Baking&Snack - November 2016 - 40

JUNIOR'S

All hands on deck for the holidays
Junior's has plenty of room to grow at its Burlington, NJ, bakery.
Around 105 people work on a single shift five days a week - or about
40 hours a week baking and 50 hours decorating. However, the number of seasonal employees and the hours they work spikes during the
fourth quarter, which accounts for 60% of annual sales. This past fall,
Junior's ran a daily shuttle bus from NYC to bring in 35 decorators
from its old bakery to secure the holiday demand for its products. In
New York, it's not unusual for consumers to line up around the block
to purchase holiday cakes, according to Alan Rosen, owner and CEO.
Today, the workforce includes a combination of skilled bakers and
decorators and those new to the industry. About 25 veterans from
Junior's old Queens bakery now work at the Burlington plant and
join about 35 others who had worked at the former Mother's Kitchen
cheesecake and dessert bakery, which Junior's bought from Rich
Products in 2014.
Certificates of achievement line the hallway leading to the
production floor. These certificates are awarded to those who have
completed training on specific equipment, such as the new mixers,
or in food safety and other aspects of the operation. Combining
a veteran workforce with ongoing training is one way Junior's
addresses the workforce skills gap.
"We have a really nice mix of employees at all skill levels," said
Jason Schwartz, general manager of the wholesale division.
Junior's management team at the Burlington facility also includes
Magda Kyriakou, director of operations; Amanda Fortier, plant manager; Kris Sumara, chief engineer; Ravi Maharaj, sanitation manager;
Renee Cain, human resources manager; and Rich McKenzie, national
sales manager.

Product Inspection

Tortilla

Bread

Pizza

Process Control

sense and don't affect the overall process or quality
of the product."
That said, Mr. Schwartz noted the company's
growth in frozen cheesecakes provides a natural
opportunity to improve production efficiencies.
"I'd like to pump out 6-, 8- and 10-in. non-decorated cheesecakes all day long because that's the
most efficient way to operate," he acknowledged.
"You're depositing it, baking it and packaging
it. When you add decorations to the border or
holiday decorations, that's where the extra labor
comes in, and it's more time-consuming, but that's
who we are."
To streamline its operation and boost capacity, the company recently installed a Colborne
Foodbotics semi-automated cheesecake line that
produces 17 to 19 cheesecakes a minute. After
hand-loading pans that receive a quick spray of
oil as a release agent, a line operator places Junior's
signature sponge cake base on the bottom. The
line can also mechanically apply a graham cracker
base before the cheesecake batter is deposited.
At the end of the line, the round pans are
loaded onto large rectangular sheet pans that can
hold up to eight 6-in. cheesecakes before they're
racked. In addition to improving production capacity, the line added more accuracy and consistency to the process.
The main bakery currently houses a Revent
rack oven and a battery of existing revolving-tray
ovens - each capable of baking up to 450 6-in.

Product Handling

Other

www.eyeprosystem.com
sales@eyeprosystem.com

VISION TECHNOLOGY
for

40 Baking & Snack November 2016 / www.bakingandsnack.com

food

manufacturing

Europe: +39 0461 402 148
North America: +1 816 448 3426

http://www.eyeprosystem.com http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking&Snack - November 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking&Snack - November 2016