by Becca Anderson

Software Steps Into The Future

Textile Management System, from Computer Systems International, is the first we know of to utilize the Microsoft.net in the dry cleaning field. According to guidelines being promoted by good programmer resources like W3schools (online tutorials for web designers), this platform may become the standard among software designers in the future. Let's look at what it is and what it can do for you.

EXAMPLE #1

Factory Outlet Cleaners in Toronto , owned by Jim and Gus Karagiannis, is Canada 's largest retail dry cleaning operation. At present they own 49 franchised Cadet Cleaners stores and 20 franchised Factory Outlet stores including 6 inside Wal-Marts. Turnaround time on orders is one day for Cadet and two days for Factory Outlet. Any experienced dry cleaner can visualize the difficulties in controlling the production and delivery of hundreds of orders, to say nothing of the systems required for keeping tight control of both income and inventory. That's where .net comes in.

Using this new technology, the Karagiannis brothers can be in constant contact with their outlets. They can know hourly the number of pants, shirts, jackets, dresses and other items that will be arriving at their central processing facility each evening, and they can be prepared with the right amount of staff for handling it. 

The franchisees provide a full accounting of their stores on a continual basis through broadband Internet. In turn, the plant provides continuous backup for them. A unique Lost and Fount Library is being planned to aid franchisees. Any garment that loses its tag will be photographed, described and entered in the Library via the Internet to locate garments or to have a customer review the items to identify their garments.

JUST WHAT IS A .net?

The simplest way to understand this innovation is software creation is to think of it as a series of small programs that each do a specific task, and are linked together by an overarching program. This differs from past programming because you can customize, update or change one of the small programs without having to rewrite the entire interconnected suite of programs. Using older software, it was necessary to change all segments, not just the one being altered. This means that a company purchasing the new .net software will be able to get exactly the customization it needs for point of sale and other systems in a few days, instead of waiting for months.

The CSI program, now called Textile Management System, has been evolving over the past 10 years. It began as a typical DOS-based product. However, it has kept up with technology changes and now is poised to take advantage of the latest revolution in software design as the Microsoft.net standards are adopted. It's what everybody will be writing programs to mesh with in the future, and CSI is the first on the market with software specific for the dry cleaning industry, according to Al Anjavi.

MORE DRY CLEANERS COMPUTERIZING

"Companies that are serious in the business are becoming computerized. Those that are just surviving will go on as they always have, but if they want to grow, this kind of control of information is vital. The initial resistance of dry cleaners to computerization is finally melting away as computers prove their worth in the workplace. We used to knock on doors to get dry cleaners to think about computerizing. Now, they come to us and there is a waiting list to process the orders," Anjavi commented.

CHOOSING YOUR SOFTWARE

All software packages have an array of options and capabilities; you should study them carefully. Ask questions if you don't understand the technical language. Any software you purchase should include the option to have it customized to your particular operation. It should be easy to use and understand, for all the people in your company who will use it. And your purchase should include adequate training. It's also vital that the software be expandable and adaptable into the future. The CSI system offers the following:

·         Real-time order tracking by the main office over a DSL Internet connection

·         Centralized accounting, pricing, promotions, marketing, time clock and reporting functions.

·         Upfront customization to your needs.

·         Built-in videos for training staff.

·         Conversion of data from any prior software you have used.

·         Multilingual capabilities (currently English, French, and Spanish with Korean and other languages on the way).

·         User-friendly features such as touch screens and large icons.

·         Marketing tools to track customer spending, initiate reward programs, and print coupons or other messages automatically.

·         E-mail interface with customers for order tracking and notification.

·         Reporting function that mesh with your current software, such as Excel, Word, or PDF files.

·         Lock-outs on sensitive information, to limit it to management or those employees who need to know it.

·         Integrated WebCam for quality control and security.

·         Integrated Credit Card Authorization System. Integrated website allowing customer to track orders from pickup to delivery. Customers can view the status of their orders, change delivery locations and times, and include special requests to their orders at any point in the process

EXAMPLE #2

The following is not a look into the future, but is happening today with dry cleaners who are utilizing .net technology. "Don't forget the dry cleaning," the husband says as he heads out the door. His wife quickly logs onto her dry cleaner's website and requests a pickup for that day. Then she indicates when she would like her order back and prints out a pickup slip for her bag, before putting it in the designated spot as she heads out to work. Across town the plant manager is stuck in traffic. He takes this opportunity to dial his hand-held Internet-linked organizer to check on business. Seeing that incoming orders are heavy, he then uses his cell phone to call in a part-time finisher. When the customer arrives home on Friday, she is not surprised to see the dry cleaning hanging on the porch in her VIP garment bag, because she received an e-mail at work telling her it would be there. But there is a surprise; coupons rewarding her for her fifth order are attached to the shipping copy of the paid-by-credit-card invoice.

 Becca Anderson spent 13 years in corporate communications in the supermarket industry. She is a freelance writer on business

issues and other subjects, and can be reached at banderson@cablelynx.com

Fabricare Canada, April/May 2001

Frankly, if Al Anjavi, president of CSI, had taken the advice of this writer back in 1989 (when he started his company) he would be serving some other industry today. I told him he would break his heart and his bank account while trying to persuade dry cleaners that the age of the computer is here. I had seen other clever, eager Canadian software geniuses try to get a toehold in the industry and go broke in the process. While other retail businesses were snapping up point-of-sale computers, dry cleaners were sticking to their handwritten invoices.

But I underestimated Al Anjavi. Today, with 12 years in the business and over 1,200 locations using his computers and software, he has had the last laugh. How did he succeed where others could not? Basically because his software was so darned simple to operate. In fact, he now has users in 12 countries.

You have to remember that 12 years ago computers were pretty intimidating. Those pioneering dry cleaners who purchased point-of-sale systems reported that it was at least six months before they felt confident enough to discard written back-up records. Computers had limited storage capacity and were complicated to operate. Manoeuvres such as moving between files and executing simple calculations required many keystrokes.

The secret to Al’s success was that he created software that was simple. The learning curve was short and the opportunity for error was small. To underscore the simplicity, he sold the system with a pledge of unlimited backup without a service contract. This offering was so unusual that some prospects felt there must be a trick in it somewhere. But by checking with owners of the system, they found it was literally true. Al was available to them when they needed him, free of charge, but they seldom, if ever, needed him.

SIMPLICITY IS DIFFICULT

Ask any professional and you will be told that reducing his or her expertise to its simplest terms is very difficult. It may appear that a doctor or lawyer is trying to impress a client or a patient with big words, but the truth may be that he or she is not capable of reducing concepts to their simplest components.

Translate this to computers and it becomes a matter of the number of keystrokes required to perform a function. When these keystrokes must be repeated many times a day, by people with different levels of skill, it becomes obvious that this is one of the routes to the acceptance of CSI by the fabricare industry.

But there was more. The system was flexible and could be adapted to fit each operation. This is commonplace today, but back in the ancient days (computerwise) of 1989, rigidity was much more common. The customer fitted into a system, not vice versa. Flexibility was another reason Al was able to open a market for himself.

A BROADER VIEW

This article is not an endorsement of any system, but an attempt to trace the evolution of the industry from its flat-out rejection of point-of-sale systems to the acceptance by an estimated 35% of all dry cleaners today. Computer technology has moved so fast that a year might be compared with a decade in any other field. We profile three Canadian computer companies here, the “youngest” having been started in 1995. All could be compared with 50-year-old companies as far as the pioneering work they have done in a relatively short time.

BACK TO CSI

CSI’s first customer was George Manikis of Masters Garment Care in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont. George had been looking for a point-of-sale system and was introduced to Al Anjavi by a mutual friend. “I helped Al learn about the needs of dry cleaners, and he came up with the software that I wanted at the counter,” said George. “It ran on a 186 computer, which was the fastest we had back then, and it was pretty slow. Al has upgraded our system and our computers through the years. When he was able to tie different computers within a plant into a network, our plant was one of the first ones in which he installed this convenience.”

The acceleration of technology provides opportunities as well as challenges. The need for constant innovation drives the CSI team to continual improvements. When the software has already been developed to do a certain job, they adopt it into their package. When unique software is required, they are up to the challenge of developing it.

For example, one of the problems facing dry cleaners is that of large orders. There are physical limitations to what can be contained in one order, based on weight, bulk and the protection of the finished work. Customers do not want to wait while two or more invoices are prepared – either by hand or by computer – to split the order. One of CSI’s innovations is an automatic dividing up of the order for the plant and storage, while keeping it all on one invoice for the customer.

“It’s a tough business,” admits Al Anjavi. “Every day we seem to have new challenges. One of our recent ones was a request from a large leather retailer who offers a repair service to its customers. With orders coming from many stores scattered across the country, the record keeping required to have the garments move smoothly and in sequence through the repair department was difficult. I am happy to say we were able to develop a program to handle this.”

Other specialized programs include software to control valet service, route service, all back office functions and even coin laundry operations. “But 80% of the activity in a system is concerned with check-in and check-out at the counter. That is where we started and that is where we continue to offer new features. Our simplified touch screens are really popular with customers. We can facilitate frequent customer plans, provide marketing data in many forms, and enable dry cleaners to track everything from customer activity to coupon redemption.

“One of our newest markets is dry cleaning counters in other businesses. For this we have developed DES (Dryclean Expert System). At the moment we are in a test with two Wal-Mart stores. We are also in 10 Hy & Zel’s drug stores and over 50 supermarkets.

“With many of our customers today, we can send them a CD-ROM of our software and walk them through it over the phone. It is that simple. The only negative with our simple system is the fact that my staff often loses touch with their customers. Sometimes we don’t hear from a customer for two or three years, so we call to see how they’re doing. They tell us everything is fine and that’s why they don’t call us.

“We encourage our customers to take advantage of their computer system by using it as a marketing tool. To show them some of the possibilities, we have a prototype website to demonstrate some of the ways they can market dry cleaning services. This site is for demonstration purposes only, but your readers may access it at www.drycleanonsite.com if they wish.”

IN SUMMARY

Computer Systems Interna­tional was a pioneer in a fast-developing business. We salute them as well as the other Canadian companies who came after them. In addition, we thank CSI for introducing Fabricare Canada to the subjects of our cover story, the Accardi family of Ashford Cleaners.

January 6, 2000

David Draiman and Sta-Brite Cleaners Featured on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw

David Draiman, president of Sta-Brite, a chain of dry cleaning establishments in the Washington D.C. area, was featured on the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw on Monday, January 3rd, exploring Y2K problems. The national news story viewed how business responded to the Y2K challenge and how they were effected. Mr. Draiman was interviewed as an example of a company that was well prepared, and moved through the New Year without a "glitch". In the interview Mr. Draiman stated that "We opened up bright and early on Monday and everything was fine."

The staff at Sta-Brite had prepared for Y2K to assure there was no interruption in business. All equipment from computerized production systems to point-of-sale terminals were state-of-the-art Y2K complaint. The point-of-sale system was designed by Computer Systems International, a Canadian company. The NBC story cited that small, private companies like Sta-Brite, who took the initiative, were why there were so few Y2K problems.

Sta-Brite is a 50-year-old dry cleaning with nine locations in the Washington area. The company was founded by David Draiman's father, William Draiman.

Fabricare Canada, July/August 1997

Al Anjavi’s Simple Approach to Point-of-Sale Computers

Al Anjavi is a soft-spoken man who does not try to impress anyone with his knowledge of computers. Quite the opposite, in fact. After a few minutes of conversation with him, the listener loses any fear he or she may have of high technology. Al makes it sound so easy.

And he puts his money behind this idea. There is no maintenance contract to buy when a drycleaner purchases a CSI computer system. For the first year there is free on-line support. Al seldom hears from his customers after this period unless they want to upgrade their systems. "I find the customers feel comfortable after a year. My systems are really simple to maintain." One proof of this simplicity is the fact that Al and his hardware technician, Pat Mohammadi, are the sole backup for 500 systems, 370 of these in Ontario. Others are installed in the U.S. and overseas.

The company sold 10 systems at Clean ’97 and has leads for many more. One sale was made to a customer in Malaysia and another to a company in the U.K. Support for these will be given by modem and the Internet. The fact that these customers felt comfortable buying the system with physical support thousands of miles away shows Al Anjavi’s power of persuading buyers that his drycleaning point-of-sale computer systems are easy to operate.

Every drycleaning plant has certain ways of operating that are unique to it. Anjavi will make small changes to his basic system for free but charges for major changes. All the latest bells and whistles are available. Customers may request a touch screen, bar codes and reader wands. Every time Al hears about something new on the market he buys one to learn more about it.

His latest option is a telephone directory embedded in the computer. When a customer walks into a store for the first time, the sales representative asks for a home phone. When this is entered into the computer the sales person can then say, "Are you Mrs. Jones at 123 Main Street?" This really impresses the new customer, according to Anjavi.

The typical set-up being sold by CSI includes a Pentium computer, cash drawer and two printers-one for invoices and one for tags. Additional terminals for marking areas and other locations can be added at modest cost. The average first-time purchase is under $4,000.

Anjavi came to Canada from Iran when he was 18 years old. He went to York University for his undergraduate degree and earned an M.A. in computers science from the University of Toronto. This program did not have the high profile it has today, but his degree led to a job developing mainframe systems for IBM.

Because he could see that the potential of computers went beyond main frames for large companies, Anjavi looked around for a field in which he could specialize and open his own business. In 1990 he started to investigate the drycleaning field. He felt drycleaning operations could benefit from computers because they were cash businesses and difficult to control. His decision to form his own company was made easier when IBM offered "packages" to programmers when the company was downsizing.

His first installation was at Master Cleaners in Toronto, on a 386 computer. Management at Master has not upgraded its software since, even though 486 and Pentium computers have replaced the 386. The reason, according to Al: "It is working well and they like it. They have all the capacity they need."

His breakthrough in becoming known in the drycleaning industry came with the installation of a system for Leather Craft cleaners of Mississauga, Ont. The company’s drycleaner customers were soon getting computer-generated invoices each time the Leather Craft driver stopped at their stores. Soon they began to inquire about how they could become computerized to produce such invoices for their customers.

One of the most important benefits which Al gives to his customers is his availability. Day or night they can reach him through his cellular telephone.

Fabricare Canada, May/June 1995

Computerization, Vital to Growth of Leather Craft

Roxanne Kantzavelos wands barcode identification on invoice to check garment out of plant. Al Anjavi watches at right.

Ted keeps his mobile phone in his pocket so that customers can reach him no matter what part of the plant he is in when they call. "It is important that I always be available to talk to my customers," he says. "Communication is one of the most important things in the leather cleaning business."

He knows what he is talking about because he has owned drycleaning plants at one time. "I realize drycleaners are loaning me their customers. If I can’t give them quality service, they can’t give their customers quality service either. That’s why we looked for a computer system which could give us full control of our work."

COMPUTER A BIG DECISION

One of the most important considerations for Ted Petinarelis before venturing into the unknown world of computers was having strong and consistent support from his supplier. He knew first hand how disappointing it can be when this support is not available from a supplier when needed. For that reason he made the availability of training and immediate consultation a requirement when looking at computer software.

Enter Al Anjavi of CSI (Computer Systems International) carrying his mobile telephone which keeps him in touch with his software customers. Not only was Al willing to provide constant and complete back-up, but he agreed to tailor a software program to control every phase of Leather Craft Cleaners’ system. Here’s how it works.

LEATHER SERVICE SCHEDULE

Ted’s trucks visit approximately 500 drycleaning plants twice a week. Each of his three drivers receive a computer-generated manifest showing the day’s stops and including a barcode label for each plant. It also lists all orders to be delivered.

ROUTINE CONTROLLED BY COMPUTER

The driver puts the barcode on his invoice for pick-ups and a plant representative initials the manifest confirming deliveries.

A special crew arrives at the Leather Craft plant in the afternoon to check in the work as the trucks arrive back at the plant. They wand the barcode which was peeled off the manifest and stuck on the drivers’ work order. The barcode contains the permanent number for this drycleaner and enables the checker to enter the garments to his account. At the same time an invoice number is generated, along with and color-coded tags for each item in the order. The work is now ready for its first inspection, prior to processing.

The management team, consisting of owner Ted Petinarelis, his daughter Roxanne and her husband Tony Kantzavelos, have complete control of the work going through the plant, as well as full information about the delivery schedule for each garment. When a customer asks about a particular garment, it can be tracked instantly through the computer.

When the garment has been given the final inspection by Ted, it is bagged and the invoice number is entered into the computer. A two-part invoice is then generated for the customer. Because it has not accompanied the garment through the plant, this invoice presents an image of cleanliness and efficiency through its fresh, clean appearance.

At the time the invoice is generated, the garment is simultaneously entered on the delivery manifest in the correct order, for the designated day. "This system greatly eliminates the possibility of human error in putting orders on the wrong route," said Roxanne, who continues to work closely with the system. The driver loads the truck from his line according to the order on the manifest.

IN THE BEGINNING…

There was no computer software in existence to handle his needs, as far as Ted Petinarelis could discover. So he asked Al Anjavi to create a system for Leather Craft Cleaners. Al spent many hours picking the brains of the management team to learn as much as possible about the leather cleaning business. By September 1994 he had prepared the first version of his software.

For the next weeks the system was fine-tuned as new situations arose which had to be covered. This meant working closely with the Leather Craft team both in person and through a modem. "Al stood by us and adjusted the system continually in the early days," stated Ted. "Every time we called, he was accessible to us. And there was no extra charge for this. "The whole system, hardware and software, was under $4,000. The barcode reader and accessories were not included in this figure."

INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE

Obviously Al Anjavi lost money on preparing the Leather Craft system. But he set it up because it was a challenge and because he felt it might bring him new customers. His profitable computer hardware company absorbed the additional development costs and has been rewarded with the anticipated new customers.

The drycleaners who use the services of Leather Craft were aware of the new system immediately. The computer-generated tags, invoices and manifest sheet showed them the amount of control Leather Craft had over their work, and they wanted equal control over the work in their plants.

To date approximately 10% of Ted’s customers have purchased computer systems designed for drycleaners from CSI. They appreciate the same features which attracted Ted to the system: modest cost and dependable back-up. Al continues to fine-tune his drycleaning software just as he did for leather cleaning. Every time he improves a feature he upgrades all the drycleaners’ systems by modem. "That way every drycleaner has the same system, and it is simpler for me," says Al.

Canadian Cleaner & Launderer, the predecessor to this magazine, also played a part in this because Ted Petinarelis first made contact with Al Anjavi through an ad for CSI which ran in its pages. "Al was the key to this commitment and accessibility we never could have done it. He looks after you from when you are first learning until you are self-sufficient," said Ted.