The cloud in the kitchen

As of today, 50% of Sirman’s professional equipment for the Ho.Re.Ca sector, large-scale distribution, and workshops can become smart. The operator can:

These are just a few advantages you can get by using the cloud in the kitchen. Let’s see how Sirman has become one of the first companies to use this technology and what’s behind it.

At the forefront of professional, smart cooking

Sirman has always been committed to innovating its products. In 2009, Sirman showcased the first remote-controlled catering appliances at Host, Milan’s trade fair dedicated to hospitality.

Over the subsequent years, the company developed more advanced technologies tested on specific products. Sirman’s innovation team was driven by the idea of finding a technology to record and transmit the appliances’ data. At the same time, the end-user had to use them effortlessly.

In 2015, for example, the company launched a Softcooker that exchanged data via Bluetooth. However, the user had to stay near the appliance, so it wasn’t the remote-controlled solution Sirman was looking for yet, but it already allowed the operator to control it via the app, improving the user experience and expanding the display functions.

The turning point: a technological change and the ambition of a single management platform.

In 2017, Sirman started thinking about the WIFI technology used for the Internet as a possible solution. That year, they prototyped a smart vacuum packing machine using WIFI technology. It was a good start in the right direction. These years also marked the beginning of a partnership with Amazon Web Service (AWS), Amazon’s spin-off dedicated to all-things data and IoT. This way, Sirman has developed hardware compliant with AWS services and IoT standards and a cloud system for collecting and using data through AWS. That’s how SRCS came to life. SCRS stands for Sirman Remote Control System and is used to manage all Sirman appliances.

Using the cloud technology in the kitchen, thanks to Sirman

By 2020, Sirman could make most of its appliances smart and cloud-connected. Today, every product in Sirman’s catalogue, including dough mixers, vacuum packing machines, softcookers, and slicers, can benefit from the cloud. This technology can be applied to 80% of Sirman’s kitchen appliances. However, small, and more affordable devices are the exception since the former doesn’t have the room to house this technology and the latter wouldn’t justify the investment in the cloud.

How do smart catering appliances work? The technology behind these products is the Internet of Things (IoT). The idea behind the IoT is that the Internet connection can be shared and extended to the other tools and equipment we use on a daily basis, from home heating to catering machinery. This way, we can manage most of our daily actions remotely, automate several operations, and monitor everything through data. In brief, IoT’s goal is to increase efficiency and productivity and make users’ life easier.

The partnership with Amazon Web Services: the chip that makes Sirman appliances smart

A special chip interacting with AWS’ IoT services makes Sirman's appliances smart. Every appliance is fitted with special sensors to collect essential data (e.g. motor temperature, humidity in the curing refrigerator, or the number of slices a slicer has made) and monitor relevant parameters. Small electronic control boards (chips) installed in the appliances collect these data and send them to the cloud, an AWS-managed infrastructure. Once saved, users can read these data to control and monitor the appliance remotely via the Internet.

Therefore, the kitchen staff can control, monitor, and automate an appliance from a computer or smartphone. And those who want to have a unique assisted experience can call Alexa. Sirman’s interest in investing in new technologies led it to create a Sirman skill on Alexa – the famous voice-controlled virtual assistant – to allow users to control Sirman’s appliances with their voice.