A Meiko Factory Tour!

Today is a very exciting day for our blog, as we have our first guest blogger! Our guest blogger for the day is Will, a member of our outside sales team who recently went on an exciting and informative tour of the Meiko factory with another member of our sales team, Meiko reps, and member of the TN school system.

Will was nice enough to provide us with a recap of each day’s events as well as giving us a rubric for purchasing the perfect dishmachine.

A huge thanks to Will for blogging about his experience as well as to Meiko for providing our team and members of the TN school system with such a fascinating tour!

KaTom, Meiko, and Carmin-Gerard have gotten together to give a tour of the Meiko factory for school food service directors and employees. John, Dan Matlack, and I left on Tuesday morning and arrived back this afternoon. I will describe the two days below and show what a great experience we had.

Day 1:

John emptied car of all catalogs and samples that he normally carries with him, so he could fit; Dan Matlack (our Meiko Rep.), myself, and Rita, Wanda, Rita and Carolyn from Knox county Schools in his car. He picked us all up by 10 am and we set off on our adventure to La Verne TN where Meiko’s US factory is. Thanks to a quick pit stop at Starbucks and Dan keeping us all entertained we arrived at Meiko in no time. Upon arrival we were greeted by Meiko officials and a wonderful lunch spread. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the lunch (John and I perhaps a little too much as we went back for thirds), and we were ready for the tour and presentation to begin. We went on a tour of the offices and production lines where the machines are actually made, and was very impressed with how clean, quiet and productive Meiko is. Stacey Maguire (Meiko Sales Manager) then gave us a presentation on warewashing basics, including the importance of temperature, pressure, time, chemicals, systems, and size, and an overview of L.E.E.D.S. This was great because they taught us all about warewashing in general and how you can gain L.E.E.D. credits but didn’t focus on Meiko products. This presentation also meant that the school representatives could gain their 3 CEU credits. We then had a quick review of the Meiko showroom where we got to see the different models they make and then went to check into the hotel. The hotel was really nice and after a short break their we met up with Meiko representatives for dinner at a local favorite “RAZ’Z.” Dinner was delicious and we were ready for a good nights rest.

Day 2:

We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and met up with everyone from Meiko again at 8.30 am. We reviewed the types of equipment that Meiko makes that are specifically for schools and looked at how well Meiko machines are made. We were shown the water/energy savings that you have through Meiko, and also the quality of their product. My favorite part was when we got to test a 44” conveyer of Meiko’s next to one of their competitors. It was eye opening the difference in quality of the machine and also how effective it really is when being used. The school representatives were awarded their certificates from Meiko and got their 3 CEU credits for completing the tour. We set off back to Knoxville and stopped in Cookeville for a quick lunch before John dropped us all off again. We had a wonderful time and I would recommend a Meiko machine to everybody. Thankfully you don’t have to take my word for it. We are offering the same tour again on July 20-21 for School food service directors. If interested please be in touch, all expenses are paid and you receive 3 CEU credits.

Meiko Introduces Dish Machine Solutions!

Let’s face it, buying a dish machine is tough. They can be big, costly, and it’s hard to know what to buy since we don’t get them often. Our friends at Meiko, the largest manufacturer of dish machines in the world, know how difficult it can be to specify which machine will be best suited for you. That’s why they have been kind enough to provide us with their rubric for designing your future dish machine. Fill it out and you will immediately narrow your choices down to the exact models that will keep your kitchen as efficient and user-friendly as possible!

Meiko Warewashing Basics

Unit Sizing

Pieces per unit

x

Number of Seats

x

Number of Turns per Hour

=

Total # of pieces washed hourly at peak demand / 0.7 (assuming 70% typical efficiency)

Equals

Hourly Machine Requirements

Your dish machine is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your kitchen, yet is so often the most neglected. It is critical that you treat your dish machine properly in order to preserve the quality and cleanliness of your food. If treated well, their shelf life can be extended by years! Follow Meiko’s Guidelines for end-users and you will be sure to extend the life of your dish machine while maintaining the food quality that keep your customers happy.

Meiko’s Guidelines for End-Users

• Follow the de-liming schedule
• Use products safe for stainless steel
• No harsh abrasives
• No steel wool or metallic scouring pads
• Clean the machine at the end of the use period
• Leave the door open so that the unit can dry