where the plant has reduced quantities of solvent in combination with various redundant safety systems for the equipment. Requirements were added to address machine conversion to another solvent, as is commonly occurring in the industry."
The technical committee assigned to review the standard began work three years ago and published its initial proposal last summer. Approval of a new standard was delayed last fall when questions were raised when the document was presented at an NFPA meeting for approval. After making a few changes, the technical committee resubmitted the proposal this spring and it was passed without opposition or objection at the NFPA 2000 Fire Safety Congress & Exposition. Technical committee members included representatives from industry, government and trade associations.
NFPA standards do not have the direct force of law, but they are used by government, insurance and industry officials in developing rules and regulations pertaining to fire safety. Local codes that govern cleaning plants are often based on the NFPA standard.
The revised code, taking into account recent innovations, should smooth the path for cleaners seeking approval of local authorities for the use of hydrocarbons or other flammable solvents.
The updated and revised document provides fire safety standards for all types of plants -- non-flammable perc as well as flammable petroleum solvents.
The first section of the document contains standards applicable to all types of drycleaning plants. The remainder addresses requirements for plants depending on the class of solvent they use.
Five classes of solvent are defined as follows: Class I, liquids with a flash point below 100 degrees F; Class II, liquids with a flash point of 100 degrees to 139 degrees F; Class IIIA, liquids with a flash point of 140 degrees F to 200 degrees F; Class IIIB, liquids with a flash point of 200 degrees F or above; and Class IV, all solvents that are inflammable.
Under NFPA 32, drycleaning plants or systems using Class I solvents are prohibited. Each of the other classes of solvent has its own set of requirements governing plant location and construction, heating and ventilation, processes and equipment.
The standard also prohibits drycleaning by immersion and agitation in open vessels for all classes of solvents and it bans tobacco smoking in the drycleaning room for all types of plants.
Eliminated in the new standard is the requirement for a Type II plant to be in a separate building. In its deliberations, the committee decided that the separate building requirement was unnecessarily stringent and not in line with current practices in other industries of similar fire hazard.
Instead, the new standard says that Type II drycleaning plants can be in buildings with other occupancies if fire-resistant separation is provided for walls, ceilings and floors that adjoin the other occupancies.
The fire-resistant separation requirements for both Type II and Type III plants are lessened if the plant that has a minimized amount of solvent and redundant fire safety systems.
Likewise, for all plants required to have an approved automatic sprinkler system, an exception is made if there is a reduced quantity of solvent present in addition to redundant fire safety features.
Specific requirements for Type II and III plants depend on the equipment in operation and the conditions of its use.
Requirements or Type IV plants -- basically, those using non-flammable perc -- are mainly geared to ventilation, heating and air conditioning issues under NFPA 32.
For example, a manually operated emergency ventilation that provides an air change every five minutes within 15 feet of a machine using Type IV solvent is stipulated.
Air for gas-fired and oil-fired devices, if they are located in the cleaning room, must come from a clean source of outside air and any apparatus using exposed electric heating elements or open flames must be protected from any equipment using Class IV solvent.
The standard notes that the lowest numerical value of solvent class in use in the plant is the one that determines which rules apply.
In other words, a plant using both Class IV perc and Class III hydrocarbon would have to comply with the Class III requirements.
Also, when the class of solvent in use changes, the requirements change accordingly.
Thus, a Class IV perc plant converting to Class III hydrocarbon would need to meet all of the requirements that pertain to Class III
Copies of the NFPA 32 should be ready for purchase in July for approximately $20. Orders can be placed by calling NFPA, (800) 344-3555. Information is also available on the NFPA website: www.nfpa.org.
Standard for laundries?
With work on the drycleaning standard finished, NFPA is set to turn its attention to developing a set of fire safety requirements for laundries. Amy B. Spencer, senior chemical engineer for NFPA and the NFPA staff liaison on the drycleaning standard, said that such a standard could be useful to the industry in helping to prevent laundry fires.
Spencer said that the committee would be "starting from scratch" to develop a standard for laundries. Anyone interested in participating should contact her at (617) 984-7940 or by e-mail at aspencer@nfpa.org.
NFPA seeks a balanced mix of representatives of manufacturers, users, installers and maintainers, labor, applied research and testing; enforcement authority, insurance, consumers and "special experts" on its committees. Anyone with an interest may apply to be a committee member, but there is a commitment of both time and money involved in serving on a technical committee.
From its earliest days, the drycleaning industry has been looking for a "better" solvent. And over the years, the industry's chemists and technicians have made many improvements that were incorporated into the cleaner's arsenal, and yet... the perfect solvent remains elusive.
The search for the perfect solvent has accelerated in the past decade with some new players entering the field as well as some older players getting a new look due to developments in machinery and chemistry. And as the field of players gets crowded, the debate over which is the best solvent heats up with some proponents claiming that theirs is the "perfect" solvent, or at least very nearly so.
Last year, IFI CEO Bill Fisher, in a talk at the International Drycleaners Congress, laid down five criteria by which new cleaning systems should be evaluated if they are to be considered serious candidates for widespread usage in the industry. Fisher reiterated those criteria in his response to a claim by Micell that its liquid carbon dioxide system meets all the criteria. Fisher doesn't agree, as his Letter to the Editor on page 12 makes clear.
While liquid carbon dioxide has had the highest profile in the past few months, other new players are making inroads, too. In a talk at the recent Southern Drycleaners Show in Atlanta sponsored by the Southeastern Fabricare Association, Jim Schreiner, director of research and development at Adco Inc., presented an overview of the choices cleaners are looking at today.
There is no perfect solvent, Schreiner emphasized. Nor can a solvent by itself do all the cleaning -- it needs helps from the equipment and detergents. And the type of help it needs will depend on its characteristics, its strengths and its weaknesses.
Here's how Schreiner evaluated the current choices.
Water
Water not only is the oldest cleaning solvent, but in some respects it would seem to be the ideal. It effectively removes water soluble soils. With the help of detergents, it will remove solvent soluble soils. With proper mechanical action, it removes insoluble soils. It is non-flammable and not toxic and "environmentally friendly."
Many garments that have a dryclean-only label can be wetcleaned, provided the operator has a good knowledge of fibers, fabrics and dyes, equipment and chemistry.
So what's the problem?
Simply put, Schreiner said, it is economics. The extra time required for finishing adds to the labor cost. Schreiner also noted that water is the only "drycleaning" solvent that is not recycled.
Hydrocarbons
Since giving the modern drycleaning industry its start in the mid-1800s, there have been many development and improvements in petroleum solvents. But after World War II, they took a back seat to perc, the "emerging technology" of its day. Today, the second-oldest solvent is enjoying something of a comeback.
Part of its resurgence is due to developments of hydrocarbon solvents that have much less odor, or even no odor, and higher flash points. Advances in machinery have also made hydrocarbon drycleaning more feasible.
Hydrocarbon solvents can remove solvent-soluble soils, but without detergents to carry the proper amount of water there can be no removal of water-soluble soils. The low to moderate density of hydrocarbons gives "adequate" removal of insoluble soils if there is sufficient mechanical action.
Modern hydrocarbon machinery, if properly maintained and operated, will minimize the potential for contamination of the environment, but even if hydrocarbon solvent enters the environment it will ultimately degrade, Schreiner said.
Perchloroethylene
When it was introduced, perc was viewed as the "miracle solvent," Schreiner said. By the 1980s it was used by about 90 percent of the drycleaners in the United States. Despite inroads made by other solvents, the percentage remains high, but has fallen to somewhere between 80 and 85 percent, Schreiner said.
What made perc seem to be a "miracle?" It is a quick evaporating, strong solvent that is non-flammable. Its high density gives it a "leg up" over other solvents for removal of solvent-soluble and insoluble soil. Effective removal of water-soluble soils can be accomplished with the proper detergent and water addition.
What happened to the "miracle?" Environmental pressures. Hazardous waste disposal regulations and air emission regulations from the federal government have made the use of perc problematic, at best. In the worst cases, some local regulations make its use nearly impossible.
The industry has responded by cutting perc use through the introduction of very tight machines and closed loop transfer of perc from suppliers. Operating procedures have changed, but past practices, though legal at the time, can come back to haunt operators because of the persistence of perc in the environment.
Despite the environmental pressures, Schreiner said that establishing drycleaning operations with the newest technology and competent personnel "will ensure the continued use of perc for some years to come, barring any unforeseen action by regulators to push for its ban."
Liquid carbon dioxide
A recent entry on the list of cleaning solvents for drycleaners is liquid carbon dioxide (LCD). Being non-flammable and non-toxic, it has many of the same properties of water. However, it cannot remove water-soluble soils -- like perc and hydrocarbon, it needs detergent and water to do that.
Its low surface tension lets it penetrate fibers efficiently. At the same time, its low density requires mechanical action to remove insoluble soils. However, its low solvency power means that solvent-soluble soil removal is only fair.
A key difference between using LCD and other solvents is that conditions suitable for cleaning require that the carbon dioxide be under pressure of 700 to 800 psi. Less than that and the carbon dioxide is a gas; at higher pressure it becomes a supercritical fluid. Thus the equipment must be able to handle the pressure. But that's possible, Schreiner said.
"There are many routine industrial operations done at pressures well in excess of 800 psi," he noted.
One advantage with LCD is that only a small pressure or temperature change will convert the liquid to a gas. That makes distilling dirty LCD relatively easy and leaves a residue that does not contain any solvent.
Glycol ethers
Another recent entry is glycol ethers, marketed in the drycleaning industry by Rynex Holding Co. and commonly referred to simply as Rynex.
Schreiner said glycol ethers in general have good solvency, are good at removing solvent soluble soils and, with proper mechanical action, are good at removing insoluble soils. They also have the innate ability to carry water without the use of a detergent, thus making them capable of removing water-soluble soils with only the addition of water. But since its density is close to that of water, separation of the solvent from water can be difficult.
The good solvency and water-carrying ability of glycol ethers lead to some concerns, Schreiner noted. Stronger solvents have a tendency to pull dyes; water can lead to finishing difficulties and other problems with "dryclean-only" garments. As with other solvents, the right match with both equipment and detergents can alleviate these concerns.
Schreiner also noted that glycol ethers have a flash point, thus it's important that dry-to-dry equipment be designed to safely handle the solvent and minimize emissions.
Cyclic siloxane fluids
A siloxane solvent marketing by Green Earth Cleaning and produced by GE is the newest solvent on the scene, introduced to the industry just last year.
This solvent has a low surface tension that permits quick wetting of fibers which, in conjunction with a density that is close to that of water, makes for very good removal of insoluble soils under the proper mechanical action. With its low solvency, solvent-soluble soil removal is only fair and, since it does not carry water, it needs help from detergents to remove water-soluble soils.
Like the glycol ethers, its density is close to that of water which means that separation of the solvent from water must be taken into account in equipment design. And like both the hydrocarbons and glycol ethers, it has a flash point and thus equipment must be designed accordingly.
As a result of the April balloting in Districts 7 and 8, Gary Campbell and Perry Pulos will join the International Fabricare Institute's board of directors in June.
Representing District 7 will be Campbell, who owns Campbell's Cleaners in Corvallis, OR. He has been in the drycleaning industry since 1972 and currently operates one central drycleaning plant, one drop store with a shirt laundry and adjoining coin-op laundry and one laundry "superstore" featuring a full-service drive through expresso bar.
Campbell has been a member of IFI and the Oregon Dry Cleaners Association (ODCA) for 28 years and has been a member of the Oregon DEQ Dry Cleaner Advisory Committee and the ODCA Legislative Committee.
While serving ODCA as president this year, Campbell focused his energies on industry education, legislation, membership development and extending support to the Korean drycleaning industry.
In the local business community he serves as board member of the Corvallis Area Chamber of Commerce and is a 23-year member of Rotary where he has served in many positions, including District Governor, overseeing 60 Rotary Clubs and more than 4,200 rotarians. He has also been a volunteer with Northwest Medical Teams in Mexico.
District 7 includes Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Other candidates in that district this year were Gary McCracken of The Clothesline Cleaners in Boise, ID, and Michael Park of Midway Cleaners in Kent, WA.
Perry Pulos, who owns George's Cleaners in Lancaster, CA, will be representing District 8. He was unopposed in his bid to represent the district which includes California and Hawaii,.
A second-generation cleaner, Pulos runs the family-owned business his father began over 50 years ago. He started working in the family business when he was nine years old and assumed full operational responsibilities for the plant in 1991. The company has four locations, including one main plant and three drop stores.
In addition to being a long-time member of the Elks and the Antelope Valley Kiwanis, Pulos is the current president of LOTS (Lancaster Old Town Site), a civic organization with hundreds of members that has made a significant impact on the revitalization of downtown Lancaster, which has added five major banks, a variety if financial service business and municipal government offices since 1992.
Pulos and Campbell will join continuing IFI board members Don Fawcett of Dependable Cleaners in Quincy, MA, District 1; David Rosenblatt of Green Valley Cleaners in N. Huntington, PA, District 2; Debbie Barnett of Washboard Laundry & Cleaners in Indianapolis, IN, District 4; and Dan Martino of Martino's Master Drycleaners in Kenosha, WI, District 5.
Brent McWilliams of Laidlaw Corp. and Kenneth Bark, CED, CPD, of Michigan 49-Minute Cleaners were recently appointed to the committee as at-large district members.
Joe Amato III of Amato Industries Inc. in Silver Spring, MD, will continue as the allied trades director.
The board members will officially begin their terms at IFI's Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, June 22 in Charlotte, NC.
At the same meeting, the new IFI officers will also begin their duties.
Current IFI president Eric Kloter will become chairman of the board and Bob Shirley of City Laundry and Cleaners in Las Vegas, NV, will begin a one-year term as president.
The new president-elect will be Lang Houston of Crest Cleaners in Cocoa, FL, who also serves as the representative from District 3. Elected to treasurer of IFI was Jim Cripe, who owns Valet Cleaners in Temple, TX and represents District 6.
IFI CEO William Fisher serves as corporate secretary.
School is out for the summer for most students, but resident classes at the International Fabricare Institute in Silver Spring, MD, are still going on.
A full three-week cycle, which features all of the IFI course offerings in consecutive sequence, will begin July 10. The cost for the three-week cycle is $1,250 for IFI members or $1,995 for non-members.
Those who complete all nine courses will receive a "General Drycleaning Course Certificate" that indicates knowledge of professional drycleaning standards and practices. The full cycle will be offered again beginning Oct. 9.
Students can also register for individual one, two or three-day classes or register for a full week of courses at the rate of $450 for IFI members and $695 for non-members.
Individual courses in the cycle include the following:
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 marking in.
Dates: 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: 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: 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.
A non-refundable deposit of 10 percent is required with the application and the balance is due four weeks before the class starts.
All classes feature hands-on training and classroom work. The facilities at IFI include 16 stain removal boards, various types of presses, perc and petroleum cleaning machines and a wetcleaning machine. Scholarships are available for IFI members.
Outreach in Iowa
IFI will bring its Outreach Seminars to Cedar Rapids, IA, this summer. A session on wetcleaning will be held June 24 and a session on Fundamentals of Drycleaning will be held August 5.
Contact Susan Bale, (800) 638-2627 ext. 144, for more information, or send e-mail to education@ifi.org .
The next round of certification examinations will be offered by the International Fabricare Institute Oct. 7. August 15 is the deadline for registering for the exams.
Certification in three categories is offered. The Certified Professional Drycleaner (CPD) and Certified Professional Wetcleaner (CPW) exams cost $295 for IFI members and $395 for non-members.
The Certified Environmental Drycleaner (CED) exam costs $175 for IFI members and $275 for non-members.
The CED is available in Korean as well as English. Nearly 100 cleaners registered for the Korean-language version of the CED exam at its first offering in April.
IFI offers the certification exams twice a year.
To register, contact IFI (800) 638-2627, ext. 144 or (301) 622-1900, or send e-mail to education@ifi.org .
The professional equipment division of Miele Inc. donated a wetcleaning machine and complementing dryer to the International Fabricare Institute for use in its testing and research department.
After the installation at IFI headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, Miele product manager Andeas Barduna and IFI member Tom Janick of Craft Cleaners in Princeton, led a training session for IFI staff on the equipment and general wetcleaning principles. Miele engineer Jürgen Schäfer instructed IFI's technical staff on the features of the Miele system.
Miele is also donating a front-loading domestic washer and dryer for IFI's textile testing department.
IFI said the donations expand the inventory of cutting-edge technology at its research facilities and will help "advance the body of research on professional wetcleaning."
Miele, a German-based manufacturer of wetcleaning and laundry care systems for both professional and consumer environments, will host a wetcleaning seminar this summer in Princeton, NJ.
An IFI instructor will lead the session which will include instruction on fibers and fabrics, wetcleaning formulas, and how to incorporate wetcleaning into a garment care business.
Members of the International Fabricare Institute will soon have an opportunity to voice their opinions on which government relations issues should take precedence over others.
Beginning in the July/August 2000 issue of Fabricare, IFI will poll its members to determine which national legislative and regulatory issues concern IFI cleaners the most.
IFI issued a press release on May 19 that stated: "IFI wants to represent drycleaners' views on the issues that cleaners believe have a direct impact on their operations. Consequently, the initiative recognizes that cleaners' voices are paramount in defining the legislative and regulatory initiatives undertaken by the politicians and the regulators."
The association, which modeled the program after a similar one launched by the National Federation of Independent Business, is already focusing much of its attention on a variety of ongoing administrative and legislative issues that represent the interests of cleaners.
Some of these issues include: the Superfund Reform; OSHA ergonomics; alternative technologies, including CO2 development; FTC oversight of home garment care products, such as Dryel; initiatives pertaining to perc, including the refuting of discussions that link perc and cancer, i.e. the Silent Spring study; and the up-front capital gain tax on the sale of part or all of a business.
Other issues that IFI predicts as likely to be considered for review or debate in the next 12 to 18 months, include: "Brownfields; OSHA permissible exposure limits; tax credits; heath care reform; categorical pretreatment of laundry wastewater; petroleum solvent NESHAP standards; banning of evaporator wastewater to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs); air emissions from separator water evaporators, boiler emissions (NAAQS particulate), environmental justice permitting; and small quantity generator exemption."
A mandate selection committee has been appointed by IFI to determine which issues members will be able to vote on. The committee also decides which questions will be on the ballot and will also provide brief background information on the issue and how it pertains to industry policy.
Such pertinent issues for IFI members will be put on the voting ballot that comes inside of the July/August Fabricare issue.
Once that ballot arrives, cleaners will be able to indicate which concerns they feel are of primary importance by marking their choices and returning the ballot to IFI. In order to make it easier for cleaners, IFI's ballot is a postage-paid self-mailer.
Members will have eight weeks to respond once the ballot appears in the publication. The ballots will be tabulated by IFI's Government Relations Department, and the results will be in a future issue of Fabricare.
Members will be able to respond with the following options: "Yes," "No," "Undecided," and "No Interest."
The latest entry in the dot-com drycleaning derby hails from Seattle, WA, and claims the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation as one of its first corporate accounts.
GetItCleaned.com launched its e-commerce, business-to-business drycleaning service in Seattle, WA, this spring, saying that it aims to "overhaul a complaint-riddled industry."
The company said it is targeting "web-savvy consumers" and will give busy professionals "a brand-new way of getting quality drycleaning and laundered shirt services through efficient on-line ordering, communication and guaranteed satisfaction."
GetItCleaned.com is working through human resources professionals and benefits managers at various companies to help their firms offer the drycleaning service as an employee benefit -- pick-up and delivery from the office -- at no extra charge to the corporation.
"We provide a comprehensive, customer-focused e-commerce solution with unparalleled customer service," said Leanne Mumm Pardo, a cofounder of the Seattle based company. "Our goals it to build a large national brand that customers can really count on."
Christopher Hughes another cofounder, commented that "drycleaning is a necessary chore that seems to leave everyone unnecessarily aggravated. We're here to change that. Our focus is the customer and our goal is to provide a hassle-free experience through secure on-line ordering, great communication and superior customer service."
Customers who sign up for the service through a participating company receive discounts on regular cleaning prices. For example, the regular price of $13 for a two-piece suit drops to $10.40 through the Corporate Account. Other prices published on the web site are $6.50 for a sweater and $1.79 for a shirt on a hanger.
Non-corporate customers can receive discounts as well, either by taking advantage of special offers on the web site or by accumulating "web points" at the rate of 1.5 points for each $1 of business. With 150 web points, a customer can get $10 off on the price of an order.
Purpletie.com, another early player in bringing drycleaning services to consumers via the internet, announced last month that a former UPS executive, David Kallery, will be its chief operating officer.
Kallery will oversee development of the company's technology infrastructure and its overall growth strategy along with the company's operations and logistics for the company. He reports to chairman and CEO Payam Zamani.
PurpleTie.com plans to roll out its core offering this summer in the San Francisco Bay area and aims to offer the service in all major U.S. markets within three years.
The International Fabricare Institute is participating in a program sponsored by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) that will evaluate wetcleaning and petroleum drycleaning.
The AATC study is modeled after the Aquacarb project that started in Europe several years ago to provide a basis for drafting commercial machine-based test methods to assess the cleanability of textiles using new water-based and hydrocarbon cleaning methods. It will also help determine appropriate care labeling.
Both the U.S. and European projects are examining the same types of garments. But Mary Scalco, vice president of education at IFI, said the U.S. study protocols may be modified to reflect American drycleaning practices. For example, the U.S. study will incorporate laundrometer evaluations for colorfastness. The laundrometers simulate drycleaning or laundering on a small scale.
Scalco said the initial phase of testing will involve a comparison of how pure solvents such as perc, water, DF-2000 and other alternative affect dyes. The comprehensive testing will include six different fabrics and 10 different dye classes, she said. The test results will provide data on the majority of fabrics now used in apparel manufacturing.
Leland White, president of Forenta in Morristown, TN, became president of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association at the organization's annual convention.
The convention was held at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra, FL, May 3-6.
White, who will serve a two-year term, has been active in TCATA for many years and served most recently as vice president of the Machinery Manufacturers Group and on the Officers Nominating Committee.
He also served on TCATA's product safety committee which recently completed development of voluntary, uniform warning labels for heavy machinery.
White was chairman of the 1998 annual convention and has served on the TCATA board of directors since 1994.
David Dawson, the outgoing TCATA president, commented that "Lee's long-time experience in various sectors of the textile care industry combined with his contributions to TCATA, make him an excellent choice to lead in this challenging time."
Also taking office at the convention were Jen Voldbaek, Jensen USA, as vice president of the Machinery Manufacturers; Group; Paul Von Felde, Cleaners Hanger Co., as vice president of the Supply Manufacturers' Group; and Dave Eckenrode, Laundry & Cleaners Supply Inc., as vice president of the Distributors Group.
Lester Cohen of Cleaners Sales & Equipment Corp., began his fourth consecutive term as secretary-treasurer.
Several awards were presented at the convention, also.
Robbie Freeman of Phenix Supply Co. received the Silver Circle Club's "Max Zimmerman Honor Man of the Year Award." TCATA members who have been in the industry from 25 years or more are eligible for membership in the Silver Circle Club. Freeman's contributions to TCATA include a term as president and 11 years on the board of directors. He currently serves as a member of the government affairs committee.
The award was renamed this year in honor of Max Zimmerman, a long-time allied tradesman and TCATA member who passed away in February.
The Young Timers Club L. Frank Wright "Man of the Year" award was presented to Harold Janow of Cleaners Products Supply. The award recognizes a members who makes contributions to the well being of the industry as well as enjoying the fellowship of other allied trades people, Janow serves as chairman of the Health and Environmental Leadership program and the Poly Recycling committee.
Special plaques honoring 50 years of consecutive membership were given to Steel Canvas Basket Corp. of Chelsea, MA, and Stry-Lenkoff Co., of Louisville, KY. Plaques in recognition of 25 years consecutive membership were given to National Clothesline of Willow Grove, PA, and Vieldhouse Machinery Co., of St. Peters, PA.
The next annual convention will be held May 2-5, 2001, at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, NM.
For more information on TCATA, call the association office, (973) 244-1790, or visit the association's web site: www.tcata.org.
Date created: May 30 2000 Copyright © 2000, National Clothesline Maintained by: Hal Horning Hal Horning