Baking & Snack - November 2017 - 88

INGREDIENT HANDLING

customer base is such that the bakery can get great
projections. In that case, they can plan ahead a little
more."
But when a baker doesn't have the luxury of a
predictable market, planning is key. The first place
to look is at the end of the line - such as packaging - where the bottlenecks occur. For example, an
upgrade to the packaging line can signal the need for
upgrades further upstream. And while some bakers
wait until they're at full capacity to consider capital
expenditures, it truly doesn't have to take that long. In
fact, when looking upstream, the decision to expand
ingredient handling likely becomes quite obvious. "If
a customer automates packaging, they wouldn't wait
years to continue," Mr. Stricker said.

Helping dollars make sense
Recognizing a need to invest is one thing, but theory
can't go into practice without defining a return on
investment (ROI).
When most bakeries today seek an average of a

24-month ROI on most major projects, such investments will come with high expectations for immediate and tangible improvements.
Oftentimes, it all depends on a bakery's goals, such
as productivity, labor costs or product loss or waste.
"Returns can include improvement in production,
both in quantity and quality based on the ability to
have a scaled, calibrated and controlled system that
can provide a higher volume at a higher quality than
what you could do before," said Darren Adams, vicepresident of engineering for the Fred D. Pfening Co.
He suggested that automation should increase 10
times the volume currently being produced.
"If you're having trouble with something like line
efficiency, or if the product is not up to specification,
you can look at the scrap rate, and if the investment
you make has the potential to reduce the scrap rate,
then you have an ROI to evaluate," Mr. Stricker said.
"There's a balance point. As bakers look to the future
and chart growth, they want an initial system design
that can easily and cost-effectively increase or add

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88 Baking & Snack November 2017 / www.bakingandsnack.com

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Baking & Snack - November 2017

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