BEMA - June 2018 - 46

100-YEAR HISTORY

A Union Steel Products
advertisement that
appeared in the August,
1937, issue of The
Bakers Technical Digest.

Dart & Kraft, Inc., and eventually became part of
PreMark International (PMI) and was later sold to
Illinois Tool Works.
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York, PA, it was one of the largest manufacturers
of bakery machinery in its time, according to the
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company began making chemicals and other machines in the 1920s and eventually joined the US
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range of engineering saw them making everything
from portable bread mixers to steam torpedoes.
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manufactured several types of cracker and baking
machines. During World War I, it equipped several
cantonments and battleships and received contracts from the French government.

A slice of history
The baking industry wouldn't be what it is today
without BEMA's founding members.
Adolph Levitt, the founder of what would become the Doughnut Corp. of America, created
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in New York City. He was reportedly inspired by

BEMA100 | 2018 | www.bema.org

US troops' fondness for the donut, and in 1920,
he wanted to ramp up production at his Harlem
bakery. However, the messy frying process was
hampering his ability to expand. So, he created
what he called the "Wonderful Almost Human
Automatic Doughnut Machine." It would form and
plop perfectly shaped rings of dough into a vat of
oil, turn them and push them out when done. He
then used the Doughnut Corp. of America to sell
these machines across the US.
Micro-Westco was a company with direct links to
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the company was then eventually sold. But together with Micro-Westco, long-time BEMA memEHU +DQVDOR\ KHOSHG FUHDWH WKH ¿UVW EUHDG VOLFHU
Hansaloy provided the original slicing blades for
the famous machine and today carries on the tradition of bread slicing in Davenport.
Allen Wright, former BEMA chairman, vicepresident of sales for Hansaloy, said that the association has been a big part of the company's long
history. "BEMA allows you to connect to your customers, your peers and the industry as a whole,"
he said. "You can stay abreast of what's going
on in the industry. We see tremendous value in
that. That's why we do stay members; we see the
value, and it's a way to renew and continue those
relationships."
Throughout the association's history, Mr. Dean's
original intent for the founding of the association
remains intact.
"It is basically the only platform that brings all the
manufacturers to the same table to discuss what
really matters to the industry," said Justin Atkins,
director of sales, Bettendorf Stanford. "Nowhere
else do you see competitors sitting together and
talking. Customers get input into industry standards that really matter to them and manufacturers
come away with a better idea of what the bakers
want and need from us."
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the association's story is one based on members'
innovation and passion for giving back to the industry and their community. "We are proud to say
that we still pursue the goals our founders set for
the organization," Mr. Brown said. "We are well positioned to serve another 100 years because of our
leaders' dedication to providing a competitive advantage to our members."
BEMA

http://www.bema.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BEMA - June 2018