NewslineVolume VII, Issue 21 - October 6, 2006The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue: Two New Solutions Join SOA Family
Carpet Upholstery Spotter RTU which is manufactured by Service Master Clean of Memphis, TN, earned designation as a spot remover and SoilBlaster Pro, made by Shield Industries of Woodstock, GA, was certified as a prespray. Each product passed a series of stringent tests performed by an independent laboratory in order to make the list of cleaning solutions. The tests for spot removers, pre-sprays and in-tank solutions include protocols for efficacy (removing stains), resoiling (whether the product attracts soil at an accelerated rate), pH (excessively acid or alkaline products can affect dyes and fibers), optical brighteners (can adversely affect color, appearance and performance) and colorfastness to light (residues on pile yarn can accelerate color change). To date there are nearly 70 cleaning solutions which have earned SOA designation as being among the best cleaners on the market. Contact Carroll Turner at 706.428-2106. View a full list of SOA-approved cleaning solutions Register Now For CRI Annual MeetingThe CRI Annual Meeting will be held at the Northwest Georgia Convention and Trade Center on November 9th. Deadline for registration will be November 6th. Stephen Brown, Vice President and General Counsel for The Dutko Group, will be the featured speaker and will tell the group how the just-completed elections might impact the carpet industry. Please be sure to go ahead and Save The Date on your calendar and get those registrations in! Contact James Beach at 706.428-2116. CRI and AHAM Agree on Transition of Vacuum Cleaner Program
The majority of the conversation between the two groups centered on the testing protocol that will be incorporated within the new program starting in 2007. The groups agreed to run correlation data between several test methods, including XRF, gravimetric and F608 methodology and a decision on the test method would then be decided at a future meeting of the participants. The meeting also broached the subject of a new testing program for household extractors that would be tied to neither the current SOA nor Green Label Programs, but would not be unveiled until sometime in late 2007. Contact Carroll Turner at 706.428-2106. CRI Present at C&M Trade ShowsCRI has had a couple of busy weeks at trade shows targeting the cleaning and maintenance industry. CRI was a major sponsor at the recent Connections show in Las Vegas which caters to the residential cleaning segment. Carey Mitchell, who heads up CRI's Cleaning & Maintenance Issues Management Team, was also a featured presenter for the event reviewing the Seal of Approval Program for the attendees. CRI was also present with a booth at the ISSA/Interclean Show in Chicago which targets the commercial cleaning segment. NASA Astronaut Bob Springer was on-hand and participated in CRI's presentation to attendees. Both shows were very productive and those companies that have earned Seal of Approval certification were marketing their products as such at both shows. Contact James Beach at 706.428-2116. Watershed Clean-up Date SetThe 12th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up will take place on October 28th from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Last year over 300,000 pounds of trash were pulled out of Georgia's waterways by volunteers. As part of Georgia's Annual Waterway Clean-up and the Northwest Georgia United Way's Make a Difference Day, Keep Dalton/Whitfield Beautiful and The Nature Conservancy, this year's event will take place at four locations:
Volunteers from carpet manufacturers play a big role in the clean-up and Shaw Industries is one of the main sponsors of the event. For more information contact the Nature Conservancy at 706.279-9001 Contact Jeremy Stroop at 706.428-2127. CRI Now Has Service Provider Agreement in PlaceThe Carpet and Rug Institute encourages the use of its Seal of Approval logo, and/or label by qualified service providers. In order to protect and assure the proper use of the highly recognized program's symbols and identities, an agreement outlining these guidelines must be executed by the service provider. Any service provider using Seal of Approval equipment and cleaning products together are now eligible to display the logo on their trucks and/or marketing materials as long as they have signed this agreement, provided contact information along with a list of SOA certified equipment and chemicals being used in your normal day to day carpet cleaning operation. In addition to execution of the Participation Agreement, an annual fee is also required. This fee of $25 must be submitted at time of application for use of the SOA logo. CRI will also provide high resolution images of the official SOA seal upon request. High quality 12-inch diameter vinyl decals are also available for purchase at nominal cost through the CRI Publications Desk. Call Susan Newberry at 706 428 2114 for details on availability and cost. These decals are suitable for do it yourself installation on trucks and vans. Contact Pat Jennings at 706.428-2126. PSC Asks Georgia Power To Recalculate Increase RequestCarpet companies along with Georgia residential consumers should find out soon just how much of an increase to expect in their fuel bills starting in January. The Public Service Commission has asked that the Georgia Power Co. start over and recalculate its request to increase electric bills since fuel prices recently have dropped. Georgia Power is asking state utility regulators' permission to collect an additional $190 million from customers because of higher-than-expected expenses for fuel needed to generate power. If Georgia Power's most recent request were granted, the average residential bill would go up about 1 percent, or 91 cents a month, starting in January. PSC staff members say the utility's request should be rejected and a new one submitted because Georgia Power should have adjusted its estimates for future fuel costs, particularly since some market prices have gone down. Under state law, the utility is allowed to recover the money it spends on fuel through customer bills, but it isn't allowed to make a profit on the charges. Contact James Beach at 706.428-2116. CRI Meetings
* Sustainability Issues Management Team, October 11, 2:00 - 4:00 pm CRI Participation in Upcoming Events
* Megatex, October 31 – November 3, Atlanta, GA Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
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