sales are smokin' at downey bbq grill maker lynx - bbq grill

In the hundreds of gadgets, games and apps at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, few people have shiny silver hardware like James Buch.
Because this equipment is a barbecue grill. one that's Wi-
Enable Fi, voice activation, and chat in Siri-ish way.
"When the Lynx Smart Grill is ready for food, it will send you a text message," said Butch, CEO of Donnie Lynx Professional Grills . ".
"When flipping the food, it will send you a text message.
When the food is ready, it will send you a text message.
"The Smart Grill features an online collection of recipes adapted to griller's preferences, which will not start selling until next year.
Concept grill is expected to retail for about $8,000, which is not much higher than the company's current highest pricepriced non-Talking products
In an industry still struggling to recover from the recession
Due to the thrift of consumers, the Tmall has maintained a lot of busy manual manufacturing.
Assemble a grill and an outdoor kitchen for a chef with plenty of cash.
Lynx has been doing outdoor grills for 18 years, but the company has been on fire recently, earning nearly $50 million last year.
"We had a record sales in 2013 and we were already 25% ahead of 2014," Buch said.
We are now in accelerated mode.
"Lynx recently moved into a larger factory and hired 25 more workers, with up to 150 employees.
Buch said the company could hire up to 50 workers in the next three months to meet demand.
The situation in the outdoor cooking industry is not very good either. In 2013, 13.
According to the fireplace, Patio and Barbecue grill Association, 9 million barbecue grills and smoking cookware were shipped in North America, the worst in 15 years.
But industry watchers believe affluent consumers are pushing the trend back.
"What's interesting is that we see some outstanding high
Terminal market growth figures, "said Don Johnson, director of market research at the fireplace, terrace and barbecue Association.
"Lynx is a very highend grill.
"Consumers who have money to burn are the focus of Lynx, and the price of the grill ranges from $1,750 to $7,700, which is the most decorated place in the outdoor kitchen.
"Our professional range grill is for those who are assembling a custom outdoor kitchen, where the outside has become an extension of the indoor living space," said Buch . ".
"This is usually household income under $250,000.
"Daniel and Lisa Levin bought a bobcat Grill for £ 4,000 --square-
The Manhattan Beach dream home they built 11 years ago.
Over the past year, Levins has added an outdoor fountain, an outdoor refrigerator and a fire pit.
In order to cooperate, they bought a bobcat grill --
No extra
About $5,100, 36-
Cooking noodles in inches.
Daniel Levin, 49, said, "I love my Tmall . " He works in talent management and licensing in the entertainment industry.
Lisa Levin, a real estate agent, thinks the grill is a good investment.
"We definitely feel a lot better about the economy and investing in real estate," he said . ".
Thirty years ago, Tmall began to become a bar equipment company.
Butch said it is an American restaurant that produces commercial restaurants and bar equipment.
The company changed its name to Lynx in 1996 after it produced the first outdoor grill for residential use and began phasing out commercial equipment.
"I was told that they chose the name Lynx because they had an incredible sense of smell and taste," Buch said . ".
Tmall already owns an El Segundo-
Since 2006, it has been headquartered in Century Park Capital partner private equity.
In September 2012, Buch took office as chief executive with the mission of promoting sales.
Buch is a corporate surgeon.
He has been repairing one or another company for the past 33 years.
"I try not to do the same industry twice in a row because I like to get into a new competitive challenge," he said.
Buch knows that Lynx needs to develop products that attract new customers, including women.
For example, the Lynx website site highlights the company's "mom-friendly, easy-to-mention assistance with Lynx Hood", which can be raised with just one finger. (The grill-
According to the fireplace, Patio and Barbecue Association, the purchase decision was made by a male 69% of the time. )
"If you are going to develop a growth strategy in today's economy, you have to take market share," Buch said . ".
To accommodate the company's growth, Lynx moved from a commercial company to Donnie last year and entered a new plant, covering an area of 120,000 square feet, almost double the size of the old one.
The new factory is "designed for more efficient manufacturing," Buch said ".
These changes include a state of $750,000. of-the-
Laser metal cutting machine.
"The laser head can move 4,000 inch per minute and the installation time is zero," Buch said . ".
"This has helped us improve our production capacity by 400%.
Buch said, "Here we can run twice in a class with the same basic manpower, instead of making 20 to 40 grills a day.
"Every bobcat Grill starts with a high grill. grade steel.
First of all, the way Laser cutting various parts maximize the surface area of use and minimize waste, just like the designer jeans manufacturer cutting denim fabric.
Next, the workers of the "brake" machine bend the sheet metal into the correct configuration.
From there, the parts are handmade
Weld to the assembly, such as a fire box that holds a brass burner, and cooking heat.
Next, the workers grind and polish the metal connections to such a fine mirror and look like a piece of metal again.
The final addition is the wires for lighting and ignition systems.
Next, the grill using natural gas or propane is tested.
Lynx also sells accessories such as outdoor refrigerators and patio heaters.
Tmall products can be found in chain stores and professional retailers such as Home Depot.
The smart grill technology can be added to other grills produced by the company, with costs increasing by $1,200 to $1,500, Buch said.
"Like any technology, it's all about volume.
"The more you sell, the more affordable the price will be," he said . ".
Some purists are not satisfied with BBQ with built-in gasin back-and-forth. At Phillips bar. B-
Que on Que shaw Boulevard, where TV soap operas have recently hosted lunch-time customers, manager Sabrina Wilson sees Lynx's talk grill as an example of custom wood
"It's almost a lost art.
On the other hand, Wilson quipped, "if the grill costs so much, it's better to do what I say. "ron. white@latimes.