Home
Share |

Content about Engineering

March 27, 2012
Energy Efficiency Good for Planet, Profit

SAN FRANCISCO — About 2% separates our industry’s average utility cost and the benchmark, which equates to another $20,000 of profit per $1 million of sales

SAN FRANCISCO — Small businesses are generally not very resource-efficient. This is certainly true of drycleaning and laundry plants. The differential between our industry’s average utility cost and the benchmark utility cost as a percentage of sales is approximately 2%, which equates to an additional $20,000 of profit per $1 million of sales. That is a savings worth pursuing.

The easiest way to reduce this expense is to have professionals conduct an energy audit. Often, your utility provider offers this service free. If that is not the case in your area, there are professional energy consultants who perform the same service and get paid a percentage of your resulting cost savings.

EFFICIENCY CHECKLIST

A myriad of resources exist on the subject, some of which are referenced later in this article. You are probably familiar with the basics of energy and resource efficiency, but the following “Efficiency Checklist” may be helpful as a refresher.

General:

• Track your resource usage

• Compare your usage to industry benchmarks

March 22, 2012
Report: Repair, Expansion of U.S. Water Infrastructure to Top $1 Trillion

DENVER — The cost of repairing and expanding U.S. drinking water infrastructure will top $1 trillion in the next 25 years

DENVER — The cost of repairing and expanding U.S. drinking water infrastructure will top $1 trillion in the next 25 years, an expense that likely will be met primarily through higher water bills and local fees, an American Water Works Association (AWWA) report asserts.

The report, Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge, analyzes many factors, including timing of water main installation and life expectancy, materials used, replacement costs and shifting demographics, the association says. Nationally, the infrastructure needs are almost evenly divided between replacement and expansion requirements.

Water systems that were built in the latter part of the 19th century and throughout much of the 20th century have, for the most part, never experienced the need for pipe replacement on a large scale, the AWWA report says. “The dawn of an era in which the assets will need to be replaced puts a growing stress on communities that will continue to increase for decades to come.”

January 18, 2012
Plant Design Awards — Special Honors, Outstanding Plant-on-Premises: Zengeler Cleaners, Long Grove, Ill.

LONG GROVE, Ill. — Family-owned Zengeler Cleaners chose to build its new state-of-the-art plant, measuring 3,000 square feet, in a new retail development northwest of Chicago. President Tom Zengeler was drawn to the area by favorable demographics and the high-end nature of the shopping center.

A Union dry cleaning machine and Chiller Mfg. chiller, plus a Forenta spotting board, are in place in the cleaning room, which is sized for two cleaning machines and two chillers. Finishing includes a pants station and two utility stations, all featuring Unipress and Forenta machines.

The wash line features UniMac washers and a dryer, and the shirt laundry utilizes Unipress and Forenta equipment. Boiler room equipment is by Fulton, NATCO, Rema and Ingersoll Rand.

The plant is fully automated through SPOT software and Metalprogetti’s 24-hour kiosk service, assembly conveyor, automatic bagger and storage conveyor.

December 6, 2011
Bryan Steam Receives UL Environmental Claims Validation

PERU, Ind. — Bryan Steam reports that it has received UL environmental claims validation for its Triple-Flex™ (patent pending) Ultra-High Efficiency Condensing Boilers.

The boilers feature flexible stainless-steel tubes, minimum thermal efficiency of 90% with 160 F return, and 180 F supply at maximum input. Efficiencies up to 99% are achievable with lower return water temperatures as found in new building designs, Bryan says.

Bryan Steam offers boilers in sizes from 250,000 to 25,200,000 Btuh input, plus a variety of related equipment accessories.

September 14, 2011
Back to Beijing for Texcare Asia

BEIJING, China — Suppliers from China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United States have confirmed their participation in Texcare Asia, the region’s foremost trading platform for modern textile care. It is scheduled for Nov. 17-19 at the China International Exhibition Center.

Held every other year, the trade fair consistently attracts key players such as Castic-SMP, Dow, Hoffman/New Yorker, Jensen Group, Maxi Companies, Primus, Pony, Via-trade and Weishi, says Messe Frankfurt, the show’s organizer.

These suppliers and more—the exhibitor list is at 110 companies—will present a range of sophisticated, energy-efficient washing, drying and ironing technologies in a trade space of more than 10,000 square meters (approximately 32,000 square feet).

China’s laundry and drycleaning market presents what Messe Frankfurt calls “significant opportunities” for suppliers of resource-saving technologies as the Chinese government implements a raft of measures to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2020.

June 19, 2009
Maytag Debuts Equipment; Maytag Man Appears

NEW ORLEANS — No matter who’s portraying the legendary advertising character, having a photo taken with the Maytag Man is a perennial Clean Show attraction.

Having assumed the role last year after a nationwide talent search, new Repairman Clay Jackson is making scheduled appearances to sign autographs and have his picture taken with fans at Maytag's booth.

June 1, 2009
Can a Drycleaner Switch to an All-Wetcleaning Operation?

Q: With perc under so much pressure from regulators, I’m interested in switching to a different process. I’m thinking of switching to a 100%, wetcleaning-only operation, which would seem like the best way to avoid any kind of regulation in the future and send a nice "green" message to my customers. But is this even possible? Can a cleaner who uses only wetcleaning get out enough soils and stains from a wide enough variety of fabrics to maintain business? How would such a business operate?

June 1, 2009
Clean ’09 Educational Sessions

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

Labor Savings: What New, Automated Equipment Can Do For You (DLI). Automated equipment never calls in sick, makes training easier and pays for itself quickly. 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Green Conspiracy: Saving The Environment & The Bottom Line (ALM). Ed Kwasnick, president of Turn-Key Services, tells how to protect the environment without losing money. 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

August 19, 2008
Industry Testimony Delays Philadelphia Perc Ban

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Air Pollution Control Board has delayed a proposed ban on perchloroethylene in all co-located facilities, thanks in large part to oral and written comments provided by members of the drycleaning industry, including the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute’s (DLI) Jon Meijer and Dale Kaplan and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association’s (PDCA) Carol Memberg.

August 4, 2008
Maytag, Whirlpool Open New Commercial Laundry Testing Lab

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Maytag and Whirlpool Commercial Laundry have opened a new 28,000-square-foot facility in St. Joseph, Mich., featuring a state-of-the-art commercial laundry testing lab.

July 9, 2008
When The Going Gets Tough

If you want to continue earning a living in the textile-cleaning industry, now’s the time to do something about it.

Several members of the industry have called recently to tell me what’s happening. The calls were mostly from distributors telling me how their business is down. One representative told me that cleaners are cutting supply costs and that it’s affecting their business.

November 28, 2007
Can I Dryclean An Electric Blanket?

Q: We often receive electric blankets from customers. Some of them do not carry care instructions. Can electric blankets be drycleaned?

A: No! Under no circumstances should an electric blanket be drycleaned. Electric blankets contain wires, electrical connections and heating elements that are covered by or encased in plastic.

Drycleaning solvents can dissolve the plastic insulators, exposing the wires. And the heat produced during reclamation may melt or crack the plastic insulation.

November 26, 2007
Pennsylvania Issues New Round of Grants

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced that the state issued $521,000 in grants this month, helping 89 small businesses incorporate equipment that will improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution. Four drycleaning plants and 12 coin-op laundries took advantage of the 50% matching grants.

November 1, 2007
Are You in Hot Water?

An inspector’s report I once read described a drycleaner’s boiler room as a “showplace” of good maintenance with up-to-date service logs. But an unforeseen problem caused cracks in the larger of the two boilers, requiring its replacement at a cost of $33,150.

Drycleaners who pay less attention to their equipment have an even bigger chance of paying a lot when equipment breaks down. Boiler breakdowns can result in thousands of dollars in repairs, as well as additional property damage, downtime and loss of business income.