THE 'BACK OF HOUSE' IS THE BEATING HEART OF THE HOTEL. THE DISHWASHING FACILITIES ARE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF IT.
It is an overwhelming sight. All the floors wave in an exciting play of lines towards the glass roof of the 42-metre high atrium. Tourists and business people come and go past the reception desk and up and down the escalators. However, the action behind the scenes is just as impressive. The 'back of house' is the beating heart of the hotel. The dishwashing facilities are a significant part of it. "They form a logistical hub where dirty and clean come together," Johan De Bok, our Sales Manager, explains. "So proper routing is of greatest importance."
Challenging logistics
The routing was the task of Hilton’s in-house Food & Beverage advisor, 3Blue International. "Dirty dishes happen at all times and in different places in the hotel," Bart Kerssen, owner of 3Blue International, says. "Internal logistics and capacity are also deciding factors in the design of the kitchens and in establishing technical specifications." The company was approached by Schiphol Real Estate already in 2010 for a Food & Beverage feasibility study and volume estimate. After a long and continuous process of designing, presenting, and perfecting, a call for tenders was made in 2013 for a complete equipping of the kitchens. In 2014, the assignment was awarded to the large-scale kitchen specialist, Bouter from Zoetermeer.
Impressive and ‘Green’ Kitchens
The task presented a number of fascinating challenges for Bouter. The sheer magnitude of the project was just one of them. ‘Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol currently has the most impressive kitchens in the Netherlands’, notes Antal Van Dillen, the Director of Bouter. "These are kitchens that experience a high-density workload. Furthermore, as it is a Green Key hotel, Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol obviously also places high demands on sustainability.’ Another ‘difficulty’ was that Bouter had to collaborate with many different parties. 3Blue International, Schiphol Real Estate, the contractor, Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, etc. Each party focused on different points and had different priorities. However, together with our partner, MEIKO, we were able to translate all the demands into a beautiful, customised solution!"
Sustainable Business Card
Door and rack type dishwashers, sorting tables—the dishwashing facilities at Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a great publicity for meiko. In one of the facilities, they are always hard at work washing the last dishes from the breakfast service. "We don't just supply the equipment, we also provide clear instructions for the people working with it. And after a few weeks we come back to make adjustments, if necessary." All machines meet current DIN standards and sustainability requirements. As low as possible emission of vapours, heat recovery, water conservation… "Through heat recovery, we can pre-heat tap water from 10 to 47 degrees. That saves energy. And do you see those sieves?" Johan points to the rack conveyor machine. "They filter out dirt. This saves about half of the water consumption compared to conventional machines! Are we proud of this project?" He smiles: "Certainly. It is a great name and a nice business card for MEIKO!"
