COVER STORY


a physical environment in which technologies can be explored, but Doug’s description of systems integration suggests that Rademaker sees the relationship continuing long after the equipment has been installed. “We look at that transaction as a lifelong


journey where we’re alongside that customer all the way to the end,” he said. Perhaps the clearest indication of that


philosophy comes when Rademaker returns to a customer site and the relationship has moved beyond commissioning. “When we walk into a plant that we’ve just been in, it’s a blessing to have somebody recognise you and go, ‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. We have a whole bunch of questions.’” From the perspective of a visit to the Experience Centre, it is a useful way of understanding what sits behind the machinery on display. Systems integration is not simply about connecting equipment. It is about understanding the product, the factory, the people and the pressures surrounding them – and building a production system capable of adapting as those factors change.


From equipment supplier to technical partner


considered, with the process allowing both sides to make adjustments before a system is built. “We make a lot of pivots around here,” Nick


says. “They’ll have something already here where they think this is what they’re going to do. They come in here and we work together and, in the end, it comes out and we’ll figure out, ‘Let’s tweak this and tweak that.’” For customers, that can reduce the risk


to O’Hare and making it easier for customers across North America to access. That accessibility is particularly important


because the centre offers something that a brochure, virtual demonstration or trade show cannot: the opportunity to bring ingredients, recipes and personnel into the facility and work directly with Rademaker’s equipment. The centre houses two Radini production


lines, one focused on artisan breads and highly hydrated doughs, and another featuring a three- section laminator with a make-up table and croissant machine. Alongside these are spiral mixers, proofers, retarders, coolers, freezers and deck ovens. “We wanted to be able to have here the


Nick Magistrelli, Vice President of Sales


During my visit, I also spoke with Nick Magistrelli, Vice President of Sales for Rademaker USA, about the thinking behind the facility and how its role has developed since opening. For Nick, the decision to establish the centre


in Chicago was part of a much longer move towards greater independence for Rademaker’s North American operation. Rademaker USA was incorporated in the US in 1984 and had moved into a larger facility in Hudson, Ohio by the late 1990s. But, as Nick explains, being thousands of miles from the company’s customer base made local capability increasingly important. “Being 4,000-plus miles away from our


customer base, it was important for them and for us to be here and be local,” he says. The experience of Covid further highlighted the need to strengthen that local presence, particularly around service, sales and parts. Two years ago, Rademaker made the decision to expand into Chicago, while retaining its Hudson operation, placing the new facility close


ability where, if somebody doesn’t want to make the trip to the parent company in the Netherlands, they could fly locally, bring their ingredients here and then have their personnel come here,” Nick explains. That hands-on approach is central to the


centre’s purpose. Customers can work with Rademaker’s dough technologists, test their own ingredients and see how their dough behaves on the proposed equipment. As Nick puts it, customers can “kick the tires” before committing to a major investment. It also reflects a broader change in


Rademaker’s approach. Historically, the company saw itself primarily as a bakery equipment manufacturer: provide a specification and Rademaker would build the machine. Today, the relationship is intended to be more collaborative. The company has built up a team of dough


technologists at its technology centre in the Netherlands, while developing similar capabilities in North America. Customers can therefore use the facility to test flour, ingredients and doughs against the configuration of the line being


associated with a major capital investment. Equipment can take months, sometimes up to a year, to build, ship and install. Discovering at that stage that the solution does not perform as expected can have consequences not only for budgets, but for production schedules and customer commitments. Nick sees the Experience Centre as a way of mitigating that risk before it reaches the factory floor. “Anytime you’re dealing with large capital expenditures, there’s risk involved,” he says. “But a lot of times what you see is even more so is the impact on timing.” That long-term perspective extends beyond the initial purchase. Nick points to customers who have continued working with Rademaker for decades, with some now operating their third, fourth, fifth or even sixth production line. “When you operate with the mentality that you’re going to build long-term relationships and partnerships, you’ve got to do things right,” he says. It is an approach that also feeds into the


industry’s changing workforce. Like Doug, Nick sees staffing as one of the major challenges facing North American bakeries, with automation increasingly providing an opportunity to support existing employees rather than simply replace them. “The labour shortage is an issue in North America for all things that we’ve talked about today,” he says. With Rademaker’s systems integration capability, customers can now look beyond sheeting and make-up equipment and source wider bakery systems, from mixers and silos through to proofers, ovens and robotics. What stays with me from the visit is a


company that understands progress is as much about listening, testing and learning as it is about the technology itself.


AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 15


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