Baden-Württemberg and the Lake Constance region in particular are home to leading companies in the German automotive, aerospace, mechanical engineering, defence, medical technology and pharmaceutical industries. However, this powerhouse of the German economy is also an internationally renowned college and university region, training the next generation of highly skilled professionals.
Located in the heart of Europe, and with full employment in the labour markets, the Lake Constance region is no stranger to the high cost of living. With this in mind, it is important to ensure that students have access to sufficient affordable accommodation and a healthy and varied diet.
This is the mission of our client Seezeit Studierendenwerk Bodensee. The company looks after more than 27,000 students enrolled at seven colleges and universities in the region. With 220 employees and an annual turnover of more than 13 million euros, Seezeit provides comprehensive economic, social and cultural support for students and a total network of 12 catering facilities with seating for 2,800 people, serving more than 300,000 guests per year.
Many students rely on Seezeit's refectories, cafeterias and cafés, which offer a daily menu, from breakfast to evening meal, at reasonable prices. The aim is to offer a high-quality and healthy range, with an emphasis on local, fair trade and organic produce. Classics such as coffee and snacks are complemented by vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Seezeit strives for very high standards of sustainability, supported by a rigorous quality management system. Regular audits and inspections ensure long-term quality.
Each production unit is made to order, not in advance. This means that the teams do not produce all the food at once, but rather an appropriate number of meals at peak times. During these peak times, the team can respond directly to current demand, preventing overproduction and protecting assets by reducing food waste. Leftovers from the counter and plate, as well as used fat, are recycled in a biogas plant to produce green electricity, gas and fuel.
Wherever possible, energy-saving equipment is installed and green electricity is used. In addition, heat from the refrigeration systems in the Konstanz and Weingarten restaurants is used to heat hot water. Electrically heated kitchen equipment will be converted to gas-powered devices as soon as a replacement is due.
The biggest challenge for Seezeit's quality management is to ensure compliance with internal HACCP standards and the many legal requirements that apply to restaurant chains. In addition, regular official food inspections and internal audits require the documentation of large amounts of data. This activity is carried out in the best interests of guests and customers, but is also time-consuming and therefore expensive. “Thanks to the testo Saveris system, we have been able to completely digitalize our data collection”, said Yvonne Lammich, deputy head of university catering at Seezeit.
Yvonne Lammich has been responsible for quality management for more than ten years and actively promotes digitalization and efficiency in her area of responsibility. “We used to print all our documents on paper. To become faster and more efficient, we needed a digital system.”
Manual data entry took up a lot of time for Seezeit employees. In addition, data collection frequently took a back seat to day-to-day operations, which often inadvertently resulted in untimely entries, incorrect measurements or incomplete documentation.
Without up-to-date measurements, however, compliance issues often go undetected or are discovered late. For example, it was not possible to respond immediately to temperature deviations in the cold store. Last but not least, the great effort involved in manually collecting data meant that the regular monitoring and measurement routine was perceived as a chore by staff.
Testo Solutions was able to support Seezeit in its efforts to become faster and more (cost-)efficient by implementing a fully digital food safety management system that incorporates all the elements of the testo Saveris Restaurant solution.
Wireless sensors are installed in the cold rooms to ensure that goods are kept at the correct temperature for safe storage. Several multifunction handles, equipped with probes for checking core temperature and cooking oil temperature, as well as the penetration/infrared thermometer testo 104, are used for continuous measurement of already prepared hot and cold food, cooking oil or even incoming goods, for example.
“The great thing is that I can assign the various checks and daily tasks directly to the employees responsible, who take care of any outstanding tasks at the right time and in the right place. If necessary, I can also remind employees of their tasks or check for incorrect entries”, said Martin Wild, Deputy Kitchen Manager at the Menseria Gießberg cafeteria at the University of Konstanz. “Last but not least, the system also allows me to prevent cheating when taking measurements.”
Instead of relying on suppliers, Martin Wild also checks the temperature of incoming goods. This has allowed him to detect occasional irregularities, such as excessive temperatures during transport. “I can check everything in real time and take a decision immediately, to comply with the regulations and eliminate any possible food safety risks.” Martin Wild explained that testo Saveris Restaurant makes his daily tasks easier.
The alarms issued in the event of deviations, for example in the cold store, also help Seezeit find solutions to challenges. “If the wireless sensor triggers an alarm, a glance at the temperature curve is enough to help us make a decision and take corrective action if necessary,” said Martin Wild. He can easily check the temperature on his computer by looking at the Saveris Cockpit, without having to call technical support. For example, he can see immediately whether a refrigerator is in its regular defrosting phase or whether there is an urgent need for action.
"Thanks to testo Saveris Restaurant and the differential measurements, we were able to locate several refrigeration units and aggregates that were either consuming more energy than necessary or were not functioning properly due to icing up."
Martin Wild
·Deputy Kitchen Manager, Menseria Gießberg cafeteria
It’s also easier to carry out regular audits. The auditors appointed by the authorities are said to have been very impressed by the testo Saveris Restaurant Cockpit with its extensive evaluation options and the detailed, seamless recording of data. The Cockpit helps with the control process because the data can be retrieved with pinpoint accuracy and, if required, exported as a PDF. There is no longer any need to spend valuable time searching for the right data.
For Seezeit, testo Saveris Restaurant has fulfilled expectations since it was first installed in November 2021. “We chose Testo because we can get everything from one source: We have the wireless sensors for the cold rooms, the complete measurement system with high-quality instruments for manual measurements and the dashboard with all the pooled information,” explained Quality Manager Yvonne Lammich. “Another big advantage is that the hardware, software and support services all come from one company in the region, which saves a lot of time.” The production team is also impressed. Martin Wild concludes: “testo Saveris Restaurant is a well-thought-out solution that makes life simpler. Once you realize that it's much easier than dealing with piles of paperwork and lists, you simply don’t want to be without it.”
"We chose Testo because we can get everything from one source. Hardware, software and support all come from the same company."
Yvonne Lammich
·Quality Manager at Seezeit