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National Broom & Mop

ConventionIndustry Leaders Meet In St. LouisDetailed Reports

Given By SuppliersBroom Corn

Fumigation IssueDiscussed

January 2009

Broom, Brush & Mop MagazineS E R V I N G T H E I N D U S T R Y S I N C E 1 9 1 2

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:13 PM

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Broom, Brush & MopA RANKIN PUBLISHING PUBLICATION January 2009 Volume 99, Number 1

CALENDAR

ASSOCIATIONSAMERICAN BRUSH MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

2111 W. Plum St., Aurora, IL 60506 • (630) 631-5217

AMERICAN HARDWARE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION801 North Plaza Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4977 • (847) 605-1025

FEIBP EUROPEAN BRUSH FEDERATIONP.O. Box 90154, 5000 LG Tilburg, The Netherlands • 00 31 13 5944 678

INTERNATIONAL SANITARY SUPPLY ASSOCIATION7373 N. Lincoln Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60646-1799 • (847) 982-0800

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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP (ISSN 0890-2933) is published monthly at 204 E. Main St.,P.O. Box 130, Arcola, Illinois 61910. Telephone: (217) 268-4959. Subscriptions are $25 in theUnited States; $35 in Canada and Mexico; all others $110. The $110 foreign subscriptionsinclude first class air mail postage. Arrangements can be made for first class postage for theUnited States, Canada and Mexico. Single copies of issues are $2 for subscribers; $5 for non-subscribers, postage extra. The Suppliers Directory issue is $10 per copy.

BROOM, BRUSH & MOP is a monthly trade magazine devoted to news of broom, brushand mop manufacturers and allied industries. It was established in 1912 as the Broom &Broom Corn News. It was entered as second class mail matter Feb. 27, 1912, at the U.S. PostOffice in Arcola, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

Periodical postage paid at Arcola, IL, and additional mailing offices.Postmaster: send address changes to P.O. Box 130, Arcola, IL 61910.

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September Imports & Exports ___________________24

Import/Export Overview ________________________26

Broom Corn Dealer Survey _____________________36

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

CO-PUBLISHERS

Don Rankin Linda Rankin

EDITOR

Harrell Kerkhoff

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Rick MullenGRAPHIC/PRODUCTION

Jennie GraceDavid Opdyke

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RECEPTION

Sandy Pierce

PAGE 4 BROOM, BRUSH & MOP January 2009

National Broom & Mop ConventionIndustry Leaders Gather In St. Louis _______________6Detailed Suppliers Reports Given _________________8Fumigation Issue Discussed ____________________12

Paint Roller, Pad Business Hanging Tough Despite Economy ________________18

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BROOM, BRUSH & MOP January 2009

By Harrell KerkhoffBroom, Brush & Mop Editor

Today’s uncertainties in business influencing local, nationaland international markets was a main topic of discussionduring the 2008 National Broom & Mop Convention

that recently took place in St. Louis, MO.Representatives from various broom and mop manufacturing

and supplier companies converged at the Hilton St. Louis AirportHotel on November 20-21 to network and hear industry-relatedreports. A committee was also formed at the meeting portion of theevent to help find a solution to recent broom corn import fumiga-tion requirements brought on by the United States Department ofAgriculture (USDA).

This year’s convention co-chairmen were Barry Harper ofHarper Brush Works, Inc., in Fairfield, IA; and Ray LeBlancof PelRay International, LLC, in San Antonio, TX.

One of the highlights during this year’s annual convention meet-ing was a presentation on today’s global monetary exchange rates

and various commodity markets, presented by Bart Pelton ofPelRay International.

Pelton noted that in today’s business climate, it’s very importantfor U.S. broom and mop-related companies to keep up with glob-

al economic issues. Many of these companies work in some man-ner with both imports and exports as North American broom andmop production has become a global industry.

“We (at PelRay International) follow foreign exchange ratesvery closely as part of our business as some of our key supplierssell to us in euros or pesos,” Pelton explained. “Even if we arebuying in U.S. dollars, say from sources in China or Brazil, theseforeign suppliers’ costs are being affected by the value of the U.S.dollar. When the dollar is falling in price, our foreign suppliers’profits are being pinched. And likewise, if the dollar is going up invalue, I know their margins are increasing and it’s a good time forus to ask for a better deal.”

He added that by tracking changes in foreign exchange rates, abusiness can get a better feeling of what future pricing is likely tobe concerning a component or product that a U.S. company maywant to purchase.

It’s important to realize that many U.S. manufacturers ofbrooms and mops now have to import a majority of their compa-ny’s raw materials. Knowledge of such currencies as the Europeaneuro and Mexican peso is essential. Such industry raw materialsas broom corn, stitching twine, tampico and palmyra are all now100 percent imported. There are also very high percentages ofwooden handles and blocks being imported, along with lower per-centages of mop yarn, metal handles and plastic fiber.

Pelton presented several charts detailing recent activity of suchforeign currencies as the European euro, Canadian dollar,Mexican peso, Chinese yuan and Brazilian real. These are curren-cies of countries where many imported raw materials come fromfor the production of American-made brooms, mops and relatedcleaning items. He noted that all of the currency charts he show-cased in detail at the National Broom & Mop Convention meetingfollowed very similar paths.

Concerning the European euro, Pelton remarked that since2002, the euro had been trending higher in value, becoming moreexpensive in the process. It finally peaked in value against theU.S. dollar in April and has since been decreasing in value.

“For any products being purchased from Europe, this nowmeans lower prices. There are many people in our industry whoalso buy equipment from European suppliers,” Pelton said.

Although prices are falling for many products imported fromEurope, he added that U.S. companies may not necessarily see a

The co-chairmen for the 2008 National Broom & Mop Meeting were Ray LeBlanc, left, and Barry Harper.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:13 PM

January 2009 BROOM, BRUSH & MOP PAGE 7

decrease in their next invoices, but that price decreasesshould eventually come just the same. He explained thedelay is often due to European suppliers still having high-er-priced goods in their inventory system.

When asked, during his presentation, why he felt theeuro was so strong for several years and then started todecline, Pelton speculated that when U.S. interest rateswere pushed down to a point where they were lower thaninterest rates in Europe, this increased the attraction ofthe euro.

“People could get more interest on their euro depositsthan on U.S. dollar deposits. I also think some of the cen-tral banks, particularly in China and maybe those in theMiddle East, wanted to diversify their foreign exchangereserves from exclusively being U.S. dollars. They pri-marily went toward the euro,” Pelton said. “I don’t nec-essarily think they sold U.S. dollars to buy euros, but astheir foreign currency reserves increased, they startedincreasing them into euros rather than dollars.

“Now that European economies are bleaker and morepeople are panicking about commodity prices, many ofthose who shifted money out of U.S. dollars are going back towardthis currency.”

This, he added, helped increase the value of the U.S. dollar.Pelton then discussed current trends with the Canadian dollar

and Mexico peso. These are currencies that are familiar to manyU.S. companies in the broom and mop industries.

“At last year’s meeting, I reported that the Canadian dollar hadrisen to parity with the U.S. dollar. Earlier this year, the Canadiandollar was trading within a few percentages of the U.S. dollar,”Pelton said. “However, one of the key components of theCanadian economy is energy. Canada is blessed with a surplus of

Bart Pelton of PelRay International discussed several monetary exchange rate and commodity market charts during the St. Louis meeting.

Continued On Page 16

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:13 PM



Alarge portion of the agenda for the 2008 National Broom& Mop Convention meeting in St. Louis, MO, centeredaround various reports presented by suppliers associated

with the production of brooms and mops. In presenting the broom corn report, Ray LeBlanc of PelRay

International, LLC, in San Antonio, TX, touched on what hisbusiness partner, Bart Pelton, discussed earlier at the conventionmeeting regarding the shrinking availability of broom corn fromMexico.

“Bart (Pelton) mentioned that corn prices were high when mostbroom corn was being planted (last spring). As a result, the whole(Mexican) crop only came to about 2,000 metric tons on aprocessed broom corn basis,” LeBlanc said. “It’s hard to say whatthis truly means due to the balance of supply and demand. Lastyear, broom corn consumption was 4,400 metric tons. So if we seethe same consumption as last year, we will run out of broom corn(supply in 2009). One would assume, based on this projection, thatthere will probably be a huge price spike.”

He added that current Mexican broom corn inventories are low,and the second broom corn harvest in Torreon for the year wasrecently completed due to a typical November freeze that tookplace in the region. Therefore, all Mexican broom corn processorshave shut down their camps.

“There is a lot of speculation and talk in Mexico about havingan early planting this coming year to try to increase the supply.There is talk about planting in Torreon as early as January insteadof March,” LeBlanc said. “The problem with this is it’s cold inTorreon in January. What typically happens with broom corn inTorreon is that some people plant in February, some in March andsome in April — and it’s all usually harvested at the same time.

“When broom corn seed is cold, it germinates very slowly or notat all. It waits until it gets the right amount of heat to germinate.Therefore, I don’t really see how it’s going to do any good to plantin January.”

Also during the meeting, a presentation on wooden handles wasgiven by Wayne Pringle of Amerwood in Ft. Worth, TX. Hemainly focused his report on wooden handles being supplied fromthe Central American country of Honduras. He noted that in 2005,Amerwood became a division of the Gateway Corporation,located in Corinth, MS. Amerwood continues to oversee importsand maintains an inventory of wooden handles at a warehouse inNew Orleans. Gateway is also involved with wooden handle pro-cessing.

“The Gateway Corporation is a family owned business and hasbeen involved with wooden handles since 1950 in Corinth. A largeinventory allows us to provide just-in-time products while stillmaintaining competitive prices,” Pringle said.

In his presentation titled “Amerwood Honduras — From theTree to the Finished Product,” Pringle said that saw mills all

Wayne Pringle Michael Grossman Jim Monahan Jeff Jones

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


across the country (Honduras) bring in truckloads of logs everyday. However, he added, a lot depends on weather conditions.Through the rainy season, the logging process can come to a stop.

“Right now, (in November) we are trying to come out of one ofthe worst rainy seasons in about eight years in Honduras. Therainy season starts about a month after the actual U.S. hurricaneseason begins and sometimes lasts a month after the hurricane sea-son ends. It will start to dry out in December. The months ofJanuary, February, March and April represent the dry period (inHonduras),” Pringle said.

He added that the Honduran government is working to imple-ment certain forestry practices such as those that currently takeplace in the United States.

“One thing (the government) has done during the rainy seasonis call for a resting period to take place in the forests. (The govern-ment) doesn’t want anybody going into these areas to tear uproads, so we have to wait for the drier weather to arrive before theforests are opened again.”

Pringle also discussed the milling process of handles fromHonduras in detail. He showcased several samples and presenteda slide presentation.

According to Pringle, leftover cuts and trims that cannot be usedfor standard board sizes are sold to “square manufacturers” to bemade into handles in Honduras. Larger saw mills may have theirown (square) operations, but there are also a lot of small familyoperations that make squares.

Andrew Dailey Richard Caddy Les Laske Walter Dudziak

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


“These squares are stacked after beingsawed to go through the drying process.Squares are stacked evenly spaced in criss-cross rungs to ensure equal air flow acrossthe entire surface,” he explained. “Most ofthe factories that we (Amerwood) dealwith use drying kilns.”

When the squares are dried, they areready for the next step which is the runningof squares through the dowel machine.

“(The dowels) are fed into sanders andthen graded into two export grades. We callthem A and B grades. They are basically alla No. 1 handle. With the B grade, there is alittle bit of light stain on the product. Wetry to not bring in any heavy-stained mate-rial (into the United States),” he said.

Pringle added that there are three waysto determine the strength of wood. Thisincludes bending strength, elasticity andmaximum crushing strength (see accom-panying chart).

“It all starts with ramin, which is thekingpin of wood from the past. However,when comparing tauari and Honduran pine,it’s easy to see that they are very close instrength,” Pringle said.

Also discussing wooden handles duringthe 2008 National Broom & MopConvention meeting was MichaelGrossman of Northeast Ltda, in SaoPaulo, Brazil.

Grossman reported that there is no rainyseason to contend with in Brazil regardingthe supply of wooden handles, and thatmajor retailer Wal-Mart is starting todemand Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)approved wood. He added that FSC forestsare becoming very strong in Brazil.

A metal handle report was presented byJim Monahan of Handles USA in Arcola,IL, who said that it was not possible to dis-cuss metal handles without talking about

their main ingredient which is steel. He added that in the process of making

metal handles, steel accounts for approxi-mately 50 to 60 percent of productioncosts.

“Making metal handles is a high produc-tion, low labor content operation — most-ly based on the cost of steel, either from theUnited States or foreign sources,”Monahan said. “If you ever visit a modernsteel mill, you’ll find it’s now fully inte-grated. There used to be 15 to 20 majorsteel mills in the United States. Now it’scloser to 5 or 6. There has been a tremen-dous consolidation in the U.S. steel indus-try.

“Right now the American steel industryis very competitive with the world marketas far as efficiency. This wasn’t the case inthe past, due to legacy costs. It’s now allvery automated, however, and is not aslabor intensive.”

Monahan reported that the main ingredi-

ent in steel is iron ore. Other ingredientsare also added. The iron ore is melted in ablast furnace which is continuously operat-ed. These large furnaces will sometimes beshut down, however, for maintenance rea-sons as well as to control steel output.Once a blast furnace is shut down, it takesapproximately three to four weeks to cool.Monahan explained that it’s a veryinvolved process.

The No. 1 user of steel in the UnitedStates is the auto industry, followed byappliance makers. Along with the U.S.supply, steel is also available throughoutother areas of the world such as France,Germany, Belgium, Brazil, China andSouth Korea.

“With the weak U.S. dollar this pastyear, steel prices were very high. Now thedollar is coming back down,” Monahansaid.

He added that steel prices almost dou-bled in May, June and July which had astrong influence in producing metal han-dles. Steel prices have since fallen. Due tothis great fluctuation in pricing during2008, Monahan said ordering steel for theproduction of metal handles was difficult.

“We (Handles USA) have to order steel10 to 12 weeks ahead of time. Steel priceswent up very fast this year,” Monahan said.“The cost per metal handle is pretty mucha per inch cost. Typically, the longer thehandle, the bigger the diameter and themore expensive it becomes.

“The volatility we (as an industry) haveexperienced in all commodity markets dur-ing 2008 — such as steel, plastic resin andcardboard to name a few — has made it avery difficult year. If you throw in the for-eign exchange markets, then it has been avery volatile year. I think what everyonewould like to see in 2009 is more stabilityas it pertains to all the raw materials andcommodity markets that we deal with andthat influence us the most.”

While producing metal handles, “fullhard steel” is used. This is different thansteel used in the automotive industry,which is softer steel from what is general-ly referred to as CQ (Commercial Quality)material. This type of steel is easier to bendand has more flexibility.

However, Monahan added, with fullhard steel, “you get a lot of strength for theweight. Full hard steel has much highertensile strength. The down side is it’s very

Mark Quinn, above, of Quinn BroomWorks and Jim Monahan are

co-chairmen for the 2009 National Broom & Mop Convention.

Continued On Page 22

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM



As reported in the November and December 2008 issues ofBroom, Brush & Mop Magazine, a recent hot topic withU.S. broom corn suppliers remains the fumigation issue.

In early October, the USDA started to require that all incomingbroom corn from Mexico be fumigated. This has caused concernsover what influence the requirement will have on future supplyand costs.

There has been a compromise in place since October wherebroom corn hurl is no longer required to be fumigated aslong as no insides are present in the same container load.However, if there are stalks present, such as found withinsides or raw broom corn, then it must still be fumigated.The reasoning is, corn bores cannot nest in hurl, becausethere is nothing for them to bore into such as insides thathave stalks.

For U.S. companies buying enough quantity of broom corn thatthey can purchase a separate trailer load of hurl and a separatetrailer load of insides, it’s possible to cut fumigation costs. If atrailer load contains both hurl and insides, however, the entireload must be fumigated.

Reporting on the problem in depth during the 2008 NationalBroom & Mop Convention meeting in St. Louis, MO, wasbroom corn dealer Ray LeBlanc of PelRay International in SanAntonio, TX. LeBlanc presented the history behind importingbroom corn from Mexico, as well as what has taken place since theinitial October decision by an inspector located in Austin, TX, torequire fumigation.

“Mexican loads of broom corn that were at the border weresuddenly quarantined (in October) by the USDA. We were ini-tially told that (the imported broom corn) was going to have tobe unloaded into a controlled facility under USDA supervi-sion, fumigated with a 40-foot dead space around the load forfour days, reinspected, then reloaded before it could be sentout,” LeBlanc said. “We were looking at costs of around$4,000 to $5,000 per container. What they actually have madeus do thus far, however, is hire a fumigator who opens thedoor of the container, pumps in (poison gas), have the contain-er set over night and then the broom corn can be imported into

the country.”LeBlanc said this reduced process is less expensive than the ini-

tial cost estimate but is still a concern and major problem. Headded that the inspector in Austin cited a quarantine law dating

from 1912 as reasoning for the fumigation requirement despite thefact that fumigation for Mexican imported broom corn has notbeen required for 50 or more years.

Furthermore, LeBlanc said the 1912 law actually does notrequire fumigation. It only requires inspection. However, thereis a 2004 USDA inspector handbook that requires the fumiga-tion.

According to LeBlanc, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,2001, U.S. customs and agriculture boarder control were put underthe control of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Afterthis occurred, many experienced inspectors, who typicallychecked such items as broom corn imports at the U.S./Mexicanborder, left their posts.

“The new inspectors didn’t have experience in opening a load ofsorghum and subsequently, a new handbook was written,”LeBlanc said. “(The inspectors) were told, ‘You will follow thishandbook letter for letter, and whatever it says is what you will

Ray LeBlanc of PelRay International gave an in-depth reporton the recent broom corn fumigation requirement.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


do.’”He added that there was still no requirement for fumigation until

an inspector based in Austin came on the scene, followed thehandbook “to the letter” and made the request in October.

“In order to stay free of the corn bore, inspectors can do any-thing up to grinding an entire shipment of broom corn into pow-der. That is one of theiroptions should they decidethat they don’t like whatthey see. They can alsorefuse entry or require anentire container of broomcorn to be boiled,” LeBlancsaid.

He also went into detail atthe National Broom & MopConvention meeting aboutthe 1912 law and how it wasdesigned to protect U.S.crops from European cornbores in the early 1900s. Today, however, corn bores can be foundin 47 states. In other words, corn bores still managed to arrive intothe United States long ago. LeBlanc added that the corn bore is notfound in northern Mexico where the majority of Mexican broomcorn is grown and processed.

“Northern Mexico does not have a corn bore problem. There arecorn bores in Eastern Europe, China, Africa and all over theUnited States, but the Mexican area where they grow most of thebroom corn does not have a corn bore problem. In 30 years, I havenever seen one (in this region),” LeBlanc said.

He pointed out as well that the 1912 law allows the currentDeputy Administrator of Plant Protection and Quarantine tochange the restrictiveness of this law by decree if he/she findsthe threat of such problems as corn bores has been diminished.

Also, a key point to the 1912 law concerns the differencebetween what falls under the definition of “broom corn” and“broom straw.”

“The problem is with broom corn. The old law addressesbroom corn, whether it’s in a broom or in a bale. Broom straw,sometimes referred to as ‘combed stalkless,’ has a whole differ-ent set of rules,” LeBlanc explained. “If an inspector finds(broom straw) that contains stems, stalks, stubs and/or leaves, itcan still be classified as broom corn. However — and this iswritten into the law — broom straw found on inspection thatcontains stems or stalks shall be sterilized unless it comes fromNorth or South America. If it comes from North or SouthAmerica, it remains broom straw.”

It was pointed out at the St. Louis meeting that Mexican broomcorn (and broom straw) is obviously a product of North America.

Along with copies of the 1912 law, LeBlanc shared a copy ofhis company’s latest broom corn import permit that was issuedin 2005. He said this permit has had some significant wordingchanges compared to permits that were issued in the 1990s.

Specifically, the 2005 permit states:n Broom corn shipments originating in Mexico, north of a line

drawn east and west through Mexico City, require a written per-mit, and (will be) inspected and released if no stems are presentthat exceed 1/4-inch in diameter. Stems present that exceed 1/4-

inch in diameter (or any portion of the stem that remains where thestraw is attached to its axis) may be subject to fumigation onlywhen warranted by inspection;

n Broom corn shipments originating in Mexico, south of a linedrawn east and west through Mexico City and not destined to aPacific Coast port, require a written permit and require fumiga-

tion. Shipments destined toa Pacific Coast port must berefused entry.

It should be noted thatmost Mexican broom cornimported into the UnitedStates is grown in theTorreon region, locatednorth of Mexico City. Thereis a smaller crop, however,grown in the Apatzinganregion that is located southof Mexico City. Also, mostbroom corn imported into

the United States from Mexico arrives through Texas. LeBlanc added that he feels the 2005 import permit is based on

the 2004 edition of the handbook, not the 1912 law. “There is broom corn and then there is broom straw. (The

handbook) tells you how to figure out what to do with each.With broom corn, (the handbook) basically says that if it’s com-ing out of Mexico, and not going to the West Coast of theUnited States, it requires methyl bromide fumigation,” LeBlancsaid.

He noted, however, that the handbook has said this since 2004and fumigation was not an issue until October 2008.

“Broom straw, however, is to be inspected and released (accord-ing to the handbook). If we can convince the ag department thatwhat we import out of Mexico is broom straw — the problem goesaway,” LeBlanc said. “If it comes out of North or South Americaand is processed fiber, even if it has some stems or stalks, it shouldstill be considered broom straw. They (the U.S. government) arenow considering anything with a stalk, like an inside or raw corn,to be broom corn and thus it needs to be fumigated. In fact, theywere considering hurl to be broom corn until last week when wefinally convinced them that it was broom straw instead of broomcorn.”

LeBlanc said he feels the problem will not go away on its ownand pressed the need for attendees of the National Broom & MopConvention meeting to contact their U.S. representatives and sen-ators on this matter. He suggested some “talking points” whencontacting such elected officials.

The include:n Mexican broom corn has been imported for 50 years without

fumigation at the border and without problems;n The corn bore is already in 47 states;n Physical inspection of broom corn does not show a need for

fumigation;n The law does not require fumigation, only inspection. The

2004 USDA inspector handbook requires the fumigation;n The Deputy Administrator of Plant Protection and Quarantine

may at his discretion remove these restrictions at any time;n Processed broom corn is more a “product of broom corn” with

“Broom straw is to be inspected and released(according to the USDA handbook). If we can

convince the ag department that what we importout of Mexico is broom straw — the (fumigation)problem goes away. If it comes out of North orSouth America and is processed fiber, even if it

has some stems or stalks, it should still be considered broom straw.”

Ray LeBlanc, PelRay International

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

202 N. Oak • Box 250Arcola, IL 61910217-268-4955 • Fax 268-3113www.thomasmonahan.com

ArcolaBroom Corn Festival Race

2008

We Go The EXTRA MILE!

2008

PAT DAVE

JIM TIM

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


significant sorting, cleaning, trimming and even fumigationalready taking place;

n Insides should be considered broom straw just as hurl becauseit is grown in North or South America, and even though it hassome stalk it remains broom straw;

n The corn bore has not been a problem in Mexico and is easi-ly inspected out; and,

n Most stalks today are at or near the 1/4-inch limit, unlike 40years ago.

It was pointed out during the National Broom & MopConvention meeting that the American Brush ManufacturersAssociation (ABMA), of which many attending the St. Louis

meeting are members, may have funds to help fight the fumigationissue.

Several attendees of the meeting also volunteered to form acommittee to further help address the fumigation matter. Theyare: Ray LeBlanc, chairman; Stan Koschnick of NexStepCommercial, Paxton, IL; Don Leventhal of Newton Broom &Brush, Newton, IL; R. J. Lindstrom of Zephyr ManufacturingCo., Sedalia, MO; Richard Caddy of R.E. Caddy & Co.,Greensboro, NC; Jim Nairn of Harper Brush Works, Fairfield,IA; Edward Pearson of Crystal Lake Manufacturing, Inc.,Autaugaville, AL; and Mark Quinn of Quinn Broom Works,Greenup, IL.

energy, which the country is happy to sellat the right price. With oil and gas pricescoming down, the Canadian dollar hascome down.”

He added that late 2007 was a good timefor U.S. companies to find new customers inCanada and expand Canadian markets.Today, however, this may be more difficult.Due to a cheaper Canadian dollar, companiesin Canada now may be the ones looking forbetter deals by selling into the United States.

“The trouble is, right now the Canadiandollar is falling. It’s hard to say how low itwill get. If you have competition fromCanadian manufacturers, or if you are sell-ing into Canada, this is going to impact youas a company,” Pelton said.

Another nearby country that also exportsenergy and is influenced by falling oilprices is Mexico. In addition, Pelton said,Mexico has not spent the necessary moneyfor oil exploration over the years, and sub-sequently the country is having a problemwith depletion in its oil fields.

“Not only is (Mexico) producing less oil,but the country also is receiving less moneyfor the oil it is supplying. This is going tohave an impact on (Mexico’s) nationalbudget,” Pelton explained. “The peso hasbeen fairly steady for years against the U.S.dollar. It had a trading range of around 10 to11 pesos to the U.S. dollar. It then reachedto around 9 pesos per U.S. dollar.”

However, in October 2008, the pesodropped dramatically which could helpU.S. companies in the near future whenimporting such items as broom corn, yuccafiber, brooms and mops.

“For instance, we were expecting a larg-er increase in broom corn prices (due to asmall Mexican crop this year) than whatwe have seen thus far. Part of this is due tothe peso falling against the U.S. dollar,”

Pelton said. Another important currency for many

U.S. broom and mop makers is theBrazilian real. This is due to a large amountof wooden handles that are imported fromthis large South American country.

Pelton explained that a few years ago, oneU.S. dollar was buying three real, whichmade the real worth around 33 cents. Thereal then more than doubled in price.

“I think this added a lot of pressure on themills that exported to the United States. It’swhy we saw multiple increases in the price ofwooden handles from Brazil,” he said.“However, about the same time that the europeaked, the Brazilian currency retractedtremendously. Ihave to thinkthiswillhelp thehandle pricing situation in the near future.”

The final currency that Pelton discussedduring his presentation at the NationalBroom & Mop Convention meeting wasthe Chinese yuan. He noted that the U.S.dollar was consistently buying less com-pared to the Chinese currency until July2008 when the situation stabilized.

“Relative to the U.S. dollar, (the yuan)has been one of the strongest currenciesaround. But the dollar is not depreciatingagainst the Chinese currency anymore. It’sactually holding fairly stable at this point,”Pelton said. “One of the attractions ofimporting from China versus several othercountries is that the exchange rate is usual-ly more predictable. Your costs are goingto be much closer to what is expected.”

When summarizing the current state ofthe U.S. dollar, Pelton added that he feelswhat is truly important to American busi-nesses is not that the dollar is strong orweak. It’s that the dollar remains stable.

“I feel it’s important to have relativelystable exchange rates,” he noted.

Pelton also reported on key commoditiesthat influence the cost of many raw materialslinked to the U.S. broom and mop market-

place. He noted that the wild fluctuation of oilprices during much of 2008 was greatly felt.

“Everything that is purchased has freightcosts factored into the purchase price. Ittakes oil to move freight. Oil prices alsoaffect those raw materials made from (oil)such as plastic resin,” Pelton said. “Oil hasbeen on a tear lately. During the first partof the year, it went around the $150 perbarrel mark at its peak. By (November 20),it broke below $50 per barrel for the firsttime in several years. This is a $100 perbarrel drop from its peak in July.”

With the current drop in oil prices, man-ufacturers and suppliers should start to seelower fuel surcharges on freight bills,lower shipping rates and lower prices forproducts made from oil.

“It may take some time for (oil pricedrops) to work through the system as sup-pliers must first sell off their higher pricedinventories,” Pelton said.

Another important commodity that washighlighted was corn. With recent high cornprices, more Mexican farmers planted addedacres of this crop in 2008 instead of broomcorn,whichhelpedtocausebroomcornpricesto increase. However, with current oil pricesdropping, so has the demand for ethanol.

“Oil is currently not as expensive, andnow neither is corn,” Pelton said. “I feelwe had a smaller (broom corn) crop thisyear (in Mexico) because farmers theredecided to plant other crops. There will notbe another major broom corn crop avail-able until next summer, so we are nowstuck with low supply.”

If prices stay low for corn and other agri-cultural crops in the near future, thenbroom corn should be more competitivenext spring when farmers in Mexico startto plant again, according to Pelton.

Other important commodities showcasedby Pelton that have also recently droppedin price include cotton and lumber.

Annual MeetingContinued From Page 7

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


By Rick MullenBroom, Brush & Mop

Associate Editor

While it could be expected that in today’s bleak econo-my, especially in the housing market, sales of homeimprovement products such as paint rollers and paint

pads would also experience a downturn, there is some evidencethat the situation is not as bad as it could be.

Broom, Brush & Mop recently interviewed executives rep-resenting one Canadian and three U.S. paint roller and paintpad manufacturers who reported their companies are hangingtough and even growing despite the economic challenges ofthe times.

Michigan Brush Manufacturing Company, Inc., ofDetroit, MI, has been making quality paint and clean-ing products since 1917 and has been manufacturing

paint rollers for nearly 60 years.“Our paint roller division is called Rol-Brush. Rol-Brush man-

ufactures for the OEM as well as the retail, commercial and othermarketplaces,” said Michigan Brush President Bruce Gale. “Wealso manufacture a number of specialty products and various sizesof paint rollers from very small to very large.”

In addition to paint rollers and accessories, the company pro-duces other high quality products for many applications includingpaintbrushes, artist brushes, scrub brushes and more. MichiganBrush also makes squeegees, mopheads, mop sticks and varioustypes of brooms.

Like the weather this time of year in the Great Lakes region,Gale reported business at Michigan Brush has been “brisk.”

“The economy has not been brisk, but our business has beenbrisk, and, as always, very challenging,” Gale said. “In additionto conventional style rollers, we also offer some unique and verygood products that go into various marketplaces, including someniche markets. We make some specialty products for epoxyapplications, and we make parts that are used for measuringequipment.

“In manufacturing, we use a heat-cured epoxy system thatworks very well with our Phenolic core professional style

rollers. We also produce other plastic cores with our heat-curedprocess. We make products for various brush manufacturers, andwe make some items for other paint roller manufacturers aswell.”

While many of Michigan Brush’s manufacturing processesinvolve automation, the company still believes in hands-oninspections, and makes some handcrafted items as well.

Recorded on its Web site, Michigan Brush’s mission statementsays, “To produce and distribute to our customers in the most

timely, efficient and courteous manner the finest quality brushes,brooms, mops, mop sticks, rollers, squeegees and related prod-ucts.”

Michigan Brush takes pride in living up to its mission statementin providing, not only quality products, but value-added, person-alized customer service. As a result of nearly a century of adher-ing to its core principles and an ongoing effort to continuallyimprove its service, the company has garnered many long-termcustomers.

In speaking of why Michigan Brush has been successful for somany years, Gale cited, “Hard work, the perseverance and thededication to making quality products, and providing value andservice to our customers.”

Gale also called the company’s highly skilled, dedicated andloyal work force “a very important part of the formula.”

As Michigan Brush is constantly looking to expand its markets,Gale feels, given the state of the economy, that it is highly likelymany consumers will opt to do their own home improvement proj-

“I think the do-it-yourself segmentwould be a pretty good market in thenear future since the economy is in

the shape it is in. We are going to seemore and more people doing their

own home projects.”

Bruce Gale, Michigan Brush Mfg., Co., Inc.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


ects as opposed to hiring professionals.“I think the do-it-yourself segment would be a pretty good mar-

ket in the near future since the economy is in the shape it is in,” hesaid. “We are going to see more and more people doing their ownhome projects.”

A projection of increased sales in the DIY market segment isgood news. There is also more good news as Gale reported thecompany’s professional trade is also doing well.

“The future of Michigan Brush is strong,” Gale said. “We arelooking at anywhere from a 5 to 7 percent increase in sales duringthe coming year. Certainly, there are challenges to be overcome asthe marketplace continues to change, and we will have to changewith it.”

Contact: Michigan Brush Manufacturing Company, Inc., P.O.Box 10247, Detroit, MI 48210-0247. Phone: 800-642-7874.

Web site: www.mi-brush.com.E-mail: [email protected].

Padco®, Inc., of Minneapolis, MN, has been manufactur-ing innovative painting and home decorating tools since theearly 1960s. In addition to its headquarters in Minneapolis,

Padco also has operations inMexico.

The company enjoys a flourish-ing international presence as itsells to hardware and home cen-ters in more than 100 countries.According to Padco’s Web site,the company’s products featureNAFTA packaging in English,French and Spanish, including aselect group of Padco tools packaged in other languages such asChinese, German, Italian and Dutch.

Padco manufactures many types of paint pads, paint rollers,paint applicators, paint tools and accessories, floor tools, faux fin-ish tools, texture tools, drywall and surface preparation tools, traysand extension poles, among other products.

“We invented the paint pad and we are the only manufacturer ofpaint pads in the United States,” said Padco owner and CEOAnna MacCormick.

In the 1960s, Padco introduced its first paint pad originallycalled “The Speed Brush.” Padco’s new Speed Brush wasbilled as a significant time saver over traditional paint applica-tors of the day for painting large surfaces, both exterior andinterior.

Today, Padco manufactures the latest in innovative paint padproducts for the professional and DIY markets including its clas-sic line featuring a replaceable Nylfoam® pad that conforms tocontours and textures for use with latex, acrylic and oil paints aswell as stains, waxes and sealers. Other paint pad products includepaint and stain pads for use on exterior shakes, siding, shingles,decks, fences and concrete. These pads feature a threaded handlefor use with an extension pole.

Padco’s PadBRUSH® line represents the latest technology inpaint pad manufacturing. The products are environmentallyfriendly, user friendly, value packed and quality constructed.According to Padco’s Web site, this product presents many morefiber tips to the surface being painted. More fiber tips mean thePadBRUSH carries more paint to the surface, which is a big time

saver.How is Padco faring in the current economic climate?

MacCormick reports: “Good. We have customers who, unfortu-nately, have been affected by the economy, but it has not impact-ed our overall sales.”

Padco’s modus operandi from day one has been to ensure serv-icing the customer is of the highest priority.

“At Padco, our customers are No.1. We have always put ahigh value on superior customer service and quality products,”MacCormick said. “One of the things our customers appreciateabout Padco is that we manufacture our paint pads in theUnited States. With today’s economy, people realize howimportant it is to buy local in order to keep jobs here in theUnited States.

“We are not a knock-off, commodity producing, outsourcingtype of company. We manufacture here in the USA; we manufac-ture with pride; and we manufacture with quality in mind.”

To sustain its reputation of excellence, quality control at Padcois a critical element in its success. The company uses a combina-tion of automation and physical inspection to ensure its productsmeet high standards of quality.

“We owe our success to the fact that we have stuck to produc-ing quality products and providing outstanding customer service,”MacCormick said. “We are the company that invented the paintpad. We are an innovative company. The workers here areextremely important. Our employees are involved and they careabout the company. As a result, our products reflect the qualitythat only dedicated employees can produce.

“The industry is changing and you have to be able to changewith the times. What makes Padco unique is when a customerneeds something; we are able to quickly give them what theyneed, whatever it is. We are a local company. Customers can callus and we can respond quickly, which is a real plus.”

Looking down the road, MacCormick said Padco’s future“looks bright.”

“The company is a family business that my father started in the1960s. I have owned the company since March 2007. I am com-mitted to the same standards of quality and innovation, but I havea different management style. There are always new and excitingchanges ahead,” she said.Contact: Padco, Inc., 2220 Elm St., SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.

Phone: 612-378-7270; Fax: 612-378-9388.Web site: www.padco.com.E-mail: [email protected].

Founded in 1876 by Charles E. Green, Charles E. Green& Son, Inc., of Newark, NJ, bills itself as the oldest com-pany of its kind in the United States. The manufacturer of

paint rollers and other products for the paint industry is still owned

“... we manufacture our paint pads in the United States.With today’s economy, people realize

how important it is to buy local in order to keep jobs here in the United States.”

Anna MacCormick, Padco, Inc.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

and operated by the Green family with Charles E. Green’s fifthgeneration grandson, John V. Green III, serving as president ofthe company and sixth generation granddaughter, Rebecca GreenSullivan, serving as vice president.

“We manufacture paint roller frames and paint roller compo-nents. We service most of thepaint roller manufacturers inthe United States with compo-nent parts,” John V. Green IIIsaid.

Charles E. Green & Son’sproduct lines also includepaintbrush ferrules, aluminumbrush inserts, artist ferrules,wood and plastic paintbrushhandles and paint roller grips.

“We recently became the U.S. distributor for Dalle Crode S.p.A.(headquartered in Italy) plastic handles, which is very good forus,” John V. Green III said.

In addition, the company is able to meet customers’ metalstamping, wire forming and deep drawing needs. Charles E. Green& Son also deals in the general hardware, household, ammunitionand electric parts market segments. The company deals only in theOEM marketplace.

Originally, Charles E. Green moved from his home inConnecticut and set up his business in New York City to supplyferrules to the broom and brush industry. By 1900, he had relocat-

ed the company to Newark.Under the leadership of Charles E. Green’s son, John

Vanderbilt Green, the company designed and built six innovativemachines that were belt driven to form “lockseam” ferrules. Threeof those original machines, which were put into operation shortly

after World War I, were stillin use until just a few yearsago.

During World War II,Charles E. Green & Son allbut suspended its ferrule mak-ing operation, manufacturingmachine gun links for the wareffort instead.

During the early to mid-1950s, the company continued to upgrade its machinery toaccommodate its ferrule business and to meet the demands of thegrowing field of paint roller components.

In 1964, with John V. Green Jr. as president, more machinerywas purchased to increase capacity and the move was made to thecompany’s current facility, which encompasses 75,000 square feeton 7 acres of land. By the mid-1970s, Charles E. Green & Sonexperienced its largest internal growth as it doubled its machineryand began to diversify the company’s product lines to includehousehold items, general hardware, ammunition and electronicparts.

The company continued to prosper throughout the 1980sand 1990s. In the 1990s, to increase its production as thepaint roller and paintbrush base began to dwindle due to for-eign imports, Charles E. Green & Son purchased anothercompany.

Although John V. Green III recently reported that business in thepaint roller segment has been “slow” for about a year now as theU.S. economy has been in the throes of a dramatic downturn, heremains optimistic about the future of his company. It has beenCharles E. Green & Son’s commitment to manufacturing qualityproducts that has sustained it for more than a century through goodeconomic times and bad. Indeed, the company’s niche is supply-ing quality professional components for the paint roller and paint-brush industry.

“We have had a strong position in the marketplace and I seeourselves continuing to have a strong position because of thequality of our products,” John V. Green III said. “Our qualityspeaks for us. We are known for standing behind the products wemake and we make the best possible products we can. The assem-bly of paint rollers is done by hand here to ensure a high level ofquality.”

Because of its reputation of manufacturing quality products,Charles E. Green & Son has gained business from customers who,at times, find they cannot get the products they need from overseassources or who are seeking higher quality products than the com-modity items typical of imports.

“We have customers coming to us when they can’t get whatthey need from other sources, and that has been going on forawhile,” John V. Green III said. “We have steady business in theprofessional paint roller segment where these sources are oftennot producing the quality that many professional contractorsrequire.”

Charles E. Green & Son’s factory houses 27 four-slide


• Galvanized & tinned wire for brush - broom - mop production

• Processed Broom Corn & Yucca

• Wood Broom - Mop - Brush Handles

• Craft Broom Corn And Supplies

• Other Materials - Broom Twine, Broom Nails, Mop Hardware

Supplier of Raw Materials to Manufacture Brooms, Mops, and Brushes

P.O. Box 14634 • Greensboro, NC 27415

336-273-3609 800-213-9224 Fax: 336-378-6047

E-mail: [email protected]

We ship by pup or truck load direct from Mexico, or LTL/ UPS from our Greensboro warehouse.

“We are obviously in a recession andmaintaining jobs for our employees

and maintaining fiscal health for the company in the near future is our goal.”

John V. Green III, Charles E. Green & Son, Inc.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


machines, 36 automatic machines and more than 100 presses.The company’s paint roller components are sold on every conti-nent.

John V. Green III said the company’s short-term goal is to rideout the current economic crisis — not the first economic downturnthe company has lived through during its more than 100 years inbusiness.

“We are obviously in a recession and maintaining jobs for ouremployees and maintaining fiscal health for the company in thenear future is our goal,” he said. “Continuity of family ownershipand commitment to quality above all else have been the key to oursuccess over many decades.”

Contact: Charles E. Green & Son, Inc., 625 Third St., Newark,NJ 07107. Phone: 973-485-3630; Fax: 973-485-6510.

E-mail: [email protected] site: www.charlesegreen.com.

In the midst of worldwide economic uncertainties, Bob Shaw,vice president of sales and marketing at NourHandcrafted Painting Tools, of Waterloo, ON, reports his

company continues to experience “steady growth.”“We have seen consolidation at the customer end, and the num-

ber of suppliers that we deal with diminishes every year, but theusage of paint rollers by consumers continues to grow at a steadypace,” Shaw said. “Also, the quality of the fabric that we are get-ting for manufacturing paint rollers has been good and pricing has

been relatively steady.”Fortunately, the current economic woes besetting Canada’s

neighbor to the south have not had a negative impact on Nour’sbusiness.

“All of Nour’s business in the United States is new business,which is growth for us in a declining (U.S.) market,” Shaw said.

Nour has been manufacturing professional painting tools sinceit was founded in Waterloo in 1978. The company has been mak-ing paint rollers since 1984.

“Paint rollers are a very sizeable part of our overall business,”Shaw said.

To accommodate expansion, Nour recently relocated its paintroller manufacturing operation to a larger facility in Waterloo.

“We also recently completed expansion of our roller manufac-turing in Egypt,” Shaw said. “We manufacture in many differentareas, but we only make paint rollers in Waterloo and in Egypt,with the Egyptian operation supplying the Middle East andEuropean markets, while the Waterloo plant supplies the Canadianand U.S. markets.”

Nour’s hand-wound paint rollers and accessories are high qual-ity products geared more for the professional market than the DIYmarket.

“The general focus of our company is dealing with paint com-

panies that have their own stores — dealing with professionalpainters and manufacturing high-end paint rollers where perform-ance is the first criteria,” Shaw said.

As the paint roller side of Nour’s business continues to grow, thecompany places an emphasis on being at the forefront of offeringnew and innovative professional quality products as paint tech-nologies are constantly changing and advancing.

“We continue to experiment with new fabrics that work bet-ter with the new paints that are on the market,” Shaw said.“Probably one of the most significant new items this year hasour use of microfiber. It is a very high quality product that isbeing well received by both professional contractors and con-sumers. Fabrics used in making paint rollers have changedover the past 10 years as water-based paints have becomemore popular. One of the reasons microfiber rollers havebecome so successful is that people really like the way theyapply paint.”

Shaw said Nour’s commitment to making quality productsthroughout its history and the company’s ability to control costshave been key elements in its ongoing growth. Another vital fac-tor in the success of the company, especially because it makeshandcrafted tools, is its ability to maintain a highly skilled veter-an work force.

“When you are making handmade brushes and handmaderollers your employees are key,” Shaw said. “Our skilled employ-ees make sure Nour is producing high quality products all the time

with very minimal quality control prob-lems. They take a lot of pride in whatthey do.

“If we were mass producing con-sumer brushes, it would probably be adifferent ball game. There would be alot more machinery involved, but inmaking handmade products, employeesare a crucial element. Most of ouremployees have been with us many,

many years.”When it comes to controlling costs, the fluctuating exchange

rate between the U.S. and Canadian dollars has made it more dif-ficult the past couple of years.

“Probably one of the biggest issues we have had to deal with inthe past two years is the exchange rates with the United States thathave see-sawed a couple of times,” Shaw said. “A high priority isour effort to maintain and grow sales in a declining market — toexpand our North America market where we have not really doneso in the past.”

Shaw also spoke of the challenge of expanding and diversi-fying the company’s market share in an industry that continuesto undergo consolidation, i.e., customers buying customers.

Challenges notwithstanding, Shaw sees continued growth andprosperity in Nour’s future.

“Financially, we are on very stable ground, and the managementteam and owners here are focused and dedicated to building thebusiness over the long term.”

Contact: Nour Handcrafted Painting Tools, 637 Colby Drive,Waterloo, ON N2V 1B4.

Phone: 800-686-6687; Fax: 888-886-9744.Web site: www.nour.com.E-mail: [email protected].

“We have seen consolidation at the customer end,and the number of suppliers that we deal with

diminishes every year, but the usage of paint rollersby consumers continues to grow at a steady pace.”

Bob Shaw, Nour Handcrafted Painting Tools

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


difficult to bend. It does possess very goodstrength for the gauge. The thicker thesteel, the more the weight and costinvolved. That is why we use the full hardsteel — it’s a light gauge steel.”

Monahan further explained that metalhandles provided by Handles USA caneither be plastic coated or painted with apowder coating. The plastic finish, he said,is a little duller and may be softer to thetouch. The powder coating finish is shinier.

Each handle is also cut to length andthen the end-fitments are placed on eachhandle.

“In Arcola, where we (Handles USA)make our own tubing with either plastic orpowder coating, we also injection mold allof our own end-fitments. They can beswivel or non-swivel caps, and come indifferent colors and designs according toour customers’ needs,” Monahan said.“After that, the handles are packed,labeled and shipped to the customer.Packaging is done 12 or 25 per bundle.”

Monahan reported that the future of themetal handle business relies on the avail-ability of steel.

“I believe steel will always be available,it’s just a matter of at what price. Themajor steel mills are trying to curtail pro-duction (in hopes of keeping prices high).They are shutting down blast furnaces andtightening supply as demand is falling,” heexplained. “It’s been a crazy year and I’mnot sure how next year will play out.”

He said a lot depends on the health of theautomotive and appliance industries, thelatter of which is tied to housing starts.

Monahan also added that his companyhas been working with what is called a“mini-mill,” which is traditionally a sec-ondary steel producer. Usually a mini-millobtains most of its iron from scrap steel,recycled from used automobiles and equip-ment or from byproducts in manufacturing.

“The price of scrap mimics the steelmarket. Three or four months ago, I thinkscrap was at an all-time high but has sincefallen in price,” Monahan said, adding thatthe mini-mill his company is working withwill provide full hard steel.

“We have begun to work with one ofthem (a mini-mill) and can eventuallyadvertise that the metal handles from thissource are made of 100 percent recycledsteel,” he added. “Everybody is pushing

for green, and we are working on this aswell. It’s unfortunate that sometimes greencosts more. That is always the catch.Technology for green products will cost alittle bit more initially until it becomesestablished.”

A report on fiberglass handles was givenby Jeff Jones of Fiberglass Innovationsin Rockford, IL. He noted that fiberglassis a resin-base product. Therefore, as oilprices increased earlier in 2008, so did theprice of the resin to produce fiberglass.

Jones added that his company did its bestto control such pricing issues by incorpo-rating lean manufacturing practices. He

also presented a sample of a fiberglass han-dle that his company makes. The handlecontained a honeycomb-like inner core thatwas made from recycled plastic.

“We can also make hollow tubes, butthey cost more to produce due to the man-ufacturing process involved,” Jones said

He explained that the hollow tube han-dles require a matting material to be usedto help increase the handle’s strength. Thismatting adds to the handle’s expense.

As far as future costs with resin, used tomake fiberglass handles, are concerned,Jones reported that he doesn’t foreseeprices increasing for awhile.

“I think our resin prices are going to staypretty level for the next year. We(Fiberglass Innovations) try to keep ourcustomers competitive any way we can,”Jones said. “This includes buying largerquantities of glass and resin at one time,and using recycled plastic for the inside ofour handles. We have found that the recy-cled plastic is just as good as new plastic.”

Jones also mentioned that fiberglass han-dles have been particularly popular withthe food industry and can be made in anycolor.

Along with producing fiberglass handlesfor the broom and mop trades, FiberglassInnovations makes such products as seawalls that come in the form of long planks.

“We also make all types of solid rods andother products. Our company is involved ina lot of different industries,” Jones said.

While presenting a report on mop yarn,Andrew Dailey of The Jones Companiesin Humboldt, TN, discussed three mainissues: fiber supply changes currently fac-ing the mop industry, environmental prod-uct demands and wet mop import trends.

Dailey began by talking about currentissues within the cotton industry and pric-ing trends. He noted, however, that thetype of fiber used in mop yarn most oftencomes from textile mill byproducts. Thissupply continues to diminish for severalreasons, including the continuing closingof U.S. textile mills.

“Certainly, if there are not as many tex-tile mills running (in the United States),there is not as much textile mill wastebeing generated,” Dailey said.

Many of these mills that remain in oper-ation have become more efficient and arere-introducing their byproducts into theirown production stream. This can diminishthe supply of byproducts used by mop yarnproducers. Improvements in the cottonginning process, which is another wastestream, has also had an influence on mopyarn producers.

“In 1998 or so, it would take 17 virgin(cotton) bales to generate 1 gin mote bale.Today, because of improvements in pro-cessing, it now takes 25 virgin bales toequal 1 bale of gin motes,” Dailey said.“Availability of raw material from the gin-ning process, as far as gin motes are con-cerned, is not at the same level. In the gin-ning process, they are better at not throw-ing a lot out the door, so to speak.”

To help make up for the loss of availablecotton waste for the production of mopyarn, Dailey said the industry can use whatis called “shoddies,” which are regeneratedfibers from recycled woven and knittedgoods. Also, a larger amount of non-wovenwaste has been introduced into the mopyarn source stream.

“There are rayon and polyester-basedproducts that are in non-wovens. A non-woven is a textile fabric that is held togeth-er by a non-conventional textile structure,”Dailey explained. “It’s a sheet of materialthat performs like a textile, but it is notconstructed by conventional means.”

SuppliersContinued From Page 10

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

BROOM CAPS BRUSH and HANDLE FERRULES

MANUFACTURING INCORPORATEDP.O. Box 6505 Wolcott, CT 06716 Phone 203-879-1481


Dailey also discussed other recycledmaterials that can be used in the mopindustry. This includes material from recy-cled plastic bottles, otherwise known atPET (Polyethylene Terephthalate). Whencleaned and recycled, PET flakes and pel-lets can be used for spinning fiber.

Although PET is very popular as a recy-cled material, challenges remain with sup-ply. According to Dailey, plastic soda popand water bottles have been recycled in theUnited States for at least 25 years. The pro-duction of PET hit a high mark in 1995 andwas soon followed by a sharp decline dueto decreasing petroleum derivative pricesat the time.

“Petroleum-based product prices and thecost of resin came down so low that itmade it virtually impossible for (recyclers)to compete, so they held back,” Daileysaid. “Are we currently heading towardone of these situations again? I don’t know,but I think it’s a factor to consider.”

He also noted that other PET supplyissues are taking place. For instance, alarge recycling center for a major soft drinkproducer is scheduled to come on line in2009. It’s expected to require a large num-ber of available plastic bottles for recy-cling. This means fewer bottles may beavailable for other recyclers. Also, theavailability of recycled plastic bottles isconnected to the seasons. In other words,fewer beverages that come in plastic bot-tles are consumed during colder months.

Another factor to consider when dis-cussing the availability of PET concernspossible legislation in some areas to reducethe amount of plastic bottles being used.This is largely due to landfill issues. Thiseffort runs counter to a national bottle bill,which focuses on increasing plastic bottlerecycling efforts nationwide.

Carlos Petzold of Borghi USA inAberdeen, MD, discussed during theNational Broom & Mop Convention meet-ing his personal effort to support a nation-al bottle bill.

“There are currently 11 states that have a5 or 10 cent deposit on (certain plastic bot-tle) containers. Statistics show very clearlyfrom the plastics industry that in states thathave a bottle bill in place, reclamation isaround 80 percent of all bottles sold in thatstate,” Petzold said. “Statistics show for allnon-bottle bill states, the highest level ofreclamation is 9 percent.

“A national bottle bill would increase theamount of PET raw material bottle flakes.There would be more supply that shouldput downward pressure on recycled materi-als versus virgin materials, and ultimatelymake (U.S.) manufacturing companiesmore competitive against foreign competi-tors.”

Dailey also discussed the use of plant-based polymers, such as PLA (PolylaticAcid). He said PLA is derived from corn,which is renewable, and there is no reduc-tion in performance when used by the mopindustry as far as absorption and durabilityare concerned.

“PLA meets compost standards in theUnited States and Europe. It will breakdown and turn back into sugars once it’splaced in the proper composting operation.Cotton and rayon are also natural fibersthat will break down,” Dailey said.

The third part of Dailey’s presentationduring the St. Louis meeting highlightedwet mop import trends — specificallyimports from China, Pakistan and CentralAmerica. He said imports do have animpact on U.S. producers but that currentissues with transportation costs, as well aslead times regarding these imports, should

not be forgotten. There are also reports offewer container ships being available in thenear future for importing goods.

“Even with fuel costs going down, willthere still be as many ships out there? Arethere going to be more delay issues? Wewill have to see,” Dailey said.

Richard Caddy of R.E. Caddy & Co.,in Greensboro, NC, gave a presentationon broom, brush and mop wire. Caddy isalso a sales agent for Southern Steel &Wire, Inc., in Madison, NC.

Caddy explained the process involved inproducing wire. He also discussed differentfinishes used, tensile strength range and thevariety of available packaging.

He added that since this type of wirecomes from scrap metal, it’s considered100 percent recycled material. Caddyexpects wire prices to become lower in thefuture as scrap prices also decline.

Discussing poly packaging/plastic filmthat is used in the broom and mop indus-tries were Les Laske of Vonco Products,Inc., in Lake Villa, IL, and WalterDudziak of Creative Poly, Inc., inRochelle, IL.

It was reported that resin prices are drop-ping, but that it takes time for these pricedrops to be felt by customers. Also notedwas the “green” initiative and that there arenow resins available that are biodegrad-able. These resins will allow products tobetter break down when eventually dis-posed of in a landfill. They also come at ahigher price.

Next year’s National Broom & MopConvention is scheduled for November 19-20 at the same location, the Hilton St.Louis Airport Hotel. Co-chairmen of the2009 event will be Mark Quinn of QuinnBroom Works in Greenup, IL, and JimMonahan.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

September Import/Export Figures Show Mixed ResultsBy Rick Mullen

Broom, Brush & MopAssociate Editor

U.S. government trade figures for the first nine months of 2008indicate raw material imports were up in one of the two categoriesoutlined in this issue of Broom, Brush & Mop, compared to thefirst nine months of 2007. For September 2008, raw materialimports were also up in one the two categories outlined, comparedto September 2007.

Import totals for the first nine months of 2008 were down infour of the five finished goods categories outlined from the sametime period in 2007. Also, in September 2008, four of the five cat-egories outlined recorded decreases, compared to September2007.

RAW MATERIAL IMPORTSHog Bristle

The United States imported 41,229 kilograms of hog bristle inSeptember 2008, down about 3 percent from 42,316 kilogramsimported in September 2007. During the first nine months of2008, 300,460 kilograms of hog bristle were imported, about a 24percent decrease from 395,877 kilograms imported during the firstnine months of 2007.

The United States imported 298,860 kilograms of hog bristlefrom China during the first nine months of 2008.

The average price per kilogram for September 2008 was $11.32,down about 11 percent from the average price per kilogram forSeptember 2007 of $12.78. The average price per kilogram for thefirst nine months of 2008 was $16.06, up about 53 percent fromthe average price per kilogram of $10.52 for the first nine monthsof 2007.

Broom And Mop HandlesThe import total of broom and mop handles during

September 2008 was 2.6 million, up about 37 percent from1.9 million broom and mop handles imported in September2007. During the first nine months of 2008, 23.4 millionbroom and mop handles were imported, compared to 20 mil-lion for the first nine months of 2007, an increase of about 17percent.

During the first nine months of 2008, Brazil shipped 10.2 mil-lion handles to the United States. Meanwhile, Honduras shipped5.6 million; Indonesia, 4.3 million; and China, 2 million.

The average price per handle for September 2008 was 75cents, up about 12 percent from 67 cents for September2007. The average price for the first nine months of 2008was 67 cents, an increase of about 6 percent over the aver-age price recorded for the first nine months of 2007 of 63cents.

FINISHED GOODS IMPORTSBrooms Of Broom Corn

Valued At Less Than 96 CentsImports of brooms of broom corn valued at less than 96 cents

per broom during September 2008 totaled 21,516, down about 63

percent from 58,464 brooms imported during September 2007.During the first nine months of 2008, 184,494 brooms wereimported, a decrease of about 73 percent from 684,963 broomsimported during the first nine months of 2007.

During the first nine months of 2008, Mexico exported 116,112brooms to the United States, compared to 322,241 during the sametime period in 2007. Also, China shipped 68,382 brooms duringthe first nine months of 2008, compared to 323,122 during thesame time period in 2007.

The average price per broom in September 2008 was 70 cents,down about 29 percent from 98 cents for September 2007. Theaverage price per broom for the first nine months of 2008 was 73cents, down about 6 percent from 78 cents for the first ninemonths of 2007.

Brooms Of Broom CornValued At More Than 96 Cents

The United States imported 748,102 brooms of broom cornvalued at more than 96 cents per broom during September2008, compared to 807,248 in September 2007, a decrease ofabout 7 percent. During the first nine months of 2008, 6.7 mil-lion brooms of broom corn were imported, down about 11 per-cent from 7.5 million imported during the first nine months of2007.

Mexico exported 5.9 million brooms to the United States duringthe first nine months of 2008, compared to 6.6 million during thesame time period in 2007.

The average price per broom for September 2008 was $2.30,down slightly from $2.33 for September 2007. The average priceper broom for the first nine months of 2008 was $2.29, downslightly from $2.32 for the first nine months of 2007.

ToothbrushesThe United States imported 63.3 million toothbrushes in

September 2008, down about 6 percent from 67.2 million import-ed in September 2007. During the first nine months of 2008,598.1 million toothbrushes were imported, a decrease of about 6percent from 639.2 million imported during the first nine monthsof 2007.

China shipped 387.4 million toothbrushes to the United Statesduring the first nine months of 2008.

The average price per toothbrush for September 2008 was 26cents, up about 18 percent from the average price for September2007 of 22 cents. The average price for the first nine months of2008 was 25 cents, up about 14 percent from the average price of22 cents for the first nine months of 2007.

Paint RollersThe import total of paint rollers during September 2008 was 4.1

million, down about 5 percent from 4.3 million paint rollersimported during September 2007. During the first nine months of2008, 48.1 million paint rollers were imported, down about 12percent from 54.7 million imported during the first nine months of2007.

The United States imported 35.4 million paint rollers fromChina during the first nine months of 2008.


BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

The average price per paint roller for September 2008 was 52cents, up about 13 percent from 46 cents for September 2007. Theaverage price for the first nine months of 2008 was 40 cents, up 1cent from the average price recorded for the first nine months of2007.

Paint PadsThe United States imported 1.6 million paint pads in September

2008, compared to 474,572 imported in September 2007. Duringthe first nine months of 2008, 7.7 million paint pads were import-ed, about a 51 percent increase from 5.1 million imported duringthe first nine months of 2007.

During the first nine months of 2008, China shipped 6.1 millionpaint pads to the United States, while Mexico shipped 801,844.

The average price per paint pad for September 2008 was 45cents, down about 40 percent from the average price forSeptember 2007 of 75 cents. The average price for the first ninemonths of 2008 was 52 cents, down about 36 percent from theaverage price of 81 cents for the first nine months of 2007.

EXPORTSExport totals for the first nine months of 2008 were up in all

three of the categories outlined, compared to the first nine monthsof 2007. In September 2008, two of the three categories reportedan increase in exports, compared to September 2007.

ToothbrushesDuring September 2008, the United States exported 13.2 mil-

lion toothbrushes, down about 27 percent from the total recordedin September 2007 of 18.2 million. During the first nine months of2008, 137.2 million toothbrushes were exported, up about 7 per-cent from 128.2 million exported during the first nine months of2007.

During the first nine months of 2008, the United States sent 33.6million toothbrushes to Canada; 29.5 million to Mexico; 16.2 mil-lion to Germany; and 14.3 million to France.

The average price per toothbrush for September 2008 was 40cents, up about 25 percent from the September 2007 average priceof 32 cents. The average price per toothbrush for the first ninemonths of 2008 was 34 cents, up 1 cent from the average price forthe first nine months of 2007.

Paint RollersU.S. companies exported 419,751 paint rollers during

September 2008, up about 38 percent from 304,648 exported dur-ing September 2007. Paint roller exports for the first nine monthsof 2008 were 3.2 million, up about 23 percent from 2.6 millionrecorded for the first nine months of 2007.

The United States exported 1.5 million paint rollers to Canadaand 1.1 million to Mexico during the first nine months of 2008.

The average price per paint roller for September 2008 was$2.79, down 1 cent from average price for September 2007. Theaverage price for the first nine months of 2008 was $2.62, upabout 20 percent from the average price of $2.19 for the first ninemonths of 2007.

Paint PadsSeptember 2008 exports of paint pads totaled 35,782, up about

10 percent from the September 2007 total of 32,448 pads. Duringthe first nine months of 2008, 297,778 paint pads were exported,up about 31 percent from 227,588 for the first nine months of2007.

During the first nine months of 2008, the United States shipped92,599 paint pads to Taiwan; 43,709 to Brazil; 34,038 to HongKong; and 31,958 to Mexico.

The average price per paint pad was $6.55 during September2008, up about 63 percent from $4.03 in September 2007. Duringthe first nine months of 2008, the average price per paint pad was$4.78, up 3 cents from the average price for the first nine monthsof 2007.


Double LipSpur DrillsDrills For Plastics

Special Half-Round andSpoon Drills

Often CopiedBut NEVER EqualledStandard Sizes Normally In Stock For Rapid DeliveryFor Availability And Pricing Contact Our Parts Dept.

TEL: 630.232.2460 • FAX: 630.232.2016EMAIL: [email protected]

Carlson Drills

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Foreign Merchandise1404902000 Broomcorn (Sorghum Vulgare Var. Technicum)Used Primarily In Brooms Or In Brushes, Whether or Not

In Hanks or BundlesSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/Ton Value Net Q/Ton ValueCanada 6 15,311 34 87,571U King 1 2,575Switzld 1 3,409TOTAL 6 15,311 36 93,555

9603100000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigs or OtherVegetable Materials Bound Together, With or Without Handles

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 428 13,402 6,362 238,642Mexico 81 2,660U King 352 11,609France 50 6,276Italy 1,365 44,994China 2,184 72,000Hg Kong 601 19,823TOTAL 428 13,402 10,995 396,004

9603210000 Toothbrushes, Incl. Dental-Plate BrushesSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 937,492 978,843 10,238,494 8,759,312Mexico 120,084 130,816Salvadr 3,456 2,848Jamaica 3,079 11,923Dom Rep 8,472 17,345Barbado 5,184 4,272Colomb 1,368 4,993Paragua 240 3,358U King 786 3,849Nethlds 296,316 64,189 296,316 64,189France 8,545 13,870Fr Germ 69,108 36,037Spain 518,724 44,103 518,724 44,103Portugl 521 2,553Italy 1,329 6,511Israel 23,988 28,786Singapr 42,888 17,288 494,231 159,383China 151,937 23,670Kor Rep 57,672 20,425 113,040 41,428Hg Kong 10,588 15,064Taiwan 69,552 22,627Japan 5,800 2,784 5,800 2,784Austral 110,574 48,171TOTAL 1,858,892 1,127,632 12,255,416 9,447,892

9603290000 Shaving Brushes, Hairbrushes, Nail Brushes,Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use On The Person

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 145,332 209,515 1,403,873 1,783,643Mexico 152,671 68,077 1,118,162 669,000Ecuador 128 5,379Brazil 21,780 70,912U King 2,287 7,628 5,426 36,328France 1,690 21,741 32,246 327,455Fr Germ 4,551 41,623 19,220 261,478Poland 1,392 12,728Arab Em 9,230 11,448 21,566 23,649

Singapr 389 3,553Kor Rep 1,800 3,627Japan 2,278 21,150 31,492 288,706Austral 2,966 4,044TOTAL 318,039 381,182 2,660,440 3,490,502

9603300000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes and Similar Brushesfor the Application of Cosmetics

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 347,806 1,226,260 3,098,671 10,015,057Mexico 79,377 661,210 744,594 2,327,391Venez 1,335 4,925Ecuador 1,032 3,492Chile 3,396 12,529Brazil 47,374 43,563 73,232 134,583Argent 1,389 5,124 44,861 51,765Sweden 9,590 44,619 88,976 339,823Norway 2,085 7,692 13,729 56,020Denmark 7,425 34,068U King 26,171 90,716 329,462 1,264,559Ireland 360 2,810Nethlds 572 2,920 24,786 230,733Belgium 11,447 42,240 276,740 1,021,071France 11,384 59,048 200,182 767,121Fr Germ 34,324 66,576Czech 8,776 14,576Switzld 5,570 20,552 73,328 270,545Poland 714 2,634Russia 78,503 155,335 484,885 1,278,154Ukraine 2,200 8,117 80,413 302,544Kazakhs 1,197 4,415 70,819 135,646Moldova 7,980 8,234 28,681 34,624Spain 10,869 10,759Italy 4,072 73,226 29,650 156,191Turkey 4,365 16,104 20,035 98,972Israel 1,296 2,880Arab Em 10,858 40,063India 2,301 8,490Thailnd 2,900 29,392 11,054 59,479Malaysa 4,800 4,355 4,800 4,355Singapr 29,917 110,380Indnsia 2,106 7,769China 6,537 53,750 30,685 142,846Kor Rep 28,100 125,304 69,535 266,928Hg Kong 998 3,681 31,240 117,615Taiwan 3,600 2,738 20,462 61,721Japan 12,372 49,326 312,199 1,030,186Austral 164,905 408,845Rep Saf 995 3,673 14,058 62,959TOTAL 701,384 2,741,594 6,456,691 20,961,684

9603402000 Paint RollersSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 33,528 67,552 161,119 341,278Mexico 15,803 48,105 213,005 580,086U King 193 3,380 519 21,467Belgium 243 4,272 917 16,109Fr Germ 336 5,890China 3,433 60,254Hg Kong 620 10,890 827 17,220Taiwan 272 4,779Austral 34,054 53,989N Zeal 384 3,136 384 3,136TOTAL 50,771 137,335 414,866 1,104,208

9603404020 Paint PadsSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 1,907 13,540 125,954 243,382Fr Germ 2,100 5,991China 8,750 62,113 13,636 96,797

EXPORTSSeptember Exports By Country

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Hg Kong 11,300 22,906 13,836 40,906Japan 27 3,785TOTAL 21,957 98,559 155,553 390,861

9603404050 Paint, Distemper, Varnish or Similar Brushes(Except Brushes of 9603.30)

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 2,212 45,897 44,952 682,006Mexico 6,265 113,563Guatmal 590 12,248Hondura 4,642 96,290Chile 164 3,401Uruguay 276 3,450U King 1,003 44,177Nethlds 157 3,261 288 5,979France 689 14,300Fr Germ 1,020 21,134Italy 483 10,015Singapr 339 7,032China 221 8,821Taiwan 290 6,000Japan 295 6,117TOTAL 2,369 49,158 61,517 1,034,533

9603900000 Hand-Operated Mechanical Floor Sweepers,Not Motorized, Mops & Feather Dusters; Prepared Knots & Tufts

For Broom or Brush Making, NESOISeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 61,260 477,304 514,668 5,682,007Mexico 13,621 176,505 71,616 781,266Salvadr 218 3,539 218 3,539Jamaica 667 12,212Dom Rep 1,263 20,487 1,263 20,487Chile 373 6,060 2,712 37,606Brazil 239 6,889 582 12,460Iceland 68 2,815Sweden 1,764 14,867Norway 792 7,080Finland 1,064 9,305Denmark 660 8,275U King 184 2,986 9,192 112,356Nethlds 2,618 38,590Belgium 260 4,225 343 8,139France 5,074 47,689 15,820 126,966Fr Germ 2,664 24,487 16,775 158,570Austria 281 4,565Hungary 709 9,161Russia 213 2,742Spain 544 4,196Italy 120 2,929Greece 254 4,115 254 4,115Turkey 403 8,751Israel 100 4,500S Arab 172 2,782Arab Em 1,034 3,615Thailnd 400 2,636Phil R 508 2,540China 3,950 64,094Japan 2,006 13,737Austral 1,740 8,589 13,377 160,638N Zeal 2,360 15,009TOTAL 87,150 782,875 667,253 7,342,550

Domestic Merchandise1404902000 Broomcorn (Sorghum Vulgare Var. Technicum)Used Primarily In Brooms Or In Brushes, Whether or Not

In Hanks or BundlesSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/Ton Value Net Q/Ton ValueCanada 2 4,872

Mexico 1 3,000Fr Germ 8 31,500Japan 1 6,022TOTAL 12 45,394

9603100000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigs or OtherVegetable Materials Bound Together, With or Without Handles

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/Dozen Value Net Q/Dozen ValueCanada 2,300 106,191 22,199 988,781Mexico 630 29,402 3,908 150,175Guatmal 370 11,139Salvadr 106 2,829C Rica 670 12,297 670 12,297Panama 455 8,927Bermuda 98 5,184Bahamas 3,065 204,157Jamaica 239 5,516Cayman 122 12,168 122 12,168Dom Rep 848 49,848Barbado 102 3,366Colomb 361 12,789Venez 879 45,502Ecuador 682 22,500Peru 200 12,300 200 12,300Chile 130 8,692Brazil 1,917 30,879Argent 1,228 40,486Sweden 23 6,611Finland 182 20,453Denmark 356 14,868U King 260 9,356 8,462 450,675Ireland 2,219 126,360Nethlds 50 23,000 1,242 181,971Belgium 5 3,092 5 3,092Fr Germ 199 24,684Poland 83 3,460 83 3,460Russia 2,942 97,003Spain 182 14,629Portugl 15 5,548Italy 1,871 61,694 5,594 184,429Israel 796 26,268S Arab 15 8,199 3,848 189,116Arab Em 221 16,658Singapr 440 15,193Phil R 92 3,019 497 17,050China 333 3,160Kor Rep 906 69,333Hg Kong 6,862 152,815Japan 2,907 68,068Austral 222 16,596TOTAL 6,298 284,178 76,115 3,335,575

9603210000 ToothbrushesSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 2,916,051 1,776,018 33,575,484 17,172,402Mexico 2,394,571 954,175 29,489,616 8,136,945Guatmal 28,367 37,464Belize 73,728 31,419 647,120 278,789Salvadr 324,920 188,123Hondura 15,592 20,175C Rica 662 3,245 19,628 32,788Panama 129,456 46,175 741,888 258,435Bermuda 12,029 8,913Bahamas 12,852 15,525 18,612 25,979Jamaica 84,360 30,462 159,888 57,508Cayman 7,980 11,462Haiti 53,039 33,355Dom Rep 564 6,130 219,335 106,274Antigua 54,040 47,666S Lucia 5,508 5,166 15,948 14,019Grenada 4,320 3,516

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Barbado 46,694 178,726Trinid 209,411 72,676 536,340 255,895N Antil 6,958 9,892 14,758 15,844Aruba 15,779 37,386Colomb 262,961 302,549Venez 353,988 144,806Guyana 11,160 9,148 19,080 17,267Surinam 6,480 2,653 21,240 13,129Ecuador 13,536 4,869 107,352 43,830Peru 27,216 10,280 145,597 67,250Chile 12,528 4,207 232,165 135,116Brazil 725,868 268,469 2,288,298 926,154Paragua 5,048 24,733Uruguay 59,040 15,867Argent 73,584 50,294 1,155,666 494,525Finland 859 4,211 859 4,211Denmark 7,842 38,426 18,642 50,090U King 28,688 21,988 278,590 107,501Ireland 68,736 127,814 5,414,216 4,415,694Nethlds 102,996 33,722 3,774,689 729,301Belgium 13,724 37,458France 1,276,796 158,762 14,283,020 1,459,991Fr Germ 1,516,965 124,671 16,162,020 1,803,902Switzld 3,264 15,993 41,586 28,925Lithuan 21,296 2,824Poland 460 2,986 1,760 6,001Spain 557,508 43,367 5,747,005 413,497Italy 5,000 16,370 944,448 347,556Greece 1,884 9,230Romania 10,000 3,127 10,000 3,127Israel 3,883 19,025Kuwait 1,440 5,472S Arab 4,036 6,702Arab Em 16,895 82,787 21,899 87,141India 115,200 240,021 703,728 949,167Thailnd 140,640 29,265 361,605 148,107Vietnam 1,902,500 135,332Malaysa 14,492 16,009Singapr 315,400 100,723 1,822,846 713,104Phil R 23,602 13,596 42,310 36,642China 33,420 11,002 470,164 142,840Kor Rep 1,855,758 780,526 9,812,203 4,022,406Hg Kong 626,160 247,688Taiwan 54,920 24,444 393,829 235,379Japan 252,208 88,283 1,797,332 753,221Austral 113,808 48,149 1,768,550 907,636N Zeal 10,224 3,684Rep Saf 104,889 72,432TOTAL 13,205,458 5,311,036 137,227,641 47,028,185

9603290000 Shaving Brushes, Hairbrushes, Nail Brushes,Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use on the Person

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q./No. ValueCanada 151,447 293,490 1,398,865 2,329,186Mexico 83,797 192,021 2,491,430 3,108,022Guatmal 578 14,404Salvadr 339 3,100C Rica 2,600 6,140 4,689 24,624Panama 4,429 40,500Bermuda 168 3,022Bahamas 644 5,270Cayman 82 7,160Dom Rep 1,255 10,756S Lucia 2,244 4,037Barbado 30,722 32,742Trinid 24,012 180,000Martinq 320 2,922Colomb 92,551 88,293Venez 780 5,420 15,464 40,646Ecuador 548 7,539Peru 2,362 13,583Chile 12,451 90,816

Brazil 30 6,050 3,615 26,859Paragua 837 23,246Sweden 612 5,597Finland 5,040 14,363Denmark 813 7,432U King 5,486 46,995 31,517 238,137Ireland 1,162 10,623 7,317 36,095Nethlds 101 6,867 6,434 79,071Belgium 28,379 231,930France 2,542 31,410 91,365 536,234Fr Germ 6,911 55,226 24,940 240,093Czech 80 5,572Hungary 872 4,980Switzld 3,487 31,883Latvia 1,784 34,149Poland 149,878 375,338 154,000 430,624Russia 5,110 44,115Azerbjn 130 2,898Spain 862 12,334Italy 997 9,122 12,684 47,519Turkey 16,745 153,123Lebanon 542 4,960Israel 1,043 9,540 14,012 105,254S Arab 3,466 3,396 5,663 53,424Arab Em 349 17,535 21,192 468,689India 993 10,300Thailnd 29,731 292,670Vietnam 5,084 46,500Malaysa 14,939 22,865Singapr 4,621 11,370 28,993 75,281Indnsia 50 5,000Phil R 2,094 19,152 9,129 112,418China 15,258 139,525 66,792 594,526Kor Rep 5,963 49,786Hg Kong 11,289 186,496 25,613 276,517Taiwan 28,128 59,111Japan 12,657 71,430 568,020 463,813Austral 18,846 115,319N Zeal 70 7,538Nigeria 1,880 6,828Rep Saf 60 11,400TOTAL 456,508 1,497,146 5,325,476 10,995,075

9603300000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes and Similar Brushesfor the Application of Cosmetics

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 424,653 1,261,856 3,826,688 12,124,224Mexico 39,782 124,837 251,727 872,833Guatmal 245 5,925Salvadr 8,462 31,221Hondura 13,653 34,428C Rica 24,013 43,644 33,858 88,556Panama 8,136 14,282 11,860 22,326Dom Rep 1,740 8,290 78,100 333,176Trinid 7,796 28,763 15,431 56,849N Antil 240 4,800Aruba 4,407 13,827Martinq 1,592 5,875Colomb 800 10,967 21,338 86,628Venez 29,718 46,362 35,280 65,242Ecuador 2,549 5,430Peru 1,200 19,428Bolivia 12,182 44,950Chile 4,368 6,277Brazil 1,099 4,608 12,586 53,030Paragua 36,410 134,342 36,410 134,342Iceland 725 2,676Sweden 860 6,252 39,317 176,549Norway 11,682 32,056Finland 2,034 6,876U King 121,559 703,462 499,265 2,579,044Ireland 2,785 10,277 106,800 386,598

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Nethlds 7,863 33,021 40,460 150,220Belgium 5,249 19,366 177,838 729,779France 4,630 18,189 517,072 2,002,178Fr Germ 1,016 3,750 44,347 168,095Austria 4,662 17,202Switzld 20,315 74,958Estonia 1,432 3,180Poland 34,951 135,339Russia 16,072 86,834Ukraine 26,014 21,178Kazakhs 10,800 13,109Spain 7,869 22,305Malta 7,871 29,042Italy 1,905 7,027 61,643 205,962Slvenia 455 3,163Greece 805 2,970Romania 54 2,587Turkey 14,814 54,657Israel 1,800 4,874Kuwait 3,230 11,918 9,327 34,413Qatar 720 2,840Arab Em 26,112 120,389India 5,805 21,419 7,389 24,975Thailnd 2,910 14,840Malaysa 134 7,554Singapr 6,776 25,000 20,931 77,228Indnsia 2,324 29,378Phil R 473 5,000China 2,521 9,300 147,440 339,327Kor Rep 5,153 19,014 62,239 243,541Hg Kong 5,519 23,816 175,832 311,237Taiwan 25,447 112,190Japan 9,964 42,525 28,372 99,016Austral 19,429 79,408 73,334 297,792N Zeal 5,273 19,457 18,004 100,363Moroc 3,401 12,547 4,695 15,547Ghana 700 3,752 700 3,752Gambia 2,000 9,000Liberia 907 3,348Rep Saf 10,000 10,981TOTAL 787,785 2,747,451 6,640,563 22,783,509


Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 284,872 759,995 1,471,630 3,764,068Mexico 112,166 151,139 1,096,815 2,258,631Salvadr 3,138 6,863Hondura 6,437 42,546C Rica 34,008 93,585Panama 3,030 7,808Bermuda 12,111 33,138Bahamas 480 2,913 8,425 26,207Cayman 1,774 7,556Dom Rep 10,451 72,547 27,502 131,806Antigua 864 15,161Barbado 267 4,683 267 4,683Trinid 676 8,646N Antil 4,744 6,237Colomb 701 15,980Ecuador 2,102 36,890Peru 766 13,440Argent 10,000 8,700Sweden 34 9,678 200 12,596Finland 18,435 74,723Denmark 546 9,578U King 1,291 8,331Ireland 5,892 12,617Nethlds 514 6,850France 167 2,926 167 2,926Fr Germ 3,987 19,958 15,929 89,980Hungary 13 2,519Poland 160 6,652

Russia 558 14,031Portugl 20 6,010Italy 399 7,000Croatia 7,402 119,765Slvenia 1,365 65,332 1,857 103,932Lebanon 2,621 50,366Israel 10,492 28,839S Arab 1,367 19,310Qatar 190 3,241Arab Em 877 9,093India 2,004 9,118 50,835 99,934Singapr 176 3,087China 440 9,662 36,110 65,655Hg Kong 3,518 61,746 11,590 127,119Japan 9,332 36,455Austral 106,992 652,597N Zeal 86,257 168,658Fiji 8,367 21,255Egypt 3,600 7,347Rep Saf 117,596 78,790TOTAL 419,751 1,169,697 3,184,775 8,331,201

9603404020 Paint PadsSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 832 5,908 31,958 89,099Salvadr 420 4,956C Rica 2,460 6,214Bahamas 140 8,400Dom Rep 860 6,163Dominca 240 2,964S Lucia 130 8,597Colomb 12,992 92,226 21,067 131,878Venez 1,879 13,341Peru 2,500 5,579Brazil 1,810 5,523 43,709 333,735Uruguay 13,332 10,841Argent 6,035 42,840 6,035 42,840U King 444 3,151 2,863 20,319Fr Germ 7,390 26,137Switzld 2,313 16,422 2,349 24,605Spain 202 5,791Israel 1,356 55,680 1,801 58,837Arab Em 5,328 23,087Thailnd 1,747 12,403Vietnam 373 2,646Malaysa 2,995 25,737China 915 66,725Kor Rep 836 5,934Hg Kong 34,038 241,606Taiwan 10,000 12,482 92,599 115,574Japan 2,780 9,853N Zeal 423 3,000Rep Saf 16,409 116,480TOTAL 35,782 234,232 297,778 1,423,341

9603404050 Paint, Distemper, Varnish or Similar Brushes(Except Brushes of 9603.30)

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 24,182 372,626 554,543 5,785,524Mexico 683 14,160 17,696 329,754Guatmal 41 3,800 4,261 67,547Salvadr 253 8,688Hondura 158 2,853 15,469 159,150Nicarag 245 5,075C Rica 494 10,247Panama 925 13,285 4,844 95,876Bermuda 177 3,675 3,338 46,515Bahamas 23,253 314,503Cuba 180 4,502Jamaica 2,318 45,577Turk Is 1,694 24,779

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Cayman 796 3,763 9,095 78,822Haiti 100 3,248Dom Rep 4,050 22,432 5,222 46,748Anglla 64 6,571B Virgn 565 11,710 2,764 57,308St K N 155 4,673 267 9,400Antigua 455 7,033S Lucia 66 3,899 220 15,191S Vn Gr 131 13,247Grenada 58 3,989 922 27,440Barbado 625 12,236Trinid 1,644 9,736 2,015 22,751N Antil 1,004 20,831 1,380 35,310Aruba 1,298 26,921Colomb 1,664 37,210Venez 43 3,300 9,616 78,033Surinam 97 2,521Ecuador 901 18,700 3,942 81,792Peru 167 4,600 2,222 41,431Chile 16,455 100,254Brazil 47,206 425,991Argent 1,566 31,898Sweden 752 15,600 6,918 119,626Norway 5,280 107,866 5,280 107,866Finland 8,442 170,551Denmark 6,161 50,530U King 9,189 216,703 459,691 2,665,798Ireland 6,999 44,131Nethlds 13,023 270,119 173,378 3,570,803Belgium 4,419 91,648 26,439 550,771France 1,862 31,521Fr Germ 149 3,084 9,570 177,471Austria 1,961 18,353Switzld 711 14,764Estonia 1,171 5,569Poland 1,264 10,665 22,259 258,688Russia 100 3,768Ukraine 1,584 37,620Spain 4,585 80,328Malta 248 7,628Italy 2,580 72,468 4,205 121,005Greece 278 9,435Bulgar 36 7,126Turkey 665 13,792Lebanon 691 11,637 1,847 24,931Israel 476 13,472 15,861 336,549Jordan 334 6,396S Arab 1,640 34,015Arab Em 1,599 36,824Bahrain 18 2,562India 158 3,287 158 3,287Thailnd 3,502 62,513Vietnam 379 7,866Malaysa 292 23,980 6,919 156,318Singapr 810 10,645 11,213 193,244Phil R 285 11,586China 283 5,878 19,364 416,336Kor Rep 7,028 131,723Hg Kong 7,268 150,764 25,383 484,691Taiwan 1,368 28,362Japan 1,739 36,071 24,768 421,361Austral 2,414 8,727N Zeal 656 3,217 3,907 67,483Fr Poly 14 3,778Marshal 606 6,959Egypt 7,472 154,977Guinea 217 4,500Ghana 2,404 72,128Kenya 661 13,711Rep Saf 770 19,166Namibia 336 14,864TOTAL 84,644 1,565,136 1,618,924 18,851,094

9603900000 Hand-Operated Mechanical Floor Sweepers,

Not Motorized, Mops & Feather Dusters; Prepared Knots & Tuftsfor Broom or Brush Making, NESOI

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 307,418 2,629,655 2,357,875 22,895,193Mexico 47,239 601,260 632,525 8,200,184Guatmal 1,802 29,231Salvadr 359 7,525 359 7,525Hondura 1,328 21,533 16,342 400,688C Rica 7,245 75,357Panama 216 3,510 19,467 312,124Bermuda 318 7,810Jamaica 628 3,684 1,084 10,802Cayman 293 4,748Dom Rep 1,726 22,171Barbado 564 5,030Trinid 3,663 42,293N Antil 1,421 6,851Aruba 214 5,247Colomb 1,087 17,638 6,906 73,132Venez 1,320 21,418 5,055 85,024Guyana 8,580 139,160Ecuador 3,744 27,607Peru 3,139 50,812 3,139 50,812Chile 190 3,081 29,129 251,344Brazil 1,350 21,895 8,958 121,437Argent 132 4,563 270 9,537Iceland 84 4,438Sweden 1,616 35,361Finland 1,118 21,355Denmark 73 6,620 8,064 417,960U King 7,178 115,098 84,929 1,361,632Ireland 2,538 41,169 4,649 75,412Nethlds 2,107 34,170 31,471 326,392Belgium 2,648 94,436Luxmbrg 20 2,574France 264 3,200 9,787 210,175Fr Germ 1,640 28,230 18,666 426,215Czech 1,464 7,118Hungary 100 3,927Switzld 504 8,180 4,506 69,216Lithuan 448 7,270Poland 2,871 46,565Russia 659 10,690 5,296 85,915Belar 20 2,740Spain 2,342 37,983Italy 649 14,612 10,269 138,370Slvenia 23 4,264Turkey 3,083 50,000 4,241 72,855Lebanon 250 4,050Iraq 5,298 85,924Israel 615 18,000 6,478 76,603Kuwait 833 13,510S Arab 12,162 81,245Qatar 1,748 10,567Arab Em 9,675 91,407Oman 3,156 51,190Bahrain 266 5,170Afghan 740 12,000India 1,042 16,893 2,006 35,239Thailnd 24 4,593 2,422 74,147Vietnam 1,278 13,600Malaysa 164 2,659 1,476 43,008Singapr 2,113 44,597Indnsia 1,748 14,440 2,344 21,979Phil R 2,280 25,948China 612 17,704 10,140 128,090Kor Rep 644 9,221 14,746 159,070Hg Kong 3,627 61,382 17,711 283,456Taiwan 7,827 129,096Japan 5,892 76,704 48,765 458,237Austral 4,644 56,040 57,092 854,121N Zeal 201 3,255 3,539 55,833Tunisia 500 3,180

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Egypt 1,035 16,790 1,035 16,790Nigeria 5,762 27,259Angola 1,048 16,822Liberia 250 2,910Rep Saf 3,385 35,673TOTAL 403,349 3,996,224 3,531,636 39,096,201

0502100000 Pigs’, Hogs’ or Boars’ Bristlesand Hair and Waste Thereof

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueU King 1,600 49,507China 41,299 467,706 298,860 4,774,821TOTAL 41,299 467,706 300,460 4,824,328

0502900000 Badger Hair and OtherBrushmaking Hair and Waste Thereof

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueMexico 1,165 16,167U King 273 175,326Fr Germ 25,872 610,304Thailnd 555 15,537 555 15,537China 12,122 78,655 129,944 979,305Japan 7 14,817TOTAL 12,677 94,192 157,816 1,811,456

0511993300 Horsehair and Horsehair Waste, Whether or NotPut Up As A Layer With or Without Supporting Material

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueParagua 26,803 248,903Argent 51 5,895Fr Germ 10,957 84,361China 13,232 161,801 102,940 1,658,122Austral 72 3,478 72 3,478TOTAL 13,304 165,279 140,823 2,000,759

1404903000 Istle Used Primarily In Brooms or In Brushes,Whether or Not In Hanks or Bundles

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/KG Value Net Q/KG ValueMexico 47,813 234,573 332,373 1,560,800TOTAL 47,813 234,573 332,373 1,560,800

4417002000 Broom and Mop Handles, 1.9 CM or More InDiameter and 97 CM or More In Length, Of Wood

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 115,766 28,928Mexico 233,110 39,506Hondura 738,840 253,956 5,553,338 2,175,582Dom Rep 19,440 19,469Colomb 6,900 2,708 117,252 88,813Brazil 1,306,453 1,221,959 10,154,912 8,169,949Argent 42,300 24,590Fr Germ 45,100 33,327 104,350 80,854Lithuan 1,476 2,526Sri Lka 233,953 208,709Vietnam 33,852 29,683 108,596 81,434Malaysa 148,339 100,060Singapr 61,280 41,682Indnsia 394,846 358,966 4,332,298 3,168,493China 96,149 70,230 1,997,610 1,463,323Taiwan 32,945 28,697

Egypt 129,000 40,885TOTAL 2,622,140 1,970,829 23,385,965 15,763,500

4417004000 Paint Brush and Paint Roller Handles, Of WoodSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable ValueCanada 2,406Fr Germ 46,662Czech 147,314Poland 88,627Italy 364,304 5,978,106Thailnd 36,955Indnsia 225,825 1,643,759China 72,364 1,471,243Hg Kong 3,112Taiwan 64,218Japan 2,995TOTAL 662,493 9,485,397

4417006000 Brush Backs, Of WoodSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 46,399 38,977 852,720 424,841Colomb 5,760 2,854Brazil 55,125 74,037 509,600 562,401Italy 35,640 17,781Sri Lka 99,571 32,474 274,715 186,647Vietnam 174,016 86,189Indnsia 36,700 29,825Taiwan 1,200 3,076TOTAL 201,095 145,488 1,890,351 1,313,614

4417008010 Tool Handles of WoodSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable ValueCanada 9,987 168,213Mexico 43,747C Rica 2,863 30,278Colomb 2,606 7,733Brazil 354,992 2,494,689Paragua 27,335Sweden 2,347Nethlds 2,310France 2,679Poland 6,707Spain 4,797 4,797Italy 3,805Indnsia 18,009China 46,204 787,746Taiwan 32,087 80,913TOTAL 453,536 3,681,308

4417008090 Tools, Tool Bodies, Broom or Brush Bodies,Shoe Lasts and Trees, of Wood

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/Variable Value Net Q/Variable ValueCanada 169,898 1,424,445Mexico 6,237 131,533Hondura 6,597 26,957Colomb 3,358 17,879Chile 501,138 4,435,546Brazil 4,880U King 4,629 136,252France 9,890 43,795Fr Germ 82,480Russia 2,363Spain 4,221 70,370Portugl 2,322Italy 2,384 155,565Slvenia 109,947Israel 19,116India 136,804 300,463Sri Lka 75,882 818,452

IMPORTSBroom and Brush

September Imports By Country

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Vietnam 12,265 119,222Indnsia 116,613 358,136Bhutan 2,435China 212,966 3,642,209Taiwan 41,784 242,801Japan 220,388 2,897,917Austral 4,700Zmbabwe 2,363TOTAL 1,525,054 15,052,148

9603100500 Wiskbrooms, of Broom Corn, LT=.96 EA. Prior to Entryor Withdrawal for Consumption of 61,655 Dozen In Calendar Year

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 16,776 14,423Hondura 3,456 3,110China 7,200 4,464TOTAL 27,432 21,997

9603104000 Other Brooms, of Broomcorn, LT=.96 EA, Prior to Entry orWithdrawal For Consumption of GT=121,478 Dozen in Calendar Year

September Year To DateMexico 19,104 14,302China 15,666 14,596TOTAL 34,770 28,898

9603105000 Other Brooms, of Broomcorn, LT=.96 EA, at Entry orWithdrawal For Consumption of GT=121,478 Dozen in Calendar Year

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 21,516 15,070 116,112 81,907China 68,382 52,376TOTAL 21,516 15,070 184,494 134,283

9603106000 Other Brooms, Of Broomcorn, Valued Over .96 EachSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 694,450 1,612,215 5,929,142 13,638,859Hondura 49,140 105,144 618,216 1,371,472China 4,512 5,565 108,426 216,907TOTAL 748,102 1,722,924 6,655,784 15,227,238

9603109000 Brooms & Brushes, Consisting of Twigsor Other Vegetable Materials Bound Together,

With or Without Handles, NESOISeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 10,960 20,109Mexico 83,968 87,392Dom Rep 5,613 8,134 5,613 8,134Colomb 17,688 30,182 53,964 88,516Brazil 29,540 45,171U King 8,000 9,518Fr Germ 3,064 14,486Russia 3,961 3,170Belar 7,620 5,861Spain 20,256 24,287Slvenia 4,200 6,603Israel 1,296 2,305India 4,900 7,207Sri Lka 70,611 138,091 704,081 1,199,255Thailnd 8,350 11,475 125,724 228,996Vietnam 60,000 23,316 129,950 76,807Phil R 6,000 9,702China 15,008 22,237 177,734 239,845Kor Rep 1 3,743 1 3,743Taiwan 3,600 5,899TOTAL 177,271 237,178 1,384,432 2,087,006

9603210000 Toothbrushes, Incl. Dental-Plate BrushesSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 3,790 9,037 145,553 106,463

Mexico 217,418 205,826 3,907,869 1,615,669Brazil 1,661,832 518,178 13,286,096 3,973,140Sweden 20,478 18,540 67,742 70,829U King 256,800 85,030 626,467 294,996Ireland 1,429,850 570,550 12,703,326 3,718,549Nethlds 32,872 8,771 339,804 40,753Belgium 238,608 116,360France 792 7,545Fr Germ 5,030,536 3,027,032 67,587,906 32,804,594Switzld 4,151,652 1,815,157 48,726,446 26,614,730Spain 4,824 5,023Italy 3,713 12,381Arab Em 1,532,736 354,940India 2,339,588 456,058 22,954,164 3,499,767Thailnd 709,164 128,804 8,185,072 1,108,392Vietnam 1,215,684 306,864 8,844,896 1,739,535Malaysa 1,302,988 118,668 10,384,704 1,174,657Indnsia 268,000 14,818 973,170 61,938China 43,241,615 8,730,518 387,384,780 69,649,434Kor Rep 65,568 16,620 1,403,004 258,127Hg Kong 137,760 37,699 697,062 233,008Taiwan 1,100,510 226,729 5,425,733 1,951,005Japan 76,100 15,549 2,303,364 226,307Austral 351,000 22,087Moroc 8,000 7,733TOTAL 63,262,205 16,310,448 598,086,831 149,667,962

9603294010 Hairbrushes, Valued Not Over .40 EachSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueIndia 5,040 2,281Thailnd 83,600 10,994Vietnam 34,800 8,461China 5,476,880 1,416,954 44,381,106 11,729,319Kor Rep 22,250 9,416 79,498 18,836Hg Kong 69,120 9,659 1,223,232 146,520Taiwan 18,870 5,976 676,998 268,541TOTAL 5,587,120 1,442,005 46,484,274 12,184,952

9603294090 Shaving Brushes, Nail Brushes,Eyelash Brushes & Other Toilet Brushes For Use On The Person,

Valued Not Over .40 EachSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 4,720,572 473,475 44,069,859 4,213,870Brazil 192,000 13,933Nethlds 440,000 31,202 1,780,399 127,132France 359,268 77,409 2,200,130 472,527Fr Germ 3,936,200 725,928 30,700,030 4,884,321Italy 313,836 59,240 2,115,502 448,057Turkey 50,000 8,150Arab Em 19,680 4,796India 7,602,884 253,710Sri Lka 16,200 6,155Indnsia 135 2,388China 3,407,644 601,473 34,063,240 6,512,190Kor Rep 210,000 17,240 6,226,000 266,989Hg Kong 14,400 3,042 3,641,496 294,706Taiwan 118,199 39,539 1,388,539 327,423Japan 80,000 9,580 80,324 15,265TOTAL 13,600,119 2,038,128 134,146,418 17,851,612

9603302000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes ForApplication Of Cosmetics, Valued Not Over .05 Each

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 185,000 5,571Mexico 96,000 2,581 3,981,080 52,910France 7,800,000 278,368Fr Germ 750,000 29,913 5,090,710 134,130Italy 517,800 6,495 23,636,800 320,381India 6,165,000 54,477China 16,473,588 401,144 75,669,808 2,343,054

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Kor Rep 17,688,200 500,259Hg Kong 700,800 22,948 1,948,400 43,743Taiwan 213,000 7,063 1,214,000 42,518TOTAL 18,751,188 470,144 143,378,998 3,775,411

9603304000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes ForApplication of Cosmetics, Valued Over .05 But not Over .10 Each

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 6,105,884 483,192 55,764,578 4,382,437Brazil 384,000 27,560U King 503,730 44,469Fr Germ 756,150 52,635Malta 296,650 27,746India 61,740 5,224 644,460 53,521China 6,642,546 555,208 63,853,703 4,775,777Kor Rep 433,000 31,355 4,737,980 300,953Hg Kong 1,921,130 144,833Taiwan 273,840 24,203 995,724 88,475TOTAL 13,517,010 1,099,182 129,858,105 9,898,406

9603306000 Artists Brushes, Writing Brushes & Similar Brushes ForApplication Of Cosmetics, Valued Over .10 Each

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 432 21,804 5,255 208,875Mexico 10,701,711 1,790,893 120,398,250 19,985,472Dom Rep 149,186 135,304 1,218,067 1,143,824Colomb 4,542 2,299Brazil 120 6,079 120 6,079Denmark 1,464 4,999U King 73,084 154,628 1,051,026 2,117,863Monaco 2,347 11,576France 61,512 244,458 704,579 2,270,385Fr Germ 69,853 140,629 1,747,685 1,954,382Czech 288 5,942Switzld 1,377 13,981 3,317 69,857Spain 90,218 417,437Italy 502,700 97,624 1,399,916 370,239Greece 27,635 210,829Turkey 35,532 10,955Israel 30,482 66,864Arab Em 17,934 12,662India 802,068 272,008 4,699,600 2,053,268Sri Lka 271,932 188,162 2,463,171 1,479,677Thailnd 370,645 314,911 3,029,433 2,581,596Vietnam 30,000 65,701 30,000 65,701Malaysa 3,697 24,832Singapr 197,664 28,661Indnsia 27,168 5,636China 21,172,039 17,330,363 171,150,154 118,919,551Kor Rep 470,806 517,402 4,139,762 4,932,915Hg Kong 250,114 204,749 4,177,966 2,592,514Taiwan 186,820 42,330 2,339,196 624,045Japan 257,173 749,184 3,335,171 8,215,815Austral 1,620 17,355 10,842 68,153Maurit 3,023 7,264 14,204 45,556TOTAL 35,376,215 22,314,829 322,356,685 170,508,459


Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 188,077 187,945 550,987 534,855Mexico 820,958 564,163 8,670,076 5,016,343Brazil 30,094 9,994Sweden 192 8,991Norway 5,000 9,667U King 13,000 10,777Nethlds 300 2,751 7,678 17,389Fr Germ 130,400 37,998 2,674,396 804,291Italy 20,860 24,693Greece 3,846 54,857Indnsia 138,084 71,080

China 2,930,546 1,317,273 35,443,886 12,456,474Hg Kong 1,190 5,830Taiwan 112,796 46,160Japan 81,025 59,247Camroon 374,559 60,119TOTAL 4,070,281 2,110,130 48,127,669 19,190,767

9603404020 Paint Pads (Other Than Of Subheading 9603.30)September Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 295 10,624Mexico 801,844 119,804U King 67,240 23,820Fr Germ 2,078 10,837 41,417 55,745Israel 1,200 2,520Pakistn 56,000 5,543China 1,565,980 702,294 6,161,834 3,028,957Taiwan 568,556 719,440Japan 21 2,125TOTAL 1,568,058 713,131 7,698,407 3,968,578

9603404040 Natural Bristle Brushes, Other Than Brushes OfSubheading 9603.30

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 4,560 9,515 5,550 11,643U King 16,739 18,712 64,518 85,550Nethlds 324 2,958Belgium 560 8,160France 5,660 17,990Fr Germ 315 3,533 17,869 45,769Italy 30,634 133,911Turkey 42,580 137,345India 35,112 36,898Indnsia 5,296,956 895,763 42,975,255 6,625,854China 76,478 73,472 2,082,348 620,456Hg Kong 462 2,577Taiwan 60,040 36,180 2,448,288 531,146Japan 720 5,570 1,320 10,384TOTAL 5,455,808 1,042,745 47,710,480 8,270,641

9603404060 Paint, Distemper, Varnish/Similr Brushes Exc Brushes ofSubheading 9603.30 NESOI

September Year To DateCountry Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 14,992 27,488 763,317 509,075Guatmal 42,412 35,544Brazil 32,448 9,508Sweden 25,000 11,177 118,907 80,029U King 2,650 12,140 167,255 132,964Nethlds 9,534 6,746Belgium 192 3,989Fr Germ 11,650 42,536 61,406 142,414Czech 4,800 2,878 19,200 12,104Spain 8,822 17,284Italy 396 7,353 15,112 68,510India 593,576 71,420Thailnd 922,368 821,873Vietnam 1,492 4,608 27,631 58,632Indnsia 4,206,336 765,149 33,952,422 5,749,405China 16,745,624 5,444,777 116,783,902 39,535,493Kor Rep 1,280,000 74,914Hg Kong 1,008 11,488 16,328 39,461Taiwan 418,344 211,812 2,947,746 847,746Japan 5,180 6,143 11,244 21,126Cocos I 572 2,665TOTAL 21,437,472 6,547,549 157,774,394 48,240,902

9603908010 WiskbroomsSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 17,396 47,316Brazil 2,933 77,631 5,318 100,017

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Italy 2,703 26,720Israel 7,460 8,391China 19,920 27,894 280,192 404,946Taiwan 10,191 10,308TOTAL 22,853 105,525 323,260 597,698

9603908020 Upright BroomsSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 652 14,106Mexico 63,297 75,732 459,939 537,855Guatmal 42,606 81,759Salvadr 66,264 66,001Colomb 19,860 15,422 61,976 50,262Brazil 16,434 35,201 300,336 610,013Nethlds 4,296 14,114 4,296 14,114Spain 27,598 27,637Italy 24,816 29,639 517,032 994,796Vietnam 1,100 3,233Phil R 3,250 3,106China 380,464 498,374 3,886,261 5,334,421Hg Kong 38,488 56,707Taiwan 6,604 36,792 15,352 83,727Egypt 38,184 36,596TOTAL 515,771 705,274 5,463,334 7,914,333

9603908030 Push Brooms, 41 CM or Less in WidthSeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueMexico 2,280 2,429Sri Lka 3,222 15,791China 79,182 129,362Taiwan 96,216 138,550TOTAL 180,900 286,132

9603908040 Other Brooms, NESOISeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 236,254 529,748 1,549,405 1,904,727Mexico 293,677 613,279 3,025,554 6,148,879Guatmal 61,200 53,282Salvadr 69,952 85,369Colomb 6,816 11,623 316,834 309,110Venez 4,543 39,668 23,269 185,358Brazil 9,144 15,172 291,212 838,979Argent 7,260 8,306Sweden 750 4,827U King 711 5,256 763 10,160Czech 89,280 76,372 294,737 253,720Russia 2,545 5,849Spain 131,700 124,890Italy 22,938 59,039 414,420 486,721Israel 960 2,226India 16,600 15,740Sri Lka 23,010 78,177 276,304 731,186Thailnd 5,000 6,552 29,000 46,926Malaysa 1,903,964 1,109,347Indnsia 79,500 81,305 199,550 204,390China 587,186 710,084 8,262,429 9,647,361Hg Kong 4,498 15,051 4,498 15,051Taiwan 2,108 5,142 10,992 40,331Egypt 16,584 13,493TOTAL 1,364,665 2,246,468 16,910,482 22,246,228

9603908050 Brooms, Brushes, Sqeegees, Etc., NESOISeptember Year To Date

Country Net Q/No. Value Net Q/No. ValueCanada 1,193,445 16,771,349Mexico 3,889,240 33,181,248Salvadr 119,229Hondura 1,167,417 12,413,054

Panama 15,728 60,314Dom Rep 156,260B Virgn 14,638 14,638Colomb 110,614 909,186Venez 10,029Chile 6,793Brazil 57,299 443,413Argent 87,783Sweden 31,961 796,237Finland 54,905 60,513Denmark 154,017 1,115,760U King 105,967 1,139,966Ireland 35,234Nethlds 20,800 168,842Belgium 58,092 1,825,284France 20,500 272,998Fr Germ 238,072 2,324,203Austria 33,823Czech 243,302Hungary 5,143Lichten 41,806Switzld 72,989 255,127Estonia 2,396Poland 2,733 26,469Spain 30,443 673,078Italy 380,640 7,753,556Serbia 123,587Romania 7,063Israel 149,109 873,469India 71,466 591,631Pakistn 600,615 5,397,480Sri Lka 288,327 2,457,342Thailnd 456,059 3,418,630Vietnam 3,670 321,390Malaysa 37,584 180,713Singapr 4,111 112,538Indnsia 103,034 595,787Phil R 112,699China 25,379,739 215,947,334Kor Rep 204,683 4,205,529Hg Kong 134,877 2,075,306Taiwan 1,272,897 11,725,034Japan 46,312 768,221Austral 343,450 1,581,214N Caldn 27,418 59,849Tunisia 62,136

INDEX OF ADVERTISERSABMA ......................................................................38

Brush Expert .............................................................37

Caddy & Co., Inc., R.E.............................................20

Carlson Tool ............................................................25

Chung Thai Brushes Co..............................................7

Crystal Lake..............................................................11

Distribuidora Perfect, S.A. .........................................9

Himesa ................................................................13, 17

Jones Companies ........................................................5

Lemieux Spinning Mill Inc.........................................3

Line Manufacturing, Inc. ..........................................23

Manufacturers Resource ...........................................40

Monahan Co., The Thomas ................Front Cover, 15

PelRay.........................................................................2

St. Nick Brush Co.....................................................25

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

The Wooster Brush Company’s paintroller ECO Kit™ is designed to reducewaste, contains reusable products and ismade from recycled materials. This 5-piecekit includes a metal 1-quart tray and 9-inchcage frame for repeateduse. Also found in thispackage are a biodegrad-able tray liner and two 9-inch ECO Roller™ cov-ers.

The fabric of the ECORoller is made from 100percent certified recycledplastic PET (polyethyl-ene terephthalate) bot-tles. The fabric is also free from the pres-ence of dyes or chemicals used for color-ing. It is available in 3/8-inch pile, and isrecommended for use with flat paints onsmooth surfaces like most walls and ceil-ings. The ECO Roller is also sold sepa-

rately in a 2-pack.The ECO Liner™ is made from recycled

materials, and it is also biodegradable. Theclear plastic contains special additives tomake it fully degrade after disposal. It will

become a humus-like bio-mass in any landfill orcompost system withinone to five years (paintand/or disposal methodmay impact biodegrad-ability.)

The form-fitting ECOLiner assists in extendingthe life of Wooster’s R402Deluxe Metal Tray

(included in the kit). The ECO Liner is alsoavailable for purchase individually.

These green products are available at alltraditional paint and decorating centers,hardware stores, paint sundry distributorsor retailers, and home centers.

During the annual 2008 Board ofDirectors meeting, new officers were elect-ed to lead Golden Star, of Kansas City,MO, into its second century. The presidentposition is now shared by Earl D. Julo andSteven M. Lewis. Julo will head financeand global supply chain activities andLewis will lead sales and marketing initia-tives worldwide.

Joe Julo was elected vice president,manufacturing; and Gretchen GradingerLynch was elected vice president, com-pliance. Gradinger Lynch will also con-tinue as corporate counsel and BillGradinger will continue as executive vicepresident.

In making these announcements, chair-man and CEO, Gary Gradinger, noted,“Golden Star has an obvious fondness forthe long road … the wonderful experi-

ences, the enduring friendships, theshared prosperity and the multitude ofchallenges to overcome. Particularly grat-ifying has been our long-term involve-ment in the emergence of an indispensa-ble industry.

“Both Earl and Steve’s tours withGolden Star have each spanned over 25years and have touched every corner ofour business and industry. We couldn’t bemore fortunate in having their distin-guished leadership and vast experienceand that of our other new officers tolaunch us into another century of busi-ness.”

Since 1908, Golden Star has driven tex-tile-based cleaning solutions for hard andsoft surfaces worldwide. An industry inno-vator recognized for its support and serv-ice, Golden Star attends to customer needs

from 450,000 square feet of vertically inte-grated production facilities on two conti-nents.


Harold W. Hatcher, 63, died on Thursday,Nov. 27, 2008, from complications ofleukemia.

Born in Memphis, TN, on Feb. 24, 1945,to Everette M. Hatcher, Sr. and ThelmaTritt Hatcher, he received a law degreefrom Memphis State University. Initiallyworking for the state of Tennessee as alawyer, he later joined his brother andfather in the family businesses, ChickasawBroom Works, in Memphis, TN, and LittleRock Broom Works, in Little Rock, AR.

Hatcher is survived by his wife, SandraDeVall Hatcher, and son, John (Mack)Hatcher, both of Little Rock. He is also sur-vived by a sister, Nancy Hatcher Kitchen, ofCrosby, TX; and a brother, Everette HatcherJr. and wife, Jane, of Memphis, TN; nephewand business partner Everette Hatcher III, ofBryant, AR; and nieces Beth Sayles, VickiParks and Nancy Daniels of Tennessee;Kim McClure, Kelley Kratky, KandaceKitchen and Kary Denny of Texas, as wellas their spouses and children. Hatcher waspreceded in death by his parents.

A memorial service was held December 2at Second Presbyterian Church, in LittleRock. Memorials are suggested to St. JudeChildren’s Research Hospital, 501 St. JudePlace, Memphis, TN 38105.

Earl Julo, Steve Lewis Lead Golden Star Into Its 2nd Century

Steve Lewis Earl Julo

Joe JuloGretchen

Gradinger Lynch

ObituaryHarold W. Hatcher

Wooster’s ECO Kit™ DesignedWith The Environment In Mind

Hamburg Industries AppointsUpper Midwest Sales Representative

Hamburg Industries, of Hamburg, PA,has appointed Denny Smith, Smith SalesCompany, as sales representative in theUpper Midwest.

Smith will handle field sales inMinnesota, North Dakota, South Dakotaand in western Wisconsin. He has over 30years experience in the jan/san industry.

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, there were123 short tons of broom corn imported into the United States dur-ing October 2008. Total value of this import was $354,798, with acost per ton of $2,885 ($1.44 per pound).

Two countries supplied broom corn to the United States duringOctober, according to government figures, led by Mexico with109 short tons. Total value of the Mexican broom corn was$338,290, with a cost per ton of $3,104 ($1.55 per pound). Indiawas the other supplier for the month at 14 short tons and a totalvalue of $16,508. The cost per ton of the Indian import was $1,179(59 cents per pound).

October’s import figure of 123 short tons was smaller comparedto the previous month’s total of 133 short tons that arrived inSeptember. However, more broom corn was imported during thepast October compared to one year ago, when just 92 short tonsarrived into the United States during October 2007.

For the first 10 months of 2008, a total of 932 short tons of broomcorn arrived into the United States. Total value of this broom cornwas $2,423,722, with a cost per ton of $2,601 ($1.30 per pound). Incomparison, after the first 10 months of 2007, there were 955 shorttons of broom corn imported. Total value of this import was$2,149,097, with a cost per ton of $2,250 ($1.13 per pound).

The 2008 import breakdown in short tons by country after 10months is as follows: Mexico, 883 tons; India, 48 tons; andSweden, 1 ton.

Bart Pelton of PelRay International, LLC, in San Antonio,TX, said 109 imported short tons of Mexican broom corn is nowconsidered a pretty good month as opposed to years ago.Therefore, Pelton was fairly happy with the month’s import figure.

“I think (the amount) was a little heavier than usual as there mayhave been more broom corn buying taking place in the UnitedStates from people trying to stay ahead of price increases. Thereare also concerns over broom corn being in short supply by nextspring,” Pelton said. “Our company (PelRay International) alsoincreased its inventory a bit in October due to these same concernsover pricing and availability.”

As has been the case in the past, Pelton said he feels the importfigure out of India for October was probably palmyra fiber ratherthan actual broom corn. In other words, the import may have verywell been misclassified.

He explained that palmyra can be found in some brooms. Forexample, 18-inch palmyra is often used for the center of some spe-cialty brooms such as those purchased by railroads. This isbecause palmyra fiber is often coarse and stiff. In addition, thereis fine shredded palmyra that is used in the production of certain

push brooms and scrub brushes. “Fine palmyra is flexible enough that it can be staple set and

won’t break,” Pelton said. When interviewed on December 11, Pelton added that Mexican

broom corn pricing remained fairly stable, with some very smalldecreases taking place at times from the previous month’s level.This is primarily due to the slippage of the Mexican peso whencompared to the U.S. dollar.

“With most of the demand for broom corn now coming fromMexico, the price is set in pesos these days rather than in U.S. dol-lars. When the peso slips like it has been doing, this helps keep(broom corn) prices from going up as much as they normallywould,” Pelton explained. “Years ago, when the United Statesbought most of the broom corn grown in Mexico, Americandemand would set the market more in terms of U.S. dollars.”

Although the price of Mexican broom corn may not be going upas fast due to the weaker peso, the fact remains that the price isstill high. This in itself may be causing a softer demand for thecrop, including those who use broom corn in Mexico.

“At the moment, the liquidity in Mexico is not very good. Ithink there are a lot of people who are worried about the supply ofbroom corn and who would like to buy what is available, but maynot have the money,” Pelton said.

There remains good news, however, about the quality ofMexican broom corn that is now available. Pelton said he has notseen any negative quality issues regarding the broom corn thatcame out of the late 2008 harvest in Torreon.

“Unfortunately, the (Mexican) processors who do the best jobseem to always be the first ones who run out of broom corn,” headded.

With current Mexican prices remaining high, there are plenty ofdiscussions taking place from processors to encourage additionalplanting of Apatzingan broom corn. This crop is usually the firstbroom corn to be harvested in Mexico every year, although its sizein recent years has been small.

“I would expect the (Apatzingan) crop (in 2009) to be largerthan last year. It’s usually a small crop, however, so 200 processedtons is probably about the best we can hope for at this time,”Pelton said. “This would certainly help since broom corn from(the Apatzingan harvest)would be hitting the market next spring ata time when Mexican supply may be gone.”

As of the middle of December, Pelton said there has not been anymajor changes with the fumigation issue regarding imported broomcorn from Mexico. In early October, the U.S. Department ofAgriculture started to require all incoming broom corn fromMexico to be fumigated. This was due to an effort to protect againstcorn bore. The fumigation issue has caused concerns from U.S.broom corn dealers and users over what influence the requirementwould have on supply and costs. Since this time, there has been a


U.S. Imports 123 Short TonsOf Broom Corn In October

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

compromise met where hurl is no longer required to be fumigatedas long as insides are not present in the same container load.

The fumigation issue was addressed at length during the 2008National Broom & Mop Convention in St. Louis, held inNovember (see page 12 of this issue). Pelton said a letter writingcampaign among various people involved with the U.S. broomand broom corn industry will begin shortly. These letters will besent to various U.S. representatives and senators as well as to theU.S. Department of Agriculture, asking for a review of the fumi-gation requirement.

Concerning the yucca fiber market, Pelton said stability remainsin place and that prices have not changed much from previousmonths.

“This market is a bit on the slow side, (partly) because of its sea-sonal nature,” he said. “We often see an uptick in price (for yuccafiber) around December. Prices can increase 5 to 20 percent and thencome down in the spring. This is due to a loss of production becauseof the holiday season and winter weather. We haven’t seen yuccafiber prices increase (as of December 11), but this is still possible.”

Richard Caddy of R.E. Caddy & Co., Inc., in Greensboro,NC, reflected on the fact that October’s price for Mexican broomcorn (at $1.55 per pound) was in the historic level category.

“That is the current trend — prices have been high. I’m not surewhat (prices) will do in the future, but I think a lot will depend onhow much broom corn will be available before the new crops areharvested (in 2009),” Caddy said. “Right now, there is broom cornavailable, and when looking at import figures for finished broomsheading into the United States, this amount is going down. I wouldsay there is not as much activity with Mexican and other broommakers as in the past.”

Caddy said on December 11 that Mexican broom corn priceswere steady with very minor adjustments being made. Quality ofthis broom corn also remains steady with no major issues to report.

He also commented on the broom corn fumigation issue, sayingit’s hard to predict what the final outcome will be on today’s cur-rent requirements.

“If you bring in a load right now of broom corn that does notinclude stalks, then that load is not required to be fumigated.However, if you bring in a load of mixed broom corn, with even onestalk, then the whole trailer must be fumigated,” Caddy explained.“We (R.E. Caddy) usually bring in mixed broom corn containingboth insides and hurl. Therefore, this type of load must be fumigat-ed, which adds an additional 5 to 6 cents a pound to the cost.

“When building inventory in the warehouse, it’s certainly feasi-ble to buy a truck load of hurl and a truck load of insides to cutfumigation costs. It’s possible for a dealer or distributor to do thisfrom a stocking standpoint.”

Pertaining to yucca fiber, Caddy said there is plenty of supplyavailable and that lead times are not a problem. Orders can be turnedin a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, he added, demand for yuccafiber has trended down, similar to the recent trend with broom corn.

Caddy said that overall business seems to be slowing. This hasbeen typical in recent years due to the time of year.

“Seasonally, business slows in December. However, this wasnot always the case. Years ago, business might be busy during thefinal month of the year as customers didn’t want to wait untilJanuary. Today, our business tends to depend on what season iscurrently taking place,” he said. “Our larger accounts are antici-

pating a slow down in business right now with their ultimate end-users, so it may be a little slow during the next couple of months.The economy doesn't seem to be very good right now if you listento the TV and believe what you read. The experts sure aren't pre-senting a very positive picture.

“On the up side, gasoline is cheaper. It now takes less money todrive and deliver goods.”

Tim Monahan of The Thomas Monahan Co., in Arcola, IL,said he was pleased to see that the amount of broom corn import-ed into the United States after the first 10 months of 2008 was notthat far behind the 10-month mark for 2007.

“I felt there was some U.S. production of brooms lost (in 2008),but it looks like somebody has picked up the slack,” Monahansaid.

He noted that the $1.55 per pound mark for Mexican broomcorn is as high at it’s been for quite a while, and that this figureaccurately reflects the current market situation.

Monahan added that he has no complaints about the quality ofthe Mexican broom corn he has seen as of late. He reported thatcolor is good and there “is a fair amount of 18- and 20-inch broomcorn which is the desirable size.” Fiber quality is also reasonablygood.

Monahan also reported during the middle of December thatoverall business has been on the slow side. He said usually a sloweconomy, however, doesn’t influence the sale of brooms as muchas it does with higher ticket items.

“Hopefully business in January will pick up, but it’s hard to tellhow long the economy will stay down,” he said.


BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM


Mail to: Broom, Brush & Mop, 204 E. Main, P.O. Box 130, Arcola, IL 61910 - USA Phone 800-598-8083 (US) • 217-268-4959 • FAX 217-268-4815 • Email: [email protected]

The following form will be used to compile a company profile to be included in Suppliers 2009, an international suppliers directory that will be read all year long by broom, brush and mop manufacturers.

Please fill out and return as soon as possible.

Thank you for your help in making this suppliers directory the most helpful and most comprehensive yet.

Broom, Brush & Mop

Deadline: May 15, 2009

SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009With the U.S. economy entering into chal-lenging times, housewares industry stake-holders are focused on strategies that bringconsumers into stores. Sales promotions,rebates and new product offerings are wide-spread across all categories as consumerstighten their belts and the discretionaryincome pie continues to shrink.

“Managing the housewares business in themidst of a tumultuous economy is no doubt achallenge,” says Peter Goldman, president ofthe Home Section of The NPD Group.Commenting in the Fall issue of HousewaresMarketwatch, Goldman notes that consumersare inevitably buying less, with sales patternsreflecting how they might be dealing withpressures that include a credit crunch, highgasoline prices, climbing home foreclosurerates and growing unemployment.

In the small appliance sector, home environ-ment products are faring best, with flat dollarsales while most product categories are in thered. Goldman says this is “further testament ofhow restrictive consumer spending was” dur-ing the first half of the year. The abiding trendtoward wellness has contributed to a positive

outlook for products that keep a home clean.Canister vacuums, for instance, were

among the “bright spots” of the housewaresindustry in the first half of 2008 with dollarand unit sales up 12 percent and 6 percent,respectively. Goldman says innovation in thiscategory continues to influence consumerperception of these products, making them anattractive option in floor care.

“Many of today’s models have beendesigned to address consumer needs for con-venience, functionality and design,” he says,“offering superior technology that tackleseach of these concerns.”

In the resilient housewares industry, thereis always a silver lining. The sale of ricecookers grew in 2008, with dollar sales up 14percent and unit volume up 4 percent in thesix months ending June 2008. Innovation inthis category also is well represented, as man-ufacturers have built-in features such assteamer trays or similar accessories thataccommodate steaming of vegetables andother foods. This appeals to consumers whoare in the habit of buying convenience-orient-ed products that offer multi-functionality.

Housewares Industry Seeks WaysTo Fight Economic Challenges

Unger Enterprises’ SmartColor MopHolder features a low profile and pivotinghead, reducing cleaning time by 10 percent.

Its design reduces the amount of bend-ing and reaching required during restroomcleaning, while its large 16-inch surfacecovers more area and improves scrubbingpressure.

The SmartColor Mop Holder can be usedwith Unger’s mop handles, SmartColorMicroMops, SmartColor Damp Mop andSpill Mop.

Unger’s SmartColorMop Holder Helps

Reduce Cleaning Time

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

Mail to: Broom, Brush & Mop, 204 E. Main, P.O. Box 130, Arcola, IL 61910 - USA Phone 800-598-8083 (US) • 217-268-4959 • FAX 217-268-4815 • Email: [email protected]

The following form will be used to compile a company profile to be included in Suppliers 2009, an international suppliers directory that will be read all year long by broom, brush and mop manufacturers.

Please fill out and return as soon as possible.

Thank you for your help in making this suppliers directory the most helpful and most comprehensive yet.

Broom, Brush & Mop

Deadline: May 15, 2009

SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009SUPPLIERS 2009

SUBMITTED BY:

COMPANY NAME:

ADDRESS:

CITY: STATE: ZIP: COUNTRY:

TELEPHONE: FAX:

EMAIL: WEBSITE:

COMPANY OFFICERS:

PRODUCTS:

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

BBM.Jan.y 4/26/11 3:14 PM

broom, brush & mop jan 2009

Documents

broom broom corn news

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