The industry can generally be organized along the lines of supplier and retailer.  Suppliers include equipment and solutions manufacturers as well as distributors.  Retailers include professional car wash companies operating in one or more segments: self serve, in-bay automatic (also known as stationary automatic or roll-over) and conveyor.

Professional car washing today features complex series of equipment, solutions and technological systems to wash cars more safely and effectively than ever before.  Compared to driveway or parking lot car washing, professional car washing is also the more environmentally conscious way to clean an automobile, as effluent is routed to treatment facilities as opposed to the curb and its eventual drain to rivers, lakes and streams.