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No Clean Show? No Problem! (Day 2)

Online trade show continues with another group of ‘exhibitors’

CHICAGO — It’s been a long 16 months or so, but the world is finally emerging from the pandemic.

There’s still a ways to go, and people and businesses are still dealing with the effects.

One of those effects that hampers the laundry and linen services industry is that The Clean Show, North America’s largest textile care exhibition, had to be postponed until 2022; however …

No Clean Show? No problem!

American Laundry News is stepping in this year to bring the trade show floor to you.

Display advertisers in 2021 (through June) of equipment, products and services share what they have to offer your operation.

Some exhibitors show off new products and services for your laundry. Others highlight their consistently beneficial offerings.

From chemicals to washroom equipment, from carts to packaging options, American Laundry News is proud to bring you the latest and greatest in the industry.

And many of the exhibitors have created or updated their offerings to take COVID-19 into account.

The “booth” articles have been submitted by the exhibiting companies. Any claims made in the entries are those of the participating companies, not American Laundry News.

Welcome to Day 2! Let’s visit the trade show floor!

ADVENTPAC

Adventpac has more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing flexible plastic packaging solutions for industrial and consumer packaging.

In 2019, the company expanded its product offering to provide its clients environmentally friendly packaging. Most noteworthy is its range of water-soluble bags called Advent Hydrobag®.

With its introduction, the company set out to solve the end-of-life problem that traditional plastic bags had by removing them altogether. Adventpac’s hydrobag is marine safe, nontoxic and biodegradable.

Advent Hydrobag® products are made from a patented blend of polyvinyl alcohol and completely dissolve in warm (104 F) or hot water (158 F). When used as laundry bags, it means that there will be no waste and no trace left over.

The idea of a bag that dissolves completely for laundry applications took off due to the convenience it provided for healthcare workers and commercial laundries.

However, the water-soluble bags became even more significant for Adventpac and its clients in 2020. With the coronavirus pandemic, Advent Hydrobag® became more of a necessity as healthcare systems around the world were challenged by the infectiousness of the virus.

Adventpac’s bags were used by the NHS in the U.K., as well as the quarantine systems in Singapore and Australia. The bags provided for a safer work environment without the waste of traditional single-use plastics, reimagining what single-use packaging can be.

Advent Hydrobag®’s use has grown ever since and the company has clients using them as trolley covers, dry cleaner bags and poly bags for clothing.

LAUNDRY LOOPS®

Laundry Loops® is the time-saving, money-saving, energy-saving way to replace using mesh laundry bags to keep an individual’s garments sorted throughout the laundry process.

Over the last 20-plus years, Laundry Loops® has become the world’s most widely used alternative to mesh laundry bags. From small “fluff-and-fold” operations to huge institutional laundry facilities, the company’s 8,000-plus customers report that, after switching from mesh bags to Laundry Loops®, they now provide cleaner clothes that completely dry in one-half the time!

After threading the Laundry Loop® through the arm/leg/waist openings of garments, the user closes the buckle and loads socks into the patented Sock Snare. And the Sock Snare isn’t limited to just socks; users can also load gloves, skull caps, bandanas—any items that lack openings.

In response to customer feedback, Laundry Loops® has released the Laundry Loop® PLUS. Five inches longer than the original Laundry Loop® with Double Sock Snares, the Laundry Loop® PLUS is the ideal solution for less-than-daily laundry service.

GIRBAU NORTH AMERICA

Girbau North America, a leading provider of industrial and commercial laundry equipment and support services, helps laundries struggling with labor deficits through automation.

The company’s Girbau Industrial Compact+ 5-in-One ironing system and FT-Maxi towel folder were installed at a number of facilities throughout North America in the past year in order to automate feeding, ironing, folding, and stacking for more production, higher quality, and fewer labor hours.

Unlike a flatwork ironer, the Compact+ eliminates all hands-on flatwork folding and stacking for significant labor hour savings. It feeds, irons, folds, stacks and accumulates. Using the Compact+, a single operator can process approximately 260 laundry pounds per operator hour, which equates to four sheets per minute and 240 sheets per hour.

Thus, the Compact+ significantly reduces labor hours while typically offering a quick return on investment (ROI) of less than two years. The Compact+ processes everything from duvets and fitted, flat sheets and pillow-cases, to table linens and napkins. An optional two- or four-lane rear accumulator complements the rich labor production features of the Compact+.

Similarly, the FT- Maxi towel folder automatically sorts, folds and stacks up to 800 unsorted dry-work pieces per hour, with just one operator. Through automation, and the installation of the FT- Maxi auto-sort folder, laundries can cut labor hours by 87% over hand folding. This equates to a savings of eight labor hours per day and a quick ROI. The FT- Maxi automatically sorts and folds different-sized towels and blankets.

G. A. BRAUN

As G.A. Braun celebrates its 75th year, the company continues to evolve. Over the next several months Braun plans to introduce new and innovative products to its portfolio.

One such product is the Braun PRO® Dryer. The capacity of this dryer ranges from 125-200 pounds and can easily process three loads per hour (up to 175-pound loads) versus only one load as others in the same capacity range.

Other products include an array of new finishing equipment as well as energy and resource-saving washer-extractor and tunnel system enhancements.

Despite the unique challenges of the last 12-plus months, G.A. Braun is proud of the fact that it was able to maintain its high standard of service and support to its customers.

On-time shipments of equipment and parts, along with on-site support, remained Braun’s No. 1 focus throughout the pandemic. The company thanks its entire team and its supply-chain partners that have allowed it to maintain this level of customer support.

G.A. Braun is confident our its products, partnerships, service and parts support programs will continue to assist customers to emerge stronger moving forward.

R&B WIRE PRODUCTS

R&B Wire Products is a California-based manufacturing company currently celebrating its 75th anniversary!

R&B has developed a brand that is well known for quality, innovation and outstanding service—all backed by its “Satisfaction Guaranteed” commitment. R&B has more than 1,000 unique items, with the majority of its products being “Made in America.”

Vended and the blended commercial markets have been at the core of its business from the very start. Today R&B Wire Products has the most diversified global line of wire laundry carts—standard, front load and elevated carts in varying sizes to meet the growing demands of larger-capacity machine demand across all of these sectors.

Due to the pandemic and the heightened need for products that minimize bacteria concerns, the company recently brought to market its full line of Antimicrobial Vinyl Bumper Trucks, available in 3-20 bushel sizes. The blending of these two features is designed to help protect a laundry’s three biggest assets—its facility, employees and customers.

LAVATEC

As the pandemic situation improves, LAVATEC can point to several recent developments that indicate better things are ahead.

Four months ago, LAVATEC introduced a new drying system that is in step with where the world is heading in relation to climate change and reducing CO2 emissions. Industrial laundry operations searching for better ways to satisfy customers and save on energy costs will find it with LAVACascade, which has proven energy savings of at least 50%, and in some cases can reduce energy consumption by as much as 75%.

LAVACascade’s first phase introduces high heat to the laundry load. A middle stage recaptures waste heat to maintain a consistent temperature, followed by a final cooling stage. Each phase takes only a few minutes to complete.

“This is a significant industry advance in drying,” says Mark Thrasher, president and co-owner of Lavatec Laundry Technology. “We applied the same engineering approach we use for our custom-built tunnel washers to design LAVACascade.”

One customer who didn’t wait on installing his LAVATEC new tunnel system and other equipment is reaping the benefits. Rick Taft, owner of Textile Care Services in Salt Lake City, pushed forward last summer with his plans. He also added two new press extractors, six natural gas dryers and the osLaundry management system. The result was winning new business in January that will increase his volume this year from 9 million to 15 million pounds.

Taft is convinced he would not have won those accounts without the new equipment. Read his story at: www.lltusa.com/docs/Lavatec_TCS_CaseStudy.pdf.

You won’t want to miss the final day on Thursday!

And you can always review Day 1 by clicking HERE!

No Clean Show

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].