As the technological capabilities of foodservice equipment become more advanced, there are exciting developments on the horizon that will drastically change the industry.
There are specifically two big areas of development that will make a big impact in the future. The first is robotics, or the automation of commercial kitchens’ front and back of house. This will completely change how customers order, their overall experience on the front end and the level of productivity and labor required in the kitchen. Because restaurants run on tight margins and labor also is tight, there is increased motivation to automate meal production.
The other area of development involves adding smart technology to foodservice equipment. This not only helps operators take better care of their units, but also is capable of warning when there’s a problem before it becomes critical. This development is mainly due to the increased use of multifunctional equipment. Although units that can handle multiple tasks are becoming more prevalent due to less space as well as less equipment redundancy, when this equipment goes down, it is more precarious, since operators are more dependent on it for a greater number of menu items.
Heritage Parts’ new My Equipment 360 technology creates an online personal parts catalog with operations and service manual library that can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
Operators that have 15 different pieces of equipment from 10 to 12 manufacturers require a central place to store pertinent information on each unit. This is where Heritage Parts plays a big role in assisting operators by providing the necessary equipment information for quick repairs and service with minimal downtime.
It was only 10 to 15 years ago that foodservice equipment parts mainly consisted of steel and rubber components, whereas now it involves complex circuit boards. Heritage Parts has a history of adapting quickly to the changing technology and marketplace. The company currently provides high tech parts, and it continues to evolve with the changes in technology.
Heritage Parts’ My Equipment360™ is an innovative new entry into the tech arena. This program connects customers and their equipment with the necessary information for maintenance and repairs. The program is accessed simply and easily with a smartphone and provides quick viewing with one click ME360™ provides immediate, convenient access to libraries of information about each kitchen’s location, assuring that the appropriate details are utilized for repairs.
In restaurants, equipment models can vary from location to location. It’s important to ensure the right service manual is accessed to take the guesswork out of repairs. With ME360™, the biggest benefit for operators and manufacturers is that the data is easily accessible and consolidated either granularly by kitchen with the specific model or by equipment type itself to see if there are overall problems with a unit that can impact multiple locations.
This data also will help equipment manufacturers be more proactive, as it can foresee problems so these can be immediately corrected. As diagnostic software solutions are developed, this will be the most important outcome for the industry, since it impacts manufacturers, restaurant operators and service technicians. Heritage Parts’ My Equipment 360™ is an important piece of the puzzle.
Content sponsored by: Heritage Parts
