June 2022

George Barclay
Laundry Expert

S.A.F.E dryers are unique to JLA. You can trust our S.A.F.E technology to protect your people and your property from the risk of dryer fires. Our unique Sensor Activated Fire Extinguishing technology provides complete peace of mind by offering best-in-class industrial tumble dryer fire safety features.

It’s currently estimated that a tumble dryer fire will cost a business around £300,000. Plus, there are extra risks associated with loss of life and evacuation. As a result, having proper industrial laundry fire safety measures in place is vital.

The system used in our S.A.F.E industrial tumble dryers is the result of intense research and has been development in response to the growing number of fires in commercial dryers – estimated at around one a day by the Government.

How does the S.A.F.E system work?

Industrial tumble dryer fires can cause devastating damage to commercial settings. They can also put lives at risk; particularly if your premises has vulnerable people on-site.

Fires in industrial tumble dryers are usually caused by spontaneous combustion, where the heat of the laundry has gradually increased to the point of ignition. This is most commonly caused when loads have been left in the dryer after the cycle has finished.

Using two sensors to continuously monitor the temperature of the dryer drum for any significant changes, the S.A.F.E system activates an atomised water vapour mechanism that soaks the laundry in the drum of the machine, eliminating the chance of a fire occurring.

Our S.A.F.E system also removes the need to evacuate the property as the fire is contained and extinguished within the machine. Once the fire has been extinguished, the dryer can also start working again. However, after the S.A.F.E system has been activated, the control panel will inform your staff. You should then call us and one of our trained engineers will visit your premises to ensure that your industrial tumble dryer is back up and running properly.

As well as giving you complete peace of mind, our S.A.F.E dryers can also help with your fire risk assessments (as the risk of fire is significantly reduced). Plus, there’s no risk of flooding, damage to property and no need to evacuate.

If you’re interested in learning even more about our industrial tumble dryers and our S.A.F.E system, contact our laundry experts today.

George Barclay
Laundry Expert

Our SMART commercial tumble dryers deliver fast drying and help you save on your energy bills. Concentrated airflow and sealed cylinder rims help maintain a high throughput without using lots of energy.

Designed with fewer moving parts for less wear and tear, a large, easy-to-clean lint compartment and a heavy-duty door hinge, our commercial tumble dryers are designed to perform cycle after cycle.

Features and benefits of our JLA touch tumble dryers

As well as looking incredibly smart thanks to their stainless steel front panel and grey painted side panels, our JLA touch tumble dryers contain a number of features and benefits that our customers love.

For example, the 68cm door opening allows for easy loading and unloading. To make this process even simpler, each machine also contains a self-cleaning large lint filter, which allows for easy removal and efficient drying.

On top of this, our JLA touch tumble dryers come with a 7” full colour touch screen display with swipe function. This user-friendly screen has built-in operating instructions and control content is available in 34 languages. It even provides you with automated maintenance service reminders.

Interested in learning even more about the benefits our commercial tumble dryers can provide for your business? Get in touch with our laundry experts today. We’d love to help you find the perfect tumble dryer for your business.

George Barclay
Laundry Expert

SMART WASH adds yet another layer of efficiency to our commercial and industrial washing machines.

By combining industrial-strength build quality with state-of-the-art digital intelligence, we have created a range of truly optimised, next generation washing machines that are setting a new benchmark for performance, efficiency and reliability.

What makes our SMART commercial washing machines different?

Built to last for more than 37,000 washes, our SMART washing machines provide a 32% saving on utility costs and reduce water usage by up to 23%.

In designing our commercial SMART washers, we enhanced proven features that have served tens of thousands of our customers well in the past.

But, as well as making improvements to existing technologies, we also added additional value with the help of eco-friendly innovations. This means that our commercial SMART washers offer unbeatable efficiency, performance and reliability when it comes to commercial laundry.

What makes our smart commercial washing machines SMART?

SMART cycles

Our SMART washing machines think about what they’re doing, so you don’t have to. Unique absorption intelligence combines with a number of other best-in-class innovations to deliver optimum water, energy and detergent consumption on every cycle.

SMART controls

The intuitive controls on JLA SMART machines are designed with simplicity in mind. With digital connectivity that allows you to customise and log your programmes easily for audits and inspections, our washers tick more boxes than ever before.

SMART engineering

Well-built and technically superior, our SMART machines give you the reassurance of robust cabinets, hi-spec components and industrial-grade durability… along with the very latest engineering techniques.

Better, greener and smarter, it makes sense to upgrade to a SMART commercial washing machine. For more information on our range of washing machines and commercial tumble dryers, talk to our laundry experts today.

Peter Westwell
Catering expert

Commercial Catering Equipment Guide: What foods do you use with which appliance?

Unsure what catering equipment you need in your commercial kitchen? Well, let our commercial catering equipment guide help you.

In this commercial cooking guide, we’ll show you exactly which foods can be cooked with each appliance.

What can I cook with a combi oven?

The combi oven is a multifunctional cooking appliance. Whether you need to steam vegetables, cook meat with convection or combine both methods, a combi oven is the perfect appliance. It can even be used to regenerate pre-prepared dishes.

What can I cook with a fryer?

Deep fat fryers provide fast-turnaround cooking. Particularly ideal for chips, deep fat fryers are also great for cooking battered foods, such as fish or chicken strips.

What can I cook with a grill?

A commercial salamander grill allows a chef to cook, bake, brown, toast and grill. Due to this, it’s particularly well suited to places that serve snacks, sandwiches, full breakfasts and burgers.

What can I cook with a griddle?

A commercial griddle (also known as a plancha) is great for preparing a wide range of meals quickly. Offering hot plate cooking, it’s particularly great for cooking eggs, bacon, steaks, fish and vegetables.

What can I cook with a hob?

Commercial hobs are ideal in settings where high volume cooking is required. Hobs are great for boiling pasta, cooking vegetables, boiling soups and making sauces.

What can I cook with a bratt pan?

Commercial bratt pans are highly versatile pieces of catering equipment and they can be used to cook almost any food. This is because bratt pans can perform eight different cooking functions. A bratt pan allows you to shallow fry, deep fry, roast, stew, poach, steam, braise and boil.

What can I cook with a microwave?

Commercial microwaves are perfect for cooking, reheating, defrosting and steaming a wide range of foods. Plus, they can also help you save both time and space.

Unsure what cooking appliances you require in your kitchen? Talk to our catering experts today. Whether you’re running a restaurant, a pub, a café or a workplace canteen, we’d love to help you.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) mandates the inspection regime for air conditioning equipment within commercial buildings.

As a building manager or owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your system complies with the EPBD. If not, you will be fined for incorrect operating practices.

In this commercial air conditioning guide for businesses, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the regulations regarding commercial air conditioning units.

Commercial Air Conditioning Regulations

In 2018, new legislation was introduced for commercial buildings with air conditioning systems. These pieces of legislation set out guidelines surrounding the following:

F-Gas: Any business that uses refrigeration products that contain F-Gas (fluorinated greenhouse gases) must meet requirements regarding record keeping and maintenance.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): All commercial properties that consist of more than 500 m2 of habitable space must hold an EPC by law.

TM44 Regulation: As part of the EPBD, building managers of properties that have an air conditioning system with an output of over 12kW are responsible for organising regular inspections.

Commercial air conditioning regulations: inspection and servicing requirements

As we mentioned, if your air conditioning system has an effective rated output of more than 12kW, then it should be regularly inspected by an accredited air conditioning energy assessor.

This assessor will highlight how the operation of existing systems can be improved or opportunities to replace older, less energy efficient systems, or oversized systems, with new energy efficient systems.

They will provide you with a report that shows you:

The likely efficiency of the system and any suggestions for improvement
Any faults identified during the inspection and suggested actions
The adequacy of equipment maintenance and any suggestions for improvement
The adequacy of the installed controls and control settings and any suggestions for improvement
The current size of the installed system in relation to the cooling load and any suggestions for improvement
Consideration of the capabilities of the system to optimise its performance under typical operating conditions
A summary of the findings and the key recommendations

How regularly your air conditioning system should be inspected depends on the size and type of system you have in place. However, most F-gas systems should be inspected at least every 12 months. EPCs generally last for 10 years.

Here at JLA, we offer a range of single room, split unit wall-mounted and ceiling-cassette air conditioning solutions. Thanks to this, you can benefit from energy efficiency, centralised remote control options and quiet operation. If you’re interested in learning more, talk to our air conditioning experts today.

Mark Bone
Fire safety expert

If you are the ‘responsible person’ within your organisation, you must ensure that your business has proper fire safety measures in place.

As the responsible person, you also need to take every possible precaution to reduce the risk of fire. You must also put steps in place for efficient evacuation in the event that a fire does start.

As part of this, it’s a legal requirement for your organisation to have a business fire escape route in place. In this fire escape route guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Ensuring legal compliance

Due to its critical role in the protection of life and property, fire safety is governed by stringent legislation.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers general fire safety in England and Wales. In Scotland, requirements on general fire safety are covered in Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

The above legislation applies to the majority of commercial premises, including:

Offices and shops
Premises that provide care, including care homes and hospitals
Community halls
Places of worship and other community premises
The shared areas of properties that several households live in (housing laws may also apply)

Pubs
Clubs
Restaurants
Schools
Sports centres
Hotels and hostels
Factories and warehouses

If you do not follow fire safely legislation and fail to put business fire escape routes in place, then you will face serious consequences. Potential penalties include unlimited fines and up to two years in prison.

Fire escape routes guide

Your business fire escape route plan must show how your business has:

A clear passageway to all escape routes
Clearly marked escape routes that are as short and direct as possible
Enough exits and routes for all people to escape
Emergency doors that open easily
Emergency lighting where needed
Training in place for all employees
A safe meeting point for staff

On top of this, you should also carry out at least one fire drill per year, recording and keeping the results as part of your fire safety and evacuation plan.

How we can help

Here at JLA, we can support you and ensure compliance. We can provide one-off engineer visits, installations and ongoing servicing plans that have been designed to give you complete peace of mind when it comes to business fire escape routes, fire alarm systems, commercial fire doors, emergency lighting, signage and AOVs – all of which are critical in enabling safe escape if a fire breaks out or an emergency occurs in your building.

To discover more about the fire escape route equipment your business needs, contact our experts today. We’d love to help you plan your business fire escape routes and ensure that you’re meeting all of your obligations.

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Peter Westwell
Catering expert

When you’re starting a new commercial kitchen in a hotel, it’s essential that you choose pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment that allow your mealtime services to run as smoothly as possible.

No matter whether you have 10 covers or 100, you need to make efficient use of the space your kitchen has available. You also need to make sure you have the right layout and catering equipment.

Thankfully, if you’re planning on creating a commercial kitchen in your hotel, then our hotel catering buying guide can help you discover exactly what you need.

Ovens

The heart of many professional kitchens, a commercial oven covers every professional kitchen need, from combination steaming and convection cooking to traditional range options and pizza baking solutions.

Generally speaking, gas ovens are seen as heavy-duty appliances. They’re also more responsive when adjusting heat levels than electric ovens. However, installation can be costly and not all kitchens have access to a gas supply.

If the commercial kitchen in your hotel is small, then a combi oven is likely to be the best piece of hotel commercial catering equipment for your needs. This is because these ovens are multi-functional and can save you from buying extra equipment.

Fryers

If you’re planning on cooking fries, onion rings or fried chicken, then your hotel kitchen will likely require a fryer. A fast and efficient piece of hotel commercial catering equipment, a fryer can cook large volumes of food without taking up much space.

Depending on the size of your kitchen and the amount of food you need to fry, you can choose between single basket and twin-basket options. Light, heavy duty, countertop and floor standing variants are also available.

While free-standing fryers can cook a large quantity at any one time (up to 36kg of chips per hour), countertop fryers are an ideal space-saving alternative.

Grills

In a commercial kitchen, salamander grill tops are in constant use. Perfect for cooking, baking, browning, toasting, grilling or even flash cooking, these practical pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment allow you to create a range of dishes quickly and easily.

Our commercial grills are designed for continuous heavy use. They are available with smooth and ribbed surfaces, and can be freestanding or positioned on a countertop. Available in gas and electric, they’re ideal for dishes like crème brûlée, cheese-topped sandwiches and the rapid grilling of meats and fish.

Griddles

A commercial griddle is a great piece of equipment for any hotel kitchen that needs to turn around large quantities of food quickly.

Electric griddles are often viewed as more convenient alternatives to gas griddles, and both countertop and freestanding models are available. Especially good for cooking eggs, bacon, steaks, fish and vegetables, these appliances come in several different sizes and suit the needs of a broad spectrum of catering environments.

Microwaves

Many kitchens also employ the use of commercial microwave ovens, which are great for cooking, reheating, defrosting and steaming a wide range of foods. As well as saving chefs time, these pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment can also help save money and effort… not to mention space.

Again, commercial microwaves come in different shapes and sizes, with some suited to light use and others more suited to heavy use. Remember, domestic microwaves are unsuited to commercial kitchens. You should always opt for a commercial microwave, as these have been specifically designed to maintain power and sustain long periods of use.

Fridges

In any hotel kitchen (or any commercial kitchen for that matter), adequate refrigeration is essential.

The right type of refrigeration for your hotel kitchen will depend on two factors: the number of people you need to serve and the space you have available.

If space in your kitchen is limited, then counter refrigeration is the perfect solution. When you opt for counter refrigeration, you can either integrate your fridges in an undercounter capacity or install a 2-in-1 refrigerator-worktop solution that provides you with additional surface space for food preparation.

If space isn’t necessarily an issue and you have a large amount of fresh produce to store, then an upright refrigerator will probably be a better solution. Offering a vast internal capacity, upright commercial fridges are ideal for professional kitchens. Available in single door, double door, or slimline options, upright fridges are highly efficient and ingredients are kept fresh even when ambient temperatures reach 32ºC.

If you’re running an incredibly busy hotel kitchen with hundreds of covers in each service, then you may find that a full walk-in fridge or cold room is best for your needs.

Freezers

Similarly, commercial freezers are must-have pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment. Again, freezers are also available in upright and undercounter configurations, with chest freezers also available.

As with cold rooms, freezer rooms are available if your hotel has a lot of frozen food to store.

Dishwashers

To make sure everything goes to plan during service, you need the right commercial dishwasher.

If space is limited, undercounter dishwashers are a great option. These compact machines are front loading and fit into the same footprint as a domestic machine. However, they’re boosted by the enhanced cleaning performance that’s offered by their purpose-built commercial design. They also feature time-saving cycles and water-saving programmes that are perfect for use during a busy service.

If you’re expecting a high turnover of plates and crockery, then you’ll require a dishwashing ‘workhorse’. In these instances, a passthrough dishwasher is ideal for the job as it can wash hundreds of plates per hour.

Alternatively, it’s also worth considering whether a freshwater and energy/water-saving tank type dishwasher is more appropriate for your setting. These are perfect for environments like hotel kitchens, where audited infection control and compliance with food hygiene regulations is critical.

Glass Washers

Particularly during peak periods, hotel restaurants go through a high number of glasses. Due to this, a commercial glass washer is a vital piece of equipment if you want to ensure that you have clean glasses readily available for your customers and guests.

Providing reliability, speed, quality and efficiency, commercial glass washers will not only make sure that you have enough glassware available at all times, but they will also ensure that your glasses always have a sparkling finish.

Utensil washers

Finally, consider whether a utensil and pot washer is required to keep your pots, pans, gastronorm trays and other equipment sparkling clean. With cycle times as low as two minutes, these pieces of equipment allow you to process everything quickly and efficiently so your cookline can keep moving along smoothly.

We hope our hotel cooking equipment guide has provided you with all the information you need. However, if you need further support selecting the right hotel commercial catering equipment, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with our catering experts today. Whatever your business needs, we have a solution.

Total Care

Existing customers

Month: June 2022

How does the S.A.F.E system work?

Features and benefits of our JLA touch tumble dryers

What makes our SMART commercial washing machines different?