Baking & Snack - May 2023 - 98

featured technical expert Q&A
Adam Oberheu
Vantage Food
Adam Oberheu began his professional career in the oil and gas
industry, working 10 years as a cement service supervisor and
petroleum drilling engineer in Colorado. But he was eventually
motivated to seek a career that was less cyclical.
" I certainly wanted a path that provided challenges and resulted
in rewarding and meaningful impact on people's lives, " he said.
" The food industry has provided all of that. "
Mr. Oberheu has worked in the baking industry for seven
years, beginning in 2016 with the Amarna Co. as a technical service
engineer. The company was acquired in 2018 by Vantage,
where Mr. Oberheu now serves as engineering and equipment
manager for its food division, specializing in release agent equipment
manufacturing, field service and innovation projects.
Mr. Oberheu said he loves getting to be an integral part of bakery
operations whose products fill the market shelves.
" My friends and family find it fascinating the number of goods
and processes our products and equipment touch, " he said. " I reWhat
are common issues bakers face
with their release agents?
Many issues arise from incompatibilities at the beginning or modifications
made over time. As with any topic within the baking space,
it is incredible how technical release agents and their application can
be. You can't just run any release with any equipment or nozzle and
modify the line without making significant adjustments or experiencing
severe adverse effects. Even something as simple as conveyor
speeds and pan flow is a prevalent issue. Conveyor speeds must
match the bread pan oiler speed. If they do not, you will get pans
backing up and pushing each other through the oiler, which does
not allow sensors to work correctly and trigger precise spraying.
One of the most common issues we see, which is very preventable,
is release agent containers being left open to the bakery environment.
This allows for contamination from flour, dust and
sanitation water. This is very detrimental to the functionality of the
release agent and leads to a loss of product and release investment.
What are the latest technologies at bakers'
disposal in this area?
Modern bakeries are so intriguing and exciting, and this comes
from technological advancements. The ability to remotely monitor
equipment, adjust settings, sense signaling and direct flow are
easy examples of how technology has led to such an increase in
mechanized advancement at these facilities. Our equipment seeks
to stay in line with these technological advancements and match
the progression within specific bakeries. Our equipment allows remote-in
control, automatically notifies plant personnel when there
98 Baking & Snack May 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
ally love the challenging scenarios
where our team comes into
a site that is having severe operational
challenges, and we can
provide rapid solutions to get them
back on track. Departing those facilities
with a solution in place, a relationship
strengthened and a smile on everyone's face is
so rewarding and motivating. "
The biggest operational challenges Mr. Oberheu sees are staffing
shortages coupled with a need for increased production,
which he tackles through Vantage Food's automated solutions
and his extensive technical knowledge.
" In many cases we are more familiar with our customers' processes
than the majority of their staff are, so getting into these
bakeries and sharing this knowledge before issues arise is critical, "
he said.
is a problem at our machine, and offers automatic adjustments for
pan changes and cutting-edge PLC and HMI controls. These are
all advanced technology offerings within our equipment solutions.
How can bakers maximize labor savings and
efficiency with today's oiler technology?
Product demand from bakeries is at an all-time high, but the challenges
surrounding staffing and talent retention are also at an all-time
high. Even though baking equipment and technology solutions can
come with an expensive price tag, they can help overcome those constraints
surrounding the cost of revolving staff. When our bread pan
oilers signal that the reservoir level is getting low, the drum needs to
be changed out, or the nozzle isn't spraying, those are critical items
that no longer fall onto plant personnel. Those bodies can be allocated
elsewhere. Our oilers also can automatically adjust all settings between
pan types, again something that used to fall to plant personnel to adapt
and monitor manually. The modern technology in our oilers also allows
bakers to tap in remotely to monitor and change all these items
from their tablet or computer anywhere in the plant. Remote control
and monitoring of bakery equipment by operational and engineering
staff is a big focus we are seeing at bakeries. All of these quickly add up
to significant reductions in labor requirements.
What considerations should bakers keep in mind
when selecting their release agent equipment?
First, make sure that it is designed specifically for your application.
There are many technical considerations that should be evaluated
and built into the system, including pan type, cavity shape, line
Vantage Food
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Baking & Snack - May 2023

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