Automation can be a capacity-boosting, labor-saving game changer for pastry manufacturers. But with higher speeds and fewer workers on the floor to supervise, these investments may open the door to costly product giveaway if not managed properly. 

“When making pastry, it is an expensive process given the cost of the ingredients,” said John Giacoio, vice president of sales, Rheon USA.

Pastry manufacturers can tell if their line will produce excess waste by examining the side of the dough sheet, he noted.

“You want to see a straight side edge as you get to the final dough sheet,” he explained. “If it is wavy, this means you have stressed the dough, and this wave needs to be cut off to give you a usable dough sheet. This trim is wasted, and if it is worked back into the dough, it will ultimately reduce the quality.”

Thankfully for bakers, the growing integration of data and analytics in today’s equipment lets them closely monitor production and minimize these opportunities for waste.

“Real-time data can be collected on the production lines, and these metrics can be used to improve the performance of the line,” explained Nick Magistrelli, vice president of sales, Rademaker USA. “Automation is designed to react to the information provided by data collection features and provide continuous improvement.”

Fritsch’s Smart Production Insights provide manufacturers the real-time key performance data of their lines on a dashboard. 

“Even downtimes caused by minor malfunctions are clearly recorded so that measures to prevent them can be initiated quickly and easily,” said Stefan Praller, senior director, customer experience, Fritsch, a Multivac Group company.

Similarly, Multivac’s newly developed Watchdog monitors all the drives on a line. As soon as a value deviates too far from its target value, a warning is sent to managers on the floor, allowing them to react before the drive is damaged or destroyed. 

“This allows users to perform predictive maintenance on the line to avoid equipment downtime and therefore reduce waste,” he explained. 

 Checkweighing on automated lines will significantly reduce waste margins as well, observed Theo van Hoof, R&D, vacuum cool and bake expert, gluten-free specialist, Verhoeven Family of Companies. 

“It is possible to place detectors to detect whether all functions on the line are performed correctly,” he said. “All information and data coming from our lines can be exchanged with general business automation.”

Handtmann systems are accurate to the gram and include inline check weighing systems that allow for continuous real-time adjustments. 

“Whether pumping butter, margarine or shortening on the first layer of dough or filling multiple ounces of chunky fruit filling in a high-speed multilane pastry lamination line, consistent gram-level portioning precision not only reduces giveaway safely but also virtually eliminates the wasted time, material and chaos of rework,” said Joe Alameno, forming and depositing manager, Handtmann. 

Nicola Menardo, president, TP Food Group, North America, observed that simplified production lines similarly reduce opportunities for waste. He cited the use of spiral ovens as an example. 

“For instance, we have delivered laminated pastry production lines where bakers proof, bake and freeze products directly on the belt of spiral systems without the use of trays, tray management systems and oven loader/unloader systems,” he said. 

Laminated pastries must be handled with care, and automated investments today can ensure the quality of these delicate goods is preserved.

This article is an excerpt from the February 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Sweet Goods Processing, click here.