Cleaned for takeoff: How Meiko has perfectly landed their new single-chamber trolley washer.
WTCE, the industry trade fair in Hamburg, was the perfect spot for Meiko to perfectly land their new single-chamber trolley washer with their customers. This compact system is available in two different models and is designed for inflight catering. It addresses many issues faced by inflight caterers on a daily basis: time pressure, lack of space, low staff numbers, hygiene, and the pressure to work even more efficiently.
While passengers sit back and relax on their flight and enjoy delicious food, on the ground it's all hustle and bustle. Because after enjoying a meal in the air, there's always the washing up to do. Catering trolleys in different designs and sizes, belonging to different airlines and filled with a variety of washware, now have to be hygienically cleaned in the wash area. Not to mention, these trolleys all need to be turned around quickly, reloaded with fresh food, and ready for takeoff again. A good drying result after the cleaning process plays a major role here. Tim Litterst, Key Account Manager of the Inflight Catering Divisions at Meiko , is excited about the innovation and says: ‘For many decades, Meiko has been one of the manufacturers known for its intelligent solutions for washing catering trolleys in various sizes. Now we have been able to close the gap in our product portfolio and have developed a perfect machine size for catering companies that handle around 5,000 to 10,000 meals per day. MEIKO thus covers the needs of every size of inflight catering and helps to ensure that flight operations run smoothly.’
The MEIKO TF-L and TP-L single-chamber trolley washers can hygienically clean both full- and half-size trolleys. Before cleaning, there are not only residues of food and drink in it, but also germs. And that's a no-go, especially if the trolleys are to be loaded with fresh food in a short time. Regarding hygiene, Tim Litterst adds: ‘Hygiene is particularly important in inflight catering. Our dishwashing systems may not become a pain point here – therefore we have a thermolabel function. The news models can clean up to two trolleys at a time, which translates to a capacity of 40 trolleys per hour, including drying. Water consumption is 5 l per trolley, keeping resource use to a minimum. This contributes to the company's sustainability efforts, as does the high Meiko quality, which stands for a long machine life. Many parts are made of stainless steel, which helps to avoid unnecessary service calls caused by material fatigue in plastics, for example. The daily protocol, which is stored in a data module in the control system, has a data link to the Meiko Connect App. All data relevant to hygiene can be called up there.
One of these single-chamber trolley washers takes up less than 4 m². And they are easy to operate using the buttons or the touchscreen display. Meiko have also integrated the blue operating concept into their technology: everything blue can be touched, removed, or cleaned. This system supports staff, whatever language they speak. The trolley washers are available in front-loading and through-loading options, Depending on the installation situation, the trolley washer can be designed as a pit installation or with a ramp. Meiko also offers dishwashing systems for dishes, glasses, cutlery, trays and conveyor technology that runs horizontally and vertically. The complete product range of the nearly 100-year-old company also includes the corresponding detergents.
