We have evolved our model to set up 360 bike service centres: Niraj Takshande
We have evolved our model to set up 360 bike service centres: Niraj Takshande

Express Bike Works (EBW), a brand of Entropy Innovations, an engineering innovations company, recently announced the launch of their third flagship store at Koramangala, Bengaluru. The store will function as a one-stop solution for all bike owners in the vicinity, offering full-fledged services, including a 2-minute automated motorcycle wash, detailing, health check-up, express maintenance and a 24x7 on-road assistance. In conversation with Indianretailer.com, Niraj Takshande, co-founder of Express Bike Works goes into detail about the unique services offered by his company currently and those that are coming up in future.

4 years down and you are already setting records with your work efficiency. How and when was the idea behind this innovation incepted?
Normally, when bikers go to a local garage for washing and servicing, they are expected to leave the bike and are called for a pick up only by evening. As a group of passionate bikers ourselves, we would go on long rides for days together. Due to our adventures, our bikes would need regular washing and servicing, but the conventional bike care system failed to impress us. We used to look forward to quick washing so that we could move ahead on our journey. However, the local bike care centres in India are very laidback and take ages to wash the bikes. Hence, we decided to invent a system where scooters or motorcycles could be washed in under two minutes, thus giving a world-class bike care experience to the customer. There was scope to build something that would let the bikers come and get the job done in real time. Thus, Express Bike Works was born.

Starting in April 2013, we worked on the prototype in an exceptionally short period of time of eight months, and christened it Express Bike Works. It was launched in the India Bike Week in January 2014.


What is your pricing range?
Our EBW franchise is available at Rs. 12 lakhs.

What benefits are in store for the customers if they opt for your services?
Express Bike Works (EBW) is a mobile application based, one stop motorcycle care brand, where a customer will experience an automatic bike wash in under 2 minutes, saving lot of time. A single wash service or a monthly wash/service package can be booked via the Android app –‘EBW’, elevating the overall experience of riding in with a dirty bike and riding out, in no time, with a shiny bike. The app will soon allow managing PUC certificate and buying or renewing your motorcycle insurance. Moreover, a single click ‘Road Side Assistance’ offers breakdown service assistance, across India, for your bike.

We have evolved our model to set up 360º bike service centres under the EBW banner, and started working on the franchise model, providing the machinery, training, branding, and software for running each store centrally, and also assisting our franchise partners and entrepreneurs to grow by mentoring them on how to run EBW assisted stores. We cater to all two-wheelers that need express-care services like express-wash and express-maintenance. Our services include washing, detailing, paint protection, rust protection, express maintenance, oil change, lubrication, chain restoration, break and clutch care, electrical care, 40-point check, and on-road assistance. We continue reaching out to petrol pumps, malls, corporate parks as potential franchise partners. 

What are you doing in your bid to save the environment?
Express Bike Work’s motorcycle wash machine is compact in design and highly efficient in cleaning. EBW helps conserve water as every wash consumes around 5-6 litres of water, after recycling around 95% of the water used. Compared to a conventional bike wash, where 50-60 litres of water is wasted on each motorcycle, we are highly environment friendly. The machine is designed to recycle water up to the level that it can no longer be used for washing, after which it is used for gardening purpose around the outlets.

Conventionally, bike wash and service centres in India use more than 50 litres of water per bike and let the water run out on the streets adding to the sludge. This water is also hazardous, both to the washer as well as to the environment.

What makes you standout from other competitive bike wash centres?
A bike wash in under 2 minutes is our core USP when our competitors spend almost 40-50 minutes for the same job. Our services are backed by an Android mobile app that helps us connect with our customers in a better way by providing a better experience beyond just a wash. We are environment friendly and don’t waste or spill wash water like our competitors have been doing since ages.

What were the initial challenges you faced and what are the challenges still prevailing?
Our initial challenge was to recognise and finalize the best location to start an EBW store. We tried out standalone stores at various locations like a petrol pump, busy market place and along a busy city road to understand which among these would suit the best. Once we figured out that a petrol pump gave us the best ROI, we got agreements in place with HPCL, IOCl and BPCL for space to setup EBW at their retail outlets.

Are you into franchising? If yes, what is your franchise strategy?
Yes, we operate on the franchising model.

We participate in trade shows to generate franchise interest in addition to generating awareness through Google AdWords. To allot a master franchise for a region, the partner has to setup and operate one store himself. Monthy royalties are collected against which we offer maintenace and marketing activities for the store.

What are your survival tactics in the international market?
International markets are not fairly similar to that in India. We first launch a pilot setup in a developing country and colsely manage and operate it for the first six months. After this, we plan for a nationwide expansion plan.

Where do you see yourself in near future and what are your expansion plans?
Our target is to touch the 100-store mark by end of next fiscal. 

Tell us your success mantra.
Make the store level unit economics profitable before anything else.

 

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