Veteran car wash owners know the value of good operational data. One challenge many face, however, is getting such data from their equipment suppliers.
But as car wash technology advances, operators have more opportunities to invest in equipment that gives them greater access to operational data, says Chris McFadden, CRO at Sergeant Sudz LLC, a car wash equipment provider.
McFadden offered his insights during a session, “Beyond Clean: Transforming Car Wash Operations with Insight Driven Solutions Through Data Driven Innovations,” during the recent Car Wash Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“We believe that the future of car wash ROI is in eliminating downtime, minimizing repair and maximizing operational efficiencies,” McFadden said.
Industry focus
The car wash industry, according to McFadden, has historically focused more on generating revenue and getting people into the store than improving operations.
“A third of this entire show is going to be spent telling you the new innovations on getting money on to the line, but what we see time and time again is that by not focusing on operations, what we end up doing is the money ends up going right back out, whether it’s downtime, service calls, you name it,” he said.
There is an assumption that the industry is innovating, but in McFadden’s view, this is only partially correct.
“The innovations that we see that are coming out are focused on getting money on the line,” he said. “There needs to be more innovation around operational data inputs.”
There also needs to be greater integration of industry adjacent technology, less reliance on hard-to-source proprietary hardware, and delivery of a reliable customer experience.
“There is so much technology that we see that’s come forward in what (industries) are car wash adjacent,” McFadden said. “Whether it’s bottling plants, water treatment facilities, all of these different industries are utilizing most of the same equipment that we’re using. Why are we not taking advantage of the technological insights and technological advancements that are out there?”
Today, thanks to innovations such as artificial intelligence, there is more data available than ever, but in many cases, operators are not able to access it.
“Actually getting access to the right data is the hardest part,” McFadden said. Equipment suppliers need to allow operators to access all of the data they have.
Besides access to data, operators need real-time data they can act on. It is important, for example, to receive alerts about equipment related problems before they happen.
“In the car wash space we’ve been reactive instead of proactive,” he said.
Proprietary versus non-proprietary hardware
Proprietary hardware has long been an issue with tunnel wash controllers. Non-proprietary hardware, by contrast, supports the opportunity to reduce downtime from days to hours.
“The time to repair is really the compounding effect,” he said. “We want to eliminate as best we can the downtime, we want to increase the amount of actionable data you can pull off your motor and your drives…(and) a simple and efficient design that’s easy to use and even easier to calibrate.”
The motor control center should, according to McFadden, include the following:
- An intuitive interface.
- Remote monitoring and control capabilities.
- Integration with other systems.
- Self reporting with onboard diagnostic controls.
AI adaptive technology, for example, alerts the operator that the motor is about to fail.
“In essence, you are planning your downtime rather than creating a fire and losing money,” he said.
Another benefit of non-proprietary hardware, he said, is protection against supply chain issues. This is important in the current business environment where accessing parts can be difficult.
Operators should ask themselves if their hardware providers are focused on their own proprietary hardware or operator repair needs.
“That’s something that comes up time and time again,” he said. “Do we have the ability as operators to fix our own stuff?” Are operators stuck waiting for shipping times, creating downtime that costs money?
“If your equipment providers aren’t answering these questions, then I think that we have priorities that are misaligned.”
What causes downtime?
Downtime risk, said McFadden, includes the following scenarios:
- Parts are not available in a timely manner.
- The parts will be out of warranty by the time they get delivered.
- The hardware uses preloaded software that does not get updated.
- There are data access restrictions.
- There is a lack of remote access.
- The operator must “pay to play.”
Predictive analytics, demand forecasting
Operational data enables predictive analytics which, in turn, can enable demand forecasting.
“We want to use predictive analytics for demand forecasting,” he said. “What that looks like for you is the ability to figure out when something is going to break. You can stock the parts. You can plan downtime.”
VFD advances
One oversight operators often make is not turning the vacuums off when not in use. New generation variable frequency drive technology will allow the system to run for a predetermined amount of time during slow days, enabling the car wash to save as much as 40% on electricity. On busy days, the VFD runs continuously.
“What it also does is if a customer comes in and they didn’t wash their car, even if you have free vacs, the vacuums aren’t on,” McFadden said. “If they want the vacuums to turn on, you can institute a policy that says those are for wash customers only.”
“The next generation of VFDs not only save energy but they give you valuable information,” he said. “You can set these up so that when you see these spikes, it alerts your operations manager that there is an issue that needs to be fixed in a preventative manner. It gives you control over the most expensive pieces of hardware in your tunnel.”
Hardware and software providers often tell customers they have a roadmap, but oftentimes the roadmap suppliers have is not aligned with operator goals. A lot of times an operator will ask a supplier if they can do something only to be told, “‘That’s not how we’ve done it’ or ‘Our system doesn’t work that way.’”
“What that does is that puts you as operators at greater downtime risk,” he said. “You as an operator should have access to all of your data, regardless of where it comes from, and it shouldn’t be behind a paywall or gate.”
Article by Elliot Maras, Content Writer
