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The Middleby Corp. has expanded globally again, acquiring the assets of Induc Commercial Electronics, a Qingdoa, China, manufacturer of commercial induction-cooking equipment. Induc, an established brand in China with a growing presence in other Asian countries, has annual revenues of approximately $10 million. “We are excited to add Induc to our portfolio of innovative technologies,”…

A transition has taken place in Alto-Shaam’s international business team. Mark Kreple, Senior V.P. of International Sales, has moved into a consulting role at the Menomonee Falls, Wis., company. Kreple spent 11 years leading the development and management of Alto-Shaam’s international business; he oversaw a near tripling of sales volume in global sales and the…

Strong gains in same-store sales and traffic pushed up the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index in April. One indicator of capital spending was flat while the other rose sharply. The overall RPI rose 0.5 point to 102.7. It was the 26th consecutive month the index indicated the restaurant industry is expanding. Any reading of…

It doesn’t happen very often, but our forecasting partner John Muldowney, Principal at Clarity Marketing, and I actually had a minor disagreement about how fast the foodservice equipment and supplies market has been growing. But after much debate, we are now sticking with our current estimates and forecasts for 2014 and 2015. Last July, at…

While I watched Baxter the Robot operating equipment at The Middleby Corp. booth during the National Restaurant Association Show last month, I heard a man behind me sigh, “Looks like I’m out of a job.” Middleby, Pitco and automation engineering firm Gibson Engineering out of Norwood, Mass., joined forces to create a demonstration featuring a…

As we wrote two weeks ago, we think 2015 will be the best year for equipment and supplies sales in the current economic cycle. Every part of the market—chains, the street business, the spec markets—are humming along. Restaurant operators had another strong month in April, according to the latest National Restaurant Association Restaurant Performance Index.…

Heritage Parts recently announced its accreditation by the Better Business Bureau for its e-commerce site. The endorsement, which includes the highest validation with an A+ rating as a BBB-accredited business, underlines the Fort Wayne, Ind., company’s commitment to the bureau’s “Standards of Trust” and delivering quality products for its online business. Businesses earning BBB accreditation…