NEWS ROUND-UP
10 | Foodservice Equipment Journal | August 2019 http://www.foodserviceequipmentjournal.com
EQUIPMENT
"OUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
ARE GUIDED BY OUR CONCERN
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AS
MUCH AS BUSINESS ISSUES"Panasonic’s latest professional
microwave, the NE-1878 with
inverter technology and full metal
door, has been awarded ‘approved
product’ status by the Craft Guild
of Chefs. It achieved 173 points from
a total of 180 following testing as
part of the organisation’s Product
Endorsement Scheme.
The NE-1878 is the first commercial
microwave to come with inverter
technology and a full metal door.
Chefs involved in the testing agreed
that the full metal door and inverter
technology offered huge advantages”
to their operations, with one stating:
“We used this in one of our outlets that
is customer-facing — the perception of
this being an oven and not a microwave
is excellent, it fitted in alongside all
other equipment and didn’t at all look
Panasonic’s metal-door microwave scores with Craft Guild of Chefs
like a microwave.” The cooking ability
of the product also ranked highly with
the Craft Guild panel, along with its
energy-saving credentials, operating at
6% less than its predecessor. One chef
said the focus on energy efficiency wasan important distinction to make when
evaluating it. “It’s very important and
a huge advantage, especially when
using a lot of microwaves across
the business. The power savings
contribute to larger potential savings
and an eco-friendlier approach.”
Ease of cleaning, its stackability
and reduced weight were also seen as
important features that chefs would
consider when buying a microwave.
Iain Phillips, sales and marketing
manager at Panasonic UK, said: “We
were thrilled to have been the first
to receive product endorsement
recognition from the Craft Guild of
Chefs for a microwave previously so
to achieve this status as the second
for the NE-1878 shows that we are
bringing products to market that offer
real solutions for chefs.”Rational has extended a
promotion that could see
operators earn up to £1,
when they upgrade to its latest
multifunctional equipment.
The ‘Don’t Worry! Help is on
the Way’ promotion is being
kept open until 31 August to
allow more customers to benefit
from the scheme. Operators that replace traditional
catering equipment with a new multifunctional
VarioCookingCenter 211 or 311 model will receive free
installation plus £1,000 for their unwanted equipment,
which Rational will arrange to be collected and recycled.
“This end-user promotion designed to support
operators in their decision-making process when
purchasing thermal cooking equipment,” explained
Adam Knights, marketing director at Rational.
He continued: “By extending the promotion, it means
that even more operators will have the opportunity
to take advantage of having their outdated equipment
removed from their premises and replaced with a
maximum energy efficiency multifunctional appliance,
saving them electricity costs every day.”Meiko UK boss Paul
Anderson believes
environmental issues are set
to influence the company’s
business more profoundly
than ever before as it plots its
future growth path.
The Slough-based outfit is celebrating 25 years in the UK
market this year and the business has changed dramatically
since its early days as an airline catering specialist.
Anderson credited his predecessor, Bill Downie, with
creating a customer service-led culture and said that would
continue to be the bedrock of the business going forward —
but at the same time it has to evolve.
“Meiko has never sold ‘boxes’. We have always provided
our customers with what we consider to be the best total
package, backed by focused service and support and
a sincere and genuine concern to secure the very best
warewashing solution for the environment, as well as the
customer,” Anderson described.
“However, the next 25 years provide new and different
challenges for Meiko. Our goals for the future are guided by
our concern for the environment as much as business issues.
There is a looming water crisis that will see shortages in
the UK, and it will affect how the catering industry runs its
business unless we do something now.”Meiko sees its future being defined by green kitchens
Rational extends £1k equipment trade-up offer