Now, more than ever, retail bakeries are looking for devices that can provide intelligent automation, save labor, increase hygiene, and reduce human contact with products, and may create visual animations in stores to participate in efforts to create higher-level experiences. Said Luc Imberechts, owner of Bakon USA.

The new version of Bakon’s second-generation Drop TT pouring machine now has a larger touch screen display, as well as a redesigned pump and hopper for easy replacement and cleaning. This pouring machine is ideal for producing French macarons, puffs, puffs and butter cookies.

"We also launched the Bazz 50, which is our new cold liquid sprayer with an onboard compressor (just plug it into a standard 115V socket)," he explained. "This sprayer is very suitable for spraying release agent (much cheaper and environmentally friendly than aerosol spray cans), egg liquid, egg liquid substitutes and other cold liquids (milk, simple syrup)."

Unifiller Systems Global Marketing Director Sonia Bal pointed out that the bakery industry is seeing a trend toward more compact equipment, which still allows bakery operators to integrate automation and connectivity to ensure a higher degree of responsiveness.

Overall, given the current situation, automation is becoming more and more important.

"I think it depends on the size of the bakery, the highly competitive market space and business model," Barr said. "For example, an artisanal bakery may be more reluctant to adopt innovative cake decoration techniques because their entire model is about offering handmade cakes. Although commercial or commissary bakeries that supply chain supermarkets across the country prioritize consistency, standardization and Higher yields, but there may be increased demand for deposition or cake decoration techniques. Their focus on meeting customer needs must be balanced with profits and returns."

She added that in addition to the recent impact of COVID-19, factors such as mergers and acquisitions, focus on reducing food waste, allergen control, green operations, and a shortage of skilled labor have led to increased demand for integrated solutions

John McIsaac, vice president of strategic business development for Reiser in Canton, Massachusetts, points out that the shuttles and index conveyors used in the production of cookies and bars are critical to the success of the industry. "Our indexing and shuttle conveyors increase the level of automation from part to tray to the production line, reducing labor and maximizing output," he said.

He added that some of the key advantages of this device are as follows:

Shuttle car and indexer-reduce labor, product consistency, accurate weighing.

Shuttles and indexers only need to change the formula to load multiple configurations on the pallet. 

McIsaac pointed out that as snacks become a major trend in the consumer market, it is important to realize that "smaller serving sizes require more accurate serving sizes." "We have developed a system for making small copies quickly and accurately."

In addition, "Our Vemag accessory series allows manufacturers to quickly change their product portfolio. A base Vemag plus some accessories allows bakers to easily produce a variety of products," he said. "We have record-breaking sales of shuttle and index conveyor belts. , Load the biscuits and sticks from Vemag 500 to the baking tray. The equipment appears every day and never ask for sick leave!"

Bakon's Bazz 50 is an air mixing sprayer for cold applications with a built-in compressor. It is always available. It is ideal for spraying release agent, oil and egg liquid (or egg liquid substitute), and other cold liquids. Main features Bazz 50 has a built-in compressor. It only needs to be connected to a 115V power outlet. The device draws liquid directly from its container.

Applications include as mold release agents, oil, egg liquid, egg liquid substitutes, and milk, water and other cold liquids

Finally, the BD3 desktop piston pouring machine is the latest member of the Bakon pouring machine series, and it is the perfect desktop size pouring machine for a variety of products. Its compact size and ease of use make BD3 very suitable for small batch production, so it is an ideal choice for small bakeries, catering suppliers, hotels and restaurants. A smaller machine doesn't mean you have to compromise on functionality. BD3 has a wide range of uses and powerful functions. It provides three standard models and can be expanded with a variety of accessories.

"These three machines help to produce a single product," Imberechts said.

Unifiller Systems introduced the innovative iFill pouring machine, designed for bakeries and food manufacturers who wish to use a simple and compact pouring machine to pour large quantities of up to 31 ounces in a single pouring. iFill includes optional accessories, such as a bucket rack for keeping the product container away from the floor to avoid contamination, and an optional pie bar, which makes it easy to fill the pie even on the rack.

Although Unifiller expects this new device to be used primarily for cake batter and pie fillings, the application possibilities are endless. The iFill pouring machine can carry out up to 100 cycles per minute, which is very suitable for flowable products without particles. Customers who purchase this equipment can speed up production, increase output, optimize labor, and better manage product waste.

"Bakers usually seek help in all aspects; they want to stay competitive with new and unusual products that their customer base will appreciate, and of course, creating better flavor profiles can sometimes be done by changing their process (dough/ The way the batter is mixed) or adding new ingredients-usually costly-this is where our equipment comes in," Bal points out. "If the bakers have sufficient production volume, then our equipment can help them produce more in a shorter period of time, and can also optimize the control of the batter, filling or glaze portion to ensure consistent flavor profile and composition Cost management."

As for the benefits of labor saving, there are more and more factors affecting the way food manufacturers work. Over the years, changes in the minimum wage, fewer people entering the industry, and the transition of baby boomers to retirement have all led to the need for more automation.

"Recently, COVID-19 has shown that when employees are difficult to retain due to health and safety issues, companies can be severely affected," Barr said. "The current pandemic is eye-opening. Automating work that was previously done manually—dividing or decorating can simplify the day-to-day operations of a business—it can make a significant difference in throughput, which can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of employees. Positively impact and reduce employee downtime-taking into account employee retention."

Unifiller focuses on distribution or cake decoration automation in the context of quality control.

"Automation eliminates human error and inconsistency (you can only observe so many parts with your eyeball), employee distraction, employee burnout, or injury caused by employee repetitive hand movements," Barr said. "The equipment can eliminate these problems because the machine can be programmed to run specific and repeatable parameters."

Among other recent innovations, Erika Record Baking Equipment offers innovations in reversible pastry press solutions for retail and wholesale bakeries. This includes compact tabletop tablet presses, traditional floor tablet presses, automatic tablet presses and tablet presses with optional cutting attachments for the production of croissants, donuts and pastries.

For desktop presses, Z.Matik 507BL is a compact reversible desktop press with a conveyor belt that can be folded upright to minimize storage. Z.Matik 507BL is the perfect reversible table/table press for laminating and processing various doughs. This includes croissants, Chiba dough and shortcrust pastries.

This space-saving tablet press is perfect for bakeries with limited space. When not in use, the two sides of the conveyor table are folded for storage. This multifunctional machine can handle most of the tasks corresponding to its traditional full-size floor model.

As for the floor press, the Z.Matik SF 600 series reversible pastry press is also very suitable for bakeries and restaurants with limited space. In addition, they are easy to clean and repair, with a fully removable dough scraper. When not in use, the two sides of the conveyor table are folded for storage. This multifunctional machine can also be used in conjunction with available cutting stations.

Among other equipment trends, Empire's ingredients and filling machines are versatile and can help fill molds or containers, and inject, decorate, and fill cakes or pastries. The wide variety of accessories leaves plenty of room for the creativity of the baker, making it the perfect choice for a variety of products.

The DPV pneumatic filling machine provided by Empire Bakery Equipment is an ideal equipment for mixing cream, jam, jam and semi-concentrated or liquid mixtures. DPV provides a compact desktop design, leaving the smallest footprint in your bakery. The larger DP pneumatic pouring machine can be used alone or inserted into the production line, which is very suitable for medium and large bakery or wholesale bakeries.

Bloemhof roll forming machine, model 860L, exclusively manufactured and sold by Oliver, can be rolled into dough in a few seconds. The soft-touch spring roller stretches the dough without tearing. The rolling and forming process degass, folds, seals and forms the finished product. Single operation, the 860L molding machine can produce up to 3,600 pieces per hour. The finished size from ½ ounce to 7 pounds makes it a versatile "hands". Shape rolls, hoagies, hot dog bread, French bread, French baguettes, pretzels, artisan bread and pan bread. Three-game winning streak: stable output, labor-saving, and high-quality products. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone that you didn’t scroll by hand.)

The Bloemhof POCO countertop forming machine is a compact countertop dough forming machine that provides high-quality, simple and labor-saving features. It is very suitable for making bolillos, bread rolls, sub-breads, hot dog buns, half baguettes and flat breads. Spring rolls gently stretch the dough. The dough is degassed, rolled, shaped, sealed and ready to be placed in a baking tray within a few seconds. Its compact design can produce a large output, up to 3,600 pieces per hour, and the size of the finished dough is 1/2 to 18 ounces.

Bake Magazine contacted Carolyn Bilger, Marketing Director of Hobart Food Equipment Group, to provide a unique perspective on the recommended cleaning procedures for bread mixers. The following is her response.

Baking: What is the recommended frequency for cleaning the bread mixer?

Bilger: The mixer should be cleaned thoroughly every day to keep it running properly.

Baking: What are the recommended steps to follow?

Bilger: New mixing bowls and accessories (such as mixers, whips, and dough arms) should first be washed thoroughly with hot water and a mild soap solution. Next, rinse with mild soda or vinegar solution, and rinse thoroughly with water before use. Before whipping egg whites or whole eggs, the bowl and mixer should also follow this cleaning procedure.

The mixer should be cleaned thoroughly every day. Do not use a hose to clean the mixer; it should be cleaned with a clean damp cloth. The base provides ample space for cleaning under the mixer. The apron can be removed for cleaning by loosening the thumbscrew. Do not wipe the guide rails when cleaning.

Baking: What cleaning materials should I use?

Bilger: Mild soap and warm water.

Bake: Are there any other steps to consider?

Bilger: The wire bowls on all Hobart mixers are also removable. They should be cleaned with mild soap/detergent and water, rinsed with clean water and dried with a clean cloth, and then reconnected to the machine.

Bake: How often do you specify the deep cleaning?

Bilger: If you clean the machine every day, you really don't need deep cleaning. 

Baking: Which parts need to be disassembled and cleaned?

Bilger: The bowl, together with all accessories, such as wire whips, flat beaters and dough hooks, should be disassembled and cleaned. The bowl cage on the Hobart mixer is removable for easy cleaning and hygiene.

Bake: What is the recommended procedure for record keeping?

Bilger: I will post a log near the machine and have a morning/afternoon cleaning record.

Bake: What are the other benefits of cleaning equipment?

Bilger: Clean the equipment to make sure the machine is ready for the next batch! Cleaning and wiping the machine can prevent excess flour, batter, butter and other ingredients from accumulating.   

Bilger: Not all mixers are created equal. All Hobart mixers are NSF certified. This means that our products are certified and tested to meet specific food safety guidelines. The approval seal reassures customers that what they buy has been tested and certified by a legal and reputable organization.

The International Dairy Delicatessen Baking Association (IDDBA) announced the launch of comprehensive fresh data powered by IRI's unify® platform.

IDDBA reports that it has been looking for opportunities to use the power of its organization to add value to its members. Therefore, it has established a new partnership with IRI to provide IDDBA members with a value-added benefit: free access to IRI data. 

IDDBA represents member companies of all sizes, some of which face greater challenges in their market research budgets, which is why the organization wants all members to have access to the latest market data and analysis tools, which are usually only Only those with a larger budget can access.

Angela Bozo, Education Director of IDDBA, said: “This comprehensive data stack is a game-changing way for our members.” Cooperation with IRI provides information on dairy products, deli and bread Store sales data, including department, aisle, and category performance across multiple time periods, measures, and product selections. The data is updated every 30 days, and all IDDBA members are provided with free market data and analysis tools, and the cost of many of our members to purchase these tools on their own will be prohibitively high. "

IDDBA Integrated Fresh is available through the member portal on iddba.org, and Bozo encourages anyone seeking more information to contact research@iddba.org.

Apex Motion Control is an expert in the field of robotics and automation in the baking and food industries. With the help of its collaborative robot Baker-Bot, it provides bakeries with a new way to easily decorate cakes.

Baker-Bot is a collaborative robot that can easily handle all boring and repetitive tasks, including cake decoration. With its easy-to-use interface, you only need to draw a design on Baker-Bot's tablet, and Baker-Bot can easily handle the rest. Whether it is personalized information or complex patterns, the possibilities are endless.

In addition to the options Baker-Bot provides for cake decoration, Apex Motion Control is also an industry expert in system integration-large industrial EOL palletizing for bakery, food, dairy, and pharmaceuticals.

Check out this quick preview to see how it actually works: https://youtu.be/9pkKSlR9oug

Apex Motion Control is an expert in robotics and automation in the baking and food industry. They designed Baker-Bot to support food manufacturers by automatically loading and unloading trays and pans.

Baker-Bot is a collaborative robot that can be easily integrated into existing systems to support pallet handling tasks such as conveyor belts and shelves. Baker-Bot has countless applications for tray management, including biscuit making, bagel making and more!

For example, one of Baker-Bot's previous settings involved a pizza dough conveyor. Once the dough balls are on the conveyor belt, Apex's Baker-Bot will quickly grab a tray and then perfectly hold them as the dough falls off the conveyor belt. After the collaborative robot has collected enough dough, it will place the trays on a stack of trays, and then repeat the process as needed. This automated setup allows bakers to automate this part of the pizza dough production process, allowing employees the necessary free time to focus on other tasks.

A new feature of Baker-Bot is targeted filling and deposition.

In addition to cake decoration, pick-and-place, tray management, and packaging, their collaborative robot can now be set to handle target fillings and deposit packaging when sauces, fillings or frosting move to your conveyor belt or form fillings on the product String. Not only that, it can also be easily integrated into most production lines without safety protection.

By taking advantage of Baker-Bot's targeted filling function, you can enjoy the benefits of precise control of portion size while reducing repetitive stress. With this setting, cleaning and maintenance are also easy. The collaborative robot can also be integrated with other OEM equipment, and it is designed to be used with most mobile products.

Fortress Technology has introduced a new connectivity software suite to simplify the data collection process. New flexible features include OPC/UA and Ethernet/IP adapters that support Industry 4.0, which can be safely integrated into the firewall of each food factory’s existing network system.

Fortress Technology's communication adapter technology automates data collation and testing procedures, reduces the margin for human error, supports real-time end-to-end production visibility, HACCP quality assurance, and reporting compliance.  

For food manufacturers with existing data extraction and factory management software, the adapter platform provides seamless connection and communication that conforms to industry standard protocols.

The OPC/UA adapter is a one-way solution that can open event and parameter data/tags for collection over the network. Its interoperability allows multiple metal detectors to enter data into the manufacturer's central server in real time. Each OPC/UA adapter can collect data from multiple metal detectors. In addition, almost all major automation technology suppliers support the OPC/UA architecture. Make it easier to synchronize the data generated by multiple machines in the intelligent processing environment.

The Ethernet IP adapter also provides food manufacturers with the technology to connect and view the performance of multiple metal detectors through the IP address of each machine in the company's IT infrastructure. In addition, the monitoring parameters and product settings of the metal detector can be changed via the network, paving the way for remote management, thereby helping to reduce machine downtime.

Author: Matt Hale, Director of International Sales and Marketing, HRS Heat Exchangers

Thanks to the development of Industry 4.0, digitization and cloud, as well as the improvement of process control and communication technology, it is easier than ever for equipment manufacturers to provide remote assistance and monitoring. The coronavirus pandemic’s restrictions on travel and face-to-face work highlight the benefits of remote debugging for companies, many of which are now hoping to get the most from this technology.

HRS uses state-of-the-art technology from Siemens and Allen-Bradley Products to provide remote telemetry and control options for all applicable products and systems. We are keen to use the potential of process control to improve operational knowledge, process management and operational efficiency.

Process control can include a range of functions, such as visualization and human machine interface (HMI) solutions, as well as programming tools and advanced software applications. We use a combination of programmable logic controllers (PLC) and graphic terminals to provide easy-to-use and reliable control.

HRS also uses a set of customized software to monitor and control key parameters. These data can be easily transmitted to remote systems using hard-wired (Ethernet) or secure wireless (4G/5G) communication technologies-systems belonging to the client or HRS itself.

Remote operation and monitoring provide many benefits, including allowing customers to view and control equipment from a central point, which is particularly beneficial for complex installations or installations that are distributed across many buildings or locations. It also allows HRS employees to assist in debugging, upgrading or running-in operations, and provide continuous technical support when needed.

Looking to the future, digital process control technology is likely to be more beneficial to the processing industry. The control software can be constantly updated to help keep the system running at maximum efficiency, but perhaps the greatest benefit can ultimately be realized in the field of simulation.

Engineers and commentators are increasingly mentioning the concept of "digital twins"-a virtual version of a physical system or device that can be used to simulate any change in operation, from differences in product specifications to adjusting physical settings (such as valve diameter) or Tube length. When combined with artificial intelligence (AI), such virtual systems can determine the best sanitation system, the best energy efficiency, and even the most efficient time of day to run certain operations.

Although our technology has not yet reached this level, there is no doubt that as an industry, we are getting closer and closer. If such a future is to be achieved, then the information technology (IT) and operations engineering functions will need to become closer, which is a trend we have seen in many companies. Industry 4.0 is a term that is often discussed but not always fully understood. However, last year has already begun to show us what process control will look like in the near future.