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Rack WasherThe installation of a Panamatic 800 rack washer from specialist manufacturer, Oliver Douglas, is now enhancing processing efficiency for Neal’s Yard Dairy, which has gained a leading reputation for the supply of premier quality cheeses, both via its own outlets in London and through the trade.  The Panamatic 800 stand-alone facility washes a range of items, primarily racks and crates, and is demonstrating significant advantages over previous methods of achieving high quality cleaning.

“Before the installation of the Panamatic system, we focused on hand washing our storage racks and trays which, although we were able to achieve the highest levels of cleanliness, was inevitably time consuming in terms of manpower,” says Owen Baily, Chef de Cave at the company.  “We have now been able to direct staff to other more effective duties whilst retaining the ability to meet the highest levels of cleanliness and hygiene, which has had an obvious and direct impact on our processing efficiency.”

The installation is located in the company’s maturing facility, with typical wash loads comprising stainless steel grids, that support cheeses during the maturing process, and crates that are used in the handling of deliveries from suppliers.  The company sources a wide range of cow, goat and sheep milk cheeses from around Britain and Ireland.

“The washing process also uses specialist acidic detergents so we modified the Panamatic installation accordingly,” comments Paul Careless, Sales Manager at Oliver Douglas.  “The Panamatic 800 utensil washer is the largest of the three standard units in the range and is designed to provide economical and highly effective washing – from racks and trays through to utensils and cooking vessels.  Items are positioned in the unit through a large door opening on the front face with the washing action achieved via a series of spray arms.  Planned wash sequences can be pre-programmed into the unit to achieve the required objectives, which results in the storage racks and trays being thoroughly cleaned for the next round of production operations,” he explains.

The installation of the Oliver Douglas system was one element in a recent refurbishment of Neal’s Yard Dairy’s manufacturing premises, which make the most of a railway arch location in Bermondsey, south London – “The old Victorian structure of which offers the ideal storage conditions in terms of humidity and temperature,” adds Owen Baily.

With a leading reputation in its industry, the importance that Neal’s Yard Dairy attaches to quality throughout its processing operations is clearly fundamental and the use of extremely effective cleaning procedures is central to this philosophy.

“This is a much respected name in this area of food production and Neal’s Yard Dairy’s successful business via its two shops in Covent Garden and Borough in London, through wholesales networks and, indeed, overseas, demonstrates the widespread interest in its range of speciality cheeses.  We are delighted to have been able to play a part in the company’s ongoing development and are confident that the Panamatic 800 rack washer will fulfil its specific cleaning role long into the future as our customer continues to grow,” concludes Paul Careless.

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