Theydon Bois Bakery in Essex had a problem transporting water by bucket to its mixer. Fortunately, John Morton of Aquameter said he had a solution with his ABACUS water meters.
As a bakery, it’s not very big. But nonetheless, Theydon Bois Bakery in Essex attracts customers from all the outlying districts who are willing to travel and queue for the bread produced there. Owner Nigel Bramman is proud of the reputation his bread has; and rightly so.
However, the customers were only seeing the end result. What they weren’t seeing was the major challenge facing Nigel. Such was the production of bread in the tiny village bakery that it was only a matter of time until the mixer stopped working – a huge expense for a small business – or until there was a serious, possibly expensive, accident.
And what was causing the trouble? The problems were being caused by the humble bucket. Buckets, while generally accurate, are time-consuming. Each bucket has to be filled and then carried to the mixing vessel. There, the contents would be tipped in, the total-so-far calculated, and then the whole operation repeated ad infinitum. This activity takes up much of the operator’s working day.
Furthermore, that’s all very well if it’s all the operator has to do. But Nigel points out that such a task is often interrupted by callers or phone calls. The result was the persistent problem of the operator losing count. “You have to remember that miscounting by one isn’t just one litre,” Nigel explains. “It’s more like ten litres. And that creates a real problem”.
Too much water, and when the flour was introduced it went everywhere. On the other hand, too little water and the mixer bearings would scream as they tried to cope. It was a situation that simply could not continue. Serious enough, but there was also the problem of getting the water from the supply to the mixer.
As Nigel points out: “Fill a bucket and walk 15 feet you WILL spill some of it. Lack of space in the bakery means we have a narrow passageway which exacerbates the situation. The combination of a wet floor and a busy bakery is just asking for trouble.”
It really was only a matter of time until there was a nasty accident. Nigel knew he had to find some way to safeguard against the potential mishaps of wrong water volume, spillage and accidents. After a quick search for a solution, he thought he had found the answer. A digital water meter.
He contacted John Morton of Aquameter to see if he thought he could help. Although John produces the ABACUS water meter for many of the big bakeries around the world, he was delighted to call on the bakery in person and discuss if and how the water meter might help.
The ABACUS water meter is, quite simply, a digital, micro-computer controlled unit, little bigger than a domestic toaster, that delivers pre-selected quantities of water from a single pipe – straight into the mixing vessel. This precise metering of the water means the operators can exactly re-create batch consistency each and every time.
John, who is the manufacturer and designer of the unit, explains that installation is straightforward, taking less than thirty minutes to complete. From there, operation of the meter is simplicity itself: the quantity of water required is programmed in, the “start” button pushed, and the water flows. A water solenoid valve located in the water pipe closes the flow at the completion of the cycle – when the pre-set batch quantity has been reached. And that was it. Problem solved.
But there were additional benefits. Nigel says he can now get on with running his business and let the ABACUS water meter do the hard work. He finds it impossible to calculate the saving it has bought him in time and cost, let alone avoiding ruined product and accidents.
In fact, he is so delighted with the whole thing he says: “If I ever left here I’d take two things with me: my favourite rolling pin and the Aquameter.” He laughs. “I’d just unbolt it and take it with me under my arm.”
Problems solved then? Indeed, yes.
John Morton
Aquameter Ltd
8 Woodlands Drive
HODDESDON
Hertfordshire
EN11 8AZ
England
UK
Phone : 01 992 442 861
Email : john@aquameter.co.uk
Alternative email : john@aquameter.co
