Washing and sterilising

The Papa Johns pizza chain, is using fresh dough exclusively for all pizzas sold by its fast growing UK operation. Equipment supplied by IWM has played a key role in facilitating the production of fresh dough.

Papa Johns is dedicated to producing quality pizzas using the best ingredients, and the company is clear that one such ingredient is fresh pizza dough, rather than the frozen dough used by many of its competitors. Handling fresh dough is, however, significantly more challenging than handling the frozen product.

From its new plant in Milton Keynes, which has been specifically set up to prepare and supply pizza ingredients of the highest quality for the UK market, Papa Johns despatches fresh dough on trays to its franchisees throughout the country. After the dough has been used, the empty trays are returned to the plant, where they are washed and sterilised ready for immediate re-use.

Because of the sticky nature of fresh dough and the fast turnaround needed for the trays, the requirements for the washing and sterilising processes are more than usually onerous. For help in meeting these requirements efficiently, reliably and cost effectively, Keith Bingham, engineering consultant for the whole of the new Papa Johns plant, approached Industrial Washing Machines (IWM).

"I've worked with IWM on many previous projects," said Keith Bingham, "and I've always been favourably impressed by the performance of the company's products and by their excellent value for money."

"In addition, IWM has wide expertise in the design of washing machines, and is always amenable to customising its products so that they meet the end user's exact requirements. Importantly, this customisation is carried out at modest cost, and without significantly affecting deliveries."
For the new Papa Johns factory, IWM supplied a custom-designed two-lane tray washer with an integrated drier. The machine has a nominal maximum capacity of 1,000 trays per hour to allow for future increase in demand.

To ensure maximum washing efficiency with effective and dependable removal of the dough residue from even the most heavily soiled trays, the machine uses sustained jetting with hot water and detergent throughout the wash cycle. For maximum economy, the wash water is recirculated from a heated tank, and effective filtration is provided as an aid to reducing the frequency of water changes needed.

Special provisions are also made for hot-air drying, as it is imperative that the trays are bone dry when they are delivered to the dough production line.

"The machine was ordered at the end of November, and was manufactured to our requirements and delivered to site by the first week of February," said Keith Bingham. "This is excellent service, especially given that this period includes the Christmas break. Only a very few minor changes were needed at the pre-delivery inspection, and the machine was straightforward to install and commission. In short, IWM provided an excellent machine backed with great service."

The tray washer at Papa Johns Milton Keynes plant has now been in daily use for almost six months, and it is fully meeting the company's requirements in every respect. It dependably delivers clean dry trays, it is easily able to meet and sustain the necessary high rate of throughput, it is economical in operation and it is proving to be exceptionally reliable.