Sick Business?

[robert roman]

Is your single or dual in-bay automatic an expensive job?

Has exterior express cut your in-bay volume by 30 or 40 percent?

If so, flex-serve may make sense for you.

Competition has made it increasingly difficult for many in-bay operators to find additional revenue opportunities.

Equipment manufacturers have developed stuff but most all of it is targeted towards the $14.5 billion conveyor business that produces 1.2 billion washes and growing, not in-bay at 400 million and declining.

What is flex-serve?

Flex-serve is an operating platform that can transform a mediocre in-bay site into a great one by using technology to differentiate and increase average sales, frequency and loyalty.

Regardless of area, there is “always” enough demand to support at least “one” flex-serve carwash.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Well, don't leave us hanging...tell us more.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

There was once another forum where this subject was discussed/argued ad nauseam. A frequent poster there lays claim to the concept and evidently wrote a book on it. Most questions drew vague answers, but it is apparently the cure to all car wash ills, and possibly baldness, obesity, ED, and many other things that plague society. IMO, it is a different way to run a full-serve car wash. I'm sure you could buy the book and learn how to get rich beyond your wildest dreams

 

[soonermajic]

Ok , so what is "Flex Serve" ? Is this a Pyramid Scheme?

 

[pgrzes]

Hey I.B who's the writer of this said book? Just curious.

 

[robert roman]

“…don't leave us hanging...tell us more.”

This is one reason I won’t tell more than I chose.

“….but it is apparently the cure to all car wash ills, and possibly baldness, obesity, ED, and many other things that plague society….”

For example, the following is incorrect.

“…..it is a different way to run a full-serve car wash.”

Flex-serve is a business model.

So, you can’t just walk up to a full-service carwash, wave a magic wand and proclaim - from this day forward we will operate a different way.

Steve Okun wrote a flex-serve guidebook.

Flex-serve is based on principals of continual and continuous improvement among other things.

Continual methods emphasize teamwork, measuring processes and reducing variation, defects and cycle times. Continuous methods emphasize statistical process control.

So, these methods can be applied to in-bay as well as detail shops, mobile detail, hand wash, self-serve, and carwash at gas sites.

 

[soonermajic]

The Japanese call it Kaizan.

 

[robert roman]

That’s correct.

My cousin had to apply Kaizen when he was a plant manager for a P&G Pampers factory in Japan. He would literally lock team members in a room until a solution for a problem was found.

If I would have remained in steel manufacturing industry, I would have also had to use it eventually when mini mills became prevalent.

However, there are also other tools for continuous improvement. For example, I use a simple quality model to apply flex-serve to in-bay.

 

[Turbo]

Robert,

I have a slow friction in bay automatic attached to a busy 6 bay quick lube and auto repair center. It is right next to a gas station which I don't own but customers can pay at the pump for a carwash. There are four $3/free vacuum sites within a 1.5 miles of my location.

Im interested in the flex serv concept. Should I buy the book? How else might I learn about it?

Thanks

 

[vinh]

This is stupid

Who is in charge moderating stupid posting like this? This posting should be deleted. Autocareforum has good to **** because of this. Robert go somewhere else to earn you money. I wasted my time ready this nonsense.

 

[robert roman]

“Im interested in the flex serv concept. Should I buy the book? How else might I learn about it?”

Turbo, PM me, and I will get you started so you can judge for yourself whether this is something you want to move forward with.

“This posting should be deleted. Autocareforum has good to **** because of this.”

That’s absurd.

Besides change in ownership, this forum is no different today than ten years ago.

What’s changed is the industry.

Who is important in the carwash industry? The answer is people who buy the most equipment.

Who is buying most equipment today? The answer is mostly investors and fewer numbers of convenience store retailers.

Many of the new investors today are “deep” pocket and don’t rely on traditional bank loans.

Many have their own money and its easier today to borrow $10 million than one million.

Besides the supplier exhibits at EXPO, you could have put everything else about self-serve in a thimble.

Why are self-serve operators reaching outside the lines to company’s like Kayax (a vending industry supplier) to meet needs for credit card processing?

One person claimed the reason is suppliers are selling obsolete technology. This occurs when manufacturers aren’t making enough money to invest in R&D.

Not convinced? Watch what happens over the next several years as the wave of new exterior express spreads across CA.

Like Jack Muellerleile describes on his website – this will create a large sucking sound as express drains business of self-serve and in-bays.

So, instead of eating sour grapes, I suggested a way out.

 

[mac]

Well I don't see how talking about our business is stupid. Maybe a little boring sometimes, but usually not stupid. Yes the wash industry is evolving. I kind of like that. Other than our self serve pumps, do we use anything that was built 40 or 50 years ago?

 

[mrfixit]

“Im interested in the flex serv concept. Should I buy the book? How else might I learn about it?”

Turbo, PM me, and I will get you started so you can judge for yourself whether this is something you want to move forward with.

“This posting should be deleted. Autocareforum has good to **** because of this.”

That’s absurd.

Besides change in ownership, this forum is no different today than ten years ago.

What’s changed is the industry.

Who is important in the carwash industry? The answer is people who buy the most equipment.

Who is buying most equipment today? The answer is mostly investors and fewer numbers of convenience store retailers.

Many of the new investors today are “deep” pocket and don’t rely on traditional bank loans.

Many have their own money and its easier today to borrow $10 million than one million.

Besides the supplier exhibits at EXPO, you could have put everything else about self-serve in a thimble.

Why are self-serve operators reaching outside the lines to company’s like Kayax (a vending industry supplier) to meet needs for credit card processing?

One person claimed the reason is suppliers are selling obsolete technology. This occurs when manufacturers aren’t making enough money to invest in R&D.

Not convinced? Watch what happens over the next several years as the wave of new exterior express spreads across CA.

Like Jack Muellerleile describes on his website – this will create a large sucking sound as express drains business of self-serve and in-bays.

So, instead of eating sour grapes, I suggested a way out.

I tried to pm you also - inbox full.

I think I've been doing the mechanical side of flex serve since I took over a year ago. Many improvements and repairs to reduce any down time, improve quality, speed, and customer experience.. Luckily it seems it was just in time. Our distributor, ryko, is putting a softgloss in at the bp just on the other side of our small town! We have a Ryko touchless so I'm fighting to get us ready to handle the 3rd carwash in our town of 3,000 people!!.. The old superwash will probably be taken out.

Our wash is only 14 years old. Ryko, all they like to say after 10 years is buy a new machine, we wouldn't/ couldn't so they found someone that would; at least that's how it feels.. Who knows, probably just a bp thing, but you know ryko is in bed with oil.

We were just up to doing our best numbers ever this year.. Then I heard they were putting a softgloss in a few months ago, it really hurts..

No deep pockets so still paying loan. We had some deep pocket investors hit us up to purchase over the summer. But we've done too much work, for too little, and are almost to the point of no more loan payments.

 

[robert roman]

I've cleared my messages.

 

[mrfixit]

So yeah my business is not sick, but I like to know everything I can about this industry and prevent any possible illness. Preventative measures and staying ahead of the game is the best way to remain healthy.

(I meant to delete some of the personal details of my last post but was too late to edit it.)

 

[WikiWash]

What is Flex Serve?

 

[mrfixit]

Flex serve?

See here-

http://www.4vqp.com/images/ECW_09.2...utting_labor_where_the_margin_makes_sense.pdf

I'm reviewing it now.

Oh, I'll add; small town Midwest is a lot different than California. Lol

 

[robert roman]

My intent was to offer in-bay operators with a “sick” business a potential way out of their doldrums.

If you don’t have a “sick” in-bay business, then why bash a potential remedy or do you want “fellow” in-bay operators with a sick business to continue to suffer?

I pulled this from referenced PDF.

“Although there are hundreds of variations, the typical flex-serve is the combination of express-exterior and full service offerings on one property.”

“Flex-serve works only when the customer realizes the value.”

Statements like this imply focus or understanding of “mechanical” aspect because it’s used to sell equipment and to deflect investors towards express which involves selling even more expensive equipment.

I’m interested in hearing from in-bay operators that have problems, who want to improve.

Otherwise, what’s the purpose?

 

[JustClean]

Regardless of area, there is “always” enough demand to support at least “one” flex-serve carwash.

Our town has quite a few self serve car washes and a "Flex serve". The self serves are doing fine - the flex-serve is almost belly up.
And YES: Everything is according to the "Flex-Serve" book. It may work in your part of the woods but that doesn't mean anything. I am only more than happy that I am not operating a "flex-serve". The guy paid big bucks to an independent "adviser"... no more to say...

 

[robert roman]

“….self serves are doing fine - the flex-serve is almost belly up.” “The guy paid big bucks to an independent "adviser"... no more to say...”

Sour grapes without any facts, give me an address.

That’s all I need to find the truth.