Content about Manufacturing

CHICAGO — CONSUMER CONFIDENCE continues to grow, according to the latest Surveys of Consumers by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan. In the March survey, economists report higher confidence amid signs of growing employment, and increasing home prices also had consumers giving a thumbs up to the future.

“Although confidence dipped in early March, since the middle of the month consumers have expressed improved prospects for economic growth,” says Richard Curtin, Surveys of Consumers chief economist. “Two factors were responsible for the gains: Consumers discounted the administration’s warning about economic catastrophe following the cuts in federal spending, and consumers have renewed their expectations that job gains will accelerate in the months ahead.”

Curtin also says that while optimism like this has been seen before, recent gains look to be sustainable, with a lower unemployment rate and increases in consumer spending on the way.

INDIANAPOLIS — You don’t have to look far to realize the wide range of computer choices that cleaners have. Having more options is great. In many ways, the ability to choose allows you to find the best-fitting computer system.

But that same range of choices can easily be overwhelming, too. It contributes to the fear that you may choose the wrong computer. From a cost view, computers can take a sizable percentage of your total operating budget. A good choice will lead to where costs, compared to returns, are minimal. The gains you experience are far above whatever you paid.

Writing this column takes me back, I hate to admit, about 20 years. I was with a small company that focused on “contract programming.” This is back when most companies had what were called mini, or mainframe, computers. PCs were just coming out. There was no universally accepted operating system.

CHICAGO — MANY EXPERTS, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, report economic growth in recent months, albeit at a modest pace.

The 12 Federal Reserve Districts, in their January report, showed expanded activity since the previous Beige Book, with all 12 showing modest or moderate growth. Consumer spending was up, with 2012 holiday sales somewhat higher than in 2011. Ten districts reported steady or stronger automobile sales, and tourism activity was up across much of the nation. Transportation services in six of the districts showed increases, while manufacturing reports were mixed (six districts reported an increase and three reported a decrease). And real estate activity (for sales and rentals of existing homes) held steady or increased slightly in 11 districts.

THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS reported an increase of 3.6% in the net operating income of U.S. shopping centers for 2012. The figure is 2.3% higher than 2011, and expenses were reported to be down by 0.1%.

CHICAGO — DECEMBER SAW THE NATION’S ECONOMY adding another 160,000 jobs, although the unemployment rate remained at 7.8%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job numbers increased in the healthcare, food service, construction, and manufacturing industries.

“December’s report marks 34 straight months of private-sector job growth, which have added close to 5.8 million jobs,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “For nearly three years, steady gains have occurred across different sectors of the economy, and December finishes a strong year of consistent growth with average increases of about 160,000 private-sector jobs per month in 2012.”

THE NON-MANUFACTURING SECTOR ALSO GREW in December for the 36th consecutive month, according to the latest Institute for Supply Management’s Non-Manufacturing Report on Business, with a report of 56.1% in December, which was 1.4 percentage points higher than the November figure.

PULASKI, N.Y. — Fulton Companies, a manufacturer of steam, hydronic and thermal fluid heat transfer products, has been named the recipient of a Jobs Award in recognition of its significant investment in the creation and retention of jobs in Central New York, the company reports.

The annual award, presented by Operation Oswego County (N.Y.), recently brought together more than 140 representatives of regional business, government, education, labor and other various organizations for the announcement.

The Jobs Award was presented to Fulton for its contribution to the regional economy by investing in a $13.5-million, 112,000-square-foot expansion of its manufacturing and office complex located within the region served by the economic and job development authority.

“We are honored to receive the Jobs Award,” says Kevin LaMontagne, CEO of the Fulton Companies. “Through their tireless hard work and dedication, Fulton’s growing workforce is the single biggest contributor to its success.” 

LOS ANGELES — Every four years around this time, the same question comes up: are you better off today than you were four years ago?

Well, let me be frank. The last four years have been difficult. I was 51, now I’m 55. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like 51 better. Then, I had black hair; now, I’m losing the black and losing the hair.

And it was exactly four years ago this month that I decided to leave my lucrative career as a personal manager for actors, writers, comedians and directors to join my wife in manufacturing and distributing reusable drycleaning garment bags.

Things went pretty much haywire right from the start: we made our first sale about the exact same time as the banking, housing and financial bubbles burst. The loans we were counting on to grow our business were now unattainable: banks simply stopped lending.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its plan to demolish a building, dig up contaminated soil and sediment, and treat the ground water at the Crown Cleaners of Watertown Inc. Superfund site in Herrings, N.Y.

The soil and sediment are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the ground water is contaminated with VOC from past operations at this former paper bag manufacturing, laundry and dry cleaning facility.

“EPA’s work at the site during the next phase of the cleanup is a step forward in our effort to protect the health of people who live or work near this abandoned facility,” says Judith A. Enck, EPA regional administrator. “Removing contaminated materials and cleaning up the ground water will reduce the health risks from this site.”

CHICAGO — MID-MARCH FOUND THE STOCK MARKET posting its best day of the year, with the Dow Jones closing at its highest level since 2007 and the Nasdaq composite closing above 3,000 for the first time since December 2000.

While the unemployment rate held steady at 8.3%—a three-year low—the number of private-sector jobs continued to increase. With a jump of 233,000 jobs in February, more than 3.9 million jobs have been added to the U.S. workforce.

“We’ve had 24 straight months of private-sector job growth,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “U.S. job growth over the last six months has been the strongest since before the recession began in 2006.” Experts say, however, that it will take another five years to gain pre-recession employment figures.

MORTGAGE APPLICATIONS WERE DOWN for the week ending March 2, decreasing 1.2% from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Along with that news, RealtyTrac showed new foreclosures were up 2.89% from December 2011 to January 2012.

CONCORD, N.C. — There are times when all stains begin to look alike; they seem to be a shade of tan or yellow. The problem is, not all yellow stains are the same.

They do not have the same origin; they do not have the same composition. This yellow/tan can range from caramelized sugar, to a beverage stain, to a stubborn oxidized oil stain.

The earlier the stain is identified, the easier it will be to remove the stain. This points to the need for your customer service representative to form the habit of asking each customer, “Are you aware of any spots or stains on any of your garments?” Information gathered should be passed on to the spotter to assist in establishing the proper course of action to effectively remove the stain.

Stain content will determine the chemical tools necessary and the protocol to follow in stain removal. Fiber content and garment construction, as well as the age of the stain, can adversely affect the stain-removal process. Any attempt by the customer to remove the stain will make professional stain removal more difficult or even impossible.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kite’s opened the stand-alone plant in 2003 after moving from a retail-shopping strip. The lobby was recently remodeled into a more open design for easier and quicker customer interaction. A separate wedding-gown lobby showcases specialized services. A drive-up window and a 24-hour drop box serve hurried clients.

The 24,000-square-foot plant also consists of offices, tailoring shop, production area, break area, and warehouse. Relocating to such a large building gives production staff a more comfortable work area and enables easier maintenance access to equipment.

Kite’s utilizes two Realstar DF-2000 drycleaning machines, Marvel washer-extractor, Wascomat wetcleaning system, and UniMac washer-extractors. Finishing is accomplished with equipment from Unipress, Forenta, Sankosha, Hi-Steam, Fima and Cissell, with an emphasis on newer tensioning methods.

CHICAGO — Helping to ring in a better new year are the Federal Reserve Board, the nation’s unemployment numbers and job growth, mortgage applications, and pending home sales.

ALL BUT ONE OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE DISTRICTS reported an increase in economic activity in a report filed Nov. 30. The districts saw a slow to moderate upward trend in consumer spending, with the strongest upticks occurring in vehicle sales and tourism dollars. Manufacturing activity and overall bank lending also increased slightly.

THE NOVEMBER JOBLESS RATE was down to 8.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, with an estimated 120,000 jobs added—that’s the fifth month in a row to post 100,000 or more new jobs, a first since April 2006. However, a downswing in wages slightly offset that good news.

The department reports a decrease in the weekly seasonally adjusted unemployment claims in the week ending Dec. 3, as the number went to 381,000 from the previous week’s revised number of 404,000.

CONCORD, N.C. — If you have been in the industry for less than three years, if you have never received formal training in the “ins and outs” of garment care, if you are dependent on outside salesmen for your information and technical set-up, I urge you to take a minute or two and read this column. It will cover a variety of subjects related to stain removal, and even a little about good, basic dry cleaning that contributes to stain removal.

I have the opportunity to visit a variety of operating plants during a given year and see the ideas of other business people being applied. It breaks my heart to meet someone who has invested their own money plus borrowed money, only to find that volume was much less than they expected. Each and every time, I find someone who failed to research the technical side of cleaning and assumed that buying equipment and leasing space were going to make them rich. Pride goes before destruction.