If there’s one concept that strikes fear in the hearts of those running a large bakery — OK, there are several — but one is certainly unplanned downtime. Even if a line stops for a few minutes, that could mean hundreds or thousands of loaves, buns, rolls, etc., left stuck in the proofer, oven and elsewhere along the line. This creates a mess that needs to be cleaned up, products that must be thrown out and remade, and less planned downtime for maintenance at the end of the week.

“There’s a cascading set of things that happen as a result of unplanned time and the costs that go with them if, say, the cooler goes down,” said Rowdy Brixey, founder and president, Brixey Engineering Inc. “There’s the stage one impact and cost, the mess and the time right then, but then there’s the delayed impact that comes at the end of the week when now five or six of those large events have taken the entire down day window away. And at the end of the week, we didn’t have any time to actually fix the cooler correctly.”

A strong maintenance team and strategy are critical to a bakery’s success. Team members must have the time to assess equipment, perform preventative maintenance (PM) tasks and have the training needed to correctly assess the equipment and spot potential trouble. But as bakeries look to increase capacity by running lines longer as they struggle to find and keep workers, maintenance departments are getting squeezed for time to get their job done. But failing to allow teams to do their jobs will cause more trouble in the long run.

“Machine reliability and efficiency is what drives our business,” said David Catlett, chief operations officer, Dewey’s Bakery, which operates two baking facilities in Winston-Salem, NC. “Without accountability on all levels, we would not have the ability to strive for continuous improvement. We have the flexibility to run certain production lines while others are undergoing daily maintenance and PMs. This is a crucial process and very important to ensuring our equipment is always ready to run when scheduled.”

Putting together a strong maintenance department starts with members who understand the bakery, its equipment and how the process works together. It’s not easy work, so having a positive attitude goes a long way.

“We run 24/7 like most other bakeries. That means working at night and on the weekends, and even holidays, depending on what’s going on,” said Kyle Ray, director of engineering, Klosterman Baking Co., Cincinnati. “You take advantage of any downtime you get with the equipment. It can be tough, and finding people with the right mindset who understand that and are able and willing to work is a big deal.”

People with mechanical and electrical training as well as knowledge about the baking industry are a good fit for these jobs.

“Typically, we target someone who can maintain the equipment electrically and mechanically,” Ray said. “When hiring, you look for someone who has both mechanical and electrical skills as well as a basic understanding of the PLC. From there, it’s about building that knowledge whether it’s through training in-house or providing outside resources.”

Critical thinking and troubleshooting problems when they arise are other skills he values.

“A lot of that comes from an understanding of what the equipment is supposed to do and also a pretty thorough understanding of the process,” he said.

That understanding, among other things, includes knowing how both yeast and flour work. Yeast is a living ingredient, and the characteristics of flour can change with each batch, so the maintenance crew needs to have a basic understanding of each to do their jobs correctly.

“Say we’re not getting great product out of the proofer for whatever reason,” Ray said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s an issue with the proofer. The issue might be back at the divider or the mixer. One of the fun things about baking is you have to understand and adjust to flour because different flour deliveries will have different mix times. They’ll be able to hold more or less water, and it’s a constant adjustment, so the more we understand it, the more we can help troubleshoot.”

Training and cross-training is an ongoing process at Dewey’s. The company strives to train maintenance staff on all equipment in all facilities to ensure someone on staff is available to tackle issues as they arise. And the cross training is done not only on the maintenance team but across much of the bakery team, Catlett said.

“We are currently continuing to train our operators to be more than just machine operators,” he noted. “Most of them are doing their own day-to-day maintenance, including cleaning, oiling and greasing, basic part replacement and most changeovers needed along with a daily checklist for operational excellence. This is a process that will never be completed as we will continue to expose our operators every day to allow them to develop as well-rounded mechanical operators, which allows our maintenance staff to focus on more big-ticket items and full rebuilds.”

He also stressed the importance of compensating staffers well and building a positive culture in the bakery, one that shows employees they’re appreciated.

“We want all employees to come to work each day happy for what they do and the value they add,” Catlett said. “Being happy at work is something we strive for. Money is a short-term motivator. But if employees can come to work with a smile on their face, put in a good day’s work, be appreciated and treated in a positive manner, then we have put ourselves in a great position to not only hold onto talent but also attract new talent as well.”

Rubicon Bakers, Richmond, Calif., has put an emphasis on maintenance recently, which has paid off for the bakery.

“It’s been probably one of our biggest areas of investment over the past two years, not just the maintenance of the equipment but the build-out of the maintenance team,” said John Clinkscales, chief financial officer at Rubicon. “Everything is on a very robust preventative maintenance schedule. We’re doing a lot of that in-house, but we’re also working with our equipment vendor partners as needed to ensure reliability and uptime. We have seen huge improvements as we invest more on that front.”

This article is an excerpt from the February 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Maintenance, click here.