Muffin Town is exploring new ways to streamline efficiency, reduce waste and continuously enhance the overall operation of its Lawrence, Mass., bakery. 

Later this year, the company, also known as JSB Industries, plans to roll out Redzone, a connected workforce system that will eliminate paperwork and automate its quality control.

No longer do supervisors have to wait until the end of the day to see how the operation performed and fix potential issues, noted Scott Anderson, vice president of operations.

The system will monitor uptime, downtimes and other variables for gauging efficiency and throughput with display panels located throughout the bakery showing hourly performance in real time.

“It allows employees to see how other lines are operating compared with theirs,” he explained. “It will create more friendly competition with people on the floor. I know we all see throughput and downtime, and the costs associated with that, but the people on the floor don’t and we hope that it gets them to buy more into being part of something than just packaging muffins.”

Moreover, Muffin Town discovered a way to take the scrap from its crustless SunButter and jelly sandwich lines and turn it into a snack.

Normally, about 20% of the sliced whole wheat bread is removed during the process, then sent to an animal farm for feed. The bakery is testing a new product where the crusts are dried, coated with cinnamon and sugar and positioned as crunchy “bites” in 1- and 2-oz bags.

Anderson said the product is not only more sustainable, but it also provides a better-for-you alternative to potato chips, especially in schools.

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