Baking & Snack - April 2023 - 100

featured technical expert Q&A
Jeff Dearduff
Fritsch Bakery Equipment/Multivac
Jeff Dearduff has been in bakeries since he was kid, shadowing
his father at his job at Perfection Biscuit Co., known today as
Aunt Millie's Baking Co., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Following in his father's footsteps, Mr. Dearduff began his
baking career in 1979 as a mechanic, which led to numerous
leadership positions across the industry. He worked at East Balt
Bakeries, now Bimbo QSR, Zanesville, Ohio, for 27 years in a
variety of roles, including director of engineering and director
of baking operations. Mr. Dearduff then worked at Aryzta, now
Aspire Bakeries, Los Angeles, where in 2014 as senior vice president
of supply chain services, he was awarded Baking & Snack's
Operations Executive of the Year.
Next for Mr. Dearduff was the chief operations officer role at
Gold Standard Baking, where he spearheaded development of
the company's Pleasant Prairie, Wisc., facility. He then led business
development for the Austin Co. before returning to Gold
Standard, now 37th
Street Bakery, Chicago, as president and chief
executive officer. In 2022, Mr. Dearduff joined Multivac as regional
sales manager for Fritsch
Bakery Equipment, specializing
in sheeting and laminating lines.
With 43 years of industry experience
across many high-level
positions, Mr. Dearduff said his love
for the industry still comes down to
helping bakers solve the biggest challenges
they face.
" My background, not being in career sales, has always been
about selling, " he said. " The next new idea, project, concept and
solution always required a big sell job to upper management, the
check writers. Today in my current role, I approach things like I
always have as far as providing solutions, and that in itself keeps
me energized to keep going. "
In this Technical Expert Q&A, Mr. Dearduff highlights the advantages
of sheeting and laminating lines and how bakers can get
the most out of them.
What is the difference between sheeted dough
lines and lamination lines?
Sheeted dough is actually an element of a laminated dough. Simply
put, the same gentle mechanical processes that develop the dough
sheet for bread doughs is the start of the lamination process. The
sheeted dough is layered with a fat, butter or margarine, for example,
then the dough is folded upon itself multiple times to create the flaky
layers we find in fine Danish and croissants. These lamination lines
require a different footprint than the sheeted bread lines.
Due to the requirement to fold the dough on itself multiple
times, the line is set up in a Z or U shape to accomplish that mission.
This requires a wider footprint than the straight arrangement
of a sheeted, non-laminated bread line. So if you think about it, a
lamination line is a combination where a sheeted bread line feeds a
laminator. There are instances where a combo line can be designed
so that a single investment can produce both straight sheeted bread
products and laminated specialties. While this might be the best of
both worlds, you basically split your time between the two types
of product. Your sales volume of these two types of products will
determine if it is even feasible to use a combo line.
How can bakers incorporate automation into
their sheeting/laminating line to boost capacity
and efficiency?
Sheeting and laminating is not for everyone, they say. For the everyday
loaf of bread or hamburger bun, bakers will always win
100 Baking & Snack April 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
when running ultra-fast conventional production lines. In these
cases, speed or pounds through is what it's all about. Sheeting and
laminating is really for certain specialty items. When the customer
is looking for a special feature in its product, the lower stress lines
can lead you to the promised land. Don't get me wrong, if you have
a very large demand for say a sub sandwich bread, you can get a lot
of pounds through a straight sheeting line.
Similarly, how can they incorporate automation
to help save on labor?
Here is where the real win can be. A fully automated sheeting line
running a frozen dough product can be manned with minimal labor.
One or two people along a line that can produce 10,000 lbs to
15,000 lbs per hour can give a nice " pounds per labor hour " factor.
Also, some bakeries still produce specialty products on semi-automated
lines which can be labor intensive. Moving to a fully automated
sheeting or laminating line can reduce the demand for labor
positions, and the company can focus on keeping the best people
for the best positions.
What must bakers understand about their product and
production goals before adding or upgrading their
sheeting/laminating line?
First things first: Is the product a good fit for a sheeting or lamination
line? Some products are best fit on high-speed production.
The machine manufacturers can go a long way in helping a bakery
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - April 2023
