The ceda Technical Awards were introduced last year to recognise and reward outstanding achievements by ceda members and suppliers.

Awards were present at an awards evening following The Catering Equipment Industry Technical Conference in Nottingham on 11th October. There were two awards for individuals and one for a member company as well as one for a supplier.

The first award was the Technical Rising Star award which recognises someone who has been in their current job for less than 5 years and who has made a significant difference to the service to a member’s customers. The judges shortlisted two candidates for this award:

Matthew Bridges – HB Catering and Refrigeration Ltd
Matt joined HB as a mature apprentice having been to university where he gained a degree in Design Technology before undertaking several courses as he was keen to get into the fire service. He came to the attention HB as his father is a refrigeration engineer with whom some of HB’s senior engineers had apprenticed with and as the fire service was not recruiting, Matt was looking for an apprenticeship. Since joining the company he has progressed quickly to achieve his gas and refrigeration accreditations and is now working as an installation engineer responsible for sourcing all the material, arranging deliveries and accommodation for himself and other engineers and doing commissioning and handover to clients. One client, Chris Ferriday Head of Property for Brains Brewery said, “Can you please pass on a personal thank you to Matt Bridges who carried out the training at the Dock on Monday. I was extremely impressed with the confidence of the detailed delivery of training that was provided to the Operational management team”. His MD describes him as a great asset to the company.

Sam Howe –  Court Catering Equipment Ltd
Sam came into the company as a trainee engineer in 2013. Prior to joining the business Sam had qualified as a water sports instructor however he realised that he had very limited opportunities in that sector. Sam is now a fully qualified gas and electrical catering engineer. He is by his own admission not the finished article, as he wants to progress further with dishwasher work but has really shone as of late in the department by furthering his career and undertaking his comcat 5 and LPG gas tickets this year. He is always willing to learn and go that extra step to ensure any job is completed to the best of his ability. Sam has been out on his own for the last 18 months and has really become a key valuable member of the Court team.

The winner was Matt Bridges who received a top of the range Kane flue gas analyser donated by Commercial Catering Spares.

The second individual award was for the Apprentice of the Year. The two candidates considered for this award were:

Scott Jordan – Airedale Technical Care
Scott joined the company in 2016 at the age of 18 and was initially mentored by a number of experienced engineers to the point that by 2016 he had achieved his Gas ACS Accreditations, however, it was clear that there was an attitude issue with Scott not wanting to be late home and avoiding early starts in a morning. After a review meeting with his Technical Manager it was made clear that things would have to change if he was to succeed in the Hospitality industry which is 24/7. Since that day, he has embraced all the challenges presented to him and now always goes the extra mile to ensure the customer gets the best possible service.

Andy Smith – Court Catering Equipment Ltd
Andy joined court in 2012 as a dishwasher engineer having had some experience in this area but having previously worked as a French polisher and a golf instructor, jobs far removed from the role of a catering service engineer. The company very quickly realised that he was capable of much more and therefore put him onto a fast track training schedule with a senior engineer since when he has achieved his full Natural and LP Gas Com-Cat Accreditations, attended several manufacturers’ courses and is already progressed to the stage where he is training another engineer.

The winner was Scott Jordan who receives £500 worth of tools donated by First Choice Catering Spares

The ceda member company award is the Groundbreaker Award. This award is to recognise and reward a technical initiative that has been introduced by a member which benefits their customers. The judges again shortlisted two entries;

Vision Commercial Kitchens – for the Catering Engineer UK Forum
What was initially intended as a means of finding engineers who could carry out maintenance and repair work for Vision has now developed into a busy forum where engineers can seek help from other engineers resulting in faster fault diagnosis, more first time fixes and less recalls, all of which benefit customers. One ceda member who uses the forum describes it as “a priceless tool which is used by over 500 engineers”.

CHR Equipment – for developing flood proof induction technology
Following the devastating floods caused by storm Desmond in December 2015, the all electric cooking suite at the Castle Dairy restaurant in Kendal was damaged beyond repair and the restaurant’s insurers were not willing to provide new cover unless the client could guarantee that the replacement equipment was “flood proof”. CHR not only designed unique Induction Cooking facilities in which the main components were housed at high level but also built into the cooking suite a platform lift which could raise the unit above flood water levels.

The winner was Vision Commercial Kitchens.

The above awards were judged by Nick Oryino, Chairman of the Catering Engineers Standards and Regulations Board and Jonathan Booth, Managing Director of Commercial Catering Spares.

The supplier award was to recognise outstanding technical support to ceda members and particularly their engineers.  This award was voted for by ceda members and the top three companies were:

First Choice Catering Spares
Maidaid – Halcyon
Meiko UK
– The winner was Meiko UK Ltd

Last week (11th October 2017) saw us host The Catering Equipment Industry Technical Conference, a conference we jointly organise with CESA. The theme for this year’s conference was “Focus on the Future”.

The conference included two “firsts” namely the launch of the new DW172 “Specification for Kitchen Ventilation Systems” which was introduced by Peter Rogers of BESA and the launch of a new document entitled “Guidance on best practice for the safe installation, operation and maintenance of solid fuel fired catering equipment in commercial premises” which has been jointly produced by ceda and HETAS. This was delivered by Peter Kay of ceda.

Other sessions covered Apprenticeships, Updates on Regulations and Standards and an update on the ceda/CESA Engineer Training courses which are delivered by our licensee Combico.

One of the highlights of the day was a Q&A session relating to manufacturers’ warranties where it became clear that most distributors were dissatisfied with many manufacturers’ policies and performance. ceda will be working closely with members and partners to try to develop a standard or set of options that meet everyone’s requirements.

We had two seminars; one covering water quality within food service and the effect water has on equipment led by Steve Buckmaster of BRITA; and recruitment and training of ex forces personnel as service engineers led by Tony Mooney of Live the Dream with support from Martin Dagnall of Combico.

Delegates could also have one-to-one meetings with specialists on such topics as Refrigeration, The Gas Regulations, Warewashing problems and Apprenticeships.  The conference was hosted by Richard West who also delivered an interesting session highlighting how some companies are thinking outside the box when planning for the future.

Nick Oryino, Chairman of the Catering Engineers Standards and Regulations Board said that the conference was the best he had ever attended adding that every presentation was very interesting and held his attention.

Following the conference business day there was an awards dinner, details of which can be found here.

ceda is happy to welcome two new members this month; Fulcrum Commercial Kitchens Ltd and CaterCover Service.

We continue to see growth in membership and we now have over 100 members representing a combined turnover of more than £500 million.

We’re thrilled to see both companies come aboard. They are each experts in their field and will add strength and value to the ceda brand and membership as we continue to grow. Their skills and knowledge will benefit other ceda members and end users across the foodservice industry.

Fulcrum Commercial Kitchens Ltd are a catering equipment distributor offering a full planning, supply and installation service. They also have a 1200sq.ft warehouse which is fully stocked with ancillary equipment such as gastronorms, taps, oversprays, hand basins, gas hoses, softeners and flykillers for those urgent occasions.

On his decision to join ceda Fulcrum Commercial Kitchens Ltd Director, David Burnett said, “I have known of ceda for many, many years but only recently been aware of the huge, positive changes that Adam has generated within the organisation. The current ceda is an altogether more relevant body, re-asserting its industry credibility and therefore an essential association for Fulcrum to have. I would probably have joined for the E-Learning platform alone, which is a superb tool to assist us with ongoing staff training. As the library of industry-specific modules increases it will provide an even better education resource. The future with ceda by our side is an exciting one.”

CaterCover Service Ltd was formed to provide preventive maintenance, emergency breakdown service and installation for all types of commercial catering and refrigeration equipment. They provide all types of service contracts to suit customers requirements as well as emergency breakdown repairs.

“Applying to join ceda was a sensible decision,” says Paul Pogson, Managing Director at CaterCover Service Ltd. “Along with the other benefits of the ceda community, it will allow us to access the vast information and training facilities that are readily available to all the members of ceda, and this will enable us to develop and expand the services that we supply to our client portfolio. We look forward to a long and close working relationship with ceda in the future.”

This year’s ceda and CESA organised Technical Conference will see a range of expert speakers deliver updates and seminars on the latest industry specific topics.

Taking place on 11^th October at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel, the conference is a must for anyone involved in project sales and management, design and after sales service including senior engineers.

This year’s conference includes two industry firsts – the first presentation on the updated DW172 ventilation regulations and the first introduction to the safe installation, operation and maintenance of solid fuel fired foodservice equipment in commercial premises.

For designers and project staff the business day will feature sessions on:

• The new DW172 ventilation specification and European ventilation standard to be launched by BESA in November 2017
• New Industry Guidance on the safe installation, operation and maintenance of solid fuel fired equipment compiled by ceda together with HETAS
• A seminar on water problems and their treatment
• Surgeries on refrigeration and warewashing problems

For after sales service staff, the conference will feature

• Apprenticeships
• Engineer training initiatives
• Warranties – your questions answered
• A seminar on engineer recruitment and retention
• An update on forthcoming regulations and legislation
• Surgeries on the Gas Regulations, refrigeration and warewashing problems

The frequent refreshment breaks throughout the conference provide an ideal opportunity to network with industry peers and browse the exhibition which will feature amongst others:

• Catering Spares Solutions – new video technology for engineers
• S&S Northern – new ventilation controls
• First Choice Group
• Mechline Developments
• Commercial Catering Spares
• Protean

Previous visitors to the conference have found the event extremely useful; here are few of their comments:

“Listening to the speakers, who are often the people setting our standards, I always leave the conference with far more knowledge regarding our industry than when I arrived”

Steve Skivington – Sco Mac Catering Equipment

“It’s an excellent opportunity to learn from industry specialists.  Sitting in a room full of your peers and discovering common issues that are raised in Q&A sessions are really useful to take back and share with colleagues within your own business.”

Gary Mackness – ABDA Design

Tickets can be booked and further information is available at: https://cetechnical.co.uk/