BISCUIT AND COOKIE PRODUCTION
Biscuit and cookie manufacturers are looking beyond speed as they seek more flexible, efficient production lines capable of adapting to changing products and consumer demands.
A
s biscuit and cookie manufacturers face changing consumer expectations, rising production pressures and the
need to bring new products to market efficiently, equipment suppliers are looking beyond outright speed to make production lines more adaptable. The biscuit and cookie category entered 2026 with a somewhat more complicated brief for manufacturers. Mintel’s March 2026 global analysis identifies fibre, generationally tailored innovation and changing approaches to chocolate ingredients among the themes expected to shape biscuits, cookies and crackers over the coming years. Its June 2026 UK research adds another dimension: consumers are looking for texture, nostalgia and products that feel more permissible as everyday snacks, while rising costs and inflation continue to put pressure on the category. For manufacturers, that combination
creates a familiar industrial dilemma. More differentiated products can create opportunities for growth, but every additional recipe, format or variation has
implications for the production line. The question is therefore becoming less about how quickly a biscuit can be produced and more about how effectively a line can accommodate change. GEA’s Stefano Antonini, Senior Vice
President and Head of its Business Unit Bakery, describes an industry under pressure to deliver greater flexibility, consistent quality and improved sustainability performance at the same
time. In a March 2026 interview, he points to accelerating product-development cycles alongside changing consumer preferences and the need for producers to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. That is changing the way equipment is being developed. From forming systems capable of handling different doughs and inclusions to ovens designed around more precise thermal control, the latest generation of machinery is increasingly being designed around adaptability as much as output.
THE QUESTION IS THEREFORE BECOMING LESS ABOUT HOW QUICKLY A BISCUIT CAN BE
PRODUCED AND MORE ABOUT HOW EFFECTIVELY A LINE CAN ACCOMMODATE CHANGE
A question of forming The forming stage provides a useful illustration of why flexibility matters. Cookies and biscuits can vary considerably in dough characteristics, shape, thickness, inclusions and filling. A line designed around one high-volume product may therefore face a very different set of demands when manufacturers introduce another format. At Interpack 2026, Bühler introduced
three additions to its biscuit portfolio: the TurbuBake Smart oven, RotaMold Max Smart rotary moulder and SoftDrop
18 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026
All GEA images used: Image source: GEA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
