Baker Perkins - World Major Bakery Equipment Manufacturers - A Profile

Baker Perkins have been serving world bakery industry  for long . It has installation across the globe and  bakery equipments have been installed in numerous bakeries in world . Baker Perkins have been pioneer in bakery technologies  its manufacturing expertise and  services  had made  them  world leader in bakery equipments .

Equipment manufacturing  are categorised  in following section in Baker Perkins

Bakery

Baker Perkins' market leading mixing and forming equipment is based on over 100 years experience of the specialist needs of high-output plant bakeries producing a wide product range. Other areas of expertise include baking, and there is specialist equipment for the production of niche products such as pizza.

Biscuit , cookies , crackers and Pet food

Baker Perkins has the largest installed base, the widest range of equipment and the greatest depth of resources for the supply of processing machinery. From dough mixing to ovens that harness the latest scientific technologies, the Baker Perkins capability covers every conceivable type of product and added-value option. As well as offering 'best-in-class' equipment for each key process stage, there is constant development of new end products and processes.

Confectionery

Baker Perkins has almost a century of experience in the design, manufacture and commissioning of complete plants, with over 500 systems operational. They are used to make a wide selection, from hard candy, lollipops, butterscotch, milk boils and caramels to gum, fudge, fondant crèmes and jellies. Centre-fillings, multi-colours, stripes, layers, inclusions, sugar-free and sugar options are all available to bring variety and eye-catching appeal to the market place

Cereal and Snacks

Baker Perkins' world-class cereal cookers, twin-screw extruders, flaking rolls and toasters make the company the preferred partner for market-leading manufacturers of high-value cereal products. Every type of breakfast cereal is produced, as well as health/breakfast bars and cereal based baby foods. Baker Perkins also pioneered end product development and process technology to meet the expanding and rapidly changing needs of the snacks market, particularly in the field of twin-screw extrusion.

After  Sales  Service

Baker Perkins  takes complete project from design to commissioning stage  from  customer . through their Aftermarket services  from USA and UK based centres .Baker Perkins provides excellent support in terms of spares for their equipments such as moulds , dies , moulders and cutters  , service contracts , benchmarking , optimising ,inspection and measuring equipments.

source : http://www.bakerperkinsgroup.com/

  

 Brief History

Perkins and  Bakers were two  most reputed brands for bakery equipments in 19th century England . Both companies were formed by  two north Americans  Jacob Perkins and Joseph Baker  who emigrated to  England for business . Both these companies then merged to form Baker Perkins in 1920 .

The business had expanded to become genuinely global in its organisation and sales when in 1987 the dairy and liquid food specialist, APV, acquired it. As APV Baker the company continued to develop its position at the forefront of the food sectors served. We can find many equipments  with APV  logo  still working in bakeries .

In 2006 private investors  John Cowx and Brian  Taylor acquired  Baker Perkins from APV  and was  renamed to original name of Baker Perkins .

HQ

UK
Peter borough

Baker Perkins Ltd.
Manor Drive,Paston Parkway,Peter borough
PE4 7AP
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1733 283000,Fax: +44 1733 283001
Email :bpltd@bakerperkinsgroup.com

USA
Grand Rapids

Baker Perkins Inc.
3223 Kraft Ave. S.E.,Grand Rapids, MI,49512-2027
USA
Tel: +1 616 784 3111,Fax: +1 616 784 0973
Email: bpinc@bakerperkinsgroup.com
Website : http://www.bakerperkinsgroup.com/

Biscuit Production Line

Biscuit production line consists of following equipments with brief  description

Mixers
All  ingredients are mixed into mixers  to prepare  dough  with desired characteristics . Normally two stage mixing is done  in biscuit production One with rapid slow speed and second stage with rapid speed hence one select a dual speed mixer .

Dough Elevator or Dough Tipper

Dough bowl  are either taken to tippers where dough is decanted into mixer bowl  which is beneath the tipper at level lower  to the tipper  or  dough bowl is  carried to certain height  and then tilted to decant the bowl into laminator hopper .

Dough Laminator

Laminator main function is to reduce the  mass of dough into uniform sheet or laminate for further reduction in gauge roll . Laminators have sets of roller where this dough is acted upon  and are converted into dough sheet .

Gauge Rolls

These gauge rolls have set of cylindrical rollers which rotates in reverse direction so as to  give  push to the next gauge rolls . Three stand to four stand of gauge rolls are used in normal biscuit  production line . Speed of rolls ae set as per the baking time and increases  as we proceed further .

Moulding /or  Cutter Unit

These are equipment  which cuts the dough sheet into desired shape and size . Plant out put are calculated as per the design of the moulder or cutter . These cutters or moulders have dies , cups or inserts which are fixed on the cavities or  surface of the moulder or cutter .
Now days engraved moulders and cutters are available . Moulders are now designed in rings instead of single piece which helps in maintenance or changing damaged cups .

Moulder are used for short dough  where as cutters are used for hard dough variety

Scrap return conveyor

These conveyors  returns the  scrap dough back to mixers which are again used for production thus minimising waste .

Swivel Panner
Swivel panner  is  installed at the feed end of oven where it centres the dough piece entrance on baking oven band  it has swivel arrangement on which it balances the  web or centres the web  so that wet dough pieces enter s oven in straight line .

Baking Oven

Dough pieces then enters oven  and travels on wire band for baking . Burners generates heat which is circulated through ducts or pipelines  to bake wet  dough pieces . length and width of oven are designed as per the capacity required . Oven speed is adjusted as per the standards baking time for particular variety


Stripper Conveyor

Stripper conveyors are provided  at  the delivery end of oven so that  baked biscuit are cooled and doest not come into contact of any surface when hot . Stripper conveyors has wire mesh which carries these hot baked biscuit .


Cooling Conveyor

These conveyors  are provided in biscuit production line to   bring down temperature of   hot biscuits which comes out from oven . normally they 1.5 -2 times of  oven length .


Magnetic Stacker

Stacker are used to  distributes and   arrange biscuits  in a line and are thus could be stacked easily for packing process . These biscuits  are made to pass of plates which acts as guides which makes these biscuits to fall into space between the guides .


Packing Table

Biscuit s travels into guidelines on packing table where either they are fed into  into  packing machine automatically or are fed into feeding chutes  manually by operators .


Packing Machine
Biscuits are fed into packing  machine for packaging   there are various types of biscuit packing such as pile type , on the edge  and cream sandwich type . Horizontal flow wrap machines are  mostly used to pack with flexible packaging .

Biscuit  Process Flow Diagram 
Bread Process  Flow  Diagram 
Accesories & Additional Equipments For  Biscuit Production

Cookies Production Line Equipments And Process

Cookies  production line  process  uses  different configuration  for variety of products  with  following  equipments  apart from ovens , mixers and packing machines .

Major  process used in cookie production line are  -  wire cutting , depositing  and rotary moulding

Wire  Cutting  have several  different method  of cookies production . These categories  of products can be manufactured  starting from  a single machine .The basic machine  consists  of  two grooved rolls which extrude  the dough  through sets  of dies in order  to give  the dough pieces their shape .  A filler block  is inserted  between the  rolls  and  the die plate  in order to equalise  dough distribution  across the width  and provide the optimum  weight control . A wire cut mechanism  can be added  for the production  of plain wire cuts or products with inclusions. Rout Press products  are cut by means  of a guillotine  cutter positioned  before or after the oven ,depending upon the type of final product .By adding the crimping device  soft centred cookies can  be formed  where the centre filling  can be jam or cream .

Options in wire cutting

Plain wire cut
Wire cut with inclusion
Two  color dough
Soft centre
Fruit Bars

Depositing  consist of head  which have  pair of grooved  rolls which evenly  feed the  dough to set of dosing  pumps positioned underneath. The one pump one nozzle  concept ensure  uniformity of weight across the width .The machine is fully servo controlled  movement of heads are driven independent motors . Depositors can have wire cut mechanism  attached  or  a rotating nozzle mechanism can be added  in order to produce swirl or twisted dough piece. Jam depositor can also fitted for  cookies product flexibility.

Rotary Moulding  consists  of  set of moulder , pressure roller  and   extraction  roller  which  releases the cookies with help of knife . Moulder s can have  cups of  different shapes  and size . Moulding process are suitable for high volume production with low baking time .Most of the manufacturers integrate moulding with  hard dough   cutter variety .


Biscuit 

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Packaging can have social message too !

Packaging can not always  have sales and marketing messages but can also lead social campaign through messages and ad on their pack . One such example has  been  Kraft campaign to save Asian Tiger

Article

Written by Jim Chrzan

We are hearing a lot in the package design community about giving your brand an identity the consumer can relate to by supporting some social cause they can feel good about. Corporate branding and social responsibility walking hand in hand is especially strong with younger consumers, but many older shoppers are looking at the company behind the product to justify spending their post-recession paychecks as well.

Tropicana’s “Rescue The Rainforest” campaign, launched last year is just one example.

The challenge for designers is how to use the package to both sell the product, and convey the social responsibility message. From Media Post.com, “Kraft Foods' Barnum's Animals Crackers are benefiting endangered Asian tigers -- as well as the brand's sales and image -- via a limited-edition, Lilly Pulitzer-designed package and a $100,000 contribution toward protecting the animals.”

The article continues, “The Lilly box design features animals drawn in her fanciful style and a pastel color palette -- a major departure from the nearly 100-year-old brand's realistic animal images and primary colors. The design incorporates a call-out for the brand's donation to WWF and WWF's panda logo.

One million packages of the special Barnum's boxes hit retail shelves nationwide in late March.”

Kudos to Kraft for daring to mess with a very iconic package and a 100-year-old brand, and joining forces with fashion world celebrity Lilly Pulitzer, who not only designed the package, but is selling them at her exclusive retail outlets—a very non-traditional channel for cracker sales!

Most of the marketing behind Kraft’s support for endangered Asian Tigers has been done via social networks, not traditional advertising channels, another trend we continue to see grow and will follow.

So now consumers can happily bite the head off their Animal Cracker tiger knowing that their support of the product goes to saving real tigers!



Hope other major food producers  follow Kraft in terms of  marketing with social cause .


Source
http://www.packworld.com/

Dough Spiral Mixer - Bakery Equipment

Bread manufacturing  process starts with mixing of ingredients to form  dough which is then further processed to  produce breads .All bread plant and machinery equipment  manufacturers  provide spiral mixers with complete  bakery machinery

Mixing  of ingredients is done with  the help of  spiral mixers  for majority  of  medium to large bread bakeries . Spiral mixers  have  two numbers  of  spiral spindles or  blade made up of stainless steel  these spindles or blades  rotate in opposite direction hence providing  proper grip and  movement/direction  to mixing . Spindles  are  driven  by  motor and pulley arrangement .

Types of  Spiral  Mixers

• Stationery Bowl  Spiral Mixer
• Removable  Bowl Spiral Mixer
• Tilt  Over  Spiral  Mixer

Other parts of   Dough Spiral  Mixer

Scrapper -  Scrapper is provided  to scrap  the dough which might stick  to the dough bowl surface and is made up of food grade Teflon .

Dough Bowls  and Rubber disc ( Reversible Bowl Rotation ) - These bowls   can be transported to dough elevators  and can be brought back for mixing . Bowls are free to rotate while mixing  its done  by a solid rubber rotating disc which then mesh up with bowls wheel  through friction . This solid rubber disc which  located  at base is driven through motor and gear arrangement .Removable bowl design allows one mixer to run several production lines or to utilize bowls for long floor time dough.Reversible bowl rotation helps in proper blending of ingredients and development of  dough .

Folding Mechanism - Head Lift

Folding mechanism is controlled by hydraulic system  with help of hydraulic cylinders . After or in between mixing process operator  can lift the entire spindle arrangement  to remove the bowl. bellows are provided for flexibility of folding  movement

Clamping Mechanism

Similar  to  folding mechanism  clamping mechanism is controlled through hydraulic system with help of hydraulic cylinders  these then operates the Jaws  which then clamps Dough bowl  for mixing process and prevent bowls  from any  displacement during  mixing .

Power Pack

The hydraulic system which operates the  folding and clamping mechanism  consists of  hydraulic oil reservoirs , pump which circulates the oil int he hydraulic circuit  with several solenoids .

Specifications for Spiral Mixers

L X B xH

Capacity

Mixing Time

Single/ 2 speed mixing
RPM of  Spiral  Arm
RPM of  Mixing Bowl 

More on  bread equipments
Swing  Tray  Ovens 
Rotary  Rack  Ovens

Monginis Foods To Enter Health Food Segment

Monginis Foods, the pastry, cake and general bakery chain owned by the Khora­kiwala family, is all set to fo­ray into the health food segment.

“People are becoming he­alth conscious and we are exploring new pr­oducts, which address hea­lth conc­erns. As sta­rters, we are looking at low-fat, high-fibre cookies and low-calorie rea­dy-to-eat ite­ms,” Virendra Ghole, mark­eting manager, Monginis, said. The popular cake-pastr­y-savouries brand is also ge­aring up to offer new services like online ca­ke gifting. “We have laun­c­hed our e-commerce portal, http://www.monginis.net/, to ena­ble the gif­ting of cakes. We will beef up activities on this front,” Ghole said.


With celebration cakes contributing nearly 50 per cent of overall sales of Mon­ginis (the rest is attributable to pastries, savouries, cookies, chocolates, bakerwares like toast, khari, etc.), the company is also focusing on corporate clients. “We are planning to target companies in a big way. There is a need for a reliable supplier who can cater to their gifting needs,” he said.


Monginis, which has 500 franchise outlets in 37 cit­ies, served by 14 manu­facturing facilities ac­ross the country, is also present in Egypt through 45 exclusive shops. The Monginis brand in Egypt is wholly ow­ned by the Khorakiwala family. At present the Khorakiwalas do not have any plans to move to any other country.

 
Source
 
http://www.mydigitalfc.com/companies/monginis-foray-health-foods-313
 

LeMatic Inc Providing Newer Technology In Bread Slicing

It's as easy as sliced bread.


That old saying could not be more of a misnomer about the factory of local niche manufacturer LeMatic Inc.

There is nothing simple about the bread-slicing machines assembled at the company's 57,000-square-foot factory in Blackman Township. LeMatic builds automation equipment for wholesale bakeries to slice and package soft-roll products, such as hot dog and hamburger buns.

Some of the intricate bread-slicing machines at LeMatic stretch up to 80 feet long. After being assembled and tested locally, the machines are broken down and shipped throughout the world.

LeMatic CEO Dale J. Lecrone, 48, said his company's annual revenue is about $10 million, a large portion of which is reinvested to maintain LeMatic's state-of-the-art technology.


LeMatic was founded in 1973 by Lecrone's father, Dale S. Lecrone. Many fast-food restaurants, such as McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, depend on LeMatic's equipment for their soft-roll needs, Dale J. Lecrone said.


Lecrone said LeMatic does about 30 percent of its business internationally.


As fast food has grown throughout the world, so has our product," Lecrone said. "We've got equipment around the world — Saudi Arabia, Japan, China — I think we have equipment in 60-some countries."


In addition to slicing equipment, LeMatic also makes orientating, stacking, packaging and cleaning equipment for the baking industry.


LeMatic's staff of about 50 includes designers, a sales team, an engineering department, a manufacturing group and field-service employees.


Lecrone said his company has been able to succeed over the years, despite a challenging economy, by staying up-to-date with the industry's newest technology.


"Over the last eight years, we've integrated vision and robotics into our solutions that we can provide," Lecrone said. "We can now automate a process in the bakery utilizing mechanical means, or where it warrants, we can utilize robotic and vision. We're utilizing the vision-control technology on one end to do process checks.


Source
Read more on
http://www.mlive.com/business/jackson-lansing/index.ssf/2010/05/lematic_inc_out_to_build_a_bet.html

What Drives Consumers To Buy Pizzas ?

Cravings, convenience and value drive consumers to buy pizza, finds Technomic - A  report

Chicago, April 14, 2010, Business Wire – Consumers choose pizza over other meal options due to taste, ease and value. In a new study from foodservice industry consultant Technomic, 62 percent of those polled say their most recent away-from-home pizza purchase was driven by a craving, followed most closely by 25 percent reporting it was more convenient than cooking. About one fifth said price, coupons and promotions influenced the decision.

The vast majority of consumers (93 percent) eat pizza at least once a month, and the average consumer eats pizza nearly three times per month.

Consumers indicate they have been trading down when it comes to pizza by cutting back on restaurant purchases.

More consumers today are buying frozen pizza than were buying it in 2008 (81 percent compared to 74 percent).

The quality perception of frozen pizza has improved. Today, 30 percent of consumers think that frozen pizza is of equal or better quality than restaurant pizza, as compared to 15 percent two years ago.

Close to one-fifth of consumers (17 percent) say that new items influence where they buy pizza, highest among those aged 18-24 years (22 percent).

Two out of five consumers (41 percent) say they would like pizza establishments to offer healthier ingredients, examples being whole wheat crusts (42 percent), organic toppings and crusts (30 and 28 percent, respectively), and all-natural and locally-sourced ingredients (50 and 38 percent).

Limited-service pizza chains are differentiating themselves from local independents by featuring specialty and signature pizzas.

“Operators and suppliers will want to consider what they can do to elicit consumer cravings through adding new items to their menus and emphasizing them through their marketing message,” says Darren Tristano, EVP at Technomic. “Differentiation through pizzas that feature unique flavors and taste combinations that consumers cannot purchase elsewhere or make at home will likely help support this effort. Positioning pizza as a meal solution that is easy, convenient and affordable will resonate with many consumers.”

Some trends, venues and retail brands

Streamlined digital ordering: Papa John’s desktop widgets, Pizza Hut’s iHut smart phone application

Innovative specialty toppings in emerging chains: ZPizza, Pizza Fusion, Extreme Pizza

Expanded offerings in limited-service pizza chains: Pizza Hut’s Tuscani pasta, Domino’s oven-baked sandwiches

All-natural ingredients in retail and restaurants: Amy’s Kitchen, Newman’s Own, Pizza Fusion

Higher quality frozen pizza: California Pizza Kitchen, DiGiorno’s


Source : http://www.technomic.com/

Bakery Plant maintenance management system - part 2

In continuation of my earlier post on bakery plant maintenance  here  are few more elements for efficient maintenance system in medium to large bakeries .

Root Cause Analysis  (  RCA )methods

 The best method  to eliminate  frequent break downs  in plant and machinery is to adopt Root Cause Analysis method .In this method one confronts issues which causes these break down ,better known as why's  method  and finds solution to stop recurrence of  the  fault .

Few general principles of RCA method are

Root cause analysis is  done to find out the root cause of the problem and remove it to eliminate the problem once for all

There should be a systematic approach with documentary support for the fault  and corrective measures

There is always one single root cause for the failures or break down in machinery

For any event or failure to happen there would be sequence of events which  needs to be recorded for better understanding of root cause

from reactive  to proactive approach by adopting root cause analysis for break downs and failures .

  

OEE ( Overall Equipment Efficiency)

Maintenance deptt need to establish OEE of major equipments  and try  to improve upon it or discard it  performs below standard OEE defined by plant management

OEE is a term used for machinery which perform any function during production and it shows manufacturing efficiency of that particular machine

OEE =  Availability  X Performance X Quality   ( %)

Another term used for performance of  equipment is  total effective equipment efficiency  ( TEEP )

TEEP  = Loading x Availability x Quality x Performance (%)

Loading = Schedule time / Calender Time  (%)

Availability = Available time / Schedule Time (%)

Performance =Parts produced * ideal cycle time /  Available time (%)

Quality  = Good Unit produced/ Total unit produced

Change Over Plans
 Its often seen that  bakery plants production  switches from one product to other product as per the sales requirement  which requires swift change over of machines or switching on to different line . These change overs   does  effect  machine efficiency  as change over parts have to be installed trials needs to be conducted for the new product before handing over machine for production . Change overs  cannot be ruled out  as production has to be sales driven  so what best maintenance team  can do is to reduce the time and process seamless for  any change overs .

Following  steps  can be implemented for change overs

• Be aware of production plan  .Do the preparatory work for  change over during regular time
• If possible switch over to dedicated lines for each product   or having idle plant best suits for quick change over . This line can be altered for change over . 
• Keep change parts ready  at  the equipment itself with tags and marks for location and product s
• Train production people to  do the basic  change overs activity

Work shop
A small workshop could help in reducing cost and time for break downs .Workshop with units like drilling , grinding , Cutting machines can help in many ways. Overhauling and repairs can be done in these workshops Its recommended to have one or two workshop on contract for regular major repair work near to factory .

  

Service Contracts

Plant or maintenance deptt can outsource certain non critical plant and machinery maintenance to maintenance contractors or OEMS for a annual or monthly charges . This would reduce the cost of inventory and overheads .Not all equipments  are critical for production such equipments can be given to maintenance contractors on call basis .
Following equipments can be given to  service contractors

DG Set
Air compressors
Pumps
Cooling towers
Fire Hydrant and safety systems
Air conditioning ( Office )
Air conditioning ( Production /Packaging Hall )
Cold Rooms or Storage's
Fork lift
Waste Water treatment plant
Civil and building repair
Electrical repair ( Non -Plant )

Other option with maintenance deptt is to have  service contracts for  critical equipments  such as 
Printers
Metal detectors
Packing machines



Hot work Precautions and Safety

Safety precautions are to be taken during hot work  such as Gas cutting , Welding ,  Erection of heavy  equipments  and Dismantling , Electrical Jobs . These activities not only affect the person doing it but the plant at large ,hence maintenance personnel to keep extra vigil during such jobs . Maintenance personnel need to wear all protective guards against injury   such  as welding screens , goggles , gloves , ear plugs , safety belts  and  electric and fire proof shoes

   

Automated Maintenance

This concept is gradually gaining ground  as this has been successfully implemented in automobile production line . Here the person running the machine is trained in maintenance and repair  so as to eliminate the need of extra manpower for maintenance . If possible bakeries could adopt this practice for over head cost reduction strategies as well reducing delays in maintenance time.

  

Legal requirements for operations

Maintenance deptt needs to ensure that equipments and operation  adhere to local  legal and statutory requirements  such  as

 Air pollution control ( Standards for discharge of smoke )
 Water Pollution  (  Standards for waste water discharge )
 Boiler Safety
 Pressure vessels and lifting devices safety
 Hazardous waste
 Fire safety - Fire hydrant system



TPM  (Total Productive Maintenance )

For bigger bakeries plant needs to implement total productive maintenance system for better results as  operations are on large sales having more than 10- 15 lines at  one locations  would require a fool proof system for maintenance . This could be done through TPM .Methodical and systematic approach to increase production  efficiencies with less break down and maintenance.The aim of productive maintenance is  to maximize plant and equipment effectiveness to achieve the optimum life cycle cost of production equipment.


 
Read more on Bakery Plant maintenance

Bakery Plant Maintenance Management System - part 1

Bakery operations need a very  good maintenance management system for efficient running of plant . Maintenance activity  needs  regular monitoring and records to evaluate  problems and their solution . Bakery maintenance has its own features which need attention apart from  regular maintenance practices .Break down s lower production out put and have to be reduced to minimum .To achieve lower  down time  a robust maintenance system with skilled manpower  are  required .

Major equipments in bakery are Mixers , Ovens , Packing machines , Air Compressors , Material Handling equipments ,Fire Hydrant Systems , Bulk Handling systems ,Grinders ,Motors ,Gear Boxes , Fans , Screw Conveyors , Gears and Chain, Burners  and Sprockets .

A good maintenance system would have following  elements of  maintenance system  in place

Manpower

A bakery  plant would have an engineering head / plant manager / maintenance manager  who is responsible  for all activity  related to  plant and machinery . Depending upon  the size and hours of operation, factory needs to have skilled technicians who would perform maintenance jobs . Planning and scheduling is done with machine history  .Idle time available for maintenance and  requirement of machinery in accordance with production planning .

Manpower requirement varies as per size of the plant  . We can have

Three shift coverage  - 8 hr Shift
Two shift coverage  - 12 hr Shift
General shift coverage - 8/12 hrs

Each shift coverage needs to have  Foreman , Fitters/technician( Elect/Mech )   and Helper s . Now days concept of outsourcing  of maintenance part are being implemented  but this concept is yet to take ground as factories still prefer to have their own maintenance personnel.

Tools
Maintenance  work force requires  all  basic to advance tools to perform their job efficiently . I has been  observed few task which could have been done  are  executed by people from outside as the maintenance team lack latest or basic tools to perform . Training for maintenance personnel by the machine manufacturers / tool manufacturer  should be included  in factory hr programs .

Critical Spare Inventory

A small store  to cater all critical and regular spares   with a person responsible for monitoring /inspection/liaising  for stock out material /indent  with purchase  deptt  is  must for any medium to big bakery plants .Concept  of making spare available  at work station or production hall are popular in many factories.


Predictive Maintenance
This methods utilises  prior diagnosis of any aberration from ideal operations with help of  sensing equipments  through  Inspection .
Heat
Noise
Smell

Equipment used are  Multimeter , Ultrasonic  equipments , Vibration analyser , Decibel Meters ,Infra red  equipments .Now days PLC  based  systems are common hence system health can be checked through various software .

Preventive Maintenance

This is the most common practice for plant maintenance as  this  is based on equipments life  preventive maintenance can be scheduled by number of hours  or  days such as weekly /monthly/half yearly/annually
Preventive maintenance is done with schedules in hand  and  could be planned and required spares could be ordered as per plan .Preventive maintenance main activity can be divided into C-O-T

C  -Cleaning  of equipments .Very Important as majority of break downs happens due to lack of proper cleaning

O - Oiling  or topping  for gearboxes , chain and sprockets , moving parts , lubricating systems .

 T -Tightening of  all fastener which have loosened in operations  or which could  not be done in course of production .

Normally for bakeries  a day is fixed  in a week  for preventive maintenance . Maintenance jobs are listed in the course of the week and all critical repair , replacement and modifications are done on preventive maintenance alongwith regualr maintenance job ( COT )


Break Down Maintenance

Break Down maintenance requires immediate actions as to run the production with quick fix solution or what ever best in that circumstances . Break down maintenance would need to be- re  done when we take preventive maintenance of the equipment. This may require certain by pass , modification and alternation from basic set up.For such type of maintenance skill  and level of experience of the technician comes into  role .Therefore training and seminars must be conducted to improve the analytical and trouble shooting skills of the technicians .





Records  or Log books

Maintenance log book should be filled or written by shift technicians on observations during  break downs such as action taken ,material repalced or repaired  and  job to be done by the next  shift personnel . The log book should be the basis of any major overhaul during  preventive maintenance . Other important documents and records which are to be maintained are

Checklist for equipments

Layout Diagram of Machinery

Operations and Maintenance Book from Manufacturers

Circuit Diagram
Cross Section Diagrams

Safety Precautions during maintenance

These also helps in root  cause analysis  of the problem
Circuits //layout / cross section diagrams  along with Operation and  Maintenance manual to be  kept handy and to  ensure that they are available  for study . This is very important for maintenance activity.

Bakery  Plant Maintenance Management System -part 2 
How to be more productive at work place

Hup Seng To Churn Out New Products With New Flavours And Packaging

Hup Seng Perusahaan Makanan (M) Sdn. Bhd., is Malaysia 's popular biscuit  manufacturer with brands like  sultana , hupseng crackers ,chippy chips , chips choc , chocolate fudge   ,  marie and cream \established in 1958 it is now a  popular  biscuit brand of Malaysia and exporting  its product to many countries .

BATU PAHAT: Biscuit maker Hup Seng Industries Bhd will churn out new products aimed at teenagers, young adults and professionals within the next couple of years.

Chairman Keh (Kerk) Chu Koh said the company had identified the three target groups as offering good market prospects although women were the ones who normally bought biscuits for their households.

“We are in the midst of product development and conducting tests, and hope to come out with three new products this year,'' Keh told StarBiz after the company AGM yesterday.

Keh said biscuits were no longer considered poor men's food and consumers now wanted something different from the plain-looking and ordinary tasting biscuits they had been used to for many years.

He said new products would include flavoured biscuits with chocolate chips, different types of nuts, dried fruits or even vegetables.

Keh said apart from flavours and shapes, packaging was another aspect that Hup Seng would look into as consumers preferred their biscuits in attractive but practical packages.

“Most of these people are busy and always on the go so they would rather have their biscuits in small packets than having to store them in a big container,” he said.

Handy-sized packaging would allow them to keep the biscuits in their cars, handbags, briefcases and office desks for easy reach any time of the day, he added.





Source and
Read more  on
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/19/business/6288244&sec=business

Bakery Equipments - Rusk Manufacturing Equipments

Rusk s  are bread baked twice . This toasted  bread are popular in many countries  and people prefer to have it as tea time snacks  as well as  nourishing food for children .

Rusk has advantage of shelf life  as it can stored for longer time . Rusk are available in many shape and sizes  and flavours .

The Process of Rusk manufacturing starts  with  dough preparation in spiral mixer or kneader . followed by  dough feed and moulding . The dough is then  proofed  and baked in tin moulds .Once the baking is completed then these bread bars are cooled and then cut into slices .These slices are then  toasted  in a secondary baking process  and conveyed for packaging .

Following equipments  are used in Rusk Manufacturing

• Spiral Mixers
• Dough Divider
• Hander Up ( coned shaped moulder )
• Inter prover
• Moulding
• Final Prover
• Baking oven  or Tunnel oven
• Bread Depanner
• Bread Cooling
• Bread Slicer
• Toast Oven
• Product stacking
• Packing Machine

More on  bakery  production  equipments

Biscuit  production line
Bread production line 
Cookies  production line
Wafer biscuit production line

FSSAI To Regulate Special Purpose Food

NEW DELHI: Are slimming cereals, rejuvenating sports drinks and tooth-whitening chewing gums for real? Consumers are about to find out.

Armed with a new set of rules, the government will take a long, hard look at the lofty claims made by companies that make the so-called ‘special purpose’ foods.


The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an autonomous statutory body to ensure food safety, plans to regulate foods for special purposes as well as nutritional uses after an outpouring of complaints against misleading and false claims trumpeted by companies.


The FSSAI, under the aegis of the health ministry, will frame new guidelines to examine the veracity of claims of all such foods in any form.


“All claims made by foods companies on dietary supplements are coming up for consideration by the authority,” said FSSAI chairperson PI Suvrathan, adding that only products sold under medical advice will be exempted from the new rules.

Special dietary supplements would include functional foods, neutraceuticals, anti-obesity foods, infant and sports foods.

Source
Read more on
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5942360.cms

Small Packs Would Save The Day For FMCG Companies

With pressure on Fmcg  for  price hike due  to  spiralling prices  on all front , let it be raw material , overheads , transportation to Ads . Major Fmcg players like  Cadbury , Nestle , HUL , Britannia , Parle  and others have shifted their focus to small packs  priced  Rs1/- , 2/- , 3/-  and 5/-   to boost their sales .

An Article On Small Pack as marketing strategy

Shailaja Sharma / DNAMonday, May 17, 2010 2:16 IST Email


Mumbai: As input costs rise, the dilemma for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies is, should they guard margins by fresh grammage reductions or offer value till things turn around?

For now, they are preferring to brave it out, even as their eyes keep darting skywards for assurance.


Unlike last fiscal, which became tough for FMCGs due to a very weak monsoon, there is hope crops are likely to be better this time round because of the forecast of a normal monsoon. A good monsoon improves farm productivity and brings down raw material prices.


The prices of wheat, sugar, cocoa and milk had darted up last fiscal, forcing FMCGs to hike retail prices of everything from biscuits to chocolates and beverages.



A majority of the hikes was in bigger stock-keeping units (SKUs), which is retailese for packages.


On the other hand, prices of smaller SKUs weren’t changed; instead, the packs just got smaller in terms of grammage, to offset the cost increase.


Structurally, small SKUs are not very profitable, but since they are bought frequently, they drive volumes of FMCGs, and cater to the needs of a larger base of consumers — the so-called mass-segment.


Samir Jain, head, mass detergents, Hindustan Unilever, said last week at the launch of Ernst & Young’s report ‘The New Market Shehers’ that even as small SKUs are not profitable and are witnessing pressure, there is a need to make products available at affordable rates for consumers, especially in small towns.




Source
Read more on
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_fmcgs-brave-it-out-on-small-packs_1383902

Depanner in Bread Manufacturing: Function, Types, and Benefits

Depanner basic role is to remove  baked bread from moulds or pans  which have come out from oven . Thus Depanners help  workers to take out laoves from moulds/trays  which are hot to handle . Efficiency  of Depanner is far higher than any  manual depanning .


Basic Concept of  Bread Depanners

A partial  vacuum is built into the  suction cup through  Induced draft Fans . Thus this vacuum helps these suction cups to pull out the loaves from mould boxes .

The belt  consisting of Cups moves  the surface of the main frame  and  its  made hollow from inside  which  helps the Induced draft fan to  extract  air from  a  gap made by cutting a section . Thus when the belt with several cups move upon this gap  a partial suction is induced and it  Pulls the bread loaves and when the belts  moves  away from the  that section it drops the  loaves to the turn table or to the conveyor .

 With the continuous  running   cups gets worn out  there fore plant operator  needs to keep sufficient  stocks of these suction cups .To help depanning the moulds are greased with  veg oil  .


Major  bread  manufacturing equipments

Spiral Mixers
Swing tray ovens
Rotary rack ovens 

Manpower requirement for a medium scale Bread Plant

Is Rice Flour A Good Alternative For Bakery Products ?

I was thinking for those countries who are dependent upon large wheat imports for their bakery requirement . few unseen scenario  could occur  which can lead to major problem  for importing countries

If  the exporting country had bad crop ?

If exporting countries increases the price ?

If the consignments are delayed ?

If the relationship deteriorates ?

Thinking  in line to tackle these situations which  might happen . Its right time for these countries to develop alternative flours  for their baked goods . Government should encourage and give financial support to the millers and bakery owners to market  such products .Once these products gets popularity  and gets into peoples eating habits bakery manufacturers could start mass production in scale of wheat flour based products .

Countries who are  large importers of  wheat or  wheat flour  are

Japan,Italy,Algeria,Brazil,Indonesia,Spain,Egypt,Mexico,South Korea,Philippines , Srilanka ,Thailand Vietnam .

Rice flour has been used by bakers across the globe in  gluten free  bakery products .rice flour does not have the gluten which has important role in the texture of the products . Additives can be added to develop these properties in  rice flour .In case wheat flour can be blended with rice flour to reduce  the quantity of the wheat flour in producing same quantity of baked product .Milling would need some improved techniques to get the type of flour which can be used in similar ways  as in case of wheat flour

Rice flour is being used  in bread , swiss rolls , pastas  and donuts with other western type cakes and pastries .

As far as nutrition value is concerned rice flour is much better than  wheat  flour  the water content is higher in rice flour than wheat flour .Leavening takes less time for rice flour .protein content  are higher in rice flour to wheat flour  for the same amount of  weight . Rice flour breads  are more resilient to  temperature variations and remain soft and retains its shape .

Vinita Bali -CEO Britannia Speaks On Indian Biscuit Market

Britannia CEO   Speaks  to TOI  

Britannia Industries top boss Vinita Bali is unfazed. Competitors might be nibbling away at the biscuit major's offerings, but Bali is only intent on heaping more on the plate. For her, differentiation is the key to unlocking value. Beating biscuit major Parle in volume terms does not figure in her scheme of things. Bali feels Parle is not even worthy of an acquisition, since she insists it doesn't bring anything to the table that Britannia doesn't have.




Britannia, the crown jewel in the Wadia empire, had started drifting without proper leadership. Bali stepped in to rectify the score in 2004 and doubled the company's sales in five years. For this tough cookie, dubbed a 'turnaround expert' by her peers, it was a challenge. Unwilling to crumble, she took it head on. Just over five years into her journey as MD, Bali is focusing on the basics — selling cookies in a jar, the way her mother would present them to her as a kid. After all, as she tells Namrata Singh & Amrita Nair-Ghaswalla, the turnaround story has just begun.



It's been five years since you took over as CEO. Have you achieved what you had set out to achieve?



If you ask me whether I've achieved what I set out to achieve, then the answer would be yes and no. But if we talk about what we've achieved, we've got a company which is twice the size it was five years ago. It has an international footprint which it didn't have. It has a globally integrated dairy business that is profitable, which was not the case earlier. And we've now got international recognition. Britannia is rated as the number 1 or 2 brand in the country. We've also got a portfolio which is much stronger. We started with six power brands...we've added a seventh. In the dairy sector today, we have almost 50% market share of cheese. We've taken trans fats out of our products. This is a change in the frontline of the business, it is a change in the way we go-to-market, it is a change in our own thinking, it is an evolution, about the purpose of our business and what we do and it is about adding more health and nutrition.


Read more on
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/biz/india-business/We-dont-want-to-beat-Parle-in-market-share/articleshow/5932494.cms

Britannia launches Cookies - A Low Cost Variant To Good Day

Britannia has launched a  new category of biscuits  Cookies  with elaichi butter flavour in 62gms @ Rs5/- a pack. It is trying to cover the market segment which is buying the unbranded cookies available at retail  but are popular with the middle class consumers . Britannia  Good Day brand is already established in this segment but is considered to be priced at premium .  It would taken other players such as ITC , Priya gold  and United Biscuits who are offering cookies in this price band .

A new ad campaign has been launched for this new product .

 A Report

Britannia has launched a new TV campaign for Britannia Cookies - a butter elaichi flavoured product it has recently launched.



The campaign has been created by McCann Erickson, Britannia's creative agency. Dadu (Abhijit Chaudhary) of Black Magic Films has produced the TV commercial.


The company states that communication challenge was to create rapid trials for the product among consumers at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). Britannia states that the cookie category in India is growing at 25%, which includes its Good Day range at the top end. However, the purpose behind launching the product was to tap the opportunity at the bottom end of the category, where consumers are looking to upgrade to a better taste experience i.e. from staple biscuits such as glucose and Marie to cookies. It has priced its 62 gm pack at Rs 5.


Shalini Degan, category director– delight and lifestyle, Britannia Industries said, "Our research showed that amongst middle-class India, missing a meal is sacrilege. Once this offence is discovered, all efforts are made by near and dear ones to ensure the next best substitute to a meal. Also consumer product research revealed that consumers find Britannia Cookies as the best nutritious and wholesome snack option. Also the cookies segment is growing at 25 cent with consumers upgrading from staple biscuits such as glucose and Marie to cookies. By introducing Britannia Cookies we bring the real cookie experience to this first time cookie consumer."


Source
http://www.campaignindia.in/news/2010/05/12/mccann-erickson-introduces-britannia-cookies-in-new-brand-campaign

TV  AD  for  Britannia Cookies

Process Flow Chart For Bread Manufacturing

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Bread Manufacturing Process: Step-by-Step Flow Chart Explained for Commercial Bakeries

Bread is one of the most widely consumed staple foods across the world. From small neighborhood bakeries to large industrial plants, bread manufacturing follows a systematic and controlled process to ensure consistent quality, texture, taste, and shelf life. While bread appears simple, its production involves multiple interlinked stages, each playing a crucial role in the final product.

This article explains the bread manufacturing process exactly as per the flow chart, starting from pre-mixing and ending with slicing and packaging, making it useful for bakery professionals, food technology students, and business owners planning commercial bread production.

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1. Pre-Mixing

The bread manufacturing process begins with pre-mixing, where all dry and liquid ingredients are prepared and measured according to the formulation.

Common ingredients include:

• Wheat flour

• Yeast

• Sugar

• Salt

• Fat or oil

• Water

• Dough improvers (optional)

Pre-mixing ensures accurate weighing and uniform distribution of ingredients before full-scale mixing begins. This step reduces mixing time, improves dough consistency, and minimizes formulation errors, especially in large-scale bakery operations.

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2. Mixing

After pre-mixing, the ingredients move to the mixing stage, where they are blended to form a cohesive dough.

During mixing:

• Flour hydrates

• Gluten network develops

• Yeast disperses evenly

• Dough becomes elastic and extensible

The quality of mixing directly affects bread volume, crumb structure, and softness. Over-mixing can weaken gluten, while under-mixing leads to poor gas retention and dense bread.

Industrial bakeries use spiral, planetary, or horizontal mixers depending on capacity and dough type.

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3. Dividing

Once the dough reaches the desired consistency, it is transferred to the dividing stage. Here, the bulk dough is divided into equal portions based on loaf weight requirements.

Purpose of dividing:

• Uniform loaf size

• Consistent baking results

• Accurate portion control

Automatic dough dividers ensure high accuracy and speed, which is essential for commercial bread production. Uniform division ensures that all loaves bake evenly in the oven.

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4. Inter-Proofing

After dividing, dough pieces undergo inter-proofing, also known as intermediate proofing or resting.

This stage allows:

• Gluten relaxation

• Stress release caused during dividing

• Improved moulding characteristics

Inter-proofing is usually short, ranging from a few minutes to around 15 minutes. Proper inter-proofing prevents dough shrinkage and tearing during moulding.

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5. Moulding

In the moulding stage, rested dough pieces are shaped into loaf forms.

Moulding:

• Removes excess air

• Aligns gluten structure

• Gives uniform shape and surface finish

The moulded dough is placed into bread tins or moulds. Proper moulding ensures good loaf symmetry and prevents surface cracks during baking.

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6. Final Proofing

Moulded dough loaves are transferred to the final proofing chamber, where controlled fermentation takes place.

Typical proofing conditions:

• Temperature: 30–38°C

• Relative humidity: 75–85%

During final proofing:

• Yeast produces carbon dioxide

• Dough expands in volume

• Crumb structure develops

Correct final proofing is critical. Under-proofing results in dense bread with low volume, while over-proofing can cause loaf collapse during baking.

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7. Baking (Baking Oven)

After final proofing, loaves enter the baking oven, where dough transforms into bread.

Baking functions:

• Kills yeast

• Sets loaf structure

• Develops crust and crumb

• Enhances flavor and aroma

Baking temperatures typically range between 180°C and 240°C, depending on bread type and oven design. Common ovens include deck ovens, rotary ovens, and tunnel ovens.

Proper baking ensures good oven spring, uniform crust color, and desirable crumb texture.

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8. Depanning

Once baking is complete, loaves are removed from the oven and passed through the depanning stage.

Depanning involves:

• Removing bread from tins

• Preventing moisture accumulation

• Allowing uniform cooling

Automatic depanners are commonly used in large bakeries to handle hot loaves efficiently and safely.

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9. Cooling

After depanning, bread loaves are sent for cooling, which is an essential stage often underestimated.

Cooling allows:

• Moisture redistribution

• Crumb stabilization

• Safe slicing without deformation

Bread is typically cooled on racks or cooling conveyors until internal temperature reduces sufficiently. Inadequate cooling can lead to soggy bread, condensation inside packaging, and reduced shelf life.

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10. Slicing and Packaging

The final stage in the bread manufacturing process is slicing and packaging.

Slicing:

• Bread is sliced uniformly using bread slicers

• Slice thickness is controlled based on product specifications

Packaging:

• Protects bread from contamination

• Retains freshness

• Extends shelf life

Packaging materials include polyethylene bags, laminated films, or paper-based packaging, depending on product positioning and shelf life requirements.

Proper packaging is essential to prevent moisture loss, microbial contamination, and physical damage during transportation.

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Importance of Process Control in Bread Manufacturing

Each stage in the bread manufacturing process is interconnected. Any deviation in one step can impact the final product quality. Maintaining consistency in:

• Ingredient quality

• Time

• Temperature

• Humidity

• Equipment performance

is essential for producing high-quality bread at scale.

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Conclusion

The bread manufacturing process is a carefully structured sequence that transforms basic raw materials into a widely consumed food product. From pre-mixing to slicing and packaging, every step plays a vital role in determining the bread’s texture, volume, taste, and shelf life.

Understanding this flow chart-based process helps bakery operators optimize production, reduce wastage, maintain consistent quality, and comply with food safety standards. Whether for small bakeries or industrial plants, following the correct bread manufacturing process ensures reliable and profitable operations.

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