What will be the commercial kitchen of the future? What trends can be observed in the field of ware-washing? What will be the next step to reach the goal of “Washing without water”? The answers to these questions were given by the ware-washing specialist HOBART at its event “MEETING POINT FUTURE 2019. Around 200 kitchen planners and specialist trade partners from Germany, other European countries, the Middle and Far East, as well as Australia came to Offenburg to be inspired by innovative concepts and solutions for commercial kitchens.

Based in Offenburg, Germany, HOBART leads the world market in commercial ware-washing technology. At the two-day event, topics such as Connected BIM, automation 4.0 and the future of ware-washing were discussed. “To be optimally prepared for the economic, technical and also digital challenges, it is important to continuously deal with future issues. And this is our claim: Looking ahead, looking beyond our own nose, being a visionary,” said HOBART Group President Global Warewash Axel Beck.

While the digitalization would increasingly change planning and business models, humans and robots would successively work hand in hand in the kitchen, Beck predicted. Extensive factory tours at the HOBART innovation and production site were also a part of the agenda and provided interesting insights of the state-of-the-art manufacturing of the Offenburg ware-washing specialist.

Concurrently, topics such as networking and artificial intelligence were also discussed at length. HOBART also presented its WASHSMART app offering users extensive information on the status of the HOBART undercounter or hood-type dishwasher. The app also informs the end customer well in advance of due maintenance dates, chemical consumption and displays any system messages. With the help of this data, the user can avoid standstill, re-order consumables directly via the app, or give the service technician some advance information before an on-site call.

In addition to innovative concept studies and fresh ideas for the future, the new Two-Level-Washer was launched during the event. “This is a super-innovative dishwasher like none other on the market before it, truly a world-first,” said Manfred Kohler, Vice President Sales and Manufacturing of HOBART GmbH. Thanks to its second wash chamber, the dishwasher has twice the capacity per wash cycle. “Dishes can be washed on the second level simultaneously. With its compact design, the machine still does not take up more space in the scullery than a conventional dishwasher, which is a great benefit,” Kohler ended.

hobartcorp.com