CHICAGO — In today’s commercial baking landscape, success requires a marriage of tradition and innovation … and that demands a modern approach to the baker-supplier relationship.
For four decades, Rademaker, a Netherlands-based global supplier of bakery automation equipment, has provided solutions to North American bakery operators through Rademaker USA, based in Hudson, OH. As the industry evolves post-pandemic, Rademaker USA is further expanding its North American presence by opening its state-of-the-art Rademaker Experience Center, which celebrated its ribbon cutting this week in Chicago.
“Besides the fact we’re celebrating the opening of a new premises, we also celebrate the 40th anniversary of Rademaker USA,” said Jeroen van Blokland, owner and former CEO of Rademaker. “It makes me realize how important it is to maintain a successful partnership between customer and supplier. We’re looking forward to this new and exciting chapter in this Chicago extension.”
With a sizeable impact of the company’s global sales happening in North America, Rademaker recognized the need for more access to equipment with shorter lead times and the ability to test and validate the equipment in North America. Discussions were taking place on North American expansion prior to the global pandemic, but 2020 accelerated these discussions and plans.
“Things started percolating with the pandemic and the loss of access to our parent company,” said Eric Riggle, president of Rademaker USA. “It became apparent that we needed to commit to this market more directly.”
With support from the parent company, Rademaker USA has embarked on a journey to create a space for innovation, education and partnership, where bakers can ideate for new products, address production challenges, and collaborate with technical experts and sales representatives on new or existing projects.
“With every customer I talk to, the conversation is about speed to market,” Riggle said. “We’re discussing how fast we can start up a line or speed up a tooling changeover, or how fast we can help them get a product into the pipeline. That’s what this facility is all about.”