Baking & Snack - December 2024 - 65

EQUIPMENT
Mixing
MIXING MADE EASY
Foolproof mixer design and improved training allow bakers to
produce quality doughs with an inexperienced workforce.
by Lucas Cuni-Mertz
B
Bakers are feeling the pain of a real brain drain throughout
their production. Experienced doughheads are retiring
or leaving the industry, and of the workers bakers
can find to replace them, many are increasingly inexperienced
and lacking in key baking skills.
" Many entry-level bakers may not fully understand
the nuances of dough handling, ingredient measurements
and mixing techniques, " said John Price, sales
director, Spooner Vicars, a Middleby Bakery company.
" Additionally, high turnover rates in the foodservice industry
can exacerbate the issue, causing bakeries to continuously
train new staff on critical processes. "
An inexperienced workforce isn't ideal at any stage of
production, but at the mixer, it can spell disaster. An error
here will carry down the rest of the line, potentially
resulting in an unacceptable finished product that often
isn't caught until it's too late.
" Mixing is where ingredients first become an inseparable
product, " said Andrew Adreani, business development
manager, USA and Canada, Escher Mixers, a
Middleby Bakery company. " There is no redo and very
little chance of correction after this stage. Any mistakes
here must be discarded, or they become more expensive
mistakes with every subsequent processing stage. "
To avoid these costly mishaps, today's mixers are being
made with a less experienced labor force in mind.
" We are designing our mixers with a focus on making
them more user-friendly and foolproof, especially to support
bakers who may have a newer, less experienced workforce, "
said Jim Warren, vice president of Exact Mixing,
Reading Bakery Systems. " Our controls packages are continually
developed to be intuitive and easy to use, ensuring
operators can quickly learn to manage the equipment. "
Mixer design simplified
There can be a lot to manage at the mixer. Many bakeries
are running numerous dough recipes, and understanding
the needs of each mix can be difficult for
an operator new to the job, opening the door to error.
Thankfully, mixers made with intuitive features such as
touchscreen controls allow even the newest employees
to run a variety of doughs with ease, managing different
mixing times, speeds and temperatures.
" These interfaces allow operators to choose from multiple
modes, including manual or programmed recipes, "
said Mélanie Gay, marketing manager, VMI, a technology
brand of Coperion. " By selecting a recipe, the mixer
automatically adjusts the speed and mixing time for
each phase as programmed by the head of production.
This not only enhances operational flexibility but also
www.bakingbusiness.com / December 2024 Baking & Snack 65
Automating
laborious mixer tasks
reduces worker
fatigue, preventing
injuries
and errors.
Escher Mixers, a Middleby
Bakery company
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - December 2024

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