Tecnoinox’s success did not come overnight. It is the result of consistency harvested over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing industry of commercial kitchen equipment. By staying updated with demands of the market through technological developments, responding to them, and acquiring direct experience and learning from the manufacturing process itself, Tecnoinox made a mark in the industry.
THE SMALL BEGINNINGS
Tecnoinox started with the smaller equipment for the commercial kitchen industry. Originally founded in 1984, the founding fathers – Mario Giacomini and Dario Colonnello were both experienced professionals in the commercial kitchen equipment industry. After working together for 30 years following the ideation, one of the two retired, transforming Tecnoinox into a family business.
Since then, the company slowly grew in production, reaching the now-production of quality combi ovens.
1984 – The Foundations
Tecnoinox began as an outside contractor with the processing of stainless steel. The preliminary experience led to the production of SALAMANDERS, the company’s first equipment.
1998 – Tecno60 & Tecno65
The new modular snack line – Tecno60 and Tecno65 was produced. This was Tecnoinox’s way of penetrating the smaller food service industry.
2001 – Tecno70
Following the market success of the snack line, Tecnoinox produced Tecno70 and made an entry into the medium sized food service segment.
2005-2009 – Tecno90 & Tecno74
Tecnoinox successfully produced Tecno90 and Tecno74, an addition to its product range.
2011 – Ovens
The company decides to further respond to the market by producing TECNOCOMBI and TECNOBAKE. The full range of ovens combine technology, programming, energy efficiency, quality, and ease of use.
2015 – MOSAICO: The Compact Central Island
By reinventing modularity, Tecnoinox introduced a new concept of compact central island.
2016 – TAP® Oven
Tecnoinox produced the its first oven with a touch interface – TAP®.
2017 – TAP® Pastry Oven
The company produced a comprehensive oven for its pastry chefs.
Luckily, we also managed to catch up with Tecnoinox’ Sales Director, Martina Giacomini, to find out more on Tecnoinox’ holistic manufacturing process in the kitchen equipment industry.
Q: What is the philosophy of Tecnoinox in the industry?
A: I have to say our philosophy is different. Typically and historically, manufacturers sell equipment to distributors and distributors sell them in the market. Tecnoinox, on the other hand, wants to be of help to restaurants, hotels and catering services. We give support and product consultancy. More often than not, we do that through the different consultants and suppliers we have established a good relationship with.
We are equipment producers but we also want to focus on the end users. We don’t want to “wash our hands off” after selling the equipment – we want to offer a continued solution to the end users.
Q: What is the current size of your company? Can you also tell us about your manufacturing plants?
A: We have 90 employees. Currently, we have two manufacturing plants located in Italy. One production plant is dedicated to the production of semi-finished products (we cut and bend stainless steel foils or tubes), while the other is an assembling plant. Attached to one plant we also have offices where research and development (R&D), quality control and purchasing are taken care of. We decided to manufacture in Italy because that’s where most of our raw materials come in. Our components, on the other hand, come from Germany, Italy or Switzerland.
Q: What are some valuable lessons Tecnoinox has learned from the commercial kitchen equipment manufacturing industry?
A: There’s one thing I have learned and that’s simply this – your product is nothing until it is tested in the market. Truth is, one market is different from the other. What appears good in the Western world may not be good in Asia. A particular product may be effective for restaurants but not a cooking center. Having said that, we need to prioritise the user above anything else. We first need to identify the product user in order to segment the product.
Q: What are the protocols or principles that are applied in Tecnoinox’s manufacturing process?
A: Tecnoinox makes sure every step is taken care of in the production process. Our production starts from the stainless steel blank – we cut, press, stamp, and weld it. Our engineers work closely in this process of transforming stainless steel sheets into semi-finished products. We believe this is a way of advancing the technology in the industry.
Q: What are the factors Tecnoinox consider when making equipment for the commercial kitchen industry?
A: Any equipment has to be reliable and performing. More than 99% of Tecnoinox products that go in the market have no claims because we constantly evaluate and perform quality inspection on our products. We have learned that in the manufacturing process, you cannot solely focus on a product’s technical features – these are often taken for granted. Instead, focus on the benefits. Giving real time benefits to ends users should be a priority – they need to understand why they are buying our products. This is where we place our focus.
Q: What are some of the features that makes Tecnoinox’s equipment different from other equipment manufacturers?
A: Here’s what we believe in – an equipment should always prevent users from losing time! With this mind, we ensure that the equipment we produce are easy to use, quick, and is able to produce more quantity or food with a better quality using less time.
Q: What are your current expansion plans?
A: Presently, we are paying a whole lot of attention to IT and technology applied to the equipment we produce. This hand to go in hand with our manufacturing edge. In fact, the current features we work on incorporates wifi and will enable users to monitor the equipment remotely and easily keep in touch with our ovens. Also, we want to be able to pay attention to the key markets where we see potential growth. Relying on our distributors who are established in the local markets to market products on our behalf is not a sustainable idea – we strive to establish relationships with the local players in each market so we can keep up with the dynamism and growth of the Ho.Re.Ca. business. Be it users or consultants – as a company, we are stepping in to engage. Currently, we are working on Tecnoinox’s local presence in Singapore and Hong Kong. Outside Asia, we are working on Italy, France, Spain, and a new project in Colombia.
Q: How does Tecnoinox intend to impact commercial kitchens in the future?
A: That’s a tough question. I have to say, the impact depends on the way you see your products and objectives, while considering the challenges in the market. These days, we talk a lot about different types of kitchens – these are not just cooking centres or restaurants. As we pace through a time such as now, we need to see how we can auto-liaise with the new concepts and types of restaurants.
As an equipment manufacturer in this industry, we want to be able to imagine how food can be cooked, stored and regenerated in the latter stage. Do we need more laboour for the process or simply rely on automation? Could we avoid employing too many staff and lower the food cost while not affecting the product quality?
As a brand, Tecnoinox also wants to work closely with the producers of blast chillers and other technologies that share an important part in the process of food preservation. Its not only about Tecnoinox’ equipment, we need to focus holistically on the entire cooking process. How can users make their business more profitable? That should the rationale of the now market to step into the future.
Conversing with Martina from Tecnoinox certainly gave us a valuable insight on how the commercial kitchen equipment manufacturing industry works.
For more information on Tecnoinox, you may visit:
Address : Via Torricelli 1, 33080 Porcia (PN) – Italy
Contact : tecnoinox@tecnoinox.it
Website : www.tecnoinox.it
