Innovations that support healthy and sustainable food processing

In a year marked by expansion and industry recognition, Heat and Control continued to strengthen its role within the global food processing sector. The company’s acquisitions in 2025 broadened its technical capabilities, strengthened its portfolio and ability to deliver integrated solutions across snacks and prepared foods. Beyond acquisitions, Heat and Control celebrated its 75th anniversary, underscoring decades of advances in industrial food equipment.

Looking ahead, rising demand for snacks and prepared foods will continue to drive investment in advanced handling, seasoning, and thermal processing technologies. In this Q&A, Ricky Ong, Asia Sales Manager, discusses how the company approaches these opportunities.

Ricky Ong, Asia Sales Manager

In 2025, Heat and Control announced three new acquisitions. How are these acquisitions now enhancing Heat and Control’s competitive position?

These acquisitions directly support our long-term growth strategy by strengthening our technical capabilities, expanding our portfolio, and bringing additional experience and expertise into the group.

The addition of Fabcon Food Systems Ltd. enhances our ability to deliver bespoke processing and handling solutions across snack food, French fry, and protein applications, including a broader range of vibratory conveying technologies. This further complements our existing portfolio and allows us to deliver more integrated, value-driven solutions to customers globally.

Similarly, Tek-Dry Systems Ltd. and Hunt Heat Exchangers, both based in the UK, significantly expand our thermal processing and heat transfer capabilities. Tek-Dry is well known for advanced drying, toasting, cooling, and roasting technologies used across snacks, French fries, cereals, and other food applications, while Hunt Heat Exchangers brings deep expertise in customized heat exchange systems that improve efficiency and reliability across food production and other process industries.

Together, these acquisitions strengthen our ability to support customers with more complete, efficient, and customized solutions, while also creating new opportunities to serve additional markets and applications. 

Is there a particular highlight that the company is proud of?

Among the key milestones in 2025, Heat and Control celebrated its 75th anniversary, marking decades of pioneering innovation in industrial food equipment technology. This long-standing commitment was recognized at SNAC International, with Andy and Tony Caridis (Heat and Control Founder and President respectively) inducted into the prestigious SNAC International Circle of Honor for their outstanding contributions to the association and to the snack industry.

What growth opportunities does Heat and Control see in APAC in 2026?

We continue to see strong growth across the region, reflected in the volume of equipment delivered and the number of requests for proposals across all product categories. To support this sustained demand, Heat and Control has continued to strengthen its operational capabilities, enabling improved turnaround times and delivery performance while maintaining service quality.

French fry dryer 

Which food sectors are showing the most promise, and how is the company reacting to the trends?

Across APAC, snacks and prepared foods are showing the strongest growth, and the French fry segment is particularly strong. This growth is driving increasing demand for equipment solutions to support product handling and seasoning, as processors aim to scale production while maintaining consistent product quality. Additionally, they’re increasingly focused on optimizing their production lines with more energy-efficient equipment and more sustainable processing methods.

In response to these trends, we’ve recently launched a range of innovative new solutions to improve efficiency, sanitation, and overall line performance. In 2026, we will debut our latest-generation horizontal motion conveyor FastBack® 4.0 at trade shows across Asia, showcasing how it can support higher efficiency and improved sanitation.

FastBack 4.0 is a horizontal motion conveyor designed to boost efficiency and sanitation

How does the company plan to meet growing demand for healthier snack production?

Growing demand for healthier snack options has created opportunities for Heat and Control to deliver technologies that support lower oil content, reduced acrylamide levels, improved oil quality, and extended shelf life of finished products.

For snack processors, precision seasoning and waste minimization are also top priorities. At the same time, processors must keep pace with rapidly changing flavor trends while consistently meeting strict food safety standards.

To address these challenges, Heat and Control has developed two complementary seasoning solutions: the FastBack® Symphony On-Machine Seasoning (OMS) System and the Spray Dynamics® Symphony In-Kitchen Seasoning (IKS) System. Each is purpose-built to simplify seasoning processes and deliver smarter, cleaner results with greater accuracy, efficiency, and sustainability.

These recently launched systems also allow processors to accommodate a wide range of seasoning applications while improving accuracy, operational efficiency, working conditions, and ease of maintenance.

What feedback from customers is shaping your priorities for 2026?

Customer demand continues to evolve and varies by application and market. Despite these differences, customers consistently share common priorities, including delivering consistent product quality, achieving cost savings, and ensuring systems are easy to operate and maintain.

Understanding customer needs remains critical to delivering solutions that align with their objectives. Our strong regional presence and long-term commitment give our customers confidence that Heat and Control will continue to support their operations with responsive service, technical expertise, and reliable solutions over the long term.

Related article: FastBack 4.0 to debut in Propak Philippines 2026