On the Road with Ryko Manufacturing Co.

MCC: Ryko’s product line is quite diverse. What are the primary drivers behind the product mix and innovation?

Ryko: The “driver” is our customers. Product mix and innovation begin with the customer. The ability of management to listen, evaluate and develop solutions is the outcome.

Historically, Ryko was focused on the most demanding of all customers, the corporate petroleum user. This customer expected the most from its suppliers — maximum revenue, minimal downtime, lowest cost of operations. As our company became more investor focused, ROI and our ability to comprehend “clean cars quickly and safely” drove Ryko to produce a class of products that few others could match.

As the demands of our customers increased so did our constant review of how to provide a better carwash. Customer demand and a lack of good chemicals and ancillary products drove us to search for solutions and innovate internally. Today, our product diversity is as huge as our customer base and its requirements.

Today we realize there are carwash solutions besides those that we manufacture that maximize the return on our customers’ carwash investment.

As such, we undertook a search several years ago to find strategic partners that would enable us to maximize our customers’ results. This select group of partners, in addition to ongoing user dialogue, allows us to always be ready with the next innovative way to profitably serve our customer base.

MCC: From your vantage point, what have been the biggest developments in the automatic and self-serve segments of the industry in the last decade?

Ryko: Our customer base is the carwash operator, and his or her base is the motorist. Therefore, the most important developments would be those that have focused on wash quality, convenience, safety, profitability, education and communication. Specifically, the continued improvement of the wash process has been critical.

An example would be the development of closed-cell foam, like Ryko’s patented Foam Brite wash material which does not retain solids for friction equipment. Another example would be the further delivery and capability of touch-free systems and chemicals, as evidenced by Ryko’s Radius rollover.

We have always been at the forefront of water recycling and resource management. Today’s world requires added profit opportunities, and Ryko offers onboard tire washing, freestanding tire shiners, foam waxes and detergents, Rain Shield and other surface protectants. As space becomes a premium, Ryko has led the way in high-production, short-conveyor Rocket systems that deliver clean, dry, shinny, cars quickly.

For existing and new operators, there have been important developments in improved education, investor seminars and operator training. For carwash users, there are safer, user-friendly systems, and automobile manufacturers are producing safer to wash new vehicles.

MCC: What important trends do you see developing in the carwash industry today?

Ryko: Facts, not trends, will drive the future. Land is getting more and more expensive, and financing is more difficult. Carwashing demand is on the rise, and national demographics show that customer needs are changing. Energy costs are increasing, and competition for the consumer dollar is at an all-time high. Added together, all of these foretell a future aimed at finding solutions to these issues. We have feet, eyes and ears on the street. Couple this with our strategic partners, and we expect our early warning system to enable us to be an early market reactor.

MCC: How is Ryko responding to these changes?

Ryko: Ryko is a company that has had its pulse on all aspects of our industry. Our world has become a global marketplace in which we are enjoying significant segment growth and change. We saw this coming a number of years ago, and as a result, we recruited the best and brightest people to handle the change. This investment in human resources, coupled with some significant philosophical and cultural changes, prepares Ryko to be on the leading edge of change.

MCC: What should we expect from Ryko Manufacturing during the next five to 10 years?

Ryko: A simple statement would be to be better tomorrow at what we do today. Obviously this philosophy, coupled with our vision of providing the best possible solutions to our customers through world-class service, will continue to drive the Ryko organization.

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