Bob Hoezel is the owner of 10 laundromats across Southeast Wisconsin. He’s been in the business for 15 years, and for most of those years, he has depended mainly on Maytag® Commercial Laundry machines.
With so many stores, Hoezel is constantly reequipping. Some years he just replaces a few machines, other years he retools an entire store, but he’s buying new machines every year.
“I bought my first store in 2005, and by 2012, I had replaced all the machines. Sometimes more than once, like with the small chassis equipment that has been heavily used. I replaced all the dryers in that store 10 years ago, and then the washers over the next two years.”
“I’ve been pretty aggressive with equipment retooling over this last year. I have a new store coming online later this year and that’s going to be all Maytag Commercial Laundry equipment.”
His most recent retool was 4th Street Laundry in Beloit, WI. The store is just over 2,000 square feet with 29 washers, from single-load up to 65 lb., and 26 dryers.
“The water savings stood out.”
He used the retool to increase vend prices by $0.25 or $0.50, depending on the machine, and says that if the pricing impacted his traffic at all, the increased revenue has more than made up for a few customers leaving.
For Hoelzel, his new washers use up to 27% less water than previous Maytag washers* which had a notable impact on his water bill.
“In my Beloit store, I did notice the water usage go down,” he says. “I look monthly, comparing to the prior month and year over year. I could clearly see the water usage drop—without a corresponding sales decrease. And I compared it to another store I have in that same market, that has older machines. So the water savings did stand out to me.”
“Equipment that’s friendly to unattended stores.”
Because his stores are unattended, he needs equipment that can provide good service, even when he’s not there. That’s why he’s a fan of his Maytag Commercial Laundry multi-load machines.
The motorized door locks on Maytag Commercial Laundry multi-load machines feature a self-adjusting pin that makes sure the door is aligned properly. This helps reduce wear and tear on the door. Once the pin is aligned, the door is pulled in to create a complete seal.
But unlike other power locking mechanisms, if there is a power outage the machine stores enough backup power to drain the machine and unlock the door, so customers can retrieve their loads.
“Even if there’s a problem, the washer doors will unlock. And I can tell you, customers don’t like it when a washer door locks and they can’t get their clothes.” Hoezel explained not having to go provide service in the middle of the night for locked dryers was a benefit. “That’s a big selling point for an unattended laundromat.”
Of course, Hoezel says, he went with Maytag Commercial Laundry equipment because of more than the door lock.
He also points out the final spin on his multi-load washers, especially the boost in extraction force from 100 Gs on the previous MFR models to the stronger 200 Gs of his current MYR washers.
“The length of the Maytag Commercial Laundry warranty was another easy selling point,” he says, referring to the 5-year limited warranty covering parts that comes with both the multi-load washers and dryers.
Reliability, cycle after cycle.
Hoezel recognizes the benefits of replacing equipment or retooling his stores with Maytag Commercial Laundry equipment on a regular basis, and he doesn’t wait until machines are past their prime to replace them. “I expect equipment to last, but depending on what’s out there, I change them out before they really wear down,” he says.
That’s due to several reasons, he says, from cosmetics to maintenance costs. And because he has multiple stores, “When I install new equipment in a store, I use the Maytag equipment I replaced to upgrade another store that maybe hasn’t been touched in awhile. So two stores get an upgrade.”
Using that trickle-down method, he’s able to continually renew his stores. Right now the oldest equipment he has is two MFR 60 lb. washers he bought in 2007.
For Hoezel, though, it’s about more than the equipment. It’s about having a manufacturer and distributor that he knows have his back.
“Maytag really seems to stand behind their product.” he says. “I remember having a problem with some of my dryers a few years ago and my distributor stood behind it. Maytag stood behind it. It’s got to be both,” he says. “Maytag Commercial Laundry has been good to me.”
*Based on replacement of MFR25 washer to MYR25 washer and average total water use.
