• The unrivaled quality of Japanese technology has imposed the Rheon company in the bakery and pastry sector, offering over time high-performance equipment designed to revolutionize food production worldwide.
If in May 1968 the Japanese company entered the American market, in 1974 it opened its representative office in Dusseldorf, Germany, to serve the European, African and Middle Eastern areas. From its foundation until now, Rheon has been in continuous development, both on the side of automatic machines for obtaining filled products, and on the side of high hydration dough dividers.
During the IBA 2023 fair, the Redaccia Arta Albă held a dialogue with Takeharu Shinga, general director of Rheon Europe, which gave us an overview of the imposition of Japanese Rheon technology on the Eastern European market as well.
1. What motivated your company to expand into the Eastern European market and what opportunities do you see in this region for your bakery equipment business?
In the area of Eastern Europe there is an important potential for the evolution of our business. Because this region has continuously developing countries that follow the example of Western states. At the same time, Western supermarkets, such as Lidl or Aldi, are expanding their business in the East, thus creating new opportunities for growth in the market.
2. How do you plan to adapt your products or strategies to meet the specific needs and preferences of consumers and companies in the Eastern European bakery industry?
Usually, our company collects specific information from the market to establish the necessary standards and depending on the requirements that arise, we make adjustments to the existing line configurations. We do not create special equipment adapted to a specific market, but recalibrate already implemented technology.
3. In Europe, doughs with a high degree of hydration are very popular. How does Rheon technology address this particular case?
This is the great innovation of Rheon technology, our equipment is specially created for this purpose. As a rule, other equipment manufacturers require customers to adapt their recipe to machine specifications to facilitate the production process. Rheon started about 25 years ago to develop machines adapted to the processing of doughs with high hydration. Currently many other companies are trying to adopt this technology, but they are still far from succeeding.
4. What challenges do you foresee in expanding your business in the Eastern European market and how do you plan to overcome them?
We owe the success of entering the Eastern European market to the regional representatives, whose activity we respect and rely on in terms of the particularities of the market. With their help, we manage to understand the specific requirements of our customers.
5. Can you tell us about the partnership with Nova Pan? How important is working with local businesses to support your market expansion efforts?
As we told you before, we respect the work done by our regional representatives, and the team Nova Pan is truly special, bringing major customers to Rheon technology. We appreciate all that Nova Pan is doing to promote Rheon's leading technology and look forward to continued outstanding results in the future.
6. How do you envision your company contributing to the development and growth of the Eastern European bakery industry, both in terms of technology and expertise?
Based on our activity so far, we foresee the emergence of new requirements from the market and, starting from the standard Rheon technology, we anticipate, in order to develop, a possible need to calibrate the equipment according to the specific characteristics of the Eastern European market.
Interview conducted during IBA 2023 by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
Read on White Art and: Rheon Dough Divider – precise portioning for almost identical weight. Ideal for soft and very soft doughs
