The more versatile equipment is — and the more cleanable — the more value it brings to bakers who are interested in keeping their product lines diverse. That requires equipment that not only protects gourmet cookie dough and premium inclusions but also enables fast changeovers and sanitation. 

“Flexible solutions that make changeovers quickly are more efficient and reduce degradation in dough at rest,” said Cesar Zelaya, bakery sales and technology manager, Handtmann.

Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) designed its new Genesis Pro WCS for easy access to the die filler block. The head pivots up for simple extraction of the die/filler block. These components can be removed for cleaning in a washroom.

“We’ve set up the harp to be removed without tools, and you can usually changeover in five minutes to a different die or filler block,” said Sam Pallottini, director of cookie, cracker and pet food sales, RBS.

For more versatility, he recommended having a spare head on hand to reduce sanitation downtime. That changeover, he estimated, could be done in 15 to 20 minutes. 

When it comes to changeovers between products, Minipan developed a range of heads that feature adjustable pitch between the rollers. These can adapt to different recipes and their inclusions.

This article is an excerpt from the April 2020 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on cookie tech, click here.