Tremaine Hartranft has worked in the baking industry for 18 years, helping deliver industrial cookie and cracker ovens to bakeries around the world. Industrial machinery like this wasn’t anything new to Hartranft, however, as he grew up working on a local dairy farm. 

“The bakery industry was interesting to me because of the industrial machinery aspect as well as the tangible aspect of seeing the machines come together from the 3D model to the shop assembly floor, and then seeing the snacks in the grocery store that were produced on the machinery,” Hartranft said.

Hartranft attended Penn State University and has an associate’s degree in electrical engineering technology and a bachelor’s degree in electro-mechanical engineering technology. He joined Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) in 2005 and has since grown through the company in numerous roles, including applications designer, project engineer and director of engineering.

“As we continued to grow, I moved into a technical sales role to become more customer focused and am now the vice president of technical growth and strategy,” he said.

Through the years, Hartranft has worked with some of RBS’ biggest customers, installing some of the company’s first Multi-Crisp Systems around the world.

“It is neat to see the entire process come together, from testing in our Science & Innovation Center to commissioning that same product on new machinery in the field,” he said. “I really enjoy seeing the snacks on the grocery store shelves and knowing how and where they are made. It’s great to be involved in an industry that helps feed people all over the world.”

As baking and snack manufacturers struggle to find skilled labor, Hartranft said RBS is further automating its systems to help these manufacturers keep their operations going strong. 

“Consumers are also demanding a wider variety of bakery products, so we have to offer flexible production systems to allow our customers to react quickly with new, innovative products,” he said.

While the baking industry has traditionally been slow to evolve, Hartranft said this needs to change in order for the industry to grow.

“The industry needs to continue embracing advancements in technology that will improve efficiency and simplify and improve their operations,” he said. 

Here, Hartranft discusses the benefits of switching from direct gas-fired (DGF) ovens to an RBS Emithermic XE Oven.

What are the differences between DGF ovens and RBS Emithermic XE ovens?

Traditional DGF cracker ovens are costly, difficult to maintain and can deliver an uneven bake to the product. These problems come from the large number of ribbon burners down the entire length of the oven (up to 350 feet long) that must be maintained and adjusted to deliver consistent heat to the product. 

The new Emithermic XE oven zone eliminates all ribbon burners and bakes the product using high radiant Thermatec panels, electric radiant heating elements and convective heat. This reduces energy, simplifies cleaning and maintenance, and delivers a more balanced heat to the product. Greater flexibility and control are also built in using a humidity-controlled product zone. With only five to six control points, it is much easier to tune the oven to all the key setpoints and save them as a recipe.  

What are some challenges posed by DGF ovens?

With all the individual burners in the DGF oven, there are many control points for the operators to adjust. The ribbon burners also can cause an uneven bake across the oven width because as ribbon burners fail over time, they turn off and the burners that continue to operate are firing at much higher rates, causing uneven flame characteristics. The burners also require maintenance and replacement, requiring additional downtime and costs. 

How do Emithermic XE ovens address those challenges, and what benefits do they provide?

By eliminating all the ribbon burners, the new Emithermic XE design offers simplified operation and maintenance. The Emithermic XE Oven only has five to six recipe-driven control points that make it easy for an operator to use and understand. The radiant panels and electric heating elements also supply an even bake across the width of the line, producing a more consistent product.

How do these ovens promote energy efficiency? 

A DGF oven can lose quite a bit of heat through the side of the oven, due to all the burner ports. The oven belt also returns outside of the bake chamber, causing it to cool, and it takes a lot of energy to reheat the belt as it re-enters the oven. The Emithermic XE Oven has minimal openings preventing heat loss, and the baking belt returns through the bake chamber to retain heat, thus creating a more efficient process.  

How does the Emithermic XE Oven promote product quality and flexibility? 

The Emithermic XE bakes more evenly because of the way the heat is distributed onto the Thermatec panels located above the product. The flexible design allows products to be baked in a still-air environment, or in a convection air environment, allowing multiple products to be produced on the same line.  

The Emithermic XE can be installed with gas burners initially but easily switch to electric down the road. This helps bakers make the best choice based on today’s energy prices and availability but plan for the future.

When should a baker or snack maker consider upgrading their oven? What questions should they be asking?

As customers consider upgrading to a better, more efficient technology, they should ask themselves: Are we struggling to retain people to operate this oven correctly? How much are we spending on ribbon burner maintenance? How is product quality being affected when using the DGF oven? How much can we save on energy costs? How easily can I convert my oven to electric to meet future sustainability goals?

What adjustments may producers need to make when switching to this oven?

We have recently converted one of our Science & Innovation Center ovens to the Emithermic XE design. Through our testing, we found that snacks made on DGF ovens can be made on the new Emithermic XE design with the same quality, textures and taste. We recommend arranging a trial to produce your current product on the new oven.