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 Manufacturers Showcase - December 2006  |
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Computer Systems GinSan Industries
GinSan Industries has been building and installing industry-leading self-service car wash systems and electronics, including the ExpressKey® system, for nearly 30-years. Based in Grand Rapids, MI, GinSan is proud of its unrivaled international network of over 40 distributors. What’s New/Best Seller • The DATAmate. Advantages/Features • The DATAmate is a data acquisition and monitoring system designed for the self-serve car wash. DATAmate acts as your onsite manager by supplying you with secure data collection either onsite or remotely via modem. 32 user-defined inputs allow wash owners to put the DATAmate to work for them. When accessed remotely by the modem on your home computer, you can monitor current activities as well as download past activity for accounting purposes. DATAmate comes with DATAmate Version 2.0 software for your PC. This simple, user-friendly software allows the car wash owner/operator to download data and run a variety of revenue and activity reports. Multiple sites can be accessed from one central computer with no additional software. Price • Available upon request. Contact • GinSan Industries Inc., 3611 Three Mile Road NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534-1231. Toll free: (800) 446-7267. Fax: (616) 791-9925. E-mail: sales@ginsan.com. Website: www.ginsan.com. DRB Systems Inc.
Founded in 1985, DRB Systems makes a range of software-based management and marketing tools for the car wash industry, including the SiteWatch Cash Register System, TunnelWatch Controller, FastPass wireless recognition system, the handheld Portable Touchscreen Terminal (PTT), and the Xpress Pay Terminal (XPT) self-pay station. The company’s products are installed at close to 3,000 car washes, including those owned by 18 of the past 20 ICA presidents. What’s New/Best Seller • SiteWatch Alerts & Bulletins. Advantages/Features • SiteWatch Alerts & Bulletins is an off-site management communications tool that works with any Internet-connected device to keep operators in touch with their car washes and multi-profit centers from anywhere in the world. Car wash operators can manage their labor costs and increase dollars per vehicle, even when they’re away from their sites, thanks to SiteWatch Alerts & Bulletins. A new SiteWatch feature, Alerts & Bulletins automatically sends live sales and labor stats to any Internet-connected device at regular time intervals determined by the operator. SiteWatch Alerts & Bulletins also warns operators about problems or potential problems when they are away. Examples of warnings include: an interruption in the credit card clearing Internet connection, sales per hour falling below a predetermined level, a full bill stacker in the XPT self-pay station, and the XPT running out of receipt paper. Information can be sent for an entire site, by profit center, or for individual XPT terminals. Operators can receive this secure password-protected information on a cell phone, pager, personal computer or any Internet-connected device. Delivery/Installation • DRB Systems, Inc. provides on-site set-up, installation and training. The company also offers on-site demonstrations at car washes. Price • Available upon request. Contact • DRB Systems, Inc., PO Box 550, Uniontown, OH 44685. (330) 645-4200. Toll free: (800) 336-6338. Fax: (330) 645-2299. E-mail: info@DRBSystems.com. Website: www.drbsystems.com. World-Wide Microsystems Inc.
World-Wide Microsystems, Inc. is recognized as a world leader in industrial devices for equipment, cash and inventory control, having introduced the first microprocessor car wash controller, Datatrax® in 1983. What’s New/Best Seller • The 24-service, 16-function, Cartrol series of Datatrax® Carwash Controllers. Advantages/Features • Datatrax consists of only three components — master control unit, smart relay station, and input station — interconnected by only two low-voltage wiring runs. The master control unit is a miniaturized, ultra-high-speed industrial microcomputer, and is not a personal computer. At a typical Datatrax car wash, an employee presses only one pushbutton to order any car wash service package. As cars move down the car wash tunnel, Datatrax controls all service equipment with water-saving, chemical-saving, and energy-saving precision. For cash control, Datatrax prints a variety of business reports and graphs, including all car wash service counts and dollar amounts. Datatrax reliability is legendary —90% of all Datatrax built since 1986 are still in service, having washed over five billion vehicles worldwide. High reliability means low maintenance costs, which average less than $50 per year. Customer/Operator Support • All equipment repairs (warranty and non-warranty) are completed and shipped on the same day as received. Telephone technical support is provided at no charge. Delivery/Installation • Datatrax is usually installed by a car wash equipment repairman or a local electrician. Price • $4980. Contact • World-Wide Microsystems, Inc. (Datatrax Sales Dept.), 20519 Sunshine Lane, Spring, TX 77388. (281) 288-0168. Fax: (281) 288-0491. E-mail: wwmsys@ev1.net. WashCard Systems
WashCard Online is the most advanced fleet, gift, and credit card system available on the market for the car wash industry. Sixteen years of car wash loyalty experience has allowed WashCard to provide the wash industry with an alternative to dealing with the hassle of counting and distributing tokens and token notes. What’s New/Best Seller • WashCard Express (Credit Card in the Bay), 2005 ICA Leadership in Innovation Award Winner. Advantages/Features • WashCard uses the latest technology to meet the needs of our customers. WashCard is online and uses computers and a web application featuring the speed, convenience and flexibility of the Internet. By adding a non-proprietary WashCard system to your wash, a single card (gift, fleet, and/or credit) can be used throughout your entire wash —automatic washes, self-service bays, vacuums, vending machines, and more. Distribute pre-paid cards from a dispensing machine that takes cash and credit card, donates them to a fundraiser, or hands them out to business owners and bills them for their usage at the end of the month. By providing any number of loyalty discount programs, card-using customers are rewarded for their patronage. WashCard is perfect for new construction as well as retrofitting existing washes. Since WashCard is non-proprietary, wash owners can mix-and-match old wash equipment with new equipment while maintaining a unified loyalty card system throughout the wash. The WashCard System will tie multiple locations of the same owner together. Car washes of different owners have the option to “partner up” by sharing their fleet accounts. WashCards are reusable: recharge the card onsite or online. Loyalty bonus given with a new purchase or when recharged. Pulsing and latching options available for self-serve bays and vacuums. Realtime reporting and billing (integrated with QuickBooks Pro) available. Price • Available upon request Contact • WashCard Systems (Ryan Carlson), 12400 Ivan Avenue North, Hugo, MN 55038. (651) 439-5740. Toll free: (800) 659-3103. Fax: (651) 204-9412. E-mail: sales@washcard.com. Website: washcard.com. Schneider Electric
The North American Operating Division of Schneider Electric, a global electrical industry leader, manufactures and markets electrical distribution, industrial control and automation products, systems and services under the Telemecanique®, Square D® and Merlin Gerin® brands to customers in the US, Canada and Mexico. What’s New/Best Seller • Fully-automated tunnel wash car wash system, with the ability to remotely monitor and control the entire system. Advantages/Features • The industry’s first fully-automatic car wash is comprised of Schneider Electric product solutions for automation, control and power. Products include: Telemecanique Altivar® drives, Zelio® logic relays, Phaseo® power supply, Modicon® Premium™ PLCs, TeSys® U-line motor starters and D-line contactors, Square D transformers and switches and Merlin Gerin Multi 9™ circuit breakers. The ability to remotely monitor all activities at the car wash and exchange data via the Internet is accomplished by using Schneider Electric’s Transparent Ready® web-enabled platform technology. This level of automation gives the car wash owner the ability to monitor all activities with a PC or PDA. The Ethernet connection allows the owner to have open, two-way communication with the business. The owner can monitor chemical levels, shut down a wash bay and re-direct vehicles to the other bays — even close the doors and turn off the lights if there is no traffic. As a business owner, he can monitor every aspect of the car wash — number of cars through the facility, revenue generated, faults in the system and corrective actions taken. Contact • Schneider Electric North American Operating Division (Tom Noble), 1960 Research Drive, Suite 100, Troy, MI 48083. (248) 457-4171. E-mail: t.noble@us.schneider-electric.com. Website: www.us.telemecanique.com. Auto Data Inc.
Auto Data has been supplying POS software to the car care industry for over 22 years. Complete cash control, customer history, and inventory control capabilities are built right into the basic package. What’s New/Best Seller • VINGrabber and Pos-i-Plus. Advantages/Features • VINGrabber is the most affordable VIN barcode scanner to hit the market at only $695. It positively identifies the customer without the use of the license plate. VinGrabber also identifies the vehicle, instantly recognizing the year, make, model and engine code while looking up the parts and lubricants specifications with a single scan. Pos-i-Plus for Windows supports three separate profit centers and includes many powerful Internet-based features like multi-store polling and communications for larger operators, as well as customer history sharing, automatic software updating, and time and date stamping to ensure accurate opening and closing times on reports. Storeowners can also check sales reports for any of their locations via a standard web browser or web-enabled cell phone. For the Lube side of your business, Auto Data offers an extremely stable solution that integrates industry standard lubricants data and Auto Data’s PartsPronto AAIA electronic parts catalogs to provide the most accurate data available. Complete inventory control with automatic parts reordering is also included. On the car wash side, the same mouse-driven user interface is used at the cash out area. This is the true advantage of the Auto Data system — one system with one interface. There is no need to learn two systems. For owners of multiple locations, Auto Data offers a complete Enterprise Control software package to track all your stores via the Internet and even link it to QuickBooks Pro or other accounting systems. Customer/Operator Support • Standard support offers unlimited 800# calls, dial-in maintenance via modem, and all Auto Data software updates. Price • Available upon request. Contact • Auto Data, Inc. (Craig Harris), 5825 Glenridge Dr., Bldg. 1-100, Atlanta, GA 30328. (800) 767-7580. Fax: (404) 256-5654. E-mail: sales@autodatainc.com. Website: www.autodatainc.com. Integrated Services Inc.
ISI offers POS systems, customer loyalty programs, a tunnel controller and an autocashier — delivering a complete solution for the exterior, full-service and flex business models. ISI is also the leading provider of POS management systems for fast lubes and lube/wash combos. What’s New/Best Seller • iCashier™. Advantages/Features • Built with theft prevention in mind, iCashier offers better security than any other entry unit on the market. It is equipped with a number of standard security features, including a built-in, heavy-duty, patented combination-locked vault and door open sensor that automatically e-mails the wash owner when the door is opened. iCashier is known for its superior customer loyalty features, remote communications and an affordable price. Using the integrated WALS (Wash Access Loyalty System) software, car wash owners can securely create and manage loyalty programs over the Internet. Wash operators can update the autocashier, monitor transactions and gather detailed reports on technical and financial information — all from a remote location. The ergonomic design of the entry unit includes a user-friendly layout featuring large buttons, high-quality audio prompts and easy-to-read screens. Purchases can be made quickly and easily, increasing the number of vehicles processed. iCashier accepts coins, bills, credit cards, codes and customer account cards. It accepts bills up to $20 and dispenses dollar bills as change. Offering multiple payment options gives flexibility to up-sell packages. Save labor dollars, increase site flexibility, and maximize customer loyalty with iCashier. Price • Available upon request. Contact • Integrated Services, Inc. (ISI), 12242 SW Garden Place, Portland, OR 97223. Toll free: (800) 922-3099. Fax: (503) 968-9100. E-mail: isi@ints.com. Website: www.ints.com. Innovative Control Systems Inc.
Innovative Control Systems offers the car wash industry’s only fully-integrated tunnel controller, point-of-sale, and management system. Based on Microsoft Windows NT, Tunnel Master delivers the ease of use for today’s user. What’s New/Best Seller • The Auto Sentry. Advantages/Features • The Auto Sentry is a state-of-the-art interactive unattended car wash point-of-purchase terminal, designed to provide you with a trouble-free, high-tech solution for operating your car wash, while providing your customers with a user-friendly point-of-sale system. Over the last three years, the Auto Sentry unattended terminal has been the contributing factor in the development of the latest business model in the car wash industry. Express Exterior and Express Flex-Serve car wash facilities have substantially reduced labor and increased volume, resulting in higher profits. The next generation terminal, the Auto Sentry eXP, will enhance this rapidly-expanding market. Operators will see even greater customer satisfaction and decreased costs. Smart Sales™ software will produce higher extra service sales by delivering a consistent sales message to your customer. Auto Sentry eXP is developed, manufactured, and supported exclusively by ICS. Go to washnet.com to review an interactive demonstration. Price • Available upon request. Contact • Innovative Control Systems, Inc., 1349 Jacobsburg Road, Wind Gap, PA 18091 (Brian Bath). (610) 881-8000. Toll free: (800) 642-9396. Fax: (610) 881-8100. E-mail: sales@washnet.com. Website: www.washnet.com. IDX Inc.
DX manufactures electronic devices to solve problems for the car wash, gaming, and vending industry. Only sold through IDX Authorized Distributors or OEMs. What’s New/Best Seller • WicketsID™ and GigaTime™/Lucky Time™. Advantages/Features • IDX is introducing the first truly totally cashless system for the car wash industry named WicketsID. This system will reduce vandalism and equipment cost on new and remodeled car wash projects. Another benefit will be a reduced maintenance cost due to no more wear and tear on acceptors or readers. GigaTime is IDX’s newest display timer that offers the first message center with 12 scrolling service messages. The GigaTime utility is the latest in electronics with a new sun bright LED array which shows dual lines of LEDs on each letter as they scroll by. The patent-pending LuckyTime program and Card-Display™ protocol are just a few of the standard features. This timer offers five programmable times and/or coins to start settings, and options include two additional time and/or coin settings, three selectable day events with special IR800 remote. Customer/Operator Support • Support is available through any of the 150 IDX worldwide distributors or toll-free number from 7:30 a.m. (CST) to 5:30 p.m. (CST), Monday through Friday. Price • Price is available through any IDX authorized distributor, OEM or on line. Contact • IDX, Inc. (Mike Oliver), 400 West Cedar Street, El Dorado, AR 71730. Toll free: (800) 643-1109. Fax: (870) 862-3472. E-mail: mike.oliver@idxinc.com. Website: www.idxinc.com. |
