Canada big and beautiful

1 June 2001



Canadians enjoy going South to visit exhibitions. Coming home is even better. Marcia Todd is packing her sun hat but keeping her skis waxed.


New Orleans may not be an ideal vacation spot in July, but it will be the destination of at least 15% of the Canadian industry when Clean ‘01 opens its doors. The expected heat and humidity will be forgotten in the air conditioned exhibition hall which is anticipated to hold the answers to many questions, such as:

• Which solvent is best for me?

• What computer system fits my operation?

• Should I buy tensioning equipment to save on wetcleaning finishing costs?

• Is this the year to look for a new boiler?

• What’s new in fashion and fabrics?

• Where’s the best place to go for great

New Orleans cooking?

The last question is the easiest to answer. Almost any restaurant will give visitors a taste of great Cajun cooking and after that, diners can soak up the Big Easy atmosphere by strolling down Bourbon Street and listening to the jazz that seems to come from every doorway.

Canadian concerns

Environmental issues have been largely unaddressed by the government in Canada, but a bill, which has been stalled for about five years, is expected to bring new importance to the safe handling of traditional solvents and their emissions.

It will place the responsibility for the collection of hazardous waste on the companies that sell them. These firms may contract out the waste collection but must oversee the process to make sure that solvent sold, and waste collected, are in the correct balance.

Enforcement

It appears that Canada’s Ministry of the Environment means to enforce this regulation as well as the other details concerned with the safe handling of perc and the imminent banning of perc transfer machines. Many laws have been passed without the means of enforcement but at a recent meeting of the Canadian Korean Drycleaners Association, Brad May, Head of the Ontario Investigation Section of Environment Canada announced that 20 investigators are being trained to enforce the regulations.

That southern giant

Canadians are well aware of the environmental problems which our neighbouring drycleaners in the United States are now facing. We have escaped the nightmare of retroactive liability which has been a major problem for the drycleaners in that country.

Although the attitude of the Canadian government is to let bygones be bygones, still the industry appears to operate cautiously and some owners are looking at the new solvents: hydrocarbon, GreenEarth, Rynex and CO2. With the exception of the last named, all have been used in Canada.

The reason CO2 is not yet in use is because it carries a hefty price tag, even in the US. When this is translated into Canadian dollars, where the rate fluctuates between $1.45 to $1.55 Canadian for a US dollar, it becomes difficult to justify the purchase of such expensive technology.

In talking with Canadian drycleaners, interest appears to be tending towards GreenEarth. The reason given is because the operation is much like cleaning in perc, and therefore has the benefit of familiarity.

In addition, it can be run in a cleaning machine which may be cleaned out and then used for hydrocarbon solvent if the owner decides to switch solvents. This gives the drycleaner the security that he is not making a permanent commitment if he goes with GreenEarth.

I am sure the system in Canada works much the way it does in the United Kingdom when an equipment show is held on the Continent.

Make up your mind time

Drycleaners attending the show may make up their minds to purchase a piece of equipment there and then but they usually go back home to place their order with the local distributor.

That is what will probably happen after Clean ‘01. However, Canadians will have another opportunity to compare equipment and local distributors on their own turf, and many will choose to do so.

Clean Canada will be held in Toronto 2002 April 12 to 14 2002.

This exhibition will be much smaller than the New Orleans super show, but it will provide Canadian drycleaners with the final information on which to make their decisions.

This information is the availability of service, the depth of parts inventory and the local information required to obtain financing. All these elements will come together in the widely-anticipated Toronto show. However, the size of the country (bigger than the US, encompassing four (don’t ask!) time zones, and expensive air travel) will keep many drycleaners from Eastern and Western Canada from attending.

Alberta

In the province of Alberta the local association, which, along with the Korean association, is one of the two strongest in Canada, is trying to put together a unique alternative to the exhibition.

They are hoping to have a full operating plant set up in a beautiful resort hotel in the Canadian Rockies. They plan to staff this plant with consultants and equipment demonstrators, and have it as the centrepiece of their convention programme. Although only brand and type of each piece of equipment will be on display, it will be a unique opportunity for experienced and novice operators to observe, ask questions, and consider future purchases.

Such an undertaking comes down to many practical problems and its outcome is currently not assured.

Such matters as access, the width of the doors into the seminar room in particular and the availability of sufficient steam and electricity to operate the equipment have to be known before going ahead with the project. Another option is live demonstrations at equipment warehouses. Such an event was held recently at GW Tessler Fabcare in the Vancouver suburb of Delta. At this open house attendees saw a live demonstration of GreenEarth from the preparation of loads to their appearance after cleaning.

The bottom line is that there are many Canadian drycleaners who appear to be resigned to the eventual need to replace their perc drycleaning machines. They hope to obtain valuable information on alternative solvents at Clean ‘01 and Clean Canada ‘02.

A laundry anomaly

It has come to the attention of this writer that certain Canadian hospital laundries are being urged by the government to cease using their flatwork ironers.

The alternative to this is to purchase knitted fitted sheets for the beds and return them to the hospital stuffed in bags. The various provincial governments operate the healthcare system and, by extension, the laundries which service them. Therefore they are in a position to make this recommendation.

I have no further knowledge about this subject at the moment, but will keep readers informed.




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