Increase Foodservice Productivity and Save Valuable Time by Outsourcing Water Management

    MINNETONKA, MN, April 19, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In the world of facility management, time has always been a scarce commodity. Today, time is being stretched even further due to budget cuts, staff reductions, aging facilities, pressure to be sustainable, increased reporting requirements and changing technologies. In addition, expectations of longer performing equipment have added to the emphasis on preventative maintenance, adding more strain to facility managers.

The solution to time constraints and stretched resources often includes optimizing use of outsourcing, facility audits, systems maintenance as opposed to "component" maintenance, process and standardization, and technology to create automated systems. While long term, these solutions can provide efficiency and cost savings, however, getting them implemented and established can be daunting and stressful. Furthermore, this often must be a priority to facility managers, even above daily responsibilities.

The key to increase efficiency, reduce costs and provide a company with more time does not require special training, large investment or unproven technologies. It involves an important, but often overlooked commodity: water. Water filtration and water management may be droll topics, but they have significant impacts on operation including:
- Often the root cause of equipment downtime is limescale or other problems caused by poor water quality. Just 1/4" of scale can cause a 38% loss of energy efficiency.
- Facilities often have multiple types of water filters, both point of use (POU) and point of entry systems (POE), spread across many buildings, requiring constant monitoring and replacement.
- It's not unusual for water filtration to be oversized, misapplied or inadequate for the applications requiring it.
- Certain water treatment technologies, such as reverse osmosis, can lead to significant water waste and additional utility costs. Some parts of the United States are implementing restrictions or banning water softeners that use salt.

To deal with the above potential problems, a good option is to have water "managed". Essentially, this requires outsourcing the management of the water used by a facility's operation, so that the water is treated appropriately for the desired applications, and the systems are maintained for consistent water quality. Managed water, also referred to as Total Water Management or TWM, provides many benefits for a facility manager, and is typically right in line with corporate strategy and expectations, including reducing costs, operation efficiency and sustainability.

A good water management program is much more than outsourcing filter replacements. It includes an array of services that can be customized to a facility's particular needs. Consider these benefits:
- One source for all water treatment needs simplifies vendor management and billing.
- A site survey of an entire operation can provide a facility with information on what applications require filtration, and what is currently in place. In addition, the survey can include information on where there may be excessive water waste and inefficiencies.
- Water testing and analysis can provide insight into what potential problems may exist for water-using equipment.
- The survey and the water analysis can ensure that the proper water treatment systems are put in place for efficiency and equipment protection. This can mean reduced maintenance on steam ovens and ice machines for example, and longer life for improved ROI.
- A PM program allows staff to focus on other issues, and provides water quality consistency.
- There are many ways to treat water, with some more effective than others, depending on the water condition and the applications. Examples include carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, carbonate hardness softening, hollow fiber, ozone and UV. With a managed water program, a facility has a resource of experts to provide recommendations and guidance. A good vendor can also provide insight into future water needs and technology trends.
- A water management program can help a facility's operation to be more green by minimizing water waste due to inefficient reverse osmosis systems and poor water pressure, reducing excessive energy costs due to scaled equipment and even help eliminate the waste of bottled water.

Managed water is not a new concept. In fact, many well-known foodservice chains have successfully used this practice for many years. A good Total Water Management program provides high beverage quality, effective PM, cost savings and more time to focus on other priorities.

To learn more about the business benefits of improving water quality, visit http://pentair.nextcom.com/water_quality.

About Everpure
Everpure/Pentair Foodservice, a leading foodservice industry supplier for over 75 years, is a trusted provider of commercial water treatment solutions worldwide. Pentair markets Everpure-branded filtration products for foodservice, office coffee/water, vending, consumer, marine and aviation applications. The company is a division of Pentair, Inc. Its Water Group is a global leader in providing innovative products and systems for the movement, treatment, storage and enjoyment of water. With 2010 revenues of $3.0 billion, Pentair employs approximately 14,000 people worldwide. For more information, please visit us at www.everpure.com.

Next Communications is a full service marketing communications firm specializing in print, online and search marketing. For further information, contact Dennis Gallaher at 952-934-8220 or [email protected] or www.nextcom.com.

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