The Client

Pingo Doce is one of the biggest supermarket chains in Portugal, accounting for 21% of the market and managing 436 stores across the country.

The brand is part of Jerónimo Martins Group's portfolio - one of Portugal's most important businesses, which has expanded its operations abroad, under the brands Biedronka in Poland and Ara in Colombia. The chain strategically locates its stores in urban centres, allowing its customers to access their extended range of products and services in a comfortable way. Pingo Doce produces take-away and eat-in meals in its largest stores, adapting its offer to the needs of a modern lifestyle.

The Problem

The cooking facility was struggling with washing and cleaning the gastronorms (GN), dirty with often carbonised food residues. It was therefore necessary to increase the efficiency of cleaning, whilst ensuring a reduced waste of water and soap.

Another challenge was to increase the washing capacity of the facility, without hindering the production capacity of the kitchen.

The Solution

Thanks to its consultative sales approach, Somengil was able to recommend to Pingo Doce to set up two Multiwasher machines, which would be adequately integrated with the existing cooking facilities. At the same time, Somengil analysed the client's gastronorms and the specific problems they presented, and concluded that the usual washing processes would not be able to clean them. Thus, we reprogrammed their Multiwashers to offer a tailored solution to Pingo Doce’s specific problems.

"With Multiwasher, we achieved a 32% reduction in direct washing costs."