Waffle grids are responsible for making the perfect waffle, but, after numerous breakfasts, the batter begins to stick – turning what was once an easy task into a tedious one. A well-known national snack food and beverage distributor delivers and services waffle grids in popular hotel franchises including Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, and Best Western throughout western Canada.

THE PROBLEM

Once these grids stopped producing perfect waffles, the status quo was replacing them at a price of up to $22 per grid. This distributor replaced up to 250 waffle grids per month, costing them upwards of $66,000 worth of replacements every year.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We helped them explore a new method in achieving the perfect waffle – a method that saved money and improved internal efficiencies. We took these once-disposed-of waffle grids and brought them back to life – restoring functionality, increasing total life, and baking perfect waffles.

One of the hurdles our team encountered during this project was removing the coating without destroying the waffle grid. We experimented with a variety of different media before finding the right balance. The waffle grids needed to perform like new, so it was one of our top priorities to remove the previous coating without compromising the waffle grids’ surface.

THE SOLUTION

We helped our client save over $30,000 per year in annual parts expenses and reduced scrap (benefitting the environment).

Over the years, we’ve developed a working relationship with our client that’s resulted in planned lead times and delivery; bi-weekly drop-off and pick-up shipments; and a strategy to continuously improve inventory management.