DETMOLD, Germany — September 28, 2017 – Jowat SE is investing in the future of bonding by building a new and future-oriented innovation and application center at the company’s headquarters in Detmold. The new, striking House of Technology will serve as a meeting point and offer a tangible experience of bonding technology for customers and partners. It will feature showrooms, labs and training space, as well as state-of-the-art industrial equipment for tests and demonstrations.

Around 50 years after the first production plant was built in the Ernst- Hilker-Straße, numerous guests joined Jowat at the ceremonial groundbreaking on the site of the future center for innovation and application — a multifunctional House of Technology with a highly representative appearance.

In the front section of the building, a wide range of exhibits along with the related explanations will bring the technology of bonding closer to visitors. The “KlebBar”, a small bistro with access to a patio, will be another attractive meeting point. Furthermore, the ground floor will include many different laboratories on an area of 1,200 square meters (m2), such as a chemical-physical analytical lab with an adjacent lab for substrate and material testing. The upper floor will hold offices and meeting rooms.

An auditorium arranged over two floors with a total capacity of 200 places which can be divided into separate areas will provide space for all kind of events. In addition, the House of Technology will feature a 200 and a 500 m2 big machinery room with different modern industrial equipment from all application areas served by Jowat — flat lamination, edgebanding, profile wrapping, deep-drawing of automotive interior parts, textile material lamination, as well as packaging and bookbinding. The equipment will be used for external and internal testing and training, as well as for demonstrations. A sculptural staircase in the reception area leads to a gallery which provides a unique view from above of the various rooms for visitors.

Given the great significance of the wood and furniture industry for the Jowat Group due to the different Jowat adhesives which are used in a wide range of applications, the new building is based on a timber construction. Outside, on the surrounding walkway, wooden beams — symbolizing adhesive strings — connect the floor slab with the roof.

In late autumn 2018, after a projected construction period of only 12 to 14 months, around 45 employees from two departments of Jowat SE — the Technical Support and Service as well as the Jowat Analytical Service — will work from the new building. All construction and moving procedures are due to be finished at latest by 2019, when the enterprise will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Posted September 29, 2017

Source: Jowat SE

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — September 28, 2017 — Milliken & Company has recently launched a website designed specifically to highlight the advantages of its newly created Specialty Interiors business. Aimed at providing a streamlined approach for customers, the new site, www.millikenspecialtyinteriors.com provides an overview of the company’s full range of interior textile service and product offerings in the home, office, healthcare, hospitality and specialty event markets.

The result of customer and market input, the new website presents Milliken’s Specialty Interiors products and solutions in the manner customers would find them in the market. In addition to easy market navigation, the site allows users to view products by application, including seating (including furniture), vertical surfaces (including acoustic panels, systems/benching and screens), drapery (including window treatments, privacy curtains and theatrical and display products) and bedding (including top-of-bed and bed skirts). The site also includes technical specifications for major product categories to make product research and selection easier for users.

In addition to convenience and an easily navigable design, the site emphasizes Milliken’s commitment to market education and advancement. Through the video and download section, users will be given an opportunity to learn more about issues of importance to them, while the news and trends section will help keep users up to date on market dynamics and innovations.

“The purpose of this site is to help buyers learn more about Milliken and what we offer in the interiors space.” said LeAnne Flack, marketing manager, Milliken Specialty Interiors. “This site not only demonstrates our unique capabilities but also brings awareness to the Interiors markets.  We will continue to add to it over time.”

The Specialty Interiors business is a consolidation of several businesses within Milliken that occurred as part of the realignment of Milliken’s Textile division.  The Specialty Interiors business is capitalizing on the newly gained synergies to better serve the needs of its customers and sell in a more cohesive and market-driven manner, while achieving economies of scale and sharing best practices to drive continued growth and innovation.

“While Milliken is a globally recognized leader in many of the markets it serves, many of our customers were unaware of all the products we produce in the Interiors market,” said Jennifer Harmon, vice-president, Milliken Specialty Interiors. “Our history and expertise make us more than just a mill. We don’t simply make fabric; we produce solutions, and our new structure allows us to better showcase the breadth and depth of our expertise to meet the needs of our valued customers while reaching new targets.”

Posted September 28, 2017

Source: Milliken & Company

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — September 27, 2017 — AmeriPride Services’ Lubbock, Texas, laundry has again achieved Hygienically Clean (HC) Healthcare certification, reflecting their commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and their capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The 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.

The Memphis laundry was first certified in 2014. AmeriPride has other U.S. Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified facilities in Little Rock, Ark.; Phoenix; Watkinsville, Ga.; Topeka, Kan.; Bemidji, Minneapolis and Twin Falls, Minn.; Springfield, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; and Memphis, Tenn. The company’s Canadian Linen and Uniform Service facility in Lethbridge, Alberta, is also Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified.

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and zero 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 through testing and inspections that scrutinize quality control procedures in textile 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.

“Congratulations to AmeriPride on their certifications,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their ongoing commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry facilities take every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Posted September 27, 2017

Source: TRSA

ALEXANDRIA, Va.— September 26, 2017 — TRSA’s Novemberf 15-16 Healthcare Conference in Salt Lake City will reprise the Exchange between linen, uniform and facility services operators and TRSA member associate supplier partners. Introduced at the 2016 TRSA Annual Conference, the Exchange consists of scheduled one-on-one interactions that enable you to learn about products and services you are most interested in.

The Exchange facilitates constructive, focused problem-and-solution discussions. Instead of wandering through table-top displays, you coordinate private meetings: up to eight 15-minute sessions, each with a different associate. You share your pressing challenges and learn about associates’ latest product innovations and custom solutions. Participating in at least six such meetings generates a $500 rebate from the operator registration fee.

Comparing the 2016 Exchange to table-top exhibits, Noel Richardson, president, Shasta Linen Supply, Sacramento, Calif., commented, “I gained a lot more information and came away with some good ideas I could take back and think about,” perhaps increasing the likelihood that she would implement a new tactic or try a new product.

Exchange interactions, Richardson observed, make for “a better connection” between operators and associates than conversations at exhibits, establishing better boundaries for follow-up contacts. Rather than simply recounting that operators visited associates’ displays, subsequent discussions (in-person or by phone or internet) can continue exploring ideas shared at the Exchange.

Four 15-minute slots for Exchange meetings will start the agenda each day at the conference. On the first morning (Wednesday, Nov. 15), the Exchange precedes the keynote presentation by J.D. Kleinke, a medical economist, author and entrepreneur. He’ll forecast the impact on laundering from continuing upheaval in the U.S. health insurance market. Kleinke has authored several books, including Oxymorons: The Myth of a U.S. Healthcare System and Bleeding Edge: The Business of Health Care in the New Century.

Presentations and panel discussions continue all day Wednesday and early Thursday afternoon. Topics include:

• Data-Driven Linen Distribution
• Healthcare Textiles’ Sustainability Quantified
• Improving Lift, Positioner Safety
• International Healthcare Market Trends
• Securing Funds for Growth

A networking reception is set for late afternoon/early evening on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, the Exchange precedes a tour of the nearby NOVO Health Services surgical laundry facility. This 28,000-square-foot FDA-regulated Class II Medical Device facility processes 6,200 pounds per day, employing 60. Observation of the packroom (steam sterilization of reusable medical packs) is included.

Posted September 26, 2017

Source: TRSA