Artur Nogal

Mr. Artur, the competition on the fuel sales market is quite tough, especially in large cities. What is the most important thing in this business? Location of station, extensive network or a wide selection of non-fuel products?

Artur Nogal: The fuel business is demanding, it is true and I have no doubt that the innovative Fortador machines are one of the factors that make my stations stand out from the competition, which is really fierce. In this case, apart from what you have already mentioned, i.e. a great location and well-developed network, every little thing counts, and my experience shows that a customer who first just uses the machine to get car upholstery clean, because, for example, his child has spilled juice in the car, usually also steps into the station and as a matter of fact also does some other things; like sends a parcel, takes seat covers or just pops in for a good coffee. And then, he would be more prone to visit such station again. And that’s exactly the point!

SELF WASH ONE devices have been in the product mix of your station for several years. What was the key thing here? What inspired such a choice?

These are cool, modern and original machines – with a lot of business potential, especially in spring and summer, when the traffic at the stations and the interest in self-service car wash is at its peak. I started with one steam machine, which I learnt about in advertising folder and which got me interested in, and after just a few months of using it, it turned out to be a hit! Today I already have six such machines in different locations and I am not done with it! Self-service car wash works great, customers are satisfied and we can grow!
It is important that the machines work flawlessly 24 h/d and meet the expectations of our customers. Certainly, the key issue here is for the machines to be failure-free. Some of the machines are already a few years old, and they are still in great condition. But you know – it’s just machines, sometimes it happens that they break down. And that’s the moment that Mr. Marek Chaciński from Fortador gets into action. The instant service assistance and optimization of waiting time it’s all his work.

When choosing machines from the Fortador catalogue, were you also guided by ecology factors and by the intention to reduce negative impact on the environment?

Yes, ecology is very important to us! The machines are steam-based and use clean water. There is also the option of washing with ecological cleaning liquid. But what I like the most about these machines is that they trigger creativity and give their owner numerous opportunities. Because you do not need to have a petrol station or your own car wash to make money on such machines. All you need is a good idea.

Could you be more specific?
I recently heard an inspiring story about a Hungarian entrepreneur who rented a machine space in a parking lot at one of Budapest’s well-known supermarket chains. One of the machines generated so much profit that everyone thought it was a system error. But it turned out that at night there were 5-6 hour queues of taxi drivers forming to wash the upholstery. Profits were record-breaking! Customers are also amazing and they themselves suggest different applications for machines. I can still recall a situation, which surprised me greatly, when one day a driver drove up to self-service car wash with a trailer on which he brought a sofa from home to be washed! So, when it comes to the creative use of machines, there are no limits here!

Thank you for the interview!
Thank you!