The speed of change when it comes to technology — whether cell phones or ovens — continues to increase exponentially. It’s something that can be difficult to keep up with. In light of the labor challenges that were exacerbated over the past four years, Allen Wright, president of Hansaloy and vice chair of the planning committee for the 2025 International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), said there is even more need for automation to advance and bakeries to adopt it quickly. 

“Labor has fundamentally changed the way people look at a project and how they justify an investment,” he said. “Projects that maybe weren’t doable five or 10 years ago are now more palatable today because of the challenges associated with labor.” 

In today’s baking world, it is no secret that workers on the production room floor, especially skilled positions like maintenance engineers, are difficult to find. Production operators can be difficult to retain due to the long hours and nature of the work. It’s been well-documented since the COVID-19 pandemic that baking companies have turned to automation to reduce their reliance on humans. 

“Today, challenges that a baker used to solve by hiring people might be solved with a robotic solution,” Wright explained. “That doesn’t mean bakers still don’t need people, but bakers need employees with a different skill set. That’s what I would say has changed so much: the workforce today versus even 10 years ago but certainly 30 years ago when I first started.”

During the past three decades, Wright said bakeries have become more automated than ever. If bakers are looking to solve their labor challenges through automation, attending IBIE 2025 in Las Vegas, Sept. 13-17, is a must.

“There is no other place where you can go and see so much equipment on the show floor, get your hands on it, watch what it can do and understand what it can do,” he said. “It’s not just about seeing one vendor’s equipment come to life, but you can see every solution, ask questions and decide what’s best for your bakery.” 

Whether bakers attend IBIE 2025 looking for automated solutions to reduce reliance on labor or improve efficiencies, sanitation or sustainability, Wright is confident they will find it on the show floor. Artificial intelligence (AI), he suspects, is the future of the industry, though it’s unclear how quickly it will be adopted. 

“It will probably be adopted faster than previous technologies,” he said. “It’s hard to predict where AI will take the industry, but I think it has the best chance to change things for the better.” 

While AI will certainly have an impact, he said, the baking industry will always require people.