The new staff restaurant in Hamamatsucho Building in Tokyo owned by NERG Toshiba Co. Ltd serves 2,500 meals per day and the dishwashing operation works six hours per day, 5 days a week. “The problem with the previous dishwashing system was that it created a bad working environment,” says Mr. Akira Takanashi, Seiyo-Food Compass Group, who planned the new facilities. “The dishwashing room was so hot and humid that the door was kept open to release the vapour, which came out from the room, reached the dining area and gave damage to the ceiling.”
Seiyo Food-Compass Group Co. Ltd proposed MEIKO as their warewashing partner. Continues Takanashi:
“I wanted to have a dishwashing machine with less exhaust and heat emission, ... ... as I had no chance of increasing the primary exhaust output of the existing building. For a contracted food service company, utility (operation) cost is critical because such cost is included in the contract, which means operational costs need to be minimized as much as possible.
After carefully study of the M-iQ technical data and comparing this with the former system, I decided to specify two M-iQ machines, plus a water circulation trough and mobile sink.
As a result, we can now close the door of the dishwashing room and, even after doing so, the area is cool and operation is comfortable.
Further, the operational cost has been kept within budget. The consumption of steam has decreased so extremely that I thought the measuring device was broken, but it was OK. It was proved that steam consumption of the M-iQ is lower than what MEIKO is stated in their technical data. I would like to have more conveyor speed variation. I know the importance of DIN, but variable conveyor speed gives more flexibility to operation, I believe.”
Mr. Watanabe, Seiyo-Food Compass Group Manager, adds: “The operation has become easy. Washed dishes come out dry, but not too hot. The incidence of lime scale adherence is less compared with other machines and consumption of rinse aid and detergent was by far less than the former system.”
