National Clothesline

Solvair has slashed the price of its machine and introduced a consumer marketing program.

The company announced a new pricing structure last month that cuts the purchase price of the Solvair Cleaning system to $80,000, down from $150,000. Reductions in installation costs have also been put in effect, the company said.

“When we first commercialized this technology, we explained that we would look forward to reductions in equipment costs as we scaled up,” said L. Ross Beard, president and CEO of Solvair LLC. “After two years of commercial operations, we have attained negotiated reductions in raw materials, manufacturing and overhead.”

Solvair has offset a portion of the initial capital investment cost for equipment and incorporated it into monthly consumables costs. The company is offering its 24-hour technical support as well as access to Solvair’s marketing support program for a monthly fee.

According to Blain Wrench, Solvair’s vice president of sales, “In this economic climate, we believe that most cleaners and financial institutions prefer a digestible monthly cost versus a larger, up front capital investment cost.”

The company noted that there are no affiliate, licensing, or franchise fees attached to being a Solvair owner.

The new consumer marketing program, available to all Solvair owners, helps communicate the benefits of the system and provides the tools to explain to consumers why Solvair cleaning is the best choice for their clothing care.

“Current users of Solvair Cleaning Systems have clearly demonstrated that they can offer unmatched cleaning and a means to stand out from their competition,” Beard noted. “As a result, they have been able to increase market share and profitability.”

All stages and individual elements of the program are professionally designed to support an easy-to-understand consumer message that is consistent with the message of the Solvair consumer website, www.greenclothingcare.com, and Solvair’s communications to the consumer media.

In addition to the printed materials in the kit, the Solvair marketing team is focused on providing owners with press opportunities in trade media, local and national consumer media, and with assistance in leveraging social media networking.

The introductory marketing kit has printed materials and services which are included free as a benefit of Solvair ownership.

This kit includes printed materials such as posters, brochures, electronic loop presentations, counter area educational booklets and other materials to reach out to customers at the front call area and beyond.

Customer service representative training is also part of the program. The company’s basic customer service training program helps prepare customer service associates to talk about the key benefits of Solvair.

The price cut and new marketing program come on the heels of Solvair receiving the Technology Trailbazer Award from the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, one of the meritorious service awards given by the DLI during Clean ’09 in New Orleans last June. The Technology Trailblazer award recognizes the development of “a viable drycleaning technology.”

Solvair is a two-stage hybrid cleaning system. In the first stage clothes are cleaned in a rotating wheel into which propylene glycol ether is pumped, circulated and filtered. A high-speed extraction removes most of the solvent at the end of the wash cycle.

In the second stage, pressurized liquid carbon dioxide is used to rinse the garments. When the pressure in the wheel is reduced, the liquid CO2 converts back to a gas, leaving the garments dry, clean and free of solvent.

The 30-lb. capacity machines complete the cleaning process in a 30-minute cycle, yielding a potential of 60 pounds of cleaning per hour.

The Solvair system is continuously monitored and connected to the Solvair tech support center so any issues can be addressed as soon as they arise.

The systems have been installed in about a dozen plants around the country, not as many as the company initially hoped when it introduced the technology to the industry at the California Cleaners Association trade show in 2006. Since the first system went into operation two years ago this month in an Illinois plant, additional systems have been installed in plants in California, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York in the United States and in Ontario in Canada.

For those using the system, Beard said the results have been good.

“Current users of Solvair Cleaning Systems have clearly demonstrated that they can offer unmatched cleaning and a means to stand out from their competition. As a result, they have been able to increase market share and profitability,” he said.

In addition to the consumer web site, information for professional cleaners is available on the Solvair web site, www.solvaircleaningsystems.com.

The company lists a number of advantages to the system on its web site, including no pre-spotting; reduced risk of setting stains; less wear and tear on clothes in the cleaning process; reduced risk of shrinkage; and no residual odors in fabrics.




						Solvair slashes system’s purchase price



							Solvair has slashed the price of its machine and introduced a consumer marketing program. The company announced a new pricing structure last month that cuts the purchase price of the Solvair Cleaning system to $80,000, down from $150,000. Reductions in installation costs have also been put in effect, the company said. “When we first commercialized this technology, we explained that we would look forward to reductions in equipment costs as we scaled up,” said L. Ross Beard, president and CEO of Solvair LLC. “After two years of commercial operations, we have attained negotiated reductions in raw materials, manufacturing and overhead.” Solvair has offset a portion of the initial capital investment cost for equipment and incorporated it into monthly consumables costs. The company is offering its 24-hour technical support as well as access to Solvair’s marketing support program for a monthly fee. According to Blain Wrench, Solvair’s vice president of sales, “In this economic climate, we believe that most cleaners and financial institutions prefer a digestible monthly cost versus a larger, up front capital investment cost.” The company noted that there are no affiliate, licensing, or franchise fees attached to being a Solvair owner. The new consumer marketing program, available to all Solvair owners, helps communicate the benefits of the system and provides the tools to explain to consumers why Solvair cleaning is the best choice for their clothing care. “Current users of Solvair Cleaning Systems have clearly demonstrated that they can offer unmatched cleaning and a means to stand out from their competition,” Beard noted. “As a result, they have been able to increase market share and profitability.” All stages and individual elements of the program are professionally designed to support an easy-to-understand consumer message that is consistent with the message of the Solvair consumer website, www.greenclothingcare.com, and Solvair’s communications to the consumer media. In addition to the printed materials in the kit, the Solvair marketing team is focused on providing owners with press opportunities in trade media, local and national consumer media, and with assistance in leveraging social media networking. The introductory marketing kit has printed materials and services which are included free as a benefit of Solvair ownership. This kit includes printed materials such as posters, brochures, electronic loop presentations, counter area educational booklets and other materials to reach out to customers at the front call area and beyond. Customer service representative training is also part of the program. The company’s basic customer service training program helps prepare customer service associates to talk about the key benefits of Solvair. The price cut and new marketing program come on the heels of Solvair receiving the Technology Trailbazer Award from the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, one of the meritorious service awards given by the DLI during Clean ’09 in New Orleans last June. The Technology Trailblazer award recognizes the development of “a viable drycleaning technology.” Solvair is a two-stage hybrid cleaning system. In the first stage clothes are cleaned in a rotating wheel into which propylene glycol ether is pumped, circulated and filtered. A high-speed extraction removes most of the solvent at the end of the wash cycle. In the second stage, pressurized liquid carbon dioxide is used to rinse the garments. When the pressure in the wheel is reduced, the liquid CO2 converts back to a gas, leaving the garments dry, clean and free of solvent. The 30-lb. capacity machines complete the cleaning process in a 30-minute cycle, yielding a potential of 60 pounds of cleaning per hour. The Solvair system is continuously monitored and connected to the Solvair tech support center so any issues can be addressed as soon as they arise. The systems have been installed in about a dozen plants around the country, not as many as the company initially hoped when it introduced the technology to the industry at the California Cleaners Association trade show in 2006. Since the first system went into operation two years ago this month in an Illinois plant, additional systems have been installed in plants in California, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York in the United States and in Ontario in Canada. For those using the system, Beard said the results have been good. “Current users of Solvair Cleaning Systems have clearly demonstrated that they can offer unmatched cleaning and a means to stand out from their competition. As a result, they have been able to increase market share and profitability,” he said. In addition to the consumer web site, information for professional cleaners is available on the Solvair web site, www.solvaircleaningsystems.com. The company lists a number of advantages to the system on its web site, including no pre-spotting; reduced risk of setting stains; less wear and tear on clothes in the cleaning process; reduced risk of shrinkage; and no residual odors in fabrics.