Kärcher Cleaning Systems Pvt. Ltd. was in full swing at the show, displaying its automatic car wash CB 3 system in operation. Said Mr. Ruediger Schroeder, Managing Director, Kärcher: “We feel that the market for automatic car wash solutions, especially for a more advanced one like ours is still in an infant stage in India, but we want to be a player to reckon and have sold significant numbers in the Indian market. This has strengthened our foothold in the country for customer looking for automotive cleaning solutions. Of course, initial acquisition comes at a slightly higher price when compared to other brands in the field, but as in the case of any quality product developed for long-term use, the overall cost of purchase and maintenance of Karcher systems would end up to be much lower than that of equipment from competing brands.”
Elaborating on the salient features of the CB 3 series of the automatic machine, Mr. Ravi Ahuja, General Manager (Auto), Kärcher, stated: “Our brushes can work up to 60,000 washes due to our patented Caretech brushes with pneumatic inclination which doesn’t leave any mark on the vehicle. The CB Line features low maintenance bearings, guides and direct drives, such as the side brush control and the flat belt for the ease in lifting movement. It is also low on maintenance and with the recycling mechanism the machines use only 15 litres of fresh waters out of the 120 litres. Even the power consumption is only 8KW.”
Maintaining the longevity
There are proactive measures taken by Karcher to support customers in servicing and maintaining the machines. “Our service personnel can check all the functions from a remote location. He can diagnose if the problem is chemical, water or any motor has any misfunction. These services add on to the cost, but in the long run one can predict the problem and address it before anything actually goes wrong,” said Mr. Schroeder.
The prognostic system also helps in measuring how many washes have been made and which are the peak seasons (time) for washes. The machine’s initial cost might be a little on the higher side, but that is because the make is of stainless steel and high quality long-lasting motors. “If a customer chose to buy a sub-standard product, he might have to change the machine after five years compared to our machines that run for atleast 10 years,” beamed Mr. Schroeder.
Kärcher also has systems for cleaning commercial vehicles, especially buses. “We have systems that enable faster cleaning of buses. In an hour at least 50-60 buses can go through our machine. That can save a lot of manpower and avoid wastage of water. This system can be placed at the exit of the depo and every morning the bus can pass through it. These are things that are available with us as they are at a premium price not all STUs can afford it here in India,” he added.
Cleaning across application
The company also produces machines that can be used to clean trucks, engines and components at truck-bus workshops. He said: “We see a huge potential to grow in India as we have got everything, from an entry level model, mid-level, to a premium level machines that a car, truck or bus company would need for cleaning. They just have to understand the benefits of cleaning the right way using our machines which provide value for money.”
Kärcher is a German company but 85 per cent of its turnover comes from outside Germany, be it Asia, America or Africa. Asia is the fastest growing region and India is amongst the fastest growing subsidiaries. The company has already started manufacturing high volume machines in India and is ready to invest further if it sees good growth.
“Apart from a small manufacturing set-up here, we have 12 of our branch offices in every major city in India. We have factories all over the world and the quality is similar, whether it comes from Romania, Italy, China or Germany,” concluded Mr. Schroeder.