Kitchen Brains to Expand U.S. Manufacturing Capabilities

Stratford, CT – September 8, 2022 – Kitchen Brains^®, a Source Capital portfolio company, and a leading designer and manufacturer of fully integrated smart cooking computers, electronic controls and software solutions for commercial foodservice operations, has announced that it is expanding its U.S. manufacturing capabilities to meet the growing demand for high quality, onshore production.

Christian Koether, Kitchen Brains CEO, stated that “increased interest in American-made products, from both our OEM and retail customers, is the driving force behind the expansion of our manufacturing facility. Our new capabilities build upon Kitchen Brains USA2020, a program that saw nearly $2 million invested in advanced manufacturing equipment, including new SMT lines, selective soldering and automatic wire cutting/stripping/crimping.”

Reconfiguration of the manufacturing floor is already underway and additional equipment is expected to be installed by the end of the year. With the recent opening of the Advanced Technology Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Kitchen Brains was also able to reallocate space formerly occupied by the software engineering team to expand within the current footprint. Upon completion, Kitchen Brains production capacity will increase by more than 40%, allowing the Company to better serve current customers and provide additional services to new customers, including contract manufacturing.

Along with this expansion, the entire Kitchen Brains team recently completed updated Lean training. As a result, several initiatives have been implemented, including the realignment of equipment to reduce excessive movement between functional spaces, the installation of monitors throughout the manufacturing facility to share job tracking and key data with employees, and the reconfiguration of the shipping and receiving areas to process orders faster. These changes have already begun to increase efficiency, reduce waste and, most importantly, ensure quality.

“We anticipate that demand for American-made products will grow even faster during the years ahead and, as an industry leader, we will continually invest in our business to provide our customers with the best products and service imaginable,” added Christian Koether.

About Kitchen Brains

Founded in 1969, Kitchen Brains, maintains its global headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Stratford, Connecticut. Company brands, including (FAST.)^®, Modularm^® and QPM, feature a growing number of products that incorporate KBconnect™ IoT/cloud connectivity, and can be found globally in leading QSRs, casual and fine dining restaurants, convenience and grocery stores, schools, hospitals, stadiums and other facilities.