ceda Partner Hobart Service continues to lead the way with competitive price repair offer
ceda Partner Hobart Service continues to lead the way with competitive fixed price repair offer
To support hospitality and retail reopening their businesses for the first time since December 2020 – Hobart Service has announced a competitive fixed price offer with the aim to help support these businesses with their reopening.
The fixed price repairs offer is available to businesses who are not currently benefitting from the advantages and discounts of being in a service contract with the catering equipment service company.
The nationwide team of specialist service technicians confidently make the promise “We will fix your machine or your money back” – backed up by over 80% first time fix rate during 2020.
The company is raising awareness of the offer which is exclusive to businesses with Hobart, Bonnet and Ecomax catering equipment, the fixed price starts from just £279+VAT, which includes call out fee, labour, OEM parts, and a 6-month repair guarantee.
The fixed price offer is another example of how the specialist service maintenance company has consistently gone above and beyond to take the lead in supporting industries during the past 12 months.
Hobart Service has offered open access to their library of operational guides, created a suite of support shut-down and restart documents and have been in dialogue with service contract customers, both new and existing, to help with any challenges or changes to circumstances.
In addition, a series of updated FAQs and step-by-step guides have also recently been released to help assist kitchen equipment restarts after long periods of inactivity, based on regular issues that are being reported.
Keith Mackie, Managing Director of Hobart Service comments:
“As businesses return back to their premises after long lockdowns and periods of machines being unused, we’ve seen an increase in support and repair enquiries from businesses who are not in service maintenance contracts with us”
“We recognise this has been a considerably financially challenging time for all businesses, especially those in hospitality and retail, and want to offer fixed price repairs to help support their reopening”
“Throughout this year Hobart Service has maintained and exceeded our SLA’s for our customers who benefit from our service and maintenance agreements, and we’ve identified a need to extend this support to the industry with this offer.”
BOILERPLATE
Hobart Service has the UK’s largest field force specialising in catering equipment maintenance. Our specialist service technicians are trained to support a vast range of makes and models of Hobart and third party equipment.
Hobart Service directly employees over 100 technicians nationwide, offering a fast response and repair when equipment breaks down, minimising downtime with one of the highest first time fix rates in the industry.
If you require more information about this topic or the fixed price offer – please get in touch with them on 01733 392 244, email at customer.service@hobartuk.com or visit http://campaign.hobartuk.com/fixed-price-repair
*Terms and conditions apply to fixed price offer.
ceda Partner Electrolux Professional helps BicologIC Technologies implement high-throughput heat inactivation of patient samples at Cambridge Lighthouse Laboratory
ceda Partner Electrolux Professional helps BicologIC Technologies implement high-throughput heat inactivation of patient samples at Cambridge Lighthouse Laboratory
BiologIC Technologies, a pioneer in Industry 4.0 technologies for the bio-revolution, has collaborated with AstraZeneca and Electrolux Professional to implement a high-throughput solution for heat inactivation of patient samples at the Cambridge Lighthouse Laboratory. This solution renders the virus non-infectious, enhancing the safety, sustainability and scalability of the testing process.
The Cambridge Lighthouse Laboratory, established by AstraZeneca, the University of Cambridge and GlaxoSmithKline, and subsequently partnering with Charles River Laboratories, was part of NHS Test and Trace’s network of Lighthouse laboratories which provides population-wide diagnostic testing.
BiologIC, AstraZeneca and Electrolux Professional combined bioscience and thermal expertise to rapidly implement an innovative, production-ready heat inactivation solution in this safety-critical process. Rigorous validation demonstrated inactivation of the COVID-19 virus whilst maintaining the accuracy of diagnostic testing. The parties have now successfully implemented this solution, using Skyline Ovens from Electrolux Professional.
Richard Vellacott, CEO of BiologIC Technologies states:
“Combined with vaccines, diagnostic testing will be critical to re-mobilising our local, national and international communities, particularly as new strains of COVID-19 continue to evolve. We were pleased to identify, validate and support implementation of this solution to greatly enhance the safety, cost-effectiveness and scalability of COVID-19 diagnostic testing.”
Steve Rees, VP Discovery Biology, R&D, AstraZeneca comments:
“Our collaborative innovative solution enables virus inactivation upon receipt at the laboratory allowing work on the open bench, which simplifies the workflow, reduces the risk of employee exposure to live virus, and facilitates future innovations around automation of the sample unpackaging process.”
Alberto Zanata, CEO of Electrolux Professional concludes:
“With the advanced technology of the SkyLine combi oven, we support yet another milestone in fighting the pandemic that is affecting people and businesses around the world. We are very proud to play a role in safeguarding the process of handling the COVID-19 samples, to protect all people involved in testing.”
ceda Partner reopens its Centre of Excellence
ceda Partner reopens its Centre of Excellence
Electrolux Professional has reopened its Centre of Excellence in Luton, incorporating a number of measures to ensure customers can take advantage of the space in a COVID secure way.
A one-way system has been integrated to ensure that social distancing is possible throughout the site, with both visitors and staff required to wear face coverings at all times. Crucially, the Centre has been certified as COVID-safe by KeyOstas, allowing the experience to remain both constructive and safe for all.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own items to the Centre for demonstrations across both food and laundry. Hand sanitiser stations are also available at regular intervals to ensure interactions remain as hygienic as they are informative.
The Centre has received a significant upgrade over the last 24 months, including major updates to the training and demonstration facility in order to support Electrolux Professional’s position as the OnE global business partner for food, beverage and laundry. Having first opened its doors in 2013, the Centre has regularly hosted dealer and end-user focused events, dedicated to providing all stakeholders with hands-on training and practical demonstrations.
Darren Lockley, Head of Region UK and Ireland at Electrolux Professional, comments:
“The Centre of Excellence has always played a significant role in highlighting the capabilities of our products to potential customers, as well as providing ongoing support and training to existing ones. This is something that has taken on even greater importance this year, with the challenges facing a number of our core sectors, including hospitality, healthcare and education, meaning operators are eager to get the absolute most out of their equipment.
These events – which can be undertaken in line with government social distancing guidelines – are curated by our very own training and development mangers in food, beverage and laundry, who are able to demonstrate the products’ capabilities by combining professional expertise with a detailed understanding of how the appliances work.”
Electrolux Professional’s entire product portfolio range is on display at the Centre of Excellence, exhibiting the complete solution that it can offer to customers. Featuring a new espresso bar, fully working kitchen and commercial laundry complete with a variety of appliances from each product category, as well as meeting and conferencing facilities, the Centre is designed to showcase and simulate genuine operating conditions.
Electrolux Professional’s Libero Point, a portable cooking unit, will also be available to view on site. The Libero Line offers unrivalled flexibility in its applications, able to be deployed both indoors or outside with a range of tabletop appliances to choose from, including fry tops, woks, induction cooking tops and combi ovens. Such technology will be instrumental in ensuring that customers are able to receive the same high-quality meals they would expect indoors even as venues reopen as exclusively outside service.
Darren concludes:
“Electrolux Professional’s investment in its Centre of Excellence highlights its ability to both test and demonstrate foodservice, beverage and laundry equipment. This helps to instil confidence in our customers, allowing for a truly unique hands-on experience.”
For more information and to book a visit to the Centre of Excellence, please visit: www.electroluxprofessional.com/gb/center-of-excellence/
ceda's ignite digital magazine launches to showcase members' and partners' products and services
ceda's ignite digital magazine launches to showcase members' and partners' products and services
Hot on the heels of our connected digital magazine, the latest issue of which you can view here, we are delighted to be launching its sister publication ignite today.
Ignite will allow up to six ceda members per issue to showcase a project of their choosing and by doing so, promote your company and your services to a carefully selected, quantified audience of over 10000 end user operators.
Intentionally launching to coincide with the gradual easing of the UK’s lockdown and the reawakening of many dormant operator-led businesses in April, Ignite is the ideal platform in which ceda members can utilise to increase their company’s presence in the highly competitive, operator-led industries.
Ignite also reinforces a core ceda belief in representing all of our 100+ members equally and every member is encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity. We have created a dedicated microsite packed full of information, a sample magazine and simple submission form, which you can find here.
Ignite also benefits our ceda partners. In every project submitted by a ceda partner, there is an opportunity for them to name the supply partners, without whom these superb projects will never have seen the light of day. You are partners to ceda by definition. We have created the following interactive advertisers guide for any ceda partner to read and take advantage of.
If any ceda member or partner has any questions, please email us on cedaconnect@ceda.com.
We Are Ceda. Connecting Your Industry.
Mechline offers free guides to help operators bounce back
Mechline offers free guides to help operators bounce back
As the hospitality industry looks ahead to the lifting of lockdown restrictions, ceda Partner Mechline Developments has released two free guides containing a wealth of practical advice to help operators bounce back and generate sales opportunities for dealers. The guides offer six steps to help increase restaurant covers and footfall, plus a comparison of air sterilisers and air purifiers so operators can choose the best solution to keep their customers and staff safe.
Commenting on the launch of the guides, Kristian Roberts, Marketing Manager at Mechline said:
“After three lockdowns hospitality operators will understandably be eager to finally welcome back diners so they can start rebuilding their businesses. However a recent study has shown that 53% of consumers are not confident or unsure about visiting restaurants, pubs and hotels when they reopen – so operators face a challenge to reassure returning diners that hygiene measures are in place to protect them.
“As a specialist manufacturer of innovative hygiene focused equipment for the foodservice and hospitality industry we are keen to support operators with the insights, advice and strategy shared in these free guides. In turn, we hope our dealer partners will benefit from sales enquiries as operators look to install advanced technologies like HyGenikx to make their premises as safe as possible ready for reopening.”
Mechline’s guide to increasing covers and footfall includes six strategic steps encompassing: Providing a customer loyalty scheme; Building customer confidence with improved service and experience; Marketing to target local customers; How to leverage the potential of social media; Reducing ‘no shows’ and how to change and adapt your offering with the seasons. Insights shared in the guide include how loyal customers tend to spend 36% more and that 67% of customers would stay longer and spend more money if they enjoy your customer service.
One of the biggest challenges operators face in the year ahead will be customer confidence. Patrons will want to relax, safe in the knowledge that the hospitality business has taken all the necessary precautions to protect them from infection. With this in mind the second Mechline guide explains the differences between air purifiers and air sanitiser/sterilisers, examining how the various technologies work and their respective benefits so operators can make informed decisions about the best solution to protect and reassure customers and staff.
The free guides can be downloaded at:
- · https://info.mechline.com/guide-to-increasing-restaurant-covers-and-footfall and
- · https://info.mechline.com/air-steriliser-sanitiser-vs-air-purifier
A fascinating insight into ceda Partner Novameta
A fascinating insight into ceda Partner Novameta.
ceda Partner Novameta, who has also updated their profile on our website, provides a refreshing and fascinating insight into their background and future plans in this engaging article that includes comments from their director Mindaugas Jonuškis.
ceda Digital Event: watch again!
ceda Digital Event: watch again!
What a day! Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who attended. You all made the first ever ceda Digital Event a great success.
Whilst we appreciate it wasn’t quite be the same as a live face-to-face event, we hope you’ll agree the digital platform allowed for a professional, smooth and efficient business day. One massive benefit to the digital nature of the event is the ability to watch the content again.
All the excellent speaker interviews and presentations are available for you to watch again via the event platform:
pheedloop.com/ceda040321/login/
Please use the same unique log-in details you used to access the event, and navigate through to the ‘Programme’ option in the left-hand menu.
The event site will be available until 31/03/21.
ceda Grand Prix Award Winners 2020
ceda Grand Prix Award Winners 2020
The postponed ceda Grand Prix Awards Ceremony 2020 took place yesterday evening (Thursday 4th March) via video link from a London studio, wrapping up ceda’s first ever Digital Event.
As well as the Project Awards for projects completed in 2019, the ceda Rising Star Award winner was also announced.
Victorious Members included Hatherley Commercial Services Ltd, Caterware Ltd, TAG Catering Equipment Ltd, Vision Commercial Kitchen and KCCJ Ltd.
Commercial Kitchen’s Chris Brazier was the Awards host, who did an admirable job considering the virtual nature of the event. Nominees were present via video link, and were able to give acceptance speeches, replicating a live Awards ceremony as much as possible. With no live audience and no physical awards to hand over or handshakes with the winners, Chris was able to keep the magic and excitement of the Ceremony alive. ceda’s Adam Mason could think of no-one within the industry better suited for the job. He said, “Chris was the best man for the job. He’s been our first choice for Awards host at the physical conferences for the last few years and I saw no reason to change that for the Digital Event. Chris is lively and engaging by nature and really made the Awards come alive, even via our screens.”
ceda Grand Prix Awards 2020
Judged by experienced industry veterans Ron Neville and John Savage, six categories were up for grabs in the ceda Grand Prix Awards 2020; Design Project Under £50K, Design Project £50K to £200K, Design Project £200K to £500K, Design Project over £500K, Project Management Excellence and Outstanding Customer Service.
The ceda Grand Prix Awards 2020 winners, sponsored by Falcon Foodservice Equipment, are:
Design Project Under £50K – Hatherley Commercial Services Ltd for their project at The Griffin Inn
Design Project £50K to £200K – JOINT WINNERS – Caterware Ltd for their project at The Cottage at Fulham FC AND TAG Catering Equipment Ltd for their project at Brother Marcus at Spitalfields Market
Design Project £200K to £500K – Vision Commercial Kitchen for their project at Lu Ban Liverpool
Design Project Over £500K – KCCJ Ltd for their project at the new Tottenham Hotspur Football Club stadium
Outstanding Customer Service – Tailor Made Catering Equipment Service Ltd for their project at Loungers/Cosy Clubs
Project Management Excellence – TAG Catering Equipment UK Ltd for their project at Studley Castle Hotel
Arguably, the most sought-after award is the Overall winner, and recipient of the Sir Donald Thompson Cup. Chosen from the winners of the six Grand Prix categories, this year’s victory belongs to KCCJ Ltd.
The ceda Rising Star Award celebrates the best new talent in the industry by recognising and rewarding an individual’s outstanding achievement and contribution to the development of a ceda member company. Candidates are nominated by their company and this year’s winner is Katie Brierley of FSW Gas Services.
Summing up the Grand Prix Awards, Adam Mason said, “The final shortlists covered a wide range of projects that our talented Members had carried out in 2019. The common theme among all was excellence. Congratulations to the winners of all the categories and to KCCJ for the overall winner accolade. My personal thanks too to John and Ron for their commitment to judging the awards.”
Chris Fay C.F.S.P from BRITA Professional explains why preventative maintenance is key to keeping kitchens running smoothly when the industry reopens.
Time-saving SOS: How to achieve optimum kitchen equipment efficiency.
In this article Chris Fay C.F.S.P from ceda Partner BRITA Professional explains why preventative maintenance is key to keeping kitchens running smoothly when the industry reopens.
In 2020 alone, kitchen professionals dealt with 84 days of equipment breakdowns, that’s almost a quarter of the year! As well as having an impact on efficiency and budgets, this is also a huge source of stress. And, at a time when more than eight in ten (81%) professional kitchen workers admit to feeling stressed at work, it has never been more important to take steps to reduce the pressure.
New research from BRITA Professional reveals that almost two-thirds (61%) of kitchen professionals have to manage equipment breakdowns on at least a fortnightly basis. Interestingly, the integration of digital solutions like the new Ton Token is beginning to change the way kitchens operate, enabling easier tracking of equipment performance and timely maintenance alerts. As this technology gains traction, it provides a proactive approach that almost half (47%) of kitchen professionals believe could significantly improve efficiency when kitchens are ready to reopen. Although unreliable equipment has long been a challenge, incorporating innovations like the Ton Token system allows staff to take preventive steps, helping to minimize the risk of disruption to service as the industry gears up for renewed activity:
- Create cleaning schedules: Almost four in ten (39%) hospitality workers would like more robust cleaning schedules to keep the kitchen running more efficiently. Creating a schedule also ensures that the whole team shares the workload – and it feels like less of a chore when everyone is doing their bit.
- Prevent limescale build-up: A high proportion of breakdowns are related to limescale, so preventative maintenance is vital. Limescale build-up not only causes breakdowns, it also means that machinery requires more energy to reach optimum temperatures. Using the correct water filter and changing it regularly will help machines to run more efficiently – and last for longer, as well as eliminating costly repairs.
- Invest in quality equipment: Always choose machinery that meets your maximum needs so that you have the capability to match demand. It may cost more initially, but it’s a worthwhile investment as it will last for longer, saving money over time.
- Outsource maintenance: BRITA Professional’s research found that 35% of kitchen staff say cleaning equipment sends their stress levels soaring. So, it makes sense that a quarter of professionals would like all maintenance to be outsourced to a third party, giving chefs more time to focus on what they love the most: creating incredible food for customers.
- Focus on sustainability: Three-quarters (75%) of hospitality professionals would like to increase sustainability in 2021, with over a third (36%) saying they would like to achieve this by focusing on equipment and energy efficiency. Preventative maintenance can reduce the amount of machinery sent to landfill, so it’s not only an important way to save time and money, but it also helps to protect the environment.
BRITA Managed Services can help to improve kitchen efficiency by supporting operators with a bespoke preventative maintenance package which suits their business needs. By offering advice, monitoring filter usage and carrying out essential filter exchanges, kitchen professionals can rely on their equipment to have a longer life span and deliver a smooth service when they need it most.
The research results are available in a new BRITA Professional toolkit: At Boiling Point: which offers vital tips on how to ‘filter out’ inefficiency and stress, as well as save time, money and the planet in 2021. Take a look at our At Boiling Point Toolkit here: brita.co.uk/boiling-point
0844 742 4940
Twitter: @BRITAPRO
LinkedIn: BRITA Group
#LifeIsBetterFiltered
*All stats in this article relate to research conducted by BRITA PROFESSIONAL and 3GEM among 500 professional kitchen workers (November 2020)
ceda Partner First Choice Group secures approved partner status on 3M Water Filtration portfolio
ceda Partner First Choice Group secures approved partner status on 3M™ Water Filtration portfolio
Adding to its extensive list of Master Distribution Partners (MDP), ceda Approved Partner First Choice Group is proud to announce that it has become an official approved supplier of OEM water filters from leading brand, 3M™.
With over 60% of businesses in the UK being impacted by limescale, the 3M™ range combines multiple technologies developed over many years of experience in the foodservice sector, to remove the unwanted impurities found in water. Protecting valuable beverage equipment, including the latest coffee and hot beverage units, 3M™ water filters have been found to improve customer satisfaction and generate repeat business by delivering of high quality hot and cold beverages.
In addition to the hot beverage range, First Choice stock list includes 3M’s ice machine and cold beverage equipment specific filters, it is clear that great water makes great ice, and that is why the filters help, by removing excess sediment, inhibiting the build-up of scale and ultimately reducing downtime of your machine. Leading to significantly better looking and tasting ice, customers can enjoy their drinks just how you intended to serve them.
When it comes to cold beverage equipment, not only do unwanted particulates significantly reduce the service life of expensive cold beverage equipment, but they can also have a detrimental effect on the look and taste of the customer’s beverage. The 3M™ Water Filtration products are available to suit a range of cold beverage needs, including carbonated systems, high flow rate pumps and even to suit the quality of a site’s local water supply.
Alternatively, the 3M™ ice machine specific filters have been created to keep your ice machine in top condition, crucial to maintaining efficiency and to give customers the very best chilled beverage experience. The 3M™ range is suitable for many of the most popular cuber, flaker and nugget machines on the market, they have been proven to reduce waterborne bacteria by 99.9%* and they can significantly reduce the corrosion caused by residual chlorine and scale build-up.
As a complete one stop solution, First Choice Group is the UK’s largest stockist of OEM spare parts, providing customers with direct access to thousands of genuine products from hundreds of leading equipment manufacturers at competitive prices. With our logistical solutions including same day dispatch (on orders placed before 7pm) and next-day delivery as standard for mainland UK orders, tailoring our service to meet the specific demands of the foodservice industry.
In addition to purchasing 3M™ Water Filtration products using its ecommerce website, customers can harmoniously shop from any location by using the First Choice Catering Spares app, with features including intuitive text, voice search, 360° images, and fast, secure checkout facilities.
On the announcement, Steven McLaren, Head of Manufacturer Partnerships at First Choice Group commented:
“We are delighted to be working with 3M™ Water Filtration as their official distributor to the Foodservice market. Not only does this give direct access to a much more competitively priced product range, which will benefit our customers, but we also have direct access to the knowledge professionals at 3M™ and the fantastic distributor support they provide across many areas. We look forward to a partnership where we both develop positively through 2021 and beyond.”
Confirming the latest partnership with First Choice Group, Cheryl Thomas, Channel Manager at 3M™ explains:
“It is crucial for 3M™ that we have confidence in the quality of our supply chain, the First Choice Group allows us to enhance our offering using their state of the art ecommerce capability along with their technologically advanced mobile app. Our customers can quickly and efficiently purchase water filters from our ranges including, ice, cold beverage, coffee, espresso, hot and cold water knowing the level of technical knowledge and customer service offered by the First Choice Group is exemplary.”
First Choice Group prides itself on our award-wining customer service, the ease of access to the necessary technical and supporting documents and of course, our commitment to offering our customers the best, genuine OEM spare parts. The partnership with 3M™ allows it to give direct access to the company’s Water Filtration products, including same day dispatch and next day delivery as standard (on orders placed before 7pm weekdays), whilst ensuring access to resources including supporting documents and technical information. So, whether you are an operator looking for a one-off water filter purchase for your kitchen, or you are a service engineer looking to stock your van with essential stock for PPM visits, First Choice Group are here to help.
*As tested with E. Coli ATCC (11229). Tested and verified by manufacturer’s laboratory.