SHOW REPORT: 2012 HOTELEX Products

Henny Penny Series 140 Open Fryers

Henny Penny introduced its new Series 140 open fryers at Hotelex. These fryers are manufactured in Suzhou, China and were designed for the local market. The OFE-140 (r.) is for higher-volume uses and is available in single or double vat with full or split vat configurations. The OFE-101 (l.) features a shallow footprint design. Both include digital controls and built-in oil filtration. hennypenny.com

 

Hatco Therm-Max Salamander

Our friend Deb Kopczynski, Hatco’s dir.-int’l sales, showed us a number of products the company makes for Asian and European markets in its Suzhou factory. We were taken by the Therm-Max salamander, which uses sophisticated infrared ribbon elements to provide on-demand start-up. Thus, no residual heat, saving tons of energy. The company is working on a version for the U.S. hatcocorp.com

Manitowoc/Fabristeel Heated Counter Warmer

Manitowoc Foodservice owns Fabristeel, based in Singapore. The division makes a number of products for major American and local chains and provides custom fab for lodging and other big projects. The company’s heated counter warmer was getting a workout at Hotelex, serving fried chicken and other products to show attendees. fabristeel.com.sg

Edlund Helios UV Knife Sterilizer

Another “we saw it first in Shanghai” product, this one from Edlund/Ali Group. Peter Nordell (l.) and Michael Lu showed us the company’s Helios ultraviolet knife sterilizer. The wall-mounted unit runs on 30W and uses a unique mirror arrangement to better focus and distribute the sanitizing UV rays. Cutlery sits in the unit using a magnetic bar. The unit comes with electronic or manual controls. edlundco.com

Antunes Clear Bev Cartridge Water Filters

AJA’s Daniel Schmidt, who is business development manager, and Kitty Chen, who helps run Antunes’s Suzhou operation, introduced us to Clear Bev, the company’s new water filtration system using replacement cartridges. The product was first released at Hotelex and helps the company, which also markets Vizion and Vizion Chill, offer a product line in global markets where cartridge filtration is prevalent. ajantunes.com

Cambro Inset Pans

Cambro has a factory in China and makes a wide range of products there. Because we asked for locally made products, Cambro’s Dir. of Int’l Market Development Benoit Courcelle showed us these Camwear inset pans, which are designed to fit into this rail device for storage, self-service or kitchen prep uses. The pans come in U.S. and Gastronorm sizes. cambro.com   

Midea/MKN Combi Ovens

Midea is a huge domestic and commercial appliance manufacturer in China. We featured their wide range of induction products in our Hotelex coverage last year. Midea also markets combi-ovens from the German equipment maker MKN, which also exhibited at Hotelex. midea.com.cn

KingBetter Escoffier Cook Line

Shandong Kingbetter Commercial Cooking Equipment Co. makes and markets a wide range of cooking and ventilation equipment under the Escoffier brand to markets worldwide. Theo Zhao, the company’s import/export manager showed us around. We liked this compact, self-contained modular cooking battery, which includes an integrated flexible ventilation system. kingbetter.en.alibaba.com

Chinducs Cooking Equipment

Another Chinese brand that caught our eye was Chinducs. From Eurostyle cooking batteries to induction woks and ranges, electric fryers, and even warewashers, this company, based in Jiangsu province, has CE and UL approvals, among others, for many of its products. All its products are electric and it markets the “green” aspect of that fact. chinducs.com

FCSI 21^st Century Kitchen

We stopped by to see Clara Pi, a Hong Kong-based consultant who chairs the Asia/Pacific Division of the Foodservice Consultants Society Int’l. The group incorporated several manufacturers’ brands into its “21^st Century Kitchen” display. A number of the group’s members also participated in programs on sustainability, energy savings and other topics during Hotelex. fcsi.org    

     

Guangbang Porcelain Servingware

We try to keep our eyes open for unusual smallwares and tabletop products too. These porcelain/gold chafers and servingware products from Yongkang Guangbang Kitchenware Co. got our attention. The company makes a very wide array of servingware and kitchenware products. guangbang.cn

Chiuko Heated Delivery Systems

Everywhere you go in China, you see folks on bikes, on scooters, on foot with QSR delivery bags. One of the leading makers of such systems is Chiuko, based in Shanghai. Mark Wu, the company’s business manager, gave us the tour. They system uses compact lithium ion batteries and a quick disconnect system to charge the bags. As you can see, they count many of China’s largest chains among their customers. chiuko.com

Middleby Features Its Beech, Hounö and Giga Brands

Middleby Corp., which has a factory in Pu Dong in Shanghai, and whose Middleby Worldwide has offices around the world, was showing a variety of its brands. including products from Pitco, Star/Holman and Middleby ovens. But it was cooking with Beech and Hounö ovens and Giga cooking batteries in a special display area. middleby.com

Fujimak Products And Services

One of the very large foodservice equipment conglomerates one doesn’t see too often is Japan’s Fujimak, which both makes and distributes just about everything a foodservice operation could need. They do, however, have two outposts in the Shanghai area, a manufacturing facility and a facilities design, distribution and service office, and also had a large presence at Hotelex. fujimak.com