Commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer with five branded product lines
Star Manufacturing designs and builds commercial cooking and concession equipment for restaurants and foodservice operations—hot dog machines, fryers, convection ovens, conveyor toasters, and grills—under five brands acquired over three decades. The company is mid-cycle on an ERP implementation and lean manufacturing overhaul while addressing recurring supply-chain and design-robustness gaps; the engineering and manufacturing hiring mix reflects active investment in testing fixtures, NPD gate processes, and automation projects.
Notable leadership hires: Supply Chain Director
Star Manufacturing operates as a division of Middleby Corporation, the world's largest foodservice equipment manufacturer. The company manufactures equipment in Smithville, Tennessee, where it consolidated operations across the Star, Wells, Lang, Holman, and Toastmaster brands. The product portfolio spans cooking equipment (fryers, convection ovens, conveyor toasters, ranges), warming and holding equipment (drawer warmers), and concession machines (hot dog makers, popcorn poppers). The business serves mid-market and large restaurant chains, QSR operators, and institutional foodservice. Current operational priorities include cost reduction, supply-chain efficiency, design validation, and throughput improvement.
Smithville, Tennessee. The facility has been the primary manufacturing plant since 1982 and was expanded in 1990. It now houses all five Star Group brands: Star, Wells, Lang, Holman, and Toastmaster.
Commercial foodservice equipment including fryers, convection ovens, conveyor toasters, grills, hot dog machines, drawer warmers, and popcorn makers. The product range expanded through acquisitions of Toastwell (1997), Holman (2000), and Lang (2006).
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