ECOLAB: Cleaning Up With a Multipurpose Controller

Ecolab provides high-performance, one-pass warewashing solutions for global restaurant and hospitality markets. A dishmachine that integrates chemical dispensing should have differentiated Ecolab from competitors who sell only chemicals — but sales results were off course. If Ecolab’s 1200 field representatives had access to simple, valid and reliable information for educating restaurant managers on how to affect dishroom efficiency, they would expand their comfort zones into total system solutions.

The Challenge To automatically capture and ready-system data for wireless transmission from the Kitchen BrainsTM controller to a tablet PC so that Ecolab analysis software can present graphical and tabular information about operational efficiency and food safety. 

The Solution APEX TSC, the smartest and easiest-to-use warewashing system on the market, provides an effective utility for retrieving valid rack counts from the Kitchen BrainsTM controller. Efficiency ratios are tracked, trended and presented in personalized service reports by Ecolab representatives so that restaurant managers can improve dishroom costs, train crews and implement new procedures. 

Business Results

• Exceeding 200% of first quarter goals, APEX TSC “pulled” chemical products to higher profitability
• Customers perceive Ecolab representatives as experts in correlating metrics for improving warewashing efficiency
• Billing accurately reflects machine and chemicals usage, which enables Ecolab to offer xed price and usage based programs Personalized Consulting Strengthens Relationships
• Streamlined processes optimize the number of dishes per rack, minimize the number of repeat washes and yield ef cient rack-to- guest ratios
• Identify procedural challenges before they become problems
• Controller based command center ensures a consistent dose of chemicals and triggers alerts to potential food safety risks
• Ecolab Representatives Measure And Analyze Rack-To-Guest Ratios So Managers Can Control And Improve Dishroom Costs Multipurpose Multi-Zone Controller For Demanding Environments Kitchen Brains customized its MAC-831 to simultaneously receive inputs to control the dispensing of multiple chemicals while collecting data in the background and readying it for infrared (IrDA) transmission to a tablet PC.
• Versatile temperature control for proper sanitizing
• Programmable duty cycles
• Timing changes based on appliance configuration, detergent supplier recommendation and soil content
• Setback feature senses activity levels and adjusts temperature, water and power levels to save energy dollars and prolong appliance life
• Audio alert and LCD display notifications of potentially dangerous or unsanitary conditions such as overloaded racks, stuck conveyer, low water temperature, and low detergent levels
• Wall mounted or within the dishmachine footprint

Partnerships For Success Ecolab’s development team included Kitchen Brains and Jackson MSC [www.jacksonmsc.com]. “Integrating a dispensing system, dishmachine and customized controller wirelessly connected to a tablet PC running Ecolab analysis software was a fast track project that went from conception to production in three months,” said Bill Flynn, Kitchen BrainsTM Vice President.“We knew that controller data was available, but we were unable to easily access it,” said Adrian Hartz, Ecolab Sr. Program Leader. “Kitchen Brains, who we rely on for controls and communications technologies since 1999, proactively participated in focus groups to assist us during needs analysis and in trying to understand our lack of success in selling a high-learning product. They translated our business terminology into technical specifications and created a cost effective solution for acquiring system performance data. They are easy to work with and managed the risk with us. They aggressively focused on meeting goals and deadlines while developing the IrDA interface.” #teamGENIUS