Learn How Automation Saves Time and Enhances Traceability.
Automating plant processing lines has become vital to operating a successful commercial bakery. Industrial automation solutions from software and information control providers like EZSoft offer a diverse range of industrial-scale bakeries, and chief among them are time and cost savings.
Bakery automation lets businesses like yours increase productivity and improve production accuracy. At the same time, the software reduces dependence on manual operators prone to phenomena like human error and the introduction of pathogens that can contaminate your goods and result in costly recalls that damage your brand’s reputation.
Our firm specializes in creating comprehensive automated solutions for commercial bakeries of every size. We provide industrial automation software engineered to specifically help food manufacturers save time and money as they improve their revenue streams. The newfound relaxed labor overhead requirements let bakers focus on more strategic growth and bringing new products to their respective markets.
The latest automated technologies for bakeries deliver a set of easy-to-use solutions, each manageable under a single interface. Bakeries leverage AI manufacturing systems to streamline their workflows while tracking and facilitating their sales orders with relative ease. After automating, you’ll immediately boost the accuracy of your production, saving yourself a considerable investment in human resources while you enhance production speed and operational efficiency.
As the commercially produced bread market continues expanding, many bakeries are just now starting to realize the benefits of automating their food processing lines. With this in mind, let’s explore the seven ways automating your bakery processing lines can save you both time and money.
1. Increased throughput
It hardly comes as a surprise that a vast majority of commercial bakers want to automate their lines to increase throughput without adding human operators. The labor market has been historically tight, and it’s irrefutable that humans cannot operate with the same speed and efficiency as machines that work continuously without taking lunch breaks and extended vacations.
The throughput rates of your automated solution depend on your specific applications and processes. One recent study conducted by Food Engineering’s State of Food Manufacturing, however, accounted for the previous five years and indicated that your bakery should expect throughput increases as much as 10-15% after automating your manufacturing plant.
2. Better quality control
Customers expect every product produced on your factory lines to adhere to the same set of specifications that drew them to your products in the first place. This is largely due to the age-old truism that consistency in quality always serves as the two primary factors in building consumer trust in a brand.
Just as in any business, insufficiently baked breads or donuts that lack the advertised filling will scarcely entice customers to return and make additional purchases. Since you’ll discard fewer off-spec products, automating your production lines ensures consistency and increases throughput by decreasing yield loss while satisfying your existing customer base.
3. Warehouse space optimization
One of the primary upsides of bakery automation is that food processors can quickly scale and boost their throughput without expanding their facilities or acquiring additional real estate.
Automated warehouse space optimization tools allow bakeries to achieve more in the existing space. Under most circumstances, your industrial bakery can achieve higher throughput with a smaller equipment footprint, freeing up valuable space inside your plant for new automated machinery and expansion projects.
4. Improved food safety
By removing human intervention from various aspects of your production, in particular the mundane and repetitive tasks within your plant, you reduce the risk of introducing bacteria or allergens into your foods decreases significantly.
Automation also helps ensure that all stages of the process are followed according to CGMPs and other safety standards, virtually guaranteeing that the food produced is safe for consumption and that you won’t face expensive recalls that could result in irreparable damage to your brand’s reputation.
5. Address the current labor shortage
The American Bakers Association and the American Society of Baking conducted a joint 2016 study establishing that the industry faces a significant deficit concerning both plant operators and leadership talent that can bring problem-solving, decision-making, and technical skills to your organization.
Most food industry analysts expect the current labor rise in shortages of hourly machine operators and unskilled production positions in addition to salaried scientist and research and development roles to negatively impact the entire sector.
Automation providers like EZSoft offer bakeries like yours solutions to overcoming this obstacle. Food manufacturing software reduces your labor requirements and associated costs while freeing up more human resources that you can allocate toward higher-skilled, scientific positions.
6. Better traceability and regulatory compliance
Implementing automation at your bakery can be immensely beneficial to any business that needs to boost its product traceability and regulatory compliance. Since automation minimizes the risk of human error and facilitates data collection, the additional process data and insight into your operations can be critical when faced with inspections by the FDA.
Moreover, access to readily available process data can identify and prevent food safety incidents from spiraling into expensive recall events that often prove difficult and take years to recover from.
The last thing your brand needs is to fend off a slew of customer reports about your spoiled food products finding retailer shelves. Not to mention the fact that regulatory fines and litigation fees can pile up quickly and prevent you from conducting your normal operations.
7. A safer, more productive worksite
A safer worksite that relies on minimal human interventions means you’ll spend less on worker compensation premiums. In addition to this, automation helps improve employee morale by eliminating the most tedious and potentially dangerous tasks at your plant.
The implementation of bakery automation can be beneficial for both workers and employers. Automation allows workers to focus on higher-value tasks and reduces many of the risks associated with manual labor. With the right solutions in place, bakeries can increase their efficiency, reduce costs, and create a safer, more productive work environment.
Getting started with industrial automation companies near me
EZSoft is dedicated to providing businesses in the food manufacturing and specialty chemical industries with automated recipe and batch management solutions. Our software enables companies in the processing sectors to easily switch between products, introduce and test new items, and reduce staff training and errors by providing a consistent user interface.
Automating processes such as these increase workplace productivity and ensure consistent, high-quality outcomes. Bakery automation, likewise, reduces your labor costs due to the reduction in manual operators and the associated costs to support these additional staff members.
For more on how to start automating your unique industrial bakery applications, connect with us on our website or call us now at (484) 568-5040.
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