Content about manufacturing

OPHEMERT, The Netherlands — Results of a new benchmark study show that professional textile care, including new and alternative solvents, has an environmental impact that is two to three times less than the average domestic washing process, according to European industry association CINET (Comité International de l’Entretien du Textile).

CINET commissioned the study organized by the Dutch Technological Knowledge Center Textile Care (TKT) and conducted by the independent Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in January through March of this year.

The research includes a comparison of traditional solvents (perc and hydrocarbon) and alternative solvents (Ipura, Siloxane D5, Rynex E3, SolvonK4 and wet cleaning) with domestic textile cleaning.

PULASKI, N.Y. — Fulton Companies, a manufacturer of high-pressure steam boilers and thermal fluid heaters used by dry cleaners and industrial laundries, has received a $221,000 Capital Investment Incentive grant from National Grid for infrastructure improvements that will support the company’s 112,000-square-foot expansion and $13.9 million capital investment plan.

The grant will offset costs associated with construction of a new 82,000-square-foot manufacturing floor, 10,000-square-foot research and development center, and 20,000-square-foot office space. The grant also supports Fulton’s capital investment in projects that include expansion of thermal fluid heating product lines, creating lower-emissions products, and manufacturing a wider range of large boilers.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $62,000 in grants to help 31 small businesses across the state, including some dry cleaners and laundries, invest in energy-efficiency or pollution-prevention projects.

“This program empowers small-business owners to invest in important upgrades that make the most sense for their business,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer says. “It gives them the opportunity to lower the costs of production, which makes them better environmental stewards and more competitive.”

Receiving grants were:

CHICAGO — JANUARY’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE dropped to 8.3%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the lowest since February 2009.

“The economy added 257,000 private-sector jobs last month, exceeding expectations,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “These numbers show that the labor market continues on a positive trajectory.

In response to the positive numbers, the Dow Jones jumped the day after the announcement while the Nasdaq index reached a level that hasn’t been seen since December 2000.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE DISTRICTS reported modest growth for December, indicating ongoing improvement in the country’s economy. Consumer spending increased in most of the 12 districts, showing strong holiday sales compared to that of 2010, and activity expanded in the travel and tourist sector as well.

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — Tower Cleaners transformed a 16,000-square-foot building once used for welding and painting aluminum railings to combine its two plants there. It is centrally located for easy access to its 26 dry stores throughout Calgary.

The production floor features three perc drycleaning machines, a hydrocarbon machine, and Huebsch and UniMac washers using Seitz detergents. Finishing equipment is all Unipress, with the exception of some Forenta glide back presses.

The epoxy-coated “granite” floor contrasts the red Metalprogetti conveyor system used to move garments from the cleaning area to each press. When the presser is finished, the garment is placed back on the distribution conveyor and transported to the inspection area.

The CRDN franchise processes fire and flood work, with special areas assigned for removal of smoke odors, and to process shoes, purses, plants, etc.

Tomorrow: Special Honors, Outstanding Plant-on-Premises

ALBANY, Ga. — Equinox Chemicals has announced that it has acquired Adco Cleaning Products, based in Sedalia, Mo. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

Equinox will move Adco’s manufacturing operations to its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Albany, according to Yalda Harris, Equinox’s executive vice president for Global Product Management. Dr. Jim Schreiner, Adco’s chief product technology officer, will also be relocating, she says.

Customer-service and order-taking staff will remain in Sedalia, and there will be no changes to the way customers or distributors order from Adco, Harris adds. The national sales team will remain the same.

Nine operator jobs and one office employee have been relocated to Albany, with many key employees receiving relocation package offers, according to Harris.

Equinox is a specialty chemical manufacturer with specialty research, innovation, product development and commercialization capabilities that reach markets spanning the globe, the company says.

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.

LOS ANGELES — When I was 21, after getting fired from the radio station I was selling advertising time for—badly—I started my own advertising agency.

I got the record and plant store chain account after hanging out with the owners for months and gaining their trust.

For the high-end audio chain account, I created copy that said what the principals thought needed to be said about them.

I got the guitar store chain account by telling them how they could advertise in media they never thought of and create new customers (their “first guitar” sales went up 350% that Christmas season).

I got another client by appealing to his interest in sports celebrities and humor, getting the Steelers quarterback who never played in four years in the NFL—just stood all day on the sidelines—to endorse his foot-pad manufacturing company.

Got my biggest client—a big user of radio advertising—by writing a jingle that he loved and became the company’s most recognizable branding feature for years to come.

EVANSTON, Ill. — By focusing on the cultural values of their growing foreign-born Latino workforce, drycleaning plants and laundries can boost productivity, lower per-unit costs and better meet ever-stiffer customer demands.

Most drycleaners have tried to motivate their workers for better productivity—with varying degrees of success. Those with mainly Mexican or Spanish-speaking workers find “gainsharing” gives them more productive employees and a greater competitive advantage. Why? Latin cultural traditions meld closely with gainsharing values.

GAINSHARING DIFFERS FROM PROFIT SHARING AND 401(K)

Gainsharing avoids the drawbacks of profit sharing and 401(k)-based retirement plans for several reasons:

CHICAGO — Not so long ago, when you looked up “green” in the dictionary, there was a brief definition about color or pigment. Today, it’s difficult to read or hear the word “green” without also thinking of the environment, of conservation, of sustainability.

When writing about greening a business operation such as a drycleaner, it’s difficult to know where to start. There are so many different ways that a cleaner could boost its environmental profile, and so many different areas that are candidates for green initiatives.

And while going green could involve a decision to invest in new equipment, chemicals or supplies, there are low-cost, common sense changes that can also make a drycleaner more enviro-friendly.

OPPORTUNITIES TO GREEN

Every part of a drycleaning operation can be engineered to be “greener.” As you examine your operation for opportunities, here are just a few things to include on your checklist:

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.

Thank you to the more than 700 drycleaners and distributors who have visited our cramped 10-by-10-foot booth.

Thank you all for validating our decision to create a pouch for hangers. Your enthusiastic response has been thrilling to us.

Thank you to everyone who not only wanted a sample of our new shirt box bag, but proudly displayed it as you continued to walk the convention floor.