If you are looking at a Giesen alternative, it is probably because you want what Giesen is known for — fine control over airflow and burner from a touch screen, a machine in your own colour — without the invoice. That is a reasonable thing to want, and it is checkable. Here is what the brand genuinely delivers, the four things to verify on any Giesen-style roaster, and where our YS series lands, capacity for capacity.
What the Brand Genuinely Delivers
Three things, and they are real:
Control. Giesen built its reputation on giving the roaster fine-grained control of burner, airflow and drum speed from a screen, with software integration. That is the feature specialty roasters buy it for.
Finish. Wood, glass, colour — a Giesen looks like a piece of furniture, and for a roastery that customers walk through, that matters.
Service and residual value. A technician network in Europe and North America, and a used market that holds prices.
If control and finish are what you want, the question is whether an alternative delivers the first two at a price that makes the third irrelevant.
Four Things to Verify on Any Giesen-Style Roaster
1. The controller — and who makes it. The screen is the easy part; what matters is the PLC behind it and whether spares and programmers exist for it in your country. Our YS series runs on a Siemens PLC, which is the reason we chose it: a controller your local automation technician has seen before. Ask any alternative what the PLC is and whether you can save, repeat and hand-drive a profile. The PLC guide explains what to expect.
2. The drum and the front plate. Giesen's signature is a heavy cast iron front plate for stability. Ask any alternative what the drum and front plate are made of, and the wall thickness. Ours are built as a heavy drum with the mass to hold heat between batches.
3. Customisation. Colour and logo are standard on the YS series, and the machine is built for your voltage, frequency and gas. Ask what is included and what is priced. The OEM and ODM guide explains how branded orders work.
*4. The paperwork. CE declaration under the machinery and low-voltage directives; wiring diagram; pre-shipment test video. See the CE guide for what to ask for.
Capacity for Capacity: Where the YS Series Sits
| If you were quoted a Giesen-class machine at… | Our Giesen-style machine | Batch | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~6 kg | YS-6 | 1–7 kg | Siemens PLC; gas or electric heating; roasts trial batches down to 1 kg — factory price USD 7,499 |
| ~12–15 kg | YS-12 / YS-15 | 1–13 kg / 1–15 kg | Siemens PLC; gas or electric (electric needs three-phase 380V) — USD 9,980 / 10,999 |
| ~20–30 kg | YS-20 / YS-30 | 20–30 kg class | Our most-requested production sizes; ship with the YS auto loader — USD 18,999 / 23,999 |
| 60 kg and up | YS-60 to YS-360 | 60–300 kg | Ship with loader; destoner on the largest; industrial guide |
All prices ex-works; the price guide has the full list. Full range on the YS series page. If you prefer the classic Probat-style layout, that is our SD Pro line — the Probat alternative guide covers it the same way.
When to Buy the Brand, and When Not To
Buy the brand if you are in a market with a Giesen technician nearby, you expect to resell within a few years, or the finish is part of your shop's identity and you want the original.
Buy the alternative if you want Siemens control and your own colour at a size where the brand's price puts you a machine size down; if you are in Southeast Asia, Africa, the Gulf or Latin America where the brand's service does not reach anyway; or if the difference funds the loader, the afterburner or the second machine.
Lead Time, Price and the Software Under the Screen
Three facts from the open market to put beside the feature list.
Waiting time. Giesen's own FAQ tells buyers to ask for the delivery time per machine, and dealers say months of waiting is normal when demand is high. If your lease starts in ten weeks, that is a decision in itself. Our YS machines are built to order in weeks, and the lead time goes on the quote.
Price at the shop sizes. Retail listings put a 15 kg Giesen at around USD 35,000 and a 6 kg at USD 30,000–40,000 depending on options and shipping, with used 6 kg machines still fetching most of that. Against a YS-6 at USD 7,499 and a YS-15 at USD 10,999 ex-works, the difference at 6 kg is roughly a second machine, an afterburner and a year's green coffee. Whether the brand is worth that is your call; it should at least be a call made with both numbers in front of you.
The software line. Giesen's real advantage is not the glass on the front; it is that the machine talks to roasting software — its own profiler, now free, and the common third-party packages. So ask any alternative, ours included, three questions: can the controller record the bean curve and rate of rise on screen, can it save and re-run that profile automatically, and can it export or connect to Artisan or a cloud logger? Our YS Siemens PLC records, saves and re-runs profiles on the machine; an Artisan interface is a priced option on the YS-6 to YS-15 that we fit at build if you ask for it at quotation — the Artisan guide explains what it logs; for a cloud package with its own hardware, tell us which one at quotation and we confirm the interface. A screen that only shows temperature is not a Giesen alternative, whatever it costs.
Due Diligence Before You Commit
- Ask for the PLC make, drum material and front-plate material in writing.
- Ask for a video of the machine roasting, with the touch screen visible.
- Ask for the CE declaration and wiring diagram.
- Get delivery term, packing list, colour and lead time on the quote.
- Test the support: send a hard question and time the answer. The after-sales guide shows what you should expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the touch-screen control as fine as the brand's?
The adjustments are the same in kind — burner, airflow and drum speed from the screen, saved and replayed — and the resolution is finer than any hand can use. Where the brand is ahead is the ecosystem around the screen: its own profiler software, a decade of shared profiles and a user community. Ours is a Siemens PLC your automation technician knows, with the curves exportable rather than locked in.
What about resale value?
Lower than a Giesen's, and it is honest to say so: the brand holds its price used because of the dealer network and the name, and a YS machine sells on to the next roastery at a plainer discount. If you expect to sell the machine within a few years, weight that; if you expect to run it for ten, the difference on the way in is larger than the difference on the way out.
Which finish options match what the brand is known for?
Any RAL or Pantone colour on the body, plated trim on the cooling tray and hopper on request, and your logo on the front panel and the nameplate — the same route the Oman roastery took with a white YS-6. Wood and glass accents are not in our finish list. The OEM and ODM guide sets out what changes.
Can a technician who services Giesen machines service a YS?
The mechanics — drum, bearings, belts, burner, cooling tray — are the same kind of work, and the wear parts are standard items; the controller is a Siemens PLC rather than the brand's own board, which most industrial automation technicians know better. Send them the wiring diagram and the parts book before the machine arrives, and the first service is a normal day.
Do you build the electric version at every YS size?
Electric heating is available on the YS-6, YS-12 and YS-15 and needs a three-phase 380V supply; from the YS-20 up the machines are gas only, because the element load at that batch size stops making sense against a burner. If your building has no gas, the electric YS-15 on three-phase is the largest option; tell us the supply and we say which build fits.
Final Thoughts
A Giesen alternative earns its place when the controller is one your technician knows, the drum has the mass, the colour is yours, and the paperwork is real. Our YS series is built to that brief with Siemens control, at our own factory since 1990. Send us the quote you were given and we will match it capacity for capacity. Get a factory-direct quote.
Get a Quote → WhatsApp +86 184 0771 4607Last updated: September 17, 2026
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