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As we approach Christmas and the New Year looms it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months and look forward to 2018 and what it has in store for us. The festive season is always a very special time of year; families and friends gather, gifts are exchanged and greetings are given as we have the opportunity to be grateful for all the precious things in our life. As a part of our celebrations Prowash would like to thank our customers, for giving us your support and the opportunity to help your business and be your supplier of choice.
It’s been an exciting year for Prowash and the car wash industry in general. The Australian economy has been prosperous with the Aussie dollar breaking 80 cents for the first time since 2014. Businesses have been busier with increased consumer spending. In turn businesses have increased their investment in new facilities and/or investment in new machinery and equipment. Which raises the hope that job growth will continue to strengthen.
Just when we thought the car wash industry had reached its peak we have had an influx in newly built car washes and subsequently new owners. Also, quite a few washes haven been sold which meant there are a lot more new operators as well. This prompted Prowash to develop its Car Wash College which is aimed to provide general training and understanding of the industry, covering a broad range of car wash principles transferrable to any type of car wash. The initial feedback and the courses delivered so far have received positive reaction from attendees, which targets not only those new to the industry but owners, investors and attendants alike that just needed a good refresher on best practices.
2017 was a busy year and I had the opportunity to attend the International Carwash Association conventions in both the US (Las Vegas) and Europe (Amsterdam). I always enjoy these type of events, they provide a great resource to make sure I (and Prowash) continue to keep up-to-date with the latest industry challenges, opportunities and trends across the world. One of the big trends in the US is express tunnel washes. Whilst this trend has cemented itself in the US & Europe, we are noticing that there has been more activity in the tunnel space with players such as IMO looking for new sites.
The other trend that became evident was the propulsion of credit card payments in society as one of the biggest and fastest growing trends worldwide. Make no mistake about it, we’re rapidly approaching a cashless world. Coins and notes were useful instruments in their day, but that day is nearly over. Wherever we go, the practice of carrying cash has now become an inconvenience. Love it or hate it, cash is playing far less of a role in society and on car wash sites. The trend is coming much faster than we thought, in actual fact, in 2018, there will be a new car wash open that will not accept cash at all and will only have ‘tap & go’.
With that in mind, during 2017 Prowash partnered with Quest Payment Systems and National Australia Bank to develop the best payment solution option for the car wash industry. Prowash has commissioned and funded the production of a locally made contactless payment terminal which has been specifically designed and manufactured for the Australian car wash industry. This partnership developed the Quest CT400 payment system, an easy to install, “MUST HAVE” contactless card reader that can be fitted to any Self Serve carwash, Vacuum, Dogwash and Automatic entry system for easy to use credit card payments.
The CT400 was launched at the 2017 Australian Car Wash Association expo at Etihad in November. The Expo was well attended and was a great success for Prowash overall. Our booth was amongst the busiest, with many customers keen to get a first sneak peek at the CT400 and also the opportunity to see all that Prowash has to offer, including our premium SuperSat soap system and range, in addition to Splatter wax. Splatter Wax with Carnauba took off in 2016 and cemented itself in the market where demand for new installations continued to grow in 2017.
The team at Prowash are always working to offer the best resources to our customers across Australia. No matter what equipment you own you can always rely on Prowash for parts, chemicals and vending. Our website aims to provide comprehensive information on all available products for our customers while offering good pricing, great service, practical advice and knowledge.
We are excited about what lies ahead in 2018 and beyond. I sincerely hope that you will join us as we continue to improve our level of service and evolve. A big thanks also goes out to our many long term and loyal customers for your continued support. Prowash is also very humbled by the support from the industry as we went out on a limb to fund the development of the CT400. Prowash is thankful to all those for pre-ordering the CT400 units in advance and assisting us to crowd fund the first batch of production units.
I would also like the opportunity to thank the staff at Prowash for their commitment and dedication throughout a busy year. The Prowash staff are interested in your business. Our belief is that our customers are our partners and together we need to ensure that every car wash is as busy as possible.
If you are considering dealing with us, we welcome the opportunity to trade with you and help your business boom. From all of us here at Prowash we wish you and your families a happy, healthy and profitable New Year.
Best wishes
Scott Bristow