In our editorial list for this section of the magazine this year, we wanted to find the illusive answer to the burgeoning question that has always been on our mind – “Customise Equipment in the market – how relevant and necessary is it today?” We have met with fabricators and several manufacturers over the last 5 years, many of whom have been featured in our pages.
When we first started, our focus has always been on technology and equipment. Questions arose on how one could prepare food, better, faster, and tastier or crispier in some cases. Even equipment for a simple item like half boiled eggs in big volume , a particularly favourite breakfast item in Malaysia and Singapore is now available in the market (You can read more about it in Volume 20, page 77). We believe that these innovations and equipment came about from the simple question – can your equipment do this?
The various manufacturers that we have met had one goal in common – how to do things better and faster. For some, they have stayed focused on a single range of product while others have branched out to carry a multiple range of products. There were also manufacturers who came from completely different fields such as steel product fabricators, from companies like Liebherr and Metos to name a few. It is with these skills from the previous industry that have given them a useful start, thus enabling them to do better.
Customised or specially fabricated equipment are available in the market if you want to find one but there are many factors that you should take into account before you decide to go down that path. For example, its shape – if it requires a mould, the cost could be quite a staggering amount if you are only making one or two units. The other would be to ensure its functionality and features. The necessary R&D it takes to ensure that the final product produced is the desired output could be a tedious process and a costly route to take.
Manufacturers today have actually designed and built equipment to do more than just one function. Tireless R & D and continuous improvement has seen equipment change not just in look but are now also fitted with many new features. For example, the connectivity feature has enabled remote control and reduced the need for constant monitoring. We believe every equipment has its strengths and how one user feels about it could be different from the experience of another. So, take the time to reach out to a brand and get the answers you want.
In line with our 5th year anniversary, we would like to reintroduce the brands and equipment that have shared their growth and history with us since we started. This has allowed us to learn a great deal from them as we shared their knowledge, information and success in our pages.
Volume 1 WINTERHALTER –Cleaning Duties: Bring It To The Dishwashing Machines
“Be resource smart, 20% to 35% of a restaurant’s energy costs is attributed to the washing area”.
www.winterhalter.com.my
Volume 2 HOSHIZAKI –The Ice Cube Beginning & A Kitchen Revolution
“Ice is food – don’t take it lightly”
www.hoshizaki.com.sg
Volume 3 CONVOTHERM –Driven By Enthusiasm, Spearheading New Dimensions
“Customer focus & product innovation head on – no matter the challenge”
www.convotherm.com
Volume 4 IRINOX –Focused On Its Vision For Top Food Quality
“With today’s technology, freshness no longer correlates with “time” but smart and safe preservation techniques”
www.irinox.com
Volume 5 NAYATI –Tools Of The Trade, Made To Fit For Each Chef
“Diversity drives innovative solutions”
www.nayati.com
Volume 6 ROLLER GRILL –Making It Big With Small Equipment
“Bridging the gap and creating opportunity – no matter how small”
www.roller-grill.com
Volume 6 FRIDGEMAKER –There’s Art In Fridge Making
“Fridges is more than just a cabinet or a food storage box”
www.fridgemaker.com
Volume 7 MEIKO –Going Beyond Efficient Warewashing
“Hygienic warewashing is not more water and more energy but do things with a little more thought”.
www.meiko-asia.com
Volume 7 HALLDE –
Volume 8 ELECTROLUX –Engaging & Equipping The Professionals
“Your customers’ need is your direction to create intelligent and field-tested features”
www.professional.electrolux.com.sg
Volume 8 VORWERK –Compact Thermomix, Unending Possibilities
“We might be small but it doesn’t make us any less effective”
www.thermomix.com
Volume 9 HALTON –Enabling Wellbeing Through Healthy Air
“Being innovative is second nature when you have a burning passion for something”
www.halton.com
Volume 9 MORETTI FORNI –Pioneering Pizza To Perfection
“Its about finding the sync of retaining origins but still keeping up with world trends”
www.morettiforni.com
Volume 10 FIREX –Large Food Volumes? Do It Well With Firex
“To do better, faster with improved levels of productivity, it is only with technology”
www.firex-foodequipment.com
Volume 10 FRYMASTER –Excellence In Deep Frying Technology
“Excite, entice and enable food operators, to do more with less”
www.frymaster.com
Volume 11 BUNN –The Beverage Maverick
“Guiding your customer to the right product is more important than offering a huge line-up of models”
www.bunn.com
Volume 12 RATIONAL –Consistency, a rational (e) aim in every kitchen
“A dream equipment is not to replace a human but to function as a supportive partner”
www.rational-online.com
Volume 12 LIEBHERR –
Volume 13 MERRYCHEF –The Express Foodservice Experts
“In business, people first, product follows”
www.merrychef.com
Volume 13 IceTeam 1927 –A Sweet Treat Anytime With Iceteam 1927
“Adding versatility but staying traditional”
www.iceteam1927.it
Volume 14 FRANKE –
Volume 14 OZTI –From Turkey To The World
“From idea to service, commitment to follow through”
www.ozti.com.tr
Volume 15 MKN –Crafters Of Functional Aesthetics
“Equipment today should not only be functional but also – to put it bluntly – sensual”
www.mkn.eu
Volume 15 INFRICO –An Intuition For Refrigeration
“Perfect the art of refrigeration yet not letting it limit their imagination”
www.infrico.es
Volume 16 METOS –Kitchen Intelligence, Engineered At Metos
“Intelligence? The ability to learn or understand a situation followed by the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate the situation”
www.metos.com
Volume 16 HOBART –A Visionary Across The Century
“Understand – Simplify – Focus – Innovate”
www.hobart-export.com
Volume 17 PACOJET –
Volume 17 ROBOT COUPE –50 Years In Food Preparation Equipment
“Concentration on technology and innovation to improve nutritional quality when serving fruit and raw vegetables”
www.robot-coupe.com
Volume 18 UNOX –A Trending Topic
“It not about improving your current solutions but going to the root of the problem and rethinking the entire system”
www.unox.com
Volume 18 HAMILTON BEACH –Simplifying The Food Prep Life
“Know what you need and assess what matters for durability”
www.hamiltonbeachcommercial.com
Volume 19 SAMMIC –Catering To The Mediterranean Crowd And Beyond
“Get up close and personal and anticipate the markets’ needs”
www.sammic.com
Volume 19 SCOTSMAN –All Hail The Queen Of Ice
“It is not the origin but originality and innovation to go forward”
www.scotsman-ice.com
Volume 20 VIRUTEKK –Going Big? Get Strategized With Virutekk
“What sets you apart, aside from taste of food, is the effectiveness of your business operations”
www.virutekk.com
All information are curated from past issues from 2012 to 2017. All comments are the writer’s opinion. The opinions and comments expressed in these articles are the author’s own.
