With the Ali Group returning to the use of the Welbilt name on its brands in North America, it is clear that what is old can indeed be new again. This move brings together two iconic names in the commercial restaurant food service equipment industry, signaling a return to the brand’s roots and a renewed focus on quality and innovation. The return to the Welbilt brand represents a commitment to excellence and a dedication to serving the needs of customers in North America.
With this rebranding, the Ali Group equipment will once again be associated with the legacy and reputation of Welbilt, solidifying its position as a leader in the industry. The Welbilt logo has also been redesigned to reflect a fusion of both companies’ cultures. Ali Group companies outside of North America are not affected by this change.
Filippo Berti, Chairman and CEO of Ali Group also announced a number of organizational changes affecting the North American market, to become effective immediately. The two organizations in North America (Ali Group North America and Welbilt) will merge and operate under one brand, which will be Welbilt. “This strategic move leverages Welbilt’s strong brand reputation, significant market presence, comprehensive customer solutions and well-established relationships particularly within the QSR sector, with the goal of offering the most complete turnkey solutions package in the industry,” said Berti.
The Corporate Executives of the newly formed North American group will be: Filippo Berti, Chairman and CEO; Bradford Willis, CFO; Rob August, Executive Vice President (with focus on sales and distribution); and Tom Hotard, Executive Vice President (with focus on operations and engineering). Current Welbilt CEO Kevin Clark will be appointed to the Board of Directors of the North American group, and will focus on special projects such as those that will facilitate the integration of Ali Group North American companies into Welbilt.
Berti also announced a new Group President role. These individuals will support the Corporate Executives in overseeing the numerous companies. The newly nominated Group Presidents are Nate Jackson, Will Means, Erica Motes and Oscar Villa.
Welbilt’s storied history in the US began when Henry and Alexander Hirsch founded Welbilt Stove Co. in 1929, primarily to make residential gas ranges. The privately owned company’s factory was in Queens, NY. Welbilt Stove added electric ranges, range hoods, household-incinerators, and home air conditioners in later years. In 1955 the company acquired Detroit-Michigan Stove Co., and in addition to stoves and furnaces, made gas ranges for homes and heavy-duty heating and cooking appliances for hotels, clubs, restaurants, and institutions under the “Garland” and “Laurel” as well as “Jewel” and “Detroit Jewel” names. In 1927 the company placed a giant, 30-ton replica of an old-fashioned kitchen range on the roof of its factory near the approach to Detroit’s Belle Isle Bridge. Originally built for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, this replica was billed as the “largest stove in the world.”
By the end of 1960 Welbilt had plants in four states and Canada as well as the Queens factory, where a new building was erected in 1964 for the manufacture of air-conditioning equipment as well as kitchen ranges. Welbilt reached a peak of $56.8 million in sales in 1969 but lost money for the next five years. In 1971, 29-year-old Richard Hirsch succeeded his father Henry as president. It became clear to him that the company could not survive by making and marketing consumer goods.
Hirsch’s enabled Welbilt to return to financial health by acquiring manufacturers of products that could be sold to fast-food chains. In 1982 they bought four food-service Sunbeam Corp. subsidiaries, including Frymaster, Belshaw Brothers (a bakery equipment manufacturer) and Mile High, a producer of ice-making machines. New equipment was created for these firms, with an emphasis on reducing labor costs. Frymaster, for example, sold fryers for chicken and French fries that adjusted cooking time and temperatures, cleaned themselves, and shut themselves off. By 1989, largely due to other acquisitions, Belshaw systems were making about 65 percent of all the doughnuts in the world.
In April 1989 Welbilt acquired six divisions of Alco Standard Corp.’s Foodservice Equipment Group. These were Cleveland Range, a producer of steam-cooking equipment; Dean Industries, a manufacturer of gas and electric fryers and related equipment; Merco Products, a maker of food-warming equipment and broilers; Savory Equipment, a producer of countertop cooking appliances; U.S. Range, a manufacturer of commercial ranges, ovens, and broilers; and Alco World Trade, a marketer of food-service equipment.
By the Mid-1990s Welbilt was essentially a holding company for 12 subsidiaries or lines: Belshaw, Cleveland, Dean, Frymaster, Garland, Ice-O-Matic, Lincoln, Merco, Savory, U.S. Range, Varimixer, and Vent Master. The Garland Group consisted of units making Garland-brand, premium-line cooking equipment and distributing Welbilt products abroad; U.S. Range produced low-cost ranges and ovens and such countertop equipment as broilers and griddles; Vent Master offered a product line including exhaust and recirculation systems. The Cleveland Group consisted of Cleveland, with a line of steamers and ovens, mixer kettles, tilting skillets, and cook/chill systems, and Merco/Savory, specializing in food-warming equipment, including toasters and rotisseries.
In 2022, The Ali Group completed the $3.4 billion acquisition of Welbilt. Founded in 1963, Ali Group is an Italian corporation with headquarters located in Milan, Italy and North American operations based in Chicago, Illinois. Through its subsidiaries, the company designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of commercial and institutional foodservice equipment used by major restaurant and hotel chains, independent restaurants, hospitals, schools, airports, correctional institutions and canteens.
Ali Group and its 80 global brands employ approximately 10,000 people in 30 countries and, in terms of sales, is one of the world’s largest groups in this industry. It has 58 manufacturing facilities in 15 countries and sales and service subsidiaries throughout Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
“This integration represents not just a merging of products and services, but a unification of our teams’ talents, expertise and vision,” Berti concluded “It is a significant step towards strengthening our market position and delivering unparalleled value to our customers, setting a new standard in the industry and ensuring our continued growth and leadership.”
