February 1998
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An open three-day meeting March 31-April 2 sponsored by the U.S. EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) Garment and Textile Care Program will give drycleaners an opportunity to play a part in developing guidelines on pollution prevention ideas, technology and education.
Four meetings held Jan. 12-15 in metropolitan Washington, DC, marked the opening sessions of the program. The late March meeting will use working papers from the earlier meetings as a basis of discussion.
Project goals were clearly defined several weeks prior to the meetings. In a statement issued prior to the meetings, Stroup said the DfE staff wants:
- To foster communications among the various industries along the garment and textile care value chain.
- To identify and discuss upstream issues related to garment and textile care.
- To exchange ideas on proposed resolutions to these issues.
- To produce substantive outputs that will form the basis of a multi-year strategy for incorporation of pollution prevention practices into the fabric care industry that will result in an economically vibrant and environmentally responsible industry in the 21st century.
EPA calls the DfE program an effort to bring business, consumers and others together to effect improvements in technology while reducing environmental damage and pollution. Its stated goal is to "evaluate the environmental and human health risks, performance and cost trade-offs between traditional and alternative technologies."
The GTCP said it "is working with the dry cleaning industryŠ to incorporate pollution prevention into the garment and textile care industriesŠ to assist in providing the professional fabricare provider with a wider range of environmentally friendly options which they can offer to their customers."
Initial comments from participants indicated the agenda is not at all firm.
Sylvia Ewing-Hoover said. "We need to follow-up at the March 31 meeting to bring the ideas together."
Ewing-Hoover, the Pollution Prevention Manager of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, co-chaired the Education and Outreach Workgroup with drycleaner Sue Armstrong.
Ann Hargrove, a wetcleaning consultant from Chicago and former manager of the Greener Cleaner wetcleaning project, said the workshop was "definitely worth going to. I went because I thought we were going to find out where everything was going."
Her assessment of the technology workshop was that it was "basically a CO2 thing."
Washington state drycleaner Everett Childers concurred. "This thing was so loaded with CO2 people; there were more Ph.D.s than you could shake a stick at. They talked about CO2 to the exclusion of everything else."
Childers acknowledged that representatives of petroleum and Rynex solvents were in attendance. A drycleaner and training consultant, Childers has recently expanded his involvement with petroleum solvents.
Overall, however, he said the process "was good because a lot of the things decided were goals that we can work on."
"From these meetings we are going to get a strategic plan," International Fabricare Institute vice president Mary Scalco said. "The idea to draw up a plan, to develop a plan and hopefully show what the goals are."
Relieving pressure
Scalco, who participated in all four sessions, called the process a "more voluntary way of relieving some of the regulatory pressure."
She recalled one key question as central to the topic: "What exactly is a Green Technology? You have to go all the way back on the chain."
Jon Meijer, IFI vice president for membership and marketing, called the process an exchange of ideas. He participated in the Jan. 12 drycleaning workshop.
"It was an open-ended agenda," he said. "What key issues do we want the group to look at? Folks are looking at pollution prevention. But what that is depends on who you're talking to." Meijer referred the workshop discussion as an "evaluation of alternatives."
The drycleaning workshop participants discussed a variety of processes that affect the garment care process, from care labeling to the testing programs at IFI, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International and North Carolina State University.
"The goal is pollution prevention," Meijer added. "The goal-setting process is 'a group will be formed to decide what it is.'"
Financing the future
Financing was also discussed. If drycleaners are expected to adapt to new methods of garment care, the money has to come from somewhere to finance it. Meijer said methods by which cleaners could upgrade their equipment -- including accelerated depreciation -- were discussed.
The problem is, however, these goals seemed pretty hard to pin down. Each participant seemed to bring back his or her own vision of what the workgroup did.
In hopes of reducing the work to the common themes, DfE contracted a private firm to provide the note takers who would assemble the comments from each group and put them in working order.
"We will get back a set of papers from each workgroup," Ewing-Hoover said. "Everyone will comment and those papers will formulate a foundation for a draft paper for the March 31 conference."
The next conference "will be an opportunity to participate in the development of long-term strategy," Ewing-Hoover added. This opens "opportunities for cleaners and other interested parties to hear first-hand information and give their views directly to the EPA."
The DfE version, though more formal, conveyed the same message. "The outputs from these workgroups will be woven into the first draft of the strategy, which will be the focus of an EPA DfE Garment and Textile Care Conference scheduled for March 31-April 2, 1998," Stroup wrote. "Based on the outcome of the January workgroups and the March 31-April 2 conference, a final draft strategy will be prepared and circulated widely for comment. Additional meetings may be scheduled for the fall 1998, if necessary."
Participants in the Arlington, Virginia, workshops included textile care allied trade representatives, staff members of cleaners associations, dry and wet cleaners, manufacturers and other members of the textile care community.
The groups which met included the Dry Cleaning Workgroup, co-chaired by Bill Fisher (International Fabricare Institute) and Bill Seitz (Neighborhood Cleaners Association International); the Science and Technology Workgroup, co-chaired by Manfred Wentz (AATCC) and Charles Riggs (Texas Woman's University); the Textile Design and Manufacture Workgroup, co-chaired by Perry Grady (North Carolina State University) and Kay Villa (ATMI); the Education and Outreach Workgroup, co-chaired by Sylvia Hoover-Ewing (Center for Neighborhood Technology) and Sue Armstrong (Armstrong Cleaners).
Four other sessions planned Jan. 19-21 for the Apparel Design and Manufacturers workgroup, the Textile and Apparel Wholesale/Retail Sales and Marketing group and the Textile, Apparel and Dry Cleaning Consumers workgroup were postponed due to lack of response from potential attendees.
Cleaners interested in participating should contact Stroup at the Washington, DC, EPA office, (202) 260-3889.
As the second session of the 105th Congress opened January 27, 59 House members were signed on as cosponsors of H.R. 1711, aka the Barton bill.
While the number of cosponsors for the Barton bill was a few short of the 100 that its author, Texas Republican Joe Barton, had asked for, supporters were hopeful that more sponsors would be signing on as the second session opened. Cleaners had been urged to contact their representatives in their home districts during the congressional break that began in November. Representatives can't sign on as cosponsors of legislation while Congress is in recess.
Barton has said that if he can get 100 of his colleagues to cosponsor the legislation he will be able to convince House leadership to hold hearings on the bill. Since introducing the legislation last May, 14 Democrats and 45 Republicans from 24 states have agreed to support Barton's legislation by becoming cosponsors.
Known formally as The Small Business Remediation Act, the bill would tie standards for cleaning up drycleaning solvents in soil and groundwater to standards set by OSHA for exposure of cleaning plant workers to the same solvents.
Fund-raising efforts for the bill got a boost in early January when the Mid-Atlantic Cleaners and Launderers Association announced it will donate $10,000 to the Dry Cleaners Action Fund of America, which was organized last fall to raise money to defray expenses involved in keeping the legislation moving.
"We're putting our money where our mouth is by giving a very substantial donation in an effort to keep the Barton bill moving in Congress," said Barbara Harvey, president of MACLA.
"We're pretty much assured that without at least a reasonable national standard to peg scientific legislative and regulatory efforts to, Mid-Atlantic members are going to be slowly picked off, one by one, by becoming embroiled in long, drawn-out controversy and litigation. Without exception, the Barton bill simply has to have the total support of everyone in our industry. We urge every industry member to send a donation to the Drycleaners Action Fund so we can get this job done."
Other associations that have contributed to DCAFA include the Southwest Drycleaners Association ($10,000), the Nebraska Fabricare Association ($5,200) and the Michigan Institute of Laundering and Drycleaning (nearly $40,000 received out of $50,000 in member pledges). Merry Bering, executive director of the Michigan group, has volunteered to lead the DCAFA efforts. She said a number of smaller donations from individual cleaners had been received, too.
A group of employees of One Hour Martinizing in Omaha, Nebraska, also contributed to DCAFA. A $500 check, representing donations of $5 and $10 from the company's employees, was presented to Barney and Patty Deden at the company's annual Christmas dinner.
"Barney and Patty do so much for us, and we wanted to do something for them," said Dolores Morton, Martinizing's training director. We know how important the Barton bill is to our livelihood, so each store manager took up a collection."
Barney Deden observed that if every employee of each drycleaning plant in the US gave a similar donation the industry could raise more than half a million dollars.
Both MACLA and the SDA have scheduled early March activities related to the Barton bill.
MACLA is planning a Face-to-Face effort in Washington on March 4 on conjunction with a Congressional Phone and Fax Day.
Already, all members of the congressional delegations of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia have been contacted on behalf of MACLA for support of the Barton bill.
"This constant hammering away has had some effect," said Earl Knight, chairman of MACLA's Legislative, Environmental and Regulatory Committee.
Four of the 11 Virginia representatives have signed on as cosponsors. None of the other representatives from the MACLA territory have yet signed on.
Barton panel in Texas
SDA will host the bill's author at its "Big '98" trade show in Austin, TX, March 6-8. Rep. Barton is scheduled to be among panelists who will discuss the legislation at a program on Saturday morning during the show.
Joining him on the panel will be Bill Seitz of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International, Bill Fisher of the International Fabricare Institute, Gary Baise of the Washington, DC, law firm of Baise & Miller, and Barney Deden.
Brooksher Banks of Fashion Park Cleaners in Little Rock, AR, will moderate the panel discussion.
DCAFA donations
DCAFA was established last fall as a central collection center for all contributions made on behalf of the fabric care industry in the United States toward the Barton bill.
All contributions to the DCAFA will be used solely for advancing the passage of the Barton bill or its companion legislation in the U.S. Senate or similar compromise legislation developed by the House, Senate and Administration.
Checks can made out either to the Dry Cleaners Action Fund of America (or to a representative association depending upon the association's direction) and sent to DCAFA, c/o MILD, PO Box 14044, Lansing, MI 48901.
MILD said no funds will be disbursed for any purpose that could be considered campaign contributions under federal political campaign regulations. Administrative costs, such as banking fees, accounting fees, postage and similar expense, will be absorbed by MILD.
Disbursements from the fund's account will be through the authority and approval of the DCAFA committees which is made of members from MILD, the Martinizing Environmental Group, Comet Franchises, the International Fabricare Institute and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International.
Contributions are at will and may not be a qualified business deduction. Donors should consult a certified public accountant concerning rules and regulations governing their contributions.
The process of reviewing the National Fire Protection Association's standards for petroleum solvent drycleaning plants will continue in Austin, TX, next month when the technical committee on drycleaning meets.
Proposals for changes in the standard will be reviewed by the 17-member committee that is made up of representatives from industry, government and trade associations. Although the next full revision of the standard is not due until 2001, NFPA initiated the review process last year aiming for a possible 1999 edition.
Committee members met in Massachusetts in November to start the process and form study groups to focus on various aspects of the standard, known as NFPA 32. Revisions could reflect changes in cleaning machine technologies and the development of higher flash-point solvents in recent years.
At the March 4-5 meeting in Austin, the study groups will report on their proposals. Proposals accepted by the committee will be available for public review and comment. The technical committee would then send a final report to the NFPA annual meeting or fall meeting for approval by the membership of revisions in the standards.
Although the NFPA codes and standards don't have the force of law, they are used by government, insurance and industry officials in developing rules and regulations pertaining to fire safety.
Petroleum solvent has been used in drycleaning for years and at one time was the most widely used drycleaning solvent. Petroleum solvent declined in popularity in the years after World War II as perchloroethylene became more widely used. Although petroleum solvent drycleaning never disappeared, fire code restrictions made it difficult or even impossible to build a new plant with petroleum equipment. Perc, on the other hand, had no such restrictions.
As recently as five or six years ago, petroleum solvent cleaning equipment was rarely if ever seen at industry trade shows and few manufacturers had cleaning machines or reclaimers available. But increasing restrictions on perc use combined with advancements in both solvents and machinery for petroleum cleaning to lead to a revival of interest. Exxon introduced its DF 2000, a higher-flash point solvent, in the early 1990s and since then numerous manufacturers have begun making and selling petroleum cleaning machines again.
Fire code restrictions can still be an obstacle to placing petroleum solvent cleaning machines since the local codes do not reflect changes in the technology that have occurred in recent years. Despite that, manufacturers, distributors and plant owners have managed to convince local officials in many jurisdictions to allow newer the newer machines and solvents. However, an updated standard on a national level, such as is contemplated by NFPA, could lend weight to those trying to convince local code enforcement officials that today's technology is improved over that which is reflected in the older regulations.
Last summer, before the review process began, NFPA announced invited qualified applicants to submit their names for committee membership. Several new members were added before the process began last fall.
The committee is chaired by Richard G. Beeson of the Greensboro, NC, Fire Department.
Other members include:
Thomas Bruce of Hoyt Corp.
Gary Scott Earnest of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Petra Klein of the Hohenstein Institute, Germany
Stan Caplan, fabric care consultant
James DeSanto of Marvel Manufacturing
John Fehlner of the National Coalition of Petroleum Dry Cleaners
David B. Slan of The Slan Companies
Mark D. Chubb of the Southern Building Code Congress International Inc.
Steven Landon of Trophy Club
David A. Martinez of Chicago Hilton & Towers
Albert S. Beers of Stokes Laundry Inc.
Mary Scalco of the International Fabricare Institute
Donald E. Major of Factory Mutual Research Corp.
Manfred Wentz of R. R. Street & Co. Inc.
James L. Schreiner of Exxon Chemical Co.
Ken Faig, International Fabricare Institute (alternate).
Non-voting members are Robert B. Bell of the U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA) and Amy Spencer of NFPA who serves as staff liaison.
The Austin meeting takes place on the two days preceding the opening of the Southwest Drycleaners Association trade show and convention in the same city.
Guests who are not members of the technical committee may attend but they are required to notify Spencer, (617) 984-7402 or committee chair Beeson, (910) 373-2177. Participation in the meeting may be limited to committee members.
The NFPA Drycleaning Technical Committee consists of 17 voting members and two non-voting members with a balance of representation from among several interests: manufacturers, users, installers and maintainers, labor, applied research and testing; enforcement authority, insurance, consumers and "special experts." No more than one-third of the voting members of the committee can represent any one interest category.
Exxon is conducting a series of evening seminars around the country on drycleaning with petroleum solvents.
The seminars are open to all interested drycleaners distributors and representatives of equipment companies. Exxon's Jim Schreiner and industry educator Everett Childers are leading the seminars. Schreiner said the sessions begin at 6:30 in the evening and generally last for 60 to 90 minutes.
This month the seminars are being offered in Denver, CO, on Feb. 9; San Diego, CA, on Feb. 10; Seattle, WA, on Feb. 11 and Portland, OR, on Feb. 12.
The following week seminars will be in Kansas City, MO, on Feb 17; St. Louis, MO, on Feb 18 and Indianapolis, IN, on Feb. 19.
Seminars in about two dozen other U.S. cities will be scheduled in the coming months. Cleaners will receive notices of the seminars in their area as they are scheduled.
To register of for more information, call Exxon, (800) 252-8835 and select option 2.
LOS ANGELES, CA -- A one-year study of a 100-percent wetcleaning shop led UCLA researchers to conclude that "wetcleaning is a viable pollution prevention approach for the garment care industry."
Cleaner by Nature, a privately owned Los Angeles cleaning plant, served as the demonstration site for the research project which was funded in part by an EPA grant and carried out by UCLA/Occidental Pollution Prevention Education and Research Center (PPERC).
The evaluation focused on three areas: cleaning performance, environmental affects and financial viability.
In an executive summary of the research, PPERC said customer satisfaction of Cleaner by Nature's cleaning capability "was broadly comparable" to that of perc drycleaning. Surveys showed that 90 percent of Cleaner by Nature's customers rated the work as good or excellent. A similar percentage said they would recommend the shop to a friend.
In a comparison survey conducted of customers of perc drycleaners, the wetcleaning shop came out equal to and in some cases better than the perc shop, with wetcleaning customers giving high marks for color, feel, smell and lack of damage to buttons or decorations in their evaluation of the Cleaner by Nature's work.
A technical performance test, in which 40 sets of identical garments were evaluated after repeated wearings and wetcleanings or drycleanings, found that color consistency and color migration were areas in which wetcleaning had "slightly greater problems" than perc drycleaning. However, overall color changes for both wetcleaned and drycleaned garments were "comparable."
Also noted in the evaluation was "slightly greater dimensional change" in the length, but not the width, of wetcleaned garments. Researchers said, however, that the differences in average length measurement between the two processes of less than one third of a percent was "not statistically significant."
Wetcleaning garments had more problems in pressing and general appearance while drycleaned garments had more problems in damage to fabric or buttons and odor problems, but all garments had "acceptable" odor.
Volunteers who wore the test garments had greater overall satisfaction with the wetcleaned clothes. Shrinkage was more frequently noted on wetcleaned garments while stretching was more often noted on garments drycleaned in perc.
Financial assessment
The study was undertaken during the shop's first year of operation, a period in which there was growth in revenue and customer base, but overall the shop experienced a net loss of $57,000 on revenues of $185,000. Income statements for the shop showed a fourth-quarter profit of $2,000 on revenues of $67,000. Based on growth trends and quarterly results, researchers predicted that the shop would realize a profit of $62,000 on revenues of $359,000 in its second year.
In comparing start-up costs, the report said that Cleaner by Nature's equipment and maintenance expenses were less than those of a similarly configured drycleaning plant. Purchase costs of wetcleaning equipment were 9 percent lower than comparable equipment for a drycleaning plant. Wetcleaning machines cost less but pressing machines cost more.
Yearly equipment expenses were less for wetcleaning, but costs for soaps and labor, especially in pressing, were higher than for drycleaning.
"The trade off between higher equipment costs for drycleaning and higher labor costs for wetcleaning meant that overall operating costs for wetcleaning and drycleaning were similar," the researchers said.
Environmental impacts
The report said that "no substantial concerns were raised by the environmental evaluation of wetcleaning while drycleaning's environmental impacts, though reduced with new control technologies, are still considerable."
Increased water usage, a concern often raised about wetcleaning, is not critical, the report said. Regional water demands would increase by .021 percent if every drycleaning facility in the region converted to professional wetcleaning, the report stated. That would be equivalent to a population increase in southern California of 3,036 people.
Those figures "did not generate concern among regional water planners," the researchers said.
An analysis of the shop's effluent performed by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation found that all regulatory standards were met and "few environmental impacts" were generated.
Energy use is comparable for both wetcleaning and drycleaning processes, the report said. Wetcleaning uses more natural gas but less electricity than perc drycleaning.
Further comparing the environmental impacts of wetcleaning to perc drycleaning, the report cited the greater amount of hazardous air pollutants and hazardous waste generated by perc.
Recommendations
Challenges remain in both wetcleaning and drycleaning, the report noted -- shrinkage and color migration in wetcleaning and stretching and spotting in drycleaning. There are also financial trade-offs for both processes -- higher labor and detergent costs for wetcleaning and higher equipment and liability costs for drycleaning.
Taken as a whole, those differences are small, researchers said. Weighing in favor of wetcleaning, they said, are the greater environmental impacts of perc drycleaning.
"Based on this comparative analysis, the study concludes that professional wetcleaning constitutes a viable pollution prevention approach for the garment care industry," the report said.
Policy recommendations in the report include providing information and technical assistance to cleaners about wetcleaning, economic incentives for a transition to wetcleaning, and regulatory action including designation of wetcleaning as "best available control technology."
The $210,000 evaluation study was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Initiative, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the California EPA's Air Resources Board.
Copies of the report's executive summary are available from Robert Gottlieb, PPERC director and principal investigator for the study, at (213) 259-2566.
With the theme, "Professional Care and Fashion: A Winning Combination," the International Drycleaners Congress will mark its 40th anniversary at its convention at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany, May 3-7.
In addition to three full days of business programs with speakers from 10 different countries, there will be social activities, a tour of the Germany's Hohenstein Institute and pre- and post-convention tours.
The Hohenstein tour will take place on Saturday, May 2, the day before the convention opens.
Dr. Stefan Mecheels, chief executive officer of the institute, and his associates, Josef Kurz and Petra Klein, will be hosts for the tour which will feature a presentation on Hohenstein's textile care research program.
A reception and lunch will be given to visitors upon their early afternoon arrival. At the conclusion of the tour, a bus will take participants to the Bayerische Hof where the main portion of the convention begins the next day.
The convention program on Sunday will include an IDC board luncheon and meeting in the afternoon and a welcome reception for all attendees in the evening.
The business programs begin Monday with opening remarks by Bill Pulley, IDC executive director, Manfred Wentz, IDC president, Egon Burchard, IDC vice president representing Europe West, and Makoto Igarashi, an IDC past president. Igarashi will highlight 40 years of IDC history and look into the future during his presentation.
Innovative marketing
The first panel discussion, Innovative Marketing Strategies, will be moderated by Thomas Goesselin, IDC vice president USA New England.
Scheduled participants will include Peter Hudson of Hudson's Dry Cleaning, Australia; Hans von Korff, Specialreinigung von Korff, Germany; Deborah Rechnitz, Methods for Management, USA; and Petra Knecht of the Hohenstein Institute, Germany. Their talks will be followed by an open discussion.
Monday afternoon has been set aside for a tour of Munich followed by a traditional dinner at Augustiner Keller.
The opening panel on Tuesday will be The State of the Textile Care Industry, moderated by Peter Crane, a past IDC president from the UK.
Participants will be Ken Adamson of Langley Parisian, Ltd., Canada; Bob Ching of China, Theo Lagrange, CINET, Europe, and Bill Seitz of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International, USA.
Following their presentations, L. Ross Beard of R. R. Street & Co. Inc., will speak on Future Trend Predictions for a Global Fabricare Industry.
Cleaning technologies
An International Assessment of New Cleaning Technologies and Environmental Issues will be the charge of the second panel of the morning
Josef Kurz of the Hohenstein Institute will moderate the panel with Petra Klein, also of Hohenstein; Hiroshi Udagawa of AJLDA, Japan; Chris Tebbs of the Fabric Care Research Association, UK; and Bill Fisher of the International Fabricare Institute, USA providing their viewpoints. A discussion period will follow their talks.
A Salzburg tour and dinner will be offered Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The Wednesday program will open with presentations from the five recipients of IDC fellowships. Following a break, Dr. Stefan Mecheels of Hohenstein will speak on Textile Care: Integral Part of the Textile Industry.
"A winning combination"
Marcia Todd, IDC vice president Canada Central, will moderate the morning panel,"Textile Care and Fashion: The Winning Combination".
Participants will be Cindy Stroup of US EPA's Design for the Environment program; Ann Niess of European Dialogue Textiles and Apparel; Jochen Sohn of Boss Men's Wear; and Bob Stewart of Kirk's Suede Life.
The IDC luncheon, with a presentation by Tom Hopkins, IDC president-elect, on the 1999 Toronto convention, will follow. IDC's Annual Meeting will take place in the afternoon and the reception and banquet will be that evening. Plant tours will be offered in the afternoon, also. The convention will conclude with the traditional Sayonarra breakfast on Thursday morning.
Convention registration is $590 US per person which includes the welcome reception buffet, the IDC luncheon, all convention sessions, the Munich sight-seeing tour and dinner and the IDC Banquet and entertainment.
Accommodations at the convention hotel are 380 DM per night (approximately $240 US) for a twin or double room and 290 DM per night (approximately $180 US) for a single room.
Convention tours
The pre convention tour will visit Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin April 20 through May 2. The post-convention tour will travel Istanbul May 7-10 followed by a post-convention Mediterranean cruise with stops at ports in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Monaco aboard the Radisson Seven Seas "Song of the Flower."
For more information, call IDC, (513) 523-4121 or fax (513) 523-1370.
The Hohenstein Institute, which will open its doors to visitors from the International Drycleaners Congress for a tour in May, was founded in 1946 by Professor Dr. Otto Mecheels to advocate for and focus on the connection between research, teaching and practical application.
The Institute serves as an independent textile research center that works as an accredited test laboratory for garment physiology, technology connected with garments and their manufacture, coloration testing, textile quality control and material testing, textile finishing processes, chemical cleaning, laundry processes, environment analytics and safeguarding.
The Institute's staff of more than 140 seeks answers to all questions surrounding the "textile chain" in the service of the textile industry. The Textile Cleaning Research Department not only investigates cleaning technologies but also provides advice, training and information to the industry.
With its linkage of various research areas, a cross section of projects within the textile industry can be operated, serving not only the research sector but also its industrial customers.
Training and education in the Technical Academy Hohenstein are also important roles for the institute. Clients include textile and garment manufacturers and shops, public sector officials, and associations and consumer organizations.
"This is indeed a symbiosis which makes much sense and whose many advantages have convinced our customers", said Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mecheels, the founder's son. He has been joined by his son, Dr. Stefan Mecheels, and both head the Hohenstein Institute today.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- More than 100 exhibitors showing a wide range of products and services for the laundry and drycleaning industry are expected to be on hand for Clean Canada '98, an exposition and conference sponsored by the Canadian Cleaners and Launderers Allied Trades Association.
The Toronto Congress Centre will be the venue for the April 3-5 exhibition which will include free educational seminars conducted by exhibiting companies during the show's three-day run. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
For a fee of $50, delegates can also register for the Clean Canada '98 conference which will present professional speakers on industry trends, issues and regulatory changes.
Along speakers scheduled as of mid-January were Jim Colletti, Director of Sales of Rynex Corp. who will speak at the Friday, April, session starting at 9:30 a.m. Colletti will provide updates and current information about Rynex.
Also on the Friday program is Dr. Nancy Cassell of the University of North Carolina. She will discuss consumer attitudes and trends regrading fabrics and clothing.
Another confirmed speaker is Brad Lienhart, president and CEO of MiCell Technologies Inc., which is developing a liquid carbon dioxide cleaning system. Lienhart will be give an update on CO2 developments on Saturday, April 4 starting at 9:30 a.m.
Vic Vandermolen, executive director of the Ontario Fabricare Association and the Canadian Fabricare Association, will also speak, addressing the new legislation that is coming to Ontario in March, and that is coming federally regarding technology standards.
Also on Saturday Ken Adamson will be speak on the "Textile Care Spectra," and the results of his work in a dedicated wetcleaning plant in Hamilton, Ontario.
Dr. Anne Wilcock of the University of Guelph will discuss her extensive research on "green cleaning" of textiles, and her work with Environment Canada on wetcleaning.
Admission to the trade show is free for those who sign up by March 2. After that date, the registration will be $10.
The Toronto Congress Centre is located just off Highway 401 near the Toronto International Airport. Nearby hotel accommodations are available.
For more information about registration, write to Harley Austin, International Trade Show Services, 20 Butterick Rd., Toronto, Ontario, M8W 3Z8; or phone (416) 252-7791; fax (416) 252-9848; or send email to: harleya@intltradeshows.com.
The international trade show calendar continues to shift as one of two exhibition planned for Singapore this year has been canceled while another show has been announced, this one in Mexico.
For a time it appeared that there would be two industry shows in Singapore after organizers of an industry exhibition planned for 1998 in Germany decided to move their venue to the Far East.
That show is still slated to go on Aug 19-21. However, an earlier announced show, Laundrex Asia 98, that had been planned for March was canceled in December.
Organizers of the TexCare show which was to have been held in Germany decided instead to hold an exhibition at the Singapore World Trade Centre Aug. 19-21.
Workshops, panel discussions and seminars will be held in conjunction with the exhibition. More information about the show is available from Messe Frankfurt GmbH, Dirk John or Ulla Reinehr; phone 49 69 7575-6297 or fax 49 69 7575-6612.
TexCare organizers said that the TexCare International show will be held in Frankfurt June 14-18, 2000.
UK show in June
That leaves the Clean UK show, scheduled for June 14-15 at the Wembley Exhibition Center in England, as the focus for European cleaners, launderers and allied trades firms in 1998.
Clean UK is organized on behalf of the Society of Laundry Engineers and Allied Trades by D.M.G. Trinity Ltd. All major international manufacturers and distributors of drycleaning machinery, laundry equipment are expected to have displays at the show.
Processing fabrics in hydrocarbon and new aqueous systems will future in the line up for both traditional fabric care and leather cleaning. Specialist equipment for floor, carpet and curtain cleaning will also be on display.
The Fabric Care Research Association and the Textile Services Association will have technical advisers on hand to answer fabric and garment care questions.
More information on the Clean UK show is available by calling 01 895 677 677 or faxing to 01 895 676 027.
A recent addition to the show schedule is the Aug. 6-8 Expo Lorsa '98 exhibition in Guadalajara, Mexico. No additional information is available at this time. Organizers provided an email address at which they can be contacted: lorsa@acnet.net
In the U.S. and Canada, the show schedule is more settled. U.S. shows will be held in Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Washington, Massachusetts, Georgia, Illinois, California, Florida, Michigan and New Jersey. Toronto will be the host city for a show sponsored by the Canadian Cleaners & Launderers Allied Trades Association.
FAIRFIELD, NJ -- "Survival" will be the theme of the May 16-19 convention of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association in San Antonio, TX.
Speakers scheduled for the business program are Dr. Don Rice on Monday, May 18 and Rick Barrera on Tuesday, May 19.
Dr. Rice, who was the keynote speaker at the 1997 convention, will speak on "Industry Best Practices: How Do You Compare to America's Finest?" Rice will provide a list of business practices used by average, better and the best manufacturers and distributors in America and help attendees compare their companies' management techniques to other companies and move to the next level of performance.
Dr. Rice has developed the list over the past 30 years of research and experience as an industrial distribution consultant and professor of industrial institution.
Barrera, an author, motivator, salesman and professional speaker, will discuss differentiation strategies that can help gain a market advantage. He will also show how to become a partner with customers rather than relying on "one shot" sales. Barrera is the co-author of "No-Manipulative Selling" and speaks to more than 100 companies and associations annually.
The convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort in San Antonio.
Leading off the four-day schedule will be manufacturer and distributor meetings on Saturday, May 16 along with a TCATA board of directors meeting. The First Timers reception and the Opening Reception will be held Saturday evening.
Sunday plans call for golf and tennis tournaments in the morning followed by a tournament awards luncheon. Sunday evening's Young Timers party will be held at Sea World of Texas.
Following Monday morning's business session, a spouse program featuring a cooking demonstration and a bus trip to the Alamo will be offered. A reception will be held that evening.
In addition to Tuesday's business session, there will be a Silver Circle Club reception and luncheon in the afternoon and the closing reception and party that evening.
Convention registration is $475 for a member and $175 for spouse if received by April 16. After that date the cost will be $525 for a member and $195 for a spouse.
Reservations with the Hyatt Regency must be made by April 15 to secure the convention rate of $185 per night for single or double occupancy. Call the hotel, (210) 647-1234 to make arrangements.
For more convention information, contact TCATA, (773) 244-1790.
SILVER SPRING, MD -- Two stain removal seminars, three finishing seminars and a wedding gown workshop will be offered by the International Fabricare Institute at various locations around the United States in the next few months.
The seminars are part of IFI's education program which also includes resident courses at the Silver Spring headquarters and correspondence courses.
Stain removal seminars will be held in Little Rock, AR, on Feb 7 and Minneapolis MN on March 28. Covered in these sessions will be elements of the stain removal process, including fibers and fabrics, tools and agents, stain removal procedures and unusual stain removal problems.
Finishing seminars are slated for Salt Lake City, UT, on Feb. 21, Denver, CO, on Feb. 28, and Brooklyn Park MN, on March 29. The program will provide an overview of finishing for newcomers to the trade, help on specific problems for more experienced finishers and advice on teaching finishing for owners and managers.
A wedding gown workshop will be offered at the Blue Ribbon Fabricare Center in Jemison, AL, on March 28. The workshop will focus on wedding gown cleaning and services. Topics to be covered are inspection, cleaning techniques and stain removal, finishing techniques, restoration, alterations and repairs and packaging.
The workshop is cosponsored by Blue Ribbon Fabricare Center and the South Eastern Fabricare Association. Registration is $125.
Resident courses
Meanwhile, the 1998 schedule of resident courses at IFI headquarters is underway. In addition to eight sessions each of its introductory and advanced drycleaning courses, IFI is offering seminars on basic and advanced stain removal and Total Quality Management this year.
The one week Introduction to Drycleaning course covers basic elements of drycleaning, stain removal and finishing for employees, owners and managers who have less than one year of experience. Tuition is $350 for IFI members and $455 for non-members.
The first class was held in January. Starting dates for the remaining 1998 sessions are March 2, April 20, June 1, July 13, August 10, Sept. 14 and Oct. 26.
Sessions of a two-week Advanced Drycleaning course will follow each of the introductory courses for students who would like to take the two back-to-back over a three-week period.
The course covers more advanced topics like stain removal techniques, finishing procedures, wetcleaning and fiber identification. Starting dates for the advanced course are Feb. 12, March 9, April 27, June 8, July 20, Aug. 17, Sept. 21 and Nov 2.
Tuition for the advanced course is $700 for IFI members and $910 for non-members.
If the introductory and advanced courses are taken back to back, the cost for both is $995 for IFI members and $1,295 for non-members.
An Advanced Stain Removal seminar, which will cover bleaches, handling specialty items and removing difficult stains, will be offered May 14-16.
The cost for IFI members for $210; for non-members, it is $300.
A two-day Total Quality Management seminar will be offered at IFI June 26 and 27. The session will cover quality service and managing, including customer expectations, mission statements, job analysis and employee relations. The course is $195 for IFI members and $295 for non-members.
For information on these and other IFI education programs, call (800)
434-622, ext. 144.
IFI Education Schedule
Stain Removal Seminar, Little Rock, AR, Feb. 7.
Finishing Seminar, Salt Lake City, UT, (limited enrollment), Feb. 21.
Finishing Seminar, Denver, CO, (limited enrollment), Feb. 28.
General Drycleaning Class, March 2 - 20 (Introduction to Drycleaning, March 2 - 6; Advanced Drycleaning, March 9-20).
Wedding Gown Workshop, Jemison, AL, March 28.
Stain Removal Seminar, Minneapolis, MN, March 28.
Finishing Seminar, Brooklyn Park, MN (limited enrollment), March 29.
General Drycleaning Class, April 20-May 8 (Introduction to Drycleaning, April 20-24; Advanced Drycleaning, April 27-May 8).
Advanced Stain Removal, May 14 - 16.
General Drycleaning Class, June 1-19 (Introduction to Drycleaning, June 1-5; Advanced Drycleaning, June 8 - 19).
Total Quality Management Seminar, June 26-27.
General Drycleaning Class, July 13-31 (Introduction to Drycleaning, July 13 - 17; Advanced Drycleaning, July 20 - 31).
General Drycleaning Class, Aug, 10-28 (Introduction to Drycleaning, Aug. 10-14 Advanced Drycleaning, Aug.17-28).
General Drycleaning Class, Sept. 14-Oct. 2 (Introduction to Drycleaning, September 14 - 18; Advanced Drycleaning, Sept. 21-Oct. 2).
Certification Exam, October 3 (Registration Deadline, Aug. 15).
General Drycleaning Class, Oct. 26-Nov. 13 (Introduction to Drycleaning, October 26 - 30; Advanced Drycleaning, November 2-13).
Staff and members of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association held a surprise party for Jerry Levine, the association's retiring associate director, in New York City in December.
Levine concluded 29 years with the association at the end of the year.
About 60 people attended to thank him for his work in many areas on behalf of the association and the industry. Speeches, poetry and song were all offered in his honor. NCAI executive director Bill Seitz spoke about Levine's sincerity and hard-working ethic and Michael Tatch, NCAI's environmental advisor, composed a poem in Levine's honor. NCAI member Ed Roth wrote a song in tribute and was joined by Diego Mancilla, Charlie Reiner and John Flight to make a quartet for its performance.
"Jerry is always there when we need him. He helped endlessly with the New York Regulations, the Rally at City Hall, the web page, any cleaner that was shut downŠ and on and on," Roth commented.
A set of new Bubble golf clubs, for which the attendees had chipped in, was presented to help Levine enjoy his retirement in his new home in Palm City, FL.
Although retired from NCAI, he plans to remain involved in the industry through a new company he has formed, GLDC Services Inc.
Through GLDC, he will be available for consultation and training on equipment operation and environmental and governmental affairs. He said he will also offer his consulting and forensic services to Florida environmental attorneys. He has provided similar services to attorneys in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it referred the largest number of civil and criminal enforcement cases in its history to the U.S. Department of Justice in fiscal year 1997 while assessing the largest total amount of civil and criminal penalties in any one-year period in its history.
The federal agency also said it expanded the use of a new policy that encourages industry to disclose and correct environmental violations.
Criminal cases totaled 278; fines assessed during the fiscal year totaled $169.3 million. Both figures are records for the criminal enforcement program.
EPA also referred another 426 civil cases -- the second highest one-year total in history -- and assessed $95.1 million in civil penalties.
The combined 704 referrals and $264.4 million in fines and penalties are the highest one-year totals in the agency's history.
EPA also reported that companies spent $1.98 billion to correct violations and take steps to comply with environmental rules and to clean up Superfund sites.
EPA said it also expanded its use of incentives to achieve industry compliance with environmental laws while promoting the public's right to know and to negotiate Superfund settlements.
At least 185 companies disclosed violations at more than 457 facilities under the agency's self-disclosure policy during the year. EPA reached settlements with 45 companies at 71 facilities, waiving penalties in most cases. To date, 234 companies have disclosed environmental violations at more than 750 facilities under the policy. EPA has settled with 78 companies at 423 facilities.
EPA also said it continues to implement changes to speed the pace of Superfund cleanups. The agency negotiated 103 "de minimis" settlements with 1,800 small waste generators to limit their potential exposure to third-party suits and offered over $53 million in orphan share compensation to potential settlers at 20 sites to cover the costs of cleanup for insolvent or defunct responsible parties.
EPA also issued its "Report on the National Performance Measures Strategy." The strategy, developed jointly by EPA and stakeholders from industry, environmental groups and states, creates new measures for collecting data to assess the impact of EPA enforcement and compliance assurance activities.
The new measures will be implemented in fiscal year 1998.
"The record level of environmental enforcement by the Clinton Administration is essential to ensure the protection of the health of the American people," said Steve Herman, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "At the same time, we also have made an unprecedented effort to provide assistance to industry and to encourage self-disclosure of violations to further ensure compliance with health and environmental standards."
Safety-Kleen, the largest hauler and recycler of perc wastes from drycleaning plants, has rejected buyout offers from Laidlaw Environmental Services and announced that it plans to merge with a new business consortium led by SK Parent Group.
That group is comprised of buyout company Philip Services Corp., an operator of industrial landfills and waste recycler based in Hamilton, Ontario, and two Wall Street investment firms, Blackstone Management Associates and Apollo Advisers III LP.
Safety's Kleen's board of directors rejected a $30-a-share, or $2.14 billion, hostile bid that Laidlaw initially made on Nov. 20 and amended in December.
In a letter to shareholders, Donald W. Brinckman, chairman and chief executive officer of Safety-Kleen, said the board had concluded that the Laidlaw offer does not provide value superior to the $27 all-cash agreement to merge Safety-Kleen with SK Parent Corp.
Under the terms of its agreement with SK Parent Corp., Safety-Kleen shareholders would receive $27 per share in cash.
The transaction, slated for closure in the first quarter of this year, is subject to shareholder approval. That merger agreement is scheduled for a shareholder vote at a meeting to be held on February 11, 1998.
John Louis Strike
Led OHM to prominence
John Louis Strike, a long-time industry leader, died in Salt Lake City UT, at the age of 74 on Nov. 9.
He had served as president of Martin Franchises Inc., vice president of engineering for American Laundry Machinery, and general manager of Ajax when the company was located in Salt Lake City. Under his leadership, One Hour Martinizing became a leading drycleaning franchises system.
"His charismatic style, endearing attitude and valuable leadership will always be remembered," Ajax said in an announcement of his passing.
Mr. Strike was also involved in educational endeavors, having graduated from Westminster College, the University of Utah and obtaining a graduate degree from Northwestern University. He served on the board of regents for the University of Utah, as director of Utah University's Utah Management Institute, and professor of management for Northwest University and the University of Utah. He received an outstanding achievement award from the University of Utah College of Business.
Survivors include his wife, Sylvia; a sister, Kay Strike Politis; a brother, George Strike; three daughters, three stepchildren and eight grandchildren.
SILVER SPRING, MD -- At the suggestion a member, the International Fabricare Institute is establishing a national registry of pre-1986 insurance policies.
IFI said the insurance policies are valuable to anyone who is involved in a contamination lawsuit since old insurance policies are necessary to get an insurance carrier to help pay for the cleanup and, more important, to pay for legal defense. Members have found that insurance companies are not necessarily willing to provide old insurance policies, IFI said.
To establish the registry, IFI needs insurance policies from each state for as many carriers as possible.
Cleaners who want to assist IFI in the project can send copies of their policies to IFI's Government Relations department. IFI will file these policies by state and company.
For more information, call IFI (800) 434-6222.
NEW YORK, NY -- The New York Post had a conversation with representatives of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International during the holiday season, the results of which were enough to spread a little good cheer among the ranks of the "mom and pop" cleaners in New York City.
NCAI executive director Bill Seitz appealed to the Post to meet with cleaners to discuss the impact of proposed city regulations on small business owners. The driving force behind the request were the 2,200 people who attended an NCAI-sponsored rally in City Hall Park in November. NCAI noted that a number of radio, community and cable media members attended, but the big daily newspapers failed to notice the story.
"Thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs are affected by the issues behind the drycleaners' story," NCAI told the Post. "But no one seems to care."
Apparently NCAI's message was heard because the Post spoke on behalf of the "mom and pops" shortly thereafter.
"Leave the dry cleaners alone," the newspaper editorialized Dec. 28. Calling the cleaner a "seemingly permanent fixture of New York City life," the Post warned that "if meddlesome and ill-informed do-gooders get their way, the dry cleaner may go the way of the ice man and the sidewalk organ grinder."
The newspaper explained that perc has been used for 60 years, with the U.S. EPA stating "the data says perc is one of the safer options." It observed that cleaners cooperated in the drafting of state regulations governing the use of perc and that new equipment cleaners must purchase will make use of the chemical even safer.
The Post reviewed the story on PS 141 in Harlem, a school where parts of the building exhibited elevated levels of perc that were still "far from danger levels." It allowed that studies show "perc does not pose a significant elevated risk of cancer when used at the low levels typically encountered in a dry cleaning establishment."
"Health hysteria is health hysteria," the Post said. "The usual attention-grubbing suspectsŠ enlisted in the war on perc," a war which has brought about a council bill which would ban perc in New York City.
"That's a terrible idea, a capitulation to the ignorant and foolish notion that 'chemicals' are by definition bad for people," the Post said. "It's tough enough making a living as a small-scale entrepreneur in regulation-happy New York without publicity-hungry officeholders passing unneeded legislation that exploits irrational fears. Talk about being taken to the cleaners."
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International advised cleaners that the New York City Council recently passed a local law making it illegal for retail service establishments to post differing prices or fees based upon gender. It is already mandated that New York cleaners post a price list.
According to NCAI director of special projects Peter Atha, the important additional wording states "the disclosure of differing prices or fees based upon gender by a retail service establishment shall constitute a violation."
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani signed the bill into law on January 9, 1998, and it took effect immediately.
The New York City Consumer Affairs Department has jurisdiction to enforce the law, Atha reported. Its enforcement division will be inspect retail service establishments to check for compliance. Should posted prices make distinctions based on gender, fines of $50 to $500 can be issued.
Atha said the regulation "forbids merchants to post prices that distinguish between male and female customers."
NCAI has published a basic price poster for drycleaning, laundering and tailoring and makes it available free of charge. The cleaner can fill in the price blanks and post the sign. Doing this task places the business in compliance.
However, the rules on posting are clear. "The cleaner can't post prices that distinguish between male and female customers," NCAI representative Nora Nealis said. "But they can charge more for lined pants than unlined pants."
The rationale behind the city ordinance is that charges should reflect the services provided, not the gender of the person having the work performed.
"There's nothing wrong for charging differently for shirts sent for automated processing than shirts done by hand in the store," Nealis said. "They can still be fairly reimbursed for their services; they have to identify those services."
Her advice is that cleaners should careful with what garments they take "in at the counter." A trained counter person "can protect the cleaner's livelihood."
"The counter people are the first and last line of defense for the cleaner," Nealis said.
BRIDGEPORT, CT -- The board of directors of a proposed Museum of Fashion and Fabricare met for the first time in last month to inspect potential sites for the facility.
Museum president William H. Minty III took the group to a pair of sites he selected from a number of proposed locations. Attending this first full board meeting were four planning and redevelopment officials from the City of Bridgeport, a high-level representative of People's Bank and representatives of Au Fait Associates, the museum's management team.
The two potential facilities are within Bridgeport's redevelopment zones.
One of the buildings is a five-story department store in the downtown business district. The other is the former Warnaco mill, situated next to the University of Bridgeport campus.
Bridgeport and university officials view the museum as a potential vehicle to attract fashion design and apparel manufacturers back to the city, which once was home to a number of international apparel businesses.
Minty has been working on the idea for several years and only recently took formal steps to implement it. He projects it will take three years to reach the point where the museum is open to the public.
For information on the museum project, call Au Fait Associates, (781) 245-0089.
WAKEFIELD, MA -- The North East Fabricare Association has released its schedule of training programs for 1998. Instructors will be announced in the near future.
The Fine Art of Finishing
Course Hours: Friday 9 am to 5 pm; Saturday 8:30 am to 1:30 pm
Tuition: $165. ($215 for nonmembers)
Jan. 23-24. Rochester, NH
May 8-9. Hackensack, NJ
July 24-25. Providence, RI
Aug. 28-29. Holyoke, MA
Dec. 4-5. Portland, ME
The Art of Professional Spotting
Course Hours: Friday 5 pm to 10 pm; Saturday 8 am to 4 pm; Sunday 8:30 am to 1:30 pm
Tuition: $265. ($315 for nonmembers)
Feb. 6-8. Fitchburg, MA
April 24-26. Manchester, NH
June 26-28. West Hartford, CT
Nov. 6-8. Quincy, MA
Everyday Wetcleaning for Everyday Drycleaners
Course Hours: 8 am to 5 pm
Tuition: $99. ($149 for nonmembers)
Oct. 3. Lowell, MA
Oct. 4. Hartford, CT
Shirt Clinic
Course Hours: 8 am to 5 pm
Tuition: $99. ($149 for nonmembers)
May 16. Manchester, NH
May 17. Springfield, MA
Maintenance Seminars
Course Hours: 7 pm to 10 pm
Tuition: $39. ($59 for nonmembers)
June 9. Nashua, NH
June 10. Springfield, MA
June 11. Providence, RI
Problem Garments Customer Service Representatives
Course Hours: 7 pm to 9 pm
Tuition: $29. ($49 for nonmembers)
May 7. Clifton, NJ
May 20. Meriden, CT
Dec. 3. Portland, ME
Bettering Your Bottom Line
(A Three Part Series of NEFA Management Seminars)
Tuition: For one session: $125. ($175 for nonmembers). For the Series: $300 ($450 for nonmembers)
March 14. Worcester, MA.
July 18. Worcester, MA.
Nov. 14. Worcester, MA.
For more information or to reserve a place in a class, call Tony Masiello at NEFA, (781) 245-6688 or (800) 442-6848. Please note the new area code.
NEW YORK, NY -- The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International has announced a special meeting at the American Legion Hall, Bayside, Queens, on February 26 to review what 1998 holds for New York drycleaners.
The association called the meeting to discuss the "many problems, and hopefully solutions," cleaners must contend with in doing business in the face of changing regulations.
Among the items on the program are instruction on how to fill out state Department of Environmental Conservation/ Department of Environmental Protection inspection and maintenance reports; a special legislative update on the New York bond act and bills in the state legislature and New York City council; and the new gender pricing regulation in the city.
A special guest at the meeting will be state assembly member Ann Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) "who will provide an update of activities in the state assembly relating to our industry," NCAI said.
Handouts will include the DEC Posting Notice, inspections report and purchase/maintenance logs.
NCAI also said all cleaners are invited to attend the meeting. Information can be obtained from NCAI, (212) 967-3002.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Cleaners in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia are being asked to participate in a regional "Face-to-Face and Congressional Phone and Fax Day" program developed by a regional trade group. The goal is to gain cosponsors for HR 1711, the so-called Barton Bill.
Mid-Atlantic Cleaners and Launderers Association coupled the announcement of the effort with a $10,000 donation to the Drycleaners Action Fund, an industry project designed to collect donations for a campaign in support of the Barton Bill.
"We have got to get some things out of Maryland," MACLA executive vice president Dave Norford said. "I'm hoping we'll see some movement on cosponsors as the session reconvenes. We'll see who to target. I figure we'll end up with between 13 and 20 visits."
Norford is willing to discuss the project with any other associations: local, state or regional. "They are welcome to give us a call for information on how we go about it."
He noted that the Congressional calendar for this final session of Congress places adjournment on Oct. 6. The recesses built in allows time for representatives to go to their home districts; a time when cleaners can call and promote the Barton bill.
The Delaware Drycleaners Association will host a leather and suede seminar at it regular monthly meeting Feb. 10 in Wilmington. David Rosenblatt of Joseph Krow Leather & Fur Service is the featured speaker.
The program will examine what to look for in leather and suedes, how to avoid problems, how to accept garments, how the leather cleaning is done and what to explain to customers.
The seminar will start at 7 p.m. There is no charge. However, attendees having dinner will share the cost of the meal.
For information, call Ron Oliveri, (302) 652-7607 or Stuart Outten, (302) 674-1511.
HARRISBURG, PA -- Representatives of CIL Services will help cleaners create a safety plan at a maintenance clinic on Feb. 21 in Harrisburg, PA. Other sessions planned that day include a safety clinic and a boiler maintenance program. The event starts at 9 a.m. at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel.
The "Preparedness and Prevention Contingency Plan" session will help cleaners develop a plan for their business. The plan is a safety training program on hazardous materials required by law.
Another seminar will feature Carl Gardner of Laidlaw Corporation. He will show cleaners how to extend the life of a boiler.
CILS will also present a maintenance program on drycleaning machines and pressing equipment.
Program hours are 9 a.m to 4 p.m. The registration fee will include lunch.
Call (800) 822-7352 for details.
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- A pricing discrimination bill introduced in the Maryland House of Delegates spurred the Mid-Atlantic Cleaners & Launderers Association to seek a meeting with its sponsor.
MACLA executive vice president Dave Norford said the issue is not one of questioning fair pricing. Rather, it is the language of the measure as it now stands.
Delegate Antia Strup introduced a bill which prohibits "a drycleaner or launderer from discriminating against individuals in certain pricing policies and requiring these businesses to post a price list," MACLA reported.
"Obviously we have no problem with the notion that fair, non-discriminatory pricing is essential in the operation of any business," Norford said. "Pricing based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status or age has no place in the professional cleaning industry."
Norford said the problem MACLA has with the proposal is it believes "that another law is not necessary because drycleaners and launderers are already prohibited under the discrimination in public places accommodation sections of virtually every local code in Maryland from engaging in discriminatory pricing practices."
MACLA also takes issue with the proposed section which would require the posting of a price list indicating charges for cleaning individual garments.
"We don't think Delegate Strup has considered the length and detail now routinely associated with pricing formulas commonly used by cleaners," Norford said.
Norford said the task of establishing and posting such a list would be "daunting."
MACLA has a long history of working with cleaners to avoid gender pricing discrimination. It has encouraged cleaners to adopt and support its Fair/Non-Discriminatory Pricing Guidelines for a number of years.
Norford can be reached at the association office, (540) 775-2525.
The 1998 convention and trade exhibit schedule in the Midwest has a show for each season on the calendar.
A consortium comprised of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky associations opens the 1998 exhibit season with Illinois and Michigan shows completing the calendar.
Spring Cleaning '98 is the three-state offering. The Ohio Cleaners Association, the Kentucky Fabricare Association and the Indiana Drycleaners & Launderers Association event takes place March 12-14 at the Drawbridge Inn and Convention Center in Ft. Mitchell, KY.
Programs at the show include a presentation on federal NESHAP and hazardous waste programs by David Wentz of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Ajax Machinery representative Matt Eggenberger discussing the function of air valves, Jim Liston and Brian Snyder of Mass Mutual explaining financial planning, R. R. Street's Frank Majdan on plant profitability, Craig O'Dell reviewing electrical use in a plant and Wayne Greenville on steam use in drycleaning.
For information on the exhibit and seminars, call Rex Beddies at IDLA, (765) 453-3054.
The Chicago '98 show sponsored by the Illinois State Fabricare Association is planned for the Inland Meeting & Expo Center in Westmont, IL, Aug. 14-16.
The host hotel is the Marriott Suites Hotel in Downers Grove, IL.
The program for the show is still in the development stages. For information, call (815) 729-0137.
The Michigan Institute of Laundering & Drycleaning will sponsor the Great Lakes Expo Oct. 23-25 at the Novi Expo Center in Novi, MI. The Wyndham Garden Hotel is the host hotel for the convention.
"1998 is MILD's 85th anniversary and special events are being planned throughout 1998 with the culmination at the Great Lakes Expo equipment show," MILD said.
Information on the expo program is available from MILD, (517) 337-2909.
JOLIET, IL -- The Illinois State Fabricare Association recently announced the recipients of two newly-established awards for its allied trade members -- the Allied Trades Company of the Year and the Allied Trades Salesperson of the Year.
The company award went to Joe Lipke & Sons, Inc., with Kentex Corporation and A-M Supply Co. honored as runners-up.
The salesperson award was earned by Joe Casey of Joe Lipke & Sons, Inc. Runners-up were Harold Steinman and Dave Decker, also of Lipke.
The winners were selected in a vote by ISFA members. According to representatives of the association, more than 50 companies and individuals were nominated.
At the association's annual "State of the Industry Dinner" held during the holiday season, cleaners heard "concise reports on the state of our industry as seen from their varying perspectives."
The speakers included Jim Sober, ISFA President; Lauren Dison, IFI District Director; Richmond Given, Executive Director of the Textile Maintenance Institute of Chicagoland; Sandra Markus, President-elect of the Chicagoland Cleaners Association; Tom Ustanik, South Suburban Fabricare Association President; and Ki Suk Ko, President of the Korean American Cleaners Association.
The presentations provided an overview of legislative efforts on the national level as well as the impact of the Illinois bill signed in 1997 which established an environmental fund to help drycleaners' cleanup efforts. According to ISFA, local association speakers addressed the importance of education efforts provided by their respective groups.
Part of the program at the dinner was the installation of the new ISFA President, Vince Picciola. He outlined his goals for the year and "thanked the membership for the confidence placed in him."
ISFA's "State of the Industry" dinner "was a great success with the largest turnout in years as more than 150 people attended."
For information on ISFA activities, call (815) 729-0137.
The Minnesota Fabricare Institute will holds its annual convention Feb. 20-21 at the Mystic Lake Casino in Shakopee, MN. At least nine seminars will be presented over the two days as well as an association meeting, allied trade table top displays and an open forum. In addition, MFI has designated Sunday as "Employee Appreciation Day" and developed seminars with breakout sessions for employers and their staff.
Among the other programs is a plant tour and maintenance clinic on Saturday. This is designed to help business owners visit an operating plant "look at how to maximize workspace, production, equipment efficiency and profits."
A Sunday afternoon session will explore stress management and conflict resolution. Other programs cover the topics of spotting, utilizing resources, pressing and boilers.
MFI also announced a major expansion of its video tape library with the donation of 35 titles by member Lauren Dison. The tapes are being cataloged and are available for use by the membership.
The association also noted that it has begun work on its 1998 membership directory. The scheduled delivery date is in March.
For information on MFI, call (612) 290-6267.
The Ohio Cleaners Association has a 15-page fact sheet which summarizes environmental regulations of import to cleaners in the state.
According to OCA, the information explains ways to reduce a cleaner's exposure to environmental risk and regulatory concerns by explaining ways to reduce the generation of wastes and emissions at the source. Contact OCA at (614) 221-1900 for information.
National legislation, a national legislator and a national columnist are all part of the program in the Southwest Drycleaners Association Big Show '98 March 5-8.
The SDA will put the Small Business Remediation Act (commonly called the Barton Bill) in the spotlight Saturday morning at the Austin Convention Center with a planned appearance by Texas Congressman Joe Barton. In conjunction with his talk, he will be followed immediately by a panel of industry leaders.
Rep. Barton is scheduled to speak on HR 1711 at 10 a.m. The national legislation panel will include Brooksher Banks as the moderator and Washington, DC, attorney Gary Baise, Neighborhood Cleaners Association International executive director Bill Seitz, International Fabricare Institute chief executive officer Bill Fisher and drycleaner Barney Deden as panel members.
The full agenda of activities for the weekend starts on Thursday.
The SDA executive committee will meet at noon Thursday followed by an early-bird cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m.
The first general presentation is planned for Friday at 11 a.m. when an "environmental program" with Frank Salat of the Texas Natural Resources and Conservation Council. This session gives way to the grand opening of the exhibit hall at 2 p.m.
The Saturday Barton Bill program follows presentations by industry consultant Jane Zellers and syndicated columnist Heloise, who start things off at 8 a.m.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, the exhibit will open and will remain so until 5 p.m.
Later that day, the association will hold its "President's Reception and Awards Banquet," with activities beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The Sunday, March 8, program features Jane Zellers who will discuss "Hot Topics." This seminar starts at 8 a.m.
The exhibit hall opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
SDA executive director Andy Stanley said most of the programs will take place in the convention center with a few scheduled in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the headquarters for the convention.
For information on the program, booth space and exhibitors, contact Debra Eaton or Karen Dougherty at SDA, (210) 826-4684.
The South Central Fabricare Association convention March 27-28 in Alexandria, LA, will examine how families can ease the unusual pressures they face in mixing work and home. As part of this, SCFA wants to help members plan how to make the ownership "transition from one generation to the next."
Mike Henning is the primary presenter at the convention. He will examine business planning for the average small family business and explain ways to overcome obstacles these enterprises encounter. SCFA is finalizing two other sessions with speakers who will also talk on family business
SCFA executive director Darienne Wilson predicted the program will offer all small business owners new insights and ideas on ways to develop and invigorate their company.
For information on SCFA programs, call (601) 352-4291.
The Texas Research Center for Laundry & Drycleaning has announced the dates for its first two training programs this academic year. The Denton, TX, school is a program of the Southwest Drycleaners Association and features Jane Zellers as its chief instructor.
The first course of the spring is Stain Removal. It will be held April 20-24 with a 16 student limit. The curriculum includes "intensive training on proper stain removal," SDA said. Dyes, pigments, prints and finishes are all examined in the course of the training. Tuition ranges from $325 to $460, depending on the association affiliation of the student's sponsoring plant.
The General Fabricare Course will be held June 15-26. This class has a limit of 16 students. The program covers basic counter operations, fibers to fabrics study, bleaches, drycleaning, dye and fabric testing and many other integral aspects of textile care. Tuition ranges from $520 to $650, depending on the association affiliation of the student's sponsoring plant.
For information, call SDA, (210) 824-4684.
Drycleaners in Florida who want to be included on the state's site cleanup list should keep alert for a possible change in the window of eligibility for the program.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International advised Florida cleaners that state Sen. Jack Latvala is the sponsor of SB 244, a bill which proposes a Dec. 31, 1998, cutoff date for applications to the fund. The current date is Dec. 31, 2005.
The bill was introduced with the knowledge of members of the drycleaning community, NCAI said. The association said Fred McCormack, an attorney who worked with the Florida Drycleaners Coalition in the writing and campaign for the bill, claims the changes would be beneficial for the industry.
"A quicker cutoff may convince some drycleaners who haven't applied to go ahead and submit their application," NCAI attributed to McCormnack.
The reasoning is that although many cleaners may be reluctant to create a situation which may endanger lease renewals, the "majority of landlords have become sophisticated about site contamination matters." If a cleaner enrolls in the site cleanup program, McCormack said the landlords come to understand that the program works and it makes leases "easier to renew."
The Florida law was enacted in 1994 after a campaign by the Florida Drycleaners Coalition. The regulations provide a process by which a contaminated site can be cleaned up with exposing the cleaner to cost liability under state and local laws. It is funded by a site fee of $100, a solvent tax and a tax on gross sales.
According to the NCAI report, 1,300 of the state's estimated 1,600 cleaners have applied for the program with 800 accepted for participation.
A pair of drycleaning trade shows are on the calendar this spring for drycleaners in the South.
The Tennessee Fabricare Association will hold the Southern Drycleaning Expo March 26-29 at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, TN.
The South Eastern Fabricare Association Southern Drycleaners show is set for May 15-17 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.
The Expo program in Nashville includes Laura Barron of the Barron Group speaking on employees and Jane C. Zellers presenting a stain removal and finishing seminar. TFA can be reached at (615) 254-3687.
The SEFA agenda includes a new technology roundtable and individual presentations on using the internet, deregulation of the gas and electricity industries, a state of the industry presentation, a discussion of the International Fabricare Institute's plans, an overview of hiring employees and a look at garment analysis. For information, call (770) 998-9900.
The California Cleaners Association will soon open a drycleaning school in southern California, CCA officials announced last month.
The school is a cooperative venture between CCA and the Harbor Occupational Center in San Pedro. Organizers predict "this teaching facility will become a major dry cleaning training and personnel placement program in the western United States."
CCA said "several dry cleaners and members of the allied trades have stepped forward to donate equipment and supplies to the new project scheduled to open in the next few months."
Jeff Schwarz, Western Regional Manager for Covers Etc., Inc. and a CCA field representative, said, "education is critically important to the success of our industry."
"Our CCA school is going great," CCA treasurer Marti Russell added. She predicted the first classes may start "as early as Feb. 2." CCA has asked for donations for the school and have received some items, but could use lots more.
According to Russell, the donations are of prime importance because "the State of California doesn't have the funding to stock the operating portion of the school."
"All equipment and supply providers have a unique opportunity for daily exposure to students entering the dry cleaning industry, as well as those sharpening their current skills and knowledge," CCA associate executive director Cheryl Demetriff added.
The association is recruiting instructors for many dry cleaning topics. CCA will submit a list of potential instructors to the Harbor Occupational Center. The instructors will be responsible for teaching one-week modules and will be paid $34.00 per hour by the Center. No special credentials are required but prospective teachers must take an exam.
Faculty being sought should have expertise in the areas of stain removal, plant maintenance, silks, wools, counter service, machine operation and wet cleaning.
Among the donors to the school are Covers Etc., Carr's Cleaners, Peninsula Dry Cleaners Association, R.R. Streets and Company, Real Star, Houseman Enterprises and Air Quality Labs.
People interested in teaching should contact Demetriff at CCA, (800) 390-8409.
PHOENIX, AZ -- The Western States Drycleaners & Launderers Association will hold its fifth annual dinner and auction Feb. 21 in Phoenix, AZ.
Special guests for the evening include Phoenix television meteorologist Sean McLaughlin of channel 12 serving as master of ceremonies and Pat Davis of Midwest Hanger is the auctioneer for the fifth consecutive year.
The program will be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel. For complete information, contact WSDLA executive director Mike Schenck, (602) 253-9186, or Natalie Clapick, (602) 953-1002.
WSDLA also announced the election of new board members. They include Jamana Pathari, Terry Oles, Ed Los, Kevin Hayden, Cliff Schneider and Bake Shaffer. Mark Witt is the new president of the association. The president-elect is Mike Jordon. Natalie Clapick is the treasurer and David Link is the board chairman.
As a member of the International Fabricare Institute team for 16 years, Jon Meijer has participated in many projects and activities in his service to the association. The thing is, Meijer said, "when I first started I thought it would be a three month campaign." That was when this Maryland native was enrolled at the state university in College Park, just beginning at IFI and the pursuit of a degree in business administration.
"I was on the lifetime course at college," Meijer recalled. "I took a lot of courses and was working at IFI. IFI offered the flexibility of going to school. Of course, I took classes like chemistry and others not related to my business degree."
For a business student, his work experience was building the foundation for a career he had yet to plan.
"For the first few years at IFI I worked on nothing but lab experiments doing solvent analysis. I worked on technical problems and equipment, and on processes."
Opportunity for new challenges took several years to develop, but when they did, Meijer found himself in a place where he had plenty to learn and apply. Later he would remember that he did nothing but regulatory work for five or six years.
His duties changed when he moved from working in the government relations office to working with the affiliated associations and then into education. In the past few months he has taken on a new title and responsibility -- vice president of membership and marketing.
The goal is to show members that the association is responsive to their needs.
"My biggest focus is doing the easy things right," Meijer explained. "People who are members don't call everyday. They call you when they need you. If you respond accordingly and show them the level of respect they deserve, they'll come back."
"Do the easy things right," he reaffirmed. "I figured out that by and large members are not concerned about everything IFI has. When they have a question, that's the one opportunity a year you have to treat them right. It's an easy thing but you have to do it regularly."
But another of his goals is to help the drycleaner learn how to present the best image to the consumer.
"One other thing I want to develop is the professionalism of the members," Meijer said. "Sometimes our members are their own worst enemy."
He would like to see drycleaners, as an industry, come to understand what it means to be a professional.
Meijer has a pretty clear image of what sort of effort that would take by the members.
"Keep up with the industry, improve customer service, learn the rules and regulations. If there's a spot on a pair of pants, make sure you get it back to the customer without the spot."
And he stands on a middle ground when it comes to how you clean the garments.
"For me, I don't think it matters how you clean your clothes. You have to do it well. Customers just want their garments looking good."
Defining the real problem brings the issue back to relating to consumers: "Cleaners have killed themselves with bad customer service. Quality is important, clothes must look good, but the thing that will keep customers is good customer service."
He's pinpointed the problem. Now he offers a solution.
"A lot of it is inadequate customer service training. Professionalism is the key to this industry. We want to do our part at IFI. You need to know how to work in the industry."
Meijer played down problems created by negative reports on drycleaning that appear in the media, either by way of news stories or in advertising.
"There's always some damage incurred from negative advertising," he conceded. "But by and large, I still maintain the biggest concerns are professionalism and customer service."
His roots in education begin showing as he restates how the premise applies to the association.
"Do the easy things right, treat members with the same respect that drycleaners should show their customers. A member who calls more than once is your friend."
Meijer declared that "we've done a good job but we have to do a better job."
What happened in the beginning of his time with IFI was working on regulations. "The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) started to heat up in 1984 and a lot of the testing dealt with minimizing hazardous waste," Meijer said. "Bill Fisher was a vice president, working solely on regulations. There were certain things like steam stripping of cartridges, still residues, that put us together."
But the first big challenge was RCRA and how cleaners would take care of their hazardous waste.
"The first big thing we worked on was finding a hazardous waste hauler," Meijer said. "We at IFI became the very first Safety-Kleen client. At the time nobody would pick up drycleaners' waste. The recyclers wanted dirty perc and drycleaners were giving them nothing but stuff they could scoop out with a shovel." The institute's entry in the market opened the doors for a change in the nature of hazardous waste pickups for cleaners.
Meijer's next opportunity was a chance to work on the federal Clean Air Act. This was in 1990.
"What made the Clean Air Act special for me -- and where I learned about government regulations -- was learning about the importance of coming in on the front end of legislation," Meijer observed. "The importance of being a player was why we came through so well on the Clean Air Act."
He credited the work done with Congress in helping the drycleaning industry position itself for having input with future regulations. These came into play when dealing with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"When the EPA came down to rules, they had criteria to follow. We were able to develop regulations with EPA -- very favorable regulations, I might add. We pushed to be the first industry to have regulations implemented. We pushed for that."
The thought comes to mind: Why would a trade group seek government rules?
"Primarily because the legislation and regulations from EPA were taking so long to develop, the states were getting antsy," Meijer answered. "When we got something out for the drycleaners, the states would more readily adopt the federal language. It would make things much easier for the drycleaner."
Meijer is convinced this early participation was responsible for the tremendous grass roots efforts for EPA on the Clean Air Act.
Also coming onto the regulatory stage was the issue of what to do with perc-contaminated water.
"At the same time the big issues came up on contamination," Meijer continued. "IFI went to EPA and asked them to allow us to evaporate separator water. We got their approval to do such. As a result, virtually every state allows the use of evaporation for drycleaners."
The work pattern Meijer developed was one of anticipation of a problem, creation of a solution and introducing the answer to regulators before the problem became widespread.
"The next big project which has continued over the last couple years has been contamination," he added. This means "Superfund issues and trying to work on the Hill to get some favorable Superfund bill passed to help us with our concerns."
But he is aware that the drycleaners role in the big picture is that of a bit player. True, it is a problem that is of grave concern to the small business owner who faces a cleanup. But the United States Congress deals with big numbers.
"The biggest problem with Superfund on the Hill (is) they do not generally deal with on-site contamination," Meijer stated. "Drycleaners are affected by on-site contamination; drycleaners are called in because of third-party lawsuits."
But the bottom line is clear -- "Superfund on the Hill deals with hazardous waste sites, hazardous landfills. Your large companies, who for years and years used a landfill for their hazardous waste, would become a Superfund site. Drycleaners were considered de minimis contributors. But because Superfund has these long-reaching arms, it was still treated as contamination."
Where's that leave the cleaner with his small store in a strip shopping center or business block? Based on Meijer's view of the situation, it leaves them vulnerable.
"Congress failed to act in the past couple of years to fix the Superfund problem," Meijer said. "Their fixing of the problem would not help the drycleaning industry anyway, which was reason for industry to go after its own legislation, the Barton Bill."
The Small Business Remediation Act (Barton Bill) identified the problem in terms of cleaners needs.
"We tried to piggy back with others but their interests did not coincide with ours," Meijer said.
In looking back on the past decade and a half, Meijer appraised what he feels have been the best lessons learned.
"What I like is I've been able to grow at IFI. It's not like you do one job," he said. He lists the many tasks he has worked on as an association representative: "Remediation, membership, marketing, education. A lot of different challenges."
Behind it all is a person who likes what he does and the people for whom he is doing it.
"I like going to conventions and talking with drycleaners," Meijer declared.
But his time is getting squeezed. "Several years ago it was a lot easier to learn. The industry was slower then."
"This industry has changed in the past couple years. For the first time there is evidence that people are waking up to reality," he said. "My one concern? There are not enough good young people coming into the industry."
Of those within it now, he said "there are bright people in the industry, but those with talent are not going to come to you. You have to go out and get it."
The U. S. EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) Garment and Textile Care Program is sponsoring a three-day workshop at the end of March to discuss a "systems" approach to incorporate pollution prevention practices in the business chain from textile manufacturer through clothes maker to garment care specialist. In the first round of workgroups last month, the cleaners, environmentalists, allied trades people and association staff appeared in Washington where they attempted to go beyond complaining and look at what the future holds for everybody. Unfortunately, the $61 billion apparel makers industry had a previous engagement. So where does that leave things?
Well, certainly not on hold. Plans are moving forward to hold the March meeting to study what was discussed in January and further refine the ideas. There were any number of topics bandied about: CO2 technology, wet cleaning, perc, education, certification, financing, advertisingŠ
That's all well and good. Without denigrating the efforts of the good people of the DfE, one nagging afterthought keeps poking at the process. For an industry that has complained for years about undue and burdensome government regulations, why did it take a government agency to get this national conference into the light of day? Here we have the two major national cleaners trade associations, a host of manufacturing businesses, a number of dry and wet cleaners and many other interested parties gathered at a common table provided by the EPA. Could not the industry have been capable of organizing such an event? And should not the EPA have been an invited guest to this industry-created summit? We would like to think so.
But that point is moot. Come the end of March the DfE conference will examine what was discussed in January. Between now and then, the comments made the week of January 12-15 will be assembled and distributed. It is important for plant owners to read what is being proposed and add their comments to the mix. If nothing else, it is a way of creating a document that reflects their perception of the way things ought to be. By then, perhaps we as an industry will have what's needed to be a leader.
Procter and Gamble is beginning the test marketing of its newest product, Dryel, this month and it is a test that could provide many interesting answers. Dryel is advertised as a way to care for dryclean-only garments at home, although Procter & Gamble itself says it's not a replacement for drycleaning. Professionals in the garment care field can criticize Dryel for its obvious shortcomings -- not all stains can be removed, most types of soils will remain in the garment after a Dryel treatment, and any pressing work that needs doing to get a finished look will have to be done by the consumer the old-fashioned way -- on the ironing board.
We doubt that Procter & Gamble would dispute these points. But maybe that's not the point. Perhaps to consumers, none of those things will matter. If Dryel-treated garments look clean and smell clean, maybe that's all that counts -- that plus the fact that they've avoided the time and expense of a trip to the cleaner. So we await the results of the market test to see if indeed that is all consumers really want. It could prove a rude awakening for those of us in the professional garment care business who think we know what "clean" is and what customers expect. Multiple surveys have told us they want "quality cleaning," but if they buy, use, and like Dryel, their actions will tells us something quite different than what their words have said.
Another interesting test result to look for will be the truth in Dryel's claim that the new product will actually encourage wider acceptance of dryclean-only garments. According to this line of thinking, consumers shy away from dryclean-only clothes, even though they prefer them over machine washables, because of the care issue. With Dryel taking some of those worries away, Procter and Gamble reasons, more people will buy more dryclean-only garments and, ultimately, bring them to professional cleaners for care because, however good Dryel may be, it is no substitute for complete and professional cleaning and pressing.
To many cleaners, the very idea of a product like Dryel coming on the market is irritating, maybe even threatening. But love it or hate it, the market testing being conducted by Procter & Gamble bears watching. We may learn some valuable lessons about our customers and their attitudes to clothing care.
By Bill Bogus
All forms of life -- humans and other creatures -- are consumers. They all need nourishment to sustain life. They eat to live. Humans eat a great variety of food because of taste and appetite. They eat more but don't need it. A potbelly serves no purpose.
However a camel eats more because it needs it. The camel stores food because of desert traveling where vegetation is scarce. It stores fat in the hump on its back. In addition to fat, the camel can gulp 13 gallons of water at one time to prevent dehydration of body fluids when traveling a long distance.
For the record, the camel doesn't smoke. That's just a bum rap, like the one the drycleaners are getting for using supposedly cancer causing cleaning solvents. Too many drycleaners, all old-timers, refute that supposition by being in the business for more than a quarter of a century. There is no evidence that more drycleaners die from cancer than any other causes. The only death pattern caused by drycleaning is old age.
Now that the camel story is told, we can focus on consumer goods. Consumer goods are mostly for people. Animals are satisfied just the way things are. Consumer goods are more about "wants" than "needs." These wants are material things that provide comfort and enjoyment. The good news is that among the most wanted and enjoyed is clothing. Unlike the camel, people store stuff in their pockets.
The need for clothing is always and the need for clothing care is always. We can all agree with that. However garments next to the body will absorb perspiration and other body odors known as sweats. This, of course, is a fact of life.
When the under-clothing odors and body liquids penetrate to the outer wear, the problem becomes complex. The reason is that outer wear is subjected to atmospheric pollutions such as smoke, chemical odors, dust, dirt and anything else the garment comes in contact with, including accidental spills and including greases and wax.
For garments in such condition, drycleaning proved to be the best method of cleaning. It provides thorough cleaning by immersion in solvent (perc), mechanical action, and complete rinsing out of all impurities. The solvent is removed by evaporation. Drycleaning has proven to be better than any other method of cleaning.
Other methods of cleaning have been tried and proved to have little value. The claims were more hypothetical than factual.
The latest "new method"
Cleaning in a bag, such as Procter & Gamble proposes with its Dryel, is nothing new. Many years ago fur garments were cleaned in a bag, including saw dust saturated with solvent, then tumbled in a dryer.
It was mentioned in one of my previous articles that drycleaners are making themselves vulnerable for encroachment by conglomerates. We have one flaw -- a big one. If this new encroachment should be successful, others will follow. Competition is a certainty, the way of doing business.
Emerson understood competition when he said: "The tyranny of trade, which necessitates a perpetual competition under selling, again perpetrates deterioration of the fabric."
Our industry is now dealing with a giant, not a pussycat. We are the pussycats. A pussycat's meow doesn't get the attention like that of a barking dog, and more so when snarling.
We are dealing with a hungry, aggressive conglomerate that has the capability of spreading the word. It also knows how to use a familiar phrase, "dryclean only," as an opening to our market. This had to happen when drycleaners were not overly concerned about customer complaints. Fortunately, experienced drycleaners did and do listen.
A fatal flaw
Two decades ago many experienced drycleaners sold out to inexperienced operators who had to depend entirely on mechanical technology. This "sufficiency" is good, but total dependency on mechanical technology lacks one important element: decision-making.
A skilled worker making decisions based on practical knowledge of drycleaning understands what makes things happen and the reason why. Mistakes are made by decisions. Customers don't like mistakes.
What goes around and comes around. In the early 1970s, The National Enquirer tabloid suggested that drycleaning causes cancer. The Enquirer was referring to tests made by the National Cancer Institute which forced trichloroethylene, not by vapor but by ingestion of liquid into the mouths of mice. This is the cruelest form of testing devised by medical science. This method of testing would kill a horse, let alone a mouse.
At that time, the Baltimore News-American ran the same National Enquirer story but with a different headline. They developed a feature on "why cancer deaths have suddenly soared."
What they didn't know was that trichloroethylene is not used in drycleaning plants here in this country. Drycleaners use perchloroethylene that has yet to be proven cancer-causing.
This was brought to light by William (Bill) Browne who joined the staff of that National Institute of Drycleaning (now IFI) in August of 1953.
Bill Browne served as director or research for 22 years and 6 months before retiring. His presence was known and respected in both television and news media.
He wasn't afraid to use the stick. He and John Daly, both of the public relations department, had gotten Mme. Khruschev and the ladies in her group to visit NID during the Soviet prime minister's visit to the United States. The purpose was to show the ladies how Americans have their clothes drycleaned.
This visit opened up a market for American drycleaning machines and pressing equipment in Russia. Bill Browne set the record straight with the National Enquirer, the Baltimore News-American and the National Cancer Institute.
Bill Browne's accomplishments won consumers' trust and helped bring about a prestigious reputation for NID/IFI.
This new discovery, "cleaning in a bag," is not new or revolutionary. It is a promotional gimmick without value.
History has proven for almost a century that drycleaning provides a valuable consumer service. Cleaning in a bag is like a flea whose existence is dependent upon a dog, causing a slight irritation.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.
Many of those who know me know that my background, up until four and a half years ago, was in association management and government. As the executive vice president of the Michigan Institute of Laundering & Drycleaning, my job is to represent the fabric care industry in Michigan on many playing fields, including but not limited to information, resource and membership education; member benefits, such as insurance and business programs; and, the one I believe to be most important with regard to today's political agenda, government and legislation.
I read with wonder and amazement the letter to the editor in the December National Clothesline which was anti-H.R. 1711. I thought to myself, "How could anyone with a vested interest in the drycleaning industry have such a view?"
Since this person was from Michigan and I had never heard the name I checked MILD's membership list. He was not a member of MILD and our records indicated he never had been a member of MILD. I made a few calls only to find that to the best of our knowledge this person at one time owned several laundromats in Michigan but never a drycleaners. He was never a drycleaner.
Well, no wonder the views presented were not representative of a person with a vested interest in the drycleaning industry. Anyone in the drycleaning industry surely knows that under current federal laws they could lose everything tomorrow under current federal regulations.
If a cleaner does not believe this or thinks it can't affect him, it's time for a reality check. Every day cleaners across this country are faced with thousands, hundred of thousands and yes, millions of dollars, not in clean up costs, but in environmental assessments and legal fees before even getting to actual clean up.
Could you be next? There is no warning. You never know when it may be your turn.
The question is not if sites are contaminated but what real risk to health and the environment is caused by the contamination. Since the federal government has set no specific clean up standards for the drycleaning industry, H. R. 1711 seeks to establish scientifically based safe, reasonable clean up standards. H.R. 1711 is the step in the right direction for the fabric care industry in this country.
When adopted, it will set a clean up standard based on sound science that easily would be adopted by individual states.
It is time to stand up and be counted! Get behind H.R. 1711 today. Tomorrow may be too late. This may be the last chance this industry has to be proactive and have a voice in your future. I can assure you, if H.R. 1711 is not adopted, many in business today will not be here tomorrow.
I know that everyone is aware that there are forces existing in this country whose main goal is to eliminate the drycleaning industry. They do not care how they do it, who it hurts, or what it does to the economy.
Support H.R. 1711 by calling and writing your Congressman; calling with your fellow cleaners and employees; and, by making a financial contributions. Support H.R. 1711 today! The only thing at stake is your future!
Merry Bering
Executive Director
Michigan Institute of Laundering & Drycleaning
Lansing, MI
On the week before Thanksgiving I was cruising the Internet and saw a preview of theŠ letter to the editor [published in the December issue of National Clothesline]. I thought "this guy does not get it" and left it at that until I opened my National Clothesline and there it was again.
This is an industry of 30,000 individual drycleaners across the country with well over 300 organizations to represent itself. If we do not do something to change our industry, we will continue to get more of the same. The world is moving at a whirlwind pace. Our industry needs to be aligned, not fragmented.
As I called several drycleaners and asked them how much they had personally given to H.R. 1711, I was surprised by the answers. Most said "nothing." If you see the front page of every industry trade journal and state association newsletter urging your support, why would you not give your support? Their response was "my state doesn't need it." Well, you've, missed the point!
We need a national standard with an attainable clean up level based on sound science. This is our first benchmark in getting all drycleaners on the same page. This is a grassroots effort. We need this legislation. I challenge each of you to quit sitting on your hands. This is the first step in professionalizing our industry. We must stand up for ourselves. We are Image makers. The fabric care industry makes John Q. Public look successful.
Support this legislation. We need a base line start for a national standard of clean up. If we do not act, we get more of what we already have, or worse, we will be put out of business.
Jan Barlow, president
Jan's Professional Cleaners
Clio, MI
Fibers, yarns, fabrics, dyes, and finishes: The basis of training
Part VI
This series continues with the subject of dyes and dyeing. There are four methods of dyeing:
Stock Dyeing (fibers are dyed). The loose fibers are dyed and then spun to produce colored yarn.
Yarn Dyeing. The yarn is dyed before it is woven of knitted into fabrics.
Piece Dyeing. The whole fabric is dyed. This is the least expensive method.
Solution Dyeing. Pigments are introduced into synthetic fibers while in liquid form and a color pigment is added to the liquid before it is extruded into fibers.
Solution dyed synthetic fibers do not bleed since the pigments are permanently fixed within the fibers themselves.
There are eleven types of dyes:
Acid Dyes (Anionic -- negative charge). These are generally used on animal (protein) fibers and they are made from colored salts or organic acids and they are applied by bath.
Any contact by an alkali changes color on some fabrics and stains and they bleed to ammonia, soap and other alkalies.
Some acid dyes are fast in various degrees to sun, perspiration and water.
Basic Dyes (Cationic -- positive charge). There are generally used on cotton, linen, rayon, silk and synthetics (especially acrylics). They are selected mainly for brilliance, not color.
Basic dyes are seldom used on wool. Basic dyes are made from colored salts of an organic base and they have poor fastness to light and water.
Basic dyes bleed to acids, alkalies and alcohol. They are easily damaged by spilled beverages, food and perspiration.
Mordant Dyes ("Chrome dyes"). Generally suede in dyeing wool where maximum color fastness is desired but they may be used on silk, nylon and cellulose fibers. The dyes penetrate.
They are very fast to light, water and perspiration.
Direct Dyes. These are made from salts of color acids and are water-soluble. They are generally applied to vegetable fibers (cotton, linen ramie, rayon), but they can be also used on wool and silk (protein fibers).
Application of an acid may cause a color change, but the original color can be restored by flushing with steam or water and the applying an alkali agent.
CAUTION! Exercise caution when wetcleaning fabrics (which must be wetcleaned) by using cool water and minimum cycle time. Test for color fastness with saline (salt), acetic acid (21%28%) or ammonia (20°26°)
If any of these agents produce color fastness then condition the water (both suds and rinses) with two ounces per gallon of the agent in full strength.
Perform the test by applying the diluted agent directly to the dye an then lightly rubbing or squeezing the area with a clean, white cotton cloth of paper towel.
Grocery store packaged dye is usually a direct dye due to its quick water-solubility.
Azoic Dyes. These are generally used on cellulose fiber. The dye is actually developed on the fiber.
A colorless coupling component, which is attracted to cellulose, is used to impregnate the fiber.
Then a solution is added to form and insoluble color directly on the surface.
Azoic dyes are usually used when brilliant reds are desired.
Azoic colors are fast to light and water and to most bleaches except peroxide.
CAUTION! Since they are developed on the surface, they will "crock" (rub off when dry).
Sulphur Dyes. These are generally used on vegetable fibers.
They are applied in a strong alkaline solution, and if improperly applied may form sulfuric acid and hence weaken the fibers.
They are fast to light and water, and somewhat fast to acidic and alkaline spotting agents.
Vat Dyes. These are generally used on cotton, but sometimes are used on linen, rayon, and wool.
The dye is dissolved in water and the fiber is immersed (bath).
Acetate Dyes. These were originally developed for only acetate fibers, but they are now used for other synthetics as well.
Good water fastness, but will bleed if the acetate (or others) is cleaned while wet.
These dyes are fugitive (will bleed) to paint remover and alcohol, and it will change color by an alkali from black to blue to red and from blue to yellow or white.
Some colors will "fume fade" (change color) and "sublime" (transfer to others parts of the garments from atmospheric gas and/or poor ventilation) particularly blue, brown, green, black and gray. (See section on Fading of Dyes.)
Developed Dyes. Usually a direct dye which has been changed to different shades by means of a developer.
A direct dye is applied to the fiber, and then a developer is added which produces a different shade of the same color.
This process increases the color fastness to light and water.
Pigment Dyes (insoluble, resemble paint). Used generally on cotton and thermoplastic fibers. All glass fibers are pigment dyes. The pigment colors are held on the fabric by resin bonders, Many prints are produced with pigment colors.
Pigment dyes are colorfast to light, water and perspiration. They are very fugitive to perchloroethylene since the softening of the binder in perc, plus the mechanical action of the cleaning cycle, will usually removed the pigment dye.
CAUTION! Wetclean the garment if the fabric will permit. Otherwise, dryclean in a very short cycle with a very limited amount of mechanical action (occasional turn of the cylinder while the garment is in the bottom and the pump is off.
Reactive Dye. Generally used on cotton, but it can be used on wool, silk, nylon and acrylic.
These dyes react chemically with the fiber, They produce good color fastness.
Fading of dyes
Fume fading. Fume fading appears on acetate fabric and mainly on blue, brown, green, gray and black.
It is distinguished from sun fading in that it is faded on both sides of the fabric. The dye permanently changes color.
Light fading. Can be caused by both direct and indirect light as well as by sunlight. Sometimes the faded area is not visible before cleaning since it is usually covered up with soil.
Protected areas, such as under lapels and collars, will retain the original color and show as a great contrast when compared to a faded area as the protected areas are not exposed to direct light and are apt to face.
A faded streak occurs when the garment is a part of a tight row of garments hanging ion one position in a closet for a long time with poor ventilation and exposed to direct or reflected light. Garments hung in a group in the back of a car are particularly subject to light fading.
Sublime. The dye changes from a solid to a gas, then back to a solid and floats until it contacts another fabric then changes back to a solid, changing the color of the contacted fiber to a tint of the original dye, which sublimed, This sublimation always occurs on an acetate fabric.
Note: My new video, "The Caplan Method of Stain Removal," which includes my comprehensive text with handy spotting board reference, is now available for only $199. Please contact Dennis McCrory, (800) 646-5736, PIN #4615.
Stan Caplan has over 35 years experience in his own drycleaning/laundry business and over 20 years experience teaching and consulting. A former chief instructor at the International Fabricare Institute and the Southwest Drycleaners Association school in Denton, TX, he offers consulting services on work flow concepts, lot systems management, call office efficiency studies, production studies, plant equipment layout, engineering studies and specifications, equipment specifications, TQM, training programs, cost analysis and accounting and general plant management. He can be reached at 3601 Clarks Lane, Suite 307, Baltimore, MD, 21215; phone or fax (410) 358-0870.
I'm always pleased when I receive a number of complimentary responses to an article. A recent one on "Where's the Labor Force" that discussed the lack of help plus constant turnover, brought gratifying responses.
Few are aware of the cost of hiring and retraining. Then there's the cost of obeying labor laws to the letter, and violations for not doing so, if you have to fire an employee. No one enjoys the added bookkeeping should you have to garnishee a salaried employee.
It all comes back to hiring the right person to begin with, and sometimes having the wisdom of Solomon!
It would be nice if in our industry we could just run to the library and look up labor and training conditions in the laundry and drycleaning industry. Don't waste your time. There is nothing available. But I do have a very simple formula. All you have to do is go to the successful operators and find out how they do it!
Conversely, we don't have to look too far to see what a loser is doing. Simply don't follow or copy them!
I love the statement that Stan Golomb made when someone told him he was smart. He corrected the individualŠ "I'm not smart, I just know a lot of people who are smart!"
We do have organizations with thousands of members who have all had similar problems. Did you ever think of taking advantage of that service?
I have a sterling list, or I should say a golden list, of successful individuals who sometimes had to try an untried method -- and sometimes in desperation. Every part of the country is different, but the people on the list are the individuals from whom I continually learn.
Labor turnover is a common problem today. It's so very different from our parents' day. They went to work and the job lasted forever.
Depending on the industry, what's so different today than 30 or 40 years ago? We still have the favored position of steady employment and little or no layoffs. Increased wages? I found that constant raises, although not always possible, was not the main consideration why a person changed jobs.
In the order of importance, was the constant adjustment to child care or changing conditions at home ever considered? Were the hours totally inflexible and could they be adjusted? Sometimes it was the convenience of the job -- they were dropped off at work, or lived a short distance away, and could walk.
How much training and screening did you do prior to hiring? Was the candidate tested for dexterity, hearing, color blindness, and personality (if counter sales were the position)?
No one will stay long if they fall into the category of a "square peg in a round hole." Are you or your managers willing to talk to your personnel, and can you relate on a one to one basis?
Furthermore, do you put that into practice? Do you recognize the importance of each worker having his or her own space? There is a certain peace of mind in having your own cubicle, desk, chair or corner. Sometimes it may only be a locker or coffee cup. But it's yours, and it shows you are part of the team! Not to have it indicates that you are not valued.
On top of the list is, of course, compensation. It can and must be done with the theme of appreciation. It's not the sum total for staying on the job. I'm referring to "Employee of the Month" honors and recognition, combined with some monetary reward and some token of appreciation -- a dinner for two, a plaque, a photo in the local paper, a savings bond or a gift certificate.
When you have made the right hire, the best way of keeping that valued employee (after a three-month trial) is making that individual eligible for stock investment. There are numerous mutual funds, some costing as little as $15 a month, that offer reinvestment of dividends, increasing the monthly amount, plus paid up life insurance.
The numbers are very impressive when you look at the five- and 10-year figure and lock in the employee on a safe and long-term investment. Our industry has little in the way of long-term benefits for employees, but a meeting with a financial planner can have a very impressive effect on employee morale.
The firms that do not have an employee turnover and in general have a harmonious atmosphere in the entire plant have one particular condition just about ever day. What's their secret? Communication!
Everyone from management on down knows what is expected of them, just what they are capable of and their ability to perform their duties. And they are always reminded in small ways how they were appreciated.
Isn't that the secret to every successful relationship?
Ray Colucci, an independent consultant to the drycleaning and laundry industry, conducts sales seminars and participates on industry discussion panels. He has been a tailor, professional drycleaner and national sales manager. He can be reached at 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543; phone (914) 381-2171.
The expert spotter is the person who can remove near to 95 percent of the stains on garments, but we frequently encounter spotters who use a minimum of chemicals and get minimum results.
In teaching spotting at the New York School of Drycleaning, we advocate that the following methods be used on the three major groups of stains.
This chart can be posted at your spotting board after you learn the characteristics of each chemical and how to use it.
Types of stains
Tannin stains have their source in vegetable matter. Examples: coffee, tea, liquor, soft drinks and medicine.
Protein stains have their source from animals. Examples: blood, egg, perspiration and vomit.
Dryside stains have a wax, oil or plastic base. Examples: paint, oil, grease, nail polish, lipstick, makeup and tar.
An important rule
If you do not know what the stain is proceed in the following order:
1. Dryside and then dryclean.
2. Tannin procedure, leaving out general formula.
3. Protein method last.
4. Peroxide and ammonia as well as all bleaching should be used as the last step.
Prepared tannin formulas can be substituted for acetic acid and neutral lubricant. Prepared protein formulas can be substituted for ammonia and neutral lubricant.
Tannin stains
1. Flush
2. Neutral lubricant
3. Mechanical action
4. Flush
5. Neutral lubricant +acetic acid
6. Mechanical action
7. Flush
8. Neutral lubricant +acetic acid
9. Mechanical action
10. Flush
11. Test
12. Oxalic acid
13. Heat
14. Flush
15. Test
16. General formula
17. Mechanical action
18. Flush
19. Test
20. Rust remover
21. Heat
22. Flush
23. Test
24. Peroxide+ammonia
25. Heat
26. Flush
27. Acid
28. Flush
Protein stains
l. Flush
2. Neutral lubricant
3. Mechanical action
4. Flush
5. Ammonia+neutral lubricant.
6. Mechanical action
7. Flush
8. Digest or
9. Test
10. Peroxide+ammonia
l1. Heat
12. Flush
l3. Acid
l4. Flush
Dryside stains
1. Oily type paint remover (OTPR)
2. Mechanical action
3. OTPR +amyl acetate
4. Mechanical action
5. Dryclean
Dan Eisen is chief garment analyst for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International. He can be reached at the NCAI office, (212) 967-3002, ext. 243 or via e-mail: ncai@sprynet.com.
Terry Ormsby, a Texan in the true sense of the word, died with his boots on.
Terry was a drycleaner but tough as a Texas Ranger and as soft as a pussycat when it came to dealing with people.
I got to know Terry quite well when we met in Buffalo, New York. I had asked for volunteers to meet there to help a cleaner in distress. Half a dozen cleaners signed up to aid in this project at their own expense and Terry was one of them.
Well, this handsome Texan and his beautiful wife, Melinda, showed up for a weekend of studying and advising this drycleaner, who was on the verge of going bankrupt. Terry, who ran an extremely successful business in Missouri City, a high-income town just outside of Houston, decided to stay on for a few days after our meeting and show this cleaner how to market his operation.
The cleaner became successful and later went to visit his mentor. Terry had him stay at his home and continued to advise this young man.
The more I got to know Terry, the more I realized what a smart, tough and giving guy he was.
I visited all of Terry's plants and every one of them was fully air conditioned. Terry never had trouble hiring good help because his benefits were great and all the folks in the plant could work in comfort during the hot, humid Texas days.
Terry shared his P&L statements with me and I can assure you that most drycleaners would kill for numbers like his.
I'll give you an idea of how tough a guy Terry was. He was in the hospital in the intensive care unit when a new plant was being installed. He hired an ambulance and with his I.V. attached, had them take him to the site so he could inspect the job.
Later, Terry told me he had no idea what was happening and he accomplished nothing, but it was important, in his mind, to check things out. Once he made up his mind, nothing could stop him.
Terry had a combination of seven plants and stores and was contemplating another when I got the call from his secretary and assistant manager telling me that Terry had passed away the day before.
There are a lot of good operators around the country, people who really run a drycleaning operation the way it should be and Terry was one of the best.
All his managers had the authority to handle claims the same day. One of his managers called to tell him that they washed a comforter and the color came out and it no longer matched the other twin bed. Evidently the comforter couldn't be replaced so Terry had his manager tell the customer to redecorate the entire room and send him the bill. Ask yourself if you would pay a claim like that.
I think the bill came to about $800, but Terry brushed it off telling me that the goodwill would more than outweigh the cost of the claim. He must have been right because his sales kept going up.
When I started to write about Terry, I checked my files and found a list of 12 procedures he sent to all sales, management and counter personnel. I won't reveal all his secrets, but will quote Item 11, as follows:
"All customer complaints (i.e., customer relations slips) must be contacted the same day the problem occurs. Problems must be resolved within 24 hoursŠ
...NO EXCEPTIONS."
The fact that Terry empowered his sales force to make decisions is one of the reasons for his huge success.
Terry competed in one of the toughest markets I know of. Shirts often went for 59 cents and drycleaning prices were also very competitive, but Terry used direct mail like a virtuoso. He spent far more than the average cleaner would ever consider but he dominated his prime market.
I could go on and on about Terry's skills and ability, but I also want to tell you about his soft side.
A cleaner who owns a large package plant operation was considering some changes and asked me who might know something about what he was planning.
Terry immediately came to mind. I called and asked him if he would mind some visitors from Michigan and he said, sure, send them along.
Another would-be cleaner called about buying a plant in Bryan, Texas. The owner was asking far too much and I called and asked Terry if he would help this fellow out. He later told me he spent a day and a half with the fellow and agreed that the price was way out of line.
The following is from his obituary in the newspaper.
"Terry was in the drycleaning business for over 35 years and got his start with his father when he was 19 years old in the washateria business. Terry also was one of the first coin-operated drycleaners in the Houston area.
"Other than the every day supervision of his stores, Terry spent a great deal of his time planning marketing strategies for his market areas as well as time spent helping other drycleaners with their marketing plans, sometimes even his competitors.
"Terry was 56 at the time of his death. He is survived by his lovely wife, Melinda; son Kevin and daughters, Karen Ormsby and Deborah Cox."
Time erodes our friends as the years go by. I can accept those who have lived a full life, but it really hurts to lose friends who still had so much to give.
His passing is a great loss to the industry, to his community and, in my opinion, to all who knew this super Texas gentle man.
Stan Golomb is president of The Golomb Group Inc., a firm that designs marketing programs for drycleaners. Contact him at The Golomb Group Inc., 7664 Plaza Ct., Willowbrook, IL 60521; phone (630) 887-7339. His e-mail address is: sgolomb@ix.netcom.com
A popular trend is to trim cloth garments with suede or leather. The outfit may consist of two or three pieces with only one of the pieces trimmed in leather or suede.
The customer may bring only the suede or leather trimmed piece for leather drycleaning. As in regular drycleaning, it is not good practice to run only one piece of a multi-piece outfit because of the possibility of a slight change in the color due to the variations in drycleaning fluid conditions that occur from one load to another.
However, if the leather cleaning process is an ancient fat liquor high fatty acid animal or vegetable fat system, the result of not cleaning all of the pieces of the multiple-piece outfit at the same time will produce a very noticeable change in color when the pieces are compared.
In fact, the change in color of the cloth portions of the outfit will be significant even if all pieces are cleaned together in a fat liquor leather cleaning system. The vegetable or animal fat oil system utilizes fatty acid oils in the drycleaning fluid. This high level of fatty acid, along with the dye loss from the leather that occurs in the wheel in this archaic system, creates a different color in the cloth portions of the outfit due to redeposition of fatty acids and dye bleed non-volatile residues. The lighter the color of the cloth and the darker the color of the suede or leather trim, the more marked is the change in the color of the cloth portion of the multi-piece outfit cleaned in an antiquated fatty acid system.
On the other hand, in a modern detergent plus process of leather cleaning, which contains no fatty acid fat liquors and prevents color bleed, the result of not cleaning all of the pieces of the multi-piece outfit at the same time will be comparable to regular drycleaning.
The bottom line is that (1) all pieces of the multi-piece suede and/or leather outfit should be cleaned at the same time if they are to match in color after being Leather Cleaned and (2) all pieces of a multi-piece suede and leather trimmed cloth outfit should be cleaned in the modern detergent plus leather cleaning system to eliminate redeposition of fatty acid animal fat or vegetable fat oils and dyes bleeding from the leather.
Drycleaning items made of combinations of suede, leather, fur and cloth can be as easy as drycleaning all-cloth items when the detergent plus conditioner is added to the drycleaning fluid. The concept and procedure is the same as that followed for cleaning items made completely of suede or leather or fur. Just add the recommended concentration of the detergent plus conditioner to the drycleaning fluid to stabilize the colors and to preserve the suppleness of the suede, leather or fur trim portions of the cloth items being cleaned.
When added to the drycleaning fluid, detergent plus conditioner stabilizes the colors and natural oils in the skins, eliminating color loss, bleeding and stiffening of the skin portions of the cloth combination items. In addition, there will be no fatty acids to redeposit on the cloth. As a result, all combinations of suede, leather or fur on cloth individual items can be drycleaned in the same way as cloth items are drycleaned.
Author's note: Do not attempt to use products that are not specifically formulated for use on suede and leather. Royaltone suede and leather products are specially 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 products may not give the same results when used as described in this article.
Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone Company, Inc., a firm that trains drycleaners and launderers to identify, accept, spot, dryclean, wetclean, press and recolor suedes, leathers and furs. The next training session will be held Sept. 17-18 at the Royaltone Suedemate Academy in Tulsa. For information on training sessions, the subject covered in this article and other information on leather care, a free three-ring binder to hold copies of these articles and for information on Royaltone's Instruction Book and Spotting Charts, call or write to Royaltone, PO Box 25949. Tulsa, OK 74153-0949; phone (8OO) 331-5506, or (918) 663-9666, or fax (918) 665-6017, or e-mail to royaltone@royaltone.com.
Do your employees come and go as quickly as your customers? Managing and motivating employees in a service business can be challenging to say the least.
In the past, drycleaners didn't worry so much about creating a positive work environment and motivating employees. Instead, the focus was making sure the clothes were well cleaned and pressed and that the customers didn't have to wait very long.
But changes in the workforce, as well as a growing understanding of the economic costs of perpetual employee turnover, have many cleaners reevaluating this philosophy.
A few years ago, a tightening in the labor pool for the service industry occurred, making it an employees' market. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, we didn't have trouble finding qualified people. Turnover was an issue, but it wasn't the concern it is today.
Now people have a lot more employment choices. There has been such a growth in the number and types of service businesses that it has become really competitive to find quality labor.
We can't continue to make money with our old management techniques. It's time to realize that if we have a quick-service attitude toward our employees, we are going to have lousy employees. And this will affect our customer service and eventually our bottom line.
Employee turnover and customer satisfaction are directly related. Sears, Roebuck & Co. found that in stores that had high customer-service ratings, 54 percent of the sales force turned over in one year, compared with 83 percent turnover at the lower scoring stores.
Improving management techniques is a big piece of the turnover puzzle. This is part of a changing attitude toward viewing the employee as more than just a cog in the wheel.
Toward this end, I have developed a comprehensive training program for drycleaning and laundry store managers that focuses on employee needs and effective ways to satisfy those needs.
This will create tremendous employee satisfaction and loyalty which in turn will lead to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. To learn more about this program, see the information at the end of this column.
As competition for the service labor pool has increased, the economic costs of turnover have received more attention.
Cost of training vs. keeping
In a recent study sponsored by the Coca-Cola Co., the dollar value of employee retention and the hidden costs of constant turnover were staggering. It was determined that it costs 11Ž2 times as much to hire and train a new employee as it does to retain a current employee over a one-year period. Most companies knew it was a problem. They were just shocked at the degree.
Several companies have responded to these staffing challenges with a renewed effort to make themselves more attractive as employers. We can't just sit back on our heels and expect our valued employees to stay -- not in this competitive environment. If we are to become the employer of choice, we have to give our workers some good reasons to stick with us.
So what is the best way to retain a service employee?
"Soft" management skills
Attend to what is known as the "softer" management skills. Competitive wages are necessary, but this is not the crucial element in controlling turnover. Employee programs and work incentives are also highly valued by workers
This is uncharted territory for most drycleaners. Soft management skills and employee programs have not been at the top of the list for most of our industry. We haven't had the resources to devote to these issues. The margin of profit is so narrow, most cleaners are understandably wary of investing in something they may not reap a clear sales increase from.
However, if a cleaner wants to be competitive, he has to look at the long term. In terms of time and money, it makes sense to change our attitudes toward keeping and motivating our employees. Turnover can exert a damaging trickle-down effect on your operation. If an employee isn't happy, then he isn't going to treat customers well. Once this happens, customer service begins to suffer.
Word-of-mouth can be your best friend or your worst enemy. On the one hand you've got former customers expressing dissatisfaction to potential customers. And on the other hand, you have an employee who wants to leave and is certainly telling his friends not to work for you. Remember, these employees may be at the bottom of the totem pole, but if the bottom crumbles, the whole tower tumbles.
Focusing on improved soft management skills to decrease turnover makes sense in the drycleaning and laundry industries.
In a small operation, a manager establishes the work environment and greatly influences an employee's attitude. In a workplace where there is a lot of one-on-one contact between the manager and the staff, it is up to the manager to know what really motivates an employee.
In his book, "Getting Employees to Fall in Love With Your Company," Jim Harris admits that different people work for different things.
And the king of the fast food industry, McDonald's, says "our goal is to treat employees the way we want them to treat our customers. We view the manager and their relationship to his crew as the key to offering the best customer service."
Due to the diversity of our industry's workforce, the relationship between a manager and the rest of the employees requires adept juggling skills. We have teenagers working alongside housewives, and they may be from different ethnic backgrounds and speak different languages. Also, the high number of part-time workers complicates many manager's jobs.
What the customer sees
Customer satisfaction is directly related to the composition of a stores' counter force. The more a store relies on a continually changing group of part-timers, the lower the customer ratings they receive. The higher its percentage of full-time and regular part-time workers, the more satisfied the customers said they felt. Not to mention the inefficiencies in day-to-day operations when employee turnover is high.
Outsiders think managing a drycleaners is just about cleaning and pressing clothes. If it were that easy we wouldn't need to spend so much time training our staffs.
Call office jobs cannot be handled by incompetent, uncommitted workers. They require men and women who can take responsibility, manage themselves, and respond well to pressure from customers. To this end, I have developed a "Pre-Employee Screening Kit' which is the result of over 30 years of researching various methods of determining what are the truly important character traits of a front-line employee. This package is now complete and, as always, I am offering a money-back guarantee that you will not be disappointed with this invaluable hiring tool.
Dennis McCrory offers several programs and products to assist drycleaners. For more information or to place an order (credit cards accepted), call (800) 646-5736, PIN #4615. Identify the package you are interested in as follows:
Package A: Pre-Employee Screening Kit, ($18).
Package B: "The Caplan Method of Spotting" video tape and handbook, produced by Stan Caplan and Dennis McCrory ($199). He and Stan Caplan offer themselves as companion speakers for conventions and other industry activities.
Package C: A comprehensive training program for drycleaning and laundry store managers.
Dennis McCrory writes for several industry publications both here and abroad. He also speaks and does consulting on advertising and marketing. In addition to the phone number above, he can also be reached through The Successful Management Group, 3925 Lake Trail Dr., Kenner, LA 70065.
Every month I have an opportunity to analyze the financial statements of several drycleaners. The owners are looking to gain some insight as to how well or poorly their company is performing in comparison to other drycleaners.
I know many of you are thinking that of the 30,000-plus drycleaners in America, your company is so unique that there is no one for you to be compared to. When looking at the total company, this may be true, but when we break a company down into profit centers we find a wealth of comparative information.
First, for a financial comparison to have any value it must start with a standard format. Next, it must compare information to companies that have a similar structure or sales mix.
The Standard Format
As we all know there is a huge difference between a "profit & loss" financial statement and a "cash flow" financial statement. In this example, we will use the cash flow format because cash flow is what small businesses live or die on.
For an accurate comparison, we need to use figures from a 12-month period. Because 1997 ended recently and those figures should be available to you, those are the ones that you should use.
You can set up your format on a legal pad, accounting paper or a computer spreadsheet. Begin by listing your sales categories down the left side of your worksheet.
Most drycleaners will have four or five sales categories but there may be more, such as:
Sales
Total Sales
Less Claims
Net Sales
The first two sales categories (drycleaning and shirt/laundry) may come from more than one location and/or from routes. When working with a computer spreadsheet, it is easy to list the different locations and routes in columns to the right (after the total column).
The more sales categories you have, the more important it is to identify them separately. This is the only way you can evaluate their true contribution to the company.
Your sales figures should not include any sales tax or environmental tax that you are mandated to charge your customers and pay directly to your state or local government.
If you have an environmental tax, and you retain all or part of it, include the amount that you keep in your sales figure.
Next come expenses. I always list "claims" as a separate expense item. I do this because the percentage of sales that you spend on claims tells a lot about how you manage your business.
When you spend too much on claims you are out of control and when you spend too little you are doing too much micro managing. Claims should be about one half of one percent of total sales.
All other expenses are listed under one of three major headings, which are labor costs; operating expenses; and general & administrative expenses. The "labor" categories that you should be tracking are:
Labor Costs
Total Labor Costs
Labor Margin
These labor categories should be self-explanatory. In cases where there is a lot of overlapping, don't worry, use your best guess.
If you don't break out any of your labor it is not the end of the world. If you have only one number for total labor costs it's O.K. It does make it harder to identify problem areas when you don't break out your labor costs, but then again, there may not be any problems in this area.
The item "other labor" refers to labor costs not listed elsewhere, such as "maintenance" labor. It does not include office labor.
"Outside services" is for suede and leather cleaning, shoe repair and general subcontract work. Most supervisors in drycleaning plants do a tremendous amount of productive work, even if it is only moving items from work station to work station. For that reason, I leave their wages in the department where they spend most of their time.
As every drycleaner knows, labor costs are the most expensive part of the business. Furthermore, labor costs vary more than any other cost. I've seen labor costs as low as 28 percent of sales and as high as 60 percent of sales.
The only possible way to arrive at a meaningful labor cost comparison is to compare your labor costs as a percentage of sales to drycleaners with similar operations, i.e., same number of dropstores, routes, etc.
As for your salary or draw, most owners spend a great deal of their time doing productive work and less of their time doing office or management work.
For this comparison, we know that no matter where your time is spent it is time spent on getting results for the good of your company. For this reason we will put your wages in the "officers' salary" line item which is under the "general & administrative" heading. Remember, when we compare figures we will be comparing them to companies with similar structures.
The next heading is:
Operating expenses
Supplies
Post all drycleaning and shirt/laundry supplies. For the average drycleaner, supplies should run 5 to 8 percent of total sales.
Utilities
Include; boiler fuel (gas/oil), electric, phone, water/sewer, etc. These costs normally run between 4 and 7 percent of total sales.
Vehicle Expenses
Includes; gas, oil, repairs, etc. These costs can vary greatly depending on the structure of your company.
Repairs & Maintenance
For this format, repairs & maintenance include building and equipment repair costs. These costs can vary greatly but should be between 1 and 2.5 percent of total sales.
Rubbish Removal
Rubbish removal includes; snow removal, hazardous waste removal, etc. These can vary but are usually less than 1 percent of total sales.
Other Indirect Expenses
Other indirect expenses are for other semi variable expenses that are not listed elsewhere.
Payroll Taxes
Payroll taxes are the company's share of payroll taxes -- not withholding taxes. Payroll taxes include; FICA, SUTA, FUTA, etc. These normally are at 4.5 to 5.5 percent of total sales.
Total Operating Expenses
Operating expenses should be between 18 and 24 percent of total sales.
Operating Margin
General & Administrative
- Insurance - Workers' Compensation
Total General & Administrative Expenses
Profit (Loss)
Note: This is not a cash expense. If you have any loan payments, the principal portion of that expense does not appear on your financial statement or on your income tax return. By replacing depreciation with the amount of money you spend each month on the principal amount of your loan payments you will have an accurate "cash flow" statement.
Making comparisons
Using this Standard Format gives you meaningful information to use when comparing your numbers to those of similar drycleaners. Comparisons are made by using percentages. To determine your expense percentages, divide each expense item by total sales.
If any readers would like me to compare their percentages, I will need:
1. Your percentages as explained above.
2. Your number of locations.
3. Number of routes.
4. Do you do wholesale work? I need this info.
5. Any other pertinent sales information.
6. Number of employees.
Send this information to me by e-mail or fax and I will match it to similar companies and return it with a comparative analysis.
All information is confidential. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me at (508) 753-6619.
Remember, in the game of business the more you know the better you can play the game.
Alan Robson is a private consultant dealing with the specialized needs of the drycleaning industry. Readers are encouraged to send him questions he can address in future columns. For more information, contact him by telephone at (508) 753-6619 or send e-mail to him at: agrobson@ma.ultranet.com
NIE Insurance has announced the recipients of the John L. Koprowski Memorial Scholarships. The scholarships can be used for resident, field or correspondence courses of either the International Fabricare Institute of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International.
This year's recipients are Peter Zirnoon of Elite Cleaners in Hackensack, NJ; Balkrushna Dhanagadharia of Kim and Jenn Cleaners in Point Pleasant, NJ, Richard Bisogno of New York, NY; and Greg Fisher of Crest Cleaners in Hamburg, NY.
NIE also announced the winner of its annual drawing for a free trip for two to Cancun for policyholders who provide qualified referrals. The 1997 winter is Kang Park of Andy's Cleaners in Brooklyn, NY
NIE also noted that it now manages the International Fabricare Institute's Business Insurance Program.. The company was founded in 1915 by the National Association of Dyers & Cleaners, IFI's predecessor, and is wholly owned by policyholders and governed by fabric care business owners.
NIE recently relocated its corporate office. The new address is 4233 Sulphur Ave., St. Louis, MO 63109; phone (800) 325-9522 or fax (314) 832-6775.
Steven A. Tomeo has joined the sales team of Package Supply Co. Inc., in Walpole, MA. Tomeo comes to Package Supply from Crystal Chemical Co. and has 15 years of experience in the industry. He also worked for the John Danais Co.
Jan Baillargeon, sales manager of Package Supply, said Tomeo's knowledge of the coin laundry area will "provide a new balance to current Package Supply expertise."
Tomeo resides in Woburn, MA.
Windows-based software
NORRISTOWN, PA -- Dry Cleaning Computer Systems has released DCCS for Windows, written specifically for the current Microsoft operating system using Microsoft tools. The product interfaces with standard off-the-shelf packages for accounts receivable, credit card, mailings and other functions and comes with many standard reports built in. Users can also create their own with any report writer, including Microsoft Access or Crystal Reports.
DCCS for Windows is designed for a complete spectrum of drycleaning environments. Single station systems can be run on Windows 95 and multiple stations can be networked with Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation or Windows 95.
DCCS for Windows is also available in several language formats, including English, Dutch, German and Spanish with more to be added in the future.
The company has adopted the design of its keyboard to the technology of the touch screen so that selections are made directly from the screen. Interactive on-line help tutorials reduce the time for training counter staff. It also offers access to the International Fabricare Institute's CD-ROM to allow printing of clothing care bulletins and information for customers at the front counter.
DCCS can supply hardware systems directly or users can purchase a system locally. Service support can also be arrange with DCCS or with local computer suppliers.
The company has been providing software and hardware to the drycleaning industry since 1984.
NATIONAL CITY, CA -- Magic Flow Manufacturing Co. is offering a kit that contains 1,000 garment holders, a Dennison Fine Fabric Tool, four spare Fine Fabric needles and 5,000 Fine Fabric fasteners.
The garment holders allow for fastening any garment full-length from any standard hanger using the fabric tools and fasteners. Trousers, skits, drapes, curtains, shorts, ties, scarves and belts all can be easily fastened without pins, clips staples or safety pins using this method, the company said. The All Garment Holder can be used for tunnel finishing because the holder allows steam to pass completely through he fabric as well as the hot air in drying.
PRINCETON, NJ -- Merrill Lynch has a publication titled, "How to Read a Financial Report," a guide that helps investors identify important information and interpret the data in a company's financial report.
The guide uses examples to show and analyze financial statements of a fictional company, walking through the company's balance sheet, income statement, statement of changes in shareholders' equity and the statement of cash flows. The guide finishes with a section on viewing the company's financial report in the appropriate context, including a review of historical performance, comparisons with industry averages and consideration of varying economic conditions.
ORANGE, CT -- The Wedding Gown Specialists Association and Fabritec International, licenser of Sanitone Certified Master Drycleaners, are offering a new product that provides brides a complete package for emergency gown repairs.
"For Your Perfect Day: Emergency Care Plus for Your Special Gown" is packaged in a magenta box with a pop-up rose and contains two of Fabritec's cleaning solutions with applicators for removing the most common wedding day stains. Needles, thread, scissors, safety pins, extra buttons, pearls and sequins are also included along with a book in English, French and Spanish with directions for using the stain removal solutions and practical advice on caring for the gown after the wedding.
Also included is a certificate worth $25 toward the cost of cleaning and preserving the gown after the wedding. Brides can redeem the certificate at any of the nearly 2,000 participating Sanitone and Wedding Gown Specialists locations around the world.
The package is distributed by The Beverly Clark Collection, a wedding accessories company, and the kit will be marketed through bridal salons, boutiques, department stores, wedding accessories shops, bridal consultants and other wedding professionals. It is available to drycleaners from Beverly Clark.
NAPERVILLE, IL -- R. R. Street & Co. Inc. has introduced a new drum design for its products that are packaged in 15-, 30-, 53- and 55-gallon steel drums. The new drums are designed to reflect a distinctive, contemporary appeal. Distributors will be receiving Street's products packaged in 55-gallon steel drums of the new design. Over the next few months, they will also start receiving products packaged in 30- and 15-gallon steel drums in the new design.
Street products currently packaged in steel drums include Condusol, Merasol, Picrin, Pyratex, STS, Staticol and VITALsize.
HOUSTON, TX -- Syscom's TNT-Touch 'N Trak point of sale software enhances the features of its previous versions of Better Cleaner control software. The package includes order processing, accounts receivable, routes, garment tagging, barcoded line-loading, marketing, inventory and cash control, a time clock, and management reports.
The touch screen and visual operation of TNT make it easy to learn and use, the company said and it reduces the amount of time counter staff spend waiting on customer and owners spend on routine duties.
The new package will be introduced at the Southwest Drycleaner Association trade show in Austin, TX, in March. The Houston-based computer software company has been providing software for the drycleaning and laundry industry since 1986.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- PROS announces the ITT Ramsteader/Heynau microprocessors, parts and repairs are available. New and rebuilt processors are used on Lindus, VIC, Washex, etc., and are in stock in the PROS warehouse. All repair and rebuilding work is done in-house at PROS.
CHARLOTTE, NC -- B & G Lieberman has its new 1998 catalog available. The company also can provide its 1997 Alteration Price survey to interested parties.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Midwest's Duplex Petroleum Dry Cleaning System offers a cleaning capacity of 100 pounds per hour through a multi-bath washer-extractor with PLC control. Adjustable wash, dry and extract speeds allow for small or delicate loads.
Standard features include a refrigerated closed loop reclaimer, adjustable solvent level, lighted solvent flow site glass and lighted tanks, three stainless steel base tank and a stainless steel recovery chamber on the reclaimer, a self-cleaning filter system, a large capacity carbon filter system, a built-in containment tank and a 40 gallon-per-hour stainless steel still that works without vacuum.
Available as options are an air-cooled condenser and an inline solvent cooler.
TULSA, OK -- Leather Soft softener/conditioner is a new Royaltone product for wetcleaning suede and leather. Added to the final rinse of the wetcleaning cycle at a ratio of four ounces per garment, it conditions skins and imparts a soft, lush feel.
Date created: Jan 30 1998
Copyright © 1998, BPS Communications Inc.
National Clothesline
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