Cleaning Industry Trade Shows
ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam Show (May 9 to 12, 2006)
It was a great show with over 570 booths and 25,000 attendees from over 120 countries. You really couldn’t ask for much more in a tradeshow. Everyone I spoke to was happy and enjoyed themselves. Many new products, innovations and advancements were on display. Some of the items that caught my eye include: Carbon fiber extension poles for window cleaning, diamond impregnated floor pads for stone polishing, new stand up riding equipment, a growing selection of micro-fiber products and flat mops, I only saw one booth in the entire show that displayed a string mop. Biodegradable products including dust mops, trash bags, and wipers were on display. Anti-microbial treatments were included in dust mops, cleaning cloths, micro-fibers and electric hand dryers. Nano-technology is making its way into the cleaning industry in finish, detergents and coatings.
There is a growing international presence at the show, with pavilions from China, Italy, and the USA with many other countries represented. Don’t miss the next Amsterdam Show, May 6 to 9, 2008. If foreign travel is not your thing, ISSA/INTERCLEAN comes to Chicago, IL on October 4 to 7, 2006. For more information on these and other shows, visit: www.issainterclean.com
Coverings Stone Show, Orlando, FL. (April 4 to 7, 2006)
I stopped by for a day just to see what was new in stone flooring and maintenance. This show was about dead. When it came to attendees, the aisles were bare, you could have played golf and not hit anyone on the head and this was the first day which is usually the best day for a show. Even though show officials said there were 30,000 people in attendance, I could only find about 10,000 of them. Any wonder why the show is moving to Chicago next year (April17 to 20, 2007). For more info on next years show, visit: www.coverings.com
Here’s a recap of the trends that I noticed at this years show: More glass and customized tiles, higher and deeper embosses and textures, and brighter colors, although earth tones are still king, color is starting to come back into flooring. Stone and wood are definitely continuing to take market share from other types of flooring in remodels and new home construction. One product that I found interesting was a scratch repair kit for stone surfaces.
Green Update
Although everyone is talking green, not everybody is happy. I’m hearing grumbling about the standards not being realistic and that all this standards development is not properly thought out and is moving way to fast to allow for adequate input and review. Quite frankly, I’d have to agree, most all of the standards are being developed by special interest groups (basically manufacturers) with the support of academia and little or no input from those doing the work or buying the services.
One example is NY State which is putting together green purchasing guidelines for its school system. The most recent circulated draft made many statements that aren’t based in science and go totally against current industry practice. The most flagrant example is a requirement that carpet be cleaned with cold water.
This only reinforces the need for true unbiased scientific research in the cleaning industry. As a follow up, I noticed recently on an industry bulletin board that the reader was suggesting that a statement in a recent magazine article be incorporated into a revision of an IICRC course and manual. Again, just because something makes it into print doesn’t make it true or factual. What we need is unbiased scientific research to validate the facts, until that happens, we aren’t much better off than we were 60 years ago.
Standards, Standards and More Standards – Do They Really Mean Anything?
The jockeying continues with major manufacturers and associations all trying to make sure their interests are protected. Whether it is Green Seal, ISSA, BSCI, CRI, OS1, CIRI or any other group, the choices and decisions at this time are driven by money and politics, not science. Let’s hope that with time, pressure and monitoring this will change. I’m optimistic, but cautious.
BSCAI
My sources tell me that changes are under way in the leadership at the BSCAI, Carol Dean will soon be out of the picture and the BSCAI trade show will merge with the ISSA Show. All I can say is it’s about time. Rumor has it that the BSCAI lost almost $100,000 on last years trade show (due to poor attendance) and can’t afford to have that happen again. This is interesting since one of the leaders of the BSCAI, in a presentation at last years BSCAI show, made a statement that the best thing that could happen to the industry is for the ISSA to just go away. Just goes to show that one must be careful what you ask for because sometimes the request get mixed up in the translation and you don’t get exactly what you wanted.
Home Depot and the Insurance Industry
Here’s another rumor for you. Home Depot has contracted with a major insurance company (Allstate?) to handle all their water damage and restoration services in the USA using only Home Depot products and approved contractors. That should send a few shock waves through the restoration industry which has been over charging the insurance industry and home owners for years. Finally we may get some sanity in restoration prices, but then again, I’ve never found Home Depot prices to be cheap, but they are certainly less than standard restoration rates.
Certification Required
I read recently that the architects who designed a green building where also providing tenants and building management with the cleaning specifications for the property. Makes sense to me, if the building is designed to meet a specific LEED certification level, the cleaning should also be specified to assure that the property continues to meet the requirement of the certification category.
We all know that when a property isn’t cleaned and maintained properly it can and will go down hill quickly. I’ve also noticed a trend recently that property owners and managers are pressuring and in some cases writing into contract specifications that the service company will be a certified firm that uses certified cleaners to do the work. This is an interesting development that will drive the industry in the right direction and in the long run should result in better service as well as competitive prices.
I’m seeing this trend reflected in the fact that I am getting building service contractors calling me wanting to know where they can send their workers to attend a floor or carpet cleaning certification seminar. These are the same people that I have pestered over the last 10 year to send at least one person to my local classes and the response has always been the same, “Sure Bill, I’ll see if can get someone to attend” and of course that never happens. What a change, now the BSC’s want to sponsor a seminar before their competition does.
CIRI Schedules Symposium and Calls for White Papers
The Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) is a newly formed group that has appointed itself as the group to represent the industry when it comes to conducting research on cleaning. The group has successfully lobbied about a half dozen manufacturers and the ISSA for $50,000 donations to conduct its research and has assembled a panel of scientists to oversee its work. On the surface this all sounds like a great idea, at the same time, I get a little nervous about a group of academics and manufacturers getting together to tell all the rest of us what we need to know and how we should do our work. In my opinion close oversight is needed to make sure that we get all the facts, not a white washed report that has been sterilized to protect those who have funded the project.
In looking at the names on the list, I see that several of the scientists overseeing the project have in the past acted as paid consultants to the carpet industry. I’m hopeful that they can also conduct unbiased scientific research and report the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Don’t get me wrong, the industry is in dire need of facts and research is the way to get them, however, we have been getting our fill of marketing research over the last 15 years, now it’s time for the truth and something tells me not everyone is going to be happy with the results of true scientific unfiltered research, especially when it finds that a product or process doesn’t work as well as the advertising literature states.
Part of the CIRI’s process is to call for white papers and to hold a symposium in Las Vegas at UNLV in April of 2007. For more info on the CIRI or its symposium or white paper request, visit: www.ciri-research.org
Fishing
I’m in South Dakota this week fishing. It’s one of my summer activities. Yesterday, I found a great spot on the lake. I was out of the wind, behind a little hill, in the shade, under a big tree and the lake was glass calm in my little alcove. I found two flat rocks to set my lawn chair on, it was just great. There was only one thing missing, you guessed it. The fish weren’t biting. Oh well, the scenery was so good and location so relaxing that I didn’t even care. Guess I’ll just have to go back and try it again today.
