Blogs from the floor
It is the last day of the show, and my home is calling me. It is nice to see Las Vegas and the Clean Show, but there is no place like home. Yesterday was a great day to get answers and visit with vendors. The third day is a little less busy than the first two. Today is a day to make final contacts, nail down the need for proposals and then hit the road. If you missed this show, you really missed a good one.
Eric Frederick is director of linen services for Carilion Laundry Service, Roanoke, Va., and a two-time Association for Linen Management manager of the year.
I had the opportunity to attend some ALM [Association for Linen Management] educational sessions. Really good stuff. Makes you realize that there are a lot of subject matter experts in our industry. Part of getting it done every day is not just knowing, but knowing those that know.
Although much of the show has slowed down, there are some booths still buzzing.
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts this week. Safe travels.
David Chadsey is managing director of Capital Equipment Consulting, a laundry design and consulting firm, and a member of the American Laundry News Panel of Experts.
Once again this year, the most exciting and controversial new technology on the Clean Show floor is a chemical system at the Proteus booth. The system uses salt and electricity to create the alkali and reducing agents used in laundry processing.
It is of no great surprise to me that the entrenched laundry chemical companies are talking the system down and actively looking for reasons why it will not work. The potential to generate your own wash chemicals and save the environmental impacts associated with trucking chemicals and their containers warms my environmentalist heart.
Eric Frederick is director of linen services for Carilion Laundry Service, Roanoke, Va., and a two-time Association for Linen Management manager of the year.
New textiles that can improve comfort and reduce cost are taking the show by storm, as is an array of new finishing and ironing systems. Wow! Great show so far.
Ken Tyler is the vice president of government operations for Georgia-based Encompass LLC. His Veterans Affairs laundry management is what he is primarily known for in the industry.
Where is the buzz at this year’s Clean Show? The most popular topic always is how sore are one’s feet and legs.
The next most popular topic with those I have talked with is the advancements made in instantaneous productivity measurement: the need to provide accurate and timely performance data to the laundry workers at their assigned workstation.
I have talked with several companies about this type of system, and I am impressed with the systems being developed. I can easily envision such a system becoming standard operating procedure in the next five years.
Eric Frederick is director of linen services for Carilion Laundry Service, Roanoke, Va., and a two-time Association for Linen Management manager of the year.
Hey, there is a show going on! A lot of new equipment.
The demise of Challenge Dryer has morphed into a collection of “It’s just like the Challenge” replicas.
HJ Weir and Electrolux have come out from behind the OEM veil.
And don't miss the new Washex. Or is that the old Washex? Be careful out there!
David Chadsey is managing director of Capital Equipment Consulting, a laundry design and consulting firm, and a member of the American Laundry News Panel of Experts.
The big thing that really stood out to me today is the difference between "equipment" and "companies." Better equipment is better, but at the end of the day, most laundries will be at the mercy of the companies they do business with. Even more than features, functions and benefits, it is so important to know who you are doing business with.
Wednesday is hump day. Soak your feet and press through.
David Chadsey is managing director of Capital Equipment Consulting, a laundry design and consulting firm, and a member of the American Laundry News Panel of Experts.
The activity on the show floor increased today. More people, more questions, a great show. I talked with a number of companies and they were extremely pleased with the show. I had to wait numerous times to be able to get my questions answered.
Many of the people attribute the activity at the show to a more optimistic laundry industry. Companies are looking for ways to prepare for the expected economic recovery. The feeling is that those who prepare now will be able to thrive when things improve.
Eric Frederick is director of linen services for Carilion Laundry Service, Roanoke, Va., and a two-time Association for Linen Management manager of the year.
Well, it is 2 p.m. on the opening day of the show and one piece of equipment has caught my attention. In the past, sheet pickers almost required that the linen come directly from the press to the picker in order to work properly. There is a new sheet picker on the market from Chicago Dryer Co. that should work equally well with cakes of linen and conditioned linen. This represents a tremendous move forward.
Eric Frederick is director of linen services for Carilion Laundry Service, Roanoke, Va., and a two-time Association for Linen Management manager of the year.
I have been involved in the laundry industry since 1984, with experience in chemicals, coin laundry, mid-size equipment distribution and large-production laundry applications.
I'll never forget my first Clean Show. Dallas. I think it was 1987. A late-season snowstorm brought the city to a crawl. Our group's taxi from the airport to the Loews Anatole spun out on the freeway and ended up pointing in the opposite direction. That’s the good thing about Vegas: The heat is a bear, but you know what you are in for.
Clean for me this year is about touching base with old friends and learning about new technologies. I will be working with a great group of clients evaluating production equipment options. I am excited and eager to see what is new.
David Chadsey is managing director of Capital Equipment Consulting, a laundry design and consulting firm, and a member of the American Laundry News Panel of Experts.
It is a very unique experience to walk the Clean Show during the last hours of installation. To watch the smiles from those whose booth plans have turned out better than expected and from those scrambling to make last-minute improvements to their plans. I feel the excitement in the air as the laundry industry prepares for another Clean Show.
Eric Frederick is director of linen services for Carilion Laundry Service, Roanoke, Va., and a two-time Association for Linen Management manager of the year.
