Plant Efficiency

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Optimized efficiency is a moving target. That's why terms like "continuous improvement" enter into discussions related to snack and bakery operations on a regular basis.

Customers of cutting, slicing and portioning equipment for snack and bakery products consider a wide range of parameters: They're hoping to find machinery that offers greater use of robots and automation, better sanitation, higher safety standards, faster speeds, wider and easier-to-clean blades, and reliable and flexible systems that can handle different sizes and shapes.

Software that can provide facility-wide traceability, from the point where ingredients and packaging enter a facility, to the point of finished product distribution, is very important in the food industry.

Infrastructure maintenance is vital to snack and bakery facility safety. If any plant area is not maintained properly, recalls and other potentially expensive negative consequences are bound to occur. Regular maintenance is crucial, and many types of software and other tools can aid this process.

The right oven is the heart of any baked snack or bakery facility, and suppliers continue to make improvements to their equipment. Aspects like smaller footprints, lower costs, more hygienic design, greater energy efficiency, better control, remote monitoring and an ability to handle a wider range of ingredients are all facing scrutiny.

Manufacturers today face many challenges when it comes to designing packaging materials for the snack and bakery market, especially as the consumption cycle of packaged foods grows longer.

The latest innovations in fleet management offer a new world of interconnectivity that accelerates and streamlines the rapid delivery of goods to market.

Snack food and bakery facilities need to efficiently deliver water for sanitation and cleaning tasks, using just the right amount, while reusing what they can. They also often need to manage, treat and/or recover wastewater, maintaining peak sanitary standards and food safety, including proper placement of drains, to help save time and money.

Designing robotics for packaging functions in snack and bakery plants is a challenge. This market segment requires robots that are highly flexible for product changeover, yet easy to program.