CANTON, MASS. — What does Reiser’s Customer Center offer its clients?

“You name it,” said John McIsaac, vice-president of strategic business development, Reiser.

A space to brainstorm ideas through a hands-on experience and expertise from industry specialists, the center gives customers the opportunity to develop and redevelop products and processes from a single-lane cookie line to a high-speed bread line.

“The Customer Center is an oasis for clients to realize immediate needs with their products and also a playground to explore line extensions and innovative R.&D. ideas that are in their pipeline,” Mr. McIsaac said. “We provide the ‘laboratory’ for bakers to conduct these tests without the constraints that often arise in their own production environment.”

Constructed in 2009, the Customer Center had such a high demand that, in 2017, Reiser expanded the facility to 13,200 square feet, doubling the size of the original building. This expansion allows the space to run four simultaneous tests and includes conference rooms for brainstorming sessions. Depending on their needs and goals, customers can use the R.&D. center for one day or multiple days.

Although the facility has grown, Reiser has kept its arrangement small.

“Our aim is to have a pilot-plant type of setup so our clients feel comfortable in the space and at ease knowing we are mimicking their current setup as much as possible, have the expertise to back up our equipment and know that it will be able to be replicated once the new lines are run in their plant,” Mr. McIsaac explained.

Reiser’s equipment selection at the center, however, is far from small. Bakers have access to mixers, dough dividers, barrel and drum rounders, depositors, extruders, sheeters, ovens, among other machines. In addition to onsite refrigerators and freezers, the center incorporates a chilled room that can get as low as 42°F.

“We run small testing for folks making the jump from hand-portioned products all the way up to factory acceptance tests for full makeup lines — from mixer to thermal with everything in between,” Mr. McIsaac said.

Diosna and Hobart prepare doughs and batters efficiently for clients. Packaging equipment at the center includes Repak and Variovac form/fill/seal for vacuum or modified atmosphere packaging. Ross tray sealers, Fabbri stretch wrappers and JLS Automation robotic solutions are also available for primary and secondary packaging.

The Reiser Customer Center’s wide range of equipment also includes their Vemag dough portioner, a highly versatile machine with a variety of attachments that can be used as a dough divider, cookie dough depositor, bar extruder, brownie sheeter and more. It provides high levels of portioning accuracy, speed and quality.

“Smaller bakers need a versatile machine that can produce a wide variety of products — both today’s and tomorrow’s — and grow with them as production demands increase,” Mr. McIsaac explained.

Although Reiser offers training on all of its equipment, its most popular training classes are on Vemag portioning and dividing and Repak packaging. Courses can be in group form, whether it’s a session for one larger customer or multiple customers.

Available to partner with customers during sessions, Reiser’s team includes specialists with a variety of roles such as technicians, instructors, retail bakers, bakery scientists and wholesale bakers. The team stays on top of trends and problem solves with the customer.

“We have helped our customers move from hand-scooped cookies to easy, high-speed production without a loss of the unique characteristics that made them successful in the first place,” Mr. McIsaac noted. “We enjoy showing customers how to make bread with a tight crumb structure and open crumb structure on the same divider. Or, how to eliminate holes in their gluten-free bread.”

The company also stocks all minor ingredients and brings in flour by the pallet for R.&D. Oftentimes, Reiser buys ingredients locally for customers to offset shipping costs.

Whether bakers need to increase efficiencies or create a new product, the Reiser Customer Center provides an area for exploration and success.