KOCHI: Four years ago, entrepreneur Manoj Thomas was laid low by a severe case of spondylitis. As a result, he found it difficult to wash his car at his home in Chakkampuzha, Pala. So he bought a high-pressure car washer. But after he cleaned his vehicle he did not feel satisfied. Then he had to use a piece of cloth to dry the car. But that became difficult to do. So Manoj realised he needed a machine which would clean the car smoothly and not need a cloth to dry it. But there was no such product in the market.
“That was when I decided to make one,” he says. Manoj set aside a room in his home, where he got himself a drilling and cutting machine. Thereafter, he did numerous trial and error experiments. And eventually, he has now made the ‘Spin Power’ car wash equipment. It is like a long stick, with a brush at one end, and controls at the other.
At his outlet, on a recent evening, Manoj looks upbeat. Just outside is his dusty Santro. He immediately connects one wire to an electric outlet, and a hose to a water tap. And when ‘Spin Power’ starts working, the first thing one notices is the way that the brush moves smoothly over the car body, moving clockwise, with water dripping through it. If you turn a knob, drops of shampoo also mixes with the water.
“The advantage of this brush, which is of American origin, is that when it comes in touch with water, it becomes smoother,” says Manoj. “So, it has a scratch-free effect.” Effortlessly, Manoj cleans the top, back, windscreen, windows, bonnet, and tyres. It is also hygienic since you don’t use your hands to do the cleaning. “Another advantage is that after the wash you don’t need to dry the car,” says Manoj. “That’s because we use clean water throughout. When you use a bucket and a piece of cloth, you carry on cleaning the car even when the water turns black. So, when the car dries, there are spots on it.”
But there are no such issues with Manoj’s machine. The Spin Power weighs 1.8 kgs and is priced at Rs 8600. This is cheaper than the high-pressure wash equipment in the market. The other attributes include an A/C as well as a D/C adapter. The machine uses about 40 volts, as compared to the 1500 volts of other products. The number of litres used is 20, which is far less than used by others.
In order to protect his discovery, Manoj has applied for a patent. But, in India, a patent can take five years to get approved. “The risk is that since my product is in the market, others will copy it, since there is no patent,” says Manoj. “Unfortunately, I cannot wait so long. So, I have decided to keep changing the model to stay one step ahead of the competition.”
Meanwhile, there are some satisfied customers. Recently, James Abraham, a 53-year-old central government employee had gone to buy jackfruit seeds from Manoj’s dad’s nursery. However, there were no seeds in stock. “My father suggested to James that he should take a look at my product,” says Manoj. So, James did so, liked what he saw and bought it. After a month of use, James says, “My car [Toyota Etios] can be washed quickly. Since the outer bristles do not rotate, the water does not splash. Sometimes, if there is no electricity outlet, it can be used using the car heater. I like this product very much.”
A happy Manoj is keeping his fingers crossed. “I have spent Rs 50 lakh so far,” he says. “But I am confident that customers like James will make Spin Wash a success.”