Foodservice Equipment & Supplies

JAN 2016

Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazines is an industry resource connecting foodservice operators, equipment and supplies manufacturers and dealers, and facility design consultants.

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10 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • JANUARY 2016 people & events I t is anticipated that early in 2016, Manitowoc Foodservice will spin off from Manitowoc Corporation to become a stand-alone, publicly traded com- pany. To prepare for the changes ahead, Manitowoc Foodservice had a busy 2015. The multi-line foodservice equipment manufacturer hired Hubertus Muehlhaeuser to serve as its president in August. A few months later the company announced it was planning to close its Cleveland manufacturing plant and move production of the items made there to other locations. Of course, steps like these are only the beginning for Manitowoc Foodservice. FE&S; interviewed Muehlhaeuser about what lies ahead for the company and its customers. FE&S;: Does coming from a different background/industry help in your new role? HM: My prior experiences in consulting, the agricultural equipment industry and private business complement and prepared me very well for my new role. You might say that I worked along the food value chain, starting from being an executive in the agricultural equipment industry to consulting with various other companies in the areas of food processing and food equipment down to favor companies. I also not only grew up in corporate businesses but have experience in family businesses, too. In the foodservice industry, there are lots of family-run operations and dealers. A family business possesses an entrepreneurial spirit every company should encourage, and that entrepreneurial spirit is a core value of Manitowoc Foodservice going forward. Working in the agricultural equipment industry and consulting also provides a fresh outside-in perspective. For example, the agricultural equipment industry has gone to a more full-line approach when it comes to the equipment that is offered. I believe this strategy is useful for the foodservice industry as well. Kitchen and restau- rant operators do not necessarily want to talk to 25 different companies when they could talk to one that offers both hot and cold side equipment and understands the challenges of the entire kitchen, rather than only the individual appliances. FE&S;: Manitowoc Foodservice is in the process of spinning off into a stand-alone company. How will this beneft its customers? HM: Our target is to spin off in the frst quarter of 2016. We can now focus solely on the foodservice industry, reinvesting our profts in our leading brands and bringing new innovations to the market. As an independent company, we have terrifc potential. For example, we not only have strong brands but, most of the time, the leading technology solutions. FE&S;: Manitowoc recently announced plans to phase out production at its Cleveland facility and will shift manufacturing of several key lines to other facilities. How will it beneft the company's customers moving forward? HM: We had over-capacity in North America on the hot side. Establishing centers of excellence in Canada and Louisiana will enhance product quality and reduce lead times. It's never easy to make changes like this, but our workforce has been very helpful. We are managing the move carefully, and it is going very smoothly. The amount Lenny's Subs raised for the No Kid Hungry program. As part of a two-month promotion, the 100- plus location sandwich chain asked patrons to donate $1 each time they visited. The proceeds equate to more than 300,000 meals for children in need, per a company release. $30,196 The amount donated by the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management to Love In Action, a New Orleans-area all-volunteer food bank. $10,000 The percent of chefs surveyed that said local sourcing was the food trend that grew the most in the last decade. And 41 percent said environmental sustainability would grow most over the next 10 years, per the National Restaurant Asso- ciation's 2016 What's Hot Forecast. 44 Manitowoc Foodservice Looks Ahead to Life as a Stand-Alone Company

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