New EPA rule will affect plant services operations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a new rule that will require all disposable wipers and rental "shop" towels to adhere to federal guidelines for use and disposal. Previously, only disposable wipers were required to follow these guidelines.

Companies often selected rental towels because they assumed the commercial laundry would be responsible for any environmental problems connected with cleaning rental towels. Under the new rule, however, the user, rather than the laundry, is responsible for any environmental discharges. Furthermore, the rule requires that towels be pretreated before they are sent to the laundry. This could increase the cost of rental towels because most laundries will need to add pre-treatment equipment, unless users agree to handle pretreatment in house.

To adhere to the new guidelines, companies must watch the entire waste handling and disposal process carefully. End-users are responsible for all pollution problems created, directly or indirectly, from their wipers or towels. If a company is renting towels, it must work closely with its laundry contractor to prevent any "surprises" during the wastewater disposal process.

Currently, more than 95 percent of the world's manufacturing plants use disposable wipers and rent shop towels for commercial maintenance and repair. Individually, plants use anywhere from 10,000 wipers per year to 100,000 wipers per month.

ADB Systems USA, Inc., a unit of ADB Systems International, and GE Commercial Equipment Financing, a unit of GE Commercial Finance, announced the formation of GE Asset Manager LLC, a joint business venture that will develop and market asset management technology to a variety of industries. Sales and marketing initiatives will begin immediately, and the venture's first product is expected to be available during the first quarter of 2004.

GE Asset Manager LLC is an integrated, Web-based business that enables mid- and large-sized organizations to reduce operating costs by simplifying and consolidating their asset management programs. GE Asset Manager will feature all-in-one capabilities designed for sourcing new equipment, tracking and reallocating existing assets, and automating appraisal management and the disposition of surplus equipment.

GE Asset Manager will work with organizations that have extensive capital assets and equipment active in the manufacturing, transportation, communication and energy sectors. The offerings will be delivered primarily through a Web-hosted business service model, reducing computer maintenance and software costs of customers.