While most of the nation was occupied last month with the question of who would be the next U.S. president, OSHA was publishing what will become the next set of federal regulations that will confront U.S. businesses.
OSHA's ergonomics standard, long in development and much criticized by business groups, was released on Nov. 14 and will go into effect in January. It requires employers to instruct employees on ergonomic injuries, and, if an employee reports such an injury, to make changes in the workplace and to accommodate the employee, including giving the injured employee time off with pay while recuperating.
Business will have until October to come into compliance, unless legal or political action puts a halt to OSHA's plans.
The National Coalition on Ergonomics, whose membership is made up of a variety of business groups, including the International Fabricare Institute, was filing an appeal of the standard. NCE (www.ncergo.org) has been contesting the standard since its preliminary version was released by OSHA last year.
Also battling the proposal are Republicans in Congress who added a provision to appropriations legislation that would prevent OSHA from issuing new rules until next year. However, President Clinton threatened to veto the legislation unless that provision was removed. The budget issue will have to be decided in the post-election lame-duck session of Congress, but Clinton appears adamant about preserving the new OSHA standard.
Vice President Al Gore is also a supporter of the ergonomics plan, so if he becomes president in January he would probably fight to preserve the OSHA standard. George W. Bush, on the other hand, opposed the standard in his platform, but even if he becomes president it would be difficult for him to undo the work that has already been done.
Republicans could continue fighting the standard in the next Congress, possibly using the Congressional Review Act to revoke it, but with the GOP's thin working majority, it would be difficult to succeed.
So if the standard takes effect as envisioned by OSHA, employers will have new workplace regulations to contend with in the new year.
The ergonomics standard is designed to reduce Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) that occur as a result of performing job duties. Simply put, it is designed to reduce the number of job-related injuries that result from repetitive motion or physical exertion.
With few exceptions (and drycleaning is not one of them) the standard applies to all U.S. businesses. Initially, employers will have to explain MSDs to their employees. This will include information about common MSDs and their signs and symptoms; the importance of reporting them and how to report them; the kinds of risk factors, jobs and work activities associated with MSD hazards; and a short description of the requirements of OSHA's standard. The information must be provided in written form to all current employees. New employees are to get the information within 14 days of hiring.
Initially, that would be the extent of compliance. But if an employee reports an MSD or signs or symptoms of an MSD, additional requirements kick in.
If an employee reports an MSD sign or symptom, the employer must determine if that constitutes an "MSD incident" -- one that is work related and requires time off from work or restricted work or medical treatment, or MSD signs or symptoms that last seven days after the initial report.
If the report meets the criteria for an "MSD incident," then the employer must determine if the employee's job meets an "Action Trigger." An "Action Trigger" exists for the job if the MSD incident occurred in the employee's job and if the job routinely involves exposure to one or more of several risk factors: repetition, force, awkward postures, contact stress or vibration.
When a program is required
If the job meets the Action Trigger, the employer must provide MSD management for the injured worker, which could include work restrictions, and analyze the job to determine if it poses an MSD hazard to other employees. If it does, then the employer must implement an ergonomics program that includes management leadership, employee participation, job controls, training and program evaluation.
The program would not have to encompass all jobs in the workplace; only those jobs that involve the same tasks and physical work activities would be covered. Also, OSHA realizes that eliminating MSDs in all jobs may not be possible and the mere occurrence of an MSD is not in itself a violation. OSHA said that as long as employers have a process in place to address problems when they arise and to implement controls to reduce problems, they will be in compliance.
Employers can use any combination of engineering, administrative and work practice controls to reduce hazards. The agency says its rule gives employers flexibility in determining how to reduce MSD hazards. Most problems can be resolved, OSHA said, by employers working with their employees to implement changes that reduce or eliminate risk factors.
Record-keeping requirements of the standard include employee reports of MSDs, MSD signs and symptoms and MSD hazards; the employer's response to those reports; job hazard analyses; hazard control measures; the quick fix process; ergonomics program evaluations and works restrictions; time off of work and opinions from health care professionals. Copies of these records must be available to employees, their representatives and to OSHA inspectors.
Small business help
To ease the burden on small businesses, OSHA said companies with 10 or fewer employees will not be subject to the record keeping requirements.
OSHA said it has taken other steps to help small businesses comply with the new standard. Information sheets developed by OSHA can be distributed to employees and posted in the workplace to comply with the standard's information requirements.
A Basic Screening Tool developed by OSHA will give employers a quick and simple way to determine if further action is needed and a "Quick Fix" option will be available to allow employers to fix a problem without having to put in a full ergonomics program.
Estimates vary widely on the cost of the new standard to U.S. businesses. OSHA estimates the cost at $4.5 billion a year but argues that companies will save $9.1 billion by reducing disabilities and lost productivity.
Business groups believe the cost will be much higher. The National Coalition on Ergonomics estimated the annual cost at more than $90 billion. The National Association of Manufacturers says $18 billion, and the Employment Policy Foundation says $125 billion.
A Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) is defined in the OSHA standard as follows:
A disorder of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, blood vessels or spinal discs. For purposes of this standard, this definition only includes MSDs in the following areas of the body that have been associated with exposure to risk factors: neck, shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, abdomen (hernia only), back, knee, ankle, and foot. MSDs may include muscle strains and tears, ligament sprains, joint and tendon inflammation, pinched nerves, and spinal disc degeneration. MSDs include such medical conditions as: low back pain, tension neck syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff syndrome, DeQuervain's syndrome, trigger finger, tarsal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, epicondylitis, tendinitis, Raynaud's phenomenon, hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), carpet layer's knee, and herniated spinal disc. Injuries arising from slips, trips, falls, motor vehicle accidents or similar accidents are not considered MSDs for the purposes of this standard.
An op-ed piece that assails perc drycleaning has been making the rounds of newspapers has itself come under attack by industry trade associations.
The op-ed article, by Henry S. Cole, has appeared in the Washington Times, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and the Hartford Courant among others. Cole, former science director of Clean Water Action, advocates "not tougher regulations but to get drycleaners out of the perc business entirely."
Cole identifies perc as a highly toxic chemical and a "probable" cause of cancer in humans. Not only are the air and water contaminated with it, Cole said, but "If you wear a perc-cleaned jacket or blouse, you are inhaling this chemical."
Cole wrote that there are two "safe and healthful commercially available processes" that can take the place of perc -- wetcleaning and liquid carbon dioxide. To encourage conversion to those methods from perc, he called for passage of federal tax credits for cleaners who buy CO2 or wetcleaning machines.
"The House and Senate targeted tax credit bills are strongly supported by environmentalists and advocates of public health, by high-tech innovators, banks, by the wetcleaning industry and by drycleaners that want to make the switch," Cole argued.
Cole's article drew a response from Bill Fisher, CEO of the International Fabricare Institute, in the form of letters to the editors of the newspapers that published the op-ed piece.
"To suggest that drycleaners are unsafe... does a great disservice to the tens of thousands of environmentally and safety-conscious drycleaners in the United States," Fisher wrote. "Although there has been much debate about the toxicity of perc, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's official classification of perc is as a possible human carcinogen, just like gasoline, and just as saccharin was before it," he explained.
Fisher noted that a study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health shows that drycleaners who were known to be exposed only to perc had no increased risk of cancer.
Fisher said the drycleaning industry believe the best available scientific information indicates that perc is unlikely to be a human carcinogen. Nevertheless, cleaners are committed to using perc safely and efficiently and have reduced their consumption of perc by 70 percent in the last 10 years.
Fisher said that the industry is committed to the health and safety of all its workers and customers and that drycleaners support the development of alternative cleaning technologies. Consumers need not worry about exposure to perc from drycleaned clothes or visiting a drycleaning plant, he added.
"Consumers who go to drycleaners face no risk of such elevated levels. When you realize that the average consumer going to a drycleaning plant twice a week has less than one-twothousandth the exposure that a drycleaning plant does, it's clear Mr. Cole is simply pandering," Fisher wrote.
Fisher characterized Cole's article as a "by-any-means necessary method of winning support" at the expense of thousands of mom-and-pop drycleaners' reputations.
Responding to the same article, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International noted that "given the quality of perc drycleaning machine control technologies available today, exposure (to perc) through waste or accident is minimal." Perc, NCA-I said, is in "the same carcinogen category as peanut butter." If tax credits are to be granted for cleaners who invest in CO2 or wetcleaning equipment, they should also be available to cleaners who invest in any new equipment that reduces solvent consumption rates, NCA-I said.
While the country held its breath in anticipation, waiting for a Florida recount that would determine if Governor Bush or Vice President Gore would be the next U.S. president, two drycleaners running for public office had other elections on their minds.
Both Kenneth Alan Toltz and Mary Wells lost their respective political battles for House seats in Colorado and North Carolina.
Toltz, a Democrat running for a seat in Colorado, District 6, of the U.S. House of Representatives, lost to incumbent GOP candidate Tom Tancredo by a 141,053 to 110,291 margin. Toltz captured 42% of the popular vote in Colorado, which fell shy of Tancredo's 54%.
Owner and operator of seven Dependable Cleaners plants throughout the Rocky Mountain state, including southwest Denver, Lakewood, Littleton and Evergreen, Toltz had contributed more than $35,000 of his own money for his campaign.
Toltz has long been active in the political arena, contributing to Senator Gary Hart's 1984 presidential campaign and serving as the platform's Deputy National Finance Director.
He has also served as a member of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Advisory Panel for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, the Boulder Better Business Bureau and the Corporate Alliance for Better Air.
Dependable Cleaners, which employs 55 people and generated over $1.5 million in revenue last year, has been in the Toltz family for three generations.
Another drycleaner running for public office was Mary Wells, a North Carolina Association of Launderers and Cleaners (NCALC) member who sought a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, District 72.
Running as a Democrat, Wells captured 43% of the popular vote, but lost to GOP incumbent Gene Arnold by a vote of 9,520 to 12,404.
Wells, who is a past president of NCALC, is a longtime operator of One-Hour Koretizing in Rocky Mount, NC. She currently is a director at large for NCALC.
In addition to being active in politics for a long time, Wells was named North Carolina Career Woman of the Year in 1993.
Apollo, a technology originally developed by Procter & Gamble to enhance bleach in its laundry detergents, may prove to have value as a cancer treatment.
P&G donated the rights to all of Apollo's patents to Case Western Reserve University in October. The university will research Apollo's potential in the development of a new generation of photodynamic cancer drugs. It will also further develop and eventually commercialize Apollo's applications for improving the bleaching benefits of laundry detergents.
The Apollo technology involves chemical molecules called silicon phthalocyanines. These compounds can absorb sunlight and then, using oxygen in the air, bleach out stains. Similar phthalocyanine molecules have the potential to absorb laser light and, with oxygen from the blood, destroy tumors.
In laundry applications, Apollo technology photobleach whitens clothes as they hang to dry in the sun. The bleach is attracted to and adheres to stains during the wash cycle. Left in the stain after washing, the bleach absorbs sunlight during line-drying and removes the stains to which it has adhered.
The amount of photobleach in the detergent is small and decomposes before the end of drying.
Detergents that contain photobleach are currently in use in parts of the world -- southern Europe, Asia, northern Africa -- where line-drying of laundry is popular. However, the existing molecules work only on water-base stains. P&G's Apollo technology can also disintegrate stains from fats, which includes the general yellowing of clothing that results from natural body oils.
There are parallels in the chemistry required for photodynamic therapy and that for photobleaching clothes.
"Just as bleach adheres to a stain to clean it, the molecules used in photodynamic cancer therapy bind to a tumor to destroy it," explained Malcolm Kenney, the Hinman Hurlbut Professor of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University. Kenney has devoted most of his research career to working with silicon phthalocyanines. For the past 15 years. He has collaborated with Professor Nancy Oleinick and other researchers from CWRU's School of Medicine to develop silicon phthalocyanine drugs for photodynamic cancer therapy.
In photodynamic cancer therapy, special compounds are introduced into a patient's system which destroys cancer cells when the cells are exposed to a focused beam of red light. The current compound is effective, yet it is not sufficiently selective, therefore patients must stay in subdued light for weeks after treatment to prevent healthy cells from being damaged or destroyed.
The Apollo technology holds promise for being more selective, which could reduce the amount of time a patient would need to live in subdued light. CWRU will research Apollo's potential in developing a new generation of photodynamic cancer drugs. The university will realize all future revenues resulting from Apollo's commercialization, which for both laundry and cancer applications could reach tens of millions of dollars annually.
Each year the company invests nearly $2 billion in research and development and is awarded about 3,000 patents worldwide. P&G said it is not able to devote resources to develop all of the more than 27,000 patents which are in its portfolio, therefore it donates technologies which are not essential to current product development activities and could be better developed elsewhere. This is P&G's first technology donation to a higher education institution in Ohio.
"This technology has the potential to save countless lives through the development of new cancer therapies," said David Aston, president of CWRU. "We're also looking forward to making the most of Apollo's potential in laundry detergent, which will drive revenues as we commercialize the technology to a sizeable global market."
The Wall Street Journal "missed the mark" in an article that compared five home drycleaning kits and the work of one drycleaner, IFI CEO Bill Fisher wrote in a letter to the newspaper.
For the story, the Journal had six reporters wear identical baby-blue, silk-cotton blend sweaters for a day around Manhattan, collecting smoke, dust and perspiration. Then, a spaghetti stain was given to each garment.
One sweater was sent to a local, but unidentified, drycleaner and the rest were tested with five different at-home products, including Clorox FreshCare, Customer Cleaner, Dry Cleaner's Secret, Dryel and an "Ionic Closet Dry Cleaner" device sold by Sharper Image.
According to the article, the outcome was rather unimpressive. "The kits left us about as disappointed as the drycleaner, but for a fraction of the cost," wrote WSJ reporter Elizabeth Bernstein. While the home-care kits improved the garments, none smelled completely fresh and none were free of stains. The drycleaner did a better, but not perfect, job of removing the stain, but left an unpleasant chemical smell, the report said.
IFI's Fisher took umbrage with the newspaper's methodology. One box of Dryel or customer cleaner is the same as the next, he noted, but drycleaners are not all the same.
"Removing a spaghetti sauce stain from a silk-cotton sweater without leaving any evidence that it was there in the first place, and returning the garment odor-free is an easy job for a professional cleaner," Fisher wrote in the letter.
"I don't like that there are some bad drycleaners out there, and good drycleaners don't like it either," he continued. "For a better comparison of drycleaning and home 'drycleaning' product, the Journal should have picked several drycleaners, or at least picked a good drycleaner from the ones used by your staff, Or if you want an even more challenging test, put 10 unidentified stains on one of those sweaters and bring it down to us, and watch while we remove all of them. Completely. And with no odor."
Unfortunately cleaners with poor quality controls are giving price-conscious consumers a reason to try home drycleaning kits, IFI said.
"Home drycleaning kits may pose a problem for those cleaners who are not doing quality work," Fisher said. "The problem is that creates a perception problem for the entire industry. IFI encourages all cleaners to get the training they need to deliver the best product they can. Delivering high quality, professional results is a drycleaner's trump card. No home kit can match that."
Lever Brothers is entering the home-care drycleaning kit market in the United Kingdom with Persil Revive, which began showing up on supermarket shelves late last summer.
The UK publication, Laundry and Drycleaning News, said the launch was backed by a $9.4 million marketing and advertising campaign.
Revive is available in two sizes, a single sheet sampler pack and a five-sheet pack. Unlike other home-care kits, there is no bag. The sheets are used both for freshening and spot cleaning clothes in the dryer.
Laundry and Cleaning News noted that instructions with the kit warn that material such as suede leather, velvet and silk should not be treated with the sheets and that it should only be used in domestic dryers on low heat.
Lever Brothers believes that Revive will extend its traditional home laundry products into a market that is worth an estimated $43 million a year.
Rynex Holdings Ltd. has announced two improvements in its drycleaning solvents -- one coming as the unintended consequence of the other.
The company said last month that an attempt to moderate the solvent's "distinctive menthol odor" also created a "dramatic increase in the rate at which Rynex separates from water."
The menthol odor is gone now, the company said, and the solvent now separates from water "six times faster than it used to."
Thus, Rynex no longer needs any special water separator methods. In addition, many water-related issues, like the bleeding of two-tone acetates, are "virtually eliminated," the company said.
This means that Rynex can be used in any hydrocarbon drycleaning machine without any changes to the machine and it can be used in a perc machine, that has been converted with a vacuum still.
"This is great news for the industry," said Jeff Battiston, director of sales and marketing for Rynex. "It means that all those drycleaners who switched to hydrocarbon and are not satisfied with the cleaning performance can now use Rynex, which cleans as well, if not better than, perc in their existing equipment."
More information is available by calling Rynex, (860) 674-9449 or visiting the Rynex web site: www.rynex.com.
International Fabricare Institute members are again being asked their advice on how the association should address national legislative and regulatory issues.
IFI first surveyed its members last summer. A ballot was published in the July/August issue of Fabricare News and members were asked to fill it out and return it by September 15. However, not enough responses were received to create a statistically valid sample, so IFI is will publish another ballot in its December Fabricare News.
IFI hopes for a higher rate of return the second time around, estimating that a 10 percent return rate would support legislative and regulatory action.
The ballot lists four key issues asking members to vote yes, no, undecided or no opinion concerning IFI action on those issues. Member are also asked to list five national issues that will have a direct impact on their business and where legislative or regulatory action is warranted.
The issues up for vote this time are as follows:
Drycleaning environmental tax credit bill. Should IFI continue to support the Drycleaning Environmental Tax Credit bill if perc (credit for the purchase of fourth or fifth generation machines) is not included in the bill but other solvents, such as DF2000, are?
Permissible exposure limits. Is it acceptable for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for perc at 25 parts per million (ppm) as long as that level is not based on consideration of perc posing a significant risk of cancer to workers?
Retroactive liability. Should IFI identify select Congressional members and urge them to examine the concept of retroactive liability as applied in environmental laws and ascertain if this issue can be clarified legislatively?
Family and Medical Leave Act. Should the Family and Medical Leave Act be extended to small business?
IFI provided the following commentaries on those issues.
Environmental tax credit
Background: The Drycleaning Environmental Tax Credit Bill provides a 20 percent tax credit on drycleaning equipment using reduced amounts of hazardous substances for drycleaning.
The House Small Business Subcommittee on Tax, Finance and Exports held a hearing on Thursday, July 20, 200, on H.R. 1303.
IFI testified that the bill did not consider the environmental or pollution prevention initiatives undertaken by the whole industry and was therefore limited in scope and applicability.
Despite these comments, legislation might consider providing a tax credit for other nonhazardous technologies.
Supporters argue that if the legislation can be expanded to include solvents and technologies other than CO2 then the industry has received a partial victory. Many drycleaners are considering alternative technology and solvents and if this legislation provides impetus for that, then it should be supported
Opponents believe that legislation should benefit all drycleaners and should not create division in the drycleaning industry because of the type of solvent used.
There is concern that this legislation is divisive because there is an inherent implication in the legislation that newer alternative solvents and technologies for drycleaners are less harmful to human health and the environment than existing technologies.
Exposure limits
Background. In a 1988 rulemaking involving a workplace air contaminant standard, OSHA proposed reducing the PEL for perc from 100 ppm to 50 ppm in order to prevent narcotic effects in workers exposed to perc vapors in workplace air.
When the final standard was published, OSHA had lowered the PEL for perc from the proposed 50 ppm to 25 ppm based on its findings that perc posed a significant risk of cancer in exposed workers.
The United States Court Appeals overturned the OSHA rulemaking because OSHA did not follow the Administrative Procedure Act for rulemaking on its own administrative procedures and substantive requirements for setting standard for substances on grounds of carcinogenicity. It is expected that OSHA will consider the perc PEL next year and will cure any administrative errors previously made.
Supporters believe that die OSHA will again propose a PEL for perc at 25 ppm. Some drycleaners consider this limit reasonable and attainable. They contend that 25 ppm is reasonable because workers using unitary dry-to-dry equipment have limited exposure to perc, and the standard can be met.
However, supporters of this standard believe that OSHA should base its findings on technological feasibility, not because perc is a potential occupational carcinogen. Such a finding could expose drycleaners to liability actions regarding their employees' health.
Opponents believe that a PEL for perc at 25 ppm is not attainable in many instances and unfairly targets plants with transfer equipment. Even in dry-to-dry plants, ambient levels of perc are perilously close to 25 ppm
Many plants will be above this limit even with the best available equipment.
Like supporters, opponents contend that OSHA has insufficient evidence to validate that perc's carcinogenic effects in animals are transferable to cancer effects in humans.
Retroactive liability
Background: Drycleaners have been adversely impacted under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund) because the court interpreted the statute as instituting retroactive liability.
Disposal practices that were legal before enactment of Superfund became prospectively and retroactively illegal. Drycleaners, as well as other stakeholders, who are willing to remediate contamination at a site after enactment of environmental statutes believe that retroactive liability is inherently unfair.
While retroactive liability may be appropriate in some instances, it can be questioned whether Congress intended CERCLA to promote retroactive liability.
Supporters believe that retroactive liability is unfair and against due process. Current laws should not punish actions that were once deemed legal. Retroactive liability should be specified as intended by the statute or arise in incidences of negligence or gross disregard.
There is a fundamental concern that if retroactive liability can be applied without legislative direction that such was intended, then any previous action taken by businesses could be arbitrarily cited as retroactively illegal.
Opponents contend that, to date, Congress has chosen not to clarify the retroactive liability standard and will be unlikely to do so.
The concept of retroactive liability under CERCLA has now become precedence. A challenge to clarify the standard will engender a contentious debate with an outcome that is likely to be futile.
Family and medical leave
Background: The Family and Medical Leave Act established the right to 12 weeks of unpaid annual leave for workers in companies with at least 50 employees. The leave can be used for a variety of situations including serious illness, childbirth or care for a seriously ill child, spouse and parent.
Supporters cite that small business employees need leave for life situations just as much as in individuals working in larger entities. This is particularly true for single or working parents that have considerable responsibilities for children and have no other available resource.
Opponents believe that the expanded coverage of the law burdens small businesses with unnecessary administrative and cost requirements and excessive disruptions.
Small business should have the option to work with employees and assess leave situations on a case-by-case basis. Mandatory requirements place unnecessary labor and economic encumbrances on small businesses.
The International Fabricare Institute has released the 2001 schedule for its resident courses to be held at IFI headquarters in Silver Spring, MD.
Students who complete all nine courses earn the "General Drycleaning Course Certificate," which indicates knowledge of professional drycleaning standards and practices.
All courses are taught by IFI's instructors. The following listing describes the courses and the dates when they will be offered next year.
Drycleaning Processes and Equipment covers operating perc and petroleum systems; textiles and drycleaning; simplifying classification; improving filtration/distillation; managing solvent, detergent and moisture; learning about drying/vapor recovery; troubleshooting drycleaning machines; and streamlining invoicing and tagging.
The course will be offered January 29-30; March 19-20; April 23-24; June 11-12; July 30-31; September 10-11; October 1-2; and November 5-6.
Stain Removal teaches and understanding of textiles & stain removal; organizing stain removal tools and equipment; simplifying stain removal agents; improving stain removal procedures, both basic and advanced; clarifying the use of bleaches; and managing stain removal and specialty fabrics.
The course will be offered January 31-February 2; March 21-23; April 25-27; June 13-15; August 1-3; September 12-14; October 3-5; and November 7-9.
Finishing will teach students how to establish quality finishing points; simplify finishing procedures; understand special finishing tools; develop basic finishing techniques for skirts, pants, coats, blouses, dresses; and master the finishing of specialty items such as pleats, velvets, pile fabrics; assembling effective packaging.
The course will be offered February 5-6; April 30-May 1; August 6-7; and October 8-9.
Shirts, a one-day course, covers streamlining invoicing and tagging procedures; simplifying inspection and classification; improving stain; devising effective wash formulas; solving shirt problems; and simplifying the finishing of shirts.
The course will be offered February 7; May 2; August 8; and October 10.
Wetcleaning, another one-day course, covers simplifying textiles and wetcleaning; effectively removing stains in wetcleaning; understanding the basics of bleach baths; understanding wetcleaning equipment; efficiently handling special items in wetcleaning; and mastering wetcleaning and finishing techniques.
The course will be offered February 8-9; May 3-4; August 9-10; October 11-12.
Wedding Gowns is a course that provides an understanding of wedding gown fabrics; how to implement efficient inspection procedures; institute cleaning and restoration techniques; master finishing techniques; and effective packaging and marketing tips
The course will be offered February 12; May 7; August 13; October 15.
Business Practices is a two-day session that covers organizing inventory control; simplifying business analysis; building employee teams; motivating employees; calculating the cost to produce a garment; streamlining plant layout.
The course will be offered February 13-14; May 8-9; August 14-15; October 16-17.
Legislation is a one-day session that will help clarify labeling rules; simplify OSHA and EPA regulations; and provide details on soil and groundwater contamination.
The course will be offered February 15; May 11; August 17; October 19.
Customer Service explains how to understanding customer's expectations and attitudes; manage potential cleaning problems; achieve effective customer interaction; and efficiently handle difficult situations.
The course will be offered February 16; May 11; August 17; October 19.
Scholarships are available for IFI members. For more information, call Susan Bale at IFI, (800) 638-2627, ext. 144 or e-mail education@ifi.org .
Information for exhibitors and attendees about the Clean '01 Show is now available on the show's web site: www.cleanshow.com.
The show will be held in New Orleans July 19-22. Exhibit sales are running ahead of the space from two years ago, leading show management to believe that Clean '01 may be the biggest clean show on record.
"Exhibit sales generally slow down toward the holidays, and then there is a big surge after the first of the year when new budgets are in place," said John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, the show management firm.
The Clean Show web site has information about the show, including a fact sheet, hotel and travel information, educational session titles, an exhibitor list and some highlights of the host city, New Orleans. The hotel reservation form and attendee registration form can be downloaded so they can be mailed in or faxed.
Eventually, on-line registration with credit card payment will be available. Show registration officially opens in January. Registration will be $35 per person until June 15. After that date, only on-site registration will be available at a cost of $60.
A complete schedule of education sessions will also be posted on the site. Each of the show's six cosponsoring associations will hold sessions during the show. Sessions are open to all registered show attendees.
Sponsors of the biennial Clean Show are the Coin Laundry Association, the International Fabricare Institute, the National Association of Institutional Linen Management, the Textile Care Allied Trades Association, the Textile Rental Services Association of America, and the Uniform & Textile Service Association.
In addition to using the web site, attendees and exhibitors can also get information about the show by contacting Riddle & Associates, Suite 360-C, 1874 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30324; phone (404) 876-1988, fax (404) 876-5121, or e-mail info@cleanshow.com .
The International Fabricare Institute has advised its members to make early reservations for Clean '01 if they plan to stay at the Monteleone, IFI's headquarters hotel.
The hotel is reserved for IFI now, but eventually unsold rooms will have to be released. To make a reservation, IFI members should call the Monteleone directly at (800) 535-8595 or (504) 523-3341. IFI's booking code at the hotel is IF6. The room rate is $120 a night, plus taxes.
Twenty-three other hotels, with rates ranging from $79 to $165 a night, are included in the Clean '01 housing package Reservations for all except the Monteleone must be made through the Clean '01 Housing Bureau to receive the special rates. Numbers for the Clean '01 Housing Bureau are (800) 424-5250 or (international) (847) 940-2153. By fax it is (800) 521-6017 or (international) (847) 940-2386.
The Clean Show will be July 19-22 in New Orleans. Seven airlines and three care rental companies have discount rates for Clean '01 attendees. Travel and car rental arrangements can be made through Clean '01's official travel desk at Boehm Travel, (888) 383-5816 or by fax (770) 931-5556.
Reservation forms and other show information is available from the show management firm, Riddle & Associates, 1874 Piedmont Road, Suite 360-C, Atlanta, GA 30324; phone (404) 876-1988, fax (404) 876-5121; e-mail info@cleanshow.com , or visit the web site at www.cleanshow.com.
One company is aiming to change the way the world buys clothes.
Made4Me.com has spent the past several years developing a technology that will enable the apparel industry to offer mass customization, rather than mass production.
"Most people are very frustrated with clothes," said Elliot Levine, executive vice president of Made4Me.com. "We really have a situation where customers aren't particularly happy."
After hiring consultants at Kurt Salmon Associates to study the industry, some interesting statistics surfaced.
"Sixty percent of people walk out of a store because it doesn't have their size, the right color or the fabric they want."
According to statistics that KSA tabulated, 62 percent of clothes consumers cannot find clothing that fits well and 57 percent believe their body shape doesn't fit into a "standard" size. Over half of the people surveyed believe that manufacturers don't make clothes in a size that fits real bodies.
Made4Me.com is hoping to change all of that.
"The key technology to all of this is a pattern generation system we call Intellifit," Levine said, referring to the company's technology that uses measurement figures to extrapolate a three-dimensional body print.
"It takes about 10,000 calculations to design a custom pair of pants," he added.
Though estimates suggest that less than one percent of clothing is custom made today, Made4Me.com believes that will change in the next few years.
"We're trying to build an industry where you can spread the technology and have everyone have the ability to get the brands they want that fit. Our goal for five years is to have a database of five million measurements, and we think that's incredibly achievable," Levine said.
To help them reach that goal, Made4Me.com is using a four-part marketing program that will include network marketers, uniform manufacturers, the Internet, and the use of agents. The agents the company plans to use would be mostly comprised of drycleaners across the U.S.
"We want drycleaners to capture measurements for us," Levine said. "We think they can be an enormous profitable area for us."
How it works
To be a part of the agent program, drycleaners will be required to pay a $150 fee for a marketing kit, which Levine points out is easily earned back with a single customer.
Cleaners will not be required to hold any inventory. When a new customer gets measured (which takes about five minutes) and places an initial order, the cleaner will earn $25 from Made4Me.com.
"After that," Levine noted, "we have a five-year annuity stream where they're going to collect commission on everything that customer buys for the next five years. For the first year, we are going to pay them $15 per garment. During the second and third year, it's $10 each, and, in the fourth and fifth year, it's $5."
"As far as we can tell, it's essentially pure profit," Levine added. "We're not asking cleaners to add the costs."
After cleaners have taken the initial measurements and have faxed over the new customer's statistics, Made4Me.com will enter that person into their Internet database and will mail them a welcome package that contains measuring devices. That way, if a person's body size changes, they will be able to go on-line and edit their measurements.
As an added benefit, participating cleaners will be put into Made4Me.com's on-line search engine (located on the web site at www.made4me.com). A person looking for an authorized measurement center will be directed to a drycleaner in their zip code who is participating in the program.
Looking at the future
"Right now, we're just selling Chinos... black, tan, stone, cuffs, no cuffs," said Levine, who said that the custom pants start off around $59 to $69 dollars.
"We don't make believe that we're going to replace Nordstrom's," he added, "but, I think there is a percentage of the wardrobe where shopping isn't fun." He believes Made4Me.com can capture everyday wear that is tedious to shop for, such as a pair of Khakis or Chinos.
However, the company already has designs on expanding its market. "We just had our first beta of shirts in," he said. "They were basically OK. There's some problems, but I believe we'll have shirts by the end of the year. We really see a big market in sports coats, too."
In the meantime, the company plans to focus on its marketing, which is vital for success. "We have an agreement with a company called Market America. They have 22,000 agents," Levine said. "We signed up 600 of those agents who are about to start selling in February. That's just one company."
Levine also pointed out that Made4Me.com plans to work with clothes manufacturers in the future.
By utilizing Intellifit, Levine believes those companies could improve customer satisfaction and cut down on inventory carrying costs. Of course, all that depends on whether or not the concept of mass customization is embraced in the clothing industry.
According to Levine, that won't be a problem. "The whole trend of mass customization is not something we invented," Levine said. "but, we know there's a demand."
Levine can be reached at Made4Me.com's office in King of Prussia, PA, at (610) 878-9300, ext. 123. Information about the company can also be obtained by visiting www.made4me.com.
In recent months, several major clothes designers have been working hard to bring fashion out of the casual trend and onto the computer screens of numerous shoppers.
In other words, fashion is becoming more fashionable on the Internet.
Already, those who wish to view the latest styles and trends in the industry need only look as far as their personal computer. At Firstview (www.firstview.com), the collections from top designers such as Kenneth Cole, Gucci and Valentino can be seen only a few days after they have been unveiled on the runway. In fact, subscribers can pay $1,000 a year (or $6 for an hour peek) to get a closer look at outfits that won't be freely accessible to the public for another six months.
Another site that showcases designer collections for public consumption is Virtual Runway (www.virtualrunway.com). Not only does it feature slide shows of fashion lines, but it also offers style secrets and an interactive section that lets site visitors ask questions on-line.
Land's End (www.lands-end.com) has a site that features the latest in web-based technology: a virtual dressing room (VDR). The VDR customizes a person's measurements, along with hair and skin color, to display a three-dimensional model that can be rotated for a 360-degree view. The site also offers a personal shopper that records a customer's preferences and translates the data into new wardrobe possibilities.
Along the same lines, JCPenny (www.jcpenny.com) and SmartCasual.com (www.smartcasual.com) offer VDRs based on a customer's wearing preferences (relaxed, tight, etc.). Members of each service can keep an on-line database of his or her wardrobe.
For web surfers who just want to search, as opposed to spending a good deal of time logging in personal information, a host of clothes sellers are maintaining comprehensive web sites. Saks Fifth Avenue (www.saksfifthavenue.com), which launched in August of this year, plans to offer over 60,000 items by the end of the year. Neiman Marcus (www.neimanmarcus.com) features one-on-one shopping assistance with access to more than 100 boutiques.
Other major sites that have entered the virtual fashion market include: Nordstrom (www.nordstrom.com), eLuxury (www.eluxury.com), LuxLook.com (www.luxlooks.com), Style365.com (www.style365.com), L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com), Banana Republic (www.bananarepublic.com), and Designer Outlet.com (www.designeroutlet.com), to name a few.
Of course, consumers who aren't sure of specific brands and names have another option, as well. At www.fashion.about.com, virtually anything and everything pertaining to fashion can be found, including: an A-Z listing of major designers (with profiles, interviews and biographies), a pronunciation guide of designer's names, past and present fashion collections, links to designer corporate sites and any recent news or information pertaining to style tips and trends.
Over the past year or two, companies that cater to do-it-yourself auto mechanics have taken a tumble in the market. Share prices of one major retailer, for example, have fallen from $37.88 in 1996 to $4.56 this fall. The backyard mechanics have decided they want to do something else with their weekends besides tinker with cars. Besides, auto repair is more complex now. As one market analyst put it: "The selling of spark plugs, mufflers and brakes is becoming a dinosaur because of life-style changes and because cars are too complex to fix without an $80,000 computer."
So now some of those auto parts retailers -- the ones that are still open -- are selling the service to go along with those spark plugs. They have the $80,000 computer and they'll do the work for you, leaving your weekend free for other pursuits.
It is ironic, then, that during this same time period we have seen the rise of another "do it yourself" trend -- the home drycleaning kit. Procter & Gamble's Dryel burst onto the scene two years ago with great fanfare. Today there are about a half-dozen products on the market which, although not identical in substance, are all telling the consumers the same thing: Instead of dropping your dirty and wrinkled clothes off at the cleaners and not seeing them again until they are cleaned and pressed, buy a $10 box of magic at the grocery store, take it home, run it in the dryer with your dirty garments, remove it promptly, iron as needed and -- voilá -- you are a do-it-yourself drycleaner.
The rise of do-it-yourself drycleaning seems to fly in the face of the general decline of do-it-yourselfism. Most people today, regardless of the work they do, are specialists of one sort or another and the appreciate they fact that specialists usually do a better job then the home hobbyist. Unfortunately, there are some drycleaners whose poor work has helped the drycleaning-in-a-bag bunch look good. It should not be so easy for a consumer reporter/investigator to turn up a cleaner who can't remove a spaghetti stain.
These products can only succeed, it would seem, if the professionals with the drycleaning equivalent of an $80,000 computer allow them to. Of course, it makes more than technology to do the job. It also take know-how, and a commitment to doing it right. Do-it-yourself drycleaning can be sent packing for good if cleaners dedicate themselves to doing the job better than any home-care product could possibly hope to. That can be done almost as easily as it is said simply by making sure the tools and expertise are in place. The alternative, sadly, is to be replaced by a bag.
At press time, the entire nation was still up at arms as to who would be the next president of the United States. Americans are justifiably concerned with the accuracy of the final vote count. Many citizens have even demanded that every single vote be tallied again (and again). Nobody wants to think that their vote didn't make a genuine impact on the outcome of the election. Though the controversy has dragged on, withering away the patience of Americans, it's nice to know that nobody is taking the election process lightly.
Ironically, a ballot process of a different kind is also undergoing a recount. Actually, recount is not an accurate term since an insufficient amount of ballots were turned in during the initial voting process. The International Fabricare Institute will once again be seeking advice from its members on which issues are most important to the industry in the December issue of Fabricare. The association had previously sent out a ballot in its July/August issue of Fabricare, but too few drycleaners responded to the questionnaire. IFI believes a ten percent feedback rate is required in order to deem the results statistically viable. However, the first effort fell short of that number. If you really want your voice to be heard, then this is your chance. Your vote really does count. All you have to do is fill out the ballot and return it to IFI. Now is not the time to be apathetic. There will be no court battles or recounts. It is a simple process, really. However, the results could have a staggering impact on the way IFI represents its members -- that is, provided drycleaners actually cast their votes.
What do people think of us as drycleaners? Or, are they only concerned about the results of our cleaning services?
We know what the print and television media thinks of us. They blast us with accusations. They have called us inept, lousy and unknowledgeable -- and they also think we charge too much.
Why do they do this? They believe that bashing drycleaners improves sales and ratings -- not ours, but theirs. Satisfied drycleaning customers will not believe such accusations.
Should drycleaners be in pursuit of excellence or in the pursuit of customer satisfaction?
Excellence or perfection is in the eye of the beholder. However, what is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander. Perfection may be good for one person, but the same perfection may not be good for another.
When satisfying the individual customer, perfection becomes a reality with a satisfaction guarantee. This is what personalized service is all about. The drycleaning industry cannot progress with dissatisfied customers. As drycleaners, we must be in the pursuit of satisfying customers.
To offer personalized service we must become problem solvers. Before we look for solutions we must recognize the problem. Once we understand the problem, then experience and knowledge will find solutions.
People who have had bad experiences will have the tendency not to believe promises. It is easy to get deceptive promises into the public mind, but most difficult and almost impossible to get them out.
To gain public trust, we must admit to mistakes and avoid exaggerations. An honest mistake is acceptable, but an exaggeration -- never.
How are we perceived in the public's and customers' minds? It is important to know. Like it or not, each of us has a reputation. It may be good or bad, but we are judged not only as businesspersons, but also by our character, and we want a good reputation. We earn it by doing good work and deeds.
Image is everything. When building an image, start with public relations and become community oriented. Let the community know that you exist. Develop an image that you can live up to and tag it with a logo and slogan so that it can be easily remembered. Then when you advertise you won't be a stranger knocking on somebody's door. Good things just don't happen -- you make them happen.
When businesses get to be too many, all with the same identity, then fierce competition takes over. Fighting for market share and survival begins. Price and slander become common weapons. But for new investors this creates an opportunity. A good, promising market has been revealed.
For investors, the market-share takeover is simple. They know that discounting reduces profit. Without profit, obligations cannot be met. Now what the investors will do is to undercut the discounters with a low price that discounters cannot meet. This process reduces the "too many" and the landlords and suppliers will take care of the rest.
The drycleaners' public relations program asks: "Be a good citizen and vote." This is a program not asking for favors. It is a payback program to the community for a much worthy cause that encourages citizens to vote. Period. What it will do is create a good public image for the deserving drycleaner.
The good news: Barry Gilman, Richclean supply manager, reports that 140,000 poly garment bags with the "vote" message were sold. Fifty drycleaners participated in the Vote Program.
Five Virginia drycleaners initiated the Vote Program. The Vote messengers were:
I want to thank all the drycleaners who participated in the Vote Program. I also want to thank Richclean salesmen for making this program possible and Cliff McBride from North American Film for graphics on the Vote poly.
The Vote program was a success. As for the election itself, it all depends what you think success is. If you think the election was a fiasco, you've got it right. You can't blame the drycleaners for what happened. The voting process would have been easier and more accurate if pinball machines had been used.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.
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