Offenburg, 29th february 2024 – Calls for semi- and fully automatic solutions are getting louder and louder. This is hardly a surprise, as the skilled labour shortage has increased rapidly. The automation of many tasks in dishwashing areas has gone from "nice to have" to an absolute "must have".
HOBART recognised this early on and is now celebrating 10 years of autoLINE. The tried-and-tested, efficient and compact autoLINE flight-type dishwasher speeds up workflows and saves space and labour, thus reducing operating costs.
Unlike comparable machines, the HOBART system enables wash ware, trays and cutlery to be cleaned simultaneously on separate conveyor tracks without increasing the machine’s space requirements.
A cutlery lift-off magnet automatically feeds cutlery into the dishwasher’s cutlery track and ejects it at the exit section via a chute into a cutlery rack below. Alternatively, a cutlery lift can be used to transport cutlery onto a sorting table at an ergonomic working height, or it can be fed into a fully automated cutlery sorting system when required. Trays are also automatically loaded upright at the entry section and stacked at the exit section of the machine.
The smart machine selects the right washing parameters and ensures operating costs are kept low. Staff costs savings with a semi-automatic or fully automatic flight-type dishwasher amount to around 30 % on average when contrasted with a conventional wash ware organising system. Compared to a standalone flight-type dishwasher, time savings (washing time) with a semi-automatic warewashing system for wash ware and one for trays/cutlery amount to approx. 50 %.
Fully automatic warewash systems go one step further. Such conveyor dishwashers do not require staff on the dirty side to load wash ware into the flight-type dishwasher. Restaurant guests just need to remove any glasses from their trays before returning them. Whereas in semi-automatic conveyor dishwashers, dishwashing staff has to place plates and bowls manually onto the conveyor belts of the corresponding conveyor warewashing machine, this work is all done by the automatic separation system in fully automatic systems. In this system, all tableware components are separated from each other, pre-rinsed and sorted into the corresponding tracks of the flight-type dishwasher. The integrated preliminary cleaning system is also equipped with a separate soil removal unit.
And after the wash cycle?
The machine’s exit section uses semi-automatic and fully automatic solutions, such as automatic plate stackers and automatic cutlery sorting systems, to undertake tasks that previously required many hands.
“As enabling customers to save time and resources by using highly efficient machines is very close to our heart, the topic of warewashing efficiency and smart warewashing has become a special area of development. Our aim is to make the entire warewashing process (at machine entry, inside the machine and at machine exit) as efficient as possible. The smarter a dishwasher is, the less manual labour is involved - true to our motto: work smart, not hard”, explains Michael Korta, Business Unit Manager Warewash Systems, HOBART, Offenburg.
Another benefit of semi-automatic and fully automatic warewashing, in addition to reducing staff workloads, is maximum guaranteed hygiene. Hygiene is impaired by any manual contact to wash ware after it has been cleaned and dried. Hands and cloths are often contaminated with bacteria, which then gets passed on when it comes into contact with clean wash ware. The most hygienic systems are therefore those in which wash ware exits the machine clean and fully dried and is then stacked automatically. HOBART offers various warewash solutions and organising systems that meet all criteria for achieving hygienically immaculate warewashing results (in accordance with DIN EN 17735).
The HOBART SmartConnect app stores all hygiene-related data. This data can also be transferred to other platforms whenever required. Data does not have to be collected from different systems when the hygiene expert requires it. The HOBART dishwasher supplies the data to one central system, which also stores hygiene data on food production and distribution, for example.
The SmartConnect app also displays the current status of the dishwashers and makes it possible for machines to be controlled remotely. The app enables quick detection of any problems so that downtimes can be avoided. Staff can also be spared from setting a timer that automatically starts the dishwasher at a predetermined time in the morning, fills it and heats it up.
Customised solutions
HOBART configures its machines according to individual needs. This means customers can cleverly redesign their warewashing processes in ways that can counteract the shortage of skilled labour.