With the recent flood of cheap Chinese imports of commercial catering equipment, how does Australian made equipment stack? This article will briefly examine the efficacy of using Australian made commercial restaurant cooking equipment compared to cheaper imports.
Australian labour market and government regulations mean that over the past decade or so, the cost of manufacturing equipment of any kind is significantly more expensive in Australia than it is overseas. This has led many importers taking advantage and bringing in it from overseas be it Europe or parts of Asia. What advantages or disadvantages do these have?
- Quality : Due to regulations and minimum standards, Australian Made products offer the quality is far superior to many Chinese and often Italian or Spanish made equipment. Stainless steel production standards in imported products often are inconsistent leaving products rapidly degrading or rusting. Buying Australian may mean spending a tad bit more in the long run but for heavily used cooking equipment such as ranges, grills, griddles the best is to go Australian!
- Cost : Starting a business is daunting and often costs can spiral out of control. Imports offer very cheap prices but often come with quality constraints that may mean spending more in the long run. Having sad that, having a mix of imported and local catering equipment may be the best solution. Some equipment that does not see much usage could be purchased cheaply and may still give a long life.
- Dodgy equipment : Commercial catering equipment is by nature hard wearing, meant to be used continuously, made of more robust parts than their domestic counterparts. Often cheap imports have a feel and look of domestic equipment but are priced at commercial rates. Australian equipment usually does not suffer from this due to the local manufacturing which means that the stringent safety and quality control is in place.
- Range : Australian catering equipment certainly does not offer the immense range of the spectrum of equipment one can need or use! Here choosing quality imported equipment is the only option. Many of the bigger importers and distributors have had a foothold in the Australian market for years and hence brands like Moffat, Electrolux, Fastofrigor, Zumex and others have quality imported equipment that does not have any viable Australian alternative.
- Reviews : To get reviews for cheap imports is a near impossible task. Spending hard earned cash on unproven equipment or brands can be a scary prospect and this is where Australian brands such as Sammic, Eswood and Goldstein thrive. Having said that, it is important to appreciate that although cheaper some imported brands do come with incredible reviews a case in point would be the range of Blendtec blenders that are incredibly popular throughout the world being imported from the USA.
- Country of Origin : Although Australian products are often head and shoulders above their competition, it is often necessary to buy imports. Chinese products, although not having a great reputation are NOT all bad similarly German products are not all good! Many Australian companies design their products here and manufacture them in China or Korea. At Australian Catering equipment Supplies, we can advise you on the quality of imported products as we have knowledge in these areas.
The simple story is that although Australian made Commercial Catering Equipment is very good, the purchase of some imports is inevitable. Choosing imports goes by the simple rule of thumb, if it’s too good to be true than it probably is not! Very cheap products will give you major headaches especially when they really need to perform (when 150 orders come in at once for instance!). Choose wisely and get assistance with leasing options. At Australian Catering Equipment Supplies, we have partnered with Silver chef to ensure you can have quality equipment without busting the budget! Call us today for the best range and best deals on quality commercial kitchen equipment.
