The History of PurClean

The History of PurClean

Posted by: Melissa Wooten on Jan 24, 2020 9:18:51 AM

New Wave Industries was founded in 1988 in Rocklin, California. It was a small company that was housed in only 2,200 square feet of warehouse space and designed equipment specific to the needs of the retail automobile industry. The systems created were essentially pressure washers but would eventually evolve into what is now the PurClean Auto Dealer Series of systems. The early systems were portable pressure washers integrated with the technology of demineralization in order to provide higher quality water. The goal was to provide the dealerships with an efficient and money-saving method of washing vehicles on the lot without having to hand dry them. As the process and design evolved even further, the demineralization technology was swapped out for something that was more cost-effective and is something New Wave Industries still uses today - reverse osmosis. The reverse osmosis technology was able to generate even higher quality water at a lower cost, reducing the dealerships cost per vehicle even more. The PurClean Auto Dealer Series of systems remain in production today and can be seen in person at the upcoming NADA show in Las Vegas, NV.

NWI Charlie 1980sIn 1989, Charles Borchard, better known as Charlie, joined the ranks of New Wave Industries. One year later the first Pro Series Spot-Free Rinse systems went into production. As New Wave Industries started to gain traction as a brand and continued to add distributors to their network, they recognized that the reverse osmosis technology had other applications besides just the retailers they were currently after. The same process could be used to effectively eliminate total dissolved solids (also known as TDS) typically found in water provided by local municipalities. If left untreated, this water would ordinarily leave harsh water spots on vehicles when used in the final rinse of the car wash. The PurClean Spot-Free Rinse System could significantly improve the water quality thus providing the car wash operator with a higher quality product to provide to his customers. The New Wave Industries mantra became “Quality Water is an Essential Ingredient to a Quality Car Wash”. Today, New Wave Industries is a leading manufacturer of spot-free rinse systems in the professional car washing industry and provides equipment solutions to customers all over the world. The PurClean Pro Series Systems are marketed to the professional retail vehicle wash operator, major oil, big box retailers, fleet wash operators and the vehicle rental industries.

With its new product offering, and a new and eager salesperson Gary Hirsh, New Wave Industries was able to grow its network to include many of the original equipment manufacturers in the industry as well as more than 500 independent distributors nationwide. This led to exponential growth and industry recognition. Gary Hirsh quickly become a partner within the company in 1996, and the manufacturing operations were moved to a larger warehouse in North Highlands, California, where they are still located today. In 2001, ownership changed hands and New Wave Industries became the property of Gary Hirsh and Charlie Borchard. With Gary Hirsh managing the sales and marketing portion of the company and Charlie Borchard handling production and the technical side, New Wave Industries was primed for growth.

pwIn 2003, New Wave Industries once again expanded their product offering and their team and hired Denise Wight, the company’s current Vice President. Applying their vast knowledge of water filtration, the company designed the PurWater Water Recovery System. The system was targeted at the same industries as their PurClean systems and was widely received by the market. At this point, New Wave Industries had become known not only for their innovative and cutting-edge technology but for their unparalleled customer support and service. This new system was no exception. With patented processes of water filtration, the PurWater Water Recovery System quickly became an industry-wide standard and continues to lead the market today. The system was and is still able to provide certified - micron quality water without the use of expensive and time-consuming disposable filters as were used in the current competitive equipment offerings. The PurWater Water Recovery System continues to evolve even today, using technology such as touchscreen interfaces and remote monitoring for ease of maintenance and efficiency. In 2004, the company expanded their warehouse space to 22,000 square feet, exponentially increasing the original space of a modest 2,200 square feet.

As the industry continued to evolve amid a recession as well as a drought, water restrictions and cost-effective equipment solutions became more important than ever. New Wave Industries continued to expand their catalog of systems with a wide range of sizing and pricing options while also partnering with their customers to assist with permitting and navigating restrictions set by local municipalities. New Wave Industries wanted their customer-base to be the focus of their business and continued to achieve this through technology but also by working with associations such as the International Car Wash Association and their Water Savers Program. This program assisted New Wave Industries’ customers by providing solutions to easily promote their environmentally responsible business practices and thus differentiating them from the competition.

Over the next decade, sales and production more than quadrupled. In order to keep up with demand, the New Wave Industries teams continued to grow as well and many of the same of employees are still with the company today. The company is proud to retain their employees, thus expanding the knowledge base within the company and offering unmatched experience to their customers. With over 85 years of combined experience in their technical sales team alone, along with a team of knowledgeable project managers, experienced technical support engineers and helpful accounts personnel, it’s easy to see why New Wave Industries still leads the market. Today, New Wave Industries operations take place in a 45,000 square foot facility with over 30 on-site employees and continue to innovate and create new solutions to further benefit their customers.

In 2016, New Wave Industries was purchased by ZEP, Inc. Other than ownership not much has changed. In an effort to expand their market share domestically and internationally, New Wave Industries continues to partner with OEMs and distributors around the globe. The company is proud of its partner relationships with Fortune 100 companies as well as a diverse group of national account clients in vehicle manufacturing and rental, automotive retail, major oil and big box retailers. New Wave Industries 7E9A9898edit_SMALL webcontinues to work diligently to earn to their coveted position as manufacturing leader of the industry by putting their customers first and offering solutions that provide real benefits.  As the company continues to grow, changes continue to be made to make their equipment more efficient, more cost-effective and more valuable for their customers. New Wave Industries looks forward to the future and looks forward to being able to partner with professional car wash operators. If you have any questions or are an operator interested in partnering with New Wave Industries, please reach out by emailing sales@purclean.com or calling 800-882-8854.

Topics: Insider, Spot-Free Rinse, PurClean, Water Conservation, Water Recovery, Reclaim, PurWater, Technical
Melissa Wooten

Melissa Wooten

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