Mecatherm President and CEO Raymond Nogael reflects on his first year in the role, discussing how sustainability, digitalisation and flexible equipment design are reshaping the future of industrial baking
To begin, could you introduce yourself and your role?
My name is Raymond Nogael and I became President and CEO of the group about a year ago. Although the role is new, the company isn’t new to me. I knew it well before stepping in, which certainly helped with the transition.
My background is actually in the automotive industry – Fiat, specifically – which has nothing at all to do with bakery. But in a way, that’s been beneficial. Entering a very traditional sector like industrial baking, it’s crucial to understand both the craft side and the mechanical, thermal and technological aspects of bakery equipment. That mix is at the heart of our industry, and developing a strong understanding of it has been essential in taking on this position.
Since becoming President and CEO, what have been your main highlights or achievements over the past year?
One of the biggest achievements has been accelerating the redesign and development of our equipment portfolio. In just one year, we have released several major updates, including a new divider ( the M-NS II) – and a new Robotic Scoring System from ABI (KATANA II), which are part of a broader push to refresh some of our core technologies.
We have significantly increased the digitalisation of our systems and placed sustainability at the centre of our programme. These changes are shaping not only the equipment itself but also the services and support we offer around it.
I also restructured the board of directors. My aim was to balance deep expertise within the bakery sector with fresh perspectives from outside industries. That combination brings new energy and new ideas into the organisation, helping us deliver more value to our customers.
Let’s talk about sustainability. How does your technology help bakeries reduce energy consumption and improve sustainability overall?
Sustainability isn’t just about reducing energy consumption – it’s also about lowering carbon footprint, minimising waste, and making processes more efficient. We have developed a whole set of tools that allow us to analyse a customer’s energy use and evaluate exactly how their equipment is performing. From there, we provide solutions both for new lines and for retrofitting existing ones.
One of our major innovations is a control system designed to manage steam more precisely within the oven. Steam is essential for many baked goods, but traditionally it’s easy to use more than necessary. Our system optimises steam injection so that the customer uses exactly what the product requires. This improves the quality and consistency of the product, and at the same time reduces energy use.
We also implemented a heat-recovery system. Ovens release enormous amounts of energy through the chimney, and rather than letting that energy disappear, we capture it and reuse it – either within the bakery or elsewhere in the facility. For example, at our own site we use recovered heat not only for production purposes but also to warm or cool offices throughout the year. It makes a considerable difference.
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