Frequently Asked Questions
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Several members had been searching for research partners as a way to develop a competitive advantage. Through networking and industry connections, the members developed CCRC through a series of meetings, proposals and phone calls.
With the best interests of consumers as the focal point, the member organizations of CCRC agreed to share product development plans with one another. As a result, consumers will benefit by experiencing an extended life for garments, as well as significant time and money savings from apparel cleaning and maintenance. “We ultimately decided that we'd be better together, rather than each member trying to solve one part of the puzzle,” said Jon Jacoby, clothes care product manager, GE Consumer & Industrial.
“If a consumer washes a new shirt and it doesn't come out well, the consumer doesn't know what's wrong,” said George Grody, director of global strategic alliances for Proctor & Gamble's Fabric and Home Care Division. “They wonder, did my detergent not do the proper job? Is the garment poor quality? Did my washing machine knock it around too much? Poor performance hurts all of us, so we need the industry to use our findings.”
CCRC members benefit from the networking at their regularly scheduled board meetings. According to Ira Livingston, senior vice president of consumer marketing for Cotton Incorporated, one of the biggest benefits for CCRC members is the speed of information. Members can immediately apply what is learned at meetings to ongoing research in their own laboratories.
The alliance's five corporate members and two university members have representatives on CCRC's board of directors. The board meets regularly to review current studies and set objectives for future studies.
After the board of directors determines the objectives for a new study, CCRC's technical standing committee takes over. This committee includes engineers and scientists from each member company to design experiments using their newest and best innovations to test for interactions and establish new advancements. Dr. Bruce Ankenman, associate professor in industrial engineering at Northwestern University and Dr. Elizabeth P. Easter, director of the University of Kentucky's Textile Testing Laboratory, assist the committee in creating protocols for each study. The University of Kentucky's Textile Testing Laboratory conducts the experiments under Easter's direction and Ankenman provides an analysis of the results.
CCRC conducts its studies on technologies, not specific brands. If a CCRC member's competitor's product is most applicable, then that product is used.
No. Board meetings are rotated among member locations to familiarize members with each other's existing laboratories and facilities. The University of Kentucky's Textile Testing Laboratory conducts CCRC's experiments, and members supply or source products as needed.
The five corporate members share the research funding based on an annual mutually acceptable budget. Specific research costs are not disclosed.
“The experiments create wonderful opportunities for our students,” said Easter from the University of Kentucky. “Industry collaborating with academia provides a whole new perspective in the educational experiences of today. It brings the best of both worlds together.”
“CCRC ties us in with a number of major companies in an unusual way,” said Ira Uslander, executive director of industry relations at Northwestern's Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. “I'm looking at the contacts we're making as potential employers for our students, as well as fulfilling the university's social responsibilities.”
There are no plans to expand CCRC at this time. CCRC is not a trade association. It is an alliance among these five companies and two universities.
Members agreed to continue through 2005 at a minimum.
This website is your best resource for keeping current with CCRC developments. Other sections of this site include CCRC Research, Articles and White Papers, and a calendar of upcoming events and anticipated research release dates.
