Stan Caplan: Looking at liquid carbon dioxide

Last month's article began the review of liquid carbon dioxide in this three-part overview of "alternative solvents." This article completes the series and the discussion of CO2. GreenEarth was discussed in the August issue and Rynex was covered in July.

Solvent cost of CO2

Normal delivery quantity is $.25 per pound, but larger bulk delivery quantities are between $.035 and $.05 per pound. The bulk storage tank requires certain setbacks from public right of ways, overhead power lines, etc., therefore it absolutely cannot be placed indoors.

Mileage is about 3.5 pounds of garments per pound of CO2, or about $.07 per pound. Note: These figures were furnished by an experienced drycleaner using the CO2 process, and they are based on a cost of $.25 per pound of CO2 cost.

Mileage costs are exclusive of any detergent of other additives.

Cleaning performance
Two spray spotters, one for wetside stains and the other for dryside stains and soil, have been developed for pre-spotting. Post spotting is performed with conventional spotting agents and should be thoroughly flushed out and air dried, especially if the garment is to be re-run. Special detergents have been developed for solubility in CO2 to produce better cleaning, soil suspension and use of moisture for stain removal in cleaning.

However, due to the absence of heat in the cleaning process, this author would recommend post spotting most of the stains (which are not removed in the cleaning cycle).

Tests in both the laboratory and in the field have concluded with the following results:

• Brightness: Cleaned garments are bright with virtually no redeposition. The high solvent flow rate, good filtration, good distillation and use of carbon full time all contribute to the good results.
• No observable dye loss or bleeding, even with bright reds and other colors normally associated with color loss.
• Mixed loads of leathers, furs, brightly colored garments, whites and woolens have been cleaned without any problem.
• Since cleaning takes place at about 59°F, there is no danger of heat setting stains, thus maximizing the use of post spotting and minimizing the need for heavy use of pre-spotting.
• Leathers have been cleaned more than a dozen times without the addition of leather oils, and there has been no loss of color or change in "hand."
• Furs have been cleaned over a dozen times without damage or hardening due to the gentleness of the solvent and absence of heat.
• No problems have been experienced with sequins, beads or buttons. CO2 does not melt glue or damage shell buttons. Spandex fabrics can be cleaned without any problem.
• Pillows, handbags, baseball caps and sneakers have been cleaned without damage.
• Removal of oily-based stains is not quite as complete, nor as rapid, as perc, but removal is a little better than with petroleum. Use of dryside prespotter spray and detergent in cleaning is needed for best results.
• Removal of water based stains in CO2 cleaning with pre-spotter spray (wetside) is slightly better than with charged perc and wetside pre-spotting; and the CO2 with spraying wetside pre-spotting, is far superior to charged petroleum with wetside pre-spotter spray.
• On removal of insoluble soil (particulate), CO2 was a little better than perc and much better than petroleum. Of course, the addition of detergent is needed to enhance removal and suspension of the insoluble soil in all solvents. Note: The "charge" method of using the detergent seems to be the most viable. Therefore, it is critical that the detergent be miscible in CO2 liquid solvent since it is added along with solvent entering the cleaning drum and remains during the circulation through the filters and carbon bed.
• There seems to be a problem with acetate fabrics. Shrinkage usually occurs in triacetate knits, and some wrinkling takes place in acetate cloth, especially in suit/sport coat linings. However, the machine manufacturers have a special formula for acetates which should be followed in order to minimize those problems. With all other fabrics, leathers and furs, they come out wrinkle-free; but since they quickly absorb moisture from the air in the plant, they should be hung as soon as possible and not stored too long in a basket or cart.

Since almost all suit/sport coat linings are 100 percent acetate satin, the linings will require hand ironing as a final step to proper finishing. Normally, coats cleaned properly in perc and petroleum (with detergent) need very little ironing of linings, if any at all.

Cleaning procedure
The actual cleaning process is similar to what we experienced drycleaners know as solvent being pumped from the drum through a button trap, or strainer, for a circulating pump used by one model machine to discharge the CO2 solvent through a primary filter to screen out insoluble soil and all carbon filter to adsorb dyes and then send the solvent back to the drum to repeat the cleaning cycle.

Other manufacturers avoid using a circulating pump and button trap, or strainer, to complete the filtration/carbon adsorption circle by employing high pressure to literally push the solvent around the filtration/carbon adsorption circle.

After the wash cycle is completed, the solvent is pumped out of the drum, or pushed out, to a storage tank. Excess solvent that clings to the garments is removed by a light extraction. A portion of the solvent is sent to the still. The CO2 gas left behind is removed from the drum using a compressor and sent to the work tank and then circulated through a refrigerated condenser coil where it is converted to a liquid solvent and stored. Excess gas is vented.

The cold storage is pressurized at 200 psi to 350 psi in order to be able to receive make-up delivery of solvent at 800 psi to 850 psi. Then this solvent is stored in a work tank between 800 and 850 psi. One supplier of CO2 solvent has it pre-charged with an anti-static and a pleasant fragrance. All suppliers use a viable detergent which is introduced with the CO2 solvent.

The actual cleaning cycle, etc. takes about 35 to 45 minutes, for normal loads and less for fragile and acetate loads.

NOTE: As with Rynex and GreenEarth solvents, this article should not be considered as an endorsement by this author. These articles were reported based on information received by mail and personal interview. Both negative and positive features have been reported.

Ray Colucci: Working together to better us all

I guess it started about five years ago and has been deteriorating ever since. I am referring to the lack of membership and support for drycleaners' local and national organizations.

There was a theory some years back that subscribed to a rule that all organizations, whether fraternal, civic, religious or even social and athletic, had an active group ratio of 80/20. That is, 80 percent joined and gave financial support but only 20 percent participated and did all the work.

Today's numbers invalidate that rule with an even larger discrepancy. Attendance is down in every chapter, perhaps by half, and that active group -- the 20 percent -- has slowly dissolved. Overall membership of dues-paying members is down by over a half.

Those who have always made it a point to show up at a monthly meeting now find the lack of a quorum to cast a vote when one is needed. I guess you would have to assume we don't have any problems that require the full vote and approval of the membership.

In reality, our problems are more severe than ever. All we have to do is look at casual dress and the promotion of wash and wear.

Then there is the avalanche of home cleaning methods by some of the multi-million dollar corporations that continually take shots at how the public is "being taken to the cleaners!

I can go on. Does anyone hear me ?

As individuals there is little we can do, but collectively and as a group we can speak loud and clear, and there is much we can and must do if we want to survive.

I don't have too much fear of these latest threats, the new home quick-clean, cure-all methods. Personally, I think they will go the same way as Woolite, which is now collecting dust on the shelf. Regardless of the money being spent to market them, they will all fail.

The housewife doesn't want more work to do. She wants fewer chores and the luxury of having a professional handle her precious garments, someone who can restore them to like-new condition.

That's why systems that offer convenience, home delivery, and credit card billing, etc., have succeeded. The two-income family trend is not stopping; it is increasing. The sooner the modern mother and homemaker can go back to work and continue her career, the better -- and she is off and running. The plant that does maintain quality and offers multiple services will always survive, but the constant onslaught from the media and government cannot go unchallenged.

Our biggest problem seems to be that we have become a country of observers and onlookers and not participants. A recent book I read by Robert Putnam that was published by Simon and Schuster, "Bowling Alone," illustrates the time we spend from home to work to shop, a vicious triangle where we are lost in traffic, with no time for civic involvement, associations and volunteer groups.

This affects our industry and our participation in trade groups and attendance at industry programs. It's time to allocate some time for involvement in not only civic concerns but also the direction of our fragile industry. We cannot allow unfair legislation to dictate such edicts as "perc is a carcinogen," (labeled as such but never proven). There are more dangerous products on store shelves, under our sinks and in the reach of children.

We cannot allow retroactive liability and limited lease or bank loans which restrict growth and progress.

Some of the new drycleaning units exceed a $150,000 purchase price. How can we consider buying an up-to-date unit that conforms to EPA standards if we are unable to obtain reasonable financing? If the government demands conformance, it should be able to offer tax relief in tax or low-interest financing.

Only as a group can we be heard and get any attention!

It's also high time we took advantage of the built-in exposure and virtually free advertisement we can offer our public, with three- and four-color print on our plastic bags. We print several million messages a month and, as a concerned group, we can advertise the health factors with bacteria and germ-free drycleaning. Why do we maintain "a secret service?"

All is possible "as a group." Alone each voice is lost in the wilderness and we maintain the stigma of an expensive service that keeps fooling the public.

It's time we lost the image of "taking people to the cleaners!" It's time we became the "Guardians of good health with germ-free clothes, fresh from the cleaners!"

Don Desrosiers: Giving employees what they want

This month we will discuss something that can also be applied in your drycleaning department. The subject: retaining employees.

I think that it's a bit too easy to remember that the jobs that we have our people do are not the most pleasant ones.

When I first learned about management, one of the first things taught to me was; "Never ask anybody to do something that you wouldn't do yourself." Frankly, I have expected dozens, scores, or perhaps even hundreds of people to press shirts for me.

Although I can claim to have personally pressed many more shirts than many on this great planet, I no longer choose to do it on a regular basis. It may be that you, as the owner or manager of a drycleaning/laundry plant, find yourself in exactly the same frame of mind. You can do it, but you choose not to.

So, then, does that mean that you are "Šasking somebody to do something that you wouldn't do yourself?" I think that you are.

What that means to you and me is that we must never stop appreciating what our pressers (or any of our employees, for that matter) do for us every day.

It is so easy to take them for granted, yet they do something that we prefer not to do. Without them, we ourselves, would need to press or wash or dryclean or whatever.

So what do we do?

It is much easier than you think, and it has nothing to do with paying higher wages.

Have you ever noticed what happens when you give an employee a raise? Usually they are really happy about it for approximately a week and then they have forgotten about it.

My analysis of this is like so: Kim really wants a VCR but can't afford it. He/she bugs you for a raise. She/he gets one, then spends the money on a new VCR. The novelty of having a new VCR soon wears off. The employee realizes that there is still something that they want that they can't afford.

Giving a raise hasn't really done you any good. The employee is still basically unhappy and may simply feel unappreciated. This is not a good thing. It could mean that you will have to press shirts next week.

How do we change all this?

Like I said, it is easier than you think.

A man named Ken Blanchard wrote a brilliant management book called "The One-Minute Manager." I recommend it to all. Basically, "The One-Minute Manager" says to "Catch somebody in the act of doing something right."

If you have never heard of this, or have never done it, put this magazine down now and go catch somebody in the act of doing something right. Really.

Do it even if you're at home, because this applies to every part of your life. Be it your parents, kids, spouse or employees, everyone wants to be recognized for a job well done. Saying it every six months by giving out a raise, a pat on the back and a token "You're doing a good job for us, John" doesn't count. Doing it every day counts.

We remember to criticize every day. Why can't we remember to compliment? Human nature I suppose. Go catch somebody now, come back to this column afterwards.

Aren't you impressed with the reaction that you got?

About 15 years ago, 1,000 managers and 1,000 employees were interviewed. The employees were asked what they look for in a workplace -- what they value.

The managers were asked to, basically, predict what the employees would say. They were asked what they think an employee wants in a workplace. The results were diametrically opposed. The employees and the employers agreed on nothing.

There were about 10 options to choose from. The chore was to put them in order of your personal preference. To the best of my recollection, the primary choices were:

1. Good pay.

2. A feeling that you belong.

3. Benefits.

4. Recognition for a job well done.

5. Vacation/personal days.

6. Leadership opportunities

Invariably, the managers selected good pay, benefits, etc. as the expected primary desires of the rank and file.

However, none of the employees selected "A good pay" as their first choice! In fact, a good wage came in no higher than third in the ranking, but it may have been as low as fifth.

The primary thing that employees look for in the workplace is "recognition for a job well done" and "a feeling that you belong, a feeling that you are part of a team, a feeling that you can make a difference."

I don't expect that I am putting something on the table here that is so profound that it will make all of your personnel issues go away. But I am saying that we, as experienced managers, in close contact with our businesses, have something to offer our valued employees. Making sure that they understand their importance in the big picture and recognizing a job well done is paramount.

When was the last time that you watched your shirt presser pull a shirt off the body press and say something like: "Kathy, you are a really good presser! That shirt is perfect. Keep up the good work!"

Or you took a completed linen jacket off the assembly line, brought it to the presser an instead of saying, "This jacket looks like crap!" You say, "Fred, you did an excellent job on this jacket."

Stuff like that goes a long way. Frankly, with the low prices that we often need to charge the consumers, this is all we really have.

Dan Eisen: Put the brakes on runaway dyes

Dyes that do not run or bleed are known as fast dyes. A dye that runs when the fabric has contact with water or solvent is said to be fugitive.

The fastness of the dye stuff is determined by 1) the affinity of the fiber to the dyestuff in the dyeing process: 2) the fixing or setting of the dyestuff in the dyeing process, and; 3) the amount of loose dye not absorbed by the fabric in the dyeing process.

Fugitive dyes can occur in most fabrics, including silk, wools, cottons and rayons.

Fugitive dyes may occur on garments with a light and dark fabric with different colored yarn. This frequently occurs on wool or silks, tweed checks, plaids, or silk that incorporate different colored yarns (yarn dyed).

Fugitive dye problems
A yarn dyed fabric such as wool or silk may appear to be a fast dye. Often a silk may even have a concealed dark yarn that is fugitive to water. Fugitive dyes may run into the area surrounding the dye. This is known as dye migration.

Fugitive dyes may run into another part of the same garment or onto another garment. This is known as dye transfer.

The newly affected area will be color stained or streaked. The area from which the dye came may show a color loss.

Dye bleeding may occur in drycleaning, especially in a moisture load, on the spotting board from water or wetside chemicals, or in the home washer or during a wetcleaning procedure.

Inspection for fugitive dyes
Inspect garments when accepting them for color loss or dye stains in 1) the underarm and waist areas due to perspiration and 2) the front of the garment for dye damage due to spillage of food or beverage. Bright iridescent and vivid colors are suspect, as are silks of all colors and prints.

To test dyes for color fastness, place a cheesecloth under an unexposed area of the garment or snip a piece of fabric from an unexposed area and place it between a towel or cheesecloth. Heat and flush the test area with the steam gun.

If the dye has transferred to the towel or cheesecloth, it is fugitive.

Drycleaning
Dryclean garments suspected to have fugitive dye in a moisture-free load. Solvent temperature should be no higher than 80°F.

Higher temperatures can induce dye bleeding.

Spotting
When spotting, use a cheesecloth or towel under the stained area. Check cloth after flushing and note dye transfer. When spotting fabrics that may have fugitive dyes, use the steam gun with caution. Work in small-areas, flushing into cheesecloth.

Dry rapidly with the air gun. Do place the garment into the drycleaning machine while it is damp or wet -- dye transfer may result.

Avoid the use of wetside chemicals, which accelerate the bleeding of fugitive dyes. If wetside chemicals are used in error and dye migrates during spotting, quickly flush the area to which the dye has migrated into cheesecloth until it clears, then dry it with the air gun.

Do not use paint removers or dryside lubricants mixed with water.

Prespotting
Do not use moisture-bearing prespotters if the dye on the fabric is fugitive. The resulting dye stains are difficult or impossible to remove.

Wetcleaning
Before wetcleaning a fabric suspected of a fugitive dye, flush an unexposed area into cheesecloth. Apply a few drops of the chemical or detergent to be used and heat with the steam gun. Flush and note any dye transfer.

Do not wetclean if dye has bled.

Corrective procedure for dye bleeding
Dye migration or dye transfer in fabrics is difficult to correct. Try reducing bleaches, such as sodium hydrosulphite or titanium sulphate, but test for safety before using.

When working in small areas, use a Q-tip when applying the reducing bleach. Washable fabrics should be rewashed in a washing machine using cool water and mild detergent. This is more effective than just soaking the garment. Dry rapidly on a wind whip or air cycle on a steam-air finisher.

Stan Golomb: What the rising stars can tell us

In my years in the drycleaning industry, I have seen many stars come and eventually fade out. But there are always new stars coming into the industry that will be even brighter than the fading stars.

The reason the new stars will shine even more is that they are standing on the shoulders of the giants of the past.

Offhand, I can't think of all the stars of old, but will mention the names of a few I know and respect for their talent and contribution to the industry.

A few stars I could mention quickly are Marcia Miller Todd, Ray Colucci, Bill Seitz, Bill Fisher, Sid Tuchman, Joseph Cunniff and Morry Kornick. Going back even further to those no longer with us, I can mention names that may mean nothing to you, but who were definitely stars. Folks such as Max Zimmerman, Joseph L. Mayberry, Frank Pollatsek, Connie Kasson, Phil Sharrar, John Grey and many others played important roles in the past.

People like these helped build the industry to what it is today. They were the innovators of their time and now we have a new group who will lead the industry into the future.

I know two such gentlemen. One is Darcy Moen, a former drycleaner from Canada, and a computer genius who can do amazing things for those drycleaners who have a computer database.

He can link up with any computer in the world, reorganize the computer base in such a way that the cleaner can use his database as a powerful tool for keeping his best customers, the Big Tunas.

The other man is Bill Bishop of The Golomb Group, who is on the cutting edge of computer science and the marketing of drycleaning services.

These two were the featured speakers at the California drycleaners Association Show in Long Beach. They combined their talks with Bishop leading off with an explanation of how to find, capture and keep customers, using a computer presentation that mesmerized the audience.

Then Moen followed, explaining how powerful tools could be used to control and grow business through the use of database marketing for communications with the prime customer list.

They were both swamped after the presentation by cleaners who had never been exposed to these ideas before.

We are in a rapidly changing world and the future is there for those who are informed and can capitalize on the available tools.

This month, I'm starting a series of articles based on Bill Bishop's speech, which covered the very fundamentals of marketing for success. Then I will follow this with data from Darcy's speech on what he does and what he can do for you.

Most of you think of the words marketing and advertising as synonymous, but there are major differences.

Marketing is communications and all-inclusive with advertising whereas advertising is usually institutional to sell a name brand or create an identity for a business.

In the early days, a sign in front of the store was all that was required. In ancient London, the various businesses put out a sign that was called a shingle.

Stores catered to pedestrian traffic and one could easily identify the bank, the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker simply by their sign.

The barbershop was identified with a red and white striped pole in front of the store. I believe the red stood for blood as early barbers were also sort of the town doctor and bloodletting was part of their profession.

But as I said before, the world is changing and now we have a mobile society where people will drive to the store of their choice or, in many cases, the store will deliver to the customer's door.

And we have a new phenomenon. We have densely populated areas with many competitive stores vying for the consumer dollar.

That's why we need advertising and marketing to capture a fair share of the market. This is a competitive world and there seem to be enough dollars for several like businesses to chase.

In a study of the industry, we have come to the conclusion that the best way to market a service like drycleaning is to first find the best prospects in a market area and try to capture them.

About seven years ago, I wrote a book titled, "Find, Capture, and Keep Customers" and this is the theme I will cover in this series of articles.

How do we find customers? We do it a number of ways. We let them find us by an attractive front, a sign that will get their attention, easy access and parking and where we have good shopping traffic.

This method will generate only so much business so we have to go further to get a larger share of the market.

Now we get into various types of advertising, such as newspaper space ads, telephone directory ads, radio and TV.

But this is not targeted advertising. A newspaper ad will compete with others of the same type just as the yellow pages will list a myriad of competitors. Radio will cover a much larger market that the advertiser has to pay for and still only reach a limited number of prospects who happen to hear the radio commercial.

Common sense tells us that the best way to get your message across is to contact the individual in the most personal way.

Direct mail has been found to be, by far, the most successful way to market drycleaning plants.

In a survey we send to new Golomb Group members, there is a question that asks what is the most successful method you have used to promote your business. Out of well over 1,000 responses we have received to these questions, 99 percent said, "Direct Mail."

But where do you send your mailing? It costs at least 55 cents to make a direct contact by mail with today's postal rates and effective printing that will grab the consumer's attention. It can be done for less with marriage mail, which is similar to newspaper advertising where your offer is included with 20 other businesses and sometimes several competitors.

It has been proven that a well-designed, full color, individual piece of mail that enters your prospect's home will produce the very best results for the money.

We often use the expression, "cost effective marketing," and now you have the gist of the best way to develop business.

But you have to know how to target your mail and that will be the next phase I will deal with in this continuing series on how to find, capture and keep customers.

Frank Kollman: Get the right answers before you act

Several days ago, I was sitting down with an old friend who owns a small business, and he asked about the best way to fire his office manager.

During our discussion, I found out that he was not paying the manager overtime, but that he was also not paying her a salary. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, hourly managers are entitled to overtime, no matter what their duties are.

My friend told me that it was his office manager who told him that hourly managers were exempt from overtime. I replied that in addition to being wrong, under the FLSA, employees cannot agree to receive less than the amounts they are entitled to receive, even if the pay plan was the employee's idea.

At one point, I said: "Skip, why didn't you call me?"

He responded: "I didn't think it was such a big deal, and I didn't want to bother you with it."

Rule number 124. Every personnel question is a big deal.

Rule number 125. Back pay liability under the FLSA can be three years, plus liquidated damages and attorneys' fees.

Rule number 126. Get legal advice when you need it. Pay a management attorney for that 15-minute phone call to avoid paying thousands of dollars later.

When I give seminars on labor relations and personnel matters, I often ask what is the maximum amount of money a supervisor can spend without getting permission from the chief executive officer. The answers range from $25 to $100 dollars.

Then again, these same people can make personnel decisions that can cost a business tens of thousands of dollars (or more) without so much as discussion with the CEO or a phone call to a lawyer.

There is no substitute for good, competent legal advice when you are confronted with a tricky labor situation. And a decision to fire somebody is almost always considered a tricky situation.

Even in cases where a termination decision is totally warranted, the failure to fire an individual correctly can turn a winning case into a problem case. What you tell an employee at the time of his discharge is critical, and a good management attorney can give you the right words to say.

Several weeks ago, a client called to tell me that he was firing an older worker for incompetence. He had been employed in a high level position for several months, and he was a complete nincompoop who could never finish an assignment. My client was going to "soften the blow" by telling him that there was going to be a restructuring, that he felt terrible that the employee was going to be affected, and so on and so forth.

Immediately, I told the client not to soften the blow, at least not in that manner. I said to carefully go over the major problems they had been having, emphasizing that the employee had been counseled several times for his performance deficiencies.

The client then asked: "What do I do if he starts to argue with me?"

I answered: "Then tell him that he is being fired for incompetence and an utter lack of ability to do the job."

The client was stunned that he could be that direct. He also understood that I was right when I said: "If this guy sues you, you will never have to say that you lied to him about the reasons for termination."

The 30-minute phone call probably saved the client $150,000.00, given the salary involved. My bill was considerably less.

If you are still reluctant to find and use a labor lawyer on a regular basis, consider getting involved in trade associations where such issues are discussed on a regular basis.

You might also consider joining an internet forum. My firm sponsors such a web site, at no charge, called www.hrlawforum.com, where human resource people can discuss problems and exchange ideas.

No matter what you decide, however, make sure that you do not rely on instinct or bad advice to make personnel decisions.

Frank Lucenta: Spray finishing suede and leather

Spray finishing suede and naked leather articles is accomplished by using the spray finishing techniques and procedures described previously and by using the spray materials specifically de-signed for use on them.

Suedes and naked leathers are colored with dyes that go down into the skin. The spray materials selected for use on a suede or naked leather will depend upon its softness and the condition of its color.

If the suede or naked leather has not lost color but has a chalky look or a dry feel, that condition can be corrected by spraying the colorless Suede Nu Neutral onto the suede or naked leather with a hand sprayer or with an air spray gun set at an air pressure of 50 psi and with the spray gun nozzle held at a distance of six inches from the suede or naked leather. This technique will instantly bring out the original deep rich color and impart a soft lush feel to the garment

Hand spraying neutral
If the suede or naked leather looks slightly faded, it should be sprayed with a tinting mixture of Suede Nu neutral mixed with a small amount of Brit-N Dye in a color that matches the color of the suede or naked leather. A tinting mixture will add some color and consists of a mix of one to three parts of Brit-N Dye mixed with five to seven parts of Suede Nu Neutral, to form a total mix of eight parts. For example: one ounce of Brit-N Dye mixed with seven ounces of Suede Nu Neutral.

This mixture can be sprayed onto the suede or naked leather with a hand sprayer or with an air spray gun set at an air pressure of 50 psi with the sprayer nozzle held six inches from the surface of the suede or naked leather.

If the suede or naked leather is badly faded as a result of wear or has suffered extreme color loss as a result of improper cleaning procedures, then it must be redyed to restore the color by using a more concentrated dye mixture of four to six parts of the Brit-N Dye in a color that closely matches the original color of the item, mixed with two to four parts Suede Nu Neutral to make a total mix of eight parts. For example: six ounces of Suede Brit-N Dye and two ounces of Suede Nu Neutral mixed together for an eight ounce mix.

Air Gun Spraying
For best results with this heavy of a concentration of dye, the mixture should be sprayed into the suede or naked leather using an air spray gun, set at an air pressure of 80 psi with the nozzle of the spray gun held only three inches away from the surface of the suede or naked leather.

Using this higher air pressure and a closer proximity to the surface of the skin allows the dye to be driven into the skin rather than deposited onto the surface of the skin, where it might crock off when it dries.

It is important that the maximum concentration of the dye in the mix not exceed three parts Brit-N Dye and one part Suede Nu Neutral. Using 100 percent dye would not do a better job as the dye needs the neutral to help penetrate and level out in the skin rather then collecting on the surface of the skin where it could rub or crock off.

A special case
A special case that comes up from time to time is the white shearling that has been colored white by the manufacturer by use of a white powder surface color instead of bleaching the skin all the way through. This white powder surface color will be lost in wearing, especially in the seat and elbow areas of the shearling, and will be removed from the rest of the shearling in cleaning.

The result is a light grey skin color. This is the color the skin was after it was tanned and before the white powder surface color was applied. To restore the original white powder surface color, spray the shearling with the Suede Wite White Powder Liquid Color using an air spray gun set at an air pressure of 80 psi, with the nozzle of the air gun held three inches from the surface of the shearling being sprayed. This will embed the white powder particles in the surface of the shearling skin.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Do not attempt to use products that are not specifically formulated for use on suede and leather. The Royaltone suede and leather products referred to in this article are formulated to process suedes, leathers, furs and trimmed cloth without causing color loss, color bleed, color transfer, stiffening of the skins or matting down the nap. Other brands of products for use on suede and leather may not give the same results when used as described in this article.

Dennis McCrory: Why customers keep coming back

Even small increases in customer loyalty and retention can account for huge increases in the profitability of your business. That's according to Fred Reichheld, author of "The Loyalty Effect."

One example he cites is State Farm insurance Co. Reichheld attributed State Farm's high level of profitability to its business practices.

By using discounts and guarantees for long-term customers along with agent compensation structures, which encourage retention rather than churning, State Farm effectively created strong customer loyalty and retention. He concluded that even businesses that pay a lot of attention to customer satisfaction rarely give enough attention to building customer loyalty.

Most drycleaners, for example, measure success in terms of total dollar sales and then try to adjust operations to increase profitability.

Their promotions and advertising is directed at the general public in an effort to continually gain new customers while, at the same time, they are losing current customers at an alarming rate.

Quite often cleaners are incredulous to my suggestions of offering special discounts and promotions only to current or "Big Tuna" customers. They usually say something to the effect of, "Why should I give a discount to someone who is already my customer?"

The answer to that question is simply that your business profits will benefit more by retaining and increasing the expenditure of your current customers than by obtaining new customers.

That's not to say we don't want to obtain new customers. I'm just saying that the greatest potential for increased profits lies in making present customers more loyal to your store.

How well you communicate with and serve your customers -- that is, communication not only across the counter but in direct mail and other forms of marketing -- is essential to keeping customers and making them feel that you genuinely care. That is at least as important as providing a quality service of good, on-time cleaning and pressing.

Customer satisfaction will always be an extremely important component in customer loyalty. It would be difficult to earn a customer's loyalty without first earning the highest level of customer satisfaction.

However, just because your company earns high satisfaction marks, you cannot assume you will automatically earn total customer loyalty. One way to create a sense of loyalty, beyond satisfaction, is in your company's "value proposition" and its ability to communicate that you care and value your current customers.

Value predicts choice, thus loyalty. Buyers who are considering which cleaners to use, whether they are currently your customer or not, scan their options and develop a consideration set.

Within their consideration set, they develop a hierarchy of choices based on their assessment of value. They naturally choose the cleaners at the top of their value hierarchy, if it is also convenient. This may be a conscious process or a subconscious process.

You can obtain more than an average share of loyal customers by targeting individuals more predisposed to giving a cleaner their loyalty.

That's right. Just as you've suspected, for so long, certain types of people tend to be more loyal to a particular business than other personality types. So it makes sense to market your business to, and in a way that attracts, customers who are most likely to remain loyal customers.

This can be accomplished not by being "the low-price leader," but by offering the greatest value for your customers' dollar. Let's face it, Wal-Mart is not the cheapest store. The Dollar Store or a similar operation is probably cheaper. But most anything you buy from The Dollar Store has little value.

On the other hand, Wal-Mart tries to offer low-priced merchandise that has some essence of quality.

However debatable that may be, to a large extent, they do succeed and continue to grow.

In summary, the key to improving customer loyalty -- the number of repeat purchases -- is to get into customers' consideration set, then make sure you have the best relative value among the cleaners in that set for the largest number of potential customers.

Don't think that managing customer satisfaction is the only answer to improving loyalty and profitability. Small improvements in customer satisfaction may improve a customer's consideration of your business, but there is overwhelming evidence that it does not improve loyalty. Value does that.

Alan Robson: Are you going for pieces or dollars?

As the U.S. economy continues to boom, demand for drycleaning services remains stagnant. Why?

In this lackluster market, 10 percent of the cleaners are increasing their piece volume and 25 percent are increasing their dollar volume. What are they doing differently?

What will the drycleaning industry look like in five to ten years and where will you fit in that picture?

Only by examining and understanding the underlying forces that are driving this industry today can you position your business for success tomorrow.

Stagnant demand
Although demand for drycleaning is flat, casual wear and the home office are not the only conditions that are putting pressure on piece volume. New strip malls are being built everywhere and every new mall has one storefront designated for a drycleaner.

These locations are being picked up by existing drycleaners who: 1) want to expand their market share; and 2) want to keep the competition out.

These new locations do absolutely nothing to increase the drycleaning piece volume in the areas where they are built, but they sure do cut the pie into smaller pieces.

Another reason why the pie keeps getting cut into smaller pieces is the proliferation of newbies in the business. We all know the basic attractions to the drycleaning industry;

• Low start-up costs.
• No experience necessary.
• The promise of huge profits.

Most exasperating is the promise of huge profits. This myth is being promoted by people who are making, or at least trying to make, a living in the drycleaning industry. A statement such asŠ "in an ideal plant the owner can keep 50 percent of gross sales in profits and earned wages" is ludicrous. This is an outrageous lie! Where is this ideal plant? It does not exist!

A 50 percent profit in this or any other industry is pure fantasy! Yet, this statement has found its way into print.

This statement, born out of ignorance, will help every unscrupulous promoter of "low priced" turnkey plants to sell his bill of goods! If you think there are too many low-priced competitors who don't know anything about drycleaning, just wait -- more are on the way.

While I'm on this subject of blatant lies and misrepresentations -- how about the Purpletie gang on the West Coast? In an article that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 13, 2000; Mr. Zamani, founder of Purplietie.com, disputed the International Fabricare Institute's statement that profit margins for drycleaners "are in the single digits, quite modest."

Mr. Zamani's response to IFI wasŠ "drycleaners underreport to the IRS." He said, "his analysis shows annual drycleaners receipts to be roughly 24 billion dollars, or about $250,000 per cleaner per yearŠ"

To generate that dollar volume would require every man, woman and child in the U.S. to spend $133 per year in drycleaning, and there would be one drycleaner for every 1,875 person living in this country!

Where did Mr. Zamani get his "inside" information about this industry? It's very unfortunate for the industry that such misinformation is finding its way into respected publications!

Increasing sales
In talking about increasing sales, we must consider piece sales and dollar sales. The drycleaning industry is very competitive. To grow your business you must do something to make your company stand out.

Unfortunately, people, even astute business people, have a tendency to act like water running down a hillside -- they take the path of least resistance. For many, that path leads to low pricesŠ the easiest thing in the world to sell is low prices.

How does one rationalize "low prices"? I actually had a business owner say to me, "I can sell below cost and make up the difference by selling more volume."

Duh! He believed it!

No doubt, you can increase your piece volume with low prices but what about increasing your dollar volume? If you discount your prices 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent or more, how much will you have to increase your piece volume to maintain the same dollar volume?

The fact is that the bigger the discount, the bigger the piece volume increase has to be. In other words, as you discount your prices at an increasing rate (going from 10 percent to 20 percent), you will need to increase your piece volume at an increasing rate (from 11 percent to 25 percent).

Discounts and Piece Volume
Price per Piece = $4.00
Piece Volume = 1,000
Dollar Volume = $4,000
Discount = 10 percent or $.40 
New Price = $4.00 minus $.40 = $3.60
Pieces needed to generate $4,000:
		$4,000 divided by $3.60 = 1,111.11.
Additional pieces needed with discount: 111.
Increase in discounted piece volume needed
to generate same dollar volume: 11.1%

The chart shows that a 10 percent discount will require an 11.1 percent increase in piece volume to generate the same $4,000 (111 pcs. divided by 1000 = 11.1 percent). Additional pieces required are calculated by subtracting 1000 from 1,111 (equals 111).

As the amount of the discount increases, the number of pieces required to generate the same dollar volume increases at an increasing rate. A 20 percent discount requires a 25 percent increase in piece volume while a 30 percent discount requires a 43 percent increase in piece volume.

We know that discounting can increase your piece volume and that it is unlikely to improve your dollar volume. Which brings us back to the question: How can you increase your dollar volume without increasing your piece volume?

There is only one answer to that question: increase prices.

Next question: How do you increase prices?

The only way your can increase prices is by improving the quality of the work you do and the quality of the service you provide.

Once you improve quality, you can increase your prices. After which you can afford to advertise. Every drycleaner I know who is increasing their piece and dollar volume is spending between 2.5 and 4 percent of gross sales on advertising.

The most successful drycleaners are providing the best service and work; are charging prices that reflect the quality of their service; and are advertising.

If you make a commitment to spend 3 percent of gross sales on advertising, where will the money come from? It can only come from one of two places -- your pocket or your customers' pockets.

Improve your quality, increase your prices 4 percent across the board, and your customers, not you, will be paying for the successful growth of your business.

As for what this industry will look like in five to ten years, don't fret. No national chain is going to take over within the next ten years.

What will happen in the next five to ten years is that the drycleaning industry will be required to respond to the changes in society in general. The gap between the haves and the have nots is getting bigger!

As this gap continues to widen, the middle class will continue to shrink. You must decide which market you will cater to: the lower end, price conscious market, or the harder-to-please, more affluent customers. It's your call.

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

Copyright © 2000, National Clothesline
Maintained by: Hal Horning