Detailers Should Embrace Mechanization

The right equipment will save you money you are already spending on labor and, in turn, help make you more money. The initial expense is relative to what you are going to get in return.

For those who are strapped for cash or just don’t want to lay out the dollars for new equipment, lease financing can be a viable solution. Today, if you have been in business for two years, it is as easy to get lease financing as it is to get a credit card.

Most lease companies are so hungry for business that they will custom fit leases for you. Sure there is a cost, but if the equipment you need will increase your productivity and decrease your labor, it is worth it.

You are likely paying for it in some manner already anyway by losing potential profits.

Get your suppliers to give you information on leasing. Most companies, other than chemical suppliers, should have some programs available. Once in contact, have the leasing company perform a trial cost comparison/justification for what you want to purchase or lease. You will be surprised how inexpensive the equipment you don’t think you can afford really is.

Certainly, there are many jobs in detailing that just cannot be mechanized, but most of these jobs can be made more efficient with equipment. For example, shampooing carpets and upholstery by hand can be made more efficient by utilizing soil extractors and pneumatic rotary shampooers. This type of equipment, alone, can increase productivity by 50 percent or more.

You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to determine the time it takes to do a detailing job with your current methods and how much time you could save with a mechanized approach. By multiplying the time saved by the hourly rate paid to employees, you can estimate your savings (or cost if multiplied by your hourly shop rate).

I have seen cases in which the time saved was well over 50 percent. The numbers can be frightening when you realize how much you could have saved with mechanization.

Remember, you are the buyer; there is never any obligation. Make a list of what you think you would like to mechanize in your business and then contact suppliers. Ask them to explain why and how their equipment will save you money. Contact several companies to get a comparison between products and salespeople. Get references and then visit an operator who has the equipment you are considering purchasing.

You must develop your own set of criteria. Know what you want and what you expect from the investment before you start looking. Don’t hesitate to look. The longer you wait the more money you are losing.

As critical as some might be of the detailing industry and its primitive methodology, it is a growing, changing industry. In the last 25 years, the number of detailing businesses listed in the Yellow Pages has increased from 4,000 to nearly 15,000. This doesn’t include the 17,000 carwashes listed in the same pages, with more than 80 percent performing some form of detailing. In 1980, that number was less than 10 percent. The growing number of detailers also does not include auto dealers, body shops and other auto service businesses that now sell detailing services to the public.

Frankly, more changes have occurred in the detailing business in the last 10 years than during the previous 50. The industry is alive with new ideas, technology and interesting time-saving products.

This rapid change should motivate you to be one step ahead of your competition.

Do you remember the old television character Sgt. Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounties? Sgt. Preston once said, “Only the lead dog gets a change of view.”

Mechanization will help you get the most out of your employees. Behind mechanization, one person can do the work of three. Mechanization can be the answer to the “too many jobs and not enough time” syndrome.

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