Supporting Product Quality for a 140 Year Old Appliance Company

Garland Commercial Ranges, a Welbilt brand, is a 140-year-old company based in Mississauga, ON, that develops, produces and sells commercial cooking equipment, such as ranges, clamshell grills, and complete cooking islands.

In 2022, Garland introduced a new propane appliance. During routine product testing, Garland’s senior engineer found that the right burner had steady gas flow, while the gas flow to the left burner was inconsistent. Steady gas flow is required to set up the unit correctly and for proper performance of the unit.

The Garland team needed a more precise method of testing the gas flow to their new appliance. They turned to the Dormont FloPro-MD. At first use they received some unusual fluctuating readings and thought the FloPro-MD was faulty and contacted their Dormont Representative. Further testing, however, showed that the FloPro-MD was indeed accurate. In fact, it had caught a defective valve issue in part of a sophisticated blower motor that controls the flow of gas.

Garland has since ordered nearly a half dozen more FloPro-MDs. “It’s a straight-forward, easy-to-use device,” said Garland senior engineer Chris Reis. They use the FloPro-MD to test appliances before they are packed for shipment, and Garland technicians use it when servicing appliances in the field. In addition, Chris has re-stocked the Garland test lab. “We bought two more for our own development work,” he said. “The original ones have now gone to the field, but we now have a new one to use and a spare.”