TORONTO — January 4, 2019 — CCL Industries Inc. announced today that it has acquired a direct-to-consumer online digital business for its Avery business.

Easy2Name Ltd. (“E2N”) is a privately owned company based near Newbury in the UK. Founded in 2000, E2N is a manufacturer of durable, personalized “kids’ labels” for the UK Market.

2018 sales amounted to approximately $2.0 million, with an estimated adjusted EBITDA of $0.6 million. The enterprise value, net of cash and debt, is approximately $2.5 million.

Geoffrey T. Martin, president and CEO of the company, commented, “This is the seventh bolt-on acquisition we have made since acquiring Avery in 2013 as we continue to build our rapidly growing portfolio of web-to-print technologies and brands using software and related supplies. The addition of E2N complements similar end-use propositions already present in our global portfolio of brands.”

Posted January 4, 2019

Source: CCL Industries Inc.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — January 3, 2019 — LG Electronics (LG) is showcasing its vision for total clothing care with the revolutionary Styler system at CES® 2019 as part of the “LG Ultimate Laundry Room” featuring advanced clothes washers and dryers. Headlining the portfolio of laundry offerings will be the new LG Styler Black Tinted Mirror Glass Door, a CES 2019 Innovation Award winner. LG will also demonstrate captivating large capacity concept models for the future complete with smart features and a Smart Mirror with AI service for an entirely new virtual fashion experience.

Launching in the U.S. this year, the premium LG Styler with Black Tinted Mirror Glass Door brings functionality and elegance to the home with a refined, modern design and the ability to keep clothes hygienically clean and looking their very best. The new tinted black-glass door exudes sophistication while the unit effortlessly and conveniently refreshing up to four garments – including a pair of pants in the door – simultaneously. The inclusion of Smart Diagnosis™ and SmartThinQ™ offers users the benefit of fast, accurate support and the ability to tap into the Google Assistant with only one’s voice.

At the core of Styler is LG TrueSteam™ technology, which eliminates over 99.9 percent of the germs and bacteria found in clothing and is certified as asthma and allergy friendly® by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). Clothes placed on the moving hangers shake out wrinkles and unpleasant odors while the Gentle Dry cycle removes moisture quickly and thoroughly. Heat Pump Drying reduces energy consumption by recycling heat from the hot, moist air inside Styler, and Pants Crease Care creates a crisp crease-line without an iron.

Visitors to CES 2019 will be able to experience the new Styler as part of the “LG Ultimate Laundry Room,” which also includes LG washers and dryers, among the most awarded in the industry for their superiority in performance, reliability and customer satisfaction.

Designed for bigger families, the large capacity Styler model will also be on display. This concept model is an expanded version of the Styler Black Tinted Mirror Glass Door that can accommodate five garments on moving hangers (including full-length coats) as well as a pair of pants in the door. In addition to the Styler of tomorrow, LG is giving the public a look at the bedroom of the future with its Smart Mirror with AI virtual tailored service. This LG ThinQ mirror can deliver a customized experience with intelligent fashion suggestions and virtual fittings, enabling customers to purchase clothes without having to try them on in a store.

“With a sleek design and highly effective performance, the elegant black LG Styler takes in-home clothing care to the next level,” said Song Dae-hyun, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. “We are enthusiastic about expanding Styler’s capabilities and appeal to new customers who are unaware that there is more to wardrobe management than washing with water and dry cleaning.”

Visitors to CES from January 8-11 are encouraged to stop by booth #11100 in the Las Vegas Convention Center to experience the full breadth of LG’s clothing care solutions.

Posted January 4, 2019

Source: LG Electronics USA

ALEXANDRIA, Va.— January 4, 2019 — Healthcare laundry and linen provider Hospital Central Services (HCSC) has earned the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification for its Baltimore plant, reflecting its commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and its capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected;
• Managers understand regulatory requirements;
• OSHA-compliant; and
• Physical plant operates effectively.

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained. Re-inspection occurs every two to three years.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.

HSCS has provided healthcare laundry and linen services Efor more than 40 years. “Congratulations to HCSC on their certification,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry takes every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Posted January 4, 2019

Source: TRSA

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — January 2, 2019— Crypton®, a provider of performance fabric technologies in the contract design and residential home furnishings markets, has announced that it is entering the European market. Crypton Europe will launch at the Heimtextil trade show in Frankfurt January 8-14, 2019, in Hall 4, Floor 2, Stand D74.

“We see expansion into Europe as a natural fit. One with tremendous potential as we embark on bringing Crypton to important emerging global markets,” said Lance Keziah, CEO of Crypton. “We have long been evaluating Europe as a growth platform and have spent considerable R&D efforts to provide best in class performance that meets the stringent European test requirements. We’re excited to enter the market and look forward to Heimtextil-Frankfurt.”

Crypton fabrics, for both the residential and contract markets, will be made in Europe and warehoused in Belgium. They will be affiliating with carefully selected fabric production facilities and brands for distribution of Crypton performance textiles throughout Europe.

Crypton introduces the European design community to an entirely new category that offers broad new possibilities. One of beautifully designed performance fabrics that resist spills, stains, and odors permanently while being people- and planet-friendly. And unlike anything else in Europe, Crypton fabrics are engineered with an integrated barrier that prevents liquid stains from penetrating to the cushion, resists flame spread, and maintains fabric flexibility. In addition, Crypton offers:

• 25 years of trusted performance in the US;
• Greenguard Gold certified to the most stringent indoor air quality standards; and
• Extends the life of furniture by 5-7 years longer than traditional fabrics, offering a tremendous reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption.

The expansion into Europe is spearheaded by Hardy Sullivan, executive vice president, who is overseeing this initiative and all of Crypton’s international operations. Sullivan is supported by Guy Parmentier, vice president of International Sales for Crypton. “There is great opportunity for our performance fabrics in Europe.,” says Sullivan.  “There’s nothing quite like Crypton, and it satisfies the growing demand in certain sectors; specifically, hospitality and healthcare, for a high performing textile that meets key Fire Rating (FR) standards for European upholstery.”

“We look forward to connecting with prospective European distributors, mills, and jobbers, as well as dialoguing with designers and specifiers,” said Parmentier. “To introducing them to freedom to use warm, inviting fabrics in areas where formerly their only options were to use a vinyl or very stiff fabric. Given how soft, textural and on-trend our textiles are, designers are astonished when they see Crypton’s amazing performance demonstrations and discover its strength and durability.”

Thanks to its many patented technologies and first-to-market innovations, the 25-year-old company is the most specified brand of indoor performance fabric for the hospitality, institutional and healthcare markets in the United States for over two decades. Crypton has demonstrated success across other categories as well, with millions of yards of its spill, stain and odor resistant fabrics installed in residential, transportation, retail and workplace designs throughout the United States as well as in homes, hotels, resorts, spas, restaurants, hospitals and elder care facilities. Crypton will be distributed primarily through contract and residential distributors serving the healthcare, hospitality, commercial and residential marketplaces.

Posted January 3, 2019

Source: The Crypton Companies