Baking & Snack - March 2022 - 85

EQUIPMENT
Sliced Bread Packaging
FINE
W
by Michelle Smith
With dozens of loaves of sliced bread coming off highcapacity
production lines each minute in a bakery, there
is no room for error. Every step of the process is crucial,
from the right ingredients going into the mixer to the
need for reliable packaging equipment.
" You can make the greatest loaf of bread in the world,
but if you don't package it correctly, you have nothing for
the consumer, " said Ron Cardey, senior vice president,
customer engagement, Kwik Lok. " Bakers understand the
importance. And if it breaks down, you have a real issue
because you still have product in the proofer up at that
end of the line. And if you don't get it fixed quickly, you're
going to have a lot of product for a hog farmer somewhere.
Everything - the smallest piece of equipment to
the largest - has to work together because that line has to
keep running to make money for that company. "
Paying attention to the basics and taking care of all the
equipment through setup, maintenance, cleaning and employee
training will pay dividends for bakers. It sounds
easy enough, but when bakeries are stressed and running
at full capacity all the time, it's easy to let a few things slip
through the cracks. That can be a costly mistake.
Keeping baggers reliable
Packaging sliced bread involves multiple pieces of equipment
working together: the slicer and bagger to the closer
and then through a metal detector before it goes out
the door of the bakery. To keep things running smoothly,
bakers need reliable equipment that is serviced regularly,
which is one of the biggest challenges for bakers.
" If the equipment isn't properly maintained, it just
can't run optimally, " said Dennis Gunnell, president,
Formost Fuji. " Oftentimes what we find is it's a little
thing here and a little thing there, and then three or
four little things. All of a sudden they add up to 2%,
3%, 4% less efficiency, and at the end of the day that's
a lot of waste or downtime or operator interaction that
shouldn't have to take place. "
He said problems can come from a variety of sources,
such as the compressed air pressure in the
plant that is opening bags on the
bagger. Routine checks on the
equipment such as making sure
moving parts are properly lubed
and that equipment is checked
and cleaned is a good place to
start with maintenance. And
setting up the machinery correctly
is vital as well.
" It's making sure the bags
are put onto the bagger, making
sure the blades are sharp,
that
everything is
adjusted
Sensors and ejection systems of metal
detectors should be checked regularly.
Heat & Control
www.bakingbusiness.com / March 2022 Baking & Snack 85
Due to widespread
supply chain problems,
companies
should keep critical
spare parts on hand
to avoid downtime.
Kwik Lok
Consistency through proper maintenance and training will keep
equipment on high-capacity sliced bread lines running well.
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - March 2022
