Over a year has passed since the specialist dishwasher manufacturer MEIKO launched what is arguably the world's most intelligent dishwasher in the land-based catering sector: the M-iQ series of conveyor and basket transport warewashers. Now the company has announced it will soon be offering these machines for kitchens on seagoing ships. The M-iQ generation of warewashing machines includes an impressive range of new features which minimise the use of energy and resources – the first time a system of this kind has made such a major contribution towards protecting our environment.
Jürgen Sell, the MEIKO sales consultant responsible for the Marine Division, has gathered feedback on the first M-iQ systems to be installed in hotels, hospitals and catering facilities both in Europe and the USA: "Intelligent, innovative and trend-setting – these are the key attributes of MEIKO’s latest innovation. M-iQ machines offer the lowest consumption figures that are currently achievable. Never before has a warewashing system used so little water and so little energy in a professional kitchen environment And by minimising the use of chemicals, we are protecting both the operator's balance sheet and the environment at the same time. This new system offers the potential to make savings of some 30 percent as compared to conventional machines of this type."
The key features that make M-iQ superior to any other comparable system can be summed up in a few words: A revolutionary filter system, a new airflow system that removes the need for a direct exhaust air connection, a special cleaning process that provides superb cleaning performance while cutting the use of energy and resources by one third, a heat recovery system, a self cleaning function, and a modular design that allows for a range of internal heights and widths.
But what benefits does a feature like the new airflow system actually offer our customers? The answer: A 90 percent reduction in exhaust air – a truly astonishing figure! On an average ship with a gross registered tonnage of 140,000 and some 4,000 passengers, that means a reduction in exhaust air of more than 30 million m3. This quantity of air on a ship would normally have to be cooled down by the air conditioning system and then injected into the various washing-up areas before it could once again be sucked out and extracted – so this kind of dramatic reduction in exhaust air means that shipbuilders can scale down a ship's air conditioning system and start saving money before the ship is even built! Shipping companies also get the chance to cut costs, because processing this quantity of air requires huge amounts of electricity which are produced on ships by burning fossil fuels.
All these features stem from MEIKO’s determination to offer sustainable cleaning technologies that foster a clean environment. MEIKO has stated that the idea behind M-iQ was to introduce seemingly contradictory requirements into a single coherent design, combining superb hygiene and absolute cleanliness with the careful stewardship of water, energy and chemicals. The team that designed M-iQ understands that sticking to a tight budget is simply a question of using economical technologies that really work, and this same principle is being applied to the latest version of the innovative warewashing system which is currently being developed. With this innovative product, MEIKO is actively supporting the ‘green ship’ concept applied by many shipping lines and making a major contribution to keeping our oceans clean.
