Content about Bankruptcy

NAUGATUCK, Conn. — Goudkuil Laundry Machinery, Apeldoorn, Holland, has acquired the assets and business operations of Lavatec Inc., President Albert Goudkuil announced via press release. He says the acquisition brings the U.S. company out of bankruptcy.

“The group will continue doing business with the same name and out of the same facilities that Lavatec Inc. has operated from during the past 24 years,” says Goudkuil, who will serve as company president.

When asked to elaborate on the acquisition, Bruce Burmann, vice president of sales and marketing for Lavatec Inc., replied, “The purchase was for assets sold free and clear of debt without assumption of liabilities, approved by the bankruptcy court of New Haven, Conn.”

For clarification, it should be noted that the company is not related in any way to Lavatec Laundry Technology GmbH or its U.S. affiliate, Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc.

The Lavatec Inc. facility in Naugatuck includes more than 42,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 17,000 square feet of office space and parts storage, according to Goudkuil. More than $2 million in parts inventory is ready to be shipped overnight, he adds.

Key Lavatec employees that have sold and serviced Lavatec equipment and parts in the past will remain with the new Dutch employer.

Goudkuil Laundry Machinery—formed in 1910—is best known for rebuilding a broad range of used laundry equipment for worldwide distribution, but the company also offers new washer-extractors and dryers under the Goudkuil name.

“In the near future, we will be able to supply to the American market complete ironing lines and remanufactured tunnel systems of European quality,” Albert Goudkuil says.

Lavatec Inc. originally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2009.

AUSTIN, Texas —The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has sent payments totaling $259,391 for back wages owed to 46 former Washex Inc. employees, the agency reports.

Recovery of the money was the result of a TWC Labor Law Department investigation followed by administrative liens placed on the Wichita Falls-based company’s assets after it filed for bankruptcy in January 2010.

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Less than a year after Washex Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, assets of the former laundry equipment manufacturer will be sold at auction here next month.

Cincinnati Industrial Auctioneers (CIA) will conduct the Dec. 15-16 sale at the former Washex headquarters, 5000 Central Freeway, in Wichita Falls.

Items for sale on Dec. 15 will include new Washex and Lavatec machine inventory, repair parts, office furniture and equipment, according to the auction listing posted on CIA’s website.

SAN FRANCISCO — The court-appointed trustee for Lohrey Enterprises, doing business as West Coast Linen, reports that Angelica Textile Services has offered $4.1 million for the bankrupt commercial laundry company.

A Friday hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California, has been scheduled for approval of the sale.

BRENHAM, Texas — Texas officials have asked the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate whether the more than 70 employees who lost their jobs here this month at Navisa’s manufacturing plant are eligible for additional benefits.

The Houston-based hanger manufacturer shuttered the plant abruptly April 2. Employees returning to work that day found the factory doors locked and a sign blaming “foreign competition” for the closure.