Process flexibility allows biscuits to be arranged in stacks or on edge.
 

All systems go

Automation is intrinsic to efficient packaging, including portioned desserts. “We’re definitely doing a lot of automation — about half our work is vision-based robotics,” Mr. Buckley said, adding that efficiency extends to size as well. “We find there is a need to have space-saving machines in smaller footprints.”

Equipment manufacturers are working on innovative systems and solutions for a host of portioned desserts, including those that can be challenging on high-speed automated lines.

ProMach’s Benchmark Automa-tion group specializes in distribution systems and feeding equipment for individually wrapped items. “These systems were developed to handle fragile, sticky or irregularly shaped items,” Mr. Tamborello said, noting that product is oriented into one or more lanes, and each lane is automatically fed into the primary wrapping machinery using a non-contact feeder. “Each item is indexed and timed individually using a floating belt-to-belt transition. Product does not need to be backlogged, which can damage fragile items or cause irregularly shaped product to skew or shingle.” In addition, timed product can be loaded into wrapper flights or loaded directly onto the film in registration.

As consumer demands dictate the need for production lines to diversify and speed up, some packaging systems for individual desserts have become more integrated. Bosch, for example, recently launched a complete system designed for gentle high-speed handling of delicate, brittle products including cookies and crackers. The system includes primary machines such as a loader, transfer unit, feeder and horizontal flowwrapper integrated with a modular GD series robot that picks and places wrapped cookies on edge into a Kliklok-Woodman Enterprise cartoner at a speed of up to 500 products per minute.

According to Mr. Manger, hygienic design is also on dessert manufacturers’ wish lists. He described Bosch’s new hygienically designed horizontal packaging solution for frozen foods, composed of a feeding system combined with a Sigpack HBM horizontal flowwrapper and Bosch’s flexible Sigpack TTM cartoner. The system’s components can handle cleaning methods ranging from easy wipedown to full washdown.

While some bakers and snack makers are taking on the cost of such advanced automated packaging systems to manufacture more and a greater variety of products, smaller companies are often doing less automation, Mr. Kehrli said. “The larger players can’t afford not to be automated, and the smaller players may say that automation is not for them.”

Enhancements in automation can lead to greater consistency and speed for other types of portioned desserts, beyond single-serve products and multipacks of smaller portions. FoodTools, for example, offers a range of cake slicers, cake slabbers, crumb spreaders and presses including high–speed, in-line mechanical and ultrasonic slicers, according to Mr. Petrovich. “Automation is growing each year. With regulations increasing along with the minimum wage, our customers are constantly pressing for more automation to lower cost,” he said.

With or without automation, companies are navigating the trend toward portioned desserts so they can get their piece of the pie.