Category: News

ASA190A wraps rice sheets into rolls with one quick move. It increases the production rate and easy on the chef’s hands.

How does it work? Place the rice sheet onto the wrapping belt, place the desired fillings, and push or pull the handle.

What’s unique about ASA190A is that it can wrap rice sheets of various sizes without the need to switch out parts. You can create dishes such as hosomaki roll (thin sushi rolls with seaweed on the outside), inside out rolls (sushi rolls with rice on the outside), futomaki sushi rolls, or sushi burritos.

Additional features include:

• Withstands wrapping ingredients other than seaweed
• Hygienic with rust-resistant stainless steel SUS304
• Easy cleaning with removable wrapping belt

When combined with our most popular sushi robot model, ASM865A, the rice sheeter, production increases beyond rolling rice sheets only by hands. Watch a clip from our automation video to see ASA190A in action.

For more information, please schedule a free demo here.

Many who have purchased AUTEC Sushi Robots on these platforms have incurred additional out-of-pocket costs due to the reasons (but not limited to) below:

1. 1. Missing parts that lead to $3,000 to $5,000 in part replacement and labor fees.
   2. Soiled machines that are beyond salvageable (for health and safety) due to poor maintenance.
   3. Models manufactured for another country and non-compliant with U.S. safety standards (ETL/UL).
   4. Models manufactured for another country and inoperable with U.S. supply voltage of 120V.

We understand the appeal of purchasing AUTEC sushi machines from an unauthorized online marketplace such as eBay, Alibaba, or Craigslist. However, we encourage you to contact us to learn what authorized options are available before purchasing through these platforms.

We will continue to monitor this matter and release any updates we may have. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,

Yuki Kuroyanagi / COO

Until further notice, our efforts will continue as follows:

Cleanliness and Sanitation Policy –

AUTEC maintains a cleanliness and sanitation policy that exceeds what is recommended by CDC guidelines.

• Washing hands or sanitizing hands are required when entering the office.
• Gloves, masks, and face shields are required at all times, during demonstration or training.
• Contact between employees have been limited.

Visitors –

AUTEC is restricting office admittance to include limited number of customers, necessary personnel, and approved transporters.

• All visitors are required to wear a mask, have their temperature checked, and sanitize their hands when entering the office.

Business Travel –

Foreign and domestic business travel by air has been suspended for all AUTEC employees until further notice.

• The restriction on travel will remain in place until it is deemed safe to suspend the restriction.

Illness –

AUTEC monitors employees to provide a safe environment for its employees and customers.

• Employees are encouraged to stay home if they are ill. Furthermore, all employees’ temperature is checked upon arrival. If their temperature is at or over 99.5F, they are sent home and strongly encouraged to contact their doctors.
• Employees that can work from home are currently working from home.

We will continue our efforts to keep our employees and customers safe. Thank you for your patience and confidence in us, as we carefully manage this crisis.

Sincerely,

Takayuki Tanaka
CEO
AUTEC INC. / 310-370-1680

From your typical local sushi joint to university dining halls, from roadside food trucks to high-rise casinos, and from all-you-can-eat buffets to high-end gourmet Japanese restaurants, AUTEC robots have proven to be a boon to a multitude of establishments and environments. While some may see our robots and think of them as simply a kitchen luxury, they are in fact a quintessential and – in my opinion – absolutely indispensable piece of equipment for any business producing sushi (or anything similar, such as Korean kimbap)!

Below are some hypothetical situations in which I will show you exactly how our amazing robots can help food industry business owners in a variety of situations!

John recently opened a new sushi restaurant and wants to serve affordable, professional-quality but can’t afford to hire highly-trained professional sushi chefs.

Solution: With the ASM865A rice sheet maker and/or ASM880A maki maker, anyone can produce professional-grade sushi rolls consistently with no prior sushi experience. John can keep his labor costs much lower by hiring part-time workers and not have to sacrifice the quality of his sushi or efficiency of his restaurant’s production.

Mai owns a well-established sushi restaurant and employs one or more sushi chefs. They produce quality sushi and she doesn’t want to reduce her labor force, but they sometimes have trouble keeping up with mealtime demand. She would also like to expand and grow her business.

Solution: With the ASM865A rice sheet maker which can produce a rice sheet in as fast as 3 seconds and the ASM410 nigiri maker which can create rice balls in about 2 seconds, Mai’s chefs will have no trouble keeping up with demand and can focus on the art of assembling fine sushi. Both machines are fast and consistent, allowing her to explore new ventures such as all-you-can-eat or catering options. While the machines take care of the time-consuming labor of forming and shaping the rice, her expert sushi chefs can focus on their craft of portioning out and arranging delicious and alluring sushi. Alternatively, the machines can be used to fill the bellies of peckish AYCE customers and/or fill out large catering orders while her sushi chefs entertain discerning guests who enjoy that extra bit of the sushi experience that comes with sitting at the sushi bar.

Edgar runs a high-end sushi restaurant renowned for finer dining options such as their omakase course. While he understands the appeal of the improved production sushi robots can offer, a major part of his business model is that his menu is all hand-made.

Solution: Even for customers who wish to provide their customer base with sushi hand-crafted with artisan love, AUTEC’s ASM780A sushi rice mixer is a great addition to any kitchen. Capable of mixing up to ~29lbs of sushi rice in just 3-5 minutes, with the ability to customize settings such as number of rotations and rice cooling options, this robot will efficiently and effectively mix the perfect batch of sushi rice every time. Edgar’s chefs can focus on their craft and serving the customers thanks to the machine eliminating the menial labor of mixing rice and vinegar. Edgar might also consider one of AUTEC’s sushi roll cutter robots, which efficiently and cleanly cut any roll into 6, 8, or 10 pieces!

This was just a short selection of examples, but I hope with this you can see that regardless of the conditions at your business, there’s an AUTEC robot or two that can really help you get out there and succeed! If you’d like to see how our mechanical buddies can assist you in your ventures, contact us about seeing a demonstration!

If you have been following our website, you probably noticed that we’ve recently given it a facelift (courtesy of Ma Designs Studio) by modernizing our site’s design to be aesthetically pleasing and user friendly like our robots, adding new features like this “News” section where you will find company news, Sushi Robot recipes, Sushi Robot tips, partner/client highlights and more.
 
We hope to inform you in many ways about our brand, our sushi robots and the wonderful world of sushi.
 
AUTEC Sushi Robot Team

A large concern our customers have is if an AUTEC Sushi Robot will fit in their physical workspace. Using this new app provided by our AUTEC Japan, it’s easy to visualize what the machine would look like on your countertops without having to bring the actual robot to your location—not to mention, it’s free and easy to access and use!

Follow the steps below on your smartphone to try it now!

1

Open your smartphone camera and scan the QR code below. This will open your browser to the AUTEC AR Simulation landing page.

2

On the landing page, tap the “AR Simulation Try it now” button next to the robot you would like to simulate in your operating space.

Using one of our most popular sushi robots, Manpuku will be the first restaurant to offer omusando, the “rice sandwich”.

Omusando meals will be available for takeout and delivery starting Friday, October 16th, at 5pm – and the first 20 people to order via phone (323.847.5061) or walk-in for takeout with the code AUTECManpuku20 will get their omusando meal (normally $30) courtesy of AUTEC Sushi Robots (Limit: 1 free meal per person).

Omusando – from the word “omusubi,” Japanese rice ball, and the American word “sandwich” – replaces bread with the rice and nori (seaweed) that normally accompany sushi. We created the omusando concept for our ASM865A sushi robot, which makes up to 1,300 rice sheets per hour, to inspire restaurant owners and chefs to continuously innovate rice-focused dishes beyond sushi rolls and burritos.

Manpuku will launch their version of the omusando concept with three options, using their signature and most popular meat dishes as the fillings, available for $30 (plus tax) and via pickup or delivery (Manpuku call-in, Postmates, UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash). Diners can select two out of the following three options for the omusando meal, which includes sides of BBQ sauce, cabbage dressing, spicy sauce, fried burdock root chips and black soybeans (edamame):

• US Wagyu Yakiniku Omusando: US Wagyu BBQ, leaf lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tsukedare (BBQ sauce), and mayonnaise
• Spicy Miso Skirt Steak Omusando: US prime outside skirt, leaf lettuce, jalapeño, tsukedare (BBQ sauce), and mayonnaise
• Beef Filet Cutlet Omusando: Filet mignon cutlet, cabbage, spicy miso sauce, and mayonnaise

For more information regarding the AUTEC x Manpuku campaign or any other inquiries, please contact Akiko Yamaguchi at akiko@autecusa.com.

According to a recent Yelp report, 53% of restaurants in the U.S. has permanently closed since March 1st. It has changed the ways businesses operate and leaving them to find solutions for how to re-open safely.

NY Eater has listed AUTEC’s sushi robots as one of the 5 strategies New York restaurants are implementing to combat the effects of COVID-19.
Click here to read the full article.

So, how can a sushi robot help with operations amid COVID-19? By minimizing direct food contact. Creating a minimum food contact sushi operation can be easy with AUTEC Sushi Robots. From mixing sushi rice, forming sushi rice into balls or sheets, wrapping into rolls to cutting the rolls, automation of a sushi operation provides a hygienic and safe environment for your customers and staff.

You can take it a step further by adding a foot pedal accessory to minimize contact with a sushi robot while handling food. This accessory allows the user to control the rice sheet production on ASM865A and ASM880A by simply tapping on the pedal with their foot.

See how you can create a hygienic and safe sushi roll operation with our sushi robots in the video below:

To learn more, schedule a free virtual sushi robot demo here.

A little about Yamashiro’s history: The name Yamashiro translates as “Mountain Palace” in Japanese. In 1911, the Bernheimer brothers began construction of the hilltop mansion to house their priceless collection of Asian treasures. Hundreds of craftsmen were brought from the Orient to recreate the replica of a palace located in the “Yamashiro” province mountains near Kyoto, Japan. Yamashiro sits 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard and was completed in 1914.

Guests experienced Japanese inspired dishes by chefs Geiskopf and Inoue who are shaping the Los Angeles culinary landscape through wellness education, environmental stewardship, seasonal cooking, community advocacy, food waste management, composting and local/sustainable farming.

The Skyview Valentines Dinner consisted of 13 delicately prepared courses. Sushi Robots 730 and 410 assisted Chef Joji Inoue with the Hamachi Nigiri with Ginger and Yuzu course.

We were honored to participate in such an intimate night for Angelinos.

An extraordinary project born under the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with hubs in London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo, Japanhouse brought together enlightening artists and creative leaders inspired by Japanese culture to share knowledge, insight and wisdom behind some of the most exciting experiences.

Diners experienced Japanese inspired dishes by the most exciting chefs in Los Angeles who are shaping the culinary landscape through wellness education, environmental stewardship, seasonal cooking, community advocacy, food waste management, composting and local/sustainable farming.

The Life Cycle of Food Winter [RYORI] showcased a Japanese inspired 13 course dinner with Chef Joseph Geiskopf and Chef Joji Inoue. Sushi robots 410 and 730 assisted Chef Inoue with the second course, Ikejime Kinki Fish (courtesy of Yokose Seafood) Nigiri Sushi 2 ways.

It was a beautiful food filled night with amazingly talented people.