Stan Caplan: Rynex: An alternative solvent

First of a series on alternatives

This article is the first of a series profiling the "alternative" drycleaning solvents to the two "conventional" solvents, perchloroethylene (Class IV) and petroleum (Class II flash point of 100 degrees F to 139 degrees F and Class III-A flash point of 140 degrees F to 199 degrees F). Class IV solvents have no flash point and are non-flammable.

Petroleum solvents are flammable and combustible and the Class IIIA solvents are considered safer than Class II since the former requires much higher solvent vapor temperatures to combust and burn.

Rynex, with a flash point 203 degrees F, is a Class IIIB solvent (flash point of 200 degrees F or higher). This places it into the highest and safest category of the flammable solvents (non-explosive).

The chart shows a breakdown comparing Rynex to perc and petroleum.

One of the ingredients (second) of a baby product called "Pampers" is "Propylene Glycol," which indicates that it should be safe on human skin. The formulation of Rynex is an azeotropic mixture of a propylene glycol ether with water and detergent. Based on laboratory animal studies, propylene glycol ethers do not cause the type of toxicological effects that are associated with exposure to ethylene glycol ethers.

Propylene glycol ethers are biodegradable. The biodegradation of glycol ethers may be determined by a popular procedure called the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) test.

This test measures consumption of dissolved oxygen by microorganisms using organic matter (including propylene glycol ether) as fuel. When the BOD study was carried out to 35 days, dissolved oxygen consumed was 60 percent. Some technicians regard a chemical that allows to consume 60 percent of the oxygen present within a 28-day a period as "readily biodegradable."

Although the material requires slightly longer to degrade, it is inherently biodegradable.

All of the lower molecular weight glycols are soluble (miscible) in water. The higher molecular weight types are used for lubricants, plasticizers, make-ups and cosmetic creams.

These propylene glycols are not to be confused with the largest use glycol (ethylene glycol) which is found in water-based emulsion paints as a drying time extender and freeze thaw stabilizer and is used as a freezing point depressor in automobile coolant solutions.

Propylene glycol is found in products ranging from anti-freeze compounds that may come in contact with food to pharmaceuticals and flavor extracts.

Propylene glycol ether solvents are relatively new and were designed to be a less toxic alternative to the ethylene glycol types. Glycol ethers are commonly found in water reducible coatings, lacquer coatings and reducers, hydraulic brake and shock absorber fluids, inks and drycleaning solvents. They are also used in many industrial processes for de-waxing. Most of your exposure to glycol ethers could come through skin impact

Environmental impact
Rynex is designed for the drycleaner, the environment, the atmosphere and the biosphere. It contains no hazardous air pollutants (HAP). It is virtually non-toxic. It is not regulated as hazardous waste (at the present time), and it is not regulated by the Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act or the Clean Water Act.

Rynex cleaning capabilities
Rynex carries its own specific moisture level and is good on water-soluble stain removal, which can reduce pre-spotting and post spotting considerably.

However, the spots contained in Group 1 of my spotting video (dryside inks, cosmetics, etc.) should be pre-spotted since moisture can set them. Also, this could be a potential dye problem in cleaning garments with acetate fabrics.

With regard to static electricity, Rynex reduces it since it allows garments to retain some of their natural moisture. Although some wrinkling may occur, it is slight.

Rynex has its own moisture and surfactants built in, but the manufacturer recommends the use of a detergent that has been developed for it when applied to the cleaning of garments, gloves, etc., with ground-in, heavy amounts of carbon soil (industrial clothing and gloves, etc.).

For normal amounts of insoluble soil (rug soil) removal and controlling of redeposition, Rynex, itself, will perform satisfactorily.

Distillation is no problem without vacuum.

Special cleaning machine
Up to very recently, users of Rynex have been employing (converted) perc machines and several problems have developed as a result. Since the weight of Rynex is very close to that of water, separation has been a major problem. Also, maintenance, training of operation and general procedures gave some problems to users.

Revamping the water separator helped, but the real cure is in the new German drycleaning machine that takes the hassle and guesswork out of operating with Rynex. These R-Series machines were designed to work exclusively with the non-toxic Rynex biodegradable solvents.

The new Rynex R-Series machines come in 45, 60, and 90 pounds per hour capacities with loading weight at 3.25 pounds per cubic foot of the cage (drum or cylinder) volume. Average time per cycle is 45 minutes. The machine is installed with a soft mount for convenience.

Two spin disc filters and an automatic clean out still are included. Recovery is with refrigeration for dry/recovery cycle, and the venting is fresh air.

Further information can be obtained from Bill Hayday, (516) 364-0800, or Jeff Battiston, (860) 674-9449. Information is also availbale on the Rynex web site: www.rynex.com.

Ray Colucci: Remembering the "good" old days

Part One

Are our greatest teachers the historians? Will history always repeat itself?

I'm pleased that my memory isn't failing me. It seems like only yesterday that some radical changes were taking place. No one was sure just what tomorrow would bring, and on one could offer all the answers.

Let's go back to some of the conditions in our fledging industry. How about the 1940s?

Drop stores were called "press shops" because of the large petroleum plants that controlled the drycleaning business in those days.

There were a few on-location plants, with units called "band box" machines. The "band box" was a small capacity drycleaning washer and tumbler which dried to the atmosphere. It was all contained in a cabinet the size of a large phone booth. You held your breath while you transferred the small load to the dryer.

Some later units had a higher extraction speed, like the Sec unit, but with the same transfer principle, same small capacity and the same heavy petroleum odor. All were fire hazards, costly and tedious to operate.

Most of these press shops operated a Double X gas or kerosene fired boiler, which made it impossible to have that kind of open flame and the use of petroleum under the same roof.

The war years proved an economic boom to the industry that until then depended upon custom tailor shops as their means for livelihood. I know because that was my home, where I did my apprenticeship as a tailoring clean-up and route man (a.k.a. delivery boy carrying an umbrella, using subway or trolley cars!) The standard joke at the time was, "My Father is a CPA -- Cleaning, Pressing and Alterations!"

I was the youngest and most experienced and last to be discharged at war's end. We formed "Colucci and Sons" -- my Dad and I, plus my three older brothers. We were all hard working partners during the 60- to 80-hour work week, but the best time was Sunday dinners with Momma's cooking and Pop's home made wine. One big happy family, we were, with sisters-in-law and kids and cousins running everywhere.

After the war, the fight begins
The war years ended, but not before the introduction of carbon tet machines, which started the Same Day Service, 3-Hour Cleaners and, eventually, One Hour Martinizing stores.

Meanwhile the wholesalers just didn't roll over and die. They fought the on-premises drycleaners, claiming we were a fire hazard. Fortunately, we were pleased to say good-bye to carbon tet and the old bag filters, which had a way of bringing on nauseous morning sickness!

I attributed it to my wife's pregnancy as sympathy related, but of course that wasn't true.

Hold your breath and run!
I'll never forget the last chore on a Saturday night, with key in hand, burglar alarm set, take the lid off the filter, just run the heck out of there, holding your breath!

Monday mornings, after things had dried out, was time enough to clean-up, set the new bags in place, ready to pre-coat. No regulations or warnings then -- we could dump the muck across the street in an empty lot.

The construction of our store provided a thin partition between our plant store and an adjoining hand laundry. Our tenant was Mr. Charlie Foon, who slept in the back of the store. Sad to say, it was my brother's observation on how Charlie was getting increasingly "jaundiced" looking.

I soon knew the reason and told him we had better stop drying out the filter over the weekends or we may have a dead tenant on our hands and be responsible for our neighbor's demise.

We were advised early on that prolonged breathing of the solvent's fumes was a known liver damager. We also knew that carbon tet was an excellent cleaner, but also very toxic. It was heavier than air and, once airborne, would settle on the ground some 7 inches (hence the name the 7-inch head).

Since he slept in the back of the store with poor ventilation, he was exposing himself to our solvent fumes, and it was affecting his liver! That's where his sallow complexion was coming from.

I inquired about his health some weeks later when I saw he had changed from a "Chiquita banana" look to a healthier, rosy complexion.

"Hi Charlie," I said. "How you feelin'?

Charlie answered, "Change Doctor. Feel better!"

My conscience was eased now that we had acted in time and avoided a tragedy.

The Age of Perc<br> The Age of Perc was soon upon us, with a new Butler scrape down screen filter which was like a revelation to us as far as progress was concerned.

Imagine having a soap charge system whereby you could add water to the solvent! No more washing and drying a few hundred pants a day in a hot boiler room basement.

Those were the days, around 1953, when our volume was over $5,000 a week at a dollar a garment. Pressers worked on piece work at 15 cents a garment. We had four pressers, all banging away on Hoffman foot stompers, and a very talented presser on the hand iron, a Paris form finisher and a monstrosity of a unit called a pants stretcher. I guess our volume would probably translate to over $25,000 a week in today's numbers.

Were there problems?

I'm sure there were but we were too tired or too busy paying bills, counting money and being thankful we came out of the war years alive, in good health and able to work together.

Next month I'll touch on some of the onslaught of competition, the start of route expansion, coin-op drycleaning and wash and wear and what we did to survive those very exciting and turbulent years

They were exciting times -- and it wasn't long before we learned to solicit and dryclean the white tuxedo jackets from prom graduating classes, the costumes from Broadway plays, service uniforms and draperies from display stores, country clubs and banquet halls.

Yes, we operated 24 hours a day in season with two crews. The problems were keeping the equipment going, and the selection of seeking new or additional business.

Everyone should have those problems today!

Don Desrosiers: Why bother replacing buttons?

In my travels throughout the country as an independent work-flow engineer, I have, at times, been amazed at the careless attitude that some folks have about free button replacement on shirts. Frankly, some plant operators do not see it as an integral part of their shirt operation. This is sad.

Years ago, I was in an office building in Rhode Island, an area that I serviced as a wholesale shirt launderer for over 20 years. There was a guy at a desk talking to me wearing a dress shirt.

I was absolutely mortified at the number of broken buttons on his shirt! I think that it was seven. Seven that I could actually see! Both of the collar buttons, both of the sleeve buttons and both of the cuff buttons.

I simply could not stop myself from making a comment. His complacency immediately changed to frustration. He showed me the broken button under the knot of his tie. This shirt, although clearly pressed properly, was obscene.

I struggled with my thoughts for a few seconds. But I had to know if this shirt had come out of my plant.

Thankfully, it did not. His cleaner was a small operation that had its own shirt laundry. This cleaner may be the classic stereotype of the cleaner who doesn't replace buttons on shirts -- perhaps a cleaner that bought a three-piece shirt unit for $5,000 and felt that he was ready to take the industry by storm in the shirt business. If you cannot provide a complete service, you probably don't belong in the business

If you currently do not replace buttons as part of your service, you will find that it will require a sizable investment to get this underway.

First of all, a new button sewer will set you back nearly $2,000. Without an additional outlay of perhaps a few hundred dollars for buttons, the machine itself is quite close to completely useless.

If you still need convincing that unprompted button replacement is a must, consider this: As a business person, your goal in business must be to "meet or exceed a customer's expectations."

You may dissect that phrase, consciously or subconsciously, and believe that your goal is to simply meet a customer's expectations. Possibly, you may argue that your customers do not expect it. Therefore, you succeed.

Not in my opinion. Your goal is to return a garment in ready-to-wear condition. If you don't replace buttons because your customers don't expect it, you shut out the opportunity for future growth by failing to meet a customer's expectation should this new customer have experience with a cleaner who does make his shirt ready-to-wear.

Like it or not, that standard has been set and your customer just may expect it.

Certainly, it is a thankless job. You may replace a thousand buttons and never get recognition from a customer for replacing even one. Get used to it. You are in the process of earning and retaining a customer's trust and respect. You are not looking for commendations for the details.

What's in it for you?
So, then, what do you get for your $2,500? A new procedure? Something else to break down? Lots of tied-up cash?

Yes, in all cases. But what you have really bought is a way to preserve your customers' trust. Nothing is more critical than that.

If you don't replace buttons now, start doing it tomorrow. If you don't have the equipment, you may simply use a needle and thread. That will work, I guess, but the cost will be much higher than any price that you pay for equipment.

Remember that no matter what the price for any piece of equipment, its cost is finite, while the cost for labor goes on forever. Remember this when analyzing any procedure. Fast is better. Not because of the fact that something gets done sooner, but better because labor cost is lower.

Being the Yankee that I am, I will tell you that, by nature, I am frugal. I find a way to get something done in the most economical manner. It's called Yankee ingenuity here in New England. That makes me a big proponent of good quality used equipment. Please notice that I did not say, "...I'm a big fan of cheap, broken down hunks of iron that I bought for $50..." There is quite a difference.

Because I live in a city that has a history of garment manufacturing, I felt certain that I could buy a top-notch button machine that was originally designed for the manufacturing business.

I was only half-right. I could buy one at a very reasonable price. But all three that I bought broke down often. There were several hours of down time, it seems, every month.

Perhaps in the manufacturing business, this is taken with a grain of salt.

But as we all know in this business, everything needs to be done now. It can't wait until tomorrow.

If you feel that cash is simply too tight, pass the cost onto your customers. An extra few pennies per shirt will have all of the necessities paid for in very little time.

Naturally, you may want your customers to know that you have made an investment in their satisfaction. You may do this by buying "Courtesy Tags" that say something like "We've replaced this button as part of our free service."

True, it is something else that needs to be done, but you will feel great when a customer recognizes your efforts.

What do you need?
So what will you need to do this right?

1. A good quality button machine in perfect working order. I prefer the motorized version. I think that employees tend to want to use it because it is a new toy to play with.

If the button machine tends to break down, you will find that employees try to avoid fussing with it. They will "forget" to replace a button here and there.

2. A roll of thread. Use good quality cotton thread. Incidentally, since a roll of thread can last years, it will collect dust. This is the number-one cause of malfunction in button sewers that I've seen. A ball of dust works its way into the tensioner and causes the machine to work improperly or not at all.

If you have a button sewer, check it now and you will probably find a dust ball under the first tensioner adjustment.

3. Ten gross of line 18 pearl buttons and five gross of line 14 pearl buttons.

If you wish to economize, don't bother buying buttons of every style and color. Chances are high that you will not have the exact match on any given shirt.

I am not advocating replacing, say Ralph Lauren pearl buttons with generic replacement buttons, however. In those cases, it is perfectly acceptable to remove the extra button often sewn to the tail of such shirts and using that button where necessary.

4. An assortment of colored buttons. You can buy ten gross in a bag containing a rainbow of colors.

5. Cedar buttons in line 18 and line 14 sizes. These will be your only choice for many types of shirts.

6. Courtesy tags that highlight the fact that you've replaced a button as part of your complete effort to satisfy.

7. Round iron-on button backers that are crucial when sewing collar buttons.

These buttons are sewn to a very weak part of the shirt and need this backing for support.

8. Scissors. The best is always cheapest in the long run. Dime store scissors will be useless in a surprisingly short amount of time. A $30 pair will be around for a long time.

Now you are ready to make a great improvement! You will show your customers that you are committed to their satisfaction. That is what it is all about.

Dan Eisen: Made of metal: Handle with care

Metallic yarns have been used for thousands of years. The older yarns were made of real gold and silver. These can be seen in old religious fabrics, saris and tapestries.

Metallic fibers are now commonly made by laminating an aluminum foil sandwiched between two sheets of plastic. An adhesive binder is used to laminate the three layers together.

The sheets of film may be colorless, giving the yarn the natural aluminum color, or the film adhesive may be colored before the laminating process. The colors can be varied, including gold, silver, copper or porcelain. The laminate is then cut into strips ranging from 1Ž20 of an inch (fragile) to 1Ž8 of an inch.

Metallic yarns can be blended with many fibers, including acetate, nylon, cotton and rayon. Metallic yarns should not be confused with metallic coated fabrics, which are fabrics coated with a metallic color on one side.

Metallic yarns are used for women's high fashion dresses, gowns, suits, coats, trimmings, and accessories and in household articles. Metallic yarns may be used in a tight or loose weave construction and can be used in knitted fabrics.

Fabric problems
The fabric problems are listed below in order of frequency.

Yarn shifting. The new metallic yarns are fragile and are often blended with a fragile rayon yarn in a loose weave. Any degree of mechanical action causes the yarns to slip, pull and distort. The metallic yarn may also weaken the adjacent yarn causing weakening of the fabric.

Shrinkage. The plastic laminate may be heat sensitive and shrink when subjected to heat of drycleaning or finishing. The metallic yarn may be blended with rayon and shrink when subjected to heat, moisture and mechanical action of drycleaning.

Color loss and tarnishing. When the plastic film is removed, color loss can occur from routine drycleaning or spotting. Tarnishing is oxidation of the metallic yarn. These problems have been reduced in the current year as more permanent plastic coatings are being used.

Inspection
Metallic yarns may discolor from perspiration, deodorants, hair sprays and perfumes.

Check for yarn shifting and for fraying because of yarn snapping, especially in areas such as hem, cuff, underarm and collar.

Explain problems to the customer and note any defects on the sales invoice.

Spotting
Avoid spotting with dryside chemicals such as oily type paint remover and amyl acetate. Dryside chemicals may remove the protective laminated film and will remove the color from the fabric.

The natural color silver metallic yarns may withstand limited dryside spotting, but first test on an unexposed area.

Metallic yarns may be spotted with neutral lubricant. Use a padded silk brush or wrap a cheesecloth around a bristle brush when tamping or brushing. Make sure the fabric is absolutely flat when tamping or brushing to avoid wrinkling the fabric.

Wetside chemicals such as acids and alkali may cause the metallic yarns to discolor. Test before using.

Rust remover is likely to remove the color; carefully test before using.

Drycleaning
Do not dryclean metallic coated fabrics where the color is only on one side of the fabric. Surface coated fabrics are never durable to drycleaning.

Mechanical action must be kept to a minimum, especially on the metallic fabrics which contain fragile yarns and a loose weave construction. Dryclean fragile metallic fabrics in a net bag with a light load of silk fabrics. The weight of a heavy load of garments in addition to the mechanical action involved will easily distort and wrinkle the fabric.

Use a high solvent level, which will result in the garment floating, and reduce mechanical action.

Use a fragile drycleaning cycle (one to two minutes) with the solvent temperature between 75 degrees F and 80 degrees F. On newer machines, use the gentle extraction mode.

Dry using a temperature at no higher than 140 degrees F.

Wetcleaning
Shrinkage of metallic fabrics may occur due to the fiber blends used, such as rayon, or lack of preshrinkage on another fiber.

If garments are labeled as washable, they should only be soaked in cool water with a mild detergent. Rinse and hang to dry. Avoid extraction, which may cause hard set wrinkles.

Finishing
Avoid spraying with moisture and excessive steaming, which may shrink the plastic laminate or combining yarn.

Summary
Fragile metallic yarns have limited serviceability and should be carefully inspected when accepting them at the counter. Look for fraying, pulled and shifted yarns at points of wear. Examine for color loss and discoloration from perspiration and alcohol contact.

Dryclean metallic fabrics carefully since many problems occur during drycleaning.

Test all dryside chemicals before spotting. Use limited mechanical action when doing spotting and test acids and alkali before use. Use limited steam and pressure from the steam gun to avoid shrinkage of the yarn and fabric.

Stan Golomb: Building a profitable delivery route

This is Part 3 in our series on the five sources for generating sales in the drycleaning business. I have already covered package plants and drop stores.

This month, we're going to talk about routes.

One way to build a route is to knock on doors and solicit the business. This takes a special type of individual who can separate his ego from the potential abuse that a person might take in cold turkey soliciting.

There are ways, other than soliciting, which is expensive, time consuming and discouraging -- especially in today's world where most people will not open their door to a stranger.

Back in the 1950s, people were not as suspicious and they would talk to a door-to-door salesman. Even then, it took someone who could put personal feelings aside and keep soliciting and talking to those people who would open the door.

In the late 1950s, while I was working for R.R. Street, I called on a number of large plants that operated a multitude of routes and I observed how some did it.

One plant with about 30 routes would pick a town within 20 miles of their main plant. They would have all their 30 trucks hit that town and ride through the center of town as a safari. They did this a few times so everyone in town saw the trucks with the name large and bold on the sides.

Then they would start canvassing the town. Each driver had a map marked with certain streets to solicit and within four hours, they would have covered every house in town, talked to people and left literature and special offers.

This effort always paid off by leaving a full route in their wake.

Since they were also a laundry, they would leave a bag with an offer stating that all the cleaning and laundry that could be stuffed in the bag would be done for a flat price.

They also distributed cards that the customers could leave in their front window so the driver would know to call on them and pick up the order.

Another plant in the Chicago area had one super-salesman who would build a route to a certain level and then someone on a waiting list would buy the truck and the route and the work would be processed on a 40 percent basis to the driver. There was always a group of people waiting in line with cash in hand to buy the route.

The new route person would pay off the truck and get 40 percent of sales to operate the vehicle and as his salary. Each person who bought a going route signed a contract to use the plant name and have the cleaning processed by the plant.

I did a lot of speaking to route men as a means of helping my customers grow their business. Since I had been teaching sales at the Evening School of Business at Northwestern University, I was able to motivate these people up to a point.

Here is one story I told over and over to different groups.

When you go to the door, you might feel apprehensive and you may approach the prospect already feeling beaten. Just imagine that as you are walking up to their home, you spot a wallet on the front lawn. You pick it up and find there is money in the wallet along with identification showing it belongs to someone in that house. Now you are enthusiastic about knocking on the door and telling whoever answers that you have something for them.

Obviously you won't find wallets lying around but if you can develop that attitude and then walk to the door and say, "I have something to offer you," and then go into your sales pitch, you will find your results will be far better.

Attitude in selling is 90 percent of the battle. There were some people (very few) who could build a good route in about three month's time. These people were worth big money as they could build a paying route and turn it over to someone to continue.

Now we have two factors. A salesperson who can go out and create business and the service person who can follow up with the customers that were provided, and hopefully take care of the business.

Both methods are costly, but the value of a route customer is well worth the effort. They usually spend 10 times as much, on average, as the over-the-counter customer.

Let's now go to the service person who handles the route after it is established.

That person also has to solicit. He should make six extra stops a day, even if it's only to deliver a circular to the door.

Even the best of routes will have attrition. New customers have to be added just to keep the route on an even keel. The trick is to always get two new customers for each one lost.

Then we have the factor of the comfort level where a route person reaches a satisfactory income based on the work load. It will be very difficult to get that person to grow the route beyond that comfort level.

So how do some companies wind up with a multitude of high-income routes? For one, they have the proper high-income dense market. A tight market area of high-income, high-rises and condos can be covered with 100 stops a day. Management and the route person should eliminate all stops that don't provide at least $15 a week.

The most successful route operations work six days a week for the convenience of the customers as well as for maximum sales.

Normally 80 to 100 calls are made each day, but with delivery, only about 240 to 300 active stops can be covered properly.

This means a route would pick up on Monday and deliver and pick up the same group of customers on Thursday. The same with Tuesday and Friday and Wednesday and Saturday.

If the route person can average $15 per customer per week, with 240 active customers they will be able to do $3,600 a week. But if that driver can manage 300 customers at $15, they will do $4,500 a week.

In the right areas, a driver can handle 300 customers at $20 average a week. This is the ideal situation for some $6,000 a week in sales.

Now the question is, how do we get from a cold start to a profitable route?

We have to build the route and that requires back-up in the form of mailings, phone solicitations, and repetitive follow up.

This does not come without cost and it may take $30,000 to build a route such as I described.

Now that you have reached this point, how profitable is the $4,500 weekly route?

You have to operate and maintain a vehicle and that means insurance, depreciation, maintenance and amortization of the original investment. You have to allocate 50 cents a mile for the total weekly mileage covered.

You have to pay the driver a fair commission or salary and that could come to 20% to 30%, depending on the dollar volume, the size of the route and your labor cost. Let's use 25 percent as an average cost.

The $4,500 route will cost 25 percent to operate and this represents $1,125 a week. This leaves $3,375 in sales for the plant.

If the route charges the same as the store, this means that the sales to the plant would be $3,375 after deducting the cost of the route, and $4,500 in retail value would have to be processed.

However, the smart operators will charge a higher price on the route -- and they should, because this is a special service for special customers and they should be happy to pay more, provided they get the quality and service they want.

The type of customer who can and will average $15 a week is a customer who has the funds and wardrobe and wants to be serviced properly. I'm not talking about the average family of four with a household income of $50,000 or less which certainly can't afford a luxury service that costs $15 a week.

In other words, you need the right market to create profitable route service.

Let's say the over-the-counter price is $8 for a full garment. The route should charge 25 percent more, or $10 a garment.

If the store charges $7 for a full garment, the charge on the route should be $8.75. This way, the store will get the work at their retail price.

However, don't get too excited as there are other costs related to route service.

Route customers require charge accounts or credit card billing. The people who use route service are not expected to pay cash on each delivery so now we have to create a bank and billing.

Credit cards have to be charged and that requires some bookkeeping along with the cost of the credit card discounts.

In other words, as the saying goes, "There ain't no free lunch."

But once in place, a properly managed route can be profitable and allow a plant to expand its market well beyond the usual three-mile radius from the plant site.

Frank Kollman: How employees prove discrimination

As every employer knows, the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans With Disabilities Act prohibit employment discrimination based on sex, race, age, color, religion, disability, and national origin.

Many employers, however, do not know that illegal discrimination can be proven without direct evidence of discriminatory intent. Even innocent employers can be found guilty of discrimination if a court or jury finds evidence that a minority or disabled employee was treated more harshly than a non-minority or non-handicapped employee.

Therefore, it is important for employers to understand how an employee legally proves unlawful discrimination. That way, employers can take steps to avoid losing a lawsuit based on employee discipline.

An employee proves discrimination if he shows:

• He belongs to a protected minority group.
• He was qualified to perform the job.
• He was not hired (in the case of job applicants) or he was disciplined (in the case of current employees).
• Other similarly-qualified non-minorities were treated differently. For example, those employees were not disciplined for the same offense.

If these four elements are shown, the burden shifts to the company to show non-discriminatory reasons for its actions. The employee then has an opportunity to show that the non-discriminatory reasons given were untrue.

To illustrate this "test" devised by the federal courts to prove discrimination, I had a client a few years ago who fired an African-American employee for hitting a supervisor without provocation.

While that would seem a fairly straightforward disciplinary matter, it was anything but that. It seems that two years earlier, a white employee had received no discipline for assaulting a supervisor with a knife.

Obviously, the employee could prove "disparate treatment."

To defend the charge of discrimination, we had to show substantial differences between the incidents, such as, the black employee's serious disciplinary history, and the provocation of the white employee by his supervisor. It was not pleasant.

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a guide to its investigators concerning the doctrine of disparate treatment.

First, the guide recommends investigators to look for remarks that would be direct evidence of discriminatory intent.

"This job is too tough for a woman."

"We are looking for a younger, more aggressive person."

"You people can't do a thing right."

All these remarks can form the basis of a successful discrimination complaint.

The guide further discusses the investigation of charges where there is evidence that the employer had both a legitimate reason for the employment action and a discriminatory reason.

In those cases, the guide recommends, among other things, that witnesses be interviewed and the investigator make determinations of credibility. If it appears that the employer would not have made the decision, but for the minority status of the employee, the EEOC will issue a probable cause finding.

Employers must keep in mind that every time they make an employment decision, they are creating a history that can be used to prove disparate treatment. Every time they make a remark that refers to a person's sex, age, race, disability, etc., it can be used later to make out a case of discrimination.

My advice is to adopt uniform policies of discipline and stick to them, except in extraordinary circumstances. Only if you are confident that an exception can be justified to a judge or jury should you make one. The consequences of making an exception now is a discrimination lawsuit later.

And don't forget to document your reasons for taking any action that deviates from your normal policy. Three years later, you may not recall why you chose not to discipline a particular employee.

Frank Lucenta: Brush up those suede garments!

When you press suede, the pressure and heat of the head of the press will flatten down the suede nap at the same time the wrinkles are pressed out. This is not an irreversible condition. All that is necessary is to brush up the nap of the suede.

This procedure should not be strange to anyone who has ever pressed velvet or velour or corduroy. In the case of these items, the fabric is brushed up to restore the fluffiness. The same idea applies to suede nap. You brush to raise the nap.

The most efficient tool for brushing up suede nap is the block brush. There are two useful versions of the block brush. One is the nylon bristle brush that is used on delicate suedes and the other one is the wire bristle brush that is used on heavy duty suedes. Because the block brush is wide, it reduces the number of brush strokes required to brush up suede nap.

The nylon bristle block brush consists of a wood block base with several rows of soft nylon bristles.

This brush is used to raise up the nap on the softer, more delicate suedes such as sheepskin, lambskin, deerskin and calfskin suedes without damage and with fewer brush strokes than would be possible with smaller brushes.

The wire bristle block brush consists of the same size wood block but instead of several rows of nylon bristles, it has several rows of wire bristles. This brush is used to raise up the nap on the coarser and more heavy duty suedes like cowhide, pigskin and moose hide with fewer brush strokes than would be possible with the nylon bristle block brush or with smaller brushes.

The wire bristle brush reduces the number of brush strokes because it creates stronger mechanical action where the brush contacts the nap of cowhide and pigskin suedes which require greater mechanical action to raise their nap.

Fortunately these skins are very durable and can withstand more mechanical action without sustaining damage. Because of the higher mechanical action of the wire bristle brush, fewer strokes of the brush are required to raise up the nap. The investment in this brush saves more than its cost in the time and effort required to brush up the nap.

The job could be done with the nylon bristle block brush, but it would take more brush strokes and more time.

It would also wear out the nylon brush quickly and would not do as good a job on the heavier, coarser cowhide and pigskin suedes. Please note that the wire bristle block brush should not be used on delicate lambskin, deerskin and sheepskin suedes as it could easily damage them.

Brushing should be done after each lay of the press. When pressing suedes and leathers, use the same lays as you would use when pressing a similar cloth garment, except you do not press suedes with live steam unless the steam pressure is reduced to 40 psi (2.8 kg/cm2) or lower.

Dennis McCrory: How to really satisfy customers

The following information is a compilation of my own research (which some consider to be too academic and boring for our industry. I still don't get it) and 30 years of practical experience as a business person.

Customer satisfaction is an attitude resulting from what customers think should happen (their expectations) combined with what customers think did happen (their performance perceptions)

Please note that what actually happened during their service experience does not have a major effect on how satisfied a customer is. What matters is that you met or exceeded their expectations and that customers feel like they received high value and good customer service.

There are 5 "performance factors'" that account for the overwhelming portion of customer satisfaction. In order of importance, they are:

1. Dependable service. Customers cannot be satisfied unless we deliver dependable service. We make a verbal contract with our customers each time we accept their clothes for cleaning. We agree to do a thorough job of cleaning and pressing their clothes and to do that job within a specified time.

If we fail on either of these fronts, we are not living up to our end of the contract and customers will be disappointed and dissatisfied. Customers have a right to expect us to deliver good cleaning on time, and we have a right to expect payment from the customer of reasonable charges.

2. Value for their money. Customers want the greatest value for their money. It is human nature. Customers will go to the cleaners where they feel they are receiving the greatest value for their money.

Notice that I am not saying they will go to the lowest price cleaner. Of course, a handful of indigent people will, but the majority of customers will weigh what they are receiving, or rather what they think they are receiving, in relation to the amount being charged.

Thus, a cleaner may charge 99 cents for truly deplorable work and be overpriced, while another cleaner may charge $10.99 and be considered a real bargain for the service provided.

The location and condition of the store, the helpfulness and friendliness of the personnel, the quality of the packaging, and, above all, the quality and timeliness of the cleaning and pressing are all factors that affect the perceived value.

3. Customer importance. How important are your customers? Okay, so everybody answers, "They are extremely important. Without customers we wouldn't be in business."

But do you practice what you preach?

Let me ask you a few more questions. Who sets your store hours? Is it you or do your customers? Have you ever polled your customers to find out what hours would be most convenient for them? Or are your hours set by when you find it most convenient to work?

What days of the week are you open? Are those the days your customers selected? Or are those the days you want to work?

Do you tell customers when their clothes will be ready? Or do you ask them when would they like to have their clothes ready?

Now, let me ask again: Just how important is your customer?

4. Do your customers feel they are in control? We can't allow a single customer to set our store hours, but we must respond to the wishes of the majority: Most banks are now open on Saturdays. Many supermarkets and pharmacies are open 24 hours a day. These have all responded to the wishes of their customers.

In an increasing complex and cluttered world, we are all feeling less and less powerful as individuals. Giving our customers the power to control when their clothes will be ready and what time of day they will pick them up or have them delivered -- all within practical parameters -- gives a feeling that they still have some control over their lives when many other businesses and factors seem to be taking that control away.

So it's not a question of the customer controlling your business. It's a question of giving customers a feeling that they are still in control of their lives. If we don't do this, customers will vote with their feet and go to the competitor who gives them some control.

5. Good community reputations. This encompasses avoiding negative publicity, like price discrimination and pollution, and building positive PR by being pro-active in the community. This can be accomplished any way that suits your own personality. If you are outgoing, join as many civic and social organizations as you have time for. If you're not Mr. or Ms. Personality, donate and buy advertising space in local newsletters and charitable publications.

Constantly working to build positive PR will help to offset negative publicity which may eventually occur.

Alan Robson: Rekindle the flame, restore the fun

Every month I receive several inquiries about the business surveys that I do for drycleaners. All of the serious inquiries have a common thread -- the owners have lost their enthusiasm, the fire in the belly is gone.

Some of these owners are sick and tired of dealing with personnel problems; some are fed up with their competition, while others are not making any money.

Every one of them has told me that they "...no longer look forward to going to work in the morning."

At one time, all of these entrepreneurs took a great deal of pride in identifying opportunities and conquering the obstacles that tried to derail them in their quest for business success. What happened to the success part of this equation and where did all the fun go?

When you own a business and you no longer look forward to going to work in the morning, you are in trouble.

That's the bad news. The good news is that it's not terminal -- that's right, you can get out of the rut and back on track. Better yet, if you haven't gotten to this point, you can avoid it all together.

Start by revisiting the past. Put some thought into what used to be and what you once knew could be. Remember the energy, the drive, the mistakes and the fun! Also, try to remember when you slid into the comfort zone.

Lost in the comfort zone
It is the comfort zone that will get you every time. You begin to neglect the little things because they seem to have a way of working themselves out.

You no longer bend over to pick-up that piece of trash in the parking lot -- what the heck, there will be another piece of trash there tomorrow, anyway.

Your counter people forget their name tags or the dress code. Oh well, with help so hard to find, it's easier not to turn that small issue into a big deal.

What about your production people? It's hot and getting hotter and they slow down a little. After all, there's not much work and they need the hours.

Next, you look the other way as their breaks get longer and longer and they show up for work later. It's not worth the hassle!

Now, with all this going on, your cash flow begins to suffer. Oh well, the busy season is coming and we can make up for it then.

Who's to blame?
All of a sudden, you figure out what the real problem is. It's those dumb customers. All they ever do is complain -- this isn't right, that's not right, the spots are still there!

Why do they get so upset? After all, nobody's perfect!

If you are in this situation, if you feel yourself heading in this direction, or if you want to avoid it altogether -- get focused! Some wise person one said, "There is no vision without focus."

So, again, begin by getting focused!

Decide what business you are in. For a long time, I thought drycleaners were in the garment care or garment restoration business. I was wrong.

One of my management group members educated me when he explained to the group: We are in the customer service business. Everything else is just dirty clothes! He is correct.

In order to get back on track, you must focus on the needs of the company.

First and foremost, the company, as a living breathing entity, must eat every day. What does the company eat? Money, lots and lots of money.

In order to keep the money coming in, you must provide your customers with quality service. Quality service is service that is quick and cordial. Each and every customer must feel that he or she is special to you and your staff.

Don't ever let yourself fall into the comfort zone when it comes to customer service. Every employee needs to know that it is the customer who makes their paychecks possible.

Case study
This case study is from an actual business survey I conducted recently. The survey is an outside overview of the entire business.

There was a Customer Service Manager who appeared to have no people skills.

While talking to and observing this individual's behavior, I began to think that the only thing she liked less than her counter employees were the customers.

The real problem was not that she had no people skills but rather that she was getting no support from the production area. The clothes were going through Inspection without being inspected and the quality of the work was poor and the orders were always late.

No wonder the CSM was less than pleasant -- having the responsibility of dealing with the irate customers!

When I dug into what was happening in the inspection area, I found that the biggest problem was not inspecting the garments or sending them back to be re-done. It was in assembling the orders. With four drop stores and two routes, the pieces straggled into assembly from all different locations and for different orders.

The Assembly area was as big as a football field. The Inspectors spent so much time trying to assemble that they didn't have time to inspect, never mind getting items re-pressed. It was a nightmare!

In the Drycleaning Finishing area I found pressers picking and choosing their work. There was no sense of urgency in this department.

Furthermore, no one was tracking the productivity of the pressers -- that is, they were not counting pieces.

Productivity is all about how many pieces each presser finishes per hour.

Labor costs are a function of:

• Your selling price.
• Hourly wages paid.
• The number of pieces each employee processes each hour.

You must know how productive your employees are -- and they must know that you know!

When I reached the Drycleaning Department I found the typical sorting of loads for the two perc machines.

The dilemma here was that garments from all locations and the two routes were getting mixed together in each load. No organization at all. It was utter chaos.

This entire company had been brought to its knees by a lack of discipline in organizing the production flow. This lack of discipline also crept into the quality of the work and the productivity of the people.

The more productive your employees, the more they have to focus on the task at hand which results in better quality work. It is when people are slacking off, wasting time minding everyone else's business and trying to stretch out the day that their quality suffers.

During this survey, the owner and I designed procedures for correcting the workflow, developed an organization chart, established production standards and implemented incentive programs.

As a result, the quality of the work has improved, the quality of the service has improved, costs are down, the clothes are ready when promised and sales are up.

When you get into the comfort zone you begin to lose focus and when you lose focus, you lose your vision.

Remember, in the game of business the more you know the better you can play the game.

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Maintained by: Hal Horning