American car wash uses passive RFID tag technology to improve the level
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CruzThruExpressCarwash is a well-known car wash in Bakersfield, California, USA. As early as 2002, when it first opened for business, the car wash realized that the membership program would be the cornerstone of its competitive position. To this end, the car wash has explored various solutions, including the fastPass automation technology platform, but finally chose the RFID tag solution, and its implementation results show that this technical solution is very successful. The following is a detailed case study:
The problem is highlighted
According to the International Carwash Association (International Carwash Association), Americans spend more than $24 billion a year on car cleaning, and there are as many as 100,000 car washes large and small. Competition among car washes is obviously fierce, especially in urban areas where car wash penetration has reached a saturation point.
Car wash owners always try their best to attract repeat customers, and the membership program has also become a common strategy to attract customer resources, increase the number of car washes and annual income. The CruzThruExpress Carwash car wash in the United States obviously wants to create its own service characteristics, and the membership program it has launched has also become a major weapon for its profitability.
CruzThruExpress Carwash is a well-known car wash in Bakersfield, California, USA. When it opened in 2002, the car wash realized that the membership program would be the cornerstone of its competitive position. CruzThru also ranks customer-friendly loyalty programs ahead of competitive advantages such as first-class service facilities, friendly staff, and fast and efficient car wash services.
Currently the company is far ahead in providing automated electronic payments and automated numbering of member vehicles. The payment system is relatively easy to set up. CruzThru provides an unlimited car wash (UnlimitedWash) membership service. After the member registers, the car wash fee will be automatically deducted every month, and the member can also use a prepaid card to speed up the payment.
However, the technology to provide automatic vehicle numbers for washing vehicles has been slow to emerge – a technology that is also a truly relaxing service experience for members.
To this end, CruzThru founding partner Raymond Roselle set out to develop the fastPass technology platform, which can make car wash services more convenient and faster, thereby maintaining and increasing the value of member services.
Where is the way out?
The fastPass technology platform developed by Roselle uses barcodes as a means of verifying membership and providing car wash services. The barcode label affixed to the member’s vehicle is scanned by service personnel when the vehicle enters the car wash.
The technology platform pilot has been so successful, Roselle said, the company has established a second pilot area and is ready to invest more.
This technology platform is the first generation of the fastPass automation system created by Roselle using license plate recognition technology. The system is equivalent to a typical access control system, that is, when the vehicle approaches the member-only lane, the magnetic switch triggers the camera to read the license plate, and at the same time, combined with the matching information in the member database, the door is opened and the appropriate cleaning service is performed.
Plus, when combined with the UnlimitedMonthlyMembers membership card, prepaid card members save a lot of time by getting early access to the dedicated driveway before the car wash door opens.
In fact, most customers prefer this system, but dirt, sunlight, etc. make the license plate recognition system error-prone, and damaged headlights, street signs, and other factors can cause delays in car wash services.
To this end, Roselle has been exploring the use of RFID as an automated error-proofing method for member access. In 2004, Roselle discovered Metalcraft’s website and worked with Clyde Church, the company’s RFID sales manager, and engineers to explore RFID technology for CruzThru.
In 2007, Metalcraft used an RFID windshield patch from kswMicrotec to create an adhesive label that could be read directly on the glass without having to pass through a foam pad spacer like other windshield label designs . The RFID car windshield patch provided by KSW uses a Gen2 chip that can be read by a variety of tags, and uses passive technology, so the cost is relatively low.
This tag, made by Metalcraft, encapsulates an RFID inlay into a bar-coded polypropylene layer. The encapsulation process protects the inlay while reducing static electricity, and a compatible adhesive on the windshield is also effective against UV damage.
Roselle said Metalcraft was very interested in CruzThru’s label requirements and committed to making RFID labels that fit CruzThru’s requirements.
To this end, Roselle helped Metalcraft test the durability of the newly designed RFID tag by attaching the RFID windshield tag to the plexiglass installed in the driveway. After 45 days of testing, the results show that there is no problem with the readability of the electronic label surface or inlay.
So for CruzThru, it’s time to deploy an RFID tagging system.
Active deployment of RFID tagging systems
Now, RFID tag technology has also replaced license plate readers in member-only lanes. And CruzThru has about 5,000 members in five Bakersfield car washes, which is already a leader in its industry.
Roselle said that the current RFID system is easy to implement and has brought great benefits, and customers are very satisfied with this service system. Customers don’t understand the difference between the different technologies, but they know that the technology Cruz Thru ultimately chooses will provide better service and save their car wash time, Roselle said.
Roselle points out that the system is at the heart of what her industry is trying to convey – service and convenience. Through the application of this RFID system, CruzThru can currently clean 150 cars per hour, greatly improving service efficiency. RFID technology has greatly improved CruzThru’s car wash business, resulting in a substantial increase in car wash revenue.
Finally, Roselle hopes to use the RFID windshield tags provided by Metalcraft in related industries such as lubricant stores.
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