Upwards of 100 billion dollars. Rising to 200 billion by 2032, thanks to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7% a year, according to Global Market Insights data. This is the global value of the professional refrigeration sector, prominent among which are the segments of glass-door appliances, with over 50 million units supplied, and of inverter technology, which accounts for 40% of the market.

This success can be put down to the continued commitment of companies towards innovation. A kind of innovation that has always featured prominently at HostMilano, with all the very latest news ideas about to previewed once again, at fieramilano from 13 to 17 October. But what exactly are the trends that are driving this quest for innovation? One factor must surely be the growing demand among customers for interconnected devices with more advanced functions that is fuelling the replacement market (the changeover from more obsolete models). One feature very much in demand now is the possibility of connecting appliances to the internet and to manage it remotely from the devices people now use every day, such as smartphones. And if everything is interconnected, then it is possible to operate across different divisions.

Versatility beyond barriers

“The Nice Kitchen group came about precisely in response to the growing tendency to ‘break down the barriers’ between the different segments, for example between foodservice and pastry,” says Angelo Minaudo, head of marketing and communication at The Nice Kitchen. In cold storage in particular, the group operates through the Coldline brand, which designs and produces versatile technologies designed to simplify the daily work of chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, and pizza and gelato makers. “Simplicity of use lies at the heart of our products, helping users to manage technology designed to be there at its service. And for years, all The Nice Kitchen products have been developed to use just small amounts of energy. Smart software that self-regulate ovens and blast chillers for faster cooking and cooling, avoiding waste.

“The refrigerating gases used across the Coldline range”, Minaudo says finally, “have an environmental impact close to zero – something we are very proud of. At Host we will be previewing a new project that will give our customers the chance to reduce the consumption level of the entire kitchen and to optimise the production process.”

The removal of barriers and the other ongoing improvements that are being made, aimed at anticipating and satisfying ever-changing customer demands, are key to innovation also for a well-established brand like Angelo Po, as Chiara Roncagli, brand manager of Angelo Po Grandi Cucine explains: “To develop the products of the future we start with the ‘voice of the customer’. We recently launched ARI.O, a multi-functional blast chiller-freezer that has one warm and one cold chamber: from -40°C to +85°C. ARI.O is an intuitive, versatile, high-performance appliance: it cooks at a low temperature and freezes automatically, also optimising those moments when the kitchen is not in use. ARI.O is connected to the free APO.LINK management portal that connects ovens, blast chillers, refrigerators, display cases and dishwashers to a single portal from which to monitor consumption, data history and HACCP parameters, to improve efficiency in the kitchen.”

These are just some examples of the advanced technologies coming to the world of cold storage, which professionals can look forward to seeing for themselves at Host 2023 in October.