A centennial party to commemorate the 100th birthday of Heat and Control founder Andy Caridis was celebrated on June 1. Employees of the food processing equipment and systems company and family members gathered in Hayward, California, to mark the milestone.
Caridis began his career in engineering in the early 1950’s when industrial consumer goods manufacturers in the United States began investing in novel ideas and technologies in the automation of food production to make better products, increase volume, improve efficiencies, create new product categories and reach new markets. Credited with filing or supervising more than 130 patents over the course of seven decades, he has been integral in advancing the global food manufacturing industry and helping companies grow, adapt and improve significantly.
Advancements in the production of frozen french fries, snacks and prepared foods can be directly connected to the Heat and Control founder’s ingenuity and passion to develop solutions to improve operating systems. The company’s extensive range of products include frying equipment, oven and searing systems, breading applicators, bag makers, sealers, inspection systems, metal detectors, and sorting systems.
Born in San Francisco during the Great Depression, Caridis joined the military and served his country in World War II. At the age of 30, he collaborated with four other engineers to create a company to focus on improving process heating applications, such as heat treatment furnaces and combustion systems. Over the years it has evolved and successfully expanded to provide employment for almost 1,700 people at 11 manufacturing facilities, 12 test centers and 30 offices around the globe.
To this day Caridis continues to be engaged in problem solving, R&D projects and supporting the company’s engineering teams. When it comes to celebrating his achievements, the founder replies with characteristic boldness and humor: “The first 100 years was practice; the next 100 years is the real thing.”
