Tracking sales in self-service bays.

[easywash]

Currently I operate a 3 bay automatic wash.

I am looking into taking over a lease on a 6 Bay Self-Service carwash. I won't be personally running it our counting the cash we will have a manger in place.

With our autos everything is auditable... So how do you guys track the revenue generated from your bays? How do you make sure every dollar that is deposited into your bays actually makes it into the bank?

How about Vacuums.. Same questions.

I am concerned with employee theft.

Is there any way to track sales with software?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Currently I operate a 3 bay automatic wash.


With our autos everything is auditable... So how do you guys track the revenue generated from your bays? How do you make sure every dollar that is deposited into your bays actually makes it into the bank?

How about Vacuums.. Same questions.

.

Even if you have a manager does he still need access to the cash?

Can you limit access to changers only?

 

[bigleo48]

Easywash,

There are various was to do this, from the simple to the elaborate.

Typicality, what your looking for a a coin pulse count along with credit card usage (if you have that). Most newer SS stuff has counter built in. My vacs do also. My SS bays are counted in 3 ways. First my Ginsan timers have a count display in them, my bigtime displays in the bay also count and my PLCs that split the coin pulses to feed my various timers and device also count. Adding to this is my Unitec inbay credit card readers that are controlled by the washpay server...it also has a coin count input to add non-credit card sales to my daily reports.

My distributor who owns a couple of SS carwashes was also testing a new Kesseltronix site management software. I had a chance to play with it a bit and its really slick. Allows the attendant to do cash drops, control bays, gives you individual selection usage.

With the vacs (and bays), you can add a relays and non-resettable counters to get their numbers...about $10/vac to do that.

So in the end, you may already have that ability without even knowing it.

 

[Sequoia]

Counts

My Dixmor timers have a built in count feature. But, if you have these and let employees use them to wash down bays they will have the access code to reset the counts. But that's one possible way.

Another is to add non-resettable counters.

At my wash, I've added a PLC that counts washes by bay. It is accessible over the internet so I can use my phone or PC to check on how many washes each bay has delivered. I use this to gauge when I need to go and collect money, but it could be used for auditing as well. My system doesn't track to the penny, as I don't have employees handling cash, but it could easily do that.

 

[seattleguy]

My Dixmor timers have a built in count feature. But, if you have these and let employees use them to wash down bays they will have the access code to reset the counts. But that's one possible way.

Another is to add non-resettable counters.

At my wash, I've added a PLC that counts washes by bay. It is accessible over the internet so I can use my phone or PC to check on how many washes each bay has delivered. I use this to gauge when I need to go and collect money, but it could be used for auditing as well. My system doesn't track to the penny, as I don't have employees handling cash, but it could easily do that.

The PLC you added - who makes it? Is it already programmed and set up for car wash use?

 

[Sequoia]

Plc

After shopping around, I bought a F1616 PLC from TriLogic.

Yes, it required programming as it came with a "ladder logic" software program but no programming for a car wash, or for anything anything else.

There are other PLC units that are more friendly in their off the shelf configuration, but I've forgotten which ones those were as it has been a few years since I was researching the market. I know that other operators use PLC's for very similar uses to what you are looking for.

 

[blurdgman]

I run two 6-bay SS washes from 1300 miles away. Although I trust my associates, I have a token only system. Bills go into the bill changer and tokens come out. The meter in the bill changer keeps track of how many bills went in and that should equal the amount taken out and deposited. Also I require that the tokens are counted when taken from the bays, this is a further check. Since we also have a credit card system in the bays, I can view the online bank deposits and knowing that 35% of our customers use credit cards I also can estimate how much token business there was during the day before anything else.
One person takes the money, makes the deposits and reports what the meters say. Another person manages the car wash.
Good Luck

 

[thoffmanjr]

CR Magnetics makes a nice current transformer that can turn on an input for a PLC or energize a relay. You install them in your equipment room's circuit breaker panel for counting your vacuums cycles. CR9321-ACA is the 24 volts ac (vac) version and CR9321-NPN or PNP is the PLC type for switching 24 volts DC. They run about $25 or so each. I built 9 systems for an operator in Las Vegas to remotely monitor his bays, vacuums, vending and in-bay automatics. You can build it yourself. We connected the relay output from the coin acceptor to a two pole 24vac relay. One pole connects to his bay timer and the other connected to the PLC input. We used a small Omron PLC with an Ethernet port. He uses Microsoft Excel to read his data remotely. There is a slick Omron ActiveX control (free) on the spreadsheet that give Excel the ability to get his data from 9 sites in about 10 seconds. We used a small touchscreen to allow his guys to wash the bays down (rinse only). He has perfect cash control now.

 

[easywash]

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who responded. Now I have to process what this all means

 

[toddmullens]

CR Magnetics makes a nice current transformer that can turn on an input for a PLC or energize a relay. You install them in your equipment room's circuit breaker panel for counting your vacuums cycles. CR9321-ACA is the 24 volts ac (vac) version and CR9321-NPN or PNP is the PLC type for switching 24 volts DC. They run about $25 or so each. I built 9 systems for an operator in Las Vegas to remotely monitor his bays, vacuums, vending and in-bay automatics. You can build it yourself. We connected the relay output from the coin acceptor to a two pole 24vac relay. One pole connects to his bay timer and the other connected to the PLC input. We used a small Omron PLC with an Ethernet port. He uses Microsoft Excel to read his data remotely. There is a slick Omron ActiveX control (free) on the spreadsheet that give Excel the ability to get his data from 9 sites in about 10 seconds. We used a small touchscreen to allow his guys to wash the bays down (rinse only). He has perfect cash control now.

I am interested in doing something like this at 8 locations. Can you provide me with some more details and possible contacts in my area (central Arkansas) that are familiar in this sort of thing.

 

[thoffmanjr]

Email me your number. Thoffmanjr@hoffman-development.com