Baking & Snack - February 2015 - 105

EQUIPMENT
Waffles and Wafers

BREAKING THE MOULD
New technologies allow companies to
make products in every shape and size.
by Ryan Atkinson

These aren't your grandfather's waffles and wafers.
Not to say that the baked breakfast items and treats
enjoyed by those who came before us aren't still an everyday staple in households everywhere, but the evergrowing list of consumer wants and needs has created an
influx of new products and styles.
Whether it's waffle-based breakfast sandwiches, products with custom shapes and sizes or, yes, gluten-free offerings, waffle and wafer lines need to boast more versatility than ever.
"You need to be quite flexible," said Matthijs Sillevis
Smitt, sales manager for North and South America,
Masdac International, represented in North America
by Naegele, Inc., Alsip, IL. "It starts with the customer's
needs. If they can come to you and tell you what they
need and you, in turn, can make that happen without
too much trouble, it can lead to success."
To add these new products, companies are looking
closely at their ability to build versatility into their lines.
Mark Hotze, vice-president, Tromp Group Americas,
Richmond, VA, said that's what is happening there.
"We are developing possibilities to have a quick
changeover system integrated in our lines," Mr. Hotze
said. "In our innovation center, we are working on a
daily basis with our customers on any possible product
requirement. There are no limits in these."

Creating character
One of the biggest challenges looming on the horizon
for waffle and wafer lines comes from the other side of

the globe. Uniquely shaped products, which started in
Japan, are seeing their popularity spread, according to
Mr. Sillevis Smitt.
These products, which can take the form of corporate
logos, movie characters and more, obviously provide a
set of obstacles not seen in the production of most waffles or wafers.
"New products with various shapes, such as turtles,
airplanes and stars, to name a few, are trending," said
Rick Parrish, director of sales and marketing for Franz
Haas Machinery of America, Richmond, VA. "Each new
product shape requires exchangeable baking moulds
and a removal system that ensures gentle removal without damaging or penetrating the filling inside."
All it takes is a quick changeover to change a SKU for
Costco to a different item for Wal-Mart.
"It's a very good product for co-packing," Mr. Sillevis
Smitt said. "Just by changing the moulds, you can produce for different customers. I think of that as a very key
point. It allows customers a more personalized product."
Masdac, like Haas, has found success in providing
options for these creative character and logo shapes.
The process typically starts, as one would expect, with
the customer requesting the ability to make a creatively
shaped product. The customer will then be provided
Even baking and extraction
with a mock-up of the request. Once approved, the new
is important with producing
moulds are created, and the customer can begin baking.
intricately designed goods.
"The challenges can actually be very little if every- Masdac International
thing is set up the right way," Mr. Sillevis Smitt said.
"With the system we have and the material
our moulds are made of, we can
be very detailed. It allows us
to make a great, high-resolution picture, for lack of a
better term, of what the customer wants."

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