Teal win product of the year.

A hot water hand wash unit designed and manufactured by Teal Patents Ltd of Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham has been named new product of the year by the British Sandwich Association.

Managing Director Mike Stanley was presented with the Sammie Award for the newly launched Hygienius® at an awards dinner at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel, which was staged as part of British Sandwich Week.

The portable hot water hand wash unit was judged to be the best piece of new equipment of particular benefit to the sandwich industry. It offers a quick fix solution to ever stringent health & hygiene regulations that affect companies involved in the food industry.

The Hygienius® needs no mains water or plumbing connections to operate and is ready to use as soon as it is plugged in to a 13 amp socket. It is lightweight and has rollers so can be positioned exactly where required.

Fully automatic, the unit allows individuals to wash their hands without touching a tap - just placing hands in the bowl triggers the unique TEAL Bluesensor which instantaneously heats water and then delivers a ten second wash at the optimum temperature of 40-45°C.

It stores ten litres of clean water – enough for 50 washes – and features a separate compartment to hygienically store dirty water.

A unique illuminated sign on the front is a constant reminder to wash hands and ensures that the unit is visible.

The impressive features of the Hygienius® are matched by its environmental credentials. It uses 75 per cent less water than the best automatic taps to provide a ten second hand wash and the electronically controlled instantaneous heater keeps energy costs down to as little as one fifth of a conventionally plumbed in system.

“The Hygienius® is a cost effective and convenient ablution solution for companies and individuals who have to comply with mandatory health & hygiene regulations relating to hand washing. It has been developed by the team at Teal to meet the needs of the food industry and we are delighted to be named new product of the year for 2008 by the British Sandwich Association,” says Mike Stanley.