Content about machinery

CHICAGO — In February, after 14 years of study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named perchloroethylene a “likely” human carcinogen in its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. And after more than two decades of increasingly stringent regulation on the industry’s solvent of choice, the announcement seemed like the final nail in perc’s coffin.

Ironically, the decision actually protects perc’s position in dry cleaning, at least for the time being. “Everyone has the misconception that the category perc is in has changed,” says Faye Graul, executive director of the Halogenated Solvents Industry Association (HSIA). “It has not changed at all. The report says perc is safe for use in dry cleaning.”

EPA expressed no concerns about consumers wearing clothing cleaned in perc, and the IRIS report could ease the drinking-water standard required for environmental cleanups. And with a recent, recessionary lull in regulatory activity, only co-located facilities and plants in California and a few other areas see the possibility of a full phaseout ahead.

ARDMORE, Pa. — Thanks to the 100% “bonus” depreciation write-offs created by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010, many dry cleaning businesses are discovering that capital investments in equipment, machinery and other business assets are more affordable today than ever before. Remember, however, the 100% bonus depreciation write-off is available only for qualifying purchases made by dry cleaning plants and businesses in 2011.

Those dry cleaners that have hesitated or postponed making capital investments because of the recent economic downturn might now want to consider how the combined use of incentives and the 100% bonus depreciation can substantially reduce the cost of capital investments. Even funding those new-equipment purchases is easier—at least for a while.

DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Frushtick, founder of Leonard Automatics, died Monday at age 80, the company reports.

Frushtick started his career selling buttons to the garment manufacturing industry, and later expanded the business to include a variety of machinery.

In 1969, he moved his family to North Carolina to be closer to the garment industry and founded Leonard Automatics. As garment manufacturing began to decline in the mid-’80s, Frushtick migrated to the laundry industry. His creativity gave him the ability to develop new technologies involved with garment finishing, and has lent itself to promoting an atmosphere of creativity and innovation at Leonard Automatics that exists to this day, the company says.

Frushtick became a prolific painter after his retirement, and he and his wife, Phyllis, traveled extensively, providing a wealth of experiences for him to express on canvas.

A private memorial service for Frushtick is scheduled for Friday in Bluffton, S.C. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice Care of the Low Country, 119 Palmetto Way, Bluffton, SC 29910.

SAN FRANCISCO — America’s Best Cleaners (ABC) announced last week that some affiliates have completed conversions to Kreussler’s SystemK4, and will now begin to process consumer clothing using the new solvent system.

The system centers around SolvonK4, a solvent new to the drycleaning industry. Kreussler has been testing SolvonK4 with ABC affiliates throughout the country for the past year.

KANSAS CITY — More than 45 people attended GreenEarth’s Eastern Workshop & Conference, (EW&C), held last month at Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) headquarters in Laurel, Md.

Traveling from as far as California, the GreenEarth affiliates in attendance spent the weekend learning marketing strategies, spotting techniques, machinery maintenance and more. Representatives from GreenEarth, Adco, District Cleaners Equipment, DLI, Fabritec International, A.L. Wilson and marketing firm AdMoreZing appeared.

An Expanding Array of Solvent Systems is Helping Produce New Converts — And New Concerns

Choice in solvents has expanded exponentially in the last 20 years due to the regulatory pressure on the use of perchloroethylene in drycleaning. Ongoing research and development is a testament to the industry’s ingenuity, flexibility and importance, but the industry is still far from having a new “solvent of choice.”

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. — A legislative proposal that seeks to phase out the use of perchloroethylene in drycleaning statewide by 2026 moved out of committee in Illinois' General Assembly last week.

Written by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and introduced by Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), HB 6115 would ban installation of new perc machinery on Jan. 1, 2011, and eliminate perc use in facilities "colocated" with residential properties on Jan. 1, 2013. All perc use would be outlawed statewide in 2026.

BEIJING, China — With two days of Texcare Asia under their belts, representatives of exhibitors based in the United States or with significant operations there spoke favorably of the event during interviews Thursday.

While still carrying a great deal of activity, the show floor at the China International Exhibition Centre wasn’t as busy on this second day. Final attendance figures won’t be available until after the show.

NEW ORLEANS — Knocked out of Clean’s rotation temporarily by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is set to host the industry’s biggest exhibition for the first time in eight years. And while the recession has everyone in this and every other industry carefully counting their pennies, the outlook is positive for this year’s show.

CHICAGO — Asked to name the industry’s biggest challenges and innovations of the past 75 years for American Drycleaner’s upcoming 75th Anniversary issue, drycleaners offered a variety of answers, plus several keys for the industry’s survival into the future.

CHICAGO — As perc is slowly phased out of lawful use, the industry’s longtime favorite continues to face sporadic, localized ban threats, recently in New Jersey and Philadelphia. So, what’s going on with the alternative solvents?

General acceptance of high-flashpoint hydrocarbons such as DF-2000 and EcoSolv is driving most machinery sales. Variations on hydrocarbons such as no-distill, powder-filtration options and the vaporized hydrocarbon iPura system are also attracting fans.