Baking & Snack - July 2019 - 70

BAR TECHNOLOGY

needs. For these manufacturers, those initiatives clearly
translate into ramping up new product development
that pushes potential capital expenditures toward flexible equipment and production lines that will handle an
onslaught of yet-undefined innovation.
"People who use Reiser's Vemag do not want to dedicate a line to a single product," explained John McIsaac,
vice-president of business development, Reiser. "The
Vemag system is based around quick changeovers for
multiple products, which mean not only different flavors
but also different shapes and sizes."
If a producer wants to run a rectangular bar in the
morning and a D-shaped one during the afternoon shift,
the changeover typically takes around two minutes, according to Mr. McIsaac.
"Our customers and potential customers are constantly challenging us with different flavors, viscosities
and shapes," he said. "Therefore, our equipment not only
needs to handle today's products but also those our customers have not yet dreamed up."
Specifically, the Vemag double-screw pumping system
along with its Reiser-engineered cutting attachment can
be used on all varieties. "Where we need to use more
specific, dedicated equipment is with the production of
filled bars," Mr. McIsaac observed. "We have developed a
number of engineered solutions to accomplish this."
Such flexibility is found not only in makeup but also
throughout an integrated production line. "Our precision shuttling conveyors can load a pan for baking or
load a continuous oven band or freezer," Mr. McIsaac
Today's bar systems are
designed for maximum
versatility, allowing
manufacturers to
quickly serve the latest
consumer trends.
Reiser

70 Baking & Snack July 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

said. "Or we can run directly into a flowwrap packaging
machine without any extra labor."
However, Sebastian Clemens, sales account manager,
Bühler, cautioned to watch out for certain changeovers,
especially since many proteins can be allergens. "Highcapacity lines are more efficient, but the market also
changes frequently, and lines must be flexible," he said.
"As a result, sanitary design of equipment and quick
changeovers are essential. We have focused on these
challenges and have developed solutions the industry
now expects."
While food safety remains a priority, don't forget to
consider more functional factors during bar manufacturing, especially when it comes to rolling out new
products or scheduling runs on multipurpose lines. "It
all boils down to viscosity - it's the main issue for production. You want products with viscosities in a similar
range," Mr. Knott advised. "You don't have to change
drives or need multiple drives on the same line. You can
use the same equipment and just focus on cleaning between product runs."
Bühler will exhibit its SnaxFix automatic bar production line at the 2019 International Baking Industry
Expositon, to be held Sept. 7-11, in Las Vegas. According
to Mr. Knott, it provides entry-level production of cereal
and other cold-formed bars or serves as a pilot plant line
for testing new products before ramping them up on a
higher speed operation.
Having an extra extruder head to clean will streamline efficiency by cutting downtime when working with

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Baking & Snack - July 2019

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