UPSIZE & SPECIALIZE
To Avoid Getting "Caught Short"

From a purely practical standpoint, carwash operations of all types must start paying more attention to the changing configurations and jumbo sizes of the vehicles they wash and dry. Focus should be given to three basic areas:

1. Washing & drying the exterior: Bigger requires more coverage.

2. Exterior wipe-down & detail activities: If you can't reach it, you can't do it.

3. Interior cleaning efficiency: Longer hoses & different configurations.

When evaluating the areas, consider the impact each of the following vehicles has on your existing operation, and how equipment modifications, augmentations, and replacements might improve the way you are doing business.

This sampling should give you a reasonable field of everyday challenges for both equipment performance and hands-on time commitment of manual activities. Envision how each, as well as others that are sparked to your thoughts, has an impact on your ability to satisfy your clientele.

Washing & Drying The Exterior

In addressing the exterior washing activity, operators should scrutinize the effective coverage of their automatic washing equipment, as well as the amount of contact-time each area undergoes during the washing process. With many of the newer vehicles, size has a critical influence on both cleaning & drying efficacy.

With carmakers offering increasing numbers of pick-up truck variations of all sizes, washing & drying challenges unique to the open cargo bed should be anticipated. Height clearance is a concern for the jumbo family of SUVs; especially the washes that have close equipment clearances. Most carwash equipment manufacturers have designed their equipment specifically for cars, not jumbo vehicles, so changes and additions are the norm for upgrading the washing performance.

Often times, the effective action of a mitter is compromised when top clearances muzzle the normal mitter action. Spray nozzle placement, and the associated coverage patterns are subtly compromised when vehicle surfaces come too close for optimum product disbursement.

When dealing with automatic carwash equipment specifications, one-size may not effectively fit all, prompting the likelihood of additional equipment needs to increase washing contact and coverage.

Exterior Wipe-Down & Detailing Activities

A random look at most carwash staffs, or even the average "do-it-yourself" customer, and this upsizing concern will quickly make sense.

Many carwash employees are small in stature, which may enable them to work more efficiently inside tight spaces inside the vehicle. But when faced with wiping the roof or buffing the hood of a sport utility vehicle, taller individuals definitely have a leg up.

The traditional way carwashers have solved the higher reaching challenges was to open a door, and stand on the jamb. or use the tire as a platform. Although that might work just fine for cars, trying the same method might have you coming up a bit short.

So, in most cases, step stools, small ladders, or even step-high scaffolds offer a healthy improvement to access. Using those tools requires careful consideration, because step stools and the like can become dangerous clutter. Moreover, the mishandling of the various height-enhancers can even risk damage to vehicle and injury to your staff.

Interior Cleaning Efficiency

It stands to reason that the bigger the vehicle, the greater your exposure to cleaning a huge interior space. The traditional two rows of car seating grow to three rows or more, with increasingly difficult access to the way-back areas. Additionally, windows increase in both size and numbers.

The rationale for additional consideration of interior cleaning is the level of uncompromising commitment needed to satisfactorily complete the assigned task.

For example, if you guarantee that Express services are completed within fifteen minutes, be prepared to see a 30% increase in jumbo vehicles. And if you operate in the upper end of the market with a well-heeled clientele, the number will be even greater. Many operators in upscale markets have seen their mix increase to almost half jumbo-sized vehicles.

Essential to the task of interior cleaning is the reliance on enhanced technology that reduces the need to leave the vehicle to fetch supplies. Time-in-motion studies have consistently identified carwash manual efficiency being around 30%, with off-task activity draining both time and energy from personnel.

Smart operators have recognized that every workstation needs at least two supply carts, a trash receptacle and a hamper to be even marginally efficient. Others have utilized a variety of product supply systems, many of which rely on compressed air. The new Flex-Serve production cells have the greatest work areas because they have been ergonomically enhanced in design and equipped with advanced technology that increases on-task efficiency tremendously.

Elevator Pricing Is Risky

At one time shortly after the introduction of full-sized vans, our industry arbitrarily decided to add a surcharge for extra-large vehicles. That category was easy to identify; vans and pick-ups. Then came the mini-van and the small pick-up onto the market, and the issue was instantly clouded. The arbitrary lines of distinction were blurred, and there was no consistent pricing. Additionally, there was a reflex rebound with some of the smaller vehicle owners asking for a reduction, suggesting less of a commitment needed for a smaller space. For most operators, it wasn't a pretty scene.

Sanity returned to multi-level pricing when customers of varying sizes of vehicles reacted negatively to being treated like a second-class citizen. By penalizing any customer for the size of a vehicle, operators risk losing in a big way. Many customers are multiple vehicle owners of random sizes and shapes. Consumers are seeking an easy convenient way to take care of a maintenance task; caring for the appearance of their vehicles. Introducing a pricing impact that might deter return business is foolish and positions your operation to a review at every new vehicle introduction.

A Sensible Solution: UPSIZE and SPECIALIZE!

A better alternative is to enhance and upgrade your operational capabilities, reduce wasteful inefficiencies, and work hard to distinguish your operation as being a specialist in caring for larger vehicles. Jumbo vehicles are the fastest growing segment in the automotive marketplace.

Why not position yourself as a SPECIALIST that is uniquely equipped and properly staffed to extend extraordinary service to all of the jumbo vehicles, knowing all the while that that same distinction will earn the business from even the smallest of the lot. Go beyond being a pro, and become a "SPECIALIST". "Rise" to the occasion!

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