Steve,
Nice article on the pros of the flat belt conveyor, but you failed to mention any cons other than a brief reference that the cost is greater.
In fact the cost is at least 3-4 times that of a traditional conveyor.
Also, you neglected tomention the fact that automatic tire shiners cannot be utilized.
Lastly, there was no mention of the cost of maintenance, longevity or reliability vis-a-vis traditional conveyors which has to be the number one factor when considering such an investment
Not to rain on your parade, for these flat belt conveyor do provide significant safety features for both rims and employees.
As for obtaining a competitive advantage, I suppose that would apply to vehicles that cannot track down a traditional conveyor like Porche's or duelies. However, as far as 99% of consumers going to one car wash over another because one has a flat belt conveyor? Please, most of the customers do not even know what equipment your using to wash their car as long as you do it, quickly, safely and effectively.
Like all new products, when the flat belt conveyors come dow in price where they are comparable (or even slightly higher) to the price of traditional conveyor, then you'll see operators making the switch.
One last thing, besides the cost of the flat belt, what would be required and how much cost would be involved for an existing car wash to transition from a traditional conveyor to a flat belt?