Incorporation of Automation in the Bakery Industry

A versatile cooling, freezing, pan, and product handling system and a fully integrated conveying system for many pan and product applications help Bakers improve line efficiencies and simplify sanitation.

FREMONT, CA: When one hears the word " bakery, "the thing that comes to mind is probably their favorite bakery store where one can get his favorite delicious treats, such as a cake or cookies. However, as much as this appears to be a perfect dream, a lot goes into making these products. Customer experience is one of the important factors in generating profits; the bakery industry is also shifting its focus to automation.

The truth is that automating bakery processes directly contributes to lower energy and labor costs. And whether one agrees or disagrees, businesses in the food and beverage manufacturing sector must weigh the competing claims of the market-driven need for flexibility, price, and efficiency.

The Implementation of Bakery Automation

Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the loaf-at-a-time bread-slicing machine. Since then, automation has played a significant role in the baking industry. This is because automation is about achieving consistency as well as volume.

Manually producing baked goods can result in variations in individual products. To maintain these products' handmade quality and appearance, extensive handwork is required. As a result, a wide range of bakery products is now produced using fully automated processes. Aside from that, a growing number of bakeries are utilizing warehouse automation. This assists them in managing the short shelf life of fresh bakery products, controlling labor costs, and minimizing product damage.

Automation aims to help bakeries cut overhead costs while increasing sales by ensuring that each product reaches shop shelves well before its expiration date. It also allows bakers to thoroughly plan and improve resources for an even better product flow. In short, bakeries can have increased visibility and control of inventory with real-time data using an automated warehouse execution system (WES) and storage and retrieval system. In addition, manufacturers can also use real-time data to plan future production and supply chains.

Automation is becoming increasingly important in all industries, including the bakery industry. There are numerous advantages to automation, including increased throughput, a smaller equipment footprint, quality control, food safety, lower labor, and overhead costs, worker health and safety, and traceability and compliance. And the sooner you begin automating the bakery, the sooner you will see results. As a result, automation will continue to play a significant role in the bakery industry, as it does in other sectors.