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Our Bureau

Chennai , July 4

CookTek Induction Cooking Systems, a Chicago-based kitchen equipment provider, will look to enter the Indian market in the near future through its regional partner S.A.R.B. International, according to Mr Gregg Yanagihara, Regional Director - Asia-Pacific, CookTek.

A provider of high-end kitchen-related products such as cooktops, griddles and heated delivery products, the $20-million company has presence in the US, Europe, Australia and Africa.

Mr Yanagihara explained that the company specialises in induction technology, which uses electromagnetic energy to heat cooker-ware made of magnetic material.

Energy efficient products

The advantages of this include greater efficiency - 90 per cent of the energy goes right into the pan, as opposed to gas, which delivers 55 per cent and electric cooking, which delivers 65 per cent - and less heat given out, which allows for a more comfortable cooking environment, he said.

Apart from this, the company has one or two value adds on its products that are not on offer in the Indian kitchenware industry, he said - one of its cooktop products has an RFID tag that regulates the temperature of the pan on it. "This system is much more stable than the normal open flame system that is used in buffets in hotels, for example," he said, explaining that the food lasts longer on the CookTek product because of the minimal fluctuation in heat.

Another product that has an international patent is the pizza thermal delivery system that uses induction to keep the pizza hot over the period of time it takes to deliver it.

Currently, the Asia business accounts for about $2 million of the total revenue, but Mr Yanagihara expects this to grow to about $10 million in the next five years.

To target hotels

As far as India is concerned, he said there are about 500 hotels that are potential customers - the 5-star hotels - but `realistically about 10 to 15 per cent of them' could become customers.

The company's manufacturing centres and research and development facilities are all in Chicago, but would be looking at China and India in the near future, the former for manufacturing and the latter for research and development. "But that is in the future," he said, "after we break $10 million in Asia."

More Stories on : Outlook | Home Appliances

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