Baking & Snack - September 2017 - 40

EAST BALT ROMA

Fortunately, East Balt had the foresight in 2000 to purchase land in Monterotondo adjacent to one of its major
foodservice distributors. In late 2014, the Chicago-based
company began construction on the €30 million ($35.5
million) greenfield project and began selling products
less than a year later in 2015. Rome wasn't built in one
day, and neither was the bakery.
"The project developed quite fast thanks to the organization and the choice of building partners and the
team that installed the lines," recalled Mr. De Marco, a
20-year veteran with the Italian baking division.
Specifically, he added that the building's design also
sped up construction and ramped up production. Placing
all utilities and other key components - electrical, water, boilers, motors, compressed air, glycol chillers, blastfreezing units- in an enclosed portion of the roof shaved
up to three months off the project's timetable. "While
they were installing equipment below, we were able work
to put in the utilities above," Mr. De Marco recalled.

Starting at the top

"The project developed
quite fast thanks to
the organization and
the choice of building
partners and the team
that installed the lines."
Tommaso De Marco, East Balt Roma

The reinforced structure - built to withstand earthquakes that occur in the region - also houses back-up
generators to keep the bakery running at all times. An
energy-saving heat exchanger that recirculates hot air
from the oven below produces hot water used in the facility and provides steam to the proofer.
The design also reduces noise throughout the bakery.
It also enhances food safety and sanitation by minimizing horizontal piping that can gather flour dust and by
eliminating nooks and crannies that harbor contamination, according to Mr. De Marco.
In fact, electrical panels are positioned at the point
of use directly above the mixers, divider and other processing equipment, allowing cables and copper wires to
stream vertically to systems below. In case of an electrical malfunction or a similar breakdown, maintenance
can make repairs without stepping onto the production
floor. "We don't want any dirty boots in the bakery," Mr.
De Marco said.
Because many of East Balt's baked goods have an
extended shelf life - from 90 to 120 days for tortillas
in nitrogen gas-flushed packaging, for instance - the
temperature-controlled production and packaging departments rely on filtered air to create a mold-free environment. "We have positive pressure and a filtration rate
of 99.98%, so we have no contamination in the air," he
said. Moreover, a reverse osmosis system provides purified water for the clean-label products with no artificial
ingredients, preservatives or other additives.
East Balt Roma relies on a 2,500-lb dough mixer to feed its line that produces
around 1 million buns a day.
Sosland Publishing Company

40 Baking & Snack September 2017 / www.bakingandsnack.com

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - September 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - September 2017