Schneider Electric Works with NCW for a Fully AutomatedCar Wash

IntroductionDirt, salt, mud, sludge – all music to the ears of Johnny Jones. When he boughthis first car wash facility over sixteen years ago, he had no way of knowing thathe would one day have 45 self-serve and combination car washes plus 15franchise outlets throughout Tennessee, Kentucky and Michigan. National Car Wash (NCW) is a family owned and operated business and is now the largest self-service chain in the country. In order to provide the best customerexperience possible, NCW provides facilities in prime locations and with state-of-the-art equipment.

Application As part of NCW’s commitment to its customers, and the desire to continue toraise the bar in the car wash industry, Jones took advantage of a chance meetingwith a Schneider Electric field sales engineer to streamline the Nashville facility’srenovation, which was already under way. The existing car wash system wascomprised of a variety of components – including some Square D® components – from multiple manufacturers.

ObjectiveA standard automatic or semi-automatic car wash can clean an average of 60cars per hour, per tunnel bay – and in the car wash world the number of carswashed equals money. NCW had several objectives as it improved its system:

1. Increase car throughput capabilities.

2. Increase energy efficiency.

3. Have the ability to monitor the whole facility from anywhere.

The Schneider Electric SolutionBy working with their systems integrator, Automation NTH, their distributor, HarrisElectric, and Schneider Electric’s Applications and Solutions Department, NCWdeveloped the industry’s first fully automatic car wash, the Tunnel Commander™.The Schneider Electric product solutions for automation, control and power couldbe utilized throughout the entire system design.

� For the automation, motor control, interconnectivity and monitoring:Telemecanique® Altivar® drives, Zelio® logic relays, Phaseo® power supply,Modicon® Premium™ PLCs, TeSys® U-line motor starters and TeSys D-line contactors.

INDUSTRY

Specialty Machinery – Transportation Wash

OBJECTIVE� Increase car throughput capabilities

� Increase energy efficiency

� Full automation and remotemonitoring

SOLUTION� Dryer Panel (Altivar® drives)

� Control Panel (Modicon® Premium™

PLCs, Magelis® iPC)

� MCC Panel (TeSys™ U-Line motorstarters, D-Line contactors)

� Water Pressure Control (Nautilus™ XMLF pressure switches,Altivar® drives)

� Lighting and Vacuum Control (Zelio® controllers, Phaseo®

power supplies, XB2 push buttons, TeSys U-Line motor starters)

� Gate Control (Zelio® Logic controllers)

� Transparent Ready® HMI software

BENEFIT� 100% increase in car throughput

� 33% decrease in utility bills

� A fully automated system with abilityto monitor remotely

COMPANY

National Car Wash, Nashville, TN

Application CaseHistory

Application CaseHistory

� For the ability to monitor all activities at the car wash and exchange data viathe Internet: Schneider Electric’s Transparent Ready® platform was a perfectfit. Using Transparent Ready, NCW can more efficiently share information andaccess it from anywhere at any time, saving time and money. This isaccomplished through the use of Schneider Electric’s industrial PC connectedto the Modicon® Premium™ PLC platform. NCW was able to tap into the powerof Transparent Ready right out of the box since the platform’s browser-driveninterface meant that users did not need to learn confusing software.

� For continuity of service and voltage control: Square D® transformers and switches.

� For optimal performance and safety standards: Merlin Gerin® Multi 9™

circuit breakers.

This level of automation technology meant the operator could monitor all theactivities in the car wash tunnel, such as the status of every vehicle as it movesthrough the wash cycle wash, status of lights and temperature, wash solutionlevels, or the amount of supplies being used. Additionally, the monitor had theability to troubleshoot problems as they occurred.

BenefitsCurrently, there are two Tunnel Commander™ express car washes in operation – in Nashville and Shelbyville, Tenn. With this solution, NCW met and surpassedtheir initial objectives. Benefits included:

� 100% increase in car throughput, from 60 cars per hour per tunnel to up to 120 per hour.

� 33% decrease in utility bills (average).

� A fully automated system requiring little or no human interface.

� Easy monitoring, maintenance, modification and troubleshooting – at thelocation or remotely.

� Reduced footprint with smaller cabinets.

� Universal components provided by one company.

The company reports they are retrofitting another NCW facility in Tennessee, withanother 10 locations, both franchises and company owned, on the drawing board.

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Schneider Electric - North America

2641 Sumner BlvdRaleigh, NC 27616Tel: 919-855-1100Fax: 919-855-1295

“The speed is one factor, but just as impressive is the increased

efficiency we are experiencing with the Tunnel Commander,” says

Mike Gammons, project manager for NCW’s Tunnel Commander

initiative. “Automation gives us a better quality wash and a more

cost effective system.”