Advantages Of Automating Bakery Processing Lines

The artisan market is fuelling the need for automation across the bakery business as consumer demand shifts toward artisan bread.

Fremont, CA: Automation has been used in various industries as businesses seek to optimize their operations while simultaneously reducing expenses. As a late adoption of automation technologies, the food business hasn't quite reached this tipping point yet. However, enterprises are getting there as more firms move toward digital transformation and the workforce gap widens.

Here are some of the advantages of automating bakery processing lines:

Higher throughput

It should be no surprise that increasing throughput is the primary reason many businesses seek to automate their lines. Humans cannot work as swiftly as machines, which can operate continuously and without rest. The throughput increase that enterprises can obtain with automation is dependent on the application and process.

Less equipment footprint

Higher throughput is tricky since processors want to achieve it without needing to enlarge their facilities. In fact, many processors are attempting to reduce their equipment footprint in order to accommodate more equipment into their existing buildings. Automated equipment often takes up less space than non-automated equipment of comparable capacity, giving more output.

Better quality control

Customers expect every product that comes off the business line to meet specified requirements. This is because consistent quality is a crucial indicator of consumer trust in a brand. Undercooked rolls or loaded crust pizzas that are lacking their stuffing will not entice return customers. Automation maintains consistency, which boosts throughput by lowering yield loss because fewer off-spec goods must be discarded.

Enhanced food safety

In food processing plants, people are a major source of cross-contamination. Microorganisms and allergies can be easily transferred to food by workers who do not observe Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs). Even individuals who adhere to CGMPs can introduce bacteria into the environment by making up dust when they walk or push bins or carts in a plant. Automation eliminates individuals from the processing equation, hence eliminating the risk of cross-contamination produced by humans.