April 03, 2025

Canton Car Wash has been delivering top-tier car wash services since 2009. As a well-established operator, the Canton team continually seeks innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce risk and improve customer satisfaction.

Canton Car Wash found all of that and more in NoPileups™, DRB^®’s tunnel optimization and anti-collision system.

Challenge

As the business grew, it became clear that they needed a way to mitigate in-tunnel collisions, according to Canton Car Wash COO Chris Rivera. A single collision can result in substantial downtime, leading to lost revenue, unhappy customers and expensive damage claims.

“Accidents don’t happen on slow days; they almost always happen on a very busy day, and that’s, as every operator knows, when you’re making the most revenue,” Rivera said.

In addition to reducing in-tunnel collisions, Canton Car Wash needed to maintain high throughput and excellent customer service. They also sought ways to optimize labor costs and enhance operational efficiency.

Solution

Despite initial skepticism, Canton Car Wash implemented NoPileups at one of its new locations.

“So I had kind of heard about benefits and cost savings [of NoPileups], so we implemented it in one of our new locations, and we soon discovered that we really, really liked it, so from there on, we’ve been using it every single
location that we operate in,” Rivera said.

NoPileups proactively identifies potential collisions before they happen, allowing the wash to continue running smoothly without unexpected shutdowns.

Beyond accident prevention, NoPileups helped Canton Car Wash reduce labor dependency by allowing vehicles to be loaded into the tunnel without a loader in many cases. The system also provides automated weekly reports, giving managers insights into operational patterns and enabling them to make real-time improvements in throughput and efficiency.

Results

Since adopting NoPileups, Canton Car Wash has seen a dramatic reduction in damage claims. Even with a diligent operation and highly trained staff, Canton was spending $.20 to $.25 per vehicle in damage claims before implementing NoPileups. Through no fault of the staff, customers would sometimes cause accidents by applying their breaks or creating other issues in areas of the tunnel not visible by any employee.

Since installing NoPileups, they now average just $.03 to $.05, representing a cost savings of over 75% and far below industry standards. With NoPileups, Canton Car Wash is now able to catch customer errors that might otherwise have gone unnoticed and led to accidents.

In addition to a reduction in damage claims, Canton’s operation has experienced many other benefits, including:

• Increased Throughput: With advanced anti-collision technology, Canton Car Wash ensures it operates at peak efficiency, especially during busy periods.
• Reduced Downtime: NoPileups is designed to prevent incidents in the tunnel that can lead to costly downtime and lost revenue.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Fewer accidents lead to fewer disruptions, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and repeat business.
• Operational Efficiencies: Automated reporting enables managers to monitor tunnel performance and proactively address inefficiencies.
• Cost Savings: The ability to load vehicles without a dedicated loader lowers labor costs significantly.

“NoPileups enables us to process more vehicles safely and efficiently. Before NoPileups we would have more accidents causing us to have more downtime. Likewise, we can put vehicles closer and have less issues. We don’t have to sacrifice throughput or safety,” Rivera said.

The Future

With NoPileups now fully integrated across all Canton Car Wash locations, the team continues to leverage its capabilities to optimize daily operations. The insights provided by automated reports allow managers to fine-tune processes, ensuring the highest level of efficiency and safety. Looking ahead, Canton Car Wash is committed to using innovative technology to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

“So when I talk to other operators and they tell me that they aren’t using it, I feel like they’re somewhat taking a risk, and they also just don’t know how much easier it can make their life,” Rivera said. “I know NoPileups recently reduced the monthly fee, too, so to me, it just doesn’t even make sense with the lower fee that you wouldn’t use it.”