Supermarket Perimeter - October 2019 - 71

OPERATIONS

Insider Tips
Jimmie Winn, who works in technical product support,
specialty products for Dover Food Retail, Conyers,
Georgia, shares best practices on two common equipment
maintenance issues:
Proper cleaning of a condenser coil and ﬁlter frequently
with Self-contained Cases:
If a condenser coil and ﬁlter are not cleaned on a regular
basis it will result in a compressor running at higher temperatures. This can result in internal limit switches to overheat and could cause the pressure switch to trip. When a
pressure switch is tripped, it will shut down a refrigerated
display case resulting in product loss and the potential for
a costly service call as well as the possibility for premature
compressor failure. Cleaning schedules will vary depending on case location and may require vacuuming or blowing
out the coil to keep the case running properly.

Hatco offers its customer services like 24/7 phone assistance.

And humidiﬁed equipment and
cabinets need to have their water
ﬁlters cleaned and replaced and
to undergo decalciﬁcation and
deliming.
Whatever the problem or
solution related to an equipment
maintenance issue, communication is key, Frahm says.
"I think our greatest and most
reliable information comes
directly from our customers,"
he says. "We're a partner in
their business rather than just
a provider of equipment. That's
the difference between good
customer service and what Hatco
represents."
The result? At its new employee training center, Hatco has
what Frahm calls "a museum of
sorts" featuring photographs of
equipment that happy, proud
customers have sent in.
Some of the equipment in the
photos dates from the 1950s, and
it's still running.

Continuous improvement
When it comes to after-sales service, Burford wants to increase its

effectiveness, Hughes says. "We
strive to promote skills growth
among our technicians as we see
their performance as an extension of our advertising."
That process begins even
before Burford crates its equipment for delivery. Every piece of
equipment, Hughes says, is put
through a rigorous set of quality
assurance protocols. Issues encountered are recorded and fed
back to the company's production teams in order to prepare
them for future projects.
"We provide training with both
operations and maintenance staff
as an included part of every service technician's visit, along with
written information, instructional
videos, PM schedules and tests
for operators and maintenance
staff after a training session for
much of our product line."
Burford equipment, he adds,
is designed to be easy to work
with and on. The company's goal
is to make its equipment easy to
maintain through the incorporation of items like lubeless bearings, tool-less sanitary ﬁttings

Conﬁrm correct defrost schedules on refrigerated and
frozen display cases to ensure evaporator coils are clear
from ice build-up:
All refrigerated and frozen display cases go through a
scheduled defrost cycle throughout each day to melt the
potential for ice build-up on evaporator coils. During the
defrost cycle, all ice should be cleared. If it isn't, there is
potential for ice build-up which could result in loss of air
ﬂow and greatly impede case performance. This can also
cause high shelf temperatures and loss of product. If you
are experiencing any of these symptoms or needing defrost recommendations, refer to your display case manual
for the manufacturer's guidelines for defrost schedules.

and single point LOTO.
"An effective maintenance
program is one of the single most
effective undertakings a facility
can utilize to avoid unnecessary
downtime," Hughes says. "While
the primary business of a bakery
is to bake bread, obviously, once
the point of nearly full automation is achieved and a facility is
engaged in 24 hour production
over multiple days per week, a
close second must be keeping
the equipment that allows the
required production schedule to

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proceed uninterrupted."
An effective equipment maintenance program, he says, is key
to maximizing uninterrupted
throughput and thereby proﬁtability. Proper equipment maintenance ensures that you maximize your investment. "Burford
equipment has been known to
last for years," Hughes says. "We
sell parts for equipment sold in
the 1960s and 1970s. These machines are still in use today due
in large part to the maintenance
programs."
OCTOBER 2019 - 71

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Supermarket Perimeter - October 2019

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