Green Cleaning - ISSA

Member Milestones
The story behind Vaportek, Inc.’s revolutionary
deodorization concept—developed
specifically to eliminate difficult
odors in hospital cancer and burn wards—
is a combination of the savvy adaptation of
an idea by the business world and good
old-fashioned American ingenuity.
In the 1960s, a research chemist with
Evinrude Outboard Motors and a selfemployed
chemical engineer were working
on a process to prevent barnacles from
sticking to boat bottoms. They came up
with a process by which gas was
delivered through a membrane, creating
a film that covered the bottom of
the boat. The process worked, but it
contained aspects that made application
in water impractical.
Enter John D. Bryson, vice president
of the ventures division of Will
Ross, Inc.—a nationally known
health-care and hospital-supply firm
located in Milwaukee, WI. Bryson
became interested in the concept as a
possible way to treat odors in hospitals
and other health-related industries.
The first product he developed,
in the shape and size of a common
breadbox, did not merely hide odors,
it actually neutralized them. This was
done by precisely controlling the emission
of a dry vapor from a replaceable plastic
cartridge or membrane containing a special
compound of aromatic and modified
natural oils. The unit’s harmless dry
vapor combined with molecules in the
odor-causing substance, neutralizing
them without actually changing their
nature.
In the first two years following the
product’s introduction, the story of its
success hit the business pages of newspapers
throughout the United States. Initially,
it was used only in hospitals and
nursing homes, but it soon found acceptance
in pet shops, cleaning firms, hotels,
restaurants, and many other businesses
22 March/April 09
Vaportek, Inc.
30th Anniversary
with odor problems. Larger units for
industrial use, such as tanneries, sewagetreatment
plants, and major manufacturing
firms, were also developed.
When Will Ross, Inc. was purchased by
G.D. Searle Co., and plans were
announced to move the business from
Milwaukee to Dallas, TX, Bryson purchased
the odor neutralizer’s manufacturing
assets and worldwide intellectual
property rights. In 1979, Vaportek was
incorporated as a Wisconsin company.
In the early
’80s, the company’s
export
business was initiated
through
strategic partnerships in Asia and Europe.
Bryson’s son, John D. Bryson Jr., was
appointed president in 1991 and followed
in his father’s creative footsteps by introducing
the company’s popular impregnated
fiber-pad products. They now comprise
a significant segment of Vaportek’s
standard- and custom-product line.
THROUGH PRODUCT modification and
enhancement over the years, Vaportek has
continued to expand from the medical,
janitorial, and industrial markets into
additional ones. Over the past 10 years,
the firm’s industrial products have made
a significant impact on the disasterrestoration
industry, offering a safe, effective
alternative to ozone-generating,
masking, and chemical odor-control
methods. For example, the popular
VaporShark system treats odors in areas
up to 50,000 cubic feet and is used by
restoration specialists in fire, flood, bioremediation,
and other disaster-recovery
operations.
As for the company’s future during
these troubled times, Bryson Jr. comments,
“The business climate was already becoming
challenging in 2008, and 2009 looks to
be a year for very careful business practices.
Vaportek continues to see satisfactory
operational results in the marketplace;
however, with the necessary caution
required because of the highly volatile
markets, we have moderated plans for
new products and
equipment at this time.”
The bad economy
notwithstanding, a dedicated
work force at the
company’s Sussex, WI,
headquarters facility
continues to manufacture
quality products
that are marketed
around the world by an
established network of
janitorial/sanitation-, health-care-, restoration-,
and athletic-supply dealers; national
franchises; and international distributors.
Longtime partnerships in Switzerland,
Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan,
Korea, and other countries provide marketing
and sales expertise across the globe.
It’s a combination that has allowed
Vaportek to grow and succeed during its
first 30 years, and it promises to enable the
company to maintain its tradition of innovation
and excellence.
Market Focus
Facing the Future
By Stephen Hanig
Although many in the jansan
industry noted an economic
slowdown developing fairly
early in 2008, it was not until the last
few months of the year that the market
showed a significant decline.
Distributors were first to feel it as
their sales activity decreased, followed
by manufacturers.
Many took comfort in the fact
that, historically, economic downswings
have tended to impact the
jansan industry minimally. While
more volatile industries, such as real
estate, auto, hospitality, and others,
have often needed to take drastic
measures to ensure longevity in bad
times, the jansan industry—because
of its stability and because it is an
easy-entry job marketplace—has not
felt the effects as deeply.
However, we can no longer take
solace in history. This downturn has
impacted the jansan community
and ended any myths that this
industry is recession proof. A recent
article in the Wall Street Journal (February
7, 2009) details the impact that
the economy is having on temporary
staffing agencies and notes that
the temporary hiring of cleaning
staffers, which normally remains
somewhat stable in tough times, is
down significantly.
Viewing the situation in more
detail, it appears that manufacturers
and distributors of big-ticket items
are currently the most affected.
According to ISSA Executive Director
John Garfinkel, equipment sales
tend to be the first to falter in tough
times, followed by chemicals, paper,
and other less expensive products.
However, as things improve, he
says, it’s often equipment sales,
such as carpet extractors, that are
the first to tick upward.
With these issues in mind, what
are facility service providers (FSPs)
looking for now, given the current
state of the economy? What should
jansan distributors and manufacturers
do now to improve sales? And
what is the outlook for cleaningequipment
sales?
Past & Future Outlooks
In a 2001 study, the Fredonia
Group—a Cleveland, OH-based
industrial-market-research firm that
provides assessments of more than
125 different industries and their
products—predicted relatively
strong growth for the professional
cleaning industry through 2005.
Regarding specific market sectors,
the study reported the growth
* would U.S. Census be “driven Bureau; by includes demand kindergarten for
through commercial high school [carpet] as well cleaning as higher-educaequiption public facilities. Go to http://www.cenment,
particularly shampooers and
sus.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/
facts_for_features/001286.html.
extractors.”
The study went on to predict
that FSPs would seek higher-qual-
ity standards in carpet-cleaning
equipment, meaning they would
expect machines to be more durable
with fewer service problems and
less downtime. Additionally,
demand would create a continued
focus on machines that help protect
indoor air quality as well as equipment
with enhanced ergonomics,
making them easier to work with
and maneuver. Also, the study predicted
that the overwhelming bulk
of the purchases would come from
office, institutional, and commercial
facilities and from carpet-cleaning
technicians.
The study did not reference building
service contractors, who are now
among the largest and fastest-growing
industry segments purchasing
carpet-cleaning equipment.
As to future sales growth,
according to information released in
2008, the Fredonia Group predicts
sales will continue to climb, and
once again the majority of sales are
expected to come from the same
market sectors mentioned above.
Further, Fredonia suggests that carpet-cleaning
equipment that protects
indoor air quality and is environmentally
responsible, easier to
operate, and durable will still be
what FSPs are most focused on
when making product selections in
coming years.
Current Product Demand
For the most part, the Fredonia
Group’s past sales and FSP predictions
have come true. But because
the latest study was published in
2008, prepared before the current
** downturn G. Earthman, in the “Theeconomy, Impact of School pre-
Building dicted sales Condition figures on Student may not Achievement prove
and Behavior” (paper presented at the Euro-
to be as accurate. After all, many of
pean Investment Bank, Organization for
Economic
the top business
Co-operation
forecasters—in
and Development
pri-
International vate industry Conference, as wellLuxembourg, as govern- Nov.
16–17, ment—were 1998). caught off guard by
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