National
News
- July 2006
July Edition, (Psychological Science) - If someone, somewhere
hadn't thought to make team uniforms the same color, we
might be stuck watching NBA finals or World Cup soccer
matches with only two players and a ref.
It is that color coding, Johns Hopkins University psychologists
have now demonstrated, that allows spectators, players
and coaches at major sporting events to overcome humans'
natural limit of tracking no more than three objects at
a time.
“We’ve known for some time that human beings
are limited to paying attention to no more than three objects
at any one time," said Justin Halberda, assistant
professor of psychological and brain sciences in the university's’ Zanvyl
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
"We report the rather surprising result that people
can focus on more than three items at a time if those items
share a common color," he said. "Our research
suggests that the common color allows people to overcome
the usual limit, because the ‘color coding’ enables
them to perceive the separate individuals as a single set."
Thus: Miami Heat fans perceive their five white-jerseyed
players as a unit in action against five blue-shirted Dallas
Mavericks. England's football faithful can track their
white-shirted field players against Sweden's yellow-garbed
10. (Since soccer goalies wear different colors than field
players, though, fans of both clubs may have to think a
moment before remembering which keeper goes with which
team.)
The color-sorting ability comes in handy not just in
sports. Poker players get a feel for the size of the pot
by checking out different colored chips; a glance in the
cooler tells a picnic organizer whether she has the right
mix of red Coke cans and blue Pepsis.
Knowing that color is the key to making sense of large
numbers of objects “informs our understanding of
the structure of visual cognition and reveals that humans
rely on early visual features to attend large sets in parallel," Halberda
said. “Ongoing work in our lab is revealing which
other features humans might use.”
Halberda and Feigenson reached their conclusion by asking
Johns Hopkins undergraduate volunteers to view series of
colored dots flashing onto a black computer screen. The
subjects were asked to estimate the number of dots in one
randomly selected set on each trial.
Half the time, the subjects were told in advance whether
to pay attention to, say, just the red dots or just the
green ones. Otherwise, the subjects were required to store
as much information as possible in visual memory from what
they saw briefly onscreen.
Some sets contained as many as 35 dots and subjects viewed
the sets for less than one half second, which Halberda
points out “is too short to allow the subjects to
actually count the dots.” Subjects were very accurate
when told in advance which set to pay attention to, regardless
of how many different colors were present, revealing that
humans are able to select a set that shares a common color.
Subjects were also very accurate at enumerating a color
subset when asked after the flash of dots so long as the
flash contained three or fewer colors.
“We found that humans are unable to store information
from more than three sets at once,” Halberda said. “This
places an important constraint on how humans think about
and interact with sets in the world.”
Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes
of Health provided funding for this study.
Cleveland, June 19, 2006 (Pest Control Technology)— In
December 2005, PCT sent out an e-mail survey asking our
readers various questions about company uniforms. The survey
was sent out to 500 random readers, of which 249 responded.
The survey revealed some interesting findings about the
use of company uniforms within the pest control industry.
Not surprisingly, 90% of respondents indicated that their
employees wear some sort of uniform. Employees most likely
to wear uniforms were field technicians (94%), although
a significant percentage of management (54%) and sales
personnel (59%) also wear uniforms.
More than 90% of those surveyed said that they believe
uniformed employees gives a company a competitive advantage.
The No. 1 reason employees wear uniforms is for professionalism
(97%) while identification (84%), and protection & safety
(53%) also were popular reasons. Those who responded that
they do not wear uniforms cited a variety of reasons, including
lack of comfort, serving in positions where uniforms aren’t
necessary (e.g., office personnel) and company size.
The uniform provider in the pest control industry whose
name first comes to mind is Cintas (25%), followed by WearGuard
(10%) and Aramark (8%). (Editor’s note: Aramark
acquired WearGuard in 1992, but still manufacturers the
WearGuard line of work clothes.)
Wilmington, MA, June 2, 2006 (Company Release) – Like
it or not, society has given credence to the importance
of defining who you are by how you look and what you do
for a living. As a result, many people’s identities
and sense of self-worth are often defined by their jobs.
Given that link between image and work, the apparel people wear on the job
has taken on widespread significance with workers everywhere, according to
Paul Fussell, a cultural historian and emeritus professor at the University
of Pennsylvania who authored, “Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear.”
In his book, Fussell says work uniforms are popular because they provide evidence
that their wearers have jobs that are likely permanent in nature and, therefore,
are deserving of respect. Fussell’s research also revealed that welcomed
sense of self-esteem was not limited to any particular occupations, but was
universal in nature.
“Although the link between clothing and respect can be more readily observed
when the uniform in question is worn by a police officer or firefighter, it is
nonetheless present to some degree in all uniforms that workers wear,” said
Robert Isaacson, Director of Marketing for UniFirst Corporation, a leading supplier
of uniforms and work apparel throughout the U.S. and Canada. “The professor’s
findings also help to underscore why many enterprises personalize their employees’ work
apparel with logoed emblems and name identities—doing so helps their workers
to stand further apart from the crowd and provide them with an even stronger
business image.”
Isaacson added that personalized uniform programs also tend to create a “positive
snowballing effect” for businesses that adopt them. “When workers
feel more positive about the identity they project, they become more loyal,
create more harmony within the workplace, and become more productive. They
also have a tendency to become innovators and contribute to an overall motivating
atmosphere.”
In order to accommodate virtually any business budget, Isaacson said that major
uniform providers typically offer companies the option of renting, leasing
or purchasing their work apparel. “It all basically comes down to how
much program management responsibility companies wish to have. A rental program
is the choice for many companies because it keeps them out of the uniform
management business and the service provider handles all the laundering and
upkeep on the garments; the leasing and purchase options provide lower cost
structures but require more employer and/or employee involvement.”
Whatever the option, the UniFirst Director noted the ultimate result will undoubtedly
be the same: “a heighten sense of employee self-esteem, admiration from
onlookers, and increased productivity.”
For more information, visit www.unifirst.com or call
UniFirst at 800. 225.3364.
From Lighting Research Center - Retailers looking to
add dazzle to their store window displays may want to consider
colored LEDs, or light-emitting diodes. A field study from
the Lighting Research Center (LRC) discovered that colored
lighting effects created with these tiny lamps can cut
lighting energy in retail windows by 30 to 50 percent and
attract more attention from shoppers.
Retailers use lighting in display windows to illuminate
merchandise, attract attention, and even send a message
about the quality of their store. To get the most impact,
Dan Frering of the LRC says stores often use plenty of
high-wattage accent lights to highlight mannequins and
merchandise. “This creates visual interest and makes
the merchandise stand out from the background,” he
says. This technique is effective but when used 12 or more
hours every day, the energy consumption and costs can climb.
The United States Department of Energy says lighting is
the biggest energy expense for retailers, accounting for
37 percent of total energy use in U.S. retail buildings.
This energy problem could be eased with new types of
efficient lighting now taking off. The LED, a tiny semiconductor
that emits light in a range of vivid colors, is commonly
found in traffic signals, exit signs, and electronic displays,
but recent improvements have prompted lighting specialists
to look at new ways to use LEDs for illumination. The potential
benefits, including better efficiency and longer life (up
to 50,000 hours, or 40 times longer than conventional incandescent
lamps), have catalyzed global research efforts in LED and
solid-state lighting technology. Colored LEDs, in particular,
have become popular as an architectural and display lighting
option because they offer flexibility to designers and
consume half the energy of traditional incandescent sources
with color filters.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
sponsored the LRC field study to determine whether energy-efficient,
colored window lighting could draw the interest of shoppers,
reduce energy consumption in store windows, and maintain
or improve retail sales. LRC researchers installed custom,
slim-profile LED fixtures in the windows of three stores
owned by a popular clothing retailer found in Los Angeles
area shopping malls. To cut energy consumption by 30 to
50 percent in each window, they eliminated all general
fluorescent lighting, reduced the number and wattage of
halogen accent lights, and added LED systems to create
colored backgrounds for interest. The researchers tested
different window display and lighting scenarios over an
eight-week period and surveyed shoppers about the attractiveness,
visibility, and eye-catching ability of the windows. (Lighting
inside the stores remained unchanged.)
After eight weeks and more than 700 surveys, the results
showed that the colored LED lighting was a hit with shoppers.
They preferred the colored LED window with a 30 percent
reduction in power over the typical high-energy lighting
design.
Cutting the lighting power consumption further to 50
percent in each window resulted in no significant difference
in shoppers’ opinions compared with the typical lighting,
and a lower opinion compared with the 30 percent reduction.
Sales data gathered by the retailer showed no significant
change in sales at the three test stores during the study
period, even with a 50 percent reduction in power consumption.
The potential savings and payback that can come from
using alternative LED lighting designs may lead retailers
to consider these new concepts. The LRC estimates that
the average store can reduce power demand from lighting
store windows by up to 1 kilowatt, saving 5,500 kilowatt-hours
per year.* Given current LED lighting system costs and
estimated energy and maintenance savings, the typical system
payback is less than two years.
However, a successful switch to LED lighting is not as
simple as replacing one type of lamp for another in the
same socket. LRC Director of Research Nadarajah Narendran,
Ph.D., says that many lighting applications can benefit
from LEDs if the implementation is appropriate and takes
advantage of the LED’s characteristics and performance.
This often means finding creative design solutions. “Instead
of trying to replace conventional technology with the new
in a given application, it is better to identify alternate
lighting solutions that exploit the strengths of the new
technology, even if it breaks tradition,” he says. “That
was one of our goals with this field study.”
Washington, June 10 (Army News Service) -- Army service uniforms will be streamlined
to one blue Army Service Uniform, the Army announced today.
"World-class Soldiers deserve a simplified, quality
uniform. The blue Army Service Uniform is a traditional
uniform that is consistent with the Army's most honored
traditions," said Sgt. Maj. Of the Army Kenneth O.
Preston.
"We have all of these variations of uniforms - green,
blue and white," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter
J. Schoomaker. "It makes sense for us to go to one
traditional uniform that is really sharp and high quality
and which Soldiers will be very proud to wear. And that's
what we've done by adopting this blue Army Service Uniform
that reflects simplicity, quality, utility and tradition."
Many Soldiers already own an Army blue uniform (now to
be called the Army Service Uniform) and may continue to
wear it. Improvements will be made to the fabric and fit.
Reduction of the number of uniforms will reduce the burden
on Soldiers for purchases and alteration cost.
Introduction in the Army Military Clothing Sales Stores
should begin in fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007. Introduction
in the Clothing Bag should begin first quarter 2009. The
Mandatory Possession Date is expected to be fourth quarter
fiscal year 2011.
A wear-out date for the Army Green Class A and White
dress uniforms will be determined at a later date.
The consolidation of Army service uniforms is part of
a streamlining process. In 2004, the Army reduced the number
of battle dress uniforms from three to one when it adopted
the Army Combat Uniform in place of the Woodland Green
Battle Dress Uniform (winter and summer versions) and the
Desert Combat Uniform. That uniform consolidation has been
a resounding success in terms of soldier acceptance and
reducing the variety of combat uniforms with which they
must deal.
Army Blue as a uniform color traces its origins back
to the National Blue and was first worn by Soldiers in
the Continental Army of 1779.
Besides tradition, the Army Service Uniform reflects
utility, simplicity and quality.
In utility, the blue Army Service Uniform provides a
basic set of components that allow Soldiers to dress from
the lowest end to the highest end of service uniforms with
little variation required.
In simplicity, the blue Army Service Uniform eliminates
the need for numerous sets of green Class A uniforms, service
blue uniforms and, for some, Army white mess uniforms (and
tunics, for women). Streamlining various service uniforms
into one Army Service Uniform reduces the burden on Soldiers
in the same manner that the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) did
for the field utility uniform.
In quality, the blue Army Service Uniform is made of
a durable material that is suitable for daily use without
special care.
Information about the blue Army Service Uniform and
its composition is available at http://www.army.mil/symbols/uniforms.
Miami, June 8, 2006 (Company Release) - World Emblem
International, Inc. is proud to announce the completion
of the ISO-9001-2000 Recertification. This three-day audit
by American Quality Assessors (a member of the ANSI-RAB)
came to completion on Marc h 30 th, 2006, and will remain
current for the next two years. The scope of the certification
covers custom embroidery, custom screen-printing and thermal
transfers. World Emblem International is also the only
company in these industries with this type of certification.
To be certified means that World Emblem works under the
ISO 9001-2000 quality standards, which are the highest
standards. World Emblem had to establish a complete quality
system with procedures and processes in accordance with
ISO specifications.
World Emblem has accomplished an extensive overhaul of
its quality system. Complete customer satisfaction is the
objective and goal with zero tolerance on mistakes sent
to the customer. Extensive check points by Quality Assurance,
from the customer order through the manufacturing process
to final inspection and delivery, will ensure this goal
can be reached.
World Emblem International is very proud to have accomplished
this extensive undertaking and is taking it a step further
with the introduction of our “Cost of Quality” program.
Quality Assurance will monitor and compile a cost of items
lost due to mistakes. This program will include an in-house
investigation to determine corrective action to prevent
future mistakes. This means accountability for the mistakes
and prevention.
World Emblem International, Inc. is a designer and manufacturer
of precision-embroidered and screen-printed emblems. In
addition, World Emblem is a leading manufacturer of custom
transfers, direct screen printing, direct embroidery, ID
tape, reflective emblems and materials, and houses a full
inventory of blanks, corporate stock and hold emblems and
garments.
Headquartered in Miami, World Emblem's ultra-modern 40,000
square foot facility is one of the largest and best equipped
in the country. True to our name, World Emblem International
is a global leader in the identification market, with manufacturing
facilities in Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Mexico and the
United Kingdom.
To learn more, call 305.908-4453 or visit www.worldemblem.com
Seattle, WA, June 14, 2006 (Company Release) – SanMar
Corp., a supplier of wholesale apparel and accessories,
has furthered its commitment to its CornerStone workwear
line by bringing on veteran sales representative David
Janosik to serve customers East of the Mississippi.
“David is an ideal choice as SanMar’s Eastern CornerStone sales rep,” said
Dan Tushar, SanMar’s national sales manager. “He brings with him
substantial experience and a deep understanding of the industrial workwear, uniform,
textile and linen marketplace. His intimate understanding of the segment will
enable him to deliver exceptional service to SanMar’s CornerStone customers.”
David Janosik has 30 years experience in the industrial supply industry. Prior
to SanMar, Janosik was based out of Chicago as Steiner Corporations’ Midwest
regional sales manager, a position that he held since 2000. Previously, Janosik
was the Channel Manager for GoJo, where he was responsible for their textile
segment across North America.
Janosik lives in Cleveland, OH with his wife, Lucy. He has two children, a
stepchild and grandson. He can be reached at 330.467.2480.
SanMar Corporation is a leading supplier of wholesale apparel including Port
Authority®, Port & Company®, District Threads™, CornerStone™,
Sport-Tek™, Nike Golf, Ping®, Lee®, Hanes®, and Jerzees®.
A family owned business since 1971, SanMar is based in Seattle, WA with six
national distribution centers.
Bridgeport, June 23, 2006 (Connecticut Post Online) -
The owners of a Bridgeport uniform shop believe the Hartford
Public School District's decision to make school uniforms
mandatory could be a million-dollar idea.
Efrain and Ada Ramos own Nosotros Sports Plus, a uniform
shop at 563 East Main St. in Bridgeport that recently won
the right to provide uniforms for at least two Hartford
schools, with 12 others expressing interest. Nosotros did
not win a contract, only the right to be one of several
retailers to provide uniforms, so the Bridgeport company
will have to slug it out with competitors such as Wal-Mart
and Target for customers.
But Efrain Ramos said he likes his chances against the
giant retailers because his company has experience on its
side. Ramos and his wife opened the store in 1999 and are
supplying uniforms and logos to parents of students at
12 Bridgeport schools. Uniforms are optional in some Bridgeport
schools and Nosotros clothed about 3,000 students in the
Park City last year, Ramos said.
But Ramos said Hartford's June 6 decision to make uniforms
mandatory in all public elementary and middle schools is
a huge opportunity.
"Last year we moved 9,000 units," he said,
adding that most parents buy five uniforms to cover each
day of the school week. "In Hartford, we could move
100,000."
Ramos plans to open a store in Hartford within the next
month or so at which parents will be able to buy the required
clothing. The Bridgeport shop will remain open, he said.
The going rate for a uniform is about $15 to $17, and
Ramos said his sales could hit $1 million if he gets a
lot of orders from Hartford parents.
So far, Ramos said, two schools have sent him their logos
to use on uniforms and he has heard from 12 others that
also want to use his shop.
Terry D'Italia, a Hartford School District spokesman,
said parents will be able to buy uniforms from any retailer.
The clothes only have to fall within the confines of the
new uniform policy, he said.
"It's more of a dress code," he said.
Under the policy, which starts in September, boys will
be limited to blue or gray dress pants or knee-length shorts,
solid blue or white shirts and navy or white socks. Girls
will wear solid navy or gray dress/jumpers, skirts, skorts
(they flow like skirts but are separated like shorts),
knee-length shorts and white or light-blue blouses. Middle
school students have the same restrictions but get to add
burgundy tops and khaki pants to the mix.
Webster Brooks, an operation assistant in the Hartford
School District and the designated point man on the school
uniform project, said Ramos was well-received at a Wednesday
forum at which retailers showed their clothing lines.
"They'll be very competitive," Brooks said.
Nosotros isn't branching out only into Hartford, Ramos
said, it's also going international — he recently
shipped a bunch of shirts to the Amsterdam Museum of Tulips.
But right now, Nosotros' bread and butter is school uniforms,
and Ramos said the growing interest in public school dress
codes is not only good for him, but also the students,
because it improves safety and creates a better learning
environment.
Specifically, Ramos said if a student dressed in a uniform
is wandering around during school hours, he is easier to
spot when away from school. That could help police make
sure children are where they need to be.
It also creates a more level playing field for kids.
“Everyone is wearing the same thing," he said,
which eliminates the tendency to worry about "what
the guy next door can afford."
Jersey City, NJ, June 13, 2006 (Company Release) – Best
Manufacturing Group LLC has announced the launch of its
new Service Apparel catalog. The new catalog features an
integration of both the Best and Artex Service Apparel
lines under one name - Best. The Best name was chosen as
the lead go-to-market brand name for Best Manufacturing
Group LLC’s Institutional Division in September of
2005. The unified name was chosen to symbolize a successful
union of Best with Artex following its June 2004 acquisition.
A follow-up to the greatly successful High Fashion Hospitality Apparel catalog,
the new Service Apparel catalog features a wide variety of high quality work
wear ranging from aprons and wraparounds, to chef coats and smocks, to surgeon’s
gowns and lab coats. Best is North America’s largest manufacturer of
service apparel that can meet the demands of the healthcare, food preparation
and processing industries and also withstand the rigors of industrial processing.
To see Best’s new catalog and to request a printed copy please visit
http://www.bestmfg.com/CatalogRequest.aspx. The printed catalog is scheduled
to be released in July.
“Best’s customers continue to enjoy a broader line of product choices,
expanded services, a larger field sales force and a combined experience base
in the industry that is unrivalled by competitors,” comments Terry Anderson
Senior VP of Sales for Best’s Institutional Division.
Best, founded in 1914, services the hospitality, textile
rental, healthcare and image apparel markets with a wide
range of products, including, bed linen, bath linen, napery,
uniforms and other textile products. The company is headquartered
in New Jersey and has operations based in Massachusetts,
Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, Texas, Nevada, Canada,
Mexico and Asia.
For more information please visit www.bestmfg.com.
New York, May 1, 2006 (Company Release) – Chelsea
Marketeers, a premiere eBay trading service specializing
in commercial accounts and private collections, recently
auctioned a collection of 18 complete Braniff International
flight attendant uniforms designed by Emilio Pucci or Halston
along with a host of matching shoes, handbags, luggage,
and other accessories. The complete collection – consisting
of 90 individual items – was gathered by a former
Braniff flight attendant, Mary Sue Seibold, during the
20 years she flew with the airline. The designer uniforms
and accessories, including a one-of-a-kind prototype purse
from Pucci, was displayed at a private before being auctioned
by the New York-based Chelsea Marketeers.
“This is more than just a collection of old uniforms,” explained
Mary Sue Seibold, the former Braniff flight attendant who
amassed the collection from 1963 to 1983. “This is
a slice of history, a collage of what air travel was before
the accountants took over.”
“This is the largest and most comprehensive collection
of vintage airline uniforms we’ve seen,” added
Jeffrey Bernstein, CEO of Chelsea Marketeers. “The
collection is particularly significant because Braniff’s
uniforms from this era were designed by Pucci and Halston,
and they in turn inspired many of today’s leading
names in fashion. “Our goal is to sell it as a complete
collection to someone who truly appreciates the talents
of Pucci and Halston and the impact that these designs
made – not only on the airline industry, but also
on the fashion industry as a whole.”
In the early 1960s, Dallas-based Braniff International
set out to make commercial air travel more glamorous. The
airline tapped the talent of Emilio Pucci, a former WWII
bomber pilot and one of the hottest designers of the time
to create the uniforms for its flight attendants. Pucci’s
innovative designs were a blend of fashion at altitude
and fashion with attitude, serving up bright, bold colors
with both style and sex appeal. In the 1970s, Braniff hired
Halston to provide a new, refreshing look for its flight
attendants, continuing its leadership in high-flying fashion.
Braniff’s fashionable flight attendant uniforms
set the trends not only for the center aisle, but also
for the streets of New York and Los Angeles. Braniff’s
bold colors and stylish designs helped transform the airline
industry from the utilitarian functionality that emerged
from its post-World War II military roots to a service-oriented
industry in which the passenger was offered an experience
in the air.
The high-flying fashions also inspired many of today’s
top designers, proving that edgy innovation can lead to
commercial success. After all, these ground-breaking uniforms
played a pivotal role in propelling Braniff to new heights
in the aviation industry.
Auction bidding opened at $100,000. To view images
from the collection, visit www.chelseamarketeers.com.
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