National Clothesline

Dr. Manfred Wentz, executive director of the International Drycleaners Congress, became the first recipient of the EFIT European Research Award for Science and Technology in Textile Care in March.

EFIT — the European Research Association for Innovative Textile Care†— was formerly known as the Research Institute for Textile Care in Hohenstein, Germany.

The EFIT Board created the award to honor individuals or companies for special scientific or technical contributions to textile care.

Dr. Wentz was selected unanimously to receive the award in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to the development of solvent technology and scientific innovation in the drycleaning industry, combined with his extraordinary engagement for changing the behavior of men protecting the environment all over the world.”

The award was presented by Dr. Stefan Mecheels, director and CEO of the Hohenstein Institute, and EFIT President Ludwig Egelhof, on behalf of the Scientific Committee of EFIT during a celebration marking the institute’s 50th anniversary.

Hohenstein, under the leadership of Dr. Josef Kurz, participated in basic scientific and applied research that led to the introduction of today’s environmentally-friendly alternative textile care technologies.

“I am humbled to get this award from the scientific and professional people in Germany where the change to environmentally-friendly professional textile care was started and is now a reality,” Dr. Wentz said. “I am particularly thankful to my friend, Professor Dr. Josef Kurz, who always shared his knowledge and wisdom on developing and implementing ‘green professional textile care’ in the United States and Canada.”

This is not the first time that Dr. Wentz’ contribution to the industry has been noted. In 1998, he received recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a stakeholder in their Design for the Environment Garment and Textile Care Program. He was also honored by the International Fabricare Institute (IFI) with the Green Field Award in 2001.

In addition to his position with IDC, Dr. Wentz is currently president of TextileCare International Ltd., and a Visiting Professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. He is also the principal U.S. delegate and expert on textile care, representing the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists at ISO/TC38/SC2.

Shanghai Wells Hanger Co. Ltd., a division of Wells Group, has a newly built 100,000-sq.-ft. plant in Shanghai that is the largest hanger manufacturing facility in Mainland China.

Wells designed and fabricated its own machines, including a rod-wire cutting machine, paper tube former machine, automatic hanger forming system and automatic assembling system. The company was formed in 1996 and produces and ships more than 500 million hangers to the United States, Japan, Europe, Australia and Indonesia.

The Wells Group was established in 1983 with the intention of building a presence in Mainland China and has set up various privately held companies in China, Hong Kong and the United States, employing more than 1,000 workers. In China the company also owns seven chemical processing plants and one glassware factory in addition to the hanger plant. Marketing offices have been established in Hong Kong and the United States.

The company’s U.S. headquarters is at 902 Durfee Avenue, S. El Monte, CA 91733; phone (626) 575-2886; fax (626) 575-3183. Warehouses are located in Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY.

Herson Supply of Gaitherburg, MD, has been named an authorized dealer for Green-Jet Dry-Wetcleaning systems. The company has installed a Green Jet machine at its facility along with wetcleaning equipment.

“It is our goal to actually share the experience with our clientele, rather than to just talk about it,” said Ron Herson. Visitors to the facility will be able to get hands-on experience with the system which Herson said can fulfill 100 percent of the cleaning requirements if used in conjunction with wetcleaning.

Herson will have weekend open house demonstrations and will also be available to accommodate private showings. “Being available as a back-up machine in the event a client is down is not out of the question, either,” Herson said.

The company can be reached by phone at (301) 417-1300 or e-mail at supplyguys@hotmail.com.

David Rinella and Gene Sobbe have joined Colmac Industries, Inc., Colville, WA.

Rinella was director of technical service, and Sobbe was vice president of sales for Count On Us Corporation of Kansas City, MO, which was acquired by Colmac last spring.

Count On Us became a branded division of Colmac and will continue to expand sales worldwide and to provide service and technical support to uniform and linen service companies, on-premise laundries and all other companies that have their counting and sorting equipment and software.

Prior to joining Count On Us, Rinella was a programmer and analyst at Children International, a non-profit charitable organization located in Kansas City.

Sobbe previously was vice president of Superior Linen Supply Company, Inc. in Kansas City.

Colmac manufactures finishing equipment, such as tunnel finishers, automated presses, hangering systems and heat pump water heaters for use in drycleaners, uniform and linen services companies, and on-premise laundries. Colmac plans to offer Count On Us equipment to all industries that have operations requiring counting, sorting and classification capabilities.

ASN Laundry Group, formerly known as IPSO of NY/LaunderCenter, has opened a sales office, warehouse and service center at 159 East First Ave., Roselle, NJ.

The new facility is staffed to serve coin, on-premise and industrial laundries in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The warehouse will maintain a full inventory of parts for IPSO washer-extractors, Jensen heavy duty laundry equipment and the full line of American Dryer products, as well as parts for all makes and models of laundry equipment.

ASN Laundry Group is the authorized exclusive distributor of IPSO coin and OPL washer-extractors, dryers and Jensen heavy duty laundry equipment for the states of New York, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The company also distributes dryers by American Dryer Corporation, Whirlpool and Roper products, and other major equipment including ESD card systems, White Conveyors, NATCO boilers, Greenwald coin systems, and others.

Arrow Parts, Inc., a subsidiary of ASN, will also be located at the new facility to serve local walk-in and phone customers with replacement parts for virtually all makes and models of washing machines. The parts counter will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The Arrow Parts service desk can also be reached by calling (800) 507-7009 or (908) 241-0800.

The New Jersey facililty can be reached by telephone, (800) 832-9238 or (908) 241-5655. The New York headquarters is located at 1731 West Farms Rd., Bronx, NY 10460; phone (800) 463-4067 or (718) 542-8686.