‘Mr Wax’ to open in Duisburg
German car wash chain Mr. Wash is currently building a new double tunnel wash in Duisburg which will include a ‘waxing conveyor belt’. The carwash is set to open in the summer of 2025.
With nearly 40 branches in the country, Mr. Wash is a major player in the German car wash industry. Many big cities have at least one Mr. Wash.
Duisburg will be added to the list as the 39th location in the summer of 2025. Construction is scheduled to start on Aug. 1, 2024. The facility will initially wash about 250,000 cars, but is designed to clean up to 400,000 vehicles a year. The new building on a 10,940-square-meter site in an industrial zone will cost about 21 million euros.
Deviation from new standards
Since opening the facility in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Mr. Wash has adjusted its own standards. “We have worked on controlling the wrap-around units and are constantly refining the technology. In Mühlheim, the entire system control is digital via a network and can be controlled via an IP address”, explains Richard Enning in an interview with CarwashPro.de. He goes on to explain that so far Mühlheim is the only system that generates electricity autonomously. “In Duisburg, we could not realize this because we have significantly less space available there.”
There is another special construction feature in Duisburg: the entire site must be structurally sealed. The reason lies in the former use of an industrial company, and the building permit stipulated that any waste going into the ground is out of the question. “They wanted to prevent unknown substances in the soil from getting into the groundwater,” explains Richard Enning. “But we will still find a way to make our site a little ‘green,’ even if we can’t plant trees.”
Wax conveyor
For the first time, three types of conveyors will be used in the car wash location. Two conveyor belts will be used side by side as wash belts for washing cars, two other belts will be used for cleaning the interior, and for the first time there will be another belt for hand waxing.
This wax belt is considerably shorter than the other conveyors and also runs much slower. Waxing will be done in about 15 minutes per vehicle. There are very pragmatic reasons why Mr. Wash relies on conveyor belts rather than parking lots for post-waxing finishing. “Conveyors are always more effective for us because it allows us to use the space better. If the vehicles were parked, we would always have to schedule unusable maneuvering spaces. This saves space,” explains Richard Enning.
Unlimited washing, limited hours
Also in Duisburg, there will again be a special lane for subscription customers who can enter the car wash without having to wait. The vehicles are discreetly labeled with a bar code in the car and identification is done by cameras. “This offer is worthwhile for both parties and demand continues to rise,” confirms Richard Enning. At Mr. Wash, the fixed rate is always available with prepayment for three or 12 months. Many customers would renew their flat rate over and over again.
The Mr. Wash service has limited hours, with happy hours always between 6 and 7 p.m. “We run a single shift for interior cleaning because it was important for us to stick to working hours,” says Richard Enning. There will be about 80 employees in Duisburg, including 50 to 55 permanent employees.
Silent
New Mr. Wash branches are always launched according to the principle of silent openings. “In Mühlheim, we opened quietly on a Wednesday and had already washed more than 1,000 cars by Saturday. This is because the offer is already familiar in many locations and customers always get the same high-quality cleaning and interior cleaning,” Richard Enning explains the decision.
Similarly, Mr. Wash seems to rely on its customers when it comes to short-term offers. For example, there is a prepared Sahara wash that is spontaneously offered for cars that are covered in dust. Here, Mr. Wash uses its digital information screens as advertising vehicles and announces them along busy roads.
No app
Richard Enning has a clear opinion on carwash apps. “We don’t want an app with only information such as addresses and opening hours that everyone can quickly find on other sources. For me, it’s always about the benefits of an app.”
Digital payment via an app does not appear to be a promising solution for Enning either. “Despite all the options, paying via an app doesn’t seem to be a solution in Germany. Around 70% of our customers still pay in cash.” However, the company is looking into this topic and if there are advantages that are interesting for customers from a financial or service perspective, this could be considered in the future.
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