The trend in carpet care equipment is clear: new innovations are complementing traditional cleaning methods. The new take on old standards is giving customers a host of new options for achieving clean, healthy carpets.

There’s greater awareness today of the issues surrounding healthy buildings; carpets take center stage in that discussion. Mold in carpets is of particular concern, so today, many end users are looking for education and equipment to help minimize the possibility of mold growth.

Henry Levenstein, vice president of sales and marketing at Supply King, a Neptune City, N.J.-based jan/san distributor, says three or four schools in his area didn’t start on time this year because mold was present in the classrooms.

“A lot of that is attributed to carpets,” he says. Often, when cleaners extract carpets, they don’t allow them enough time to dry. Cleaners close the windows and with no air circulation to dry the carpet, it becomes a haven for dangerous mold.

“If you’re using a wet type of cleaning process, you want to make sure that the carpet is allowed to dry quickly; leave the windows open to circulation,” Levenstein suggests. It’s important that customers be taught the proper procedures, he adds.

Dan Ott, co-owner of Facility Supply Systems in Chicago, agrees that there is far greater concern today about indoor air quality (IAQ) among his customers than in the past.

“What we’re finding is that as time goes on and people become more aware of what’s going on in their business, carpet care becomes a bigger concern for them,” he says.

Addressing IAQ
Carpet has continued its steady climb in popularity as a floor covering of choice for many years, according to the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), Dalton, Ga. In 2001, total industry sales reached 16.9 billion square feet — a lot of carpet requiring a lot of cleaning and maintenance.

But just because all that carpet is out there does not mean that end users have carpet maintenance down pat. They still need education, time and understanding, as well as guidance in choosing the best equipment for their particular needs.

Equipment choices have multiplied, and customers have access to a wider variety of tools than ever before. Many of today’s new technologies were created to directly address concerns about IAQ. For example, backpack vacuums with increased filtration, new types of extraction and HEPA vacuums have all made inroads to traditional forms of carpet cleaning. Distributors have the opportunity to show their customers the benefits of these new options, and then educate them on getting the most out of a new purchase.

Ott’s company has made a decided push toward selling backpack vacuums. He cites their increased filtration, and says they provide better cleaning options for customers with IAQ concerns. Newly constructed buildings are one segment that has benefited from advances in filtration — dust stays inside the vacuum rather than being released back into the air.

“Everything you pick up is staying in the vacuum,” he says.

Ott’s and Levenstein’s companies are also experimenting with a new type of extracting system — one that allows the fluid to come into contact with the carpet for a mere split second (reducing overall moisture). It also recycles the cleaning solution.

“Your dry time is an hour and a half rather than four hours with regular extraction,” Ott says.

New options have changed the way jan/san distributors traditionally sell, says Levenstein. “There’s more to know for the salesperson, but more opportunities to differentiate,” he says. “And there are more ways for the competition to hit you,” he adds.

While “non-traditional” cleaning methods are becoming more popular, the need and demand for traditional methods of vacuuming and extracting are always there. Customer preferences will differ, but it’s beneficial for distributors to be aware of predominant product trends and innovations.

Carpet can be a good option for many customers, says Levenstein, but only if they realize that they need a good maintenance regimen in place or it will deteriorate prematurely.

“I suggest a program where they pay the most attention to the high-wear areas and do a lot of maintenance so they don’t have to lose the whole room or have to restore it. Entryways are going to be a main problem area, and the center part of halls — those should get the most attention.”

Equipment Service
Many distributor businesses perform equipment maintenance onsite; others outsource the duties, and still others fluctuate from one to the other as needs and demands change. While Levenstein and Ott outsource carpet care equipment repairs, another company has taken equipment repair to a new level.

Diana Richards’ unique approach to helping customers maintain carpet has grown her business into one that supports 83,000 pieces of carpet care equipment. Richards, president and CEO of the Cleveland-based Vacuum Systems International, specializes in maintaining and keeping vacuum cleaners and other carpet care equipment stocked and in working order for her many retail customers.

A veteran of vacuum cleaner sales and repairs, the idea materialized in 1994 when, while working at a vacuum repair shop, Richards saw a steady influx of mall employees bringing their machines in for service. Many simply needed a new belt; if there was something wrong beyond that, they would quickly throw them away. So Richards thought: why not recycle these still-good machines? A year later, she was in business.

Richards’ basic business model is this: each client owns its own vacuum cleaners; Richards’ company will maintain, repair, refurbish or rebuild machines as needed, keeping each client stocked with its original number. (She also sells new vacuums.)

“Say a company like Foot Locker owns 5,000 vacuums. We maintain that inventory, and we’re always rotating that inventory.” Two times a year, each machine receives scheduled maintenance (the company has 24 repair technicians), and otherwise they’re rotated on an as-needed basis. Vacuum Systems International also has a problem-solving call center for the convenience of customers.

Even though Richards’ program can save its customers hundreds of thousands of dollars, she’s not immune to the economy’s crunch. Of the nine years she’s been in business, this year she has experienced the most price pressure. So, the company has had to explore new selling strategies.

“We can offer a different level of repair,” Richards explains. “Instead of a complete refurb, we can go back to them and offer four levels of repair.” The most intensive is a complete overhaul that includes new motors, new housings — new everything, she adds. With the lower levels of repair, Richards tells the customer that they’ll get the vacuum back in working order, but it won’t be as “pretty” as a new or refurbished machine.

Beyond that, the company has begun to look at furthering management of its customers’ machine inventories. Often, a retail store might accumulate as many as four or five vacuum cleaners, and up until now, nobody has overseen what each store keeps in stock. Richards’ company now catalogs inventories for the corporate offices, beyond making sure machines are properly serviced and maintained. “We put more vacuums into the rotation, so it cuts their purchases, and that’s been a tremendous opportunity for them.”

Still A Tough Sell?
Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the carpet care equipment market? It’s hard to say. Distributors agree that equipment purchases in general were negatively affected by the economic hard times (people preferred to repair rather than purchase), but the worst could be over.

There seems to be a bit of an upswing in capital expenditures, according to distributors. Ott and Levenstein both say they’ve seen a rise in equipment purchases in recent months. It may be too soon to say, but they’re keeping their fingers crossed.




POSTED ON: 10/1/2003