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22 FEDA News & Views ATS Logistics / Restaurant Supply Division 20-years experience shipping equipment & supplies to the foodservice industry Zero administrative expenses or fees Custom Freight Solutions utilizing super-regional & national partners Rate shop the best carriers in N. America for most desireable service lanes at reduced rates Deliver to more 1-2 days points with LTL's lowest claims rates When you must have a truckload, you must have ATS Parcel ground service that is customizable, reliable and more cost-effective Explicit delivery receipt to eliminate unplanned accessorial charges Full-visibility on web routing with immediate vendor compliance Real invoice audit including weight & class comparison to spec sheets In transit expediting & damage control Call Thomas Pine 614-725-9095 Service is the only thing we have to sell. Foster Frable continued continued on page 26 with water quality. With these improvements, the combi started to become popular in a wide range of settings—from institutional to fine dining—particularly those operated by chefs trained in Europe, who had combi experience. Manufacturing improve- ments evolved and controls became more flexible and user- friendly; reliability issues with steam generation were mostly resolved in the third or fourth genera- tion of production. Addressing Clearance Requirements The latest offerings have finally start- ed to address the remaining issues that have held back many operators: overall size was reduced to fit smaller kitchens, and the requirements for service clear- ance were reduced, or at least made more transparent to the design com- munity. Your customers are less likely to discover in the "fine print" that the new $20,000 combi they just purchased has to be placed 16 to 20 inches away from other heat-producing equipment in order to protect the control components from temperature overload conditions and component failure. This requirement can be a killer when trying to sell a customer a full-sized combi to replace a 36-inch pressure or convection steamer or convection oven. Because older equipment uses mostly electromechanical controls serviced from the front, side clearance requirements have not been an issue. Add this to the fact that a large majority of combi manufac- turers place their controls on the left side, opposite that of a standard convection oven or steamer. This can create more than just a service access issue. It's also difficult for many oper- ators to use the oven, particularly when they have been accustomed to split or "French" doors (which are common on most convection ovens). There are two solutions offered by some of the manufacturers to alleviate this: revers- ible hinging, or recessed doors, that slide and pivot, allowing them to be stored on the side of the oven. Both are an extra cost option and both leave the controls on the opposite side of where the chef may be working. The other option is to look for the few combi manufacturers that put the control panel on the right side. Groen, Hobart, and some Blodgett models have right-hand controls. The mini combi and at least one full-sized combi (UNOX), have the control panel on the bottom of the oven. The best scenario would be for all manufacturers to offer the option of right- or left-hand controls, which is common with several models of convection ovens. Alto Shaam received the 2014 NRA Kitchen Innovations award for its new combi design. The primary benefits of the new design were the "Zero Clearance" requirement for the control panel and the new PROpower "Turbo" feature that increases the combi production capacity by up to 20 percent. This doesn't eliminate the need to have space available for ser- vice access, but that could be achieved by placing the combi, or the adjacent piece of equipment, on casters. The Economics of It All The combi has now become a basic component of most food operations. Improved reliability, high performance con- trol system, foolproof self-cleaning, and the ability to perform a wide variety of cooking methods are all compelling reasons to encourage buyers to consider the combi. The introduction of the mini combi and ventless combi, as well as reduced pric- ing from the volume manufacturers, have changed the food preparation landscape. Consider that for around $1,000 or a 10 percent increase over the cost of a countertop steamer, a customer can have a countertop mini combi with far more flexibility. The price points for the mini and small countertop combi are also in the range or even less expensive than that of full-sized high-speed ovens like TurboChef and MerriChef. While these speed ovens are great at fast-toasting sandwiches or making a fast pizza, they pale in comparison to what a combi can do in terms of For customers to get the benefits of a combi, they need guidance and training during startup, which local factory people can provide.