G.A. Braun … Still Innovating After All these Years

This year marks G.A. Braun Inc.’s 75th anniversary, according to J.B. Werner, CEO and board chairman for this U.S.-based laundry machinery and systems manufacturer. Werner credits the company’s continued expansion – despite COVID-19 and a fiercely competitive market – to its dedication to continuously improving its lineup of wash aisle and finishing machinery.

“You’ve got to be innovative,” said Werner, noting that later this year the company will unveil its latest new product, the Braun PRO® Dryer. This dryer’s capacity ranges from 125-200 lbs. It can easily process three loads per hour vs. only one, as is common with other machines in the same capacity range, he said.

“You’ve got to keep coming up with new products,” Werner added. “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 have 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.”

While Braun traces its founding to 1946, the company’s roots extend back further – to Ohio at the turn of the 20th century. In 1902, Werner’s great-grandfather operated a chemical company in Ohio with his four sons. “Then they moved to Syracuse (NY) because of all the soda ash and salt,” says Werner. Syracuse earned the nickname “Salt City” due to the briny water in this area of upstate New York.

Shortly after their relocation to the Empire State, Werner’s forebears shifted gears and launched a laundry and dry-cleaning machinery business called “the Prosperity Co.” Founded in 1915, this manufacturer thrived for 40-plus years in the early decades of the 20th century, providing wash aisle machinery to dry cleaners and laundries. “They had five factories and employed 1,500 people,” Werner says.

In 1946, G.A. Braun was launched as an offshoot of Prosperity when Werner’s grandfather and father split off from the parent company to establish their own business. “We started off as a sales office,” Werner says. Initially, they sold Prosperity equipment.

In 1956, G.A. Braun began manufacturing its own line of laundry machinery, a tradition that continues to this day as the company marks its 75th year in business. Braun currently manufactures all its products in their 255,000-square-foot (23,690-square-meter) ISO-certified factory in Syracuse.

With a focus on innovation, Braun added electromechanical controls and automatic chemical injection to its washers in the late 1950s. In the following decade, a breakthrough design featured suspension-mounted machines.

Through an acquisition in the 1970s, Braun added finishing equipment to its machinery lineup. Around the same time, it pioneered the incorporation of microprocessor controls in its washer/extractors. Other innovations followed. These included WASHNET NT, the first computer-controlled laundry program. Additional new products included the PT (pass-thru) series dryer line, the SmoothFlow Series Batch Tunnel System, true side-by-side Tunnel System Dryers, the SafeLoad Shuttle Systems, self-contained thermal ironers and more.

Over the years, Braun has continued adding to its equipment lineup. In the late 1980s Braun purchased the Norman dryer line. Since then, Braun has manufactured all its own dryers, including the soon-to-be-introduced PRO® Dryer, described above.

The company also has embraced “green initiatives” throughout its tenure by pursuing best practices in all aspects of engineering and manufacturing. In recent years Braun rolled out its Certified Remanufactured Program. In a relatively short period, the company reports they’ve diverted more than 600 tons of steel from the scrapyard through this program, which has restored machines to life after 20+ years of service. This equipment is rebuilt to modern specifications and comes with a new-equipment warranty, Werner said, adding that this initiative not only helps the environment, but it represents a significant savings for clients as well.

Looking ahead, Werner said the innovations that have fueled Braun’s success since 1946 will continue through its centennial and beyond.