Touchscreen Heaven

Winterhalter’s ‘Communicator’ Touchscreen makes undercounter warewashers easier to run, monitor and service

Operating a dish or glasswasher needs to be as easy as possible, not just to reduce stress in busy sites but also to help untrained or non-English speaking staff run it competently. That’s why Winterhalter developed the Communicator Touchscreen for its UC Series of compact undercounter warewashers. The company says it’s not only ‘child’s play’ to use, but also equally easy to adjust so that the wash program matches the delicacy or dirtiness of the dishes and glasses.
“It’s called the Communicator because it tells the operator, owner and service engineer everything they need to know to get the best out of the machine,” explains Paul Crowley, marketing manager at Winterhalter UK.

To begin washing, staff simply touch the square start pad, which also has a progress panel showing, at any time, what stage the wash cycle has reached. To adjust the wash program the user just touches the corresponding symbol in the screen – delicates, heavy soil and so on. Animated operating instructions and tips mean new staff can quickly familiarise themselves with the machine, with no time-consuming training.

When it comes to error reports, the Touchscreen doesn’t only identify and communicate them, so staff can take appropriate action, in some cases it also assumes active responsibility and remedies the fault itself.

The Touchscreen communicates on three different levels: the operating menu, for day to day use; the chef’s menu, which includes operating and hygiene data as well as special programmes such as descaling; and the service menu, which allows engineers to change settings and adapt the machine to individual customer’s needs. The chef and service menus are both PIN-protected.

“The new touchscreen can make a huge impact on warewasher reliability,” says Paul Crowley. “Provided operators look at what the screen is telling them, it’s just about impossible to get things wrong. Eradicating staff mistakes gets rid of the major causes of breakdowns in warewashing systems.”
The Communicator Touchscreen is fitted to all UC Series models. The UC machines are available in four different sizes, small, medium, large and extra large, and four different configurations, one each for dishes, glasses and cutlery or utensils, plus the multi-purpose bistro version, which can wash glasses and dishes at the same time. The glasswashers can process up to 48 racks per hour, with racks ranging in size from 400x400mm in the small model to 500x540mm in the extra large. The dishwashers and Bistro machines handle up to 40 racks per hour, the cutlery or utensils washers up to 11.

Winterhalter provides a total solution for warewashing, from pre-sales advice to after-sales service, training and maintenance. Alongside its market-leading dish and glasswashers, the company’s range includes utensil washers, advanced water treatment machines, cleaning chemicals and detergents. For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, see www.winterhalter.com/uk-en/, or www.winterhalter-scout.biz or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.