Syracuse China to Close Factory

Syracuse China, which was founded in 1873, will shut down their Salina, NY factory in March of 2009.  The closing will put at least 275 employees out of a job.  John F. Meier, chairman and CEO of Libbey Inc., the parent company of Syracuse China, said the move was made to improve efficiency and decrease costs by manufacturing overseas.  "While considerable efforts have been made at Syracuse China to reduce costs, the operations continue to fall short of our strategic expectations," Meier said to the Syracuse Post-Standard.  Long-time employees and natives to the area were shocked by the decision.  

A decision like this is nothing new to our industry or any industry.  Several years ago, Oneida purchased Buffalo China, only to close the factory and manufacture overseas under the Buffalo name.  Cheap labor and materials abroad makes being competitive in the U.S. increasingly difficult.  Almost every smallwares manufacturer imports products from foreign countries to remain competitive.  While it's upsetting to see a quality factory close, the china business is cyclical.  Last year, Niagara Ceramics took over the Buffalo China factory and began manufacturing products under their name.  Niagara produces high quality, American made patterns that foodservice operations have been using for years, including Manhattan Gold, Undecorated, and Patriot, which is equivalent to Espree from Buffalo.   Niagara's products are significantly less expensive than Buffalo because they have low overhead and can control costs easily.  Plus, customers are buying an American made product and supporting our economy. In an industry that is seeing far too many products imported from overseas,  it's nice to still be able to buy from a company like Niagara.  Niagara isn't alone as Homer Laughlin still manufactures all of their china in West Virginia.  

BSC Earns Recognition for Kitchen Design

Boston Showcase Company recently earned the Facility Design Project of the Month from Foodservice Equipment and Supplies magazine for the design of Davio's at Patriot Place. BSC's Gary Strickland, Vice President of Engineering, designed the kitchen with help from the owner and architect. Read the fully story here.

Controls for Griddles

Griddles are now available with three options for controls.  Five years ago, nearly every griddle sold had manual controls.  Now, snap-action and solid state thermostatic controls give the operator more flexibility and control of the griddle.  These controls are also seen on other equipment, including Char-Broilers, convection ovens and fryers.   The key element when selecting this option is to know what you will be cooking and how often.  Some griddles are energy efficient as well.  The good people at Fisher Nickel, a company that evaluates commercial foodservice equipment's energy efficiency through testing, determined several energy efficient griddles. 

Manual - This is the most basic control and the least expensive but places the most responsibility on the operator to control the temperature.  Manual controls operate like a typical household gas burner.  Operators can raise or lower the flame by turning the knob.  The biggest downside of manual controls is that if left untouched, the griddle temperature will continue to rise as the plate continues to absorb heat, even on the lowest setting.  This is the biggest reason why manual controls are slowly becoming obsolete.  When there is a slow period in the kitchen, food like eggs and frozen meat are difficult to cook without burning. Manual griddles are recommended for users looking to save money, have an experienced operator, or use the griddle consistently throughout a shift.  

Snap-Action Thermostat - This allows the operator to control the thermostat at temperatures ranging from 150 to 550 degrees, depending on the manufacturer.  Most manufacturers guarantee the temperature within ten degrees, plus or minus.  The temperature will stay fairly consistent with snap-action controls.  When cold food hits the surface and the temperature begins to drop, the thermostat will "snap" on and heat up.  On the flip side, the thermostat will not let the surface get too hot. 

Solid State Thermostat - This is the Cadillac of griddle controls.  With solid state controls, the griddle surface will maintain heat to within one degree of the thermostat.  Chains such as McDonalds demand equipment that maintains the exact temperature, which allows their operators to follow an exact cooking plan.  Even with a snap-action thermostat, a burger that is supposed to be cooked for four minutes at 325 degrees might be undercooked if the temperature drops eight degrees for two of those minutes. A solid state thermostat produces consistent food and reduces operator's errors.

Many of the manufacturers that Boston Showcase Company works with have these options including Vulcan, Wolf, Star, Magi'Kitch'N, and Garland/US Range.