APRIL 2019
Late News Department of Labor releases overtime update proposal for comment WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime. Under currently enforced law, employees with a salary below $455 per week ($23,660 annually) must be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours per week. Workers making at least this salary level may be eligible for overtime based on their job duties. This salary level was set in 2004. The new proposal would update the salary threshold using current wage data, projected to Jan. 1, 2020. The result would boost the standard salary level from $455 to $679 per week (equivalent to $35,308 per year). Interested members of the public can submit comments about the proposed rule electronically at www.regulations.gov, in the rulemaking docket RIN 1235-AA20. Changes would not take effect until a final rule is published. ALN
CLEAN SHOW TRAVEL GUIDE:
Let the good times roll! What to do while visiting New Orleans NEW ORLEANS — The Clean Show— officially the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Dry Cleaning—returns to the Crescent City this summer for the sixth time in the show’s 42-year history. As this issue went to press, more than 400 companies from the laundry and drycleaning industry were registered to exhibit their products and services June 20-23 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. While there’ll be plenty to keep attendees busy on and around the show floor, the Big Easy offers a world of culture where convention visitors can laissez les bons temps rouler—let the good times roll. With thanks to NewOrleans.com, the official website for the city’s tourism industry, and Clean Show manager Riddle & Associates, we share just a bit about what See NOLA on Page 6
Cut usage, lower costs, keep the quality tion. American Laundry News spoke with three laundry industry managers to get their stories on how they cut usage and costs.
Laundry operators share how they increase efficiency, cut energy/utility usage, save money
BETTER PRICES, TRACKING USAGE, BETTER EFFICIENCY
BY MATT POE, EDITOR CHICAGO — Commercial laundry operations are always looking for ways to control costs while maintaining the quality of the goods processed. While labor is usually the largest cost center in a laundry plant, energy and utility usage can add up as well. Laundry operations today continually look for ways to cut energy/utility usage in the plant (and in the delivery fleet) while maintaining excellent service and results. Not only does cutting usage and increasing efficiency lower costs, it also lowers the environmental impact of a laundry operaVolume 45, Number 4
INSIDE Panel of Experts In this issue, the experts talk about the challenges of inventorying and securing textiles.
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Bourbon Street is where all of New Orleans goes to have fun. (Photo courtesy New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau/ Zack Smith)
Meeraj Mehta, manager of engineering for Prudential Overall Supply in Irvine, Calif., says his company’s energy/utility usage was anywhere from 30 to 50% higher five to 10 years ago compared to current, especially since oil and gas prices were high at that time. With lower prices and energy-saving measures, he estimates Prudential’s current energy/utility usage is approximately 2-5% of revenue. Securing a better price was one key to cutting costs. “Fixed price electrical and natu-
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Right Equipment, Chemistry Mix OddFellows Home provides good care and services for senior residents, including laundry.
ral gas contracts with our energy supplier,” says Mehta. In the plant, one way Prudential boosted efficiency was with tracking. “We use energy tracking meters and software to measure most of our energy cost,” he says. “If you can track and measure it, you can find ways to control and reduce it.” A practical way the company has achieved better efficiency in the plant is by the use of variable frequency drives (VFDs) on big electriSee ENERGY on Page 12
(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing) The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management
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Maintenance Mayhem Implementing a total productive maintenance (TPM) system for availability, efficiency.
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