A warm welcome

Roadchef is one of Britain's leading roadside service area businesses, operating at 30 motorway and major trunk road service area locations covering the length and breadth of the country. Roadchef now caters for over 46 million customer visits per year. In 2007 the company began a major refurbishment programme and chose Airdri to install 500 hand dryers across 28 sites to its widely used washroom facilities, kitchens and shower blocks.

Majorly important to the company’s success, Roadchef’s washrooms are a very welcome sight to drivers, often who have travelled many miles – especially those with very young or very old passengers. The washrooms are in almost constant use seven days a week and must also cater for sudden rushes of coach parties and even multitudes of campers – often rather grubby – from seasonal events like Glastonbury or Formula 1 Racing.

Excellent serviceability and competitive pricing were also high on the agenda. Low noise levels were another important criteria, to help create a welcoming environment and because research has shown children can be intimidated by loud machinery.

Environmentally friendly & quieter

Airdri’s energy efficient and low noise Quartz and Quarto were chosen. The lifespan of the dryers is six times longer than other fast dry models and their energy efficiency means that they pay for themselves within 12 months. The Quartz was also the first hand dryer to receive the Quiet Mark, an international mark of approval from the UK Noise Abatement Society. Installation at Roadchef was straightforward too, with no need for re-wiring or re-tiling.

Kevin Ellis, Airdri’s service engineer for Roadchef, responsible for installation, service and repair, said: "Roadchef has noticed a huge improvement in the maintenance of its busy washrooms. They now have incredibly reliable, quieter and more environmentally-friendly dryers. Servicing is quick and easy, meaning my time can be used effectively when and where required."

Roadchef has now extended its contract with Airdri until 2019, bringing the successful partnership to 12 years and counting.

Mike Jackson, Roadchef director of purchasing and data, concluded: "Roadchef is delighted to be able to continue working with Airdri for a further period following a long and successful trading relationship. Our business is reliant on equipment within our washrooms which is reliable, robust and cost effective and Airdri's machines tick all of those boxes and more.”