WashTec Cleaning Technology GmbH
Argonstraße 7
86153 Augsburg
Telephone +49 821 5584 0
WashTec Best Practice:
We are both happy and satisfied with the companies WashTec and AUWA. The cooperation works well. We've only had good experiences in the past years. This also explains our loyalty to them. Good service and reliability cannot be taken for granted. But these are our expectations. They are definitely fulfilled by WashTec and AUWA.
With the introduction of the two new concepts "smart buying" and "smart washing" since the summer of 2022, station tenant Markus Dierk and his team have seen their petrol station in Kronshagen not gradually awaken from its "Sleeping Beauty" slumber, but almost abruptly create incredible increases in turnover in all three of the station's business areas – fuels, shop and car wash – and the trend continues to rise. The main reasons for this are the well thought-out, especially sustainable, indeed unique overall concept with "that makes good sense" without any "frills", which the decision-makers at Anton Willer GmbH & Co. KG, such as the managing partner Axel Niesing, developed and put into practice – in the meantime at several stations. The focus is on the "local shop" concept and the environmentally friendly as well as sustainable vehicle wash – carried out by WashTec's extremely powerful SoftCare system – which thoroughly cleans and perfectly maintains vehicles equipped with paintwork-friendly SoftTecs® material using the innovative and environmentally friendly Green Car Care washing and care products from WashTec subsidiary AUWA. "Our turnover in the car washing business increased by 70 to 80 per cent due to the great new gantry system from WashTec and the new 'smart washing' concept, and in the food sector by a previously unimaginable 1,500 per cent! In the course of this, there were also very pleasing jumps in turnover in the bistro and in the fuel sales," says tenant Markus Dierk, visibly proud.
Axel Niesing explains with a view of the whole picture: "We introduced two concepts at the same time. One is the 'local petrol station & shop' concept, which we developed here at our bft station Willer on Kieler Straße 114 and which is now available at two other stations, albeit in a scaled-down version. We call this 'other' concept our 'little petrol station & shop'. At these stations, the range of products offered is smaller. For the successful implementation of both concepts in the petrol station shop, we expanded the product ranges to include a variety of articles for daily needs and established a supermarket price level for these non-typical petrol station ranges. The other new concept is called 'smart washing'. This innovative wash concept aims to differentiate us from others in the market." This means that car wash customers can also enjoy smart washing at Willer.
The extremely environmentally friendly highly effective cleaning and care of vehicles is "a little greener and also offers sustainable added value at a fair price". The "smart wash" is now offered by 18 bft Willer stations under the sustainable slogan "Smart car washing for the sake of the environment. This is how we do it." In addition, "you fill up smartly" with us. For every litre of fuel we sell, we plant ten square centimetres of new forest in Schleswig-Holstein, not somewhere else in the world. This concept has now been running for almost three years. During this time, we have created around 220,000 square metres of new forest on land we acquired that was previously used for agriculture. Although this does not make refuelling at our station climate-neutral, it is however a little more environmentally friendly than elsewhere. And even cheaper than at the big brand stations," Axel Niesing sums up the essentials of the smart concepts.
The medium-sized company Anton Willer successfully uses modern, target group-oriented marketing in all relevant social media channels as well as in print to address and attract customers in an eye-catching way and to be able to welcome them regularly afterwards. Behind the "shopping list", for example, is a colourful multi-page brochure in A4 format showing, for example, vitamin products that are always freshly presented, fresh chilled luxury products, organic quality articles or savoury and sweet items at the "gourmet counter". The special thing about it is that the prices are not only affordable, but exactly as you would see them on the shelf in supermarkets, sometimes even lower. "We decided on a concept that actually takes retail prices one-to-one from the supermarket," says Markus Dierk. The background is the fact that there is no supermarket in the immediate vicinity. "Many of our customers in the petrol station shop can no longer drive a car due to their age. In our shop, they can now get food, hygiene items and personal necessities that don't cost more than in retail stores." The streamlined range has not only been adapted to the space available. At the same time, a shop with a clear structure, modern furnishings and sophisticated lighting design has been created.
The powerful SoftCare car wash cleans perfectly thanks to performance technology. WheelFlash and WheelJet ensure thorough cleaning and shiny vehicle wheels with precise and area-covering chemical application. The MultiFlex leaves nothing to be desired in the rear area, as the multi-dimensional side brush adapts perfectly to the sloping rear of the vehicles and also to the sill areas and even cleans thoroughly under the spoilers. The rotating roof nozzle is a true multi-talent, as it more than meets the requirements for perfect chemical application during high-pressure washing and also during drying. In the wash programme "The Perfect Wash", customers' vehicles receive both the high-gloss polish ShineTecs and the premium wax ShieldTecs, a high-end polymer with organic modifed polymer techology. It reliably protects against environmental influences harmful to paintwork and windows, produces an amazing beading effect and ensures exceptionally good drying. In addition, the chemicals effectively help to deflect dirt. For customers, the gantry offers a convenient and attractive entrance with perfect positioning at the finish, thanks to the installation of StarTrack guide rails. The gantry, with its Silverlight design, washes vehicles with a maximum width of 2.38 m and a maximum height of 2.60 m.
Marketing is already present outside the door to the very "normal" shopping world. "Anyone who comes to us as a customer," says Markus Dierk, "will see a three-phase traffic light to the left of the entrance door on the outside wall of the petrol station building and a display in TV format above the checkout area in the shop. Car wash customers can easily see how busy the car wash is at the moment. Our aim was to show customers that it is worthwhile at this very moment to have their car washed and cared for by WashTec's SoftCare," says the experienced station tenant, describing the new view intended for customers of the car wash. "Because," says Axel Niesing, "car washers used to be unable to see how many cars were already waiting in front of the gantry car wash because the queuing area is located at the back of the relatively wide service station building. When the light is 'green', they now know it's their turn immediately and they don't have to wait for half an hour or so after they buy their wash ticket."
For better wash sales, coupons are available for a limited period of time, which, when presented, allow price reductions on the two most effective quality washes – "The Perfect Wash" and "The Shiny Wash". "We have just started," says Markus Dierk, "to introduce a bath day and decided on Monday. For our customers, this means that we reduce the wash price per wash by two euros to push up the wash figures further." A good incentive for a Willer quality wash both at the bft Willer station on Kieler Straße in Kronshagen and at all other bft Willer petrol stations with automatic vehicle washing is the monthly promotion "Smart washing & sowing flowers" offered at the start of April 2023, with which customers can plant their Willer meadow in their own garden, in flower boxes on balconies or elsewhere after a high-quality vehicle wash ... all in keeping with the concept: "Smart car washing for the sake of the environment – the green way to wash – environmentally friendly, highly effective, really clean."
This is exactly what WashTec subsidiary AUWA stands for when it comes to sustainability – readily degradable, environmentally friendly products, powerful yet gentle cleaning, best efficiency with maximum compatibility for the environment and materials, highly concentrated with optimised consumption. Other environmentally friendly measures worth highlighting are packaging materials made from recycled plastic and, of course, AUWA's zero waste strategy to avoid waste as much as possible. AUWA and the operators of the bft Willer stations know that the formulations of the "Green Car Care" range of washing and care chemicals meet the strict criteria of SGS Institut Fresenius, and are therefore indeed "green", and that their active environmental awareness does not fade at all – on the contrary.
