On the Road with Ryko Manufacturing Co.

Ryko Manufacturing was established in 1973, when the original founders saw an opportunity within the carwash industry for a durable, efficient and economical rollover carwash system. As the Ryko business flourished, the company used its engineering prowess to establish a solid manufacturing operation behind the philosophy that the better it could build a system, the more customers it would win.

As Ryko’s installed base grew so, too, did the growing awareness of the financial opportunity within the investor community. A diverse customer base of investors and corporate buyers requested more goods and services, and Ryko responded by engineering and delivering a total solution. Today that total solution includes carwash chemicals, a large employee and independent distributor sales and service organization, ancillary items, and a complete line of carwash systems, including self-serve, touch-free automatics, tunnels, truck/bus wash, drive-through and electronic point-of-sale devices.

In addition, Ryko’s growing investor base of customers, independent distributors and freestanding retail carwashes enable the company to deliver high-performance, return on investment results.

As the largest manufacturer of vehicle wash equipment headquartered in North America, Ryko operates a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Grimes, Iowa, a large chemical plant and regional offices throughout the United States. The company also has international distribution and a solely owned Italian manufacturing operation. Ryko employs more than 400 people, with more than 200 involved in service.

MCC: Please explain Ryko Manufacturing’s research and development process.

Ryko: From its inception, Ryko has been an engineering- driven company. Because of this we realize the critical nature of a failed part or system in a piece of machinery. This recognition of dependability has driven all of Ryko’s designs. Our engineering team still embodies the mantra, of “built strong to last long.”

In addition to a very strong engineering team, Ryko also has the added advantage of thousands of install locations throughout the United States and world. The feedback from our customers, independent distributors and Ryko direct service team assures valuable product and market input.

Constant listening, investigation and evaluation are critical in the R&D process. Each of our product groups has dedicated factory space for testing and evaluation. Product development and refinement is an ongoing daily exercise.

MCC: Tell me about Ryko’s craftsmanship and quality controls.

Ryko: Ryko was one of the first U.S. carwash manufacturing companies to achieve various levels of ISO certification. In addition, we utilize all of the most commonly accepted quality control programs initiated by Fortune 500 companies. Annual goals are established on a number of quality metrics, and everything from vendor-provided products to field operations is reported on and scrutinized.

The results of this ongoing quality initiative, as well as daily oversight and reports, are closely monitored and reviewed throughout the organization during weekly and monthly analysis with management. Quality at Ryko is a very serious, ongoing and demanding undertaking.

MCC: What role do employees play in quality control or is that a completely automated process?

Ryko: Every employee is empowered and encouraged not only to be responsible for, but to call to the attention of management, anything that would fall out of standard. High levels of quality are expected from a Ryko product.

We are very fortunate to have located initially in an area of talented, self-sufficient, agriculturally based workers. This solid, common-sense based and mechanically talented workforce has enabled Ryko to deliver consistently topnotch, reliable products.

Everyone who carries a Ryko business card has on the reverse side Ryko’s commitment: “Committed to be the

Share this article: Email, Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Yahoo!MyWeb, Windows Live Favorites, Furl
Add this article feed to: RSS, My Yahoo, Newsgator, Bloglines

Read Comments [0]