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The 2009 Car Care Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada was well attended. There were plenty of “shoppers” from all parts of the nation and a few international guests as well. The only area that was not well represented was the Southeast. We did not find one operator from the state of Georgia (although I am sure that we could have missed them), and very few from the Carolinas and Florida. I attribute this to the fact that the car wash industry in this region is suffering from the rainy weekend blues.
There were a few interesting new innovations on display at the expo this year. Magic Wand had on display their new hand bay credit card system. I like the new credit card system very much. It comes with its own computer, and it operates in the count-up mode (in comparison to the count-down method where the customer continues to swipe their card in $1 increments). The unit talks to the customer in the bay, which I really like and have not seen from other systems, and it keeps records of a transactions in each bay including cash and coin receipts. The system can be retrofitted into almost any meter box, and it operates through a high speed internet connection therefore providing faster transaction approval times.
One interesting innovation was a modular pet wash package that included a building and equipment that is intended to be set in a parking lot. Very nice approach but very pricey! The figure I heard was just south of $50k. It would have to wash a LOT of dogs for that to work! In the climate we enjoy, it is not always necessary to enclose the pet wash units, therefore reducing odor issues and allowing start-up for far less investment.
Another interesting product on display was a touchless automatic motorcycle wash from WashWorld. It is much like the PDQ M5 unit on a much smaller scale with a conveyor turning the wheels while the wash process takes place. It gathered quite a crowd, but I cannot help but wonder if bikers would want those powerful soaps on their leather. I am sure that if there is such a market for a bike wash, then it would be in Helen, Ga. If any of you are interested, Magic Wand can build one and build it better, and they can especially formulate chemicals to gently clean those Hogs!
I guess that the product that got the most of my attention was a crevice tool vacuum. It was about 12 inches in diameter with a 1 1/2” hose. While the execution of this device was, in my opinion, not reasonable, the idea has stuck with me. I know that most of you have one vacuum that does not perform as well as the others. I think it would be a great idea to convert it to a crevice vac, increase the cycle time by 25 cents, and see what happens. I would love to try it here in Clarkesville, but we are vacuum poor with no room to add one. If you are interested, Angel has access to the parts and Charlie or I will help you change prices if necessary. I am very anxious for someone to try this very inexpensive idea.
Of course, I spent a lot of time visiting with Diskin Systems, the manufacturer of the Air Shamee. I think that this is the best option that can be added to a hand bay. The units that we have installed are used quite often and perform well. One wash in particular that has made numerous upgrades including new type IV meter boxes (with bill acceptors), tri-foam, and Air Shamees is most fond of the Shammes in terms of return of investment. The units have also significantly increased their motorcycle business.
Overall, the ICA show floor was buzzing with activity. There were far more attendees than the expo in Orlando last year, and maybe the most I have seen at any show during my car wash career. Most of the booths of the larger manufacturers were smaller than previous years including that of Magic Wand. Charlie and I had a great time in Las Vegas, and we enjoyed the company of the great people at Magic Wand and other Magic Wand distributors from all over the nation. Our relationship with the company is stronger than ever, and we are pleased to continue to offer support to all Magic Wand owners in this part of the nation.
Thank you for reading my ramblings and feel free to comment. I will soon post a report of this year’s pollen season, and I welcome any reports on that subject (or any subject for that matter) that you may have.
Good Washin’, and God bless.
Mitch
