Baking & Snack - February 2024 - 80

SWEET GOODS PROCESSING
Simplified production
lines can reduce
product giveaway.
TP Food Group North America
the capital investments are very high, but there's less
flexibility. It's all about striking that balance. "
Pastries with precision
Automation can be a capacity-boosting, labor-saving
game changer for pastry manufacturers. But with higher
speeds and fewer workers on the floor to supervise,
these investments may open the door to costly product
giveaway if not managed properly.
" When making pastry, it is an expensive process given
the cost of the ingredients, " Mr. Giacoio said.
Pastry manufacturers can tell if their line will produce
excess waste by examining the side of the dough sheet,
he noted.
" You want to see a straight side edge as you get to
the final dough sheet, " he explained. " If it is wavy, this
means you have stressed the dough, and this wave needs
to be cut off to give you a usable dough sheet. This trim
is wasted, and if it is worked back into the dough, it will
ultimately reduce the quality. "
Thankfully for bakers, the growing integration of data
and analytics in today's equipment lets them closely monitor
production and minimize these opportunities for waste.
" Real-time data can be collected on the production
lines, and these metrics can be used to improve
the performance of the line, " Mr. Magistrelli explained.
" Automation is designed to react to the information provided
by data collection features and provide continuous
improvement. "
Fritsch's Smart Production Insights provide manufacturers
the real-time key performance data of their lines
on a dashboard.
" Even downtimes caused by minor malfunctions are
clearly recorded so that measures to prevent them can be
initiated quickly and easily, " Mr. Praller said.
Similarly, Multivac's newly developed Watchdog
80 Baking & Snack February 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
monitors all the drives on a line. As soon as a value deviates
too far from its target value, a warning is sent to
managers on the floor, allowing them to react before the
drive is damaged or destroyed.
" This allows users to perform predictive maintenance
on the line to avoid equipment downtime and therefore
reduce waste, " he explained.
Checkweighing on automated lines will significantly
reduce waste margins as well, observed Theo van Hoof,
R&D, vacuum cool and bake expert, gluten-free specialist,
Verhoeven Family of Companies.
" It is possible to place detectors to detect whether all
functions on the line are performed correctly, " he said.
" All information and data coming from our lines can be
exchanged with general business automation. "
Handtmann systems are accurate to the gram and include
inline check weighing systems that allow for continuous
real-time adjustments.
" Whether pumping butter, margarine or shortening
on the first layer of dough or filling multiple ounces of
chunky fruit filling in a high-speed multilane pastry lamination
line, consistent gram-level portioning precision
not only reduces giveaway safely but also virtually eliminates
the wasted time, material and chaos of rework, " Mr.
Alameno said.
Mr. Menardo observed that simplified production
lines similarly reduce opportunities for waste. He cited
the use of spiral ovens as an example.
" For instance, we have delivered laminated pastry
production lines where bakers proof, bake and freeze
products directly on the belt of spiral systems without
the use of trays, tray management systems and oven
loader/unloader systems, " he said.
Laminated pastries must be handled with care, and
automated investments today can ensure the quality of
these delicate goods is preserved.
*
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - February 2024
