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Many factors precipitate what will
determine whether or not your conveyor wash system is
successful. One
of the major factors in determining success for the
operator is the speed at which the conveyor is able to
effectively deliver a satisfactory wash.
It’s reasonable to assume that the higher the
speed of the wash process, the more vehicles that can be
washed in a set amount of time.
However, an increase in the speed of the wash
process can sometimes lead to a decrease in the quality
of the wash. These
two factors; speed and satisfaction, must be carefully
balanced in order to achieve warranted success.
Achieving the Best
Throughput
In order to maximize throughput,
the entire wash process needs to be evaluated from the
time a customer starts a transaction to the time the
wash is completed.
Through observation of the wash process, you can
determine where the operation bottlenecks, slowing down
the wash procedure and decreasing throughput.
Are customers having trouble with your
transaction process?
Do customers have trouble realizing what the next
step is that they have to take in order to move on in
the process? The
majority of problems will be found before the actual
wash even begins.
High-Speed Conveyor
Improvements – Before the Wash Begins
In order to speed the wash
operation and achieve a desired vehicle throughput of a
true 100 vehicles per hour speed, Ryko Manufacturing
Company studied the habits of customers at conveyor wash
locations to determine what needed to be done in order
to maximize customer throughput.
Many of the problems that slowed the wash process
were discovered to occur before customers even reached
the entrance to the conveyor.
High-speed conveyor systems are designed to
combat the bottlenecks that occur prior to the wash.
Multi-Stage Loading – A Key
to Maximum Throughput
A new concept for high-speed
conveyor systems is to increase customer throughput by
incorporating a Multi-Stage Loading system.
This system allows a car to enter the “car wash
pipeline” in an allotted period of time by creating an
orderly flow of traffic from the initial transaction
stage of the process to the actual beginning of the wash
itself. This
orderly flow of traffic is created through three staging
areas:
Transaction Stage:
During this stage, customers must complete the
payment transaction for their wash.
The transaction stage is vital to the throughput
of the location. If
the instructions and choices are unclear, unneeded time
is wasted trying to complete a transaction.
A high-speed conveyor system should offer a
clear, easy to follow transaction stage that allows the
customer to make his choice and move on within the
optimum time frame.
Staging Area:
The Staging area allows for a constant flow of
traffic toward the entrance to the actual wash.
This area is designed to be a continuous move
forward for customers as they approach the wash.
This area removes bottlenecks commonly found when
there are “stacking” problems at a site.
The staging area provides an orderly stacking
area where customers can move forward constantly toward
the wash without effecting slowing the rate of traffic
at the transaction area.
Launch Stage:
The Launch Stage is where the actual wash begins.
Simple to follow loading and positioning aids are
vital at this area in order to reduce delays as
customers begin the wash process.
High-speed conveyors should be designed for self,
flexible or full time loading, thereby giving the
owner/operator the option of choosing the best way to
achieve his target throughput with a minimum of delays.
High-Speed Conveyor
Improvements - The Wash Process Itself
As mentioned before, there is a
fine line to be balanced when speeding up the actual
wash process while still achieving the highest customer
satisfaction. Speeding
up the wash to a point where the operation can wash a
certain number of cars every hour means nothing if the
equipment inside the wash is not designed to effectively
wash the increased number of vehicles running through
the tunnel. In
order to take advantage of all a high-speed conveyor
systems has to offer, the wash equipment itself must be
converted to provide the highest level of customer
satisfaction.
Equipment Enhancements
In addition to increasing wash
throughput through the Multi-Stage Loading process, key
advancements to the wash process itself need to be made
in order to maintain maximum throughput while maximizing
customer satisfaction
Shortened Loading Intervals:
By shortening the interval needed between cars in
the wash, more washes can be issued and given during a
set period of time.
High-speed conveyors decreased the length of
wasted space needed between cars, thereby increasing the
number of cars an owner is able to load during a set
period of time
Increased Equipment Speed:
With the shorter amount of time the equipment is
allowed to wash a vehicle, the cleaning ability of the
equipment must be maximized.
By increasing the rotations per minute of the
front, side and top wraps, cleaning power is
synchronized to the wash process.
The increased speed of the washers allows more
cleaning power in a shorter amount of time.
By increasing the rotation of the washers, dwell
time – the amount of time that the cleaning material
actually touches the vehicle – is incrementally
increased, leading to better cleaning results and
increased customer satisfaction.
Effective Chemical Coverage:
Again, with the increased throughput and speed of
the wash process, the chemical dispensing system must be
synchronized to the increased speed in order to achieve
maximum coverage and satisfactory results. High-speed conveyor systems feature chemical coverage that
works in tandem with the wash speed increase
Wash Enhancing Components
In order to keep customer satisfaction at a peak
and also accommodate all types of vehicles, new
components should be introduced to the wash process.
An effective high-speed conveyor system adds new
components to the process, such as side washers that add
to the cleaning effectiveness of the system while
providing better cleaning results for all sized
vehicles. More
wash enhancing components do not necessarily speed the
wash process up but they do not slow it down either.
The benefit of adding wash enhancing components
to a high-speed conveyor system rest in the increase of
customer satisfaction resulting from the wash results
and in the value of the upgrades customers make to take
advantage of the components.
Increased Throughput – A
Summary
Many factors can affect customer
throughout during the wash process.
The best way to maximize throughput can be
summarized as follows
Before the wash
·
Create an orderly, customer friendly
transaction, stacking and loading area.
By doing this, a constant flow of traffic can be
achieved at the entrance of the tunnel
·
Reduce bottlenecks and delays in the
process before the wash begins.
By adding customer loading and positioning aids,
easy to follow instructions and visual support the flow
of traffic to the tunnel entrance will be smooth and
orderly
·
Simplify the car wash transaction time by
taking all convenient forms of payment that a customer
could use including cash, credit cards or codes.
During the wash
·
Upgrade equipment before speeding up the
wash process. Speed
is meant to enhance customer satisfaction…not replace
it.
·
Reduce the amount of time needed to clean
each vehicle be increasing the speed and cleaning power
of each component involved in the cleaning process.
·
Use customer loading and positioning aids
to reduce delays that might take place during the
initial customer loading at the entrance of the tunnel.
·
Add enhanced cleaning components to
maximize wash satisfaction and wash quality.
These components will not slow the wash process
but will increase customer satisfaction
Many factors will determine whether
or not your conveyor wash system is successful.
Throughput can be a major benchmark of your
success. However, the most important factor is and will
always remain customer satisfaction.
Maintaining the optimum balance between speed and
customer satisfaction will help to achieve the goal of a
true 100 cars per hour high-speed conveyor location.
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