Welcome to the future of coffee indulgence

The WMF Group once again proved the power of its innovation culture at the spring 2016 trade shows in Stuttgart and Hamburg. The technology concept “Future in a Box” enables the coffee machine manufacturer from Geislingen to define its approach as we enter the age of networked things, services and people. The focus was on the turnkey 4.0 concepts from the realms of online payment systems, connectivity and apps. Furthermore, tried-and-tested application scenarios whisked visitors away to the world of the WMF coffee culture, where the experience centred on the WMF Dynamic Milk system and the WMF espresso portafilter concept.

 

Future in a Box

For WMF, innovation is not an abstract concept of an undefined form but a clearly described aim: to present new products and even drinks and services in a new way – always in conjunction with a new or improved benefit for the customer. Against this backdrop and with “Future in a Box”, WMF demonstrated the concrete added value that users of professional coffee machines can gain when using modern 4.0 technologies. In doing so, the WMF Group doesn't only focus on the collection of data. Rather, it looks into how it can offer a central service and analysis platform for the diverse applications of mobile, Internet-based concepts. Visitors to the trade shows discovered the first WMF services for networked human-machine communication when “Future in a Box” was launched in spring 2016. These included a newly developed business app which conveniently generates drink recipes on your smartphone as well as the seamless integration of online payment systems such as PayPal. In addition, visitors were shown services that integrate automatic coffee machines quickly and reliably into networks across different locations via GPRS, and that in the future will also allow coffee machines and mobile devices to communicate directly via Bluetooth. Moreover, solutions packages which enable telemetry methods to be used efficiently were also included in the “Future in a Box” services. (Please find further details in the attached “Future in a Box” information).

 

The triumph of the WMF espresso

The WMF espresso portafilter machine has been a resounding success ever since its introduction to the market in spring 2015. The possibility of conjuring up an espresso or a café crème to barista-standard in only a few steps has impressed customers from every industry – from gastronomes working in the food industry, hoteliers and establishments with star ratings, right up to bakeries, producers of limited-edition coffees, and cruise and catering companies. “Our customers are delighted that the quality of the coffees prepared with the WMF espresso can easily compete with every product made by a traditional portafilter coffee machine – and always showcasing a consistently high quality,” explains Florian Lehmann, President of the global coffee machine company WMF Group. This is why presenting the WMF espresso was once again a particularly high priority on the trade show agenda.

 

As the first of a new machine era, the WMF portafilter makes it possible to produce “hand-made espressos at the touch of a button.” Every step that involves hissing, steaming and tapping is executed in the traditional manner of a barista. In contrast, the actual coffee production runs fully automatically in the background. Each cup – whether it's an espresso or a café crème – is characterised by the highest level of quality thanks to the stability of this process. The user inserts the portafilter into the machine, selects the drink of their choice – and they're done. The parallel milk-frothing function is just as easy to use. Along with a traditional, manual steam wand, the WMF espresso also uses an Auto Steam function, which automatically produces hot milk and milk foam in up to three different consistencies.

 

A marvel in foam thanks to WMF Dynamic Milk

The milk connoisseurs among the visitors also got their money's worth with the new Dynamic Milk system. With four different consistencies for hot creations (liquid, creamy, solid, frothy) and three variants of coffee-milk specialities (liquid, creamy, solid) with cold foam, the pump system is perfect for every coffee enthusiast. Depending on the required temperature, as well as the solidity and porosity, the gastronome receives a foam proportion of 60 to 90 per cent. Heating up the drink with steam, as traditional barista handicraft entails, ensures that the intense flavour of the milk is completely retained in every foam consistency. The WMF Dynamic Milk system also has impressive cleaning capabilities for a whole range of products: the new “Clean in Place” method guarantees a cleaning process that saves time and conforms to the HACCP system, as the milk frother remains in the appliance and no longer requires disassembly. The new milk system is available for both the WMF 5000 S automatic coffee machine and the WMF 1500 S automatic coffee machine.