THE FUTURE COMES TODAY: TREND-SETTING SEMINAR AT WINTERHALTER ─ “THE FUTURE OF RESTAURANT CHAINS”
CEO and Owner of the Winterhalter Group Ralph Winterhalter welcomed the guests and gave an impressive account of Winterhalter’s beginnings and roots. “Our company history shows what Winterhalter still stands for today: Looking at things from the customer’s perspective”, said Ralph Winterhalter. “That’s why events like this are so important to us. This allows us to create a platform for exchange with our customers.”
Thomas Pfeiffer, Vice President Sales and Marketing, covered the spectrum of the Winterhalter company today and presented the most important company data.
Wolfgang Beck, Managing Director and Owner of the company Semco GmbH, presented solutions showing how retail chains can achieve great savings in the organisation through digitisation.
Benjamin Köb, Head of Digital Products and Services, transitioned from branch management to digital management of commercial warewashing. He highlighted the advantages of two digital solutions from Winterhalter – especially for the Chinese customers with restaurant chains and retail chains: PAY PER WASH and CONNECTED WASH.
PAY PER WASH is an alternative payment model. With this model, customers no longer have to buy a warewasher, eliminating the extra acquisition costs. When a new store is opened, Winterhalter delivers the warewasher and puts it into operation. Costs are only incurred when the warewasher is actually washing. Invoices could be provided for each store.
With CONNECTED WASH, warewashers are networked via LAN or WLAN and send machine data to a server in real time. Using a computer, tablet or smartphone, customers have access to the CONNECTED WASH app and can thus monitor machine functions round the clock and from anywhere in the world. The data sent to Winterhalter is analysed and, if necessary, converted into recommended actions for the customer. As soon as a machine reports a critical error in one of the stores, the person responsible receives a push notification. In this way, customers can react quickly to disruptions and increase their operating safety. Benjamin Köb explained: “The opportunities presented to operators – especially having machines in multiple locations – are enormous.”
After a production tour with the Chinese guests, keynote speaker Arne Flick, CEO of IOT1 Academy in Berlin, gave an appearance. He clearly illustrated the effects of digitisation on the foodservice market and the great opportunities it presents for restaurant chains.
Wendy Wang, Branch Manager of Winterhalter China, summarised the unanimous view of the delighted guests: “With the digital solutions CONNECTED WASH and PAY PER WASH, Winterhalter has taken the right step in this direction and has set the bar in the digitalisation of commercial warewashing. And together, we are ready for the future.”