published on 27/03/09
Greater efficiencies for the UK bakery industry can be gained by investing in robotic systems for oven loading and unloading, packing line automation and the centralization of palletizing, added together with using contract engineers to install and maintain , then profits sure to go up.
CenFRA, a not-for-profit collaboration between North of England regional development agencies, food industry professionals and experts in robotics and automation said it is providing free audits to bakery companies in the northern region with the aim of providing bespoke automated systems for facilities to ensure their long term profitability.
Michael Taylor, operations director for Fosters Bakery in Yorkshire said “A robot can work around the clock, and this has significant implications for a bakery’s productivity; automation also reduces the amount of waste on bakery lines by ensuring that products are specification compliant,” he claims. He added “ and by now outsoucing our engineering team and using contract engineers to oversee installations and maintenance, we also save on other overheads, while still assured that the mechanical contract engineers have a full working knowledge of the automated system”.

Taylor argues that there are many barriers to automation take up in the UK bakery industry, with some companies having issues over factory space, some are concerned that automation is not cost effective for small runs, while others fear that switching to robotics could compromise the quality that hand crafted products traditionally provide. But as he says people once upon a time would not really have considered outsourcing and using contract engineers, now more companies are accessing this avenue and being seemingly impressed, they too need to overcome their reservations about automation take up.
Taylor claims that even small modifications to bakery equipment or conveyance lines that increase operational speed can have a dramatic impact on output

Read the full article at Bakery and snacks.com