The Nando’s Story started centuries ago, when the Portuguese explorers set sail for the east. The winds of Africa called them ashore and it was there that they were introduced to the African birds eye chilli – more commonly known as Peri Peri. A spice like no other, they used it to create a unique Peri Peri sauce that put fire in their bellies and ignited the passion in their souls.

It was the same Peri Peri flavor that inspired Fernado Durat to invite his friend Robbie Brozin to a humble Portuguese eatery in South Africa in 1987. After just one bite of the mouthwatering Peri Peri marinated and basted chicken, they knew it was a taste that had to be shared. The rest is history!

Nando’s entered the Australian market in 1990 and now has over 250 restaurants right across the country.

We caught up with Warren Carlyle, National Facilities Manager for Nando’s Australia to discuss the role and importance of reliable, long-lasting equipment and how a planned maintenance program is ensuring the kitchens delivering Australia’s favourite Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken are getting the most from their equipment.

“Over the past few years Nando’s has rolled out an extensive national Planned Maintenance Program, supported by an asset management register. This program is helping us manage our maintenance costs and reduce asset downtime which improves both restaurant performance and extends the life of the assets.

Prior to this we were only requesting service calls when we had an issue but with our new Planned Maintenance Program we now have a Comcater Technical Service team member conducting a service call on our equipment every six months. They not only check how the equipment is running but also conduct software upgrades; it is very comprehensive. Our Planned Maintenance Program means we can now keep track of warranty periods and because we are using Comcater, we know they are only using approved parts. I’ve had experience previously where service technicians have used third party parts, they may get the equipment running quicker but it would also break down sooner.

Australia is a big country and we have national coverage with restaurants located in regional cities as well as all the capitals. Working with Comcater ensures we are able to support each region within required time frames to minimize any impact on restaurant operations.

I work very closely with Kate Rolstone, Comcater Service Delivery Manager and Andrew Wilson, Comcater National Service Manager to track our assets and deliver on our Planned Maintenance Program, they are both fantastic to deal with! We now have detailed information about our equipment and can work together to ascertain when to repair or replace our assets. Our partnership with Comcater has helped us extend the running life of our equipment, maximise our return on investment and reduce downtime from unexpected failures. It’s a perfect partnership!”

“Our goal was to extend the running life of our equipment, maximise our return on investment and eliminate equipment failures and unexpected downtime and I can confidently say we are achieving this. It’s a perfect partnership!”
Warren Carlyle
National Facilities Manager – Nando’s Australia