McDonald's names Henny Penny global equipment supplier of the year

McDonald's names Henny Penny global equipment supplier of the year
Tags: Burger/Steak/BBQ, Equipment & Supplies, Industry Services
June 16, 2010 - Christa Hoyland

Henny Penny Corp.'s new Low Oil Volume open fryer has earned the restaurant equipment manufacturer the honor of being named McDonald's 2009 Worldwide Equipment Supplier of the Year. The announcement was made earlier this year at the restaurant franchisor's global supplier meeting.

Henny Penny achieved the highest score in a supplier rating system called the Total Supplier Performance Index, which ranks suppliers in five major categories, including innovation, reliability and how much savings is brought to the McDonald's restaurant system.

"We are honored to receive the highest supplier award from McDonald's," said Henny Penny president, Rob Connelly, in a news release. "This is recognition of the highest order for the work everyone here at Henny Penny does on a daily basis to earn the confidence of McDonald's owners and operators around the world."

While the business relationship between Henny Penny and McDonald's goes back 30 years, the equipment supplier's introduction of its Low Oil Volume open fryer brought significant return on investment for the thousands of units installed in McDonald's restaurants in more than 30 countries over the last two years.

The innovative McDonald's LOV fryer is designed to use significantly less frying oil in the vats. Fast, easy filtering and automatic oil replenishment enable operators to make oil last far longer than in conventional fryers. Other features help reduce energy consumption and labor compared to older fryers.

Operators have been impressed with ROI on the equipment. Walter Schaub, owner of six McDonald's restaurants in Switzerland, for instance said he expects to collect the ROI for the fryer in just 14 months on energy and oil alone.

They also have been impressed by the reliability of the Henny Penny units and the responsiveness of the Henny Penny team, which provided the necessary technical support that comes with transitioning from older equipment to new technology.

Leif Scovby Andersen, owner of four restaurants in Copenhagen, Denmark, said, "At the time I purchased fryers for my locations, Henny Penny was releasing their version of the LOV frying technology. But I wasn't easily convinced, until I recognized that the Henny Penny LOV was problem free."

For Henny Penny, the company understands that McDonald's equipment supplier index isn't merely a way to determine who gets the award for a job well done but also is a means of encouraging suppliers to build on their efforts going forward.

"We're grateful to McDonald's leadership for the vision they provide in the opportunity for McDonald's owners to deal directly with our company and our products," said Sam Bailey, Henny Penny's senior account manager, McDonald's Worldwide. "We will continually strive to raise the bar on our customer service, technical support and the value we bring to their business."