HOT TOPICS, COOL HEADS
HOT TOPICS, COOL HEADS
He may have a 50-year company milestone ahead, but Claus Pedersen, managing director of Convotherm, remains firmly focused on the present. Michael Jones explores how he’s turning the industry’s challenges into opportunities.
From trade tariffs to the labor crisis, the foodservice industry faces a wide range of challenges right now. But for Welbilt® brand Convotherm®, which has been designing cutting-edge combi oven technology since its inception in Germany in 1976, today’s geopolitically complex, post-Covid landscape is simply another puzzle to solve. It is one that presents opportunity and growth if approached with clarity and focus.
For Convotherm managing director Claus Pedersen, that ability to see opportunity rather than adversity stems from the company’s location and mindset. Convotherm operates far from the noise and distractions of a major city. Headquartered in the small village of Eglfing in Southern Bavaria, Germany, the company thrives outside of a busy conurbation. “We’re not in the heart of a big city,” he says. “We are humble, but we still have access to a lot of quality employees in this area, including engineers,” he adds. This is not to say that the company is somehow exempt from the issues facing major equipment manufacturers globally. “The U.S. tariffs are definitely a hot topic for us because we have a large-scale export business into the U.S.,” says Pedersen. “The U.S. is also one of the markets where we have seen – and still expect to see – a lot of growth. “The tariffs are not helping us, but we have a dedicated sales team in the U.S. that is still very confident on the future. But there are some challenges for us in terms of pricing and the uncertainty of what’s going to happen on July 9, when the [U.S. government’s] 90-day grace period is over.
That’s certainly an issue.” Closer to home, uncertainty created by the recent German election has sucked momentum out of the market in terms of buying decisions for foodservice projects, says Pedersen. “Everybody has been holding back a little bit, waiting to see what’s going on, but these uncertainties in many regions are a challenge for everyone.” Despite testing market conditions, however, Convotherm recently recorded “a solid fiscal year,” and Pedersen believes 2026 also has growth opportunities. “We’re in a very good spot,” he says.
From preparation to service, Convotherm solutions empower chefs and operators with efficiency and precision.
A company for a crisis
Dealing with uncertainty has become second nature to Pedersen and his team, especially since the Covid pandemic. “We faced extreme uncertainty then. It was all new to us. Now, we have the tariffs issue, plus more uncertainty when an election takes place, and so on,
but these are just things we must deal with. It’s part of business. In every crisis we learn something,” he says.
For Pedersen, being part of the Ali Group is a major comfort during unsettled times. He credits Ali Group’s strong culture of navigating challenges and the steady support and confidence provided by its leadership team: “I don’t feel any panic. Everybody knows what we need to do to deal with a situation, and there is a confidence in everybody that we will deal with it.” That foundation also enables Convotherm to be on the front foot when it comes to growth plans, says Pedersen. “Our global approach ensures a strong presence across many regions. While some markets are growing and others are not, we continuously evaluate and adapt our strategy accordingly.”
He also believes the company could be doing much more in terms of brand awareness and investing into new geographical areas where it might not have focused before: “Latin America is one of those areas where we see growth for the future. APAC also promises growth in specific segments.”
Our global approach ensures a strong presence across many regions. While some markets are growing and others are not, we continuously evaluate and adapt our strategy
Shifting segments
Pedersen believes each market segment needs to be assessed on its own merits. “There is a shift in terms of spending,” he says. “Looking at people going out to eat, there is currently a downturn in trade for high-street restaurants. It will always be a big part of the market, but there is a shift now towards people spending more on value-based meals: the QSR and retail segments.”
This year, Convotherm launched an innovative new product catered to these growth segments. Its mini pro series features the world’s smallest and smartest combi oven, marking a revolution in the compact class of cooking technology. At just 49.8cm wide across the range, these ovens are “the answer” to the demand for higher throughput in the smallest spaces, says Pedersen.
The first compact combi ovens with AI driven Optical Cooking innovation, the mini pro is low on energy consumption and the first ovens in their class to offer integrated Solid-to-Liquid cleaning technology. “We call it the ‘King of Compact’,” says Pedersen. “The mini pro is the common-sense solution for many foodservice segments – QSRs, convenience stores, cafés, bakeries, and chain operations of every size – because it fits extremely well into a small space, offers great flexibility and does not need a skilled chef.”
Using ConvoSense, a system that detects the food placed inside the oven and automatically launches the corresponding cooking program, eliminates the need for staff input. This automation reduces training time, improves consistency and minimizes errors. It can save up to 60 minutes of labor daily, lowers energy usage by 28%, and reduces food waste by 17%, all of which contribute to stronger margins and more sustainable operations. Through integration with Welbilt’s KitchenConnect® system, operators can manage menus, monitor performance, and optimize production remotely across multiple locations.
For Pedersen and his team, compact is the future of foodservice. “We have high expectations for this product because we believe it fits with the trends we are seeing. Restaurants and outlets are getting smaller. Now, it’s all about space, ease of use, using less energy, and bringing more efficiency and flexibility. The mini pro product portfolio addresses this. We believe there is additional growth in other segment areas where this commonsense product portfolio fits,” he says.
The reaction from operators has been “fantastic,” he says. “I have been extremely happy since our launch at Internoga 2025. Attendees were blocking the hallways and other companies’ booths so they could look at it. We even had competitors coming over and admiring what we’ve done, telling us: ‘That’s really good.’ We’ve had great brand awareness since then,” he says.
The “King of Compact” in action: Pedersen with Convotherm’s mini pro, the smart compact combi oven designed to bring efficiency, flexibility and performance to the future of foodservice.
Brands mentioned
Ahead of the game
The mini pro’s AI-driven capability signifies a step-change for the future, says Pedersen. “ConvoSense was developed and launched back in 2020 but now is really the right time for artificial intelligence in foodservice – it’s much more accepted now.
We also see the potential to do lots more AI-driven projects in the future,” he adds. “There are lots of repetitive processes in equipment manufacturing, from order processing to invoicing, production planning, aftersales, service support, quality checks, and end-of-line testing. Artificial intelligence frees up resources so people can spend time on the other things where AI is not feasible. This is something we will continue to invest in over the forthcoming years. We must rethink the way we use our employees’ own intelligence, day-to-day.”
A perfect match
In January 2025, Ali Group acquired JIPA, a Czech Republic-based manufacturer of advanced electrical multifunctional devices for commercial kitchens. The cornerstone of JIPA’s product line, the JIPA JUMP multipurpose pan, performs a variety of cooking functions, including pressure cooking, frying, braising, grilling, and sous vide. Pedersen is overseeing the integration of the brand into the Group’s portfolio.
“We started working with JIPA more than two years ago. We were looking for a partner for multi-purpose cooking pans, because the market was ready for those, and JIPA’s product has proved to be extremely complementary to Convotherm. It’s perfect for foodservice projects such as larger canteens, due to its multi-functionality,” he says. “Acquiring JIPA was an excellent move, for Convotherm and many other brands in the Group, because it adds an additional, fantastic product to our offering.
The feedback from other Ali Group brands has been very positive, and I see this helping Convotherm adopt an even stronger brand position in the industry.” Whatever “hot topics” the future may present, Pedersen and his colleagues relish turning them into opportunities to grow – and flourish.
1976
Convotherm has been designing cutting-edge combi oven technology since its founding in 1976
69
With 69 different models and numerous variations, Convotherm offers a combi
oven suitable for every customer’s needs
2020
The launch of ConvoSense in 2020 marked the debut of the world’s first combi oven with Al-powered, fully automated cooking
Why is flexibility essential in today’s foodservice industry?
Convotherm delivers versatile cooking solutions designed to adapt to different foodservice environments, maximizing performance even where space and resources are limited.