After 30 years of market-leading performance and sales in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Eloma's lines of combi ovens were introduced to the U.S. foodservice industry during last month's NRA Show. Bob McLoughlin, VP of Product Management for Eloma, noted that the company's Genius combi ovens' striking design drew as much notice from booth visitors as their boilerless technology and array of innovative features.

Much in evidence in the Eloma section of Aga Foodservice Equipment's NRA booth were chain restaurant personnel and independent restaurant owner/operators, many of whom came in for spontaneous meetings after viewing the Eloma combis' well-balanced proportions and compact footprints and stayed for discussions of their boilerless technology and energy- and water-saving capabilities. According to McLoughlin, the Eloma features that attracted the greatest interest among show-goers were the company's user-friendly Genius controls, the patented heat exchanger, precise humidity controls and AutoClean function. There was also considerable interest in the gas-fired Genius models that will be introduced later this year.

"We're now dealing with end-users and specifiers who are much better educated than in past years about combis' capabilities and applications, which I think improves the prospects for Eloma's models whose boilerless technology alone offers competitive advantages in efficient performance and up-keep," McLoughlin explained. He added that while automated digital controls are becoming more popular with prospective combi purchasers and specifiers, Eloma models may also be selected with traditional functional controls that appeal to those end-users who still remain mistrustful of pre-set cooking applications.

Also notable among those who sought information about Eloma combis was a clear awareness that these products' boilerless design in no way sacrifices cooking performance compared with boiler-based models, while offering energy and water-use reductions and fewer maintenance requirements. "We also appreciate the fact that operators and consultants are now more willing than before to consider the cost of combis over their effective use-life, as well as what will be required to keep them running during those years. Because Eloma boilerless combis are easier to use, clean and maintain than conventional models, end-users were coming to us at NRA to learn more about their capabilities," McLoughlin commented. "They seemed particularly intrigued by the ability to custom-program Eloma models with their own recipes using our Windows-style interface technology."

Features and benefits such as these, in McLoughlin's view, will help Eloma build positive brand recognition among U.S. end-users and specifiers. He related that potential customers seemed receptive to information about Eloma combi's 30-year record of reliable performance in foodservices and retail food outlets, and the equipment's patented highly efficient and flexible cooking technology.

To help ensure domestic operators and consultants are able to realize the full potential of their Eloma combis, as well as to introduce better food-safety practices and reduce labor requirements, Eloma personnel are now collaborating with counterparts at Victory Refrigeration to develop joint applications and mutually supportive features for AFE's combi and blast chiller lines. "From this point forward, we'll work together to make sure operators can cook and safely chill foods for inventory as quickly and effectively as possible," McLoughlin affirmed.