How to ensure your warewasher stands the test of time

Life-long design

Designing warewashers for a long life can minimise running costs too, embodied in Hobart’s Customer Back Innovation (CBI) programme, which has driven the manufacturer’s R&D processes for the past two decades. “The CBI process means our warewashers are designed for marked savings and built to last, delivering significant efficiencies across every cycle, every time the machine is turned on,” says Jeff Priest, product manager warewashing at Hobart UK

“For example, the latest result of this dynamic design and manufacturing process is our Next Generation Hood-Type machine, which benefits from new features that add up to a remarkable 25% combined saving in electrical energy consumption, compared with Hobart hood-type machines without an enclosed hood, heat exchanger or drain heat recovery.”

The company’s service arm focuses on quality of installation and maintenance to improve the total cost of ownership, delivering Hobart and Ecomax by Hobart accredited technical training through its training squad, who work closely with its manufacturing bases in the UK, Europe and the US. “This direct connection between factory and field means our engineers understand the machines inside out and means we can intelligently stock our vans so that when we are called out, we fix it the first time,” says Victoria Carroll, sales and marketing director at Hobart Service.

Alain Roux, chef patron and director at the Waterside Inn is a happy customer: “I would not hesitate to recommend Hobart due to the outstanding quality of their performance and the equally outstanding maintenance support network provided,” he says. “The call-out response to any breakdown or maintenance issue is very fast – the engineer usually has any parts required for a repair in his van. We are wholly satisfied that we receive a professional, expert service and feel that Hobart Service matches our unstinting demands for quality.”

Million-pound saving

Butcombe Group has a precise overview of its warewasher running costs after it turned to Hi-Tech Property Services to run real-life monitoring on four brands of warewashers within its estate.

Hi-Tech took measurements of final rinse volumes, the number of baskets used and water and energy usage over a period of time. The data showed that Wexiödisk’s WD-6 Duplus hood type warewasher came in with around 40% less consumption than the closest competitor on pure energy usage.

Water and chemical savings were significant too, with water consumption nearly 50% lower than the closest competitor. Across its entire pub and bar estate, and looking at the lifecycle of the appliance, the company was projected to save more than £1m over 10 years. Since completing this research, Butcombe Pubs & Inns has decided to only fit Wexiödisk dishwashers in its venues.

Maidaid also says it can offer a holistic solution thanks to its sister companies within the Buttress Group, parts provider Caterparts and servicing firm Crystaltech. “By bringing together Maidaid, Caterparts and Crystaltech, we remove the fragmentation operators often face when dealing with multiple suppliers. Instead, we offer a joined-up partnership focused on efficiency, operational resilience and long-term performance,” says Jag Thandi, chief commercial officer at Buttress Group.

“Recent multi-site hospitality operators have cited improvements in machine reliability, lower emergency call-outs and savings in energy and water usage within the first year of partnership.”

Elsewhere, Smeg Professional’s approach is built around providing an end-to-end solution that supports customers throughout the full lifecycle of their equipment and not just outright purchase costs. It works with trade customers and approved distribution partners to offer flexible purchasing options, including for its latest Pura range.

To protect uptime and performance over the life of the machine, the company offers warranty and maintenance packages, including preventative maintenance visits and technical support, supported by a service network and readily available UK stocked spare parts. This is aimed at ensuring issues are resolved quickly and equipment lifespan is maximised.

But perhaps the most immediate way of maximising lifespan and minimising costs is to perform everyday maintenance, says Ricardo Rossato, head of food sales at Electrolux Professional UK & Ireland: “Best practice in upkeeping hood-type dishwashers includes regular cleaning and choosing the right water treatment to maintain performance levels over time.”

Suppliers

Classeq www.classeq.co.uk

Electrolux Professional www.electroluxprofessional.com

Hobart www.hobartuk.com

Hobart Service www.hobartservice.co.uk

Maidaid www.maidaid.co.uk

Meiko www.meiko-uk.co.uk

Smeg www.smeg-professional.com/uk

Wexiodisk www.wexiodisk.com/en

Winterhalter www.winterhalter.com/uk-en

Photo: WBMUL/Shutterstock