Carleen, Ben and Mike spoke to a crowd of over 200 equipment managers about the benefits of heat printing at the recent AEMA tradeshow in Las Vegas.
If you’ve ever wondered how the athletic teams at many of the country’s colleges and universities keep track of all the uniforms–which includes socks–they have to deal with, you might be surprised to learn that some still actually rely on a good old permanent marker. At the recent AEMA (Athletic Equipment Managers Association) tradeshow in Las Vegas, a team from GroupeSTAHL showed a crowd of over 200 equipment managers how a Clothing ID Label System, and how heat printing in general, could make their lives easier (many Pro Football team equipment managers also gave rave reviews). Of course some in the audience were already converts, like Wendall Neal, equipment manager at the University of Arizona since 1998. I had the chance to meet him back in 2011 at the NSGA conference held in Arizona. Like many of the other equipment managers they spoke with, Wendall uses heat printing for more than labeling garments for easier laundry identification. Many of the schools own more than one system. Since the labeling systems are used for sports as diverse as Rowing, Golf, Hockey, Football, Basketball, Baseball, Lacrosse and Soccer, there is often a need to have systems at different field houses or locations. It’s good to know that major schools such as Kansas, UCLA, USC and yes, even Harvard, have seen the light about heat printing. They definitely all agree, it’s worth replacing the ole Sharpie marker with a heat press. One of my favorite testimonials– “I haven’t lost a sock since I got this”– says it all. Carleen, Ben and Mike were overwhelmed by the positive response.
Ben Robinson of Hotronix shows equipment managers the benefits of heat printing at AEMA.