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The innovative and money-saving line of steam-cooking equipment from Stellar Steam is being ramped up for greater availability and more wide-spread promotion as a result of the company's integration into the new Aga Foodservice Equipment division. Bob McLoughlin, VP of Sales & Product Management for Stellar, said that this expansion plan is gaining momentum from the group's world-class manufacturing resources and emerging new market opportunities.
"As an AFE company, we are able to experience better brand recognition and receive more respect; Stellar isn't being seen just as a niche company any more," he commented. "We expect to repay our parent company's investment by growing our market share and profits significantly this year as we spread the word about our energy- and water-saving technology to more industry members via marketing and an expanded industry presence."
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Stellar Steam's line of boilerless steamers is widely accepted by end-users due to low life-cycle costs, as well as water and energy savings.
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With more Stellar steamer units then ever now being constructed at AFE's Cherry Hill, NJ, headquarters plant, Stellar plans to target new sales in the supermarket (home meal replacement) and foodservice sectors. Growth projections are based on rising industry recognition of the daily savings, increased reliability, and unsurpassed cooking performance made possible by Stellar steamers' boilerless design.
Mcloughlin explained that because all Stellar steamers are boilerless, no cooling water is needed to vent vapors down a drain. This can allow end-users to conserve as much as 60 gallons of water per hour compared to conventional boiler steamers, as Stellar units use water only to make steam. What's more, because Stellar steamers' cooking cavities are made of cast aluminum, they heat up faster and retain heat longer, providing daily energy savings versus competitive models. Stellar, whose cavity design is patented, is also the only steamer manufacturer able to heat cooking chamber walls above the water line to a higher temperature than the steam itself, thus eliminating condensation on inner cavity surfaces, increasing BTU output and cooking foods more quickly with extra retained moisture. "One of the hallmarks of Stellar's technology is the ability to operate more efficiently than traditional steamers while eliminating all the maintenance, repairs and downtime required by older boiler steamer designs," McLoughlin pointed out.
Because of their category-leading performance characteristics and low rates of energy use, all Stellar steamers have either already earned Energy Star certification or are expected to do so in 2006, according to McLouglin. He added that the company's newest four-pan models are now being Energy Star tested, with six-pan units scheduled for this evaluation later in the year. "Once we have completed the Energy Star process for all models, specifying consultants will have additional, documented proof of the savings Stellar products can create for their clients, as well as a new way to qualify end-users for the increasingly available cash rebates being offered by state governments and utility agencies," he stressed.
As the operational advantages of boilerless steamers continue to become better known to specifiers, end-users are likely to become more appreciative of the newer technology with its dramatically lower life-cycle costs, reduced downtime and fewer maintenance requirements. "That's one strong reason why we expect notable sales growth in 2006, since Stellar has been the acknowledged leader in boilerless technology for the past five years," McLoughlin related. "Our job now is to ensure that more customers and consultants become aware that Stellar's entire line can compete with any boiler steamer in terms of cooking performance, while offering reliability and energy efficiencies no competing models can match." |
