Requests from industry to develop a standard practice for determining the total cost of ownership for commercial food service equipment have led to the formation of F26.05 on Life Cycle Cost, a subcommittee of ASTM International Committee F26 on Food Service Equipment.

“An industry standard for analyzing the life cost of commercial food service equipment is needed to help the industry address challenges to provide consistent information that helps establish life expectancies and total cost of ownership for equipment and supplies,” says David Zabrowski, director of engineering, PG&E Food Service Technology Center, and F26 member. Zabrowski notes that the most common difficulty in analyzing equipment life cycle costs is that approaches vary dramatically depending on viewpoint. “To address the various concerns of different aspects of industry, a consortium comprised of manufacturers, end users, food service consultants, equipment dealers, sales agents, service agents and utility companies was formed to created a unified approach,” says Zabrowski.

Major categories to be included in the initial life cycle analysis standard are purchase price, along with costs for service and repair, preventative maintenance, utility operations, incremental labor and disposal. Results will be described as a yearly running total and a net present value. “This approach was designed specifically for manufacturers and end users of commercial food service equipment to utilize when forecasting and/or evaluating the life cycle costs of equipment by accounting for tangible differences in operating and maintenance costs of commercial food service equipment,” says Zabrowski.

Participation in Subcommittee F26.05 from all sectors of the food service industry is encouraged.

For technical Information, contact David Zabrowski, PG&E Food Service Technology Center, San Ramon, Calif. (phone: 925-866-5614; dzabrowski@fishnick.com). Committee F26 meets April 21-22, 2009, during the April committee week in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For ASTM meeting or membership information, contact Christine DeJong, ASTM International (phone: 610-832-9736; cdejong@astm.org).

Release #8130/Dec08