Antunes, a family-owned and operated company specializing in the manufacturing of foodservice equipment, has been recognized by McDonald’s as part of the chain’s 2016 Supplier Energy Efficiency Challenge (SEEC). Antunes was honored with the “Energy Leadership in Kitchen Equipment” award for delivering innovation and energy savings with the rollout of a new bun toaster to the McDonald's system.
“Approximately 35 percent of the energy consumed in our restaurants corresponds to kitchen equipment, representing an area of significant opportunity and challenge as we strive to reduce overall energy consumption,” says Jeff Cook, senior director of innovation with McDonald's. “Antunes not only made great strides in reducing energy consumption, but also reduced labor costs significantly.”
The new bun toaster from Antunes was released to McDonald’s in 2015. The innovative design reduces annual energy costs by $1,800 per unit, resulting in millions of dollars in energy savings to the U.S. market. Furthermore, the toaster’s reliability leads to reduced maintenance, which delivers approximately $1,000 per year in labor savings.
The toaster features a platen that is enclosed in a belt wrap, which preserves more heat than the previous version with an exposed platen and contributes to the product’s energy efficiency. Additionally, the previous toaster had metal belts that required more extensive daily cleaning; the new unit’s belt wraps decrease the time spent on daily maintenance.
“This toaster lowers the overall cost of ownership by performing efficiently and reliably,” says Tony Vassos, director of product management & marketing for Antunes. “Understanding that the desire for energy savings was driving McDonald’s to make an equipment change, our team was able to develop a product that met that need, while providing added operational benefits. We are proud to partner with McDonald’s and to be honored as part of the SEEC. ”
