ADVICE & OPINION
AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS
FMJ AIMS TO SUPPORT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN THE FM MARKET
As workplaces open up this Autumn, Paul Hearne, Managing Director, Selecta UK & Ireland
off ers an up-to-date guide on the technology transforming workplace catering
In a world dominated by smart
technology, the Internet of Things
and automation, it’s not surprising
catering businesses are embracing
new technology to develop their
processes and become more
competitive.
New technologies are quickly changing
the workplace catering environment, and
digital transformation is paving the way
for better customer service, drastically
reduced time and costs in operations
and streamlined processes.
In this article, I’ll discuss the latest
catering and vending technology and
how it can assist facilities managers
in creating an excellent workplace
environment.
MEETING ENHANCED REGULATIONS
As production facilities expand to
accommodate the growing demand
for in-house catering facilities, there is
more potential for food safety accidents
to occur due to contamination or
mislabelling. These can have widespread
and adverse e ects, both on employee
health, the reputation of a supplier and
on your own company.
How can facilities managers mitigate
the chances of this happening?
By working with suppliers who use
smart and automated food safety
strategies to lessen the chances of
16 SEPTEMBER 2021
contamination, human error, and
production delays. For example, working
with a catering company that provides
traceability solutions, means 100 per
cent of labels are checked before food
products are delivered to your business.
A digital food safety solution can
also establish a transparent view of a
product’s lifecycle. Take for instance
smart fridges, which automatically lock
when a product is out of date, meaning
employees won’t be served anything that
is past its sell-by date.
With new regulations and protocols
entering the industry, digital solutions
can standardise common food safety
procedures for facilities managers.
Everyday compliance tasks, like
product logging, and temperature checks
are both tedious and time-consuming.
However, advanced food safety systems
can automate certain tasks or provide
digital management tools which monitor
food compliance tasks from a mobile or
computer application.
AUTOMATION AND ACCESSIBILITY
There’s been a steady rise in companies
creating mobile apps to enrich the
workplace catering experience. Many
produce branded apps, which allow
for two-way communication between
internal catering and sta . Digital apps
are helpful as they speed up movements
around work premises during peak
hours; sta can order food in advance,
without having to queue. This
expedites a faster and more e icient
service.
Employees can access essential
catering information at any time (for
example, the daily menu), while the
catering team can use the application
to get in touch with sta with important
notifications, updates and o ers.
Digital orders decrease the margin
of errors when orders are taken and
improve customer service time,
with sta able to collect any food or
beverage choices within a few minutes.
Since the global pandemic,
we’ve noticed a rise in demand for
MicroMarkets, especially in industries
with shiŠ -pattern working.
MicroMarkets are compact, self-serve
stores providing fresh, healthy food and
drink 24/7. Automated and requiring
no sta , they rose in popularity as they
could easily be made COVID-compliant
for businesses unable to o er remote
solutions, especially in industries with
shiŠ -pattern working.
In these circumstances, access to
24-hour premium food and drink, is
essential so all sta get the same access
to quality refreshments regardless of
the time of day/night.
STAYING COVID-SECURE
The pandemic has been a driver for
change, pushing catering industries to
think di erently about restrictions and
challenges. As a result, the demand
and application of digital solutions
have been fast-tracked.
Prioritising safety and e iciency, we
believe distance selection technology,
and smart fridges will become
commonplace in our new flexible
working world. For example, distance
selection co ee machines are designed
to give employees touch-free access to
their favourite hot beverages.
The intuitive design replicates a
traditional co ee machine, replacing
mechanical pushbuttons with hygienic,
touch-free selection technology.
Employees can select their drinks by
hovering their fingers over the screen
– up to two centimetres away – so, it’s
completely contact-free.
Distance selection technology means
sta continue enjoying delicious drinks
with the peace of mind of staying
safe against the spread of viruses and
bacteria. Some businesses have also
added a beacon app, to their customer
catering options, which makes scanning
and transactions completely contactfree.
TRANSPARENT DATA
Integrated approaches to workplace
strategies, FM, and technology all hold
promise and FMs can gain useful insights
by examining internal data. For example,
data is analysed using telemetry in
MicroMarkets, which identifies what
food is being purchased. This can be
used to gather important information
about customer/employee behaviour,
purchasing and eating habits and trends.
FMs not only get to know their
employees’ food and drink choices
better, but this information assists with
other tasks like purchasing decisions,
menu creation and which product lines
should be increased or discontinued.
This is essential when stocking quickspoil
items, as it’s critical to know which
of these will sell quickly and which will
not.
Companies can boost the
implementation of evolving tech through
controlled pilots. If successful, these
provide the business case for scaling
and introducing a more data-focused
approach across other areas for
facilities managers. Prioritising safety
and e iciency, MicroMarkets, distance
selection technology, and smart fridges
are the digital disruptors transforming
and enhancing convenience in our new
hybrid working world.
FAST FACTS