Baking & Snack - October 2019 - 105

CASE STUDY
Joy Cone

DIALING UP

PRECISION
Joy Cone's partnership with GEA Imaforni helps create cookies for ice cream products.
by Baking & Snack staff

Manufacturing cookies for ice cream is a demanding
process. Not only should the cookies be made to a precise recipe, but they must also be made to the finest of
tolerances as part of an automated process.
With about 150 different products supplied to
ice cream companies throughout the US, Joy Cone,
Hermitage, PA, is the world's largest ice cream cone producer and a market leader in the production of cookies
for ice cream sandwiches and mixes. When Joy Cone
built its first cookie line in Iowa in 2012, it chose GEA
Imaforni as its automated line partner and again last
year for an even larger cookie line in Pennsylvania.
Larry Tomasiello, technical services manager, Joy
Cone, explained that the plant in Iowa had only made
wafer products until 2012, but when the company decided to diversify, he had to do some research, including
visits to facilities in Europe, to find a supplier.
"We shopped the world and looked at several different companies for cookie lines," he said. "We had the
opportunity to visit some plants that were running GEA
Imaforni lines, and I liked their equipment because it
was up-to-date and provided everything we needed for
safety, sanitation and production capabilities. I interviewed some operators and supervisors at those plants,
and they were happy with the lines. I felt the Imaforni
equipment had the best option for us as far as equipment
design and ease of use."
Flexibility also came into focus for Mr. Tomasiello.
He said the line design provided easy access for sanitation and quick changes of belts and rollers to complete
changeovers in a matter of minutes. Even thorough
allergen cleaning required just a few hours.

Paolo Betto, area sales manager for GEA Imaforni, The oven at Joy Cone's Iowa
said that making cookies for ice cream is a difficult chal- plant was widened and
lenge. "The dimensions, shape and weight must be per- lengthened in 2012.
Joy Cone
fect every time, and the tolerances are very exacting,"
he explained.
A combination of tight controls and meticulous attention to engineering detail allowed the machine to
achieve the required precision, according to Mr. Betto.
"We have a large rotary moulder diameter and very fine
tolerances between the roller and the knife to make sure
every cookie is the same size," he said. "We then control
the oven carefully to make sure the bake on each biscuit
is perfect and consistent."
The relationship between Joy Cone and GEA Imaforni
goes back almost 10 years. In the early days GEA
Imaforni provided Joy Cone with access to its research
facilities in Italy for product and process development.
"It was an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate
the technical capabilities and simplicity of our equipment in such an exacting application," Mr. Betto said.
The strong relationship is not just with the sales
team but also with the technicians and support team.
"The GEA Imaforni technician knows everybody
and provides additional training when it's needed,"
Mr. Tomasiello said. "But we haven't needed much support. We maintain the equipment ourselves and just
have an oven safety inspection once a year."
Joy Cone expanded its Iowa line from 1.2-m wide to
1.5-m, and Mr. Tomasiello was delighted with the outcome. "The products are well within the required tolerances," he said. "It basically runs on autopilot. That's
what has impressed me the most."

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