voice of the industry for 126 years | est. 1898
november / december 2026
2026 machinery showcase and
supplier/manufacturer spotlight double edition
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Mill-Rose brushes set the standard for quality and are trusted by more professionals. From surgeons using our medical brushes to machinists using industrial brushes, Mill-Rose brushes perform long after other brushes fail.
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We’ve been making brushes since 1919. Millions of them. That’s over a century of brush manufacturing experience!
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Mill-Rose makes brushes in every size, shape and material imaginable. From miniature brushes as small as 0.014” in diameter to 48” diameter brushes for industrial applications.
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If we don’t have a stock brush for you, we’ll design your brush and make it from any material the job calls for. We look at brushes differently, analyzing them from every perspective to insure optimum performance. From miniature brushes as small as 0.014” in Competitive Prices diameter to large, wire wheel brushes that perform long after other brushes Mill-Rose prices typically meet or beat cheaper-quality fail. Mill-Rose has set the standard for quality, performance, and innovation brushes, but our mission is to always deliver the bestin brush technology for the past 100 years. quality brushes. Period. We’re the largest U.S. manufacturer of twisted-wire brushes. Mill-Rose designs, engineers and manufactures standard and custom brushes in any quantity. Choose from thousands of standard and not-so-standard sizes and shapes. Call or visit MillRose.com.
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from the PUBLISHER
Issue #26-06
Inspiration Through Connection Some of our industry's most useful ideas begin with a conversation. A manufacturer explains a production challenge. A supplier offers a different perspective. Someone asks a question that leads to a better product, a more efficient process or a new working relationship. That spirit runs through this issue of Brushware, bringing together our annual Machinery Showcase, Supplier/Manufacturer Spotlight and coverage of the 66th FEIBP Congress in Lyon, France. The Congress theme, “Understand. Adapt. Innovate,” provides a fitting starting point. Across the presentations, working groups and informal conversations, delegates explored challenges that reach well beyond any single company: changing raw material markets, rising costs, evolving regulations and the continuing need to improve products and production. The Innovation Award entries offered tangible examples of how companies are responding. From a new approach to recycling and machinery designed to reduce idle time to brushes that improve comfort, control and access, the proposals demonstrated the range of possibilities within our industry. Congratulations to Zahn Pinsel, whose ORBEX flexible brush for miniature painting earned this year’s top honor.
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We are pleased to bring you this Congress coverage through our collaboration with Brush Expert. My thanks to Alice Castle of BrushExpert.com, who wrote the feature and accompanying reports and Josie Wadd for photography. Their coverage captures both the substance of the program and the connections that make these gatherings valuable.
2 | www.brushwaremag.com
Brushware Magazine Goodwin World Media LLC P.O. Box 7093 Overland Park, KS 66207 Tel: 913-636-7231
------------
GENERAL MANAGER Susan Goodwin info.brushware@goodwinworldmedia.com
PUBLISHER Dylan Goodwin dylan.goodwin@goodwinworldmedia.com
MAGAZINE EDITOR
Check out Brushware on LinkedIn: Our Fastest Growing Social Channel
Our Machinery Showcase and Supplier/Manufacturer Spotlight edition continues that work in these pages. The equipment, capabilities and full company profiles provide a closer look at leading businesses serving the industry and the expertise available to help readers address their own challenges. As you explore this issue, I encourage you to look for an idea worth pursuing or a company worth getting to know better. Perhaps it is a different approach to a familiar production problem, a potential supplier or an improvement that could make a meaningful difference for your customers. The next step forward may begin with that connection. dylan.goodwin@goodwinworldmedia.com
PUBLICATION OFFICE
Gwyneth Bowen Welsh
For me, this collaboration reflects something worth encouraging throughout the brush industry: sharing knowledge, bringing different perspectives together and helping good ideas reach a wider audience. Through our respective platforms, we have opportunities to inform readers, recognize achievement and inspire the next conversation.
Dylan Goodwin | Publisher
Brushware is a bi-monthly publication edited for key personnel in the brush, roller, broom, mop and applicator industry. Published continuously through the years, the one publication that provides a voice and community for the brush and allied industries: 1898-1923, called Brooms, Brushes & Handles; 19241947, called Brooms, Brushes & Mops, 1948-today, called Brushware.
ART DIRECTOR Elizabeth Goodwin
CORRESPONDENTS Bob Lawrence Phillip M. Perry Katharina Goldbeck-Hörz Mark E. Battersby Lisa Anderson Marion Keller
-----------Brushware Magazine (ISSN 00072710) is published bi-monthly by Goodwin World Media LLC, P.O. Box 7093, Overland Park, KS 66207 USA. Printed in the USA. Subscription: $95/year for US, Canada and Mexico. All other countries $210/year. POSTMASTER – Send address changes to Brushware Magazine, P.O. Box 7093, Overland Park, KS 66207. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be addressed to: Brushware Magazine, P.O. Box 7093, Overland Park, KS 66207.
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November / December 2026
voice of the industry for 128 years | est. 1898
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE Page 20
Features
Departments
12 | Turning AI into Results By Lisa Anderson
02 | From the Publisher
16 | 66th FEIBP: Understand. Adapt. Innovate.
07 | Industry Events
21 | 2026 FEIBP Congress Innovation Award 22 | FEIBP Congress Raw Material Market Report 27 | 2026 Machinery Showcase 54 | 2026 Manufacturer/Supplier Spotlight
06 | Industry News 72 | Advertiser Index PHOTO CREDITS COVER: istockphoto/Liuhsihsiang. ABOVE: istockphoto/amphotora.
www.brushwaremag.com | 5
Industry News
The Pulse ZAHORANSKY Plans Adjustments at German Sites
ZAHORANSKY AG is planning further measures to futureproof the ZAHORANSKY Group at its German sites. The family-owned technology company based in the Black Forest, whose business areas include machinery, mold and plant engineering for the brush industry as well as medical technology, is considering reducing its workforce by up to 120 positions at its Todtnau and Freiburg sites. With this step, the company is responding to persistently challenging market conditions and aims to adapt its cost structure to the current economic environment. This is intended to safeguard the long-term competitiveness and future viability of its German sites. The specific implementation of the planned measures will be developed jointly with the works councils. The aim is to implement the necessary adjustments in the most socially responsible manner possible. Persistently challenging market environment in mechanical and plant engineering The decision is driven by continued weak order intake at the German sites, which is expected to be significantly below the previous year’s level this year. Although the company has already undergone restructuring in recent years, it sees itself compelled to make further adjustments due to increasingly challenging market conditions. Key factors placing pressure on the business include restrained customer investment, delays in project decisions, increasing international competitive pressure, geopolitical uncertainties and comparatively high operating costs in Germany. Statement from the Executive Board: “The persistently challenging national and international environment makes further structural adjustments within the Group necessary,” explain Dr. Heinrich Sielemann and Ric Nachtmann, members of the Executive Board of ZAHORANSKY AG. “As a company deeply rooted in the region, this is not an easy decision for us. It is therefore all the more important to us to maintain a trusting and constructive dialogue with the works council in order to implement the planned measures in the most socially responsible manner possible. With this realignment, we are creating the conditions to position ZAHORANSKY competitively for the long term and to sustainably secure the future of our sites.” The company currently employs 695 people worldwide, including 324 in Todtnau and 143 in Freiburg. Learn more about ZAHORANSKY at www. zahoransky.com.
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Mill-Rose’s John Kirkland Honored with AIM/R’s 2026 Golden Eagle Award John Kirkland, National Sales Manager of The Mill-Rose Company’s Clean-Fit Products division, was recently honored by the Association of Independent Manufacturers’/Representatives (AIMR) with the 2026 Golden Eagle Award during the association’s 54th Annual Conference, held Sept. 14-17 in Napa, Calif. AIMR is a trade association dedicated to enhancing the quality and value of independent sales representative agencies serving the plumbing, HVACR, kitchen & bath, waterworks, and irrigation markets. Each year, AIM/R members nominate a manufacturing leader who exemplifies the values of partnering with independent manufacturers’ representatives to take products to market. Nominees are recognized for building strong relationships with their representatives, communicating effectively, backing their representatives operationally, and actively supporting the industry through AIM/R and other forums, hallmarks of prior honorees as well. “I am truly honored to be the recipient of the Golden Eagle award,” he said. “I sincerely thank everyone who made this recognition possible. I am grateful for the support, encouragement, and opportunities I have received from my family, friends, colleagues, and mentors. I share this recognition with everyone who has been a part of my journey.” Kirkland points first to Mill-Rose President Greg Miller for the trust to run the company’s rep network on his own terms. “Never once has he questioned me while only offering his support,” Kirkland said. “Being an independent manufacturer’s representative early in my career allowed me to see things through a different set of glasses, seeing the return on time as the essential piece in developing the all-important foundation. Time with no return just doesn’t work, you lose your external team instantly. Training is only valuable if we can turn it into dollars. Teaching how to sell versus product training is not the same. Independent manufacturer’s reps sell what they know and are confident to talk about.” Kirkland calls being a teacher and mentor to his reps his proudest accomplishment, one he says is built at the ground level. “It’s all accomplished at the micro level,” he said. “In the field, working in one-on-one environments allows you to win their hearts and minds. Relationships are built one by one, face to face.” Asked for a favorite rep story, Kirkland said he has too many to count. “There is nothing I enjoy more than being in the field with our representatives,” he said. “Yes, closing a sale is a given. Talking about the many friendships is the most rewarding.” For a recent example, he pointed to the 2026 Southern Wholesalers Association convention, where meetings with the company’s reps blended business and family. “Business and family can be combined while accomplishing our business goals,” Kirkland said. “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the families of our representatives and distributor partners. Thank you SWA for being different.” On what it takes to build a strong rep-manufacturer relationship, Kirkland points to communication and commitment. “Once the honeymoon is over, year one, is the communication and excitement still there? When is the last time you spoke to your primary point of contact for each of your lines? In this case, more is better,” he said. “Communication, 99 percent of the time, is about addressing a need in growing market share. That’s the best type of communication. Communication is how you
build relationships.” He ties commitment to product knowledge, competition, and a passion to win, adding, “Success feeds future success.” As one of his closest representatives told him, “You make it easy for us to sell your products and we will deliver the results.” Looking ahead, Kirkland sees the role of representatives growing even as the layers of factory sales professionals shrink. “I travel with agencies when I need to; it’s that easy,” he said. “Working with an agency that delivers without my direct involvement is a waste of my time and our resources. It’s all about trust and treating our representatives like a Mill-Rose family member. Agencies that are brand builders will be winners. Products sold on the merits of price will be controlled by a factory employee.” Kirkland credits AIM/R with connecting Mill-Rose to professionally run sales organizations rather than individual sellers. “Top to bottom, the agencies understand the business and work for the betterment of all parties,” he said. He singled out the CPMR certification (Certified Professional Manufacturer’s Representative) as a mark of that professionalism. “CPMR teaches a salesperson how to run a business, including legal, ethical, human resources and mentoring. They are built for today and tomorrow. If the business dies when I leave, I have only been a seller.” For manufacturers not currently using reps, Kirkland’s advice is straightforward. “Paid by commission, they win, we win. Its performance driven,” he said. “Synergies gained from non-competing lines provide an immediate opening to similar account profiles. It provides a rich knowledge of the market, where to sell, and overall, a lower cost to the manufacturer. If growing market share is the goal, the answer is easy: IMR.” Reflecting on what the award means beyond this year, Kirkland said, “I hope that it serves as a reminder that each of us has the opportunity, and the obligation, to leave our industry stronger than we found it. The true measure of our careers will not be the awards on the shelf, but the people who succeed because we took time to provide mentoring.”
Industry Events November 6-8, 2026
DIY CON | Dallas, Texas www.diycon.com
November 17-19, 2026
ISSA Show North America | Las Vegas, Nevada www.issashow.com
2027
January 29-February 1, 2027
Creativeworld | Frankfurt, Germany www.creativeworld.messefrankfurt.com January 29-February 2, 2027
Ambiente | Frankfurt, Germany www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com March 9-10, 2027
NHS: Concept to Commerce | Las Vegas www.nhsconcepttocommerce.com March 9-11, 2027
The Inspired Home Show | Chicago, Illinois www.theinspiredhomeshow.com March 18-21, 2027
Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna | Bologna, Italy www.cosmoprof.com March 23-26, 2027
ABMA Annual Convention | Scottsdale, Arizona www.abma.org/convention/ April 21-23, 2027
ISA27 | Indianapolis, Indiana www.isapartners.org
Kirkland has more than 25 years of executive sales leadership and has served as National Sales Manager of Clean-Fit Products since joining The Mill-Rose Company in July 2016. Kirkland began his career in 1995 as President of Kirkland Sales, Inc., his own independent manufacturer’s representative agency serving wholesale distributor partners in Western Pennsylvania. The AIM/R board of directors and membership have a set of requirements that any Golden Eagle candidate must meet before consideration for the award, which includes:
May 5-6, 2027
• An individual in senior management of a manufacturing firm that utilizes manufacturers’ reps and has a proven track record in support of manufacturers’ reps being the most efficient, cost-effective method of going to market. • Works cooperatively to develop and maintain a positive working relationship with manufacturers’ representatives. • Promotes the industry and has a positive influence on the industry by providing quality products and quality assurance. • Provides for efficient communication of information to their manufacturers’ reps and assures they are kept up to date on the industry and the manufacturer’s product lines. • Facilitates the rep’s job through prompt filling of orders, prompt payment of commissions, by providing backup support in the event of a problem, and works closely with reps to assure customer satisfaction. • Utilizes manufacturers’ representatives, supports AIM/R, and participates in panels and industry events when invited.
www.paintshow.co.uk
Learn more about The Mill-Rose Company’s Clean-Fit Products division at www.cleanfit.com.
International Hardware Fair Italy | Milan, Bergamo www.hardwarefair-italy.com May 17-19, 2027
Creativation by NAMTA 2027 | Grand Rapids, Michigan www.namta.org/creativation-by-namta June 22-24, 2027
National Painting and Decorating Show | Birmingham, UK October 6-9, 2027
67th FEIBP Annual Congress | Marrakesh, Morocco www.eurobrush.com
2028
March 7-10, 2028
EISENWARENMESSE 2028 | Cologne, Germany www.eisenwarenmesse.com March 21-24, 2028
ABMA Annual Convention | Bonita Springs, Florida www.abma.org/convention/ April 4-7, 2028
Interclean Amsterdam | Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.intercleanshow.com/amsterdam May 16-18, 2028
World Brush Expo | Ghent, Belgium www.worldbrushexpo.com
www.brushwaremag.com | 7
Industry News
The Pulse IHA Names Tom McMahon Chairman, Elects Three New Board Members
Three industry leaders have been elected to join the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) Board of Directors, and three continuing Board members have been appointed to officer positions. The annual election and appointments took place yesterday at IHA’s fall Board meeting and will take effect at the beginning of IHA’s 2026-2027 fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2026. The new Board members, elected to three-year terms, are Will Augenbraun, chief strategy officer at Scrub Daddy; Eric Endres, president of Select Brands; and Linda Levine, president of The Godinger Group. Current directors appointed to one-year officer terms are Tom McMahon, president of JURA Inc., as chairman; Sal Gabbay, CEO of Gibson Homewares, as vice chairman/chairman-elect; and Bill McHenry, founder and CEO of Widgeteer, as treasurer.
Nexstep Commercial Products Announces New Representation Nexstep Commercial Products is proud to announce that Advanced Fuller Sales of Minneapolis, MN will now be representing us in the MN, IA, ND, SD Markets. They have merged with Keystone Marketing Group who previously represented Nexstep Commercial Products in the territory. Advance Fuller Sales is a manufacturers’ representative agency representing leading manufacturers in the Jan/San and foodservice industries. Their organization has over 100 years of combined experience helping manufacturers and distributors grow their business through consistent market coverage and strong distributor relationships. Regarding the transition, President Romack Franklin states, “We’re excited to partner with Nexstep and represent a company with a strong reputation in the Jan/San industry. Their product line is a great fit with the markets and distributor partners we already serve. We see a lot of opportunity to grow the Nexstep business throughout our territory by combining their products with our relationships, market knowledge, and focus on getting in front of customers.” Nexstep Vice President of Sales, Erin E. Busch, states, “We are excited to partner with Advanced Fuller Sales and to continue providing our dedicated customers with knowledgeable and helpful sales representatives in their area. We look forward to growing our business together and providing our customers with the high level of service they can expect from Nexstep.”
Spencer Promoted to Director at Nexstep Nexstep Commercial Products is pleased to announce that, effective immediately, Beth Spencer has been promoted to Director of Customer Service at the company’s corporate office. Spencer most recently served as Customer Service Administrator and has also held positions in Accounts Receivable and Human Resources. Her broad experience across the organization gives her a strong foundation for leading customer service initiatives and supporting Nexstep’s continued commitment to its customers. Spencer grew up in Cass City, Michigan, and attended Western Governors University, where she studied Business Management. She currently resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, gardening, photography and baking. While she does not watch much television, she makes an exception each summer when Shark Week returns! “Beth has been an excellent member of Nexstep for many years. Her dedication and commitment have been of great value to our company. We look forward to seeing her grow in her new role where she will have more management and customer -facing responsibilities,” said Erin E. Busch, Vice President of Sales & Marketing.
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Copyright 2024 Celanese or its affiliates. Celanese®, registered C-ball design and all other trademarks identified herein with ®, TM, SM, unless otherwise noted, are trademarks of Celanese or its affiliates.
Industry News
The Pulse Bill Toto Appointed Plastics Technology Sales Manager at Boucherie USA
Hardlines Supplier Event to Debut in Las Vegas in 2027
Boucherie USA is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Toto as Plastics Technology Sales Manager, leading commercial growth initiatives and customer partnerships across the medical, consumer, personal care and industrial plastics markets. As part of a planned leadership transition, Bill will assume responsibility for injection mold tooling activities currently managed by John Williams, who will retire at the end of this year after more than two decades of dedicated service to Boucherie USA and its customers. John will continue working closely with Bill to ensure a smooth handoff and uninterrupted support for customers. Bill brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across the medical device, consumer, automotive and manufacturing sectors. Throughout his career, he has successfully driven growth and innovation by leading engineering, maintenance, operations and global supply chain organizations ranging from startup facilities to complex multi-site manufacturing operations. A seasoned commercial and technical leader, Bill has extensive expertise in injection molding, extrusion, automation, assembly, tooling and process development. His background includes serving as a Technical Account Manager and engineering leader, where he built strong customer relationships while delivering manufacturing solutions that improved quality, productivity and profitability. He is also highly experienced in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies, with specialized training in Master Molder certification programs, SolidWorks and Moldflow analysis. In his new role, Bill will help customers leverage Boucherie’s advanced high-precision, multi-cavity, multi-component, injection mold solutions to achieve their production and business objectives. “We are excited to welcome Bill to the Boucherie USA team,” said Bart Boucherie Jr., President of GB Boucherie NV. “His combination of technical knowledge, industry experience and customer-focused leadership will strengthen our ability to support customers throughout North America while continuing the strong relationships built by John Williams.” “I am honored to join Boucherie USA and excited to work closely with our customers,” said Bill Toto. “Boucherie has earned a reputation for engineering excellence and long-term partnerships. I am looking forward to working together with BUSA President Frank Kigyos to help customers identify opportunities, solve challenges and achieve their goals through innovative tooling solutions.” For more information, please contact: Bill Toto, Plastics Technology Sales Manager, Boucherie USA, Inc. at +1 (386) 717-9324 or bill.toto@ boucherie.com. For more information about Boucherie, visit www.boucheriemolds.com.
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Trade shows help buyers find products and the Hardlines Supplier Event (HSE) was built to help them find their next supplier. HSE launches with the goal to help retailers, distributors, wholesalers and brands discover new suppliers faster and build stronger sourcing relationships. Taking place March 9-10, 2027, in Las Vegas, HSE is where the hardlines industry – including tools, hardware, home improvement, lawn & garden, outdoor living, storage, plumbing, electrical, sporting and recreational goods, housewares, automotive and more – comes to find what’s next. The two-day experience brings together retailers, brands, distributors, wholesalers and private label leaders with qualified suppliers from around the world, making it easier to uncover new sourcing opportunities, strengthen supply chains, accelerate product development and build the partnerships needed to stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. What sets HSE apart is its sourcing-first approach, combining targeted matchmaking, personalized recommendations and data-driven introductions to help attendees make meaningful connections faster, for better business outcomes. The result is a more efficient, targeted and productive sourcing experience. HSE provides a growth platform for manufacturers, OEM/ODM partners, private-label suppliers and other capability-driven organizations looking to secure new retail, distribution, wholesale and consumer-brand business across North America. By connecting suppliers directly with buyers seeking new capabilities, the event helps accelerate partnership development and commercial opportunities. HSE helps retailers and brands build stronger supplier networks by connecting them with qualified manufacturing partners, enabling them to evaluate capabilities, uncover new sourcing opportunities and diversify their supply chains. By supporting stronger private label programs and reducing sourcing risk, HSE helps businesses stay agile and competitive in a changing market. Through curated matchmaking and personalized recommendations, HSE accelerates supplier discovery and helps attendees quickly identify partners aligned with their business needs. Buyers can evaluate and connect with
suppliers based on critical factors such as capabilities, certifications, production capacity, MOQ flexibility, sourcing regions and scalability, making sourcing faster, smarter and more strategic. For suppliers and exhibitors, HSE provides direct access to buyers actively seeking new sourcing partners. By showcasing their capabilities to a highly qualified audience, participants can increase visibility, build meaningful business relationships and expand their pipeline of long-term growth opportunities.
Program Highlights Supplier Review: The expanded Supplier Review program serves as the foundation of the HSE experience. Qualified buyers share their sourcing priorities, categories of interest and business requirements in advance, while suppliers submit detailed capability profiles. HSE then facilitates targeted introductions and recommended meetings, allowing buyers to spend less time searching and more time evaluating potential partners. The result is a more productive sourcing experience and higher-quality business opportunities for both attendees and exhibitors. HSE Executive Circle: Designed for senior retail and consumer brand sourcing leaders, the HSE Executive Circle is HSE’s invitation-only executive buyer program. “The Executive Circle represents a new approach to buyer engagement at HSE. We’re moving beyond the traditional VIP model to create a program centered on purposeful introductions, supplier discovery and measurable sourcing outcomes. Our goal is simple: help buyers spend less time searching and more time building the supplier relationships that will drive their business forward,” said Hector Morfin, Event Director. Members receive: • Personalized agenda planning • Concierge-level support • Executive networking opportunities • Curated supplier introductions • Dedicated meeting experiences Qualified participants may also be eligible for hosted travel benefits tied to active engagement in curated meetings and networking activities. Learn more at www.hardlinessupplierevent.com.
BRUSHWARE DIGEST Stay up to date with the world leader for brush industry news and get notifications for each issue of Brushware magazine digital issues.
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Supply Chain
Turning AI into Results in Manufacturing By Lisa Anderson AI is dominating conversations in manufacturing and supply chain, yet companies are struggling to turn this technology into bottom-line results. According to Redwood Logistics' 2026 AI Readiness Report, only 13 percent of transportation organizations deploying AI are generating quantifiable results. Data quality and availability are the largest obstacles, followed by integration across ERP, transportation and planning systems. The answer isn't to create an AI team and turn the problem over to them. Instead, manufacturers should apply common sense. Start with the business outcomes you want to achieve, work backward to the decisions required to get there and take tangible steps forward.
Identify where capacity and material constraints could interfere with customer requirements. These processes provide the foundation for SIOP, bringing sales, operations, supply chain and finance together to align demand with supply and make decisions that support business and financial objectives.
Start with Your Data, But Don't Wait for Perfection
Move from Reactive to Predictive
AI depends on data, but your data doesn't have to be perfect to get started. In fact, we find that our most successful clients move forward long before their data is 100 percent accurate. They make reasonable assumptions, validate them with the people closest to the business and refine the data as they progress. For example, a building products manufacturer wanted to leverage AI and advanced analytics to stay ahead of changing customer needs, especially with a key retail segment experiencing erratic demand. The company also wanted to determine what to produce, whether to reallocate production among facilities to optimize service and costs and whether milk runs to distribution centers could reduce inventory and shorten lead times. Unfortunately, missing data and incorrect coding made it difficult to make sense of the information. Instead of embarking on an extensive data-cleaning project, we stepped back and simplified the demand planning process. The cross-functional team reviewed demand from both key-customer and historical perspectives as part of the SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning) process. We used data analytics to fill gaps, developed reasonable assumptions and calculated safety stocks. This information then fed the company's master production scheduling (MPS) and distribution requirements planning (DRP) processes. The results were significant: service levels increased from below 50 percent to the low 90 percent range, lead times improved, freight costs decreased as standard lanes to distribution sites were established and the company increased revenue and profitability. The lesson? Don't let imperfect data stop progress. Use the knowledge of your team along with analytics and AI to get the data directionally correct and continually improve it.
Strengthen the Planning Foundation Data alone doesn't produce results. Manufacturers need the planning processes to turn information into action. Develop a meaningful demand plan and translate demand into manufacturing, labor, equipment, supplier, transportation and inventory requirements.
12 | www.brushwaremag.com
Once the foundation is in place, AI becomes far more valuable. Instead of simply reporting what happened, predictive analytics and AI can help determine what is likely to happen next. For example, when the building products manufacturer's key retail customer significantly increased demand for one product line during peak season in the Northeast, SIOP and predictive analytics caught the trend early. Production could ramp up at its Canadian operation, triggering replenishment of key materials from the company's primary manufacturing facility. Transportation could then be planned proactively and production schedules adjusted before customer service was affected. This is where AI-enabled SIOP becomes powerful. Leaders can identify changing conditions earlier, evaluate scenarios, and understand likely impacts on revenue, service, inventory, capacity and profitability before making decisions.
Keep Common Sense at the Center AI shouldn't replace the expertise of the people who understand your customers, products and operations. It should enable them to make better decisions faster. The manufacturers that generate meaningful returns from AI won't necessarily have the largest AI teams or the most sophisticated technology. They will connect people, processes, data and technology around the decisions that matter.Start with common sense. Build the foundation. Then use AI to predict changing conditions, evaluate alternatives and accelerate better decisions. That's how AI moves from an interesting technology to a practical tool for improving customer value, profitable growth and competitive advantage. Lisa Anderson is the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation that maximizes the customer experience and enables profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth. She recently released “SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning): Creating Predictable Revenue and EBITDA Growth,” an e-book on how to better navigate supply chain chaos and ensure profitable, scalable business growth. A complimentary download can be found at www.lma-consultinggroup.com/siop-book/.
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Pictured Left to Right: Bob Arnold, Rob Wilson, Josh Cole, Carlos Petzold and Matt Tompkins
Celebrating 50 Years of Broom & Brush Manufacturing Technology
bodam@bodam.com Phone: +1 (410) 272-9797
USAparts@borghiusa.com USATec@borghiusa.com Phone: +1 (410) 272-9797
The History of Bodam International Ltd. and Borghi USA
2001 1976
Carlos Petzold demonstrates a Dal Maschio broom stitcher producing plastic‑stitched brooms in Cadereyta, Mexico. Petzold summer vacations were so much fun!
1999
Carlos Petzold hires Matt Tompkins to lead spare parts sales and technical support, beginning the growth of a dedicated service infrastructure for Borghi machinery customers in North America.
Land is purchased for a new headquarters designed to support the growing operations of Borghi USA and Bodam International.
2002 2000 1986
Carlos Petzold establishes Bodam International LTD. to strengthen the brand recognition of Borghi brush manufacturing machinery in North America. Location: Parkton, Maryland.
A separate company is incorporated to focus on spare parts distribution and technical support. Borghi USA is formally established.
Borghi USA opens its headquarters in Aberdeen, Maryland, creating a centralized hub for machinery support, spare parts inventory, and customer service.
2026
Bodam International Ltd., led by Carlos Petzold, continues to represent Borghi S.p.A. of Italy for machinery sales in the USA and Canada. Borghi USA provides spare parts and technical support for Borghi machinery under the leadership of Matt Tompkins.
66th FEIBP CONGRESS LYON, FRANCE | SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2026
Understand. Adapt. Innovate. By Alice Castle, Brush Expert Ltd | Photos by Brush Expert Ltd
When the brush industry descended upon Lyon for the 66th FEIBP Congress, the French city became home for a few days to a familiar mix of manufacturers, suppliers, old friends and new faces from across Europe and beyond, brought together to share ideas, discuss industry developments and make those all-important connections that are at the heart of the annual gathering.
Sitting at the meeting point of the Rhône and Saône rivers, Lyon is famous for its history, architecture and, perhaps above all, its food. But while the city provided the backdrop, there was plenty happening inside the Congress too, with three days of presentations, discussions, workshops and the sort of conversations that are every bit as important as the official programme. This year’s theme was Understand. Adapt. Innovate. Three simple words that proved surprisingly good at tying together a programme covering everything from climate change, raw materials and regulation to new products, new technology, industry communication and plans for World Brush Expo 2028.
Opening Session FEIBP President, Simon Lorrillière of Brosserie Brenet, opened proceedings by welcoming delegates and reflecting on the value of occasionally stepping away from the normal working environment. Time away from desks, emails and everyday pressures provides an opportunity to think differently, meet others and look at businesses, products and challenges from a different perspective. Climate change was chosen as one of the central subjects of the Congress, not because it is the Walking tour industry’s only challenge, but because its effects can reach into so many areas, from energy, raw materials and transport to production and markets. Delegates were encouraged to keep an open mind throughout the three days. The answer to an existing problem, or even the beginnings of a future innovation, might just emerge from one of the discussions taking place in Lyon. A refillable, sustainably designed toothbrush from French company Apimani, kindly included in delegates’ welcome bags, provided a suitably industry-specific reminder. At least twice a day, while brushing their teeth, delegates could think about innovation!
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66th FEIBP Congress attendees
ABMA’s Taylor Kervin, Maria Pogliani of Pogliani Srl, Lisa Lindstrom of Zephyr Mfg. and Amy Oberhaus, ABMA
66th FEIBP Congress Gala Dinner
Lisa Boucherie, Kris Geldof of GB Boucheri NV with Yves Schlappi of Ebnat AG
Andreas Ehmann on the Zahoransky stand
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66th FEIBP CONGRESS LYON, FRANCE | SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2026
FEIBP and ABMA: Strengthening Industry Relationships The close relationship between FEIBP and the American Brush Manufacturers Association (ABMA) was reinforced by the attendance of ABMA President RJ Lindstrom of Zephyr Mfg. RJ looked back briefly at the 2026 ABMA Convention before introducing the 2027 event in Scottsdale, Arizona, from March 23-26, with special attendance rates available to FEIBP members. He also updated delegates on the revised ANSI B165.1 standard. Past FEIBP President Alessandro Acquaderni of SIT Brush highlighted the “hidden return on investment” of international events: the valuable relationships and friendships formed beyond the formal program.
FEIBP Announces New Vice-President The newly introduced Vice-President, Caroline Schroth of Rothlaender, spoke about her background in the industry and her hopes for the coming years as World Brush Expo approaches. Her vision centred on building a European community around creation, new ideas, local sustainable materials and a stronger collective voice for the industry in Europe and internationally. FEIBP President Simon Lorrilliere with ABMA President R.J. Lindstrom
Brush Forum The second full day began with the Brush Forum, an informal exhibition bringing together suppliers, machinery manufacturers and Innovation Award nominees. With products and new developments on display, delegates could speak directly with participating companies and continue discussions from the previous day.
FEIBP Update Representing the FEIBP Secretariat, Feriel Saouli of SEC Newgate Group reported that the Federation is now formally Alain le Coq of Zahoransky with Yve Fayolle of Brosserie Rey incorporated in Belgium and the handover from the previous Secretariat is complete. With membership and sponsorship important to its long-term strength, members were encouraged to help recruit through their own industry networks. Two new members were announced: Cottam Brush (UK) and returning Spanish member Barbosa y Hijos.
World Brush Expo 2028, Ghent Klaus Van Cauwenberghe of i-ONE shared the latest plans for World Brush Expo 2028, taking place from May 16-18 in Ghent, Belgium. With cooperation continuing between World Brush Expo, FEIBP and ABMA, the event is targeting a 20,000 m² exhibition area in one hall at Flanders Expo. The venue is around 1.5 km from the city center with a direct tram connection, while airport shuttle services are also planned. An exhibitor-focused website will launch shortly.
Working Group Reports
Representatives from the different working groups updated the audience with reports from the meetings that took place the previous day.
Paintbrush Urte Rietdorf of Friedrich Platt reported that the group discussed its role in representing the sector with a common voice, alongside key challenges including rising energy costs, sustainability and climate change. Members shared examples of using renewable energy and reusing materials to reduce costs and environmental impact, while also considering the balance between regulation and action taken by individual companies. Concern was raised that excessive regulation can add further cost and administrative burden.
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Lorenzo Ghidini of Borghi S.r.l.
Karl Van Cauwenberghe of World Brush Expo
Workshop discussions on sequence of which cause affects what consequence
Matteo Niccolai and Francesca Mancini of Fass S.p.a.
Miguel Almeida, Reinhold Hoerz and Eberhard Hoerz of DKSH
Mike Stoddard with Carlo, Alessandro and Andrea Acquaderni of S.I.T.
www.brushwaremag.com | 19
66th FEIBP CONGRESS LYON, FRANCE | SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2026
Personal Care Peter Langenegger of Ebnat AG reported a strong turnout of around 20 participants, with discussion bringing together interdental manufacturers and machinery suppliers to explore production requirements and possible technical solutions. The group also considered new EU rules governing environmental claims and the need for companies to ensure sustainability claims are accurate and compliant.
PHB Simon Lorrillière of Brosserie Brenet reported that the PHB Charter is being updated to ensure alignment with current regulations, with approval planned for the group’s next meeting in Paris in May. The group also intends to increase its visibility through regular posts highlighting its members and activities.
Technical Brushes
FEIBP Congress 2027: Marrakesh, Morocco From 6–9 October 2027, the FEIBP Congress will head to Marrakesh, marking its first Congress outside Europe and reflecting the association’s new EMEA direction. Based at the five-star Kenzi Rose Garden, the programme will include a gala dinner at Jad Mahal together with opportunities to explore the city and surrounding area.
Teambuilding: A Taste of Lyon Wine is an important part of French culture, so a teambuilding event hosted by Chai Saint Olive, a winemaking cellar in the heart of Lyon, provided a suitably local addition to the Congress programme. During a relaxed tasting session, delegates learned more about the winemaking process and how factors including grape variety, soil and methods of fermentation and ageing can influence the character of the finished wine. It was an enjoyable opportunity to discover a little more about French wine and, of course, put some of that newfound knowledge to the test.
Les Bateaux Lyonnais The day ended on the water, as delegates and partners boarded a Bateaux Lyonnais boat for an evening cruise along the Rhône and Saône. With dinner served on board, the cruise offered a chance to relax after a busy day and see Lyon from a different perspective, passing through the city as its buildings and landmarks lit up for the evening.
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Jürgen Lessmann and Thomas Holland-Letz reported on discussions covering the economic outlook, import duties on brush wire and the possible inclusion of stainless-steel wire in ongoing measures, with members encouraged to raise awareness of the potential impact on European brush manufacturers. Roth Composite Machinery also provided an update on its software developments, while the group plans to contribute more content to FEIBP’s website and LinkedIn presence. After many years as Chairman of the Technical Brushes Working Group, Jürgen Lessmann stepped down from the role, with Paolo Acquaderni of SIT elected as his successor.
Communication and PR Vice President Caroline Schroth outlined plans for a new FEIBP communication and PR strategy aimed at strengthening the collective voice and visibility of the European brush industry. With the number of FEIBP companies active on LinkedIn rising from 49 to 68, members were encouraged to contribute and share content, connect with one another and, above all, get engaged and be visible.
Gala Evening The final evening brought delegates and guests to Caroline Schroth of Rothlaender with Lyon’s Musée des Confluences for the Congress Matthias Peveling of Wöhler Brush Tech Gala Dinner, held among the exhibits in the museum’s Origins gallery. Dinosaurs, meteorites and the story of our origins provided an unusual backdrop that tied neatly into the Congress theme of understanding the past to better prepare for the future. Following dinner, the Innovation Award winners were announced, with Zahn Pinsel’s ORBEX brush taking the top prize. Music and dancing brought the 66th FEIBP Congress to a lively close.
FEIBP Innovation Award Presentations 2026 Innovation was once again firmly in the spotlight, with five companies shortlisted for the FEIBP’s 16th Innovation Award, each presenting a new development from the past year. Lessmann GmbH, Germany Knotted Cup Brush with Reduced Imbalance Jürgen and Johannes Lessmann presented a redesigned knotted cup brush developed to substantially reduce imbalance and, consequently, hand-arm vibration during use. Following around two years of development, tests showed vibration levels at approximately one-third of those of competitor products included in the comparison, offering potential benefits for operator comfort and workplace safety. A German utility model has been granted, with a patent application pending.
Roth Composite Machinery, Germany Flying Cabinet Gernot Müller presented Roth Composite Machinery’s new carousel machine, designed to bridge the gap between universal machines and conventional carousel systems.
Zahn Pinsel, Germany (Winner) ORBEX Flexible Brush for Miniature Painting
Its innovative “flying cabinet” rotates with the carousel, allowing signals from modern sensors and components to be transferred without the need for a return or back-turning operation. The carousel can therefore move continuously in one direction, reducing idle time and improving production efficiency. The patented machine is available in semi-automated and fully automated versions.
Daniel Zahn presented ORBEX, a modular brush developed initially for miniature painters needing to reach difficult areas underneath and behind intricate models.
SIT, Italy SPID Hand Brush: A 60-Year Journey of Ongoing Innovation
Mounted on a ball joint, the interchangeable brush head can be positioned at different working angles and locked securely in place, allowing the brush to adapt to the task rather than forcing the user’s hand to adapt. Different brush sizes and shapes can be fitted to the reusable, 3D-printed handle, with potential applications already identified beyond miniature painting, including technical and aircraft-industry uses.
“How many products remain relevant for more than 60 years?” asked Alessandro Acquaderni as he introduced SIT’s iconic SPID hand brush, first launched in 1966. Rather than changing its familiar shape and proven construction, SIT concentrated on improving the point of contact between hand and brush. More than 20 parameters were assessed to develop a new grip using a specially selected rubber compound, improving comfort while retaining the brush’s established characteristics. As Acquaderni explained: “We didn’t reinvent SPID. We proved a true icon can still evolve after sixty years.”
Ebnat AG, Switzerland Closed-loop Recycling Updates the Inspire Range Peter Langenegger presented Ebnat’s redesigned Inspire range, developed around a closed recycling circuit established with a Swiss partner. Postconsumer plastic waste collected in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is recycled into granulate and returned to production. The range itself has also been simplified, reducing the number of components while introducing a more minimalist, modern design. The innovation lies not in reinventing the broom, but in rethinking the materials and manufacturing process behind it.
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66th FEIBP CONGRESS LYON, FRANCE | SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2026
FEIBP Congress 2026
Raw Materials Market Report Fine Hair Mark Samuel of Mark Samuel Trading shared his assessment of the past 12 months, describing 2026 as relatively calm in terms of pricing. However, this stability could be seen less as good news and more as evidence of a stagnant market. Synthetic filaments now dominate much of artist/ cosmetic brush production, and prices increased considerably during the year while many finehair prices fell. Reporting on individual items: • Ox ear hair — Supplies remain sufficient, with prices unchanged for the past ten years. • Pony and goat hair — Prices remain stable, but demand has fallen sharply and fresh specialist material can be difficult to source. • Badger hair — Prices have softened slightly amid weaker demand and limited high-grade material, with some lower-quality hair being blended into supplies. • Squirrel hair — Prices are generally falling, although fresh supply remains limited and some varieties are increasingly scarce. • Weasel and sable hair — Demand remains below previous years and prices are still high, although further small reductions have been seen.
Vegetable Fibers Dr. Urte Rietdorf of Friedrich Platt GmbH provided her annual overview of the vegetable fibre market, attributing price increases in part due to the same reasons affecting other markets. Individually, the fibres are performing as follows: Mark Samuel
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• Tampico — Supply remains limited due to labour shortages and the continuing effects of drought, although most drought-related quality issues have now been resolved. Prices continue to rise as raw material and labour costs increase. • Bahia Piassava — Availability is coming under increasing pressure from labour shortages, plantation closures and farmers moving to less labour-intensive crops. Quality remains stable, while lower production and rising costs continue to push prices upwards. • Sherbro — Production and availability remain very low due to limited raw material supply and reduced harvests. Quality remains stable and prices are still relatively low compared with other fibres, with only moderate increases expected. • Palmyra — Supply and quality remain relatively stable, although premium grades can be harder to source. Prices are also broadly stable, with moderate increases expected as raw material, labour, processing and transport costs rise. • Coconut fibre — Availability can fluctuate according to harvests, weather and production capacity, with demand for coconut husk chips creating additional competition for raw material. Prices rose by nearly 40 percent in 2025–2026, with continued upward pressure expected. • Arenga — Supply is generally reliable and quality remains high following improvements in processing and quality control. Prices are rising, including an increase of around 5 percent in the Indonesian domestic market, with strong international demand expected to maintain pressure.
The growing demand for vegetable fibres partly linked to volatility/ dependency affecting synthetics. Despite pressures, quality across the main fibre types is described as good.
China Natural Bristle Market Reinhold Hoerz and Miguel Almeida of DKSH reported that tighter environmental and tax requirements are continuing to reshape China’s natural bristle market. Stricter environmental regulations are affecting traditional hog-hair soaking and washing processes, requiring processors to adopt greener technologies while maintaining product quality. At the same time, tighter tax compliance means bristle factories must obtain VAT invoices when purchasing raw materials, increasing costs and placing additional pressure on cash flow. Demand for natural horsetail hair is also increasing, driven particularly by China’s expanding premium bedding market, with premium black qualities seeing strong demand and continued competition for raw material. Looking specifically at natural bristle, black qualities in 51–64 mm and 102 mm+ lengths remain supply constrained, while white qualities are generally stable. Hoerz and Almeida stressed the importance of careful planning and close cooperation throughout the supply chain as regulation, rising costs and growing demand continue to influence the market.
Steel Holger Kruse of Künne Group reported that while European steel demand showed a modest recovery in 2025, EU production fell to a record low and imports increased significantly, accounting for around 30 percent of EU steel consumption. Looking ahead, new EU trade and environmental measures are expected to have an increasing influence on availability, sourcing and prices. From July 2026, new steel import regulations introduce lower tariff-free quotas across 30 product categories, with a 50 percent duty applying once quotas are exhausted. Additional ‘melt and pour’ traceability requirements will also apply from October.
Holger Kruse
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), meanwhile, entered its definitive phase in January 2026, introducing carbonrelated costs for selected imported products, including iron and steel. Together, carbon costs, tighter import quotas and increased traceability requirements are expected to make European sourcing increasingly relevant and play a greater role in determining steel availability and pricing.
More Than A Team
WE DELIVER RAPID SERVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST!
USAParts@borghiusa.com USATec@borghiusa.com
www.brushwaremag.com | 23
66th FEIBP CONGRESS LYON, FRANCE | SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2026
Synthetic Filaments
Wood
Andrew McIlroy of Perlon reported another challenging year for synthetic filament raw materials, with renewed volatility in oil, fuel and feedstock costs following a period of relative stability.
Nicolas Loewert of Loewert Group provided an overview of wood raw material prices, reporting a generally stable market across the main species used by the brush industry.
During 2026, key chemical feedstocks used in polymer production recorded increases of between 40 percent and 60 percent. While polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene prices rose sharply earlier in the year before falling back as demand weakened, nylon and polyester materials remained at higher levels. Despite the fluctuations, no significant material shortages were reported at the time of the Congress, with manufacturers adjusting production to reflect weaker demand. However, further price increases were anticipated during the final quarter of the year. Looking longer term, McIlroy noted that the industry still has limited non-oil-based alternatives capable of meeting the required combination of price, quality and volume, leaving polymer markets closely tied to developments in oil, energy and global supply and demand. Andrew McIlroy
European pine prices have remained broadly stable over the past 12 months, while European beech is also stable, although at a relatively high level. South American pine and Asian rubberwood raw material prices remain largely unchanged, but higher ocean freight costs have increased the Nicolas Loewert cost of importing both into Europe, particularly rubberwood. Eucalyptus has seen a slight increase, partly due to competition from the pulp and other industrial sectors. Looking ahead, freight costs and exchange-rate movements are expected to remain important factors for imported wood. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will also place greater emphasis on traceability and due diligence, potentially adding costs and affecting the availability of compliant material. Diversified sourcing was therefore highlighted as increasingly important for controlling costs and securing supply.
Innovative Brush Machinery. Engineered for What’s Next. At EBSER, we don’t just build machines — we build solutions. Whether you produce household brushes, technical brushes, or specialized applications, our team develops compact, high-performance equipment engineered around your specific production needs. From concept to commissioning, we work side-by-side with you to transform ideas into reliable, future-ready machinery.
See the Machines
Precision. Innovation. Partnership. www.ebser.de | +49 7671 992308-0
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Synthetic filaments brought to you by DKSH Switzerland Ltd. US Distributor: Brush Fibers Arcola Please contact us for further information, specifications and offers: Reinhold Hoerz Senior Sales Manager, Brush Industry Phone +41 44 386 7901 Mobile +41 79 785 4657 reinhold.hoerz@dksh.com www.dksh.ch/brush
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2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE Bizzotto Giovanni Automation SRL.......... 28 Bodam International LTD........................ 30 Borghi USA............................................ 31 Borghi SpA............................................. 32 Ebser..................................................... 38
Edward Jackson Engineer Limited.......... 40 Leistner Drills........................................ 42 MGG North America, Inc........................ 44 Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH....................... 46 ZAHORANSKY......................................... 50
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www.brushwaremag.com | 27
AUTOMATION S.r.l.
Via M. Buonarroti, 67 35010 PAVIOLA DI SAN GIORGIO IN BOSCO (PD) - ITALY Tel: +39 049 9451067 Fax: +39 049 9451068 Contact: Marco Bizzotto, General Manager
Handle Machinery Sector:
Sanders, chucking machinery (i.e. doming, tapering, tenoning, threading, end boring, cross boring, etc.), painting machinery (lacquering), labeling systems and packing machinery for the production of wooden handles; Complete machinery lines for the production of metal handles, starting from the flat steel or aluminum band coil and including painting lines, machines for assembling various plastic inserts (hanger tips, thread inserts, mop inserts, tapered inserts, etc.), boring, deforming and cutting equipment, as well as labeling systems and machines for packaging with the use of different systems even robotized.
Woodworking Machinery Sector:
Profiling and shaping machines, boring and tapping machines, sanders for the production of broom and brush blocks, paintbrush handles and similar items.
Industrial Automation Sector:
Customized machinery for the preparation, positioning and assembly of particular products and accessories for the cleaning industry (mops, floor scrubbers, detergent dispensers, velvet lint brushes and adhesive lint brushes for clothes cleaning, etc.), oral hygiene industry (toothbrushes, accessories, etc.), automotive industry and kitchen appliance industry.
Company Philosophy:
Your Automation, Our Mission
Understanding customers specific needs and providing state-of-the-art solutions.
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Bodam International Ltd. 903 Cirelli Court Aberdeen, MD 21001 USA Tel. +1-410-272-9797 E-mail: cp@bodam.com Contact: Carlos Petzold
BODAM, Delivering Advanced Machinery to the Broom, Brush and Mop Industry! Bodam has been providing manufacturing solutions to the Broom, Brush & Mop Industry for 40 years. Founded by Carlos Petzold in 1986, Bodam represents the very best machinery and technology suppliers, representing them for the following countries: USA, Canada, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand.
by Borghi. Also produced by Borghi, they offer metal handle manufacturing machinery such as tube mills, assemblers, telescopic handle production machines, and many specialty assembly machines as well as custom automation equipment. For more information, visit: www.borghi.com
Key Products:
Sima monofilament extrusion lines and strapping band extrusion lines: All equipment and know-how to produce broom and brush monofilament made of a variety of polymers, such as: PET, PP, PS, PBT, SAN. Also available are extrusion lines and manufacturing systems for concrete reinforcement fibers. For more information, visit: www.sima-ds.com
Borghi s.p.a., broom, brush and mop manufacturing equipment: Staple-set brush, Anchor-set brush, Twistedin-wire brush, Strip Brush and Mop manufacturing MACHINERY to produce almost any kind of broom or brush imaginable. Also injection molds for producing your own plastic parts (one component or two component injection). For more information, visit: www.borghi.com Borghi s.p.a also manufactures equipment and Metal Handle production machinery and more: Twisted-Knot Brush, Segment Brush, End Brush and many other Power Brush manufacturing and testing machines, wire bundling and wire crimping technology, all now made
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Carnevali Dino trimming units: Motorized clipper heads, monofilament hank cutters, steel wire hank cutters, rotary mill trimmer heads and many types of trimming devices for the Brush Industry. Carnevali Dino is especially known for their cutting heads for abrasive monofilaments (grit hanks or grit brushes). For more information, visit: www.carnevalidino.com
Borghi USA, Inc. 903 Cirelli Court Aberdeen, MD 21001 USA Tel. +1-410-272-9797 Spare Parts E-mail: USAparts@borghiusa.com Technical Support E-mail: USAtec@borghiusa.com Website: www.borghiusa.com Borghi USA provides technical support and spare parts support for Borghi machinery in the USA, Canada and Caribbean. With over 20,000 spare parts in stock in Aberdeen, Maryland – USA, Borghi USA is able to provide prompt and reliable service. Borghi USA supports their customers by being able to provide in-house training as well as on-site technical support and repairs when required, or help with moving Borghi machinery.
Also, Borghi USA has a huge stock of carbide drill bits (spoon bits, single-point/2 flute bits, spur-point bits) ready for immediate shipment and available in a large variety of sizes. With very competitive prices and a significant inventory, Borghi USA is able to help their customers reduce costs with quality drill bits for all brands of drilling/filling machines.
Borghi USA - More than just a service company! www.brushwaremag.com | 31
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Borghi’s Technological Innovation Borghi’s unwavering commitment to innovation keeps pace with the market’s evolving demands, driving the company to develop new machinery and refine existing equipment alike. The result is a steady flow of technological progress designed around what customers actually need. Whether the job is brooms or dishwashing brushes, mops or cylinder brushes, crimped-wire and twisted-knot power brushes or complete handle assembly lines, and whether production runs in small batches or at large scale, Borghi covers the entire spectrum of brush manufacturing requirements.
Figure 1 STARGATE - where products are finished on rotary trimming machine
Household Brushes Recognizing the varied needs of different companies — from high output demands to budget constraints — Borghi prioritizes offering a tailored approach to customers. Two things matter most: having the right solution for each need, and helping customers find the machine that best suits them. For those requiring frequent production changes, single headers such as the STAR V1 or the enhanced SPRINT PLUS are ideal, minimizing changeover times. The SPRINT PLUS suits both beginners, who can start manufacturing brushes with a limited investment, and experts producing specialty brushes in small series, thanks to its 5 axes of movement and optional double clamping system. Vertical tufting machines like the STAR V2 strike a balance between productivity and ease of use, covering products from banisters to cloth brushes, tank brushes
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Figure 2 STAR R32 24 - designed for the production of push brooms up to 610 mm long (24’’)
to Indian toilet double-hockey brushes. The most versatile solution among them is STARGATE, Borghi’s fully automatic vertical machine for brushes and brooms, with an automatic feeder that transfers virgin blocks to the vertical drilling and filling station and, at the end of the cycle, to a rotary trimming machine for the finished product. Thanks to its 5 axes, STARGATE can also run without feeder and trimmer to produce flat, rounded, toilet or dishwashing brushes just like a STAR V2.
Figure 3 MOON
Figure 4 U TWIST for twisted-in-wire brushes
For larger volumes and dedicated production, Borghi’s carousel platform includes the STAR R32 24, purposebuilt for push-broom production up to 610mm (24″) in length, in radial, parallel or combined radial/parallel tufted styles. Its 3-station carousel runs drilling, filling and loading/off-loading simultaneously across 2 drills and 2 filling tools, reaching speeds of up to 1200 tufts per minute; standard block loading is manual, with a fully automatic version available that adds automatic block loading, trimming, flagging and beating stations.
Personal Care Brushes Borghi extends its expertise to personal care brush manufacturing, offering technology and automation for hairbrushes, mascara brushes and nail polish brushes.
At the top of the automation ladder sits the MOON, Borghi’s fully versatile, multi-product automated machine: 5-axis CNC control with continuous drilling and filling for zero index time, thanks to independent-motion carriages arranged in a circle. The MOON is fully configurable — from manual block loading to a magazine feeder or a fully automated vision-guided “waterfall” loading system — and can add adhesive labelling, pad printing or laser marking, letting each customer scale automation to their own goals. Rounding out the household range, Borghi offers STANDALONE TRIMMING & FINISHING MACHINES for flat, curved and round brushes, along with a complete line of TWISTING MACHINES for twisted-in-wire brushes — from the fully automatic U TWIST, now available with systems to feed both cotton and steel wire, through the semi-automatic 2 TWIST, W TWIST and C TWIST models, down to the manual M TWIST.
Figure 5&6 STAR R31 set up for hairbrush production up to 900 rpm
The STAR R31, set up for hairbrush production, runs at 900 RPM, while OBERON — the latest technology for twisted-in-wire brushes used in cosmetic, dental and medical applications — produces up to 100 brushes per minute. www.brushwaremag.com | 33
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Figure 7 ARCHIMEDE 280mm stroke suitable for street cleaning products with long fiber up to 700mm
Technical & Industrial Brushes In technical and industrial brushes, Borghi’s GEMINI features e-STROKE technology for enhanced productivity and flexibility, with an optional integrated bridge for tufted strip brushes; its SPECIAL version adds advantages for flat brush trimming and tufted strip brushes. The ARCHIMEDE also incorporates e-STROKE technology for the same productivity and flexibility gains. For continuous production of tufted strip brushes, the INFINITY range produces vertical or fixed inclined tufts up to 15 rows wide and infinite length, for strip brushes or lag brushes.
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Power Brushes Completing its industrial and technical offering, Borghi manufactures a dedicated Power Brushes range for crimped-wire and twisted-knot brushes used in metalworking, surface finishing, deburring and cleaning applications — cup, wheel, end and conical configurations included. The WAVE family covers crimped-wire production at every automation level, from the entry-level WAVE EB to the fully automated WAVE M – AUTOFEED, with the WAVE A supporting cup, wheel, end and conical designs and the WAVE MS/MSA adding segment-forming technology for multi-segment brushes. On the twisted-knot side, the KNOT range spans the semi-automated KNOT M EASY START — with CNC-controlled knotting for uniform tension — through to the industrial-grade KNOT F, with the KNOT A handling stainless steel, brass-coated wire and synthetic filaments in a single, precisionengineered platform. The range is completed by TUFT, a high-speed multi-axis tufting system for consistent bristle density at reduced cycle times, TRIM PTHD for precision trimming and segment forming, and the WIRE HC, WIRE MW and WIRE SB wire-handling machines for high-capacity, multimaterial wire processing.
Figure 9 KNOT EB fully automatic machine for the production of twisted knot end brushes Figure 8 TUFT fully automatic machine to produce brushes with flat wire
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2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Mop Production Borghi offers the OCTOPUS PACK, a fully automatic machine for assembling and packing mops made of cotton, non-woven or synthetic (spun-lace) material. The OCTOPUS STITCH produces 7-8 mops per minute,
COATED METAL HANDLE PRODUCTION LINE, the scalable HANDLE ASSEMBLY MACHINES H2 – H3 – H4, the EM HANDLE ASSEMBLY MACHINE and the HANDLE ASSEMBLY MACHINE HTC. Together, these machines let household brush and broom manufacturers pair Borghi’s tufting and filling technology with automated handle production, closing the loop between component and finished product on a single supplier’s line.
Figure 10 OCTOPUS STITCH for the production of narrow-band mop
chain-stitching the head band and, where required, incorporating a label with company logo and barcode or QR code. Its bands are fused and stitched via a sonic welder, allowing continuous production and welded band ends maximize strength — with leftover flaps clamped out of sight.
Handle Lines New to Borghi’s showcase this year is its Handle Lines range, extending the company’s reach from bristle and fiber processing into complete handle assembly for household brooms, mops and brushes. The lineup includes the SWIVEL CAP ASSEMBLY MACHINE for cap assembly, a dedicated PLASTIC-
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Looking Ahead Borghi remains an active voice in the brush and broom community, engaging with industry associations such as ABMA, Assospazzole and the European Brushware Federation FEIBP and meeting the market on the show floor, including World Brush Expo 2024. With ISO 9001 certification held since 1999 and subsidiaries across Spain, Poland, the United States, Brazil, China and India, Borghi provides the best machine solutions for the broom and brush industry, backed by a high-level service approach. Flexibility and versatility, combined with quality and reliability, have been at customers’ disposal for over 75 years. To learn more about Borghi, please visit www.borghi.com.
Figure 11 various broom handles produced by Borghi handle lines
BORGHI.COM
Search for a Product, found a Solution. Welcome. Welcome to More than 75 years of trusted, reliable, and success driven collaboration with you. Providing a Flexible, Innovated and Friendly approach to build a partnership with our customers to exceed mutual expectations and goals. Welcome to Borghi.
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Ebser Maschinenbau GmbH Schonauer Str. 34 79674 Todtnau Germany Phone: +49 7671 992308-0 Website: www.ebser.de Email: info@ebser.de Contact: Thomas Schmidt
Ebser Maschinenbau GmbH: Special Machines for the Brush Industry Ebser Maschinenbau GmbH is a leading provider of high-precision trimming and cleaning machines for the brush industry. The portfolio includes innovative solutions for processing bristle materials and the precise trimming of brushes and brooms—covering both standard applications and customized customer requirements.
Trimming Machines: Technology for Perfect Results Ebser’s trimming machines stand out with three cutting technologies: • Rotating roller blades: For uniform and clean cuts in high-volume production. • Rotating milling cutters: Ideal for demanding applications requiring high precision. • Notched blades: Optimized for special materials or individual cutting geometries. The machines are available as manual or fully automated options, offering maximum flexibility to meet diverse production needs.
TM-T1
BS
Applications: From Standard to Custom Solutions • Standard brushes: For household, industrial, and specialty applications. • Roller brushes: Up to 3 meters in length for largescale or industrial use. • Abrasive materials: Special trimming units for hard or abrasive bristle materials. Through customized solutions and in-house design/manufacturing, Ebser precisely adapts its machines to customer needs—for all materials and brush shapes. Ebser Maschinenbau GmbH: Precision. Innovation. Quality
TMC
KFM Milling Machine for Brush Bodies The KFM milling machine is a specialized CNC solution designed for the automated and precise production of brush bodies. By combining a magazine system, automatic feed unit, and CNC-controlled milling station, it sets new benchmarks in efficiency and quality. Advantages for production: • Increased productivity through reduced manual steps
KFM
• High precision thanks to servo-controlled axes and CNC technology ZM-150T
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• Flexibility for quick adaptation to various brush models • Sustainability through efficient material and energy use
Key Features: • Automated process control (foil management, workflow monitoring) KFM
• Adjustable positions for engraving stamps and labeling units • Maximum brush length: up to 600 mm
Applications: • Production of brush bodies of all types, technical brushes, and custom designs • Contour milling for complex profiles and designs The KFM milling machine is an innovative solution for modern brush production—efficient, precise, and future-proof.
PEZ Stamping and Labeling System: Automated Marking for Brush Bodies The PEZ Stamping and Labeling System by Ebser is a flexible automation solution for brush production. As a standalone machine or body feeder for drilling and tufting machines, it precisely and efficiently marks brush bodies made of wood or plastic—straight or curved— with stamping foils, labels, or inscriptions.
PEZ240
• Optional laser station for additional markings • User-friendly EBSER software for easy programming Perfect for seamless integration into existing production lines—delivering higher productivity, quality, and flexibility.
BHCM Paint Machine: Efficient Coloring of Hairbrush Tips The BHCM Paint Machine sets benchmarks in precise and reproducible color finishing of hairbrush tips—specifically designed for round and semi-round brushes with one pin. BHCM Thanks to endlessly rotating clamping stations and an optional vacuum clamping system (for rubber pads), exact positioning of the filaments is ensured. The integrated 3-axis CNC control with a 10-inch multi-touch display enables intuitive operation and guarantees high repeat accuracy. With a compact footprint of 600×600 mm, the machine is ideal for space-saving production environments in the hair-brush manufacturing industry. Learn more at www.ebser.de www.brushwaremag.com | 39
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Edward Jackson Engineer Limited Unit 12-13 Turing Park Potash Lane Hethel Norwich NR14 8QR United Kingdom Phone: +44 1953 60 67 63 Website: www.edwardjacksonltd.com Email: sales@edwardjacksonltd.com
Company Profile/Philosophy Since 1978, Edward Jackson (Engineer) Ltd has been supplying high-performance winding and finishing machinery to paint roller manufacturers all around the world. Over that time the business has stayed focused on one thing: building machinery that manufacturers can rely on, year after year. Our machines are built to be efficient, straightforward to operate, and to keep running with minimal disruption to production. A machine that needs constant attention or frequent downtime for servicing costs a manufacturer far more over its lifetime than the machine itself. We design against that from the start.
We are a small team, and everyone here is involved in the design and build of the machines we sell - there is no separation between the people who support the machines and the people who put them together on the shop floor. When a customer calls, they’re speaking to someone who genuinely knows the machine in question.
Key Machines We build systems to suit both medium and high volume producers. For manufacturers running shorter batches across a wide product range, who need to switch between specifications quickly without losing time to setup, we have our highly versatile R3 finisher. Depending on the recipe, the R3 can comfortably process around 500–1,200 sleeves per hour in any combination of lengths. For manufacturers running sustained, high-volume production, our HSF4 high-speed finisher can process more than 4,200 nine-inch roller sleeves (or 5,400 seven-inch sleeves, or various combinations of lengths as required) per hour, with exceptional repeatability and a consistent, quality finish. It is a true production workhorse that helps manufacturers achieve higher output with less complexity and reduced labour. Either of these platforms, paired with our Helix-series thermo-bonder winding machines, allows producers to build a complete winding and finishing line matched precisely to their output requirements, rather than settling for a one-size-fits-all setup.
Machine Updates
HSF cuttting stations
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In 2024 we introduced the HSF4 - an evolution of our long-standing flagship - engineered to keep production lines running longer, with faster product changeovers and less downtime. While significant mechanical updates have been made, the most impactful change has been the complete overhaul of the control system. A new touch-screen
R3 finishing
These improvements have made the HSF4 more reliable, simpler to maintain, and faster to run than the machine it replaced, while asking less of the operator to get there. We’re committed to supporting our customers in getting the best out of their machines, so we’ve worked to make several of the new upgrade features retrofittable to older HSF models. We recently upgraded the mechanical indexer of a 35-year-old HSF to the new design, adding greater efficiency, precision, and modern safety features while extending the machine’s operational life.
Future Plans Helix winding machine
HMI gives operators clearer, more direct control over the machine, and better visibility into what it’s actually doing, including motor loads, cycle times, and other real-time feedback. In the event of unexpected stoppages, fault conditions are now quicker and easier to recover from with the aid of on-screen diagnostics. We’ve also improved connectivity, so machines can be monitored and supported more easily, including remotely when needed.
As we approach our 50th year, we continue to improve and expand our range. We are actively developing new mini roller winding and finishing machines, with early functional prototypes of a novel winding design already being tested, and aiming to bring these products to market as soon as possible. Additionally we are working on ancillary products to complement our existing machines, while also keeping our existing product line up to date. We’d be glad to hear from anyone looking at new or replacement machinery, or wanting to know more about what we do. www.brushwaremag.com | 41
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Leistner Werkzeug GmbH Auerbacher Straße 15 Stützengrün/Erzg. Germany Phone: +49-(0)37462-288 150 Fax: +49-(0)37462-288 159 Website: www.leistner-gmbh.de Email: info@leistner-gmbh.de Contact: Joerg Pauls
Your specialist for precision tools
MANUFACTURING
Leistner currently produces several different userspecific tool programs for the metal, wood, plastic and especially for the brush industry and exports milling and drilling tools to many countries around the world such as Egypt, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Canada, Colombia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Austria, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Tanzania, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary, USA and Cyprus.
Production of special cutting tools made of tungsten carbide or HSS for the metal, wood and plastics. industries.
ENGINEERING
CNC GRINDING CENTER Regrinding of all common cutting tools made of carbide and HSS cutting tools for the metal, wood and plastics industries. MILLING AND TURNING WORK Production of individual parts and small series according to customer specifications.
Development and optimization of application-specific cutting tools.
LEISTNER DRILLS FOR THE BRUSH INDUSTRY. MADE OF
TUNGSTEN OR HSS. FOR USE ON HIGH PERFORMANCE CNC MACHINES Leistner Werkzeug GmbH Auerbacher Str. 15 D-08328 Stuetzengruen/Germany www.leistner-gmbh.de info@leistner-gmbh.de Ph: +49-(0)37462-288 150 Fx: +49-(0)37462-288 159 Proud Member of
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mapjul08.indd 1
6/9/08 11:01:21 AM
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2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
MGG S.r.l Via Martiri delle Foibe, 5/A Z.I. Prealpi Trevigiane 31015 Conegliano (TV) ITALY Tel: +39 0438 200180 info@mgggroup.it www.mgggroup.it Contacts: Veronica Marcon Service Director for assistance, spare parts and consumables Service@mgggroup.it; +39 3296322116 Stefano Paggin Technical Sales Consultant for machines new projects Stefano.paggin@mgggroup.it; +39 349 2376859 Gianfranco Marcon, CEO
Key Products & Services: MGG designs and manufactures machinery and integrated lines for the production of paintbrushes and paint rollers, following the project from technical definition to construction, from testing to commissioning and after-sales support.
Paintbrushes Machinery Sector: MGG designs and manufactures individual machines and complete automated production lines for flat brushes, round brushes, and paint rollers. The know-how gained in almost forty years’ experience covers the entire process: raw material feeding, assembly, vulcanizing, nailing, cleaning, trimming, printing, packaging, and automated material handling.
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Each project is tailored to the customer’s needs and can incorporate automation, robotics, and vision systems. Training, support, and maintenance accompany the system throughout its lifecycle. Upon request, MGG also supplies consumables for production.
Future plans: MGG continues to invest in innovation, with the goal of supporting customers in increasingly advanced and reliable projects. We aim to further strengthen our role as a trusted partner, helping customers develop tailor-made technologies that anticipate market needs providing solutions not yet available on the market.
Company Philosophy: MGG designs the technology that makes art possible: reliable, efficient, customizable. Engineering and creativity. Automation and listening. Performance and care. Different balances, within a single vision of excellence.
New products: MGG has engineered and produced a new machine specifically tailored to meet the needs of the U.S. market for its most iconic paintbrush product: the angular brush. This innovation represents a significant step forward for the industry, combining advanced automation with the craftsmanship, precision and quality that define a handmade brush.
SINGLE EQUIPMENTS OR FULLY AUTOMATED LINES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FLAT/ROUND PAINTBRUSHES AND PAINT ROLLERS
FLAT BRUSHES
ROUND BRUSHES
PAINT ROLLERS Via Martiri delle Foibe, 5/A Z.I. Prealpi Trevigiane – Fraz. Scomigo 31015 Conegliano (TV) - Italy
Ph. +39 0438 200180
info@mgggroup.it www.mgggroup.it
2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Wöhler-Platz 2 Bad Wünnenberg Germany Phone: +49 29 53 / 73 300 Fax: +49 29 53 / 73 96 300 Website: www.woehlerbrushtech.com Email: bt@woehler.com Contacts: Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Peveling; Daniel Horenkamp MBA
Engineering innovation for advanced brush manufacturing Innovation is a key driver in industrial brush manufacturing. Across the range of strip, roller, power, and twisted-in-wire brushes, as well as specialized brush segments and polishing tools, manufacturers must meet growing requirements for performance, flexibility, precision, and cost efficiency. Applications in surface treatment, cleaning, sealing, conveying, deburring, road maintenance and automated production require application-specific geometries, controlled fill densities, specialized materials and reliable production tolerances. Innovation therefore applies not only to brush design, but also to material handling, wire and filament processing, tooling, forming, assembly and process control. The central challenge is converting a functional prototype into a reproducible and economically viable series product. Automated handling, cycle time, tooling design, material flow, process stability and quality assurance must be considered early in development. Production systems must accommodate product variations while maintaining consistent output and quality. With more than 90 years of experience in brush manufacturing and mechanical engineering, WÖHLER BRUSH TECH works with brush manufacturers to develop automated production solutions for standard and customized brush products.
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Laser marked brush segment production with BSM 110 The WÖHLER BSM 110 is a fully automated line for producing high-precision wheel and cup brush segments with inner diameters from 8 to 28 mm. A four-station rotary indexing system integrates automatic feeding of eyelets, inner rings, and wire as well as pre-pressing, final pressing and automatic part discharge. With output rates of up to 12 segments per minute, the BSM 110 is designed for efficient series production. Touchscreen recipe management allows brush specifications and machine settings to be stored and recalled, supporting repeatable production and rapid changeovers. A newly added option for the BSM 110 series is custom laser marking of cover plates. Permanent logos, pictograms, labels and product-specific information can be applied directly during production, supporting product identification, traceability and branding without a separate marking operation. Additional options include the SFG 91-8 unwinding rack, RS 100 roller cutter for trimming mini-brush segments and AWC 100 for automatic assembly and trimming of mini segment wheel and cup brushes.
Street sweeper brush segments with PVM 100 with weighing system Single hole filling brush segments with SHF 410 The WÖHLER SHF 410 is designed for economical production of wire brush segment discs, from batch size 1 through automated series production. Its single hole filling process uses wire directly from the coil in combination with a punched sheet-metal disc. Unlike conventional methods, it does not require premanufactured inner rings or eyelets. Reducing component count lowers material consumption, production cost and segment weight. The system provides precise control of pitch-circle diameter, hole count, mounting-tab bending parameters and wire length. Wire is placed uniformly in each hole, radially aligned and secured by closing the mounting tabs. This supports low- and high-density fills with high balance accuracy. Discs may be loaded manually for small batches or automatically using an optional magazine. With an optional punching unit for unpunched discs and conveyor discharge, the SHF 410 can operate autonomously for defined periods.
The WÖHLER PVM 100 production line manufactures all-synthetic street sweeper roller brush segments as well as segments with metal rings and/or wire filling in flat or convoluted profiles. It automates material handling, fusing, forming and cooling to support reproducible segment quality while reducing manual intervention. The AAB 932 filament picker distributes fill material onto the conveyor, while the optional BUD 510 automatic bundle feeder further automates material supply. The BAV 500 alignment unit arranges the fill uniformly and flush at one end before fusing. The PVM 100 fusing machine forms the synthetic filaments into a continuous mat. A monitored heater line with flame detection and blowout functionality supports safe operation. An upstream extruder improves filament bonding, while a second extruder applies the profile material after fusing. The CUT 100 cuts the mat to the desired length before it is fed to the HDT 42 assembly machine, which features a 3-station rotary table. The finished segments are automatically packaged. Individual segments can be routed to a weighing system for quality assurance.
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2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
New HMI and air distribution for dental brush production with DBM 90 The WÖHLER DBM 90 is a dental and polishing brush machine for high volume production of small brushes with straight or lightly crimped fill material. Its six-station rotary table supports a fully automatic production cycle and is particularly suited to manufacturing Junior Cup brushes. The DBM 90 series is available at several automation levels, including a cost-effective version with manual feeding of metal components. It processes crimped steel and brass wire, synthetic and abrasive filaments, cotton and natural hair or bristles. Its material flexibility, scalable automation and high output make it suitable for dental, polishing and related small brush applications. The control system and user interface of the DBM 90 have been updated to reflect the latest state-of-theart technology. Wöhler has completely redesigned the compressed air system and converted it to a central rotary distribution system to further increase process reliability.
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Power brush segment production with ZVA 320
Weed brush trimming elements with RCU 100
The WÖHLER ZVA 320 is a fully automatic twist-knot brush machine for high-output production of ready-toassemble twist-knot brushes. Integrated, programmable blank disc hole punching and automatic hank feeding enable multiple brush geometries in a continuous cycle.
The WÖHLER RCU 100 is an automated wire rope cutting and fitting machine for weed brush trimming elements. It draws steel wire rope from the DU 701 spool rack and cuts it into 200, 250 or 295 mm lengths for downstream assembly systems.
Wire can be supplied from up to four pre-wound strands or individual spools, enabling the cost-effective use of natural hard-drawn wire. Blank discs are transferred automatically from a magazine to a two-station rotary table. After twisting, segments can be routed to an optional spinning station before automatic discharge.
Up to two stabilizing sleeves and an end piece can be automatically fitted to each rope section. A three-jaw pressing unit securely crimps the components in place, producing consistent, ready-to-assemble trimming elements for weed brush production.
A touchscreen terminal displays machine settings and allows production parameters to be entered or recalled from stored recipes. USB connectivity supports program backup and transfer, while an integrated remote-service module simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting.
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2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Complete Brush Manufacturing Technology, From Mold to Packaged Product Anton-Zahoransky-Strasse 1 79674 Todtnau-Geschwend Germany Phone: +49 7671 997-0 Website: www.zahoransky.com Contact: Christof Aurich – VP Global Sales | Personal & Home Care, Industrial Applications E-Mail: christof.aurich@zahoransky.com Phone: +49 7671 997 390 Mobile: +49 175 412 1171
COMPANY PROFILE/PHILOSOPHY ZAHORANSKY’s story began in 1902 in Todtnau, in Germany’s southern Black Forest, where Anton Zahoransky built the first machines to automate brush making. In the more than 120 years since, the small workshop has grown into an international technology group and the global market leader for the brush and broom industry. It is still run with the values of a family-owned company: reliability, precision, and long-term partnerships. ZAHORANSKY supplies highperformance machinery and tailored systems to three core sectors of the brush industry: personal care, home care, and industrial applications. The range covers toothbrushes, interdental and cosmetic brushes, household brushes and brooms, and heavy-duty technical brushes.
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Across all of them, ZAHORANSKY works on the same principle: understand the customer’s production process as a whole and design the solution around it. That solution can be a single machine, a flexible modular system, or a turnkey production line that combines inhouse mold making, automation, and quality control. About 690 employees work at the headquarters in Germany and at locations in Spain, Brazil, China, India, Japan, and the USA. Together they provide consistent quality and a worldwide service network. The service offering includes structured maintenance concepts, original spare parts, customer training, and retrofit kits that keep existing machines productive for decades.
KEY MACHINES Personal Care The Z.ORCA series is the benchmark for anchortufted toothbrushes. Its latest model, the Z.ORCA 18, is the most compact and versatile single tufting machine in the series. It occupies only 4.77 square
meters (about 51 square feet) and produces up to 30 toothbrushes per minute. For patterns with fewer holes, such as children’s toothbrushes produced with double clamping, output rises to 60 per minute. The Z.ORCA 18 offers up to eight finishing stations and machine availability of up to 98 percent. A conversion kit lets it tuft plastic anchors as well as metal ones, which makes fully recyclable toothbrushes possible on existing lines.
Home Care The Z.PUMA series sets the pace in household brushes and brooms. Its tufting tool reaches up to 1,100 tufts per minute, handles unfolded filament lengths of up to 320 millimeters, and runs remarkably quietly. Pattern
The CUBE series is ZAHORANSKY’s answer to largescale projects and complete production systems in oral care. The CUBE is built from modular Base, Supply, and Cover Units. Four coupled Base Units reach up to 120 toothbrushes per minute and a tufting speed of 4,800 tufts per minute on a small footprint. Because the ZMI 4.0 machine control handles parallel or serial production orders, changing to another toothbrush model means loading a new program rather than rebuilding the machine. The Z.SAILFIN covers twisted-inwire products such as interdental and mascara brushes. It produces up to 100 brushes per minute, can run a full day without an operator, and uses up to 20 percent less filament than competing machines.
changes take less than a minute per station, and the machine is available as a single or twin-tool version. For customers who want full automation, the Z.PARD MT is a four-station twin machine with an integrated industrial robot for handle loading and an integrated trimming unit. It delivers finished “ready-for-sale” brushes and needs only one operator.
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2026
MACHINERY SHOWCASE
Industrial Applications In technical brushes, the Z.SCORP combines drilling, tufting, and trimming in one compact machine. Compared with conventional manual machines it delivers up to 30 percent more output, and it can be converted between disc and cylinder brush production. The new generation of the Z.WASP 1 is designed for large disc and cylinder brushes, such as those used in street sweeping. Two separate processing stations let it drill one disc brush while tufting a second, with diameters of up to 900 millimeters, which doubles output. An optional flat-wire unit adds stiffness to demanding industrial brushes.
The Z.LYNX series produces twisted brushes for industrial and household applications. It is the only solution on the market that processes stem wire diameters of up to 4 millimeters.
NEW MACHINES EDGE: Anchor-Free Mono-Material Toothbrushes With the EDGE, ZAHORANSKY has changed how sustainable toothbrushes are made. The machine fuses tufts thermally to the brush head instead of anchoring them with metal wire, so handle, head, and filaments can all be made from the same plastic. The resulting toothbrushes are 100 percent recyclable. The process also gives designers far more room. Head thickness drops to around 1.5 millimeters, compared with an industry standard of 4 to 5 millimeters, and the distance between filament and head edge shrinks to just 0.8 millimeters. The brush therefore reaches molars and other hard-to-access areas more easily. Because the tufts are fused, there are no cavities where water, saliva, or germs can collect.
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All tufts are placed simultaneously, so output stays constant at up to 30 toothbrushes per minute regardless of how complex the head design is. Magnetically fixed pattern parts replace expensive mold bars, which makes most design changes tool-free and quick. The EDGE needs only eleven square meters (about 118 square feet), and thanks to extensive pre-configuration it can often be installed and commissioned within a single working day. A dedicated rapid prototyping service helps manufacturers bring new designs to market faster.
IDP 1C: Overmolded Interdental Brushes at High Volume The new IDP 1C brings ZAHORANSKY’s expertise in injection molding and automation to high-volume interdental brush production. The machine overmolds the handle of twisted interdental brushes in a singlecomponent process, in a highly automated cell with minimal operator involvement. It is designed for manufacturers who need large volumes of consistently high quality and want to keep unit costs under tight control. The IDP 1C is one more example of ZAHORANSKY’s ability to combine mold making, machine building, and automation in one system.
FUTURE PLANS ZAHORANSKY’s roadmap follows what brush manufacturers worldwide are asking for: more output with fewer skilled workers, faster product changes, and full transparency on the shop floor. Customer-specific automation will stay at the center of this work. Upstream and downstream automation modules, robotics, and digital twin simulation allow ZAHORANSKY to plan and configure complete lines efficiently before any hardware is built. Alongside this, the company continues to develop flexible and compact machine concepts that deliver maximum output on minimal floor space and can adapt when products or markets change. Digitalization is a second priority. The ZMI 4.0 control already provides intuitive operation and visualization of brush designs directly at the machine. ZAHORANSKY’s machine data acquisition solutions complement it by turning production and error data into clear dashboards, either on-premise or in the cloud with push alerts, and they support open interfaces such as OPC UA. Building on this, ZAHORANSKY is increasingly using artificial intelligence to identify the causes of performance losses, support operators on the shop floor, and move service toward remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance. ZAHORANSKY is also expanding its line competence, from injection molding through tufting and finishing to primary packaging. Customers get a single partner and a single point of contact for the entire process chain. Fewer interfaces mean lower risk, more predictable product launches, and lower unit costs, which is how ZAHORANSKY intends to keep supporting brush manufacturers well into the future. Learn more about ZAHORANSKY at www.zahoransky.com.
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2026 SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
Arroworthy.................................................55 Brush Fibers..............................................55 Celanese Filaments...................................56 DKSH.........................................................57 Deco Products...........................................58 Epic Polymer Solutions..............................59 FM Brush...................................................60 Gordon Brush.............................................61 MFC LTD....................................................62 Mill-Rose...................................................63
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Monahan Filaments...................................64 PelRay International...................................65 Precision Brush..........................................66 Proveedora Mexicana.................................67 Royal Paint Roller.......................................68 Schaefer Brush..........................................69 Stainless Steel Products............................70 Young & Swartz..........................................71 Zelazoski Wood Products, Inc....................71
istock.com/huizhen wei
ArroWorthy
248 WYANDANCH AVE WEST BABYLON, NY 11704 Tel: 888-444-4949 Fax: 631-253-9428 Email: rolandk@arroworthy.com Website: www.arroworthy.com Contact: Roland Kolilias, President
Company Key Materials, Machines, Products: Brushes, Rollers
New Materials, Machines, Products: Microfiber roller covers, Rembrandt paint brushes
Company Philosophy:
Always use the very best materials to make a quality product.
Future Plans or Goals for Company:
Continue to expand, improve, service and provide the best line of professional tools.
Brush Fibers, Inc.
DON’T LET ANOTHER MACHINERY SHOWCASE & SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT EDITION PASS YOU BY!
202 North Oak Street Arcola, IL 61910, United States Phone: 217-268-3012 Fax: 217-268-3245 Website: www.brushfibers.com Email: chris@brushfibers.com Contact: Chris Monahan
Profile:
Distributors and manufacturers of a full range of vegetable fibers, horse hair, hog hair, plastic blocks, wire, and fiber mixtures. Including the following: Tampico, Palmyra, Horse Hair and Horse Hair mixtures, Foam and Solid Plastic Brush Blocks, and Brush Staple Wire.
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2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
Celanese Filaments Company Key Materials, Machines, Products: Celanese Filaments is uniquely positioned to serve the needs of brush manufacturers and others around the world for high-quality, application-tailored polymerbased filaments. Production plants in Asia, the United States, Europe and India turn out an extensive range of filaments based on nylon 610, nylon 612, and polyester resins. Each global region has locally based technical support and sales service capabilities to serve customers making various kinds of brushes and industrial products.
The Company’s Filament Brands Include: Celanese Tynex® filaments and Tynex® A abrasive filaments, both based on long-wearing nylon 612 polymer; Celanese Herox® filaments made of nylon 610; Celanese Orel® tapered filaments, based on polyester; and Celanese Chinex® modified nylon filaments.
New Materials, Machines, Products: Newly developed Tynex® A filaments with ceramic and Herox® A filaments with diamond grits can sharply improve finishing or polishing efficiency and reduce costs with extended brush life and/or faster production rates. Another recent innovation is proving its value in cleaning glass panels for LCDs (liquid crystal displays) and other delicate items. Asian manufacturers are using brushes made with Tynex® fine filaments for gentle, effective removal of foreign particles from LCD panels without damaging their sensitive surfaces. Filaments developed for this application measure only 0.05 to 0.10 mm in diameter and range from 17 to 20 mm in length. Industrial applications outside the brush field are also opening up for Celanese filaments.
Company Philosophy: For more than 80 years, Celanese Filaments has proven its ability to supply premium-quality products and firstclass service to brush manufacturers around the globe. The ultimate validation of their success comes from customers: their supplier decisions have made Celanese Filaments the global leader in the field. Celanese Filaments is uniquely positioned to deliver locally based technical support, sales service and products from its locally based resources in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Manufacturing plants are located in Wuxi, China; Madurai, India; Landgraaf, Netherlands; and Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S.A. Each location is thirdparty-certified as meeting requirements of IS0.
Contact Celanese Filaments to create your Extraordinary Brush! 1-304-409-9584 | celanese.com/products/filaments
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DKSH Switzerland LTD. Wiesenstrasse 8 CH-8034 Zurich
Phone: +41 44 3867901 Mobile: +41 79 7854657 Email: Reinhold.hoerz@dksh.com Website: www.dksh.ch/brush Contact Name: Reinhold Hoerz Brush Fibers, Inc. has been partners with DKSH in the sale of Hog Bristle in the North American market since 2012, and during that time the business has grown steadily. DKSH are the most important Bristle traders in the world. They are headquartered in Switzerland, but maintain a dedicated staff in China, who are constantly monitoring the supply situation in the ever changing landscape of Chinese bristle processors. Reinhold Hoerz, the Bristle trading manager for DKSH, visits China regularly. This requires experience, expertise and energy, as China really is no country for old men. Regular visits are essential as the much stricter enforcement of Environmental laws in China has led to factory closures and defaults as the cost
2027 PHOTO ISSUE
of compliance can be high and beyond the means of some of the processors. The tightening of the “Shadow Banking” system has also led to more difficult credit conditions. The underlying imperative is that frequent visits by a team on the spot is essential, and all our shipments receive a pre-shipment QC inspection. Brush Fibers, Inc. maintains a substantial inventory of Bristle from all origins in a full range of White, Bleached white, Black and grey in all popular lengths. We are always looking at least 6 months ahead to anticipate customer needs, as lead times in China are an ongoing problem. We also offer many of the other animal hairs, such as Ox-Ear, Goat, Horse hair and Horse hair Mixtures. Our plan is to continue to grow the business, and offer the best customer service in the industry. We promise a culture of integrity, reliability and unmatched quality control.
An opportunity to demonstrate the ingenuity and usefulness of the products that define the brush industry and gain exposure for your company.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: December 5, 2026 www.brushwaremag.com | 57
2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
Deco Products
506 Sanford Street Decorah, Iowa 52101, United States Phone: 563-382-4264 Fax: 563-382-9845 Website: www.decoprod.com Email: sales@decoprod.com Contact: Dave Magner
The Deco Advantage and Partnerships At Deco Products, our mission is clear: to solve problems and ensure success for our customers. Our deep understanding of the zinc die-casting process, coupled with our relentless pursuit of innovation, makes us a trusted partner in delivering solutions to meet modern industry challenges. With over 65 years of industry expertise, Deco Products has become a leader in zinc die casting, with over 10 million pounds of zinc alloy processed annually at our Decorah, Iowa facility. This scale allows us to achieve efficiencies and synergies that directly benefit our customers, ensuring they receive the most cost-effective and reliable solutions. Our dedication to zinc die casting means we focus entirely on providing the most advanced and practical solutions for our customers, without the added complexity of casting multiple materials. Since 1960, we have honed our engineering talent and operational excellence to address even the most complex problems, delivering innovations that drive success. Deco understands that competitiveness and value are essential in today’s global market. We continually invest in new technologies that enhance efficiency, providing
long-term value across the entire product lifecycle. Our commitment doesn’t end at product launch. By focusing on tool longevity and process optimization, we ensure that our solutions remain effective and cost-efficient for years, or even decades, after production begins. This long-term approach has allowed us to build strong, lasting partnerships with our customers. With over 100 zinc die-casting machines and a 150,000-square-foot facility, we have more production capacity under one roof than anyone else in North America. Our equipment can make diverse parts with locking forces ranging from 3.5 to 500 tons, making us an ideal partner for companies looking for versatility, capacity, and competitive pricing. In addition to our casting expertise, we offer a range of value-added services such as machining, powder coating, and assembly, providing end-to-end support for our customers. This combination of capabilities, along with our financial stability, places us among the industry’s most reliable and respected manufacturers.
Serving the Broom, Mop and Brush Industries Our commitment to excellence has made us a supplier of precision zinc die-castings to customers all over the world. With over 65 years of experience, we design and produce the most challenging components. Deco has invested in and been casting tips and other parts for mops, brooms, and brushes longer and more continuously than any other manufacturer in the industry. We have standard molds and tooling for “off the shelf” product solutions, but can also produce custom designed products per customers’ requirements. Our engineering team works diligently with our partners to provide the best product at the most competitive price. We are proud that we manufacture in the United States with our tenured experts in our Decorah Iowa facility.
Future Plans or Goals for Company: Deco Products remains privately owned and financially strong, allowing us to continuously invest in new technologies and long-term improvements. We are always open to forming new partnerships with companies that share our commitment to excellence and long-term success.
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STAND OUT
Epic Polymer Solutions 8 Millennium Drive North Grafton, MA 01536
The supply chain is evolving. Manufacturers are making moves. Are you visible where decisions are being made? Build a dominant presence with Brushware — the global media platform for the brush manufacturing industry.
Phone: 508-393-3495 ext 101 Website: www.epicpolymersolutions.com Email: Info@EpicPoly.com Contact: Angela Gasek Epic Polymer Solutions, LLC is a specialty manufacturer of high temperature and chemically inert monofilaments for harsh environment brush and broom applications. Our proprietary extrusion process delivers tight tolerance monofilaments down to 35 microns. Monofilaments are available in a wide assortment of polymers including KYNAR, FEP, PFA, ETFE and PEEK – all of which can be delivered on bulk reels or hanks. Epic Polymer Solutions, LLC is based in North America and is ISO 9001:2015 certified.
FREE SAMPLE
request to Info@epicpoly.com Specialty fluoropolymer fibers for low or high temperature, chemical and abrasion resistant brush applications.
The Brushware Media Suite Print Magazine | Digital Magazine | Industry Leading Weekly Enewsletter News Website | Online Company Directory | Annual Buyers' Guide Industry Leading Social Channels
Sample Materials
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ETFE
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PEEK
KYNAR
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Contact Brushware today and We’ll Be Your 360 Degree Marketing Partner www.brushwaremag.com | 59
2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
F.M.Brush
70-02 72nd Place Glendale, New York 11385 Phone: 718-821-5939 Fax: 718-821-2385 Email: info@fmbrush.com Website: www.fmbrush.com Contact: Jeff Mink, President
We are your continued preferred OEM suppler and are proud to share our heritage and expertise as we celebrate nine decades of American brush making.
Key Products:
Innovation:
FM Brush is a leading manufacturer of thousands of brush styles. We specialize in custom manufacturing, private label OEM, and branded brush production. Our diverse range of brushes serves various industries, including artist supplies, industrial applications, medical instruments, sign-writing tools, specialty brushes, craft essentials, and top-quality cosmetic brushes.
Philosophy: The FM Brush Company is celebrating almost 100 years in business. We are proud of this accomplishment because the company remains under private family ownership. The factory and office headquarters are located in Glendale, New York. Our commitment to American manufacturing is without equal in the industry.
Since the 1960s, FM has been at the forefront of working with synthetic materials. With years dedicated to perfecting our blends, we’ve mastered the art of capturing the essence of natural hair. Our vast repertoire of over 40 synthetic materials faithfully replicates the textures of natural bristle, pony, sable, and beyond. Explore limitless possibilities with our proprietary, inhouse-crafted synthetic blends, redefining the standards for artist-quality brushes.
Goals: Our unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional brushes that surpass expectations, crafted with sustainable innovative materials, and customer-centric excellence which is at the core of our mission.
America’s Premier Artist Brush Manufacturer
Maker of handcrafted quality brushes since 1929 Producer of private label and branded brushes Two custom manufacturing facilities Family owned and operated FM Brush Company, Inc.
70-02 72nd Place . Glendale . New York . 11385 Ph: 718.821.5939 Fax: 718-821-2385 www.fmbrush.com . email: info@fmbrush.com
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Proud Member for 70+ Years.
Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc. 3737 Capitol Avenue City of Industry, CA 90601-1732 Phone: (323) 450-2740 Email: KRakusin@gordonbrush.com Website: www.gordonbrush.com Contact: Kenneth L. Rakusin President and CEO Gordon Brush Mfg. Co., Inc., has a rich history as an American brush manufacturer. Founded in 1951, Gordon Brush® includes two brands whose origin dates to 1855 and 1897. The Company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and a leading manufacturer of specialty, custom and standard brushes for industrial and consumer uses. Gordon Brush® manufactures the very popular FootMate® System, as well as over 19,000 standard and custom brushes at its state-of-the-art 183,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in California, 66,000 sq. ft. plant in Mississippi, 47,000 sq. ft. factory in Nebraska and about 50,000 sq. ft. outside Kansas City, Missouri. Gordon Brush® stocks over 3,900 different brushes for
same day shipment, selling to a variety of industries including medical, electronics, manufacturing, military, aerospace, janitorial, automotive, bakery, restaurant, scientific and pharmaceutical. Gordon Brush’s recent acquisitions include Mr. LongArm; Michigan Brush; Dorden & Co.; Justman Brush; Spectrum Paint; Kirschner Brush; J.B. Ward & Sons; StaticFaction; Easy Reach; and Parker Brush. Gordon Brush® has been featured on the ION Network, Discovery Channel, Bloomberg News, The Real Talk Show, The Today Show, and in the Los Angeles Times. The Company has received numerous awards and accolades including being the recipient of the 2018 Made: In America award. This award was presented to the Company at a ceremony in that was held in the rotunda of the United States Capitol.
www.brushwaremag.com | 61
2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
MFC Ltd
1904 Freight St. Laredo Texas 78041 Toll Free: 800 TAMPICO (8267426) Phone 956 724 5191 Fax 956 725 8080 Email: info@mfc-usa.com Website: www.mfc-usa.com Contacts: David Kalisz, dkalisz@mfc-usa.com Paty Cavazos, paty@mfc-usa.com
CUSTOM MIXTURES: With more mixing machines in one
location than any company in the world, MFC will work with the brush manufacturer to develop a mixture that will attain their price, quality and performance aims.
Key Products & Services:
Philosophy:
MFC, with roots in the brush making industry that span for over 150 years, is happy to continue to provide the brush manufacturer with consistently high quality fill fibers and fill fiber mixtures including but not limited to the following: TAMPICO: White (natural), Black, Two Color, Three Color, Bleached, Patent (polished), Semi Patent UNIONS: Mixtures of Palmyra and/or Bassine (dyed Palmyra) & Tampico in many combinations PALMYRA: Oiled or Unoiled, Medium Stiff or Prime Stiff PALMYRA STALKS: Fine, Extra Fine, dyed or undyed HORSEHAIR AND HORSEHAIR MIXTURES: Dressed Black, Mixed, Silver Grey, or white horsehair or Processed (Sterilized, combed & mixed) to attain our customers performance and quality needs. The mixtures can be pure hair or mixed with other synthetic fibers (plastics, wire, etc.) and/or natural fibers (Tampico). BRISTLE: boar bristle Processed or unprocessed BROOM HAIR: Cattle hair mixtures PAINT BRUSH FILAMENT PROCESSING: Dyeing, tipping, flagging and Mixing or Tapered filaments
MFC ‘s, its staff, processor and suppliers aim is to consistently provide our customer with good service and high quality material at a fair price. We listen to our customer and work with them to provide them on each and every order a product that will run well on their equipment, giving them high throughput, less waste, less rejects and a brush that will meet their specifications.
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Goal: MFC ‘s main goal is to continue to work with our customers so that both will have continued success.
A Century of Brushmaking Excellence
2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
Monahan Filaments 215 Egyptian Trail Arcola, IL 61910
Tel: 217-268-4957 Fax: 217-268-4965 Website: www.monahanfilaments.com Email: info@monahanfilaments.com Contacts: Jon Monahan, President Terry Hogan, VP of Sales terry.hogan@monahanfilaments.com
Company Key Materials and Products:
Company Philosophy:
Located in Arcola, Illinois USA, Monahan Filaments manufactures a wide selection of synthetic filaments for the brush and monofilament industry. Markets served include Oral Care and Cosmetic, Paintbrush, Industrial, Janitorial, Automotive, Construction and Agricultural. A wide range of diameters can be supplied in hanks, cut lengths, and on spools to meet customer requirements. Known as a developer of synthetic thermoplastic filaments to meet demanding end uses, we are ready to assist in meeting your filament needs.
Along with our sister companies Brush Fibers, Inc. and PelRay Inc., we can provide you with almost every raw material to make a quality brush at competitive pricing and short lead time. We are here to do everything we can to support brushes being Made in the USA!
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PelRay International A Division of Brush Fibers, Inc. 4712 Macro San Antonio, TX 78218
Tel: 210-757-4640 Fax: 210-650-8103 Email: sales@pelray.com Website: www.pelray.com We are on WhatsApp: +1-210-862-5731 Ron Cherryholmes +1-210-846-1840 Bart Pelton +1-210-772-2237 Kenneth Pelton +52-811-503-7504 (Español) Robert Sixtos As a division of Brush Fibers, Inc., PelRay International Company in San Antonio, Texas is poised to even better serve manufacturers of mops, brooms and brushes worldwide. Sourcing supplies from more than 10 countries, the company’s product line includes: • MOP YARN – cotton or rayon/poly blend, colored,
multi-end tubes, single end cones, 4 & 8 ply, string
• HANDLES AND DOWELS – Poplar, Pine, Tauari, and
Metal Handles - PelRay can deliver what you need including finishes, end treatments and colors to match your specifications in lengths from 24” to 72” -- We can now offer FSC handles.
• BROOMCORN – Mexican processed and hand selected
craft broomcorn for artisans
• NATURAL FIBERS – Tampico fiber, Palmyra, Beargrass
(yucca fiber), African Grass
• OEM PRODUCTS that are “made in America” or imported
such as angle broom heads, corn brooms and brushes
• BROOM & MOP SUPPLIES such as sewing twine, gal-
vanized wire, ring ball caps, T-bars and more
PelRay specializes in carrying a wide variety of items to cover everything a manufacturer might need. Need your brooms boxed? Labeled with your UPC codes? PelRay can do that and more for you. Whatever quantity you need – from full truckload to LTL – PelRay will work to get you a reasonable freight quote to get it there when you need it. PELRAY is your one stop source for supplies and raw materials for mop, broom and brush manufacturers. Our employees regularly visit and conduct quality control inspections at our suppliers’ locations throughout the world to ensure excellent quality materials. PelRay’s sales team of Ron Cherryholmes, Kenneth Pelton, Robert Sixtos and Bart Pelton has close to 90 years combined experience in the mop, broom and brush industry. Put that experience working for you to get exceptional quality with competitive pricing and outstanding customer service. www.brushwaremag.com | 65
2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
Precision Brush
6700 Parkland Boulevard Solon, Ohio 44139 Contact: Jim Benjamin Phone: 800-252-4747 Fax: 800-252-0834
A World-Class American Manufacturer of Industrial Brushes: Precision Brush has been providing our customers with custom brush products for many years. From our humble beginnings in a two-car garage in downtown Cleveland Ohio, to our state of the art facility in the manufacturing district of Solon, Ohio—we have carefully and skillfully produced custom-designed brushes that have touched nearly every aspect of our society, both public and private. Our highly trained engineers, friendly custom service representatives and dedicated and loyal manufacturing staff are all committed to providing you with the best tools to help design and create your own custom brush.
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Over time, some things have changed—there have been advancements with our facilities, our automated equipment and even the bristle materials we use. But one thing hasn’t changed: Our commitment to making you the best custom industrial brushes possible. Each day Precision Brush receives requests for custom brushes. From engineers designing new products or processes to brush users who are looking for custom brushes to help where standard brushes do not work as effectively. We also hear from inventors who require uniquely designed brushes and universities that are experimenting with state-of-the-art brush applications. We have assisted customers in dozens of countries in designing custom brushes and have garnered a reputation throughout the world as a leading manufacturer of custom designed brushes.
Proveedora Mexicana de Monofilamentos, S.A. de C.V. (PMM) Oriente 217 No. 190 Agrícola Oriental 08500 Mexico City Phone: (52 55) 5763 86 63 Fax: (52 55) 5700 57 69 Email: pmm@pmm-mex.com Web: www.pmmbrightline.com Contact: Dennise Silva, Sales Manager PMM is a Mexican company located in the heart of Mexico City that specializes in the production of synthetic-engineered plastic monofilaments. These are made of Nylons (Nylon 6.12, Nylon 6.6, Nylon 6 Plus, and Nylon 6), Polyester PBT, Polyethylene and Polypropylene, and are available in a wide range of calipers, profiles and colors.
Even though PMM was founded in 1976, the company is full of young people who bring new ideas and have made PMM evolve into an innovation and creativity center, with an impeccable sense of quality and an international perspective. A key element in PMM’s corporate culture is the drive for joint achievement, which is the “secret ingredient” which transforms good into outstanding. This is the main reason why, despite an uncertain business scenario, Dennise feels confident about PMM’s future.
PMM’s materials are mainly used for toothbrushes, interdental and cosmetic brushes and industrial brush applications. Dennise Silva, PMM Sales Manager, explained how the product line has grown and developed, mainly because of the flexibility to adapt to the customer’s specifications. Added to high quality filaments, PMM has a sales policy that enhances its operation. Punctual deliveries and service are key factors to success. PMM’s Sales Account Executives are instructed to provide a 24-hour service guarantee. All customer inquiries will be answered / serviced the same day PMM receive them.
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2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT
Royal Paint Roller Mfg. Corp. 248 Wyandanch Ave West Babylon, NY 11704 phone: 631-643-8012 • fax: 631-253-9428 email: randyb@linzerproducts.com contact: Randy Boritz, President
to our roller cover line is the europa polymicro roller cover which is made with a high capacity polyamide fabric and is shed free. It has the capacity to hold and release more paint for interior and exterior application. This year, we also announced the acquisition of Allway Tools by our parent company, Linzer Products. Allway Tools is known in the industry for their innovative product line including scrapers, utility knives, blades and floor scrapers.
Key Materials and Products:
Company Philosophy:
We carry a complete line of paintbrushes, roller covers (in all sizes and variety of fabrics, including lambskin, kodel, lambswool, synthetic blends, microfiber and our “lint free”line), painter pads, frames, trays and accessories for the professional and do-ityourself markets.
We take pride in the reputation we have established over the years for being more than simply a supplier, but rather a business”partner” to our customers. It is our goal to help our customers compete in today’s marketplace. Our customer’s success means our success. We look forward to our continued growth built on this philosophy, and to providing our customers the top quality products, competitive pricing, and excellent service they have come to expect from Royal Paint Roller.
New Materials and Products: For the past several years, we have been featuring our new blue dolphin tape and abrasive products. New
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Schaefer Brush
1101 S Prairie Avenue Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 United States Phone: 262-547-3500 Email: sales@schaeferbrush.com Website: www.schaeferbrush.com
Schaefer Brush: Engineered Brush Solutions Built on Generations of Experience For more than a century, Schaefer Brush has provided precision brush solutions for industrial customers across a wide range of applications. Today, that expertise includes Gornell Brush, a Schaefer Brush brand, bringing together complementary manufacturing capabilities, technical knowledge, and a tradition of brushmaking that dates back to Gornell’s founding in 1892.
From standard products to highly specialized custom designs, Schaefer Brush manufactures brushes engineered to meet demanding performance requirements. Our capabilities include twisted-in-wire, metal back strip, staple-set, hand-drawn, and other technical brush constructions, allowing us to serve applications across aerospace, additive manufacturing, food processing, MRO, power generation, and other industrial markets.
Gornell Brush — A Schaefer Brush Brand The Gornell Brush name represents more than 130 years of brushmaking experience and remains an important part of the Schaefer Brush product portfolio. By combining Gornell’s long-standing expertise with Schaefer Brush’s manufacturing, engineering, and production resources, we can offer customers an expanded range of standard and custom brush solutions from a single trusted source. Our team works closely with customers to understand the application, select the appropriate materials and construction, and develop a brush that performs as intended. Engineering support includes CAD/CAM services, product development, private labeling, and custom packaging to accommodate unique customer requirements. Whether you need an existing brush, a modification to a standard design, or a completely custom solution, Schaefer Brush combines experience, engineering, modern manufacturing, and responsive service to help solve your application challenges. Schaefer Brush — including Gornell Brush — is a partner for dependable, high-performance brush solutions.
www.brushwaremag.com | 69
2026
SUPPLIER/MANUFACTURER SPOTLIGHT spooling or coiling equipment to service all of your packaging requirements. These can be as small as 1/4 lb or as large as 1,000 lb reels. Our in-house capabilities include rolling wire with rounded edges between 0.0060” to as wide as 0.250”. Rolling mill thickness capability is from 0.0053” to 0.250”.
Material Warehousing
Stainless Steel Products 333 Buttonwood Street West Reading, PA 19611 United States
Let me ask you?
Tel: 888-767-3040 Fax: 631-243-4064 Email: sales@stainlesswires.com Website: www.stainlesswires.com Contact: Ralph Rosenbaum, President
About Us
Stainless Steel Products houses ample quantities of round wire and strip to meet existing customer demands. We can stock round wire in sizes ranging from 0.0010” – 0.375. This can be in hardness ranging from dead soft annealed to spring temper and anything in between. Strip warehousing is for existing blanket orders only at present. We offer stocking services of finished materials for just-intime delivery and blanket orders. When customers have tight on going delivery demands, we use a Kan-Ban system which generates internal replacement orders as we ship processed materials from stock. We can also generate reports on existing open orders and inventory for product planning managers and material buyers. We also maintain adequate raw materials for our further processing. Our processing capabilities include drawing to specific sizes and hardness, wire cut to length, straightened, coiled, spooled, crimped, and/or on specialty packaging. We also offer basic wire forming and assembly services.
Since 1995, STAINLESS STEEL PRODUCTS has distinguished itself with a wide variety of applications, gaining experience and capability in round and flat wire, metal strip, and tubing production and distribution. We pride ourselves on supplying We crimp wire from prototyping to volume quantities. In the manufacturers of all sizes, including industry leaders past year, we have added 6 new crimping lines at our facility and global manufacturers across various industries. We in Pennsylvania. We can strand wire to your specifications and differentiate ourselves with application engineering assistance, even assist with creating specifications. Our capabilities include attention to detail on all aspects of supply management, and a being able to crimp from ultra fine diameters to tire chord in culture of bringing added value through value-added products most ferrous and non ferrous alloys. Crimped Wire increases and services to ourWith customers experience where possible. wire column strength and support of adjacent wires. The wire stock deliveries in 24-48 hours, is typically full hard or spring temper. Sizes can range from We custom manufacture materials to demanding 0.0030” to 0.035” or larger. This wire can be packaged as specifications. We custom are now stocking most common sizesweeks of orders in 2-4 all delivered with multi-stranded ends onto spools or cardboard cores from 10 lbs wires in Brass, Phosphor Bronze, Nickel Silver, Aluminum, to 400 lbs or isprices; available in hanks or in cut to length bundles. Oil Tempered Steel,friendly High Fatigue service Resistant Steel, and at competitive and several types of Stainless Steels. We stock materials for quick shipments, just-in-time delivery, and/or use a kan-ban Why use anyone else? inventory system when appropriate. Straight wire is used to make many types of brushes such We serve Iron, Nickel, and/or copper based metal consuming as power brushes, scratch brushes, twisted-in brushes, manufacturers of all kinds, including: Brushes / Dental and more. Wire is can be high fatigue resistant or standard Products / Filtration Products / Flexible Metal Hoses / Heating quality. We can tailor wire to your fatigue resistance Elements / Jewelry / Medical Products / Reinforcements / requirements. Round, flat, or shaped wire in any size or Specialty Products /Springs / Staple Products / Wire Braids / dimension. We can package crimped brush wire on spools WeinManufacture & Distribute OEM / Wire Cloth & Mesh /Wire Forms / Wire Inserted Threads single end or multiple ends rope form, hanks, or cut to Material So / Wire Inserted Yarns. length bundles. Our inventory is tailoredCommercial to meet industry & Industrial Man requirements. We can offer high temperature resistant alloys and/or high strength alloys to meet the most demanding applications. Our extensive inventory not only covers Stainless Steel Products has several single and multiple die wire standard industry sizes, but also those hard to find sizes. We drawing machines. We have some machines dedicated for ironwww.stainlessw can custom draw wire diameters to high precision if specialty based alloys, such as steel and stainless steel, and others for sizes are needed. copper based alloys, such as brass, phosphor bronze, and nickel silver. Our in-house capabilities include drawing wire from 0.3125” to as small as 0.0080” in both ferrous andFilament non-ferrous alloys. Brush Wire Strip We can draw wire to standard tolerances or tight tolerances, if We offer custom made solutions toWe youroffer hardstainless to figuresteel, out carbon steel, b Single, double plane, or pin crimped in hanks or specified. We can package wire on spools, coils, or cores ranging material needs. Some examples of what we have successfully strand counts on spools/cores. Straight in Thicknesses of 0.0010" - 0.125"anneale from ¼ lb to over 1,000 lbs inspecific various configurations. resolved include small quantities of simply formed parts, extra single/multiple ends. Materials include galvanized, Oscillate Wound or Pancake Coils. large holes on spooling requirements, non magnetic wire, Our specialty is making bright wire. Our testing equipment high carbon steel, stainless, brass, bronze, and Ask much aboutmore. our stocking programs! above average fatigue resistance, and includes laser micrometers, tensile testers, a fatigue other exotic alloys. meter, and tester, hardness testers, magnetic permeability microscopes with photo capability for surface evaluations. At Stainless Steel Products, we are continuously improving our Retaining Wire/Twisting Straightened systemsWire and capabilities for efficiencies and quality control and Cut Stocking standard gauges in SS galvanized, and Diameters 0.0050"-0.37500" for variou bringing these benefits to all our stakeholders. Stainless Steel Products has several rolling mills and various
Wire Crimping
Wire Straightening
An ISO 9001:2 Certified Comp
Draw Round Wire
888.767.3
Value Added Services
Other
Flat Wire Rolling
brass wire in differing tempers for these applications.
70 | www.brushwaremag.com
applications. Blanket orders Welcome
Young & Swartz, Inc.
Zelazoski Wood Products, Inc.
39 Cherry St. Buffalo, NY 14204 United States
P O Box 506 835 Ninth Avenue Antigo, WI 54409-0506
Phone: (716) 852-2171 / (800) 466-7682 Fax: (716) 852-5652 Website: www.youngandswartz.com Email: info@youngandswartz.com Contact: Raphael E. Winzig
Phone: 800-240-0974 Fax: 715-627-2347 Website: www.zwpi.com Contact: Brett Zelazoski Email: brett@zwpi.com
We’ve been engineering, manufacturing and supplying brushes and accessories to large and small companies for over 150 years. We’re an American company, familyoperated for four generations. Customers tap our expertise from around the world.
Company Key Materials, Machines, Products:
If you don’t know us, you might give us a try. We handle everything from year-long production runs to problemsolving “one-offs.” We’re proud to be the brush experts you can rely on to do your job right every time.
New Materials, Machines, Products:
Brush Backs & Blocks - Wood, Handles - Paint Brush, Wood, Handles - Personal, Wood. Finishing, pad printing, laser engraving and branding available
Provide quality parts, manufactured according to the customer’s specifications, delivered on time, for the best price possible.
Give us a call today at 716-852-2171. www.brushwaremag.com | 71
Advertiser Index
ABMA.....................................................................43 Epic Polymer Solutions..........................................59 www.abma.org
www.epicpolymersolutions.com
ArroWorthy............................................................55 FM Brush...............................................................60 www.arroworthy.com
www.fmbrush.com
Bizzotto Giovanni Automation.................................29 Gordon Brush.........................................................61 www.bizzottoautomation.com
www.gordonbrush.com
Borghi S.p.A. ........................................................37 Leistner.................................................................42 www.borghi.com
www.leistner-gmbh.de
Borghi USA.................................................14-15, 23 MFC............................................... Inside Back Cover www.borghi.com
www.mfc-usa.com
Boucherie......................................Inside Front Cover MGG S.r.l...............................................................45 www.boucherie.com
www.mggmeccanica.com
Brush Expert..........................................................64 Mill-Rose Co., The.................................................01 www.brushexpert.com
www.millrose.com
Celanese Filaments ..............................................09 Monahan Filaments..................................Back cover www.celanese.com
www.monahanfilaments.com
Deco Products.......................................................58 PMM Brightline......................................................11 www.decoprod.com
www.pmmbrightline.com
DKSH.....................................................................25 Precision Brush.....................................................66 www.dksh.com/ch-de/home
www.precisionbrush.com
Ebser.....................................................................24 Royal Paint Roller Mfg. Corp..................................68 www.ebser.de
linzerproducts.com/our-brands/royal/
Edward Jackson Engineer Limited..........................08 Schaefer Brush......................................................04 www.edwardjacksonltd.com
www.schaeferbrush.com
Stainless Steel Products........................................13 www.stainlesswires.com
Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH ......................................26 www.woehlerbrushtech.com
Young & Swartz, Inc...............................................72 www.youngandswartz.com
ZAHORANSKY.........................................................03 www.zahoransky.com
Zelazowski.............................................................71 www.zwpi.com
72 | www.brushwaremag.com
1904 Freight St. Laredo Tx 78041 (956) 724 5191 1800 TAMPICO Fax (956) 725 8080
www.mfc-usa.com
SYNTHETIC FILAMENT SOLUTIONS FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW
Supplying Premium
Quality Materials For every style of brush or broom
Fiber Types
Applications
Engineered for performance, consistency and durability across demanding brush and broom applications. TRUSTED
888.833.1097 | www.monahanfilaments.com
MATERIALS. BRIGHTER
SOLUTIONS.
Thomas Monahan Companies Inc Since 1922
Manufacturing sites all located in North America