To help bakers keep up with maintenance, some equipment suppliers now take it upon themselves to prompt the customers. “With proper maintenance, these systems have a long lifespan,” said Russell Nadicksbernd, sales, AZO, Inc. To keep those ingredient handling systems running for 20 to 40 years, suppliers are helping bakers stay on top of their standard maintenance.

AZO does this by offering a service contract in which the company will send a service technician to the bakery to perform the maintenance inspection to ensure everything is running smoothly. “That way, you’re not making guesses,” Mr. Nadicksbernd said. “You’ll have someone coming in with an educated view of the system.”

The company also supplies bakers with a list of parts they should typically have on hand:  typical wear parts such as gaskets, screens and filters that will need to be replaced to ensure proper seals and weighing.

“We’ve really stepped up our customer service department,” Mr. Nadicksbernd said. “We’re just trying to stay on top of people to remind them that their equipment is built to last a long time.”