Baking & Snack - December 2003 - 74

M AT E R I A L H A N D L I N G

ᮤ Polymers used for the surface of
flat belts have improved to provide
better sanitation and release
characteristics. Flexible flat belts
materials allow for easy transfer
from one conveyor to another.
CHARLES WALKER NORTH AMERICA

"providing brains to the
conveyors." "That's where
PLC control, electronic
interfacing and servo
motors come into play,"
he said. "Electronics have
become more prevalent in the baking industry."
Whereas these electronic features once were reserved
for large corporations, his company is able to use these
features when building equipment for small or mid-size
bakeries. "It gives them more control over the product,
permits them greater flexibility and allows them to run
a larger number of products through a single system,"
said the company president. "If you're running one type
of product that requires a certain route and cooling time
and then need another product that runs a different
route with different cooling time, with a touch-screen
control and variable-frequency drive, you can choose the

product, and the system can adjust itself automatically."
A sales manager for a flat belt manufacturer said he
noticed that more conveyors feature an integrated drive
drum design vs. an exterior motor and sprocket and chain
drive. He also noted that conveyors are getting wider. As
bakeries try to become more efficient, they are making
ovens wider, thus belt width is also expanding.
DEDICATED TO BAKING. A manufacturer of modular
plastic belting features a dedicated baking team. "Our
expertise is the proactive value that we can provide bakeries," said the manager for the company's bakery team.
"The real value is in our people and their knowledge,"
he said. The company emphasizes customer service as a
hallmark of its business model. The industry manager
noted that a lot of the plastic modular belting available
is somewhat similar, and that as long as suppliers have a
quality product, they are going to have to do something to
stand out from the competition.
The manufacturer's dedicated baking team is not content
with simply promoting and serving the products it currently
offers but is always looking at new designs that could better
serve the industry. "We have new product development engineers dedicated to the baking industry," he said.
Ⅲ

The Walker Advantage . . .
▲ Charles Walker Bakery Belting is specially engineered to meet the
needs of conveyors found throughout the manufacturing process.
▲ Charles Walker Non-Fray Belting maximizes belt edge integrity
while reducing potential for contamination from conventional fabric
belts.
▲ Charles Walker AM Plus Anti-Microbial Belting prevents growth
of spoilage micro-organisms.
▲ Charles Walker Belt Joining Presses are the fastest on the market,
lightweight and easy to operate and designed to reduce production
downtime..
Call us at 1-800-928-9995 or email to custserv@charleswalkerna.com

For more information, see Page 113

74 / BAKING & SNACK / December 2003

Baking & Snack - December 2003

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