LEADING BRITISH catering equipment manufacturer, Victor Manufacturing, is leading the market as approval of its patent is granted.
The British manufacturer – which was recently named by the London Stock Exchange as one of the country’s fastest growing SMEs – filed the patent in 2011 for the energy-saving technology used within its Optimax refrigerated merchandising units
Due to its environmentally sustainable credentials, the patent was ‘fast-tracked’, following the award of a carbon trust accreditation for the Optimax SQ – refrigerated square glass unit This model is the first of its kind to be granted Carbon Trust approval and to be included on the ECA Energy Technology List.
The patent granted covers the innovative horizontally opening rear doors. The technology, which was developed by Victor’s engineers, minimises the loss of chilled air from the cabinet due to the way in which the doors open and close.
As the upper door opens, externally it creates a handy load-bearing shelf for the caterer and internally it directs cold air from the refrigeration system under the middle shelf. This effectively traps the cold air, which continues to circulate in the lower half of the display unit. This air gets increasingly cooler as it circulates in the lower half of the unit. This cooler air is stored at the bottom of the unit and is ready to replace the warmer air which has entered the unit, when the doors close and full circulation can be restored.
This clever arrangement of the doors means the Optimax units are practically immune from the heat-increase cycle that other units suffer from. Therefore, the Optimax uses less energy to restore the holding temperature of the unit.
Peter Brewin, marketing communications manager said: “As a British manufacturer, we are proud to be leading the market with this new technology. We have experienced exceptional growth over the past four years, which we have attributed to our focus on introducing energy-efficient, high quality products to the market.”
Utility costs are set to rise by 30% over the next three years and if this is the case, foodservice operators will have to increase their turnover by more than 10% just to maintain their business margins.
Peter Brewin adds: “As utility bills and running costs continue to rise for foodservice operators, the need to reduce energy output has never been greater. Our Optimax refrigerated assisted service models are the most environmentally sound pieces of catering equipment on the market – which can reduce running costs by as much as £500 per year, per unit.
“This latest patent that we’ve had granted demonstrates the truly innovative products that we produce at Victor and our continued commitment to quality.”
