AROUND THE INDUSTRY
Mark VII notes increase in friction sales
Friction in-bay automatics now account for the majority of sales at Mark VII Equipment Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Wash Tec AG of Germany, which noted the introduction
of the company’s Soft Wash XT® rollover in 2009 coincided with
the increase.
Previous to 2009, friction units represented about a third
of the company’s rollover sales, but have now surged to 51
percent.
Director of Marketing and Product Management Steve Robin-
son noted four factors driving the trend:
• Popularity of new systems.
• Demand for newer technology that sig nificantly reduces
water consumption.
Friction units use as little as 15 gallons per wash, the
company said.
• A desire to reduce operating costs.
According to comments made by the
company, friction machines require fewer chemicals, which
combined with lower water consumption, reduce operating
costs and make the business greener.
• The needs of convenience store chains, “which represent the
lion’s share of in-bay automatic carwashes.” The company
said c-stores look for lower operating costs and quality
cleaning results.
But Mark VII President Murray Kennedy said not to worry —
touch-free carwashing still has its hold on the market. “
Touch-free carwashing isn’t going away,” Kennedy said. “Both wash
formats have their place and we’re happy to see carwash operators more willing to give consumers a choice of the format that
best suits their needs.”
Autobell plows ahead, opens 57th site
Autobell Car Wash Inc., the third largest conveyor car- wash chain in the nation, is now 57 carwashes strong after opening a location in Clover, SC.
The newest wash is the company’s second location in South
Carolina and it features an Aqua Bio 100% reclaim water
treatment system in which enzymes digest and recycle the
waste water.
“We continue to look for strategic locations from which to
serve this ever-expanding metro region,” explained Autobell
President and CEO Chuck Howard, “and this wash will make
our services convenient to more South Carolina residents.”
Darin Icard has been named store manager at the Clover
site.
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10 PROFESSIONAL CARWASHING AND DETAILING | March 2010
