News Items - October 2004

Best Manufacturing Group LLC Acquires a Segment of American Uniform Company

Jersey City, NJ, October 1, 2004 (Company Release) – Best Manufacturing Group LLC announced today that it has acquired the Image Apparel direct sale business of American Uniform Company in an equity buyout. Headquartered in Cleveland, TN, American Uniform provides industrial uniforms and flat goods to the linen supply and industrial uniform industry. The Image Apparel segment of the company that Best has acquired allows American Uniform to better focus on its core business.

Commenting on the acquisition, Ron Steel, Best Vice President, Image Apparel Division, said, “Best is proud to have been selected by American Uniform to care for its Image Apparel direct sale customers. We appreciate the trust placed in us to continue the high level of quality and service these customers have come to expect.” Best and American are cooperating on a smooth transition to assure all its customers a seamless transition period with no interruption of service.

This is an equity buyout and Best will be adding personnel to support this new business. The inventory in American’s distribution center in Cleveland , TN will be moved to Best’s distribution center in Cordele , GA. All apparel that is made with the American brand on it will in due course have the Best label.

American Uniform’s Image Apparel direct sales customers will benefit from Best’s extensive product line offering which has a wider and more diversified range of stock merchandise.

Best Manufacturing, founded in 1914, services the textile rental, hospitality, healthcare and image apparel markets with a wide range of products, including napery, uniforms and other textile products.

The acquisition of American Uniform is part of Best’s strategy to focus on its core textile and garment businesses, expand product and service offerings and grow through acquisition. This acquisition helps Best to broaden its customer base to new market segments and represents the third acquisition for Best in the last three years. In June, 2004, Best acquired Artex International; in 2002, Best acquired H.W. Baker Linen, both now functioning as fully integrated members of the Best family.

For further information, visit www.bestmfg.com

New Uniform Program Underway at Virgin Express

Brussels , September 21, 2004 (Company Release) - Virgin Express has chosen the Flory Group as the designer of new uniforms for its cabin crew and ground staff. The new outfits will be worn as of October 1, 2004 . Inspired by the Virgin Express corporate colors, this Les Griffés Guy Laroche collection is built around basic black with a touch of red, adorned with the airline's logo.

The new uniforms have been designed for the 350 Virgin Express cabin crew members and ground staff members. 'Although we have been working on this project for over a year now,' says Neil Burrows, Managing Director of Virgin Express, 'it did not take us long to identify Les Griffés Guy Laroche as our preferred supplier. The Flory Group then put together a proposal with three different lines and later fine-tuned it. The final collection with the definitive style, fabrics and accessories was presented a couple of months later.'

The role of a corporate clothing designer such as the Flory Group is not just about designing and producing uniforms. Caroline Callies, President of the Flory Group, explains that 'It also involves a wide range of services such as providing fitting sessions for newly hired Virgin Express employees, defining guidelines on how to wear the outfits, managing the dressing rooms, delivering the uniforms in individual packages, conducting a survey to gauge the satisfaction of those wearing the uniform on board of the aircraft and in the airports, etc. This new collection will undoubtedly enhance Virgin Express' already excellent image with its customers and business partners'.

'A trendy but timeless outfit that suits all sizes, a uniform that truly reflects the company's image... this is how companies define their expectations of a designer uniform,' says Michele Perrin, stylist with Les Griffés Guy Laroche. 'Even though our clients tend to prefer classic styles, I always suggest three different lines. This allows us to express our creativity more freely without disconcerting the clients.' The new Virgin Express collection is based on one of the three proposals presented. 'The fabric often acts as an idea-generator. With a clear understanding of what the client wants and a bit of flair, we can come up with a chic and eye-catching design.'

The main items for the women's uniform are:

- a 3-piece suit.

- a red-striped blouse (short-sleeved for the summer and long-sleeved for the winter).

- a black cardigan.

- a black and red trench coat with a removable red fleece lining.

- accessories including a belt, scarves, a handbag and penholder.

The men's uniform comprises:

- a 2-piece suit.

- a short and a long-sleeved red-striped shirt.

- a black trench coat with a removable black fleece lining.

- and accessories including a tie, belt, scarf, and penholder.


For more than 40 years, Flory Group has designed, manufactured and marketed, under the brand names Flory, Flory Prestige and Les Griffés Guy Laroche, designer clothing in various sectors such as the hotel business, retail, services and transport. The Flory Group employs 170 people of which 120 work at the Company Head Office in Cholet ( France ). The Flory Group produces more than 2 million products each year for 6000 customers in 116 countries. The group's turnover in 2003 was E21.5 million.

Sailors Can Hear You Now. Navy Will Allow Female Sailors to Buy Civilian Purses and Clip Cell Phones to their Belts

Washington , DC , September 13, 2004 (CNN) -- Navy sailors won't have to pat themselves down or search their Navy regulation purses to find their ringing cell phones for much longer.

Uniform regulation changes announced Monday allow all sailors to clip electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs or pagers to their belts.

The changes also allow them to carry gym bags or briefcases while in uniform and give women the freedom to choose pants instead of skirts.

In addition, female sailors will no longer be issued a regulation Navy purse but will be allowed to choose civilian handbags that fit the Navy's criteria.

The changes, which are effective October 1, are the first from the Navy's Task Force Uniform, which will unveil other changes in the future.

The task force surveyed more than 40,000 sailors to determine which uniform changes are needed most. Sailors were asked 35 multiple-choice questions about their uniforms and accessories.

The changes to the Navy uniform are not as sweeping as the change announced in June by the U.S. Army.

The Army announced 20 changes to the combat uniform -- not accessories -- that included removing the color black from camouflage. The uniform is more relaxed and includes suede boots that don't need to be polished.

The Navy task force will also test new uniforms that include a variety of colors and designs.

Leaders Aim to Fix Trade Policy

North Carolina , September 26, 2004 (Reported by Donald W. Patterson, News & Record) -- After a delay of nearly a month, the textile industry hopes to kick off its grass-roots political campaign in North Carolina Oct. 4, just days before it files petitions asking the Bush administration to limit imports from China and less than a month before the elections.

"We're going ahead full steam," said Karl Spilhaus, president of the National Textile Association in Boston . "It's going ahead as soon as they can get cranked up."

Textile leaders from the NTA, the National Council of Textile Organizations and the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition hope to have a campaign kickoff event in Greensboro . But they stress that no plans have been finalized.

The theme, Spilhaus said, will be short, if not sweet: "Fix trade policy now."

That message -- or one similar to it -- will appear on billboards, yard signs and bumper stickers that will be displayed through the Nov. 2 elections. But even after the campaign ends, the trade message will continue, industry leaders say.

"We want this issue up there in front of whoever is in charge (in Washington )," said John Emrich, president and chief executive officer of Guilford Mills. "This will go beyond the November elections."

Textile leaders refuse to say how much the campaign will cost, but it will focus on North Carolina and, to a lesser extent, South Carolina .

They say the campaign will be part of their efforts to get the Bush administration to accept and approve petitions to impose temporary limits -- called the China safeguard -- on textile and apparel imports.

The mechanism is needed, they say, because the 40-year-old quota system expires on Jan. 1. After that, many textile leaders believe that China will come to dominate their industry because it uses a variety of unfair trade practices.

An industry study shows that the end of quotas will cost the textile sector more than 600,000 jobs in the United States alone, with 85,000 of those coming from North Carolina.

Textile leaders originally planned to begin the campaign shortly after Labor Day, but the effort got pushed back for a number of reasons.

Those include the fact that key industry officials tried to put pressure on President Bush to publicly support their cause, particularly on the China safeguard issue.

When Bush visited Charlotte on Sept. 17, he did make reference to the safeguards. But he only mentioned past actions -- "We were the first administration to invoke the China safeguard," he said -- not what might happen in the future. The federal government approved three safeguard petitions last year.

The president also talked about trade issues during his stop in Charlotte .

"The message is clear," Bush said. "If you're going to trade with us, you treat us fairly because Americans can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere if the rules are fair. … What I am saying to other nations is, you treat us the way we treat you."

Since January 2001, the textile and apparel industry has lost more than 343,000 jobs -- nearly one in three. Of those, nearly 61,000 were in North Carolina .

On another front, the campaign also got pushed back while textile leaders waited to see what might develop during a trip to China earlier this month by Grant Aldonas, an undersecretary in the Commerce Department. Aldonas told the Chinese that his department will accept safeguard petitions that are based on the potential threat that imports pose to the textile industry rather than actual damage, which has been the primary standard in the past.

Chinese officials did not react favorably, but the United States is allowed to take such protective action based on rules set up when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2002.

Industry leaders said they appreciate Aldonas' stand, but they need more than talk. "The bottom line is that you have got to have approval of the petitions that we are going to file," Lloyd Wood, a spokesman for the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition in Washington , said in a recent interview. "That is where the rubber meets the road."

Industry officials said Friday they are trying to decide which petitions -- each will cover a different category of garments -- to file first. They would not discuss specific categories under consideration but did indicate that about a dozen safeguard requests would be filed from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8.

The latter date is key, they say. Once a safeguard request is filed, the federal committee that decides such issues has 15 working days to determine if the request meets the requirements for consideration.

That means that any petitions filed by Oct. 8 would pass or fail their initial test just before the Nov. 2 elections.

Textile leaders say that after they file the first batch of petitions in early October, they will file about a dozen more about 45 days later and a dozen or so more early in 2005.

They say the government committee that will consider the petitions doesn't have sufficient manpower to handle all the requests at one time.

Industry leaders hope to have the initial safeguards in place on the most sensitive categories of garments when quotas expire Jan. 1.

Old Nurses’ Uniforms Are New Again

September 21, 2004 , Morning Edition (NPR) – Atlanta ’s largest hospital now requires its 1,100 nurses to wear all white uniforms. Previously, nurses were allowed to wear colors and prints. But hospital administrators found that this was causing confusion among patients and staff alike.

Patients of Atlanta ’s Grady Memorial Hospital complained that it was difficult to tell the nurses from the rest of the employees. “I never knew if I was talking to a nurse, a lab technician or housekeeping,” noted one patient. “If I’m sick, I need a nurse, not some other employee.” Indeed, even hospital administrators felt that the purple, pink and blue scrubs that have been worn since the late ‘80s needed to be rethought. “Some nurses would wear the scrubs with character tee shirts or other types of street clothing,” said Rhonda Scott, chief supervisor, nurses staff. “This just wasn’t very professional.”

To build respect for the nursing profession, the hospital now gives its full time nurses $75 and part time staff $35 toward the cost of purchasing a more traditional outfit. Currently, a full nurses’ uniform costs about $80.

While most applauded the change, a few were hesitant at first. “I was able to show my personality with the scrubs, and I liked that,” said one nurse. After much positive feedback, however, the nurse had second thoughts. “It definitely sends the right message to our patients,” she said. “And I do feel more professional.”

Scott echoed the sentiments. “I want the white uniform to have the same impact in this profession as a blue uniform has in the police department,” she noted. “When you see a police officer, you think information. You think safety. You think security. All of this comes to mind before the officer has even spoken a word.”

Apparently, others share Scott’s views. Hospitals from around the country have contacted her regarding the switch and its benefits.

Nano-Tex Expands Management Team with Technology, Marketing Executives

Emeryville, CA, September 28, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nano-Tex™, LLC, a leading provider of textile-enhancing products to apparel companies, today announced it has added Kim Houchens, Ph.D., as chief technology officer and Mark Brutten as senior vice president of marketing to its management team. The new hires are part of the company's strategic growth plan, with specific emphasis on new product research and development, brand building and consumer adoption.

Dr. Houchens brings more than 16 years’ experience managing new product development with a focus on growth strategies, innovation through rapid commercialization and team development. She has become an expert in the Stage-Gate™ product development process and in the project and portfolio management techniques that support this process. Additionally, her scientific background in the comfort, safety and performance of textiles makes her uniquely positioned to help Nano-Tex achieve its growth goals.

Prior to joining Nano-Tex, Houchens was director of technology and new product development at OMNOVA Solutions in the Decorative Products division. Previously, she worked for The Dow Chemical Company as technology development leader for the Specialty Fibers division.

Houchens also worked as a consultant to the military at Arthur D. Little focusing in the area of advanced protective clothing. Early in her career, she worked in research for the Kimberly Clark Corporation where she improved the comfort and safety of AIDS barrier surgical gowns and clean-room garments. Some of her most creative scientific work was with ILC Dover where she had the opportunity to develop parts of the spacesuits for the International Space Station and also develop advanced spacesuit concepts for the Men-to-Mars initiative.

Brutten brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, brand strategy and advertising with some of the world's most recognized and respected brands. His work has earned esteemed industry recognition, including three Clio advertising awards.

Prior to joining Nano-Tex, Brutten was vice president at Addis, a leading brand strategy and design firm, where he developed brand-building platforms for Intel, Dole, Maytag, 24 Hour Fitness and others. Brutten's background also includes market development and brand-building work with start-up companies and emerging brands. Before joining Addis, he was vice president of marketing and business development at Productopia.com, and he led brand marketing efforts at When.com, Excite and SegaSoft.

Brutten also served as marketing director at Jacobs Suchard, where he developed, launched and marketed products and programs for Brach's confections, driving significant increases in the brand's market share and revenue. Early in his career, he held account management positions at Young & Rubicam, a leading global advertising agency.

"In the past year, Nano-Tex has significantly expanded its infrastructure to eight worldwide business locations, over 50 production partners and more than 40 retail-branded customers," said Don Tice, CEO of Nano-Tex. "Kim and Mark will steer our efforts to drive new growth through innovative products and market penetration."

Nano-Tex, LLC is headquartered in Emeryville , CA , with operations in Greensboro , NC ; Milan ; Istanbul ; New Delhi ; Hong Kong ; and Osaka and Seoul . Nano-Tex develops and markets a family of nanotechnology-based textile treatments that dramatically improve the performance of everyday fabrics.

To date, more than 50 textile mills worldwide are utilizing Nano-Tex treatments in products sold by more than 40 leading apparel and interior furnishings brands, including Gap, Old Navy, Lee, Nike, Champion, Levi, Marks & Spencer and Simmons. Products enhanced with Nano-Tex are sold throughout North America , India , Japan and in select locations in the United Kingdom and Europe .

For more information, visit www.nano-tex.com

Uniforms the Latest Wave in Recycling

Tokyo , Japan , September 20, 2004 , (Kyodo News) — Japanese transport firms, a bank and police departments are recycling employee uniforms, but workers aren't getting hand-me-downs.

The duds are being turned into products ranging from auto fabrics to biodegradable planters.

In the spring, Japan Airlines began to recycle 230 tons of uniforms for cabin attendants, ground and maintenance crews as resources for sound-proof material in cars.

JAL used to burn old uniforms to prevent them from getting into the hands of fraudsters or potential airport and aircraft intruders. JAL had to dispose of the large volume of uniforms in connection with its integration with Japan Air System in April.

The occasion gave the company a chance to change its thinking from incineration to recycling. It removed the JAL buttons and logos before processing as a precaution in case the clothing gets into public circulation.

The process takes about three and a half months to complete and costs about double the incineration price, according to the company. A JAL official said the airline changed its stance on uniform disposal in consideration of the environment because burning them generates carbon dioxide.

Textile trading firm Chikuma & Co of Osaka , which handles JAL uniform recycling, said there is a growing trend in recycling fabrics for raw materials to be used in other products.

Meanwhile, the National Police Agency is recommending prefectural governments recycle uniforms for an estimated 240,000 cops across Japan . But these must also be kept from public circulation for security reasons.

Prefectural governments decide how to get rid of old uniforms but they normally have them shredded so that they cannot be recognized as police uniforms. They are then used as raw materials for other products. "Prefectural governments must establish a recycling process and deal appropriately with environmental problems," an NPA accounting official said.

Other recycling efforts are also under way. East Railway Japan Co. has treated old employee uniforms in a melting furnace and produced fuel gas from fiscal 2002 to 2003.

Hyakugo Bank in Tsu, Mie Prefecture , has abolished uniforms for its female staff. It converted the fabric into biodegradable planters and distributed them to primary schools and schools for handicapped and mentally retarded children. The planters disintegrate in six to 12 months and can be disposed of as garbage.

Fueled by Teen Sales, Dickie is Growing in Fort Worth

Dallas , Texas , September 19, 2004 , (Reported by Daniel Bartel, Dallas Business Journal) Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co., the 82-year-old maker of workwear apparel, is undertaking a 141,000-square-foot expansion of its North Fort Worth distribution plant.

The expansion adds capacity to the company's existing, 350,000-square-foot distribution warehouse at 9400 Blue Mound Road near Saginaw , said Jon Ragsdale, vice president of marketing for Williamson-Dickie.

Haws & Tingle General Contractors Inc. in Fort Worth has begun initial site work on the project. City of Fort Worth building permit officials value the new building at around $4 million, not including land acquisition costs.

"Our growth is pretty enviable," Ragsdale said.

The expansion is an investment in Fort Worth as a city and ensures growth for the company's employee base, he added.

Williamson-Dickie is a private company and doesn't disclose its revenue or the size of its work force.

Hoovers Online, a Web-based financial research service, listed the company's annual gross sales at $845 million in 2001, up from $690 million in 1998.

Over the last several years, Williamson-Dickie has enjoyed an upsurge in growth through the introduction of new product lines for teens, which now comprise more than 25% of sales, according to Hoovers . The company makes Dickie's-brand khaki pants, bib overalls, jeans, women's and children's apparel and safety uniforms.

"We've seen phenomenal growth, considering we don't invest millions of dollars in advertising," Ragsdale said.

Throughout its long history, the company's success has come through focusing on one niche instead of "trying to be everything to everyone," said Sally Fortenberry, professor of merchandise and textiles at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth . The company offers a quality product at a consistent price, she said.

Dickie's line of workwear products also fits well with the reigning "workingman's" fashion trend, which emphasizes dark denim jeans and mesh baseball caps, she said. The company's label has been worn by famous hip-hop artists including Outkast and The Beastie Boys.

Family-owned Williamson-Dickie, which started as a small bib-overall company in 1922, has grown since into one of the world's largest makers of work-wear apparel. The company's work wear is sold nationwide and in Europe , Australia , Japan and Mexico . As of 2004, the company had 80% brand awareness nationally among all age groups, up from 70% a decade ago, Ragsdale said. "We're really a part of people's lives," he said. "Your grandfather probably wore our product."

Another reason for Williamson-Dickie's success is its increased involvement in international trade.

The company laid off about 1,000 employees along Texas border cities Weslaco and McAllen in 2002.

The layoffs were a result of sweeping changes in the apparel industry caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement. Manufacturing in these towns was outsourced, mainly to factories in Mexico and some overseas, Ragsdale said.

Now, textile and apparel manufacturers such as Williamson-Dickie are working to establish more factories internationally before January, when the apparel industry will likely become more competitive, Fortenberry said.

On Jan. 1, the industry will be integrated into the World Trade Organization. Once that happens WTO regulations will lift tariffs, quotas and embargoes on the textile and apparel industry which countries previously were able to impose, she said.

Cintas Unveils New Corporate Tagline: “ The Service Professionals”

Cincinnati, OH, August 26, 2004 (Company Release) -- Following the announcement of its 35th consecutive year of growth in sales and earnings - an honor surpassed by only one other public company, Wal-Mart - Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) unveiled its new corporate tagline, “Cintas, The Service Professionals” to better communicate its overall value proposition.

By leveraging Cintas’ business model and core competencies, the company’s non-uniform customer base has grown to more than 50% of its total customer base. These companies purchase restroom supply services, entrance mats and dust control services, first aid and safety products, fire protection services, document management and paper shredding, promotional products, cleanroom apparel and supplies, and much more from Cintas.

“Today, we are much more than ‘The Uniform People’,” stated Scott Farmer, Cintas President and CEO. The company’s vision is to provide a product or service to every business in North America . “Cintas’ new tagline more accurately reflects our company’s growth potential through a highly diversified service offering,” Farmer stated. “Cintas, ‘The Service Professionals,’ proudly communicates our culture, professionalism, and commitment to realizing our vision.”

Cintas’ business divisions will continue to use the same taglines they have always used in their local markets, so the company’s 5,000 employee-partners who deliver uniforms everyday will continue to identify themselves as “Cintas, The Uniform People.” However the corporate tagline is now officially “Cintas, ‘The Service Professionals.’” The new tagline will be featured on all future corporate communications, including annual reports and financial information, as well as on marketing collateral that describes all of the company’s corporate capabilities.

About Cintas Corporation

Headquartered in Cincinnati , Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types throughout North America . Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products and first aid and safety products for over 500,000 businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol CTAS, and is a Nasdaq-100 company and component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. The Company has achieved 35 consecutive years of growth in sales and earnings, to date.

For more information, visit www.cintas.com

LOOKING TRENDY ... New uniforms for Sheraton Utama's Tasek Brasserie and Deals Restaurant

September 17, 2004 (Borneo Bulletin) - Sheraton Utama's food outlets, Tasek Brasserie and Deals Restaurant, have introduced new uniforms for their frontline staff to complement the modern look and décor of both restaurants, a press release from the hotel stated.

For Tasek Brasserie, the new uniform is comprised of a long-sleeved white business shirt with a logo of the restaurant embroidered at the back of the shirt, a cobalt blue tie with a matching apron and black pants. As for the Deals Restaurant, the ensemble includes a long-sleeved white business shirt with the restaurant logo embroidered on the cuffs, an earthy orange colored tie with a matching apron and black pants.

The hotel's Executive Assistant Manager for Food & Beverage, Simon Dornan, said the change would give the restaurants "a fresh look and a new dimension." The new uniforms will be in used in both restaurants by the end of the month.