Commercial Baking December | Innovations Annual 2021

ISSUE A2 | NEW HORIZONS’ TIM BROWN | CLYDE’S DONUTS’ KIM BICKFORD | EXCLUSIVE IBIE PERSPECTIVES DEC 2021

www.commercialbaking.com

Inaugural Year OTIS SPUNKMEYER THE NEW WEST COAST HUB

INNOVATIONS ANNUAL

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REDUCE

DAMAGE • WASTE EMISSIONS • COST

BASKET MANAGEMENT Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs), also known as “baskets,” are made to accommodate the transfer of a wide range of products and primary packaging types. RPCs not only reduce carbon emissions, waste, and natural resource consumption, they offer improved product protection versus cardboard alternatives.

Durable plastic baskets are easy to clean, hygienic, resist water and chemicals, and are consistently sized. They have been shown to reduce product damage by up to 96% while lowering costs by as much as 27% through more efficient, reusable distribution processes. They are a perfect, environmentally-friendly addition to your bakery packaging operation.

FOR YOUR BAKERY PACKAGING LINES

An automated system increases reliability and throughput, reduces long-term costs, and provides ergonomic improvements that enhance workplace safety.

Contact Harpak-ULMA Packaging today!

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SMART SHAKER

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EDGE DRIVE SPIRAL SYSTEM CBF’s Edge Drive Spiral System m employs a tried and proven stainless t steel Cambridge CamEDGE belt e that is excellent for conveying products, trays or packaged goods. The belt’s open design provides excellent nt airflow as well as easy belt cleaning ea with an optional belt washer. A heavy duty, sanitary, open C-frame su support system allows for wide belts a and heavy product loading.

The CamEDGE drive system m improves efficiency and d negates the need for a cage, and the washdown construction t is great for high h hygienic requirements. m

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AVA N T FO O D M E D I A

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OUR COMMUNITY

INSIGHTS SOLUTIONS American Society of Baking

CHANNEL COMMERCIAL BAKING Paul Lattan

| digital edition

Publisher | 816.585.5030 | paul@avantfoodmedia.com

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Commercial Baking is published by Avant Food Media. Commercial Baking considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur. Consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk.

Commercial Baking is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not liable for errors and omissions. Although persons and companies mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither Avant Food Media nor any of its employees accept any responsibility whatsoever for their activities. Commercial Baking magazine is printed in the USA and all rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. All contributed content and advertiser supplied information will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication, copyright purposes and use in any publication or digital product and are subject to Commercial Baking’s right to edit.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Features

24

Otis Spunkmeyer: Showplace of Innovation This bakery revamped its Newark, CA, facility, injecting new energy into an already beloved brand.

34

42

57

Executive Profile: Tim Brown

Executive Profile: Kim Bickford

CB Exclusive: IBIE Perspectives

11

COMMERCIAL BAKING

PERFORMANCE, PACKAGED

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT: AUTONOMOUS CART FEEDER Autonomous Cart Loading of Random Product.

Unlike traditional automatic infeeds, which rely on conveyor belts to load product into a wrapper or cartoner, the InFlight AC accepts a single lane of randomly spaced product individually onto an autonomous cart. Carts queue on the underside of the system and move to the top on demand to receive each product on a one-to-one basis. Carts are timed to the flights of a horizontal wrapper or cartoner at speeds up to 500 ppm. This feeder eliminates the need for repetitive hand loading, and scheduled maintenance is made easy with a fully cantilevered design for access to key components and quick change out of carts. Benchmark’s InFlight AC feeder is a breakthrough in feeding unstable products that tend to topple over when running on conveyors. Its quick change carts and the absence of belts significantly reduce time and effort to clean.

The InFlight AC uses autonomous carts to receive randomly spaced product and time it to the flights of a horizontal wrapper.

Timed product is removed from autonomous carts using a split belt transfer for loading into wrapper flights.

- Products are carried on individual carts - Carts remove easily for efficient cleaning - Drop through design eliminates product buildup - Ideal for fragile and irregularly-shaped product - Highest potential for sanitation - Product changes can be completed with a quick replacement of the carts

To learn more about the InFlight AC and how it can be integrated into your line, call 706-208-0814 or visit www.benchmarkautomation.net/products/inflight-ac.

PrH

IN THIS ISSUE

Departments

48 PLUS: Look for QR codes that contain exclusive digital content throughout the issue.

T R E N D S | I N N OVAT I O N S Category Updates

19

Sustainability Innovations

48

Solutions Innovation Overview

69

Solution Showcase 74

69

74

Commercial Baking Channel Ad Index

99 104

QUICK READS Editor’s Note

16

Category Updates

19

The Last Word

13

106

COMMERCIAL BAKING

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WE RISE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

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Independent baking zones offer precise temperature control across a wide variety of baked goods.

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SCAN TO LEARN MORE

A N OTE FR O M TH E ED ITO R

Set Your Fear Aside I recently learned a lesson about the word “should.” As in, how to know if you should do something like, say, clean out your inbox (or in my case, the closet, car, shoe rack and junk drawer).

Before you decide if you should do something, ask yourself two questions: Do you want to? And do you need to?

Everyone says we should innovate; look at Disney’s Robert Iger: “Innovate or die, and there’s no innovation if you operate out of fear of the new or untested.”

Yikes. Innovating means change, and that’s scary! But if you want or need to ... then by all means, you should.

And in that case, this Innovations Annual is for you. On the pages ahead, you’ll meet bakers who are thriving despite the current challenges, and you’ll get a glimpse at how next year’s IBIE is adapting to the COVID tradeshow life. You’ll also discover 37 of the most innovative supplier solutions available in the industry.

I don’t want or need to clean out my inbox (or my junk drawer, though the car, closet and shoes are up for debate). But I do know we need innovation to keep moving forward.

JOANIE SPENCER Editor-in-Chief | joanie@avantfoodmedia.com

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Enjoy our special edition. I hope it inspires you and e ­ mpowers you with the technololgy — and courage — to make meaningful change for your business and the baking industry.

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Even label-focused consumers look forward to a particular sensory experience when they buy your breads, buns or tortillas. Give your dough the tolerance needed to deliver quality that’s consistent, even when other ingredients and equipment are not. With Pristine¨ dough conditioners, your product won’t disappoint.

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C AT E G O R Y U P D AT E S

Year-End Update The second half of the year has been busy for the baking industry.

Commercial Baking checks in on the activity happening in the categories covered for the Q3 and Q4 issues.

While muffins snagged the slightest bit of center-store dollar share from pastry, the morning bakery category remains relatively unchanged from the Q3 report.

However, muffins enjoyed a 2% uptick from a year ago, while the other two subcategories saw slight declines.

Center Store Dollar Share Morning Bakery

MUFFINS: 24.90%

DONUTS: 45.24%

Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) Latest 52 Weeks Ending 10-31-21 Source: IRI Market Advantage - Integrated Fresh

PASTRY | DANISH | COFFEE CAKE: 29.86%

In the perimeter, muffins also took a tiny slice of the pie, gaining a 1% share since the Q3 report, taking equally from pastry and donuts, leaving them relatively unchanged. Muffins and pastry remained flat vs. a year ago, but donuts declined by -1.3%.

Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) Latest 52 Weeks Ending 10-31-21 Source: IRI Market Advantage - Integrated Fresh

Perimeter Dollar Share Morning Bakery

MUFFINS: 2 7. 3 9 %

DONUTS: 29.34%

PASTRY | DANISH | COFFEE CAKE: 43.27%

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

C AT E G O R Y U P D AT E S

Dollar Share Salty Snacks

CORN SNACKS: 5.03%

Since the Q3 report, potato chips and tortilla/tostada chips took slight dips, which is also reflected in the 52-week comparison. Potato chips lost -1.05% dollar share, and tortilla/tostada chips decreased by half a percent.

PORK RINDS: 2.07%

PRETZELS: 5.08% RTE POPCORN | CARAMEL CORN: 5.7 9 %

POTATO CHIPS: 28.66%

CHEESE SNACKS: 1 0.67 % OTHER SALTED SNACKS (NO NUTS): 20.92 %

Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) Latest 52 Weeks Ending 10-31-21 Source: IRI Market Advantage - Integrated Fresh

TORTILLA | TOSTADA CHIPS: 21.78%

The overall salty snacks category growth is virtually the same compared with the Q3 report. However, the changes vs. a year ago for tortilla/tostada chips, other salted snacks and cheese snacks are currently higher than they were in the previous update.

Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) Latest 52 Weeks Ending 10-31-21 Source: IRI Market Advantage - Integrated Fresh

SALTY SNACKS DOLLAR SALES

CURRENT $ SALES (IN BILLIONS)

% CHANGE VS. A YEAR AGO

ALL SALTY SNACKS

$29.61

5.8%

POTATO CHIPS

$8.49

2.0%

TORTILLA | TOSTADA CHIPS

$6.45

2.7%

OTHER SALTED SNACKS (NO NUTS)

$6.19

13.5%

CHEESE SNACKS

$3.16

5.4%

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Engineered to Outbake the Competition.

Superior oven systems from Reading Bakery Systems.

Designed by experienced engineers, RBS ovens feature the technology needed to deliver the consistency, efficiency and flexibility you need to perfect your process and your products. Our oven design team employs valuable data gathered by our exclusive SCORPION® 2 Data Logging Measurement System so you can optimize production. Count on ovens from Reading Bakery Systems to outbake the competition, so you can too.

Reading Bakery Systems puts the latest advances in baking technology to work for you.

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C AT E G O R Y U P D AT E S

In every subcategory, growth is up for bars since the October report.

Even for granola bars, which still experienced a drop, the gap is leveling out. After the -1.8% loss in dollar sales reported in October, nutritional bars’ dollar sales are on the rise.

And breakfast bar dollar sales experienced doubledigit percent growth since the last report.

BARS DOLLAR SALES

DOLLAR SALES ($ IN BILLIONS)

% CHANGE VS. A YEAR AGO

NUTRITIONAL | INTRINSIC HEALTH

$3.29

4.7%

BREAKFAST | CEREAL | SNACK

$1.83

16.5%

GRANOLA

$1.40

-2.5%

ALL OTHER

$0.42

51.0%

Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) Latest 52 Weeks Ending 10-31-21 Source: IRI Market Advantage - Integrated Fresh

WHEN WHENPROOFING PROOFINGFLOOR FLOOR SPACE SPACEISISTIGHT...

TIGHT...

The pretzel category is going strong, with increases across the board in dollar and unit sales. Compared with the October report, dollar sales and unit sales have increased, but the change in unit sales vs. a year ago is slightly lower.

Pretzel Category Sales DOLLAR SALES ($ IN BILLIONS) $1.50

% CHANGE VS. A YEAR AGO 6.7%

UNIT SALES (IN MILLIONS) 501

% CHANGE VS. A YEAR AGO 2.5%

Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) Latest 52 Weeks Ending 10-31-21 Source: IRI Market Advantage - Integrated Fresh

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F E AT U R E D B A K E R Y: OTI S S PU N K M E Y ER

SHOWPLACE OF INNOVATION Otis Spunkmeyer revamps its facility in Newark, CA, developing it as a West Coast hub while injecting new energy into an already beloved brand.

BY J OAN I E S PEN C ER

Most American consumers know the name Otis Spunkmeyer. Anyone who’s ever participated in a school fundraiser or grabbed a muffin between flights in an airport terminal can recognize the logo’s signature red font.

But behind the scenes, many industry executives also harken back to Otis Spunkmeyer when they recall entering the workforce.

“I have friends who are now CPG executives and remember Otis Spunkmeyer cookies from when they worked in foodservice in college,” said Beau Netzer, president of foodservice and in-store bakery for Aspire Bakeries, Otis’ parent company. “Now they’re leaders at their companies, and they still connect Otis Spunkmeyer to their industry roots.”

The world has drastically changed over the past two years, especially so for this beloved cookie brand, from the pandemic to new ownership and a corporate rebrand.

But Otis Spunkmeyer has tapped into a changing world and used it to innovate while staying true to its roots.

The name “Otis Spunkmeyer” was born in the East Bay region of California nearly four decades ago when founder Ken Rawlings opened a retail store in Oakland.

As he expanded the brand into foodservice, the company eventually moved into a manufacturing facility in San Leandro, planting roots for the flagship production bakery as Otis became a nationally known brand.

As the business grew in foodservice and school fundraising with its cookies and muffins, the bakery expanded production into other areas of California and beyond.

Today, Aspire Bakeries operates four bakeries that produce Otis Spunkmeyer cookies across North America.

Although Aspire Bakeries’ home offices reside in Los Angeles; Chicago; and Mississauga, Canada, California’s East Bay may always be the place Otis Spunkmeyer calls home. So, when the San Leandro bakery was bursting at the seams, it looked to the neighboring location just a few miles down the road in Newark, CA as the place to update, increase capacity and expand R&D for frozen cookie dough and other sweet baked goods for foodservice accounts.

Investments in technology upgrades and plans for future expansion were underway at the Newark bakery in 2019, but before the transformation and transfer from San Leandro could be finalized, COVID-19 hit the Northwest region of the US in the first quarter of 2020.

The early lockdowns not only meant halted business for the foodservice side of Otis Spunkmeyer, but it also led to pausing production and furloughing workers at the Newark bakery. The decision was not easy, but Netzer said it was the right one for the company to make.

“We put a crisis team together as soon as things started shutting down in March,” Netzer recalled. “Keeping our bakeries and employees safe has been paramount for us, and that’s something that will never change.”

“The investments in Newark … have injected a renewed energy into the entire company.

It was risky in the middle of a pandemic, but we invested in the risk, and it’s paying dividends.”

Beau Netzer | president, foodservice and in-store bakery | Aspire Bakeries

Oftentimes, challenges can become opportunities when viewed through the right lens. From the time of shutdowns in March 2020 to the startup of the Newark cookie line in September 2021, the pandemic may have slowed life down, but it was also a portal to new beginnings for this nostalgic brand as Newark prepared to emerge as the West Coast hub for cookie innovation.

The pandemic’s downtime allowed Otis Spunkmeyer to focus on how this bakery

25

COMMERCIAL BAKING

OTI S S PU N K M E Y ER

Photo by Joanie Spencer

The investments made into upgrading the Newark bakery have injected new life into the Otis Spunkmeyer brand as opportunities abound.

could facilitate growth by first absorbing San Leandro’s cookie production and then transferring its R&D capabilities. It also created breathing room to determine what resources Newark would need during the parent company’s transformation into Aspire Bakeries.

Netzer said. “At the bakery, the entire team is motivated to move into the future in this upgraded facility. It was risky in the middle of a pandemic, but we invested in the risk, and it’s paying dividends.”

And that applied to more than just the transfer of operations from San Leandro to Newark. Market shifts spurred by the pandemic greatly impacted innovation for Otis Spunkmeyer.

On some level, one could call the 2020 foodservice shutdowns a blessing in disguise, but the fact remains that the company’s leadership took a massive leap of faith.

The corporate and operational changes gave Otis Spunkmeyer the boost it needed to propel Newark forward through expanded capacity and a bolstered sales force. It was a perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances that led to unbridled opportunity.

“Our shift was like a seesaw,” Tompkins said, recalling the time when foodservice plummeted and then skyrocketed as schools and restaurants began reopening.

“All of a sudden, foodservice just shot up. There were almost points where we couldn’t make product fast enough.”

“The investments in Newark and the new chapter of Aspire Bakeries have injected a renewed energy into the entire company,”

“It was a bit of kismet, that’s for sure,” said Greg Tompkins, Aspire Bakeries senior VP of R&D.

Consumers sought a premium experience from their cookies after COVID-19 had themhad them on a nearly two-year

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emotional roller coaster. Otis’ R&D team was charged with innovating a distinct experience that stayed true to a brand so rooted in tradition.

“R&D is the master of quality here,” Tompkins said. “It’s up to us to protect the integrity of the formulas when ingredients are hard to find.”

QUALITY AND SAFETY — EFFICIENTLY

“With Otis’ wonderful brand heritage coupled with consumers’ desire for comfort and indulgence, our innovation team has been hard at work developing new cookie ideas for our customers,” said Chris Prociv, senior VP of marketing, innovation and R&D for Aspire Bakeries. “We’re excited for the future growth potential that will come from our propensity for solving customer needs through indulgent treats in multiple baked goods categories.”

In addition to R&D, Aspire Bakeries has developed a new Strategic Innovation initiative; together with R&D, these teams are not only putting product development at the forefront of innovation, but they’re also doing it with a modern approach.

With an emphasis on safety for food and people, Otis Spunkmeyer’s updated Newark facility opened its doors with a renewed BRC Level-2 certification to accompany its 100% vaccination status and zero safety incidents since its startup.

“We’re starting with the consumer and asking, ‘What is the end-user looking for?’”

Prociv explained.

To maintain those high quality and food safety standards, the bakery relies on its SAP system, which is integrated throughout all facilities in the Aspire Bakeries network.

Although R&D has always been a key factor in maintaining Otis Spunkmeyer’s product quality, massive supply chain disruption makes the team more critical for quality control than ever before … especially when a scarcity of raw materials means bakers might not know what ingredients will be unavailable on any given day.

The answers will come through need-state research that will provide the foundation for new product development.

“This is part of the new chapter for Aspire Bakeries,” she said. “We want to focus on where our customers’ customers are going and strategically work these ideas and innovations in iterative ways.”

“Every bakery is using the same tools in this system,” said Jody Holder, VP of US bakery operations for Aspire Bakeries.

“It drives our consistency, it drives our quality, and it drives our food safety.”

Photo courtesy of Otis Spunkmeyer

The system’s capabilities provide lot tracking of all raw ingredients, which allows for speedy response times in the case of a recall or customer complaint. It also helps the bakeries to easily interact with one another and ensure consistency in product formulas and production, not to mention tools such as sales, operations and HR. And in that case, Newark’s best practices, including its outstanding worker safety record, can be seen — and potentially emulated — by every other bakery across the Aspire Bakeries enterprise.

— Left Otis Spunkmeyer’s R&D team and Strategic Innovation initiative are taking product development to new heights.

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The Perfect Baking Combo The Peerless Pioneer Mixer and Baxter OV520 Oven with Smart Touch are the complete baking solution.

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OTI S S PU N K M E Y ER

With this in mind, plans are underway to overhaul the bakery’s test kitchen and lab with the Otis R&D team now integrated into the Newark operation.

The phased renovation and expansion of the lab will not only accelerate product development but will also create an interactive showplace for hands-on, crossfunctional innovation.

Meanwhile, technology on the bakery floor has also helped ramp up production for every variety of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, from value to premium, which are shipped as frozen pucks to Aspire Bakeries’ foodservice and retail customers throughout the country.

Whether it was rehabbing and transferring equipment or investing in updated makeup and freezer technologies, every move was made with efficiency — and growth — in mind.

The cookie makeup line includes a Baker Perkins wirecut depositor designed to customize the configurations of pucks across the belt depending on the cookie size and type. With that flexibility, it was critical to have a freezer that could keep up

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Caption one line here.

with current capacity but also be ready to take on more as the business grows.

“One of the biggest needs that we addressed in building this line was flexibility with the ability to expand,” said Jody Holder, Aspire Bakeries’ VP of US bakery operations, noting the investment in an IJ White spiral freezer. “We went above and beyond on freezer capacity. This will allow us to invest in more tech down the road in areas like mixing and wirecutting. That’s a strategy to make sure we’re ready for the five, 10 or 15 years ahead.”

“R&D is the master of quality here. It’s up to us to protect the integrity of the formulas when ingredients are hard to find.”

The team also invested in a ParsonsEagle bulk scaling system with two Triangle baggers for accurate portioning of bulk and retail packs.

“With this configuration, we’re capable

Greg Tompkins | senior VP, R&D | Aspire Bakeries

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Photo by Joanie Spencer

“It’s an opportunity for everyone in this bakery to see where the innovation begins,” Prociv said. “It doesn’t just involve the ideation and finished baked goods.

This new lab creates an opportunity for everyone here to experience product development firsthand, and that makes the work people do at every stage of the process much more meaningful.“

Do we need a photo credit here?

But the lab will become so much more than just a center for customer ideation.

It will share space with the employee break area, creating an opportunity for holistic interaction with the entire Otis Spunkmeyer team.

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INNOVATIONS FROM THE BAKERY FLOOR Otis Spunkmeyer — an Aspire Bakeries brand — is a true testament to innovation that’s rooted in tradition. The bakery is set to emerge triumphantly from the pandemic stronger than ever; that’s evident in the reopening of the Newark facility, which is projected to be the West Coast hub for the cookie manufacturer.

Below is a list of key supplier innovations that can be found on the plant floor.

Photo courtesy of Aspire Bakeries

Baker-Perkins wire cutter Duratape case closer and top taper Hapman bag flour ingredient system ID PRO / Sato label printing IJ White spiral freezer Lanwrapper pallet stretch wrapper Markem inkjet printer

High-speed bulk scaling allows the bakery to change packaging configurations as needed.

Mettler Toledo checkweigher OKI K&R case erector | bag inserter

of doing either bulk or bags depending on the customer needs,” Holder said.

Parsons Eagle bulk scale Pearson bag uncuffer

But cookies are just the start. While muffin production relocated from San Leandro to Aspire Bakeries’ Cayce, SC, bakery, Newark’s 92,000 sq.-ft. facility also houses lines equipped with tunnel ovens and a second freezer that will be ready to produce brownies and other baked goods early next year. Additionally, high-speed individual wrapping capabilities will align well with customer needs.

Safeline metal detection Shick Esteve bulk silo ingredient system Triangle scale and bagging systems

With the operation lined up to take on more capacity, the bakery itself has room to grow. It sits on 10 acres owned by Aspire Bakeries, so with the capability to expand, the sky’s the limit for this facility to become a marquis bakery for the Otis Spunkmeyer brand.

“We’ve invested in this bakery and its future,” Netzer said. “With the updates, growth potential, and the new innovation lab, Newark is set to be a hub of excellence and a real showplace.” CB D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 I N N O VAT I O N S A N N U A L

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Photo by Joanie Spencer

“We have aggressive plans to increase throughputs and the pounds per hour; that’s our focus here,” Holder said. “We started up this bakery to meet the growing demand of our customers. We have a dedicated and experienced team at the Newark bakery that is ready to support the growth of our business.”

The Golden Rule New Horizons’ Tim Brown built a baking legacy by treating people and his business the right way.

BY J OAN I E S PEN C ER

Photo courtesy of New Horizons Baking Co.

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EXECUTIVE PROFILE: TIM BROWN

The year was 1995. Tilmon “Tim” Brown was 50 years old and certain he was ready to retire. At least, that’s what his calloused hands were telling him.

When the group acquired New Horizons, originally known as West Baking Co., Paterakis shared his insight on people and production efficiency, and Grimm focused on the number crunching. In his leadership role at New Horizons, Brown used his manufacturing and sales experience to turn the operation from “just” a bun manufacturing plant to a healthy bakery where folks were excited to come work.

He’d worked those hands hard in nearly every facet of the baking industry. And he was rounding out a successful 30 years with Continental Baking, working at its Ralston headquarters in St. Louis, MO, as corporate VP of sales. Instead of taking the retirement route, though, he got in on a deal to acquire a 28-year-old bakery.

A quarter-century later, Brown is chairman of Norwalk, OH-based New Horizons Baking Co., and is now part of the next class to be inducted into the American Society of Baking’s 2022 Hall of Fame.

He counts his blessings every day, and among the many is a call he received from his friend and colleague, the late John Paterakis, Sr. “I was ready to retire,” Brown recalled.

“And John Paterakis called me and said, ‘Hey Timmy, are you ready to start working for a living?’”

As industry colleagues and former customers, Paterakis and his business partner Peter Grimm were people Brown knew he could trust. “We were always straight with each other,” he recalled.

“We were honest, whether it was good news or bad.”

“If I find that we’re asking our people to do something that’s not practical, then we’ll make a change to create a reasonable work environment. It makes good business sense, whether it’s in the facility or in sales out on the street.”

Tim Brown | chairman | New Horizons Baking Co.

“I learned early in my career that if I treat people the way I want to be treated, I’d get good results,” he said. “I’ve never let go of that philosophy, even as I took on higher positions, and I still live by it today.”

After he purchased the majority stake in the company, Brown maintained that culture and New Horizons flourished. His retirement plans were officially a thing of the past, and he led from a place of faith and servitude.

“I have never asked anyone to do anything I wasn’t willing to do myself,” he said. “I will put on whites and work right alongside the folks I’m asking to work on the floor. And if I find that we’re asking our people to do something that’s not practical, then we’ll make a change to create a reasonable work environment.

It makes good business sense, whether it’s in the facility or in sales out on the street. We treat people the way we like to be treated.”

That mentality is evident in each of New Horizons’ three baking facilities, which operate across two states with more than 500 employees.

That foundation of trust is what piqued Brown’s interest when Paterakis and Grimm said they were looking to buy a bakery and offered him sweat equity in the deal. He helped them pick the acquisition and had the option to put a bit of cash into a mezzanine ­investment with very little risk.

Brown didn’t just grow a company.

He developed a values-based organization with a culture his family is proud to carry on. While he didn’t go into the deal

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

TIM BROWN

Photo courtesy of New Horizons Baking Co.

When Brown’s daughter Trina Bediako came on board with New Horizons, Brown applied the same principles he’d learned from Paterakis all those years ago. The biggest lesson he learned in developing a family business is that it’s a two-way street. Family can’t simply inherit a company by way of genetics, it must be wanted … and earned.

“It takes passion to own a business, and one of your children — or any family member — needs to have that same passion to keep the business as you built it,” Brown said. “You can’t just make that happen. If you want a generational business, there has to be a passion for ownership on the part of the person willing to receive it.”

For Brown, that person was Bediako.

After holding several roles in the company, she issued a challenge: Give her a chance to step up into a leadership role. Today, Bediako is the company’s CEO.

intending to produce a legacy, he learned a lot from Paterakis on the merits of family business: treating partners like family … and family like viable members of the business.

“He treated me like a son,” Brown said, recalling how Paterakis also held his own sons accountable for their professional roles in the company. “He embraced me and showed me what it took to run a business. And I watched how he treated his boys. I knew he had a generational company, but first and foremost, it was a business, and he wanted it to be run properly. It’s what he expected of his sons and what he expected of me.”

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“I gave her a shot,” he said. “She saw things that I was missing, fixed them and immediately made a drastic improvement. And business has never been better.”

“I learned early in my career that if I treat people the way I want to be treated, I’d get good results. I’ve never let go of that philosophy… and I still live by it today.”

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Today New Horizons is proudly led by a woman, and it’s one of the country’s most successful minority-owned businesses that consistently makes the Black ­Enterprise Top 100 list. But Brown is steadfast in defining the company not by the race or gender of its leadership but by the values on which it was built.

“I take a lot of pride in those designations, but for me, being a successful Black businessman is only good for my ego,” Brown said. “I run a business, and I want my company to be successful.

I demonstrate to my customers that

TIM BROWN

“Being chairman allows me to look strategically at opportunities I didn’t have enough time to consider before.”

my product is the best quality and I offer the best service and overall performance.

I want them to judge me not because of what I look like but because of what I deliver.”

Brown’s focus on the values of accountability, honesty and transparent business etiquette not only turned the workforce around within months of acquiring the bakery, but it also has been a driving factor in New Horizons’ growth.

“What made us different is that when we came in, we started letting people get involved in decisions,” Brown said. “We let them know the direction we wanted to go and how we intended to get there.”

Over the years, Brown made capital investments that successfully contributed to the bakery’s growth, all while caring for the workforce and enabling them to flourish. For him, the key to consistently putting out quality ­p roduct hinges on what’s invested into the company. It’s a lesson he learned almost immediately after the bakery was acquired.

“The people we bought it from were private equity that took money out but didn’t really invest anything back in,” Brown said. “We focused on the investments we wanted to make with

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the equipment, plant and people. We embraced the bakery, and in five years, turned it around.”

Two decades later, New Horizons’ three bakeries in Ohio and Indiana make it one of the largest bun and English muffin suppliers to foodservice in the US, including designation as a top supplier to the McDonald’s network. What’s more, New Horizons recently acquired Coalescence, a custom seasoning blend manufacturer focused primarily on solutions for non-profit organizations that fight hunger. It seems atypical for a bakery to buy a seasoning supplier, but the alignment of values between Coalescence and New Horizons made the partnership impossible to pass up.

“The Coalescence acquisition didn’t necessarily fit the perspective of a baker, but it’s perfect for us,” Brown explained. “There are nice synergies that will allow us to manufacture some products in-house that we’re currently purchasing. We have the capacity and manufacturing capability, and it’s a beautiful partnership.”

In 1995, Brown thought he’d already done it all. Little did he know, his journey was only just beginning, and it was one that would lead him to great business success and a spot on the Hall of Fame’s hallowed wall.

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“I’m on the path that the Lord wanted me to travel,” he said. “That’s not to say I’ve done everything right. I’ve made mistakes along the way, but every time I’ve done something wrong, I’ve learned from it.”

Currently the day-to-day leadership is in the trusted hands of Bediako along with Mike Porter, president and COO, and Kurt Loeffler, CFO, and Brown comfortably oversees the business strategy and long game as chairman of the board. So, perhaps, the latest big move won’t be the last.

“Coalescence whetted my a­ ppetite for more growth,” he said. “Being ­chairman allows me to look strategically at opportunities I didn’t have enough time to consider before. This time next year might look different for us.”

He wasn’t ready to stop 26 years ago, and he’s not ready to stop now.

Tim Brown isn’t even ready to slow down.

“I think slowing down is more like a death sentence,” Brown joked. “I’m a stronger and better man today than I have ever been. I’m still able to help a lot of people, and I’m blessed by that. And I expect I’ll just keep going until the good Lord takes me home.” CB

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Call of Duty Clyde’s Donuts CEO Kim Bickford carries on a legacy of dedication and hard work.

BY J OAN I E S PEN C ER

Photo courtesy of Clyde’s Donuts

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EXECUTIVE PROFILE: KIM BICKFORD

This is not a succession story.

Bickford kept the family tradition of putting in the work without relying on his name. Eventually, he stepped into the role of CEO.

Kim Bickford never really dreamed of becoming the CEO of Clyde’s Donuts.

Not when he was a boy and his mom would pack his favorite chocolate iced cake donut (his grandfather’s formula) for his school lunch. And not when he was a teenager and worked summers at the Chicago bakery on the donut line, helping with anything from mixing to packaging.

And not even as a young man serving in the US Navy.

Not until he answered a call from his dad did Bickford seriously consider joining the family business.

“I hadn’t yet planned out my strategy for what I was going to do when I came home from the Navy,” Bickford recalled. “I had returned from the Navy, and my dad called me. I was just sort of hanging out in Arizona with family, and he said, ‘Have you ever thought about coming back to Chicago and working for me in the donut business?’ I hadn’t really thought about it until then. But I went back, and he put me to work the next day.”

He first ran routes — back then they only had six — delivering fresh donuts, muffins and Danish throughout Chicagoland.

“It gave me a chance to really understand the business and what the challenges were, especially in terms of timing and product mix,” Bickford said. He eventually moved into sales and oversaw those routes, building them to more than 20. He brought in staff to help supervise them so he could focus on key customers and growing the business while his brother Kent served as president and CFO.

“It was important that I always demonstrated a disciplined work ethic so people around me in the business, whether they worked beside me, reported to me or were out in the industry, knew I wasn’t taking advantage of my family position.”

“These are the kinds of things you just have to do as a leader.

Not because you’re ‘forced’ to but because it’s expected of you.

You have to just figure out how to do certain things and answer the call because you’ve got to be the one people turn to.”

Kim Bickford | CEO | Clyde’s Donuts

That’s often meant getting his hands dirty. Bickford has been known to help dig a truck out of a snowbank or take late-night calls to help with a problem in the bakery. And he’s always happy to do so because it’s part of the call of duty.

“These are the kinds of things you just have to do as a leader,” he said. “Not because you’re ‘forced’ to but because it’s expected of you. You have to just figure out how to do certain things and answer the call because you’ve got to be the one people turn to.”

Bickford learned these qualities by simply looking up.

“I learned a lot about work ethic by watching my dad as I was growing up,” Bickford recalled. “And after I joined the company full time, he still demonstrated doing whatever it took to get the job done. That’s the kind of thing that sticks with me, knowing that somebody’s got to step up.”

This mentality applies to more than just the down-and-dirty part of the job. It’s a philosophy for the bigger challenges as well.

Throughout his nearly 45 years with Clyde’s, Bickford’s leadership has guided the company through changes, challenges, trials and tribulations.

When his brother retired after dedicating 40 years of service to the company,

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

KIM BICKFORD

In recent years, the industry has seen significant consolidation that’s greatly impacting the donut category with about half a dozen major players in the in-store bakery and foodservice space. Remember those route trucks?

They’re now in Clyde’s rear-view mirror after the company changed its model from fresh to frozen, positioning itself as a key player in the wake of consolidation.

But growth isn’t necessarily the consequence of sweeping changes; sometimes the best results come from incremental change that yields long-term success.

“The key has always been operational efficiency,” he said. “We track efficiency and productivity faithfully and look for ways to implement small changes in those areas. And that supports not only efficiency but also product quality and throughput. Those remain our cores.”

This philosophy is what helped the bakery not only grow during — and, at times, despite — the pandemic, but also keep the donuts coming in the face of increased consumer demand and supply chain disruption.

orders in early 2020, when business rebounded, it came back strong.

By Q3 of that year, Clyde’s pre-COVID product development was coming to fruition, and in 2021 the company achieved the growth it had projected eight years prior. It was clear to Bickford where he needed to take production.

“The demand was still great, and we needed to plan for the future because we didn’t want to get into a situation where we were stymied,” he said. “We set out on a growth pattern, and we’re still working toward that as we continue to expand.”

“There has to be a high regard for the people you work alongside because it’s about taking care of the people who are also helping you succeed.”

That expansion came to fruition when Clyde’s recently announced the move to its second facility located down the street in neighboring Glendale Heights.

The move marks a milestone in Clyde’s 100-year history as the first time the bakery will operate in two locations.

The second plant will take some pressure off the Addison bakery’s capacity and give it the breathing room to focus

— Below As CEO, Kim Bickford never asks of Clyde’s employees anything he’s not willing to also do himself.

“Looking back over my 40-plus years to where we are today, things have changed dramatically,” Bickford said.

“Our throughput is much higher, and we use larger and faster equipment. And we’re always looking for ways to improve the company and the bottom line while maintaining a commitment to quality.”

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Photo courtesy of Clyde’s Donuts

Bickford’s emphasis on quality and efficiency through incremental change increased the bakery’s throughput and exceeded capacity at the bakery’s current facility well before COVID struck. Although sales took a hit during foodservice shutdowns and stay-home

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KIM BICKFORD

THE BICKFORD LEGACY OF LOYALTY As the leader of Clyde’s Donuts, a century-old family business, Kim Bickford had some big shoes to fill — and a tradition to carry on.

He was CEO when the company entered its second century in 2020, and doing that required not only a vision for the future but also maintaining the sense of commitment that his father, Bill, began when he took ownership of Clyde’s in 1962.

Known as “Mr. B.” to Clyde’s employees, Bill held people in the highest regard; he loved them as much as he loved donuts. That love not only drove the bakery’s workplace culture, but it was also the force that led to Clyde’s success as a serious contender in the crowded donut space.

As Kim grew into his leadership role, he used those values as the basis for his own professional development.

“With success of the business comes a responsibility to our team members and their families,” Kim said. “Dad had a loyalty to the people who made the company successful, and that’s the biggest lesson I learned from him.”

Bill Bickford died on Nov. 6. He was 94 years old. He left behind a legacy at Clyde’s that his family has proudly maintained, and it’s one that Kim will make sure lives on.

on product development and going after new business. And, perhaps most importantly, the technology available for a new bakery will help the brand grow.

Then again, Bickford’s incremental change model means there’s plenty of time for that.

Given the current state of supply chain, taking small steps is a smart strategy. Rather than go all-in, Bickford is proceeding with caution, focusing on startup efficiency above all.

“Things are costing more on the equipment and installation side of things, so we have to be very cautious,” he said.

“We don’t go crazy with spending, but we also know we have to get the plant operational in a timely fashion. It’s a fine line.”

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To achieve that incremental growth, Bickford relies on a three-pronged approach, focusing on product, staff and customers.

“If you don’t have a quality product, customers aren’t going to come back,” Bickford said. “I seek out leaders with strong work ethic, so we’re building teams, managers and supervisors who embody that. There has to be a high regard for the people you work alongside because it’s about taking care of the people who are also helping you succeed.”

Bickford has one particular leader on the radar — his son, Josh, currently Clyde’s executive VP of strategic initiatives — who will ultimately follow in his footsteps.

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“He’s got a lot of smarts and a lot going for him,” Bickford said of his son. “I’m excited for what his future holds.”

Bickford can’t look toward the future without recalling how his own journey unfolded. Where would his path have led had he not answered the call from his father?

“I have asked myself, ‘What would I have done if I hadn’t been blessed with this opportunity?’” Bickford pondered. “I don’t really need to know the answer because I took the chance I was given.”

And given his innate sense of duty, it’s likely that Bickford would have found his own way back to the bakery, his family and his grandfather’s chocolate iced cake donut. CB

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Small Steps, Big Change How bakeries are innovating ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Companies are looking inward and implementing measures to make their own operations more sustainable. And while some industries are trying to catch up, commercial bakeries are already leading the charge. Baked goods manufacturers large and small have innovated sustainable practices that create long-term value for their brands.

For bakeries simply focused on day-today operations, actually putting these steps into practice can get sidelined. But by understanding common strategies and starting small, bakeries can become empowered through sustainability … and the tangible benefits that come with it.

BY J O R DAN WI NTER

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Climate change is at the forefront of the global conversation, especially coming off the heels of the COP26 summit, where citizens took to the streets, demanding change from those in power. But consumers aren’t the only ones working to make a difference.

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T R E N D S | I N N O V AT I O N

When it comes to energy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Energy Star certification is the gold standard. To promote this program, the American Bakers Association (ABA) teamed up with the federal agency for an Energy Star challenge.

Since 2016, this national call-to-action has recognized participating bakery facilities that improve energy efficiency by 10% or more within five years. The EPA’s general Energy Star certification program recognizes any manufacturing facility in the top 25% of energy-efficient US facilities.

ABA is known for helping members attain these certifications and supporting the companies in the process.

Rasma Zvaners, VP of technical and regulatory services at ABA, praised this Energy Star program as a game changer for the industry. And it’s one that keeps evolving.

“The Energy Star program has been a success for the bakers,” Zvaners said. “The EPA is even expanding tools ­available to the industry to assist with reducing climate impacts from business operations. I hope this trend continues to increase and more bakeries gain ­recognition for their achievements.”

ABA member facilities represented 44 of the 95 manufacturing plants that became Energy Star certified in 2020, which is the most recent round of recognitions. Every baking facility that was awarded certification was an ABA member.

“The baking industry has a powerful story to tell when it comes to s­ ustainability.

More ABA member facilities participated in this program than ever before,” ­Zvaners said.

In addition to Energy Star certification, the EPA currently offers resources to help baking facilities identify areas for improvement in their operations, especially in the freezing and baking stages, which the agency lists as the most energy intensive. These resources include an interactive Energy Performance Indicator (EPI) tool that helps measure emissions output. The EPA’s newest tool, which should be available by the end of this year, will focus on corporate-level management practices to support decarbonization across an organization.

Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) set a record for the Energy Star achievement earlier this year. The company, which is a sustainability ­standard-setter for the industry, received the 2021 Energy Star Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence award from the EPA and US Department of Energy (DOE) for the fourth year in a row.

The award recognizes the company’s commitment to energy management leadership and innovation.

“As the largest commercial bakery in the US, we understand how important it is to be a frontrunner in sustainability practices,” said Ramon Rivera, senior VP of supply chain, BBU. “We’re so honored to receive the Energy Star Partner of the Year Award once again.”

BBU is pushing energy efficiency to new heights, for not only the baking industry but also for manufacturing in general. In January, the company set the record for the most Energy Star-certified plants of any company in any industry, with 15 BBU facilities and one Grupo Bimbo facility across the country earning certification.

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The brand has also shifted gears to find new areas of energy efficiency outside its plants. BBU expanded its electric vehicle fleet to 100 vehicles in 2021, after piloting just five of them in 2020. This expanded the company’s already robust fleet of 500 alternatively fueled vehicles, which use compressed natural gas and propane.

Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods is another major player that has been focused on innovative energy practices for years.

The baking company is one of the largest and most outspoken advocates for sustainable food manufacturing, but it doesn’t just talk the talk. In 2017, Flowers exceeded its 2020 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10% per

“Start small. You might be surprised how much of an impact a relatively low-cost, small-scale project can have on your sustainability efforts.

Plus, the successes add up and really help with raising awareness of what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Margaret Ann Marsh | VP of environmental sustainability | Flowers Foods

COMMERCIAL BAKING

T R E N D S | I N N O V AT I O N

metric ton of product. It is now pursuing a new goal of a 20% reduction by 2025.

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Last year, 15 of Flowers’ 46 baking plants earned Energy Star certification. And earlier this year, its Lynchburg, VA, plant got a total energy makeover. It was a 2021 Better Project Award winner, recognized by the DOE for having been successfully converted into a state-of-the-art, efficient bakery that uses 22% less energy than the year before.

But that’s not because the product flow slowed. That plant produces Dave’s Killer Bread, the No. 1 organic bread brand in the US. While these practices were first implemented for the purpose of cost savings, Margaret Ann Marsh, VP of environmental sustainability at Flowers Foods, said they quickly became embedded in the company’s strategy.

“Over the years, we’ve been able to implement incremental change by showing the value of the work we do and by having a strong company-wide commitment to

operating efficiently and reducing waste,” Marsh said. “Of course, accountability is key, and we’ve set goals, partnered across industries and measured progress in our annual sustainability report.”

Marsh credits this success to Flowers’ people and partners. By working with those closest to the brand — including the team members in the operations every day — the company has created sustainability practices that stick.

“The best ideas for helping us operate sustainably come from our own team members. They are engaged and creative, and we wouldn’t be nearly as successful without their contributions,” Marsh said. “When it comes to the design or execution of projects, our suppliers and even local and state agencies help us find new or different ways to approach a problem with a sustainable solution.”

Progress like this doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and that’s why collaboration is critical for Flowers. According to Marsh, the company’s engineering and operations teams work closely with

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vendors to meet ambitious timelines and make the result even better. This kind of external support can even come from organizations such as the DOE’s Better Plants Partner program or ABA’s Energy and Environment Committee, which help bakers keep up with best practices.

“Start small,” she said. “You might be surprised how much of an impact a relatively low-cost, small-scale project can have on your sustainability efforts. Plus, the successes add up and really help with raising awareness of what you’re trying to accomplish.”

If energy upgrades seem too hot to handle, cutting down on material waste — or transforming it — can serve as a low barrier to entry for sustainability.

The nonprofit organization Feeding America reports that 108 billion lbs. of food are wasted every year in the US. That equates to more than $161 billion worth of food thrown away each year, and 40% of all food in America.

Josh Allen, founder and owner of St. Louis-based Companion Baking, has made a dent in those numbers. He was named as this year’s “Sustainability Hero” by the Tiptree World Bread Awards for reducing his bakery’s trash by more than 1 million lbs. Allen and his team take a holistic approach to waste reduction, using tools such as flour reclamation on the bread lines and a composting and recycling program that cut the bakery’s landfill contribution by more than 75%.

Some bakeries are avoiding the landfill altogether. The Upcycled Food Association (UFA) encourages bakers to get creative and find new ways to repurpose their food waste … and even commercialize it.

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HOW B CORP CERTIFICATION PROVIDES STRUCTURE FOR SUSTAINABILITY Consumers are increasingly demanding sustainably made products, which is turning up the heat for food manufacturers to adopt more environmentally friendly practices. But starting can be the hardest part, especially considering what Harvard professor Geoffrey Jones calls “crippling vagueness” around sustainability.

The B Impact Assessment serves as a solution, by providing a way to quantitatively measure a business’ positive impact on the environment, the workers and community.

This free tool walks you through a series of questions to help you learn what it takes to build a better business. It then compares your answers to thousands of other businesses and creates a customized improvement plan with free best practice guides to help you implement new policies.

Companies that achieve a certain score may be eligible to certify as a B Corp, a new type of business that balances profit with purpose and has a legal standard of positively impacting its stakeholders.

This global community brands itself as a “movement of businesses as a force for good,” and it’s a breeding ground for innovation. Some of the innovations include the open hiring model at Yonkers, NY-based Greyston Bakery, which bypasses background checks and interviews to hire bakers, as well as the income advance program at Rhino Foods, which eases workers’ financial concerns by providing small, short-term emergency loans that can be repaid through payroll deductions.

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“Chances are, you have something going to waste somewhere in your supply chain, and that’s costing you money,” said Turner Wyatt, co-founder and CEO of UFA. Instead, use it to create something new.” For example, CaPao, a Mondelez brand, formulates its Quinoa Squares with reclaimed cacao fruit, and the product recently became the first on the market to carry the UFA’s “Upcycled Certified” mark on its packaging.

This action is being driven in part by end-users. As people increasingly support businesses that positively impact the environment, companies are realizing that sustainability pays.

Cone Communications’ latest corporate social responsibility study revealed that 87% of American consumers will make a purchase because a company advocated for an issue that they care about.

But this grassroots support for ­e nvironmentally friendly manufacturing is creating a trickle-up effect.

Due to supply chain disruptions and increased focus on health, shoppers are aware — perhaps now more than ever— of a product’s full lifecycle. Consumers now know there are a lot of steps involved in creating commercially baked food … from the time a croissant or cookie is just ingredients in a commercial mixer until it’s a finished product ready to eat. They scrutinize not only how these products are being made, but also the impact that production has on the planet.

Target has committed to a 2040 goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire supply chain. This ambitious goal breaks down greenhouse gas emissions into three categories: Scope 1 relates to emissions generated from one’s facility, scope 2 relates to emissions from energy purchased to power one’s facility, and scope 3 relates to emissions generated from the entire supply chain.

By pursuing incremental change, this encourages bakery manufacturers to make necessary changes in ways that don’t disrupt productivity. Flowers Foods can vouch for this approach.

“Change is always challenging, so we try to integrate sustainability into the design of new lines or upgrades rather than a completely new project or process,” Marsh said. “And communication is key.

It’s important to provide consistent and transparent messages to employees, consumers and stakeholders about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and what progress we’re making toward our goals.”

Whole Foods underscores this kind of transparency with its rigorous quality standards and “Sourced for Good” program. Rather than simply expecting compliance with sustainability directives, this retailer sets the bar

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for consumers and companies. Whole Foods has increased its preference for products that are certified by third-party organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance. It also strictly limits use of palm oil, a common ingredient in baked goods, to only products certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. These certifications are just one component of the marketing benefits that sustainability can bring to brands … if they do it right. By maintaining an authentic and transparent commitment to having a sustainable operation, bakeries can improve their planet and profits at the same time. But soon, this may no longer be a choice. Local, state and federal governments are implementing stricter regulations on manufacturers’ greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against climate change.

This is the power of small steps.

There are a million different ways to pursue sustainability, but it’s all united by one goal — to lessen our carbon footprint — which creates long-term value for companies as they adapt to increasing regulations.

Even the longest journey begins with one step in the right direction. But there’s also an urgency to get started now.

After all, a snowball effect should probably get rolling before the rest of the glaciers melt. CB

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This is why major retailers such as Whole Foods and Target are putting more pressure on their suppliers to meet sustainability specifications.

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CB E XCLU SIVE: IBIE PERSPECTIVES

Knowledge is ‘Baked In’ The IBIE planning committee shares an in-depth discussion on how COVID and supply chain are impacting show planning and why the group’s industry experience gives it an edge.

All photos courtesy of IBIE

What’s in store for the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) 2022, the global grain-based food industry’s largest trade event in the Western Hemisphere, when it returns in-person Sept. 18-22 in Las Vegas?

To find out, Commercial Baking collaborated with tradeshow industry journalist Danica Tormohlen to host an exclusive conversation with the IBIE planning committee.

IBIE, which takes place every three years, is owned by the American Bakers Association (ABA) and BEMA and is supported by the Retail Bakers of ­ A merica (RBA). It drew nearly 22,000 baking professionals at the previous Expo in 2019, and Tormohlen got the inside scoop on what attendees can expect at the next show.

Joe Turano (left), IBIE 2019 chairman, and Dennis Gunnell, 2022 chairman, break bread at the 2019 opening .

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

IBIE PERSPECTIVES

Danica Tormohlen: With registration and all exhibitor space open, how is the anticipation building for IBIE? Dennis Gunnell: That’s an easy one.

Our first indicator is that the show is nearly 80% sold out on exhibit space already. There is still good space available, but it shows that momentum is building, and we are still a year out.

There’s new space available at the West Hall, correct?

MEET THE COMMITTEE The IBIE Planning Committee is made up of five ABA members and five BEMA members.

Eight committee members sat down to share their insights on what exhibitors and attendees can expect at IBIE 2022.

Dennis Gunnell, IBIE 2022 chair and president, Formost Fuji Jorge Zárate, IBIE 2022 vice chair and global senior VP, operations and engineering, at Grupo Bimbo Allen Wright, IBIE secretary and treasurer and VP of sales and marketing, Hansaloy Michael Cornelis, IBIE past chair and VP, American Pan Joseph Turano, IBIE past chair and president, Turano Baking Co. David Watson, consultant at The Austin Co. DJ Lecrone, CEO, LeMatic Ken Newsome, CEO, Markel Food Group

Committee members not on the call include: Jason Frye, senior VP, supply chain planning and performance, Flowers Foods Kim Albers-Nisbet, president of sales, United States Bakery

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Gunnell: Yes, we have more usable space. We expect space to sell out in 2022 like we did in 2019. If some of the tradeshows we’ve attended and exhibited in recently are any indication, there’s clearly a need for people to get back together face-to-face.

IBIE will be the most signifcant international baking show to happen since 2019. Is there a heightened anticipation for people to get back together?

Ken Newsome: Yes, the fact that people have missed the cycle of the major shows like interpack heightens the interest in IBIE. David Watson: A lot of events over the past year tried to go virtual with somewhat limited success. There’s a lot of excitement now that we can finally get together as

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IBIE PERSPECTIVES

an industry. Being able to talk to people while we see and touch the equipment ... that’s going to drive interest.

The IBIE planning committee consists of actual exhibitors and attendees. How does this insider perspective lead to a meaningful show experience?

Allen Wright: The design of the committee leads to a show that’s in touch with its customer base and allows it to maneuver and react to the needs of both sides — the bakers and the suppliers.

Supply chain disruption is impacting every industry … how is it affecting IBIE planning? How can your direct supply chain experience help navigate those current or potential disruptions?

Wright: We’re paying attention to it closely, but the impact has yet to hit home largely because the show is still a year away. A lot of the execution work is yet to be done. We are paying attention to it, with our partners, to see how that’s going to impact the show. It will be crucial to keep our eyes on it over the next 12 months to make sure the show can execute like it’s accustomed to.

Gunnell: We’ve been talking with Freeman and with our other partners to make sure we’re proactively doing everything we can. One thing that is new this time is the advance warehouse. Exhibitors can send equipment about a month before the show to make sure it’s onsite well in advance. It’s part of the exhibitor package that we negotiated with Freeman.

That will give exhibitors a big advantage

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to get there in time and not have delays due to shipping or anything else that’s affected by COVID or the manpower shortage. It’s the same cost now; it used to be more expensive to send it to the advance warehouse.

Workforce shortages will likely continue in 2022. What are some ways the IBIEducate program (which starts on Sept. 17, the day before the show floor opens) and show exhibitors can help bakers find labor solutions?

Michael Cornelis: From the wholesale bakery perspective, IBIEducate will address the everchanging role of the bakery engineer. Because bakers are adding more automation and using less manpower, the bakery engineer has got to be an automation expert now. Or you need to have a few automation experts at every location as plants get more and more automated.

That’s where IBIEducate can be a great resource through programming for our baker attendees.

Newsome: There was this big surge and change in demand in terms of more home-based eating vs. outside the home.

A lot of people expected that to be a blip and to go away. What bakers are finding is that it’s not going away as they had expected. Demand has fundamentally changed. We want to help bakers figure out how to run their operations in a postCOVID world where it’s harder to get workers. It’s also riskier to have people standing near each other doing tasks.

You’ll see a focus on that at the show.

Gunnell: As an exhibitor, we willl be focusing heavily on dealing with labor

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shortage through ­ automation, equipment, the way we handle ingredients, the way product is handled after it’s made, and through trucking and logistics. What baking engineers are looking at has to be rethought around fewer people and more automation. It’s a fact of life that we all are dealing with in our businesses.

That will be a big theme of this show, and we’ll address it in every aspect of the education and exhibits.

After all the change that’s occurred since IBIE 2019, are there any predictions on what capital expenditures will look like for 2022-23?

Joseph Turano: Companies are looking at capital expenditures on a two- or threeyear horizon now because the lead times are so long for most equipment.

The show’s timing is great because most of our industry is looking at major projects two, three, even four years out.

IBIE will be perfectly timed for the 20232024 installations.

Jorge Zarate: CapEx for most companies will continue to expand, and that’s because our markets are growing — first due to the pandemic, now due to the changes in consumer behaviors that are directly impacting the baking industry.

Watson: Agreed. CapEx is going to be up because of the labor shortages and automation. Virtually every project I’m working on seems to be associated with reduced labor, automation and produc-

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tivity. Some customers have lowered their return requirements on major projects. Customers are doing a lot of the investment to reduce labor because they know that the labor shortage isn’t going to go away anytime soon. It could be a long-term challenge.

KEY TAKEAWAYS AT-A-GLANCE •IBIE is nearly 80% sold-out on exhibit space.

•After a number of major events have been canceled since the pandemic, IBIE will be the baking industry’s first major international in-person tradeshow when it returns to Las Vegas Sept. 18-22, 2022, with a day of IBIEducate starting on Sept. 17.

•New space is available in the West Hall, the brand new exhibition space at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

•IBIE will feature new pavilions: A Cannabis Pavilion will showcase this emerging business category, and the Sanitation Pavilion will spotlight the latest protocols and agents to help the industry improve food safety.

•In response to potential shipping delays that are predicted to continue into 2022, IBIE will offer advance warehouse shipping as part of the exhibitor package at no additional charge.

•Changes in consumer demand are expected to continue even as COVID wanes, and that will impact bakers’ operational needs.

•At this point, capital expenditures, automation, supply chain issues and labor shortages are expected to be the overarching themes in programming and on the show floor.

Gunnell: A lot of the projects we’re working on … people want installations right away, but they’ve come to realize ‘right away’ is not going to happen these days. It’s six, nine or even 12 months for a project that used to take three-tofive months. That’s the reality. But in the past where they might have said, ‘We’re not doing it if it’s a year out,’ now they’re saying, ‘We better get in line, or it’s going to be 18 months.’

Are supply chain bottlenecks and shipping issues the reason that projects are not able to ramp up as quickly?

Turano: Yes. Plus, the fact that most companies on the manufacturing side and fabrication side seem to be backlogged because of the COVID year and the lack of time spent at their businesses.

The industry is a little bit fragmented right now. On the baking side, at least domestically, you have several companies who are in aggressive growth mode and looking to make the expansions and capital investments. Then there are many companies in our industry still recovering from the COVID crisis. The next year — from now until the show — will be very telling to see how the industry shakes out. Hopefully it will be healthy and solid moving forward; the timing of the show should be very beneficial.

Any thoughts on what will be the most sought-after technologies at IBIE 2022? What will be the overarching exhibitor themes?

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IBIE PERSPECTIVES

Zarate: Baking companies in general will search for updated technology, automation through robotics, IIoT, equipment sanitary designs to enhance COVID-19 protocols, and equipment with sustainable designs and minimized carbon footprint. Exhibitors will be matching these needs.

Turano: The two main ones that will be prevalent and most sought-after will be packaging automation due to the labor challenges, and on the ingredients side, it will be the movement toward non-GMO. Gunnell: We’re going to have two new pavilions, one focused on cannabis in bakery and the other on food sanitation.

But we also need to look outside of our industry and toward others for solutions.

I know retail is a growing sector for bakers. What can they look forward to seeing next year?

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“Baking companies in general will search for updated technology, automation through robotics, IIoT, equipment sanitary designs to enhance COVID-19 protocols, and equipment with sustainable designs and minimized carbon footprint. Exhibitors will be matching these needs.”

Jorge Zarate | IBIE 2022 vice chair | global senior VP, operations, Grupo Bimbo

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Cornelis: There’s going to be a lot to offer artisan and retail bakers. They’re also excited to get back out, go to the demos and see the celebrity bakers. We’ve got a great slate of speakers, which I can’t tell you about just yet. But I can say it’s going to be one of our best shows ever.

While there has been a limited number of tradeshows since COVID, live events are ramping up at a much faster pace, particularly in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022. If you’ve attended or exhibited at a show in recent months, what did you learn, and how will that impact IBIE planning?

Turano: Our company has been to shows, but I personally have not. Our focus needs to be on providing a comfortable show for our attendees and exhibitors — one with new COVID

IBIE PERSPECTIVES

protocols in place. That’s something that will be a long-term change: a new level of awareness and focus on the show environment will be very important to make sure attendees want to attend and come back for years to come.

Cornelis: Our company exhibited at a show in the Middle East in November, and what I’ve learned is you can’t really trust the shipping container crisis right now. We air-shipped our materials into that show. Experts are saying the crisis will continue well into 2022, so international exhibitors need to anticipate how they’re going to get their equipment into Las Vegas well beforehand. Some freight will need to leave much sooner than in the past. That’s going to be a big change and a challenge for international exhibitors.

Gunnell: We were an exhibitor at Pack Expo — held in October at the Las Vegas Convention Center — and had a good booth and had a very good show. The people who were there were actively looking for solutions; it was a great demonstration that people wanted to

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“Companies are looking at capital expenditures on a twoor three-year horizon now because the lead times are so long now for most equipment.

The show’s timing is great because most of our industry is looking at major projects two, three, even four years out. IBIE will be perfectly timed for the 2023-2024 installations.”

Joseph Turano | IBIE immediate past chair | president, Turano Baking Co.

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come together. The collaborative energy, seeing people talking about new projects … it’s a better way to do business to learn from one another. Face-to-face has proven time and again it’s the best way to do business, and the reality of it was that people were ready to go to shows. It was a big success.

Watson: We also had a booth at Pack Expo, and the feedback I heard from our team was similar. Those who came to the booth were actively looking to do projects and glad to be back in person again. That’s a good indicator for IBIE. Registration is now open for IBIE, and booth space is still available. Attendees can visit www.bakingexpo.com for more details and information. CB — Danica Tormohlen is an award-­ winning journalist who has covered the convention and tradeshow i­ ndustry since 1994. Follow her on Twitter: @DanicaTormohlen.

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SOLUTIONS I N N O V AT I O N O V E R V I E W

Evolving Through the Uncomfortable

BY LIZ GOO DWI N

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No pain no gain, as they say. And the pandemic certainly brought pain to the baking industry. But as agonizing as the mountain of COVID-related challenges were (and still are), it bred evolution in the world of bakery suppliers.

Equipment and ingredient companies alike took a hard look at how the world was changing and what their customers needed. As it turned out, baking operations have a lot in common with the rest of the world: They need dependability, flexibility and ways to keep everything clean. As the world was rapidly

shifting, cookies, cakes and bread became the consumer’s solace, and baking companies — and their suppliers — didn’t back down from giving them what they needed.

In this Innovations Annual special edition, the Commercial Baking team dug into how the baking industry has not only risen to the occasion but also pushed industry standards into more ambitious territory. With improvements ranging from flexibility and s­anitary design to complete customization, this special edition features a host of supplier

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solutions that can change the game for efficient bakery operations. Here are some of the top themes for a new decade of innovation.

“The Great Resignation” has left nearly every area of business facing a workforce shortage. While the baking industry was not immune, the workforce ­shortage started long before the pandemic. A record 4.4 million Americans quit their job in September 2021, and with signs pointing to the shortage only getting worse, the baking industry has to think fast on how to retain talented employees

COMMERCIAL BAKING

SOLUTIONS I N N O V AT I O N O V E R V I E W

while shifting operations to function without as many people.

Suppliers are helping baking companies and their employees get what they need … and want. Automated solutions for tedious — or even hazardous — tasks allow workers to focus on the more enjoyable responsibilities of their jobs, and that allows companies to retain workers who are truly tapping into their unique talents.

These solutions also give organizations a cushion when it comes to employee turnover, letting a robot step in when a human walks out the door.

BluePrint Automation is one such company, whose Delta robot tray loading system is helping to alleviate jam points and simplify quality control. Unifiller’s robotic sheet cake icing machine can ice up to 10 cakes a minute, instantly maximizing output for up to 100 recipes and custom production speeds. Meanwhile, Bakemark brought its ­S notBlock innovation, reducing labor needs in the pastry process. And Kwik Lok released a semi-automatic bag closer, helping bakers bag products faster than by hand.

These are just a few of the solutions that not only alleviate workforce pressures in the bakery but also allow for operations to become well-oiled machines in terms of efficiency as demand soars.

snacking from product ingredients and packaging. These food manufacturers needed equipment that could keep up in versatility and flexibility for not only the product, but also its packaging.

Products like Formost Fuji’s flowwrapper, Stewart Systems’ custom automated pan handling and ET Oakes’ ­L aminar Flow Servo system are just a few of the many innovations that put flexibility first. And with an arsenal of new products hitting the market — be they with new ingredients, packaging, or shapes and sizes — equipment that can shift production techniques on a dime will be key to future innovation.

Another vital element central to many boundary-breaking innovations is food safety. Sanitary design has been a critical concern for commercial baking companies for years, but thanks to the pandemic, the word “clean” has taken on even more meaning, especially in the eyes of consumers. Operators can’t shut down the lines to sanitize their machines every hour on the hour, so the burden remains on suppliers to develop new solutions.

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While bakeries work hard to keep their operation safe and the workforce healthy, shoppers are addressing their own concerns over health and safety, which means thinking more critically about what they’ve been eating.

Would their food support their immune system as a deadly disease ravages the world? At the same time, would it bring them joy as they faced uncertainty?

And would it keep long enough to last in a family home — one possibly filled with angsty college students forced to return from their semester early?

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Flexibility was another standout focus of innovation in recent years. As shopping and eating habits have shifted, consumer demand went up and out: They wanted more of the favorites and also to see something different. From new pretzel shapes to individual snack sizes of crackers and cookies, the pressure was on for bakers and snack manufacturers to develop new products — and do it quickly. Opening another can of metaphorical worms, consumers were also searching for sustainable

Several companies brought new ways to keep bakeries running while prioritizing cleanliness and efficiency. Burford Corp., a Middleby Bakery brand, released a target spray applicator with a flush-inplace cleaning system, while Henry & Sons brought sanitary stainless steel to its VEMAG replacement parts, and Promach’s Benchmark brand developed a sanitary, continuous-motion loading solution. These are just three of several recently released innovations that prioritize the health and safety of customers’ products and people.

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ever problems lie ahead. Many organizations are already looking ahead at what’s next, including Axis Automation, which will release its latest Apex Series Topper in 2022. The innovation will prioritize ­flexibility, speed and efficiency … the qualities that will surely remain evergreen despite any new circumstances that may come.

The future of innovation is undoubtedly essential, but so is honoring the baking industry’s past accomplishments through uncertain times.

As these companies continue to provide for people still hunkering down, ingredient suppliers have supplied the tools to help them do it. Corbion introduced a conditioner solution to help dough stand up to commercial processing while also reducing the need to add costly vital wheat gluten, letting bakeries create a dependable, cost-effective baked good that could get into the hands of American families faster.

J&K Ingredients is helping bakeries cater to clean-label lovers while making products last longer through a clean-­ label mold inhibitor, allowing bakeries to ditch chemical preservatives and stick to natural solutions, something consumers are looking for. And REPCO utilized the power of enzymes through its XPro solution, allowing bakers to replace large quantities of gluten protein and helping operations cut costs that come with figuring out a new normal.

A critical part of that new normal involves going digital. After online life became a replacement for social occasions, classrooms and conference rooms,

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online grocery delivery services have boomed as overnight sensations. When workers went completely remote or hybrid, computers and mobile devices expanded far beyond their roles as outlets for buying home goods and browsing Netflix.

Several suppliers have answered the call to put the ­functionality of the internet into their e ­ quipment as well. Ashworth launched a new remote monitoring system, which uses predictive ­analysis and real-time remote monitoring to decrease downtime. Reading Thermal released a digital humidity sensor to track a product’s moisture levels through the baking process. And AMF Tromp brought the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to the world of pizza toppings, ­utilizing AI-based technology to reduce waste and improve product consistency.

As the world is still grappling with the effects of pandemic-driven change, it seems nearly impossible to know what the future holds. But the baking industry is moving forward with open arms and open minds, ready to tackle what-

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Above all, people have worked tirelessly to be there for one another through a broken supply chain, sickness, fear and, at times, even failure. Competitors have become teammates as any parts they could spare were lent to someone in need, and as tips were shared on how to get ingredients and equipment when lead times are longer than ever. Perhaps the most notable evolution of innovation from bakers and suppliers alike is the ability to understand and support the industry. Everyone has found common ground as people determined to get food into the hands of consumers despite the unknowns of how they would get it all done.

And get it done they have.

There is no denying that the industry, country and world have been through the ringer over the past two years.

But that pain also proved the ability of bakers, suppliers — and human beings in general — to rise to the occasion, empathize with one another, push forward and figure out ways to make something better.

And when it comes to next year? Bring it on, 2022. The baking industry’s got more where that came from. CB

BAKING’S REVOLUTIONARY ROAD The start to this decade was eventful to say the least.

the most of the slow periods they were often forced into.

Bakers, along with the rest of the world, held on for dear

Equipment and ingredient suppliers have supported their

life as COVID-19 rocked routines and businesses, and a

challenges — and their growth — every step of the way. The

collapsing supply chain has only made things more

pages that follow put a spotlight on some of the best recent

complicated. But bakers have risen to the occasion, making

innovations as we push forward into 2022.

AMF Tromp..................................................................... 77

BluePrint Automation ................................................. 80

Ashworth ........................................................................ 77

Burford Corp. ................................................................. 81

Auto-Bake Serpentine .................................................78

Capway Automation .....................................................82

Axis Automation ............................................................78

Cavanna Packaging......................................................82

Bakemark ........................................................................79

Corbion ............................................................................83

Benchmark Automation ............................................. 79

Dough Tech .....................................................................84

Bettendorf Stanford .................................................... 80

ET Oakes .........................................................................84

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Formost Fuji ....................................................................85

Reading Bakery Systems ............................................ 91

Gemini Bakery Equipment......................................... 86

Reading Thermal .......................................................... 92

Handtmann .....................................................................86

Reiser .............................................................................. 92

Henry & Sons ..................................................................87

Repco .............................................................................. 93

Intralox ............................................................................87

Rijkaart.............................................................................94

J&K Ingredients ............................................................ 88

Schubert ......................................................................... 94

Kaak ................................................................................. 88

Shick Esteve....................................................................95

Kwik Lok ..........................................................................89

Stewart Systems .......................................................... 95

LeMatic ........................................................................... 90

The Henry Group .......................................................... 96

Multivac Fritsch ............................................................ 90

Unifiller ............................................................................ 96

Peerless ........................................................................... 91

Zeppelin ...........................................................................97

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

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SPONSORED CONTENT

the gluten factor

To most consumers, producing package after package of the same baked goods item must seem a pretty unremarkable feat. After all, how hard can it be to follow the recipe and start the automated machinery? But if you even began to enumerate the many barriers manufacturers must overcome to deliver consistency, no doubt their eyes would quickly glaze over.

Beyond COVID-related issues and the scarcity of skilled labor, bakers continue to grapple with unpredictable levels of protein in the flour they source – which makes achieving consistent quality even more difficult. Wheat gluten shapes dozens of the characteristics that define what consumers look for in baked goods. Dough tolerance and extensibility, gas retention, oven spring, and texture are all directly affected by the gluten matrix, which is essential to creating dough strength that can stand up to today’s high-speed processing and avoid production hiccups.

Solution vs. supplementation To compensate for varying protein content in wheat crops, many bakers have been forced to reformulate more frequently, supplementing with vital wheat gluten. Besides subjecting them to volatile pricing and supply issues, this often necessitates the inconvenience of adjusting mix time and absorption.

“For too many bakers, supplementation has become a necessary evil in order to meet consumers’ expectations,” says Kathy Sargent, Director of Global Market Strategy at Corbion. “So we developed solutions that provide the dough strength, tolerance, and texture they need while reducing their reliance on vital wheat gluten and traditional strengthening ingredients like DATEM.” Corbion has added three new solutions to its Pristine® portfolio that help the industry shrink “the gluten factor.” Pristine® 3000 represents the company’s most robust conditioning innovation yet for creating dough with superior strength while reducing supplementation, reformulation

and sourcing challenges. Even with proteindeficient flour, Pristine® 3000 produces optimal machinability that results in consistent product quality, greater operating efficiency and less material waste.

Pristine® 2200 is another new conditioning system replacement that enhances mixing and maintainability, and provides greater tolerance and dough strength even when protein content is substandard, or when gluten reduction is a goal. And for bakers who prefer an add-on solution, Pristine® 100 G can be applied on top of bakers’ existing dough conditioning systems to reduce or eliminate supplementation with vital wheat gluten, without compromising gas retention during proofing, volume, and oven spring.

Innovating for greater simplicity Delivering consistency in a constantly changing marketplace may never be as simple as consumers might think. But Corbion’s newest Pristine® offerings take some complexity out of the challenge for commercial bakers, according to Sargent.

“The food industry is dynamic and ever-changing, and that makes uniform product quality hard to maintain over time,” she says. “The greatest innovations are the ones that make it easier for our customers to hit their targets mark even when variables do change, and that’s what these new solutions do.”

corbion.com/pristine CorbionFood food@corbion.com

A AMF TROMP

Smart Pizza Topper

AMF Tromp brings an automated pizza topper that uses AI-based technology and machine learning to reduce topping waste. The smart system improves pizza product consistency, and the quality is assessed in real time, allowing the solution to measure the baseline cheese ratio as it travels along the conveyor belt. www.amfbakery.com/smart-cheese-applicator Year released: 2021 Contact: Diana Boxey dboxey@amfbakery.com

ASHWORTH

Real-Time Remote Monitoring

Ashworth’s SmartSpiral Monitoring System uses predictive analysis and real-time remote monitoring to minimize production downtime. The system allows access to ­m ­ultiple plant locations from a smartphone or tablet to continuously monitor temperature, belt tension, cage power and more. It also features the industry’s first patented bottom-bearing wear sensor. www.ashworth.com Year released: 2021 Contact: Jennifer Schneider jschneider@ashworth.com

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AUTO-BAKE SERPENTINE

Rapid Cooling with Vacuum Technology

Auto-Bake, a Middleby Bakery brand, released its new Rapid Cooling innovation using vacuum technology that can reduce energy consumption per pound of product by more than 50% when compared with traditional forced cooling methods. It also reduces bake time by up to 30%, can reduce cooling time by up to 80%, and lessens overall cooling system footprint by more than half. www.auto-bake.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Scott McCally scott.mccally@middlebybakery.com

AXIS AUTOMATION

Precision Topping with Simplified Design

Axis Automation is bringing its latest evolution, the new Apex Series Topper. It offers industry-leading consistency and precision with an easy-to-use design, and it comes in five standard widths that are available with faster lead times. The innovation is designed to last through the challenges of today’s baking and snack industries through a flexible architecture that can be adapted to handle different topping applications quickly and inexpensively. www.axisautomation.com Year released: 2022 Contact: info@axisautomation.com

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BAKEMARK Labor-Saving Crust and Crème Mixes Bakemark has developed its latest in pastry innovation, the Westco Snot Block Mixes. Pastries can be made with Snot Block Crust Base and Snot Block Crème Filling, providing a labor-saving solution that can be easily customizable. It comes in traditional vanilla and chocolate formats but can be adjusted to create seasonal flavor combinations and more. www.bakemark.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: David Lopez david.lopez@ bakemark.com

BENCHMARK AUTOMATION Precise, Continuous Motion Loading Benchmark Automation, a Promach brand, brings a sanitary and precise continuous-motion loading solution for fragile or irregularly shaped product. The InFlight AC Feeder uses a cantilevered design in which autonomous carts receive randomly spaced product and time it to the flights of a horizontal wrapper or cartoner at speeds up to 500 ppm. www.benchmarkautomation.net

Year released: 2021 Contact: Rich Arnold richard.arnold@promachbuilt.com

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BETTENDORF STANFORD

Cutting Edge Overwrapper

Bettendorf Stanford’s latest edition of its BSI Overwrapper can replace a worn-out machine that has deteriorated due to a lack of support. With completely new programming and modern technology, the BSI Overwrapper joins the brand’s line of slicers, baggers and double baggers to create a complete packaging room. www.bettendorfstanford.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Justin Atkins jatkins@bettendorfstanford.com

BLUEPRINT AUTOMATION

Delta Robot Load System

BluePrint Automation introduces the Spider 100v Tray Loading system, a replacement for a traditional collate and load system that uses delta-style robots with vision.

Fit for overwrapped baked products and more, this innovation can eliminate racetrack collation and potential jam points. The Spider 100v can handle cartons, cases, self-ready and more, and the system provides built-in inspection to detect bad wraps, product size and beyond. www.blueprintautomation.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: Rocco Fucetola rocco.fucetola@blueprintautomation.com

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BURFORD CORP. Target Spray Applicator Buford Corp., a Middleby Bakery brand, has released a new target spray applicator, complete with an optional flush-inplace cleaning system, that is designed to spray a variety of liquids directly onto the tops of products to provide a unique look. The cleaning system allows for long production runs as well as less downtime, maximizing operational productivity. www.burford.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: sales@burford.com

Complete Mixing Automation

Escher has specifically designed their bottom discharge mixers for continuous batch production. This compact system of two or more mixers allows smaller, more frequent batch sizes of 250 to 1,300 pounds of dough.

By utilizing bottom discharge spiral mixing technology, finished dough is automatically unloaded and transferred to production lines for seamless, constant production.

Schedule your demo today and put our claims to the test.

doughtech.com 1-800-896-3706 sales@doughtech.com Dough production experts offering: Mixing, Dividing, Rounding, Intermediate Proofers, Bread Moulders, Make-Up Equipment and Silos

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CAPWAY AUTOMATION

Jet Pulse Filtration

Capway Automation presents its new Depanner External Fine Particulate (DEFP) Jet-Pulse filter system, eliminating flour dust and other light particulates not removed by a standard Cyclone separator. The DEFP is designed for vacuum operations, and the reverse jet pulse blast removes particulates from the filters. It can be seamlessly integrated with the Capway depanning system. www.capwayautomation.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: Bob Harrington sales@capwayautomation.com

CAVANNA PACKAGING

High-Speed Flexible Loader

Cavanna Packaging’s PI/CO loader is a solution for biscuit piles and slugs packaged on the same line. The system features quick tool-less changeover and can handle innovative materials such as paper-based and compostable packaging. A Beckhoff upper circuit grants positive grouping of products, and the feeding machine gently handles the biscuits during processing. www.cavanna-usa.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: Mariana Brigo marketing@cavannagroup.com

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CORBION Strong Dough with Commercial Tolerance Corbion introduces its Pristine 3000 dough conditioner to create dough with the overall strength and tolerance needed to stand up to today’s high-speed commercial processing.

Reducing the need to add costly vital wheat gluten that often subjects bakers to volatile pricing and supply issues, the new solution produces dough with optimal machinability that results in high oven spring, soft texture and overall consistent quality in the final product. www.corbion.com/bakery

Year released: 2021 Contact: Claire McClellan claire.mcclellan@corbion.com

CORBION Two Ways to Reduce Costly Gluten Needs Corbion offers two more additions to its Pristine line, Pristine 2200 and Pristine 100 G. The Pristine 2200 is a conditioning system replacement that enhances mixing and machinability, resulting in consistent product quality and greater tolerance and strength. The 100 G solution can be applied on top of existing conditioning systems to reduce or eliminate supplementation with vital wheat gluten without compromising gas retention during proofing, volume and oven spring. www.corbion.com/bakery

Year released: 2021 Contact: Julia Sprouse julia.sprouse@corbion.com

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DOUGH TECH

Soft Hydration for Gluten-Free Dough

DoughTech brings its Calybra DTP, a unique dough divider equipped with Calybra’s proven dividing system assuring accuracy and product quality. It unloads dough pieces directly into baking pans, which are transported through the divider by a special friction belt. The divider is designed with side discharge and a large range of hopper sizes to suit a variety of production lines. www.doughtech.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: info@doughtech.com

ET OAKES

Batter Manifold to Protect Product Quality

ET Oakes has released its new Laminar Flow Servo Batter Depositing Manifold. Designed to install over a ­c ontinuous baking conveyor system, it reduces pressure inside the ­m anifold to protect the quality of particulates and consistency of final product densities. Individual plunger-style metering valves are provided for weight-control balancing in each pan cavity. Manifolds can be customized for snack cake, sheet and round pans, including mini muffins. www.oakes.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Karen Oakes koakes@oakes.com

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FORMOST FUJI Allen-Bradley Processed Flowwrapping Formost Fuji brings the latest improvement of its horizontal flowwrappers with user-friendly HMIs, updated with the latest Allen-Bradley processors. Featuring tablet-like interaction, setup and changeover procedures are simplified, and the upgraded platform provides a smoother transition with precise control while having the ability to increase speed. www.formostfuji.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Angela McDaniel sales@formostfuji.com

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GEMINI BAKERY EQUIPMENT

Controlled Bulk Granulated Sugar Storage

Gemini Bakery Equipment’s KB Systems division presents indoor cloth silos to assist in the unique challenges of bulk granulated sugar storage, including managing moisture, granulation and flow control. Indoor cloth silos provide efficient bulk storage in a controlled environment, eliminating the need for air dryers and dust collection. www.geminibakeryequipment.com Year released: 2021 Contact: Jerry Murphy kbingredientsystemsales@kbsystemsinc.com

HANDTMANN

Fast, Accurate Valveless Depositing

Handtmann introduced the new DS 552 Depositing Solution, which uses controlled suction instead of a piston to separate product that has been accurately portioned. With a wide variety of nozzles for products ranging from smooth to chunky, it accurately deposits sizes from 5 to 500 grams at up to 200 cycles per minute. www.handtmann.us

Year released: 2021 Contact: Ken Hagedorn ken.hagedorn@handtmann.us

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HENRY & SONS Stainless Steel Vemag Replacement Parts Henry & Sons has multiple stainless steel replacement parts for Vemag systems, including a 36-lb. ERGO Housing.

The housing is considerably lighter than other options and is accompanied with stainless steel double screws. The screws, which are corrosion-free and also have a weight reduction, are made with USDA-approved materials with a 100% sanitary finish. www.dhenryandsons.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: Mark Henry mark@dhenryandsons.com

INTRALOX Eliminate Downtime, Increase Belt Life Intralox brings its high-strength Series 560 belt that provides smooth and gentle product handling. The solution can help improve yield and minimize damaged or wasted product, and its design helps simplify cleaning, eliminate mistracking and maintain product orientation. The small nosebar also makes it ideal for transfers of small or delicate products. www.intralox.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: customerservice.bakery@intralox.com

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J&K INGREDIENTS

Clean-Label Mold Inhibitor

J&K Ingredients offers its new clean-label mold inhibitor SOR-Mate. It serves as an effective alternative to chemical preservatives such as sorbic acid or potassium sorbate. The innovation can keep baked goods mold-free while maintaining their quality without the need for artificial preservatives. www.jkingredients.com

Year released: 2019 Contact: sales@jkingredients.net

KAAK

Two-Phase Proofing that Reduces Dough Skin

Kaak debuts an innovative two-phase proofing system that maximizes efficiency in reducing the development of dough “skin,” which can prevent optimal volume development. The two-step method is in a proofer that is compact to save up to 10% energy consumption while producing more consistent and symmetrical dough pieces. www.kaak.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Johan Laros jlaros@kaak.com

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KWIK LOK Semi-Automatic Bag Closer Kwik Lok’s latest semi-automatic bag closing machine, the Kwik Fresh 093A, provides versatile and easily adaptable speed. The innovation can close up to 30 bags per minute, helping bakers get their products closed quicker than a hand-applied solution. It has the flexibility of being portable or permanently mounted and is ideal for tight bakery spaces. www.kwiklok.com Year released: 2021 Contact: Ron Cardey ronc@kwiklok.com

SPRAYING SOLUTIONS ◊

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◊ Debris Tolerant ◊ Mist containment

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LEMATIC

Eliminate Compressed Air for Hot Air Seals

LeMatic introduced its new Airless Film Seal for bulk packers, eliminating the need for compressed air for hot air seals on side-, center- and mid-seals. Designed to reduce maintenance cost over the life of the sealer, the machine also has the ability for on-demand operations that reduce energy consumption. www.lematic.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: sales@lematic.com

MULTIVAC FRITSCH

CSV Coiler with Motorized Molding Belts

Multivac Fritsch has modified its CSV compact vacuum coiler to allow for dough wrapping around irregular-shaped sausages that need to be fixed in place. The new device, designed to be used on Fritsch’s Laminator 300 with a Multicut, has a coiling cassette with catch rakes and a motorized moulding belt to hold the sausage in place so it remains straight while being wrapped. Producers can use this innovation to wrap products with diverse shapes and sizes. www.fritsch-group.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Cecily Pickering cecily.pickering@multivac.com

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PEERLESS Double Arm Mixer Peerless released its Pioneer Double Arm mixer, an expansion to its industry-leading small mixers. The newest entry into this class of dough and cream mixing is designed with bakers in mind, combining compact, stainless-steel construction with a direct-drive motor. It is engineered to take baking operations of all kinds to the next level. www.peerlessfood.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: sales@peerlessfood.com

READING BAKERY SYSTEMS Fully Automated Pet Food System Reading Bakery Systems offers fully automated solutions for pet food systems that can elevate the health of a product. Baked kibble, which has been gaining global popularity, provides a healthier food for pet owners to give their furry friends, and profits are increasingly higher for baked products as opposed to high-pressure extrusion.

Baked kibble also provides an avenue of innovation within the markets that bakers serve. www.readingbakery.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: Sam Pallottini sam.pallottini@readingbakery.com

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READING THERMAL

Digital Humidity Measurement

Reading Thermal’s new Scorpion 2 Digital ­ H umidity Sensor measures humidity as product moves through the baking process in the oven, proofer, dryer and cooling tunnel. Yielding a precise profile of moisture experienced by the product, the sensor contains a proprietary humidity sampling system with patented anti-saturation technology. www.readingthermal.com Year released: 2020 Contact: Andrew Rosenthal andrew.rosenthal@readingthermal.com

REISER

Vemag Double Screw Product Dividing

Reiser presents its new Vemag HP-R Series dough divider, featuring an Allen-Bradley control system to provide the latest PLC technology and machine communication. Designed specifically for bakery applications, the Vemag can handle and scale with gentle precision with its double-screw portioning technology. It also features a touch-screen controller for easy operation, diagnostics and line integration. www.reiser.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: John McIsaac jmcisaac@reiser.com

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REPCO Enzyme Technology to Reduce Gluten Protein REPCO’s new enzyme technology XPRO can effectively replace large quantities of gluten protein. A technique that has been used for more than a decade by international flour millers, REPCO is now making the cost-saving technique available to US bakers. The enzymes also upgrade other components of flour to effectively replace spring wheat with lower-cost options. www.repcoworld.com/xpro

Year released: 2021 Contact: Ed Mlotek emlotek@repcoworld.com

BAKERY AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS PICK AND PLACE

ROBOTIC SCORING DOUGH HANDLING & MAKE UP LINES | RACK & PAN LOADING | PROOFING OVEN LOADING | CONVEYORS | INSPECTION SYSTEMS | PACKAGING 93

www.abiltd.c om • 905-738-6070 • sales@abiltd.c om

COMMERCIAL BAKING

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RIJKAART

Automatic Pie Lines

Rijkaart has tapped into the latest servo technology with its new pie lines, designed to create high-quality product. All Rijkaart lines are tailored to meet customer specifications, and the chain design allows easy and quick changeovers.

With a unique dough billet depositor, the equipment runs with ­amazing accuracy. www.doughtech.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: info@doughtech.com

SCHUBERT

Utilize a Global Digital Warehouse

Schubert releases its new Partbox innovation, a global digital warehouse that combines on-demand 3D printing with certified print jobs of all types of spare and wear parts. A single 3D printer can replace dozens of shelves and boxes while offering 100% availability of spare parts and eliminating wait times, logistics and transport issues. www.partbox.eu

Year released: 2021 Contact: Conrad Zanzinger c.zanzinger@schubert-additive-solutions.de

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SHICK ESTEVE Temperature-Controlled Testing, Training and Education Shick Esteve and its parent group Linxis introduced the Linxis North American Technology Center, a facility designed for testing and demonstration of the latest ingredient automation, mixing and pre-dough technology, in addition to process management and IIOT. The company also hosts virtual and live ingredient automation demonstrations and maintenance s­ eminars in the temperature-controlled facility. www.shickesteve.com/technologycenter

Year released: 2020 Contact: info@shickesteve.com

STEWART SYSTEMS Custom Automated Pan Handling Stewart Systems, a Middleby Bakery brand, presents its new Rack N Stack custom automated pan handling solution in partnership with VEMAC. The design provides a modular solution that is flexible and expandable for pan storage and retrieval. It uses laser-guided vehicles for a custom-designed solution for every bakery application. www.stewart-systems.com

Year released: 2021 Contact: Ken Mentch ken.mentch@middlebybakery.com

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THE HENRY GROUP

Delicate Touchless Grouping

The Henry Group’s Automatic Touchless Grouper is designed to handle delicate individual panned or unpanned baked goods for grouping and loading into tunnel ovens. This innovation accumulates evenly spaced rows and groups of single-file or multi-laned products for oven loading with minimal contact, alleviating the accumulation difficulty of individual foils, cartons, round tins and bakeable trays. www.thehenrygroup.com

Year released: 2019 Contact: sales@thehenrygroup.com

UNIFILLER

Automated Sheet Cake Icing

Unifiller debuts its Sheet Cake Icing Line (SKIL) designed for industrial bakeries looking to automate the assembly, filling and icing process for sheet cakes. The SKIL’s ­c omputer-controlled system can store up to 100 recipes and custom production speeds, icing up to 10 sheet cakes per minute. Its servo depositors provide optimal spread control and reduce manual touch-up time, and additional modules can be added for customized needs. www.unifiller.com

Year released: 2020 Contact: Chris Hatch chrish@unifiller.com

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ZEPPELIN SYSTEMS Liquid Sponge System for Homogenous Pre-Dough Zeppelin’s compact liquid sponge system creates a homogenous pre-dough for liquid sponge or sourdough. It consists of a DymoMix hydration system including a pre-blender, loss-in-weight feeder and pumps. The system includes fermentation tanks, an inline heat exchanger and a cold hold tank, and it reduces yeast consumption and increases yield by adding more water. www.zeppelin-systems.us

Year released: 2020 Contact: Stephen Marquardt stephen.marquardt@zeppelin-usa.com

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More than make-up lines, Rijkaart are experts with pie,lines, laminating More than make-up Rijkaart and bread lines, are experts with too. pie, laminating and bread lines, too.

doughtech.com doughtech.com 1-800-896-3706 CROI S S A N T S

CI A B AT TA

CROI S S A N T S

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sales@doughtech.com 1-800-896-3706 sales@doughtech.com

DONU T S

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Dough production experts offering: Mixing, Dividing, Rounding, Dough production experts offering: Intermediate Proofers, Bread Mixing, Dividing, Rounding, Moulders, Make-Up Equipment Intermediate Proofers, Bread and Silos Moulders, Make-Up Equipment and Silos COMMERCIAL BAKING

FLOWPACK & CARTONING

TURN-KEY SYSTEMS

WASHDOWN EXECUTION

LOCAL PARTS AND SERVICE

Commercial Baking Channel Our multimedia collection is full of videos, podcast episodes and more, where you can get a deep look — and listen — into the exciting shifts happening in the baking industry.

TechTalk with Jim Fontaine, Reiser Automation brings benefits for bakeries, but it’s especially relevant during this year’s workforce shortage. Hear what customers have told Jim Fontaine, Reiser’s bakery field sales manager, about labor gaps in their operations and how they’ve used automation to overcome them. www.reiser.com

TechTalk with Vaughn Studer, XPro/REPCO REPCO’s XPro technology, new to the US market, helps bakeries use lower-protein flours to optimize profitability. Vaughn Studer, developer of XPro, shares why this solution is a game changer for bakery production. www.repcoworld.com/xpro

TechTalk with Josh Becker, Harpak-Ulma For many bakeries, the operational bottlenecks happen in packaging. But Josh Becker, bakery segment manager for Harpak-Ulma, says this automated tote and basket management system can help bakeries keep up with the flow of product. www.harpak-ulma.com

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TechTalk with Stephanie Jackson and Kimberly Paxton-Hagner, Kwik Lok Since they became co-owners of Kwik Lok in 2015, these leaders have transformed the company’s culture and operations with sustainability in mind, including innovating plastic alternatives with their Eco-Lok product. www.kwiklok.com

TechTalk with Johan Laros and Teun Verkerk, Kaak Discover the benefits of Kaak’s robotic scoring system. Laros, sales manager for North America, and Verkerk, robotics specialist, explore how this solution can help bakeries reduce labor costs and improve efficiency. www.kaak.com

TechTalk with Mark Henry, Henry & Sons Mark Henry, president and CEO of Henry & Sons, takes you inside the benefits of the Vemag Double-Screw lightweight Ergo Housing. They reduced the weight of this part by 50% without compromising on durability. www.dhenryandsons.com

The Troubleshooting Innovation podcast Welcome to season two of Troubleshooting Innovation.

In this 5-episode podcast, we’ve teamed up with engineering expert Rich Berger to share new ways to operationalize values into the manufacturing space. Listen to the full podcast now, starting with the first episode.

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Bake perfect product all day, every day Count on the SCORPION® 2 Data Logging Measurement System

Being able to measure and control the many variables of the baking process – temperature, airflow, heat flux and humidity – is the difference between inconsistent product and product that comes off the line the same all day, every day.

The SCORPION® 2 with SMART SENSOR TECHNOLOGYTM is a complete data logging measurement system setting new standards in measuring and analyzing in-process conditions. Key parameters are accurately measured by connecting Smart Sensors to the data logger and passing the equipment through a process with the product.

The profiles are then easily downloaded to a PC for analysis with the proprietary SCORPION® Software - giving you the critical information you need to correct problems and maintain optimum process conditions.

For details, e-mail us at info@readingthermal.com or call 610-678-5890 ext. 2.

COMMERCIAL BAKING CHANNEL

Catching up with R.T. Tepsic at Pack Expo 2021 Joanie Spencer, editor-in-chief for Commercial Baking, catches up with R.T. Tepsic, director of bakery operations for Lineage Logistics, at Pack Expo 2021. Hear his thoughts on the return to in-person tradeshows, trends and innovations, and where the industry is headed.

Celebrating Beekeeping: A Labor of Love The National Honey Board believes beekeeping is more than just a job; it’s an art form. And the ingredient they produce is a powerful one for bakers, allowing them to tap into marketing benefits and clean-label claims for products. www.honey.com

norm for l redefine the Baking wil the trends, Commercial authority on of baking. as your new in the world bakery B2B ties uni ort s and opp innovation

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American Society of Baking

103

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Hinds-Bock 31

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Intralox 5

Reiser 18

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J&K Ingredients

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National Honey Board

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

THE LAST WORD FROM KERWIN BROWN

Choose Innovation Innovation is sparked by the ability to observe things that others do not. And it’s ignited by listening.

another language. Discover how to eliminate a few parts or tools deemed necessary to service the equipment.

Or create a new way to solve a problem using the mountain of data being collected from “smart” devices installed ­throughout the facility.

Suppliers, when you are in a customer’s facility, do you hear the complaints of operators or maintenance technicians?

Plant managers, do you hear what your staff is saying about the operation, and do you communicate it to your suppliers? Are field service, installation, sales and project management groups incentivized to funnel information back to the innovation team?

Once it gets going, innovation is limitess. If you’re ­willing to listen, learn and make the necessary adjustments, customers will line up to do business. Commit to implementing one improvement each week. Make an ­ ­industry issue your passion; workforce, supply chain and ingredient prices are all hot topics if you need a starting place.

Do you ask yourself what went wrong on the last project with the same frequency of celebrating what went right?

Conversely, do you share as many wins with your vendors as you do complaints?

Become a pioneer by responding to what your customers see, hear and need — and provide the same to your vendors. Through persistence and collective action, innovation will become the foundation for the future of bakery manufacturing. CB

Innovation is about choosing to dissolve pain points rather than push them back down. Changing or r­esisting norms requires courage. Failure, although humbling at times, is a key element of innovation … and an excellent teacher.

— Kerwin Brown is the president and CEO of BEMA, the baking industry’s association for equipment manufacturers and allieds and co-owner of the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE). He oversees BEMA’s strategic plan implementation and is also a member of the IBIE leadership team.

Those who understand the power of innovation are the ones who thrive.

It’s okay to start small. Tweak some software or an HMI screen to make it more intuitive for someone who speaks

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New Fermentation System

Increase Yield, Reduce Yeast, Improve Product Quality, Extend Shelf Life Our improved Fermentation system with our versatile DymoMix® (for high speed pre-hydration) is a compact and fully automated engineered solution designed for a perfect homogeneous pre-dough for liquid sponges and sourdoughs, thanks to the integration of twin-screw pumps underneath the DymoMix® for a hygienic and gentle transfer of low and high viscous ingredients (even with particles). High capacity up to 13,200 lbs/hr. with a baker percentage of 110.

Contact us Today for a free consultation!

Find us on Zeppelin Systems USA, Food Processing Plants Division 813-920-7434 • www.zeppelin-systems.us info@zeppelin-usa.com

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