‘YOU’VE GOT TO BE INNOVATIVE’— Q&A with J.B. WERNER
G.A. Braun CEO describes coping with COVID, recruitment/retention challenges and more
By Jack Morgan
In recognition of the 75th anniversary of G.A. Braun Inc., Syracuse, NY, Textile Services recently clicked into a Zoom interview with J.B. Werner, Braun CEO and board chairman. Our discussion ranged over the impact of COVID-19, market trends, regulatory hurdles, overseas expansion and more. Excerpts—edited and condensed for clarity—follow.
Fourth-generation CEO J.B. Werner, photographed in his office at the G.A. Braun manufacturing plant in Syracuse, NY., is enjoying the company’s 75th anniversary. Innovation is the key to its future, he says.
We hear that a lot of your customer base have deferred on machinery purchases or any capital expenditures due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. With various states opening up, is that likely to change in the second half of ’21?
We’re going to see some pickup on the uniform side, but they’re almost back to where they were pre-COVID. The hospital side’s still down but improving. Obviously, the linen in hospitality is down. I think we’ll see a pickup in hospitality, but more toward the resorts because people can’t wait to go out on vacation. The hotels that cater to business travelers, I think that’s going to go down. Businesses are going to do more Zoom meetings and not traveling as much compared to pre-Covid levels.
Any improvements planned for your manufacturing facility?
We opened the first building 2009 and then we put in the addition and doubled it in 2015. We’ve continued to invest in capital equipment in the factory for fabrication and those types of things. We could expand if we wanted to. We’ve got land to do that. We have no plans to do so at this time.
With no Clean Show this year, how have you changed your approach to marketing your equipment and systems?
It gives us an opportunity. Every two years it’s difficult to come up with new equipment…We’ve got a lot of new product development going on, which if we had the show this year, we wouldn’t be able to show as many new products. By the next clean show, we’ll have a number of new products that we will showcase.
You’ve said people at Braun are happy to be working there. Has that made recruitment/retention better? Have you seen less turnover, or is it any easier when you need to hire an engineer?
At times recruitment can be challenging but we are active with local vocational schools and universities in the area. We provide tours, explain what we do and provide an overview of the industry. We’ve found this approach to be extremely beneficial.
Are you sending sales reps out? I’ve heard with some companies, it’s all phone or “Zoom calls.”
Yes, our sales representatives are all traveling. No question.
How about your pursuit of overseas markets? Has that been affected by COVID particularly?
Yes. Especially the Far East. I think they’re still pretty closed down. We’re seeing some activity in Korea. Central and South America, and we continue to be very active in those areas.
How about supply chain? Have you had issues getting parts?
No. Because all of our suppliers are U.S. based it was rare if we ran into an issue and have had little disruption.
Your factory is ISO certified. Does that give your sales reps any competitive advantage when they’re pitching your equipment?
- Definitely, ISO practices contribute to making the development, manufacturing, and supply of products and services more efficient and safe. I’m not sure who is even ISO certified here in the states. I don’t think there are any ISO-certified laundry equipment manufacturers.
When you do your proposals, do they put that into the proposal? Do they ask about ISO certification when you’re bidding it now?
Some do. More of the government RFPs (request for proposals) will have that.
Is government contracting a significant part of your business?
We do a lot of VA (Veterans Administration) business. We always have. That’s always been a strong point of our company. Yes. A lot of the RFPs have what’s called a “Made in America” clause, not all of them, but many do. With the current administration’s push to “Buy American” I believe we will see more of this.
How do you feel about making it to 75 years in this highly competitive business?
We’re very excited about it. We’re very proud to have 75 years in this business. There are not many companies that can say that. Having four generations basically, if you start back from the Prosperity Company, the chemical company (see related story on pg. 40), I’m the fourth generation in the laundry business. The third generation in the company for Braun.
Looking past COVID, what would you say is the biggest challenge that Braun is facing in the next 15-20 years?
You’ve got to be innovative. You got to keep coming up with new products. If you don’t, the market will pass you by. That’s where we focus. Every year, we get together, gather industry input as to what needs are out there and what they would like to see. Then we talk about different products that we should consider building, and make plans accordingly, depending on which ones we decide we’re going to go ahead with. We’ve several brand-new products coming out between now and the Clean Show (July 30-Aug. 2, 2022, Atlanta) and we are looking forward to showcasing them.