Invested for the Long Term

Burlodge believes in a highly personable and practical approach to client relationships. “There’s an openness that we maintain with our clients,” says Burlodge North America President Paul Gauntley.

In an era when business relationships are increasingly defined solely by the bottom line, some organizations are more invested in the loyalty and long-term benefits of active collaboration. Take Burlodge Canada’s relationship with Trillium Health Partners, which spans more than 25 years. Trillium oversees three hospital sites in Mississauga and West Toronto, Ontario, and provides a full range of acute care services for a highly diverse community. The success of this ongoing connection is thanks to the active partnership that has evolved between Burlodge Canada and long-time Food and Nutrition Services Managers Gina Carvalho of Mississauga Hospital and Carol Steffler of Credit Valley Hospital, who have worked with Burlodge Canada for over 25 years.

Every day, these food professionals confront a tide of challenges. Most are modest, some are major, but whatever the scale of the interactions, they typically adhere to those ideals codified in the Burlodge tagline: Together, We Work.

The Work Beyond the Words

Promises, intentions, assurances — every equipment provider is quick to furnish them upon making a sale. But words only have so much traction. Tangible action is what matters, and it’s a defining quality of Burlodge relationships. Producing state-of-the-art equipment for today’s high-pressure industrial kitchen environments is one part of the puzzle. Standing behind that equipment and supporting clients at every juncture is the difference, according to Paul Gauntley. “I’m never afraid to lift a rock to find out what’s beneath it,” he says. When it comes to client service, challenges come with the territory. The response is what matters — and that take-action approach is deeply embedded in Burlodge’s culture. “There’s an openness that we maintain with our clients,” says Gauntley. “They know that we’re there with them.”

Hands-On Know-How

Steffler oversees a decentralized retherm system that uses unit kitchens where the food is heated. Her operation has been equipped with multiple generations of Burlodge equipment, including the Alphagen and Novaflex, before recently adopting the RTS system. For each implementation, the Burlodge team has been at Steffler’s side to develop the plan and work alongside her team for as long as it takes to get everyone trained and the system up and running. “There was really no one else that did what the Burlodge carts would do,” she explains. “They helped us through the inevitable challenges that come with any change.”

Most company training is limited compared with Burlodge’s on-site activities, especially for those equipment providers who rely on third-party dealers to handle sales. Their after-sales support is rarely sufficient. Burlodge prides itself not only in the close collaboration, but it also tends to hire from within the food industry. That hands-on experience is indispensable.

“They know the industry, and they’ve operated in the industry,” says Carvalho. “That’s invaluable because they can speak to staff with a level of, ‘Yes, I’ve done that.’ A lot of other companies have not worked in here.” For problem solving, that experience immediately places Burlodge one step ahead.

Empower the Client

One of the common systems adopted by the Trillium locations has been the B-Lean tray assembly, a flexible, pod-based work cell system that can be quickly configured and customized into a variety of formats. During installation, Burlodge worked with Carvalho’s staff to create a space that could accommodate the assembly of 700 trays per meal period.

Physically equipping the space was one factor, but the way in which Burlodge inspired employees to contribute made a difference. “My staff learned from Paul’s team,” Carvalho points out. “They explain; they teach. For me, it empowered the staff. It takes a huge amount of pressure off me as a manager to have that kind of expertise transferred to the staff. And the staff respect that.”

For Steffler, it was the capacity to do more without adding more costs or extending mealtimes that resonated. “B-Lean tray assembly solved a big problem because healthcare budgets are limited. Now we’re serving 200 more patients than we did a few years ago, from 340 to 540, in just a nominal amount more time. The efficiencies from the B-Lean system meant that we didn’t have to add extra assembly staff and could continue to feed patients at their usual mealtimes.”

Optimising Staff Resources

Operations everywhere continued to struggle with maintaining staff levels, which meant foodservice managers welcomed any opportunity to do more with less. That’s been the advantage of the BCloud HACCP remote monitoring and reporting system. This technology revolutionizes fleet control as managers can now program everything from a single location rather than needing to visit each cart. It tracks mission-critical events for each cart and archives information, so managers have enhanced HACCP reporting and compliance at their fingertips.

“BCloud is huge for team leaders — they love it,” says Carvalho, whose operations use both centralized and decentralized retherm models. “They used to be walking all the time; now they’re watching. The technology has helped us get better.”

The pandemic revealed Burlodge’s capacity for reliability and rapid response. Trillium had to open a 200-bed Pandemic Response Unit to prepare for the anticipated wave of patients. Carvalho recalls how anxious everyone was feeling, but Burlodge quickly mustered a fleet of additional B-Pods. “We did everything we had to do to make it safe,” she recalls. “The pandemic took those relationships into uncharted territory.”

Another example of Burlodge’s philosophy of meeting client need is the cutlery wrapper, which has been sourced from a German manufacturer. For Steffler, this machinery has sped up cutlery wrapping while easing the pressure on staff to perform this task. The cutlery wrapper also addresses another key pandemic issue: hygiene. Trusting just one person (rather than a group) to feed utensils into the machine while never touching the napkin provides a more reassuring and sanitary solution.

A Commitment to Connection

These situations all speak to the bigger ideals that Burlodge brings to the table.

 “If you’re wondering about a solution, then it’s good to call them,” says Steffler. “They have eyes and ears with connections in institutions across the country, and they’ll talk about the issues.” Gauntley reiterates the importance of being able to draw on the company’s experience and knowledge. He points to his “Five Cs” philosophy to guide healthy relationships.

• Topping that list is client service. “Clients know when they contact us that they’ll access a group of people working very hard to make sure their needs are met.”

• Communication. “You can never overcommunicate.”

• Commitment. “For me, that’s the promise that we will fulfill our obligations. That’s integrity.”

• “Creativity, which speaks to how innovative we can be and ensures that we’re never complacent.”

• “Finally, courage. The courage to be a leader and try something new and to do so with conviction. If there’s a risk to that, clients understand courage is essential to move forward.”

Combined, those ideals encompass that together, “we work” sensibility. It’s not just a tagline — it’s an aspiration and a guiding principle that finds expression in a multitude of ways, every day.

– ALIWORLD, The Ali Group Magazine, October 2023, Issue 11, pages 51-53