MOFFAT: GREENER TECHNOLOGY, GREENER MANUFACTURING
The Scottish manufacturer is making foodservice equipment more sustainable

E & R Moffat is leading the way in developing alternative technologies that save energy whilst delivering practical, efficient performance. However, the company is also committed to reducing its carbon footprint in every area of operation. It has invested in high-technology laser cutters and punchers, to minimise waste during manufacturing, and has developed an innovative delivery technique that all but eliminates the need for packaging.

The company’s innovations have won a host of awards. Moffat’s Sahara multi-fan system is typical of the practical, energy-saving technologies the company is developing. It saves energy by heating and chilling more efficiently in, for example, banqueting systems and regeneration ovens. The system blows re-circulated air through heating or chilling elements, rather than the conventional method of drawing air through the heat exchanger or heating elements first. As well as being more energy-efficient the system gives safer, more predictable temperature control and heats up to 55% faster than standard elements.

Energy savings can be significant: tests showed that a hot cupboard bains-marie unit upgraded with Sahara fan heating was 48% more efficient than before.

Similarly, Moffat’s cutting-edge power-sharing units require 30% less energy, which means equipment that would once have needed a three-phase power supply can run off a standard 13 amp plug. The company’s new mobile bulk food trolley has a built-in plate warmer, fridge, oven, hot-top and gantry that can all be powered from a standard socket.

It’s not just about developing new technologies: Moffat is also re-appraising established designs in the quest to improve energy efficiency. For example, using the latest CAD (computer-aided design) systems, Moffat has made refrigerated food display units up to 62% more energy efficient. This saving was achieved by redesigning components such as refrigerated cold wells and vent panels, which results in the compressor working less hard to achieve the same temperature control with the same food capacity.

As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of countering for restaurants and institutions, Moffat has pioneered the use of alternative lighting systems for counters, such as ones using fibre optics and LED lights. These can save energy, enhance the appearance of the food display and increase performance, because ‘cool’ lights in cold food displays mean the refrigeration system isn’t having to fight against heat from the bulbs. LED lights save about 85% compared to conventional lighting and the bulbs last much longer.

Moffat was started in 1963 by brothers Eddie and Reid Moffat and remains a family business, with Eddie’s son William as managing director. The company is now one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of quality foodservice equipment, designing and manufacturing in-house and is accredited to ISO 9001:2008.