On the road to a better future
es, it’s time
to rethink, evaluate and bring our businesses into this new
century. One thing to note is that perc has not been abandoned.
I go back to the time when 50 gallons of perc yielded a scant
5,000 pounds of cleaning and waste was rampant, be it discarded
with muck and still residue, poor drying or literally exhausted
in the atmosphere.
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In line with improving, perc is and has
been the master in drycleaning. The drastic reduction in perc
consumption is credited with the excellence of the new
equipment, continuous distillation with minimal solvent loss,
and totally odorless drying with controlled load release. It
provides flexibility through addition of water and all
additives, including a gentle, fragile cycle.
Imagine having high production with
quality unheard of, and still being economical!
So where is the problem?
I believe it was F.D.R. who said.
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” If and
when (and it should never happen!) perc is outlawed, we would
only have ourselves to blame.
There has never been a case proven that
perc is carcinogenic. There was some finding of cancer when it
was inhaled by rats, but none had been confirmed in humans! The
record also shows that our industry has policed itself
and reduced its consumption to low, unbelievable levels —
and still going lower!
Furthermore, the alternative solvents have
no guarantee they never will be on the endangered list. I refer
to hydrocarbon which has some volatile qualities that few
people mention.
There are other alternative solvents and
methods, but most offer very prohibitive cost, and still fall
into the category of a possible future restricted use. No one
agency will guarantee a cure all.
Furthermore, none offers all the cleaning
advantages and low cost of perc.
The problem persists with the alphabet
soup of agencies EPA, SCAQMD, building and fire departments and
other local and federal departments offering special decrees
putting landlords in fear of being in violation.
So what can be done ?
Individually there is little we can do,
but together with your trade associations we can stand up and
be counted. My hat is off to our Korean brother drycleaners who
showed up en masse in California to protest. They at least
forced the local authority to slow the pace of a perc ban and
promise further review.
Another fighter of this battle is Steve
Langiulli of Columbia Drycleaning Equipment, who submitted
affidavits and testified in New York to California on the
unfairness of proposed legislation.
It is time we join together in support to
“righting a wrong!”
There are other areas in which we can
improve. How about that new tensioning finishing equipment? It
can lower cost and take away the constant burden of hiring and
firing, can double production, yield an improved product and
all with inexperienced personnel. Imagine a vast labor pool, of
high school seniors working part time, with little extra
benefits, such as pensions, vacations, overtime etc. Remember,
pants, slacks and trousers constitute 50 percent of our volume,
and these units in tandem with a legger press can yield 40 to
50 pants an hour with excellent quality and little operator
training.
Here we can control production with
minimal instruction and be able to afford a “final
inspector” to oversee our finished product! It’s a
great time to be in a position to upgrade our operations.
(Write for my booklet, “Pressed for Perfection.”)
When we look at the strides that we have
made, we have every reason to be optimistic and plan
constructively for the future. No one has a crystal ball, but
we can look with some certainty of what our future holds.
What should our main concern be? How to
raise our prices and maintain a high quality product we can be
proud of. It’s time we became professional and
“certified.”
These good things have been long in the
waiting but we have to be in the forefront now of making them
happen. It becomes the work of all us, and not that choice of a
few who do all the work. Sign up with your local chapter of the
International Fabricare Institute and National Cleaners
Association. Attend their meetings. Look into certification.
Fix up. Clean up. Shape up. Be part of
this new century.
Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric
care industry, has revised and made available three timely
pamphlets: “Up Front Is Where It Counts” for
counter training; “Pressed for Perfection” for
finishing techniques; the popular “Route to Success To
the Home of Office” for complete route training. The
pamphlets are $20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery
with all postage paid is promised. Send requests and payment to
to R. Colucci, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.
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