material costs are high, the biggest impact on production costs is still the cost of labour,” says Alex Weissbach, Head of Dough Technology   of production lines requires the adoption of automation to help reduce the number of operators needed on a line. For example, on traditional single-step process lines, product transfer may require manual handling from one step to the next. My advice would be to substitute this with an automated solution.” Alex also highlights the importance of good production planning, to help reduce the number of product changeovers needed. In 24-hour operations, RONDO’s ASTec Pizza lines are able to combine gentle processing of dough for the creation of all types of pizza – from Italian to American, as well as pizza snacks, pizza baguettes, calzones and more. Further, the modular lines are compatible with both upstream and downstream installations and they are designed to meet the most stringent hygiene demands. Another way that bakeries can increase        choosing the right production equipment can help here too. “Of course, cutting round products out of a dough band will always result in residual dough, which needs to be reworked. RONDO can offer automated scrap and removal and scaling systems which can take the waste dough back to the mixing stage or to the dough band forming stage of the process,” said Alex.  highlighting the growing need to diversify existing product ranges to meet fast-changing consumer trends. According to Alex  line is not a challenge. “The layout for a pizza  similar,” he said. “Our MIDOS dough band former –   dough gently into a stress-free dough band for further sheeting and shaping steps. Depending on  to add an additional calibrator.”


Conclusion       market is being driven by evolving consumer preferences and aided by rapid technological advancements.


Embracing automated


solutions can help ensure quality, and can reduce the reliance on operators. From AI-      multifunctional lines capable of handling diverse dough types and product formats, manufacturers now have a variety of tools to 


bakeryproduction.co.uk


Frozen pizza manufacturer reduces waste, increases uptime, and improves product quality


When one of the largest frozen pizza manufacturers in the US set out to increase production and uptime and at the same time to try and reduce product loss, it turned to Grote Company to help 


One challenge it faced was that in seeking longer production runs,


it


required equipment would be able to operate reliably for long periods, with no unexpected downtimes.


Another challenge from its original production process was unacceptable product loss. A considerable amount of a key ingredient – cheese – ended up on the  cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.


Grote suggested that the use of its


Waterfall Topping Applicator would help reduce product waste. It is able to provide accurate cheese and individual quick- frozen ingredient topping distribution. It also allows for more effective control of the production process by monitoring product weight and automatically adjusting


conveyor speed to maintain consistent,          accurate application.


Since installing the compact piece of       to less than 1% per day, the applicator’s pyramid belt frame has improved yield     and costs. Weight distribution accuracy has improved to 99.99% left to right with two to three lanes. the uniform product application and deposit weight accuracy are based on load cell technology, which weighs the product bed and adjusts belt speed accordingly.


Production line downtime has a reduced to .75% in mechanical minutes over 12 months and 256 shift days. Finally, it has also been possible to reduce the time between sanitation cycles, with equipment running 96 hours between cycles. Sanitation time was cut to an average of just 1.5 hours per cleaning cycle due to the applicator’s tool-less removable belts and guarding.


Kennedy’s Bakery Production April/May 2025 13


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