iPad HMI Makes Car Wash Automation Mobile

Custom Control Specialists operates

as an OEM of control systems to
manufacturers and distributors of
automated car wash equipment. Custom
Control Specialists premier product
line is the Guardian Wash Command, a
PLC based automated tunnel car wash
controller.
As an OEM control solution, the Guardian
Wash Command and the Tommy
controller system must be adaptable to
any combination of equipment types,
application, and configuration that may be
required in the particular wash location.
Every car wash is a unique location with
unique equipment layouts, chemical
applications, and retail wash package
offerings. All these variables need to be
configured in the field, by personnel of
varying technical skills.

Figure 1: By using mobile devices like this iPad, Custom Control Specialists can offer more
flexible and cost effective solutions than are possible with a traditional panel PC HMI.

The retail car wash industry is a competitive

one. It is an industry that relies on customers
discretionary income and ability to spend on
additional services for their vehicles. Despite
some volatility, the car wash and servicing
industry is an open field, where small and large
firms alike can compete if their locations are
favorable and their operations are incredibly
efficient.
Pro Tech Systems Group is a system integrator to
the water/waste water and automated car wash
equipment industries with the goal of developing
systems that offer the efficiency required to
remain highly competitive. Custom Control
Specialists is a division of Pro Tech, and operates
as an OEM of control systems to manufacturers

The iPad HMI solution developed for

Custom Control Specialists car wash
application utilizes InduSoft Web Studio.
The application uses the iPad to configure
the car wash controller to the installed
equipment and retail wash package
offerings at each individual location.

and distributors of automated car wash equipment.

Custom Control Specialists is a UL508A panel shop,
and their premier product line is the Guardian Wash
Command, a PLC based automated tunnel car wash
controller.
Custom Control Specialists have built systems for
washes in almost every US state from Maine to
Hawaii, and Mexico, Canada, Australia, Russia,
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Serbia, and other
countries internationally. They also developed a

Figure 2: The application is configured at runtime to support the unique configurations of each location.

private labeled system for a major equipment

manufacturer, Tommy Car Wash Systems.
As an OEM control solution, the Guardian
Wash Command and the Tommy controller
system must be adaptable to any combination
of equipment types, application, and
configuration that may be required in the
particular wash location. Every car wash is
a unique location with unique equipment
layouts, chemical applications, and retail wash
package offerings. All these variables need to
be configured in the field, by personnel of
varying technical skills.
Custom Control Specialists required an
interface capable of configuring, monitoring,
and reporting back on the controller system
for each of their installed systems. They
began searching for a SCADA/HMI software
package flexible enough to handle the wide

variety of systems, advanced enough to

incorporate current and emerging technology,
and intuitive enough to develop hundreds of
applications for use worldwide. They explored
the solutions available and chose InduSoft
Web Studio as the basis for their car wash
interface.
The Challenge
Custom Control Specialists initially relied
on touchscreen HMI panels for car wash
controls, but found that they were expensive
to purchase and increasingly expensive to
maintain. In addition, they required that
operators be present at the panel, and they
lacked the freedom to move around the
wash location. This led to high costs and
low efficiency, and Custom Car Specialists
began exploring new solutions that could
offer customers a more agile system with high
mobility for operators.

The new solution required the flexibility

to work with a huge variety of equipment
configurations. Each car wash system is
unique, and would have to be configured
in the field in the runtime environment.
InduSoft Web Studio was an obvious choice
for this challenge, thanks to over 240
native drivers for every major equipment
manufacturer.
As machines grow smarter, operators no
longer need to be tethered to their stations
to receive the data and make the adjustments
necessary to achieve optimal performance.
Custom Control Specialists wanted to
incorporate mobile solutions into their OEM
offerings, and began looking for a way to
replace the traditional HMI with mobile
devices, such as the iPad. InduSoft Web
Studio also fulfilled this requirement with a
web thin client that could be accessed via a
remote desktop client on the iPad.
The Solution
The iPad HMI solution developed for
Custom Control Specialists car wash

application utilizes InduSoft Web Studio

installed on a small diskless/fanless PC
with a SSD drive and Windows 7 OS
that communicates with a Schneider
M340 PLC via an Ethernet TCP/IP
connection. The application uses the
iPad to configure the car wash controller
to the installed equipment and retail
wash package offerings at each individual
location. All I/O points are monitored
along with installed variable frequency
drives.
The iPad accesses the system with a
remote desktop client, using WiFi
radio signals for wireless connectivity.
This allows operators to monitor and
configure equipment from anywhere in
the car wash and replace costly panel
PCs with lightweight iPads that are easy
to update and cost effective to use.
Each system offers username and
password protection for operators, so
that data is protected, and changes to
the application or configuration can be
monitored.

Figure 3: The application

allows operators to
configure the different
service options available
on site.

Figure 4: Each location has a

different configuration of equipment
and services available, so applications
must be configured at each location
by operators who may not have much
technical knowledge.

Custom Control Specialists has installed the

iPad HMI system at sixteen locations, and
has nearly that many planned for immediate
development. Because these systems are
OEM installations, configuring and installing
each system must be as easy as possible for
operators who have not been trained in any
kind of HMI development. Using familiar
consumer devices such as the iPad, and
developing systems that can be configured
on the fly makes the iPad HMI solution cost
effective and practical in the competitive car
wash industry.

offered mobile connectivity has been a huge plus

to Custom Control Specialists. Not only are
there opportunities to upgrade old systems, but
new systems are being developed daily with the
iPad HMI as a standard option.
Customers have overwhelmingly embraced
the remote connectivity of the iPad HMI, and
are now able to work far more efficiently and
quickly in a market where minutes count.

The Results
Finding a replacement to the traditional HMI
model can be tricky in the OEM environment.
The ability to develop an application that

For more information contact your local distributor or InduSoft

directly at info@indusoft.com.

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