MUNICH, GERMANY – At iba, many engineers partnered with their fellow experts in sanitation to develop new designs for equipment at the show. Sanitary design and reducing the costs of changeovers and preventive maintenance – and the costly time the two contribute to downtime – dominated the show in terms of equipment innovation, tool-less replacements of components, and return on investment (ROI).
For many equipment manufacturers and bakers, the ROI on a piece of equipment is not only about the immediate return, but also in the 20-year lifecycle of an operating system. In many ways, equipment manufacturers are crunching the numbers and showing bakers and snack producers how their systems can provide quicker returns in the short run and a longer payback in the long term. It’s all about the “total cost on equipment.”
Burford Corp.: Burford’s new Variety Topper is based on the same concept as the company’s Rotary Seeder and has a PLC and an HMI interface. With a larger mandrel feed, it works for larger quantities of bigger-sized toppings such as nuts. It also has an optional chute system that can increase the amount of toppings. It can be used for lines that produce muffins with toppings, including almonds, pecans and sprinkles.
Burford also introduced a spray applicator that was redesigned for glaze. The COP applicator has sanitary connections, making it easy to remove, take to a sanitation room, clean and return.
AMF Bakery Systems: Last week, AMF completed testing on its Emisshield technology in a U.S. bakery. From its Emisshield technology, AMF developed an application to protect the BakeTech Continuous Oven track and chain from excessive heat. This extends the life of the chain and chain lubricant. With this application, new burner configurations provide great improvements in bake quality.
AMF also is celebrating its 30-year partnership with Intralox, whose division, Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS), worked with AMF after its Canadian conveyor product manager attended a CFS two-and-a-half-day Hygienic Design Training. The partnership took one year to develop a redesigned, solid, single-frame, open spiral conveyor that is easy to clean, follows the principles of sanitary design and reduces cleaning time. The engineers from both companies praised CFS Founder and President Joe Stout and his CFS team for opening their eyes to hygienic design concepts and allowing the companies to develop the new Spiralsystem. Mr. Stout also is a contributing editor for Baking & Snack.
Topos Mondial: Consider this challenge: How do you make a sanitary open-frame mixer that also safely eliminates the pinch point? Topos Mondial met that challenge by developing its new removable bowl open-frame spiral dough mixer. This mixer is OSHA-safe and has a sanitary design that makes it easy to access and easy to clean.
With no accumulation spaces, all parts, including the hydraulic components, the bowl and the mixing head, have washdown capability and tool-less sanitation, meaning a sanitarian can clean the mixer without having to involve maintenance in order to clean it. Style and reliability are important to Topos, and the design reflects that with every component being stainless steel and in its sleek profile.
