BAKERY VISIONARIES Gostol line in Italy for baking of variety of bakery products
DEPANNER - automatic depanning of bread from tins
Gostol bakery lines, producing bread round the clock in Belgium
The Gostol Group is a European market leader in the design and manufacture of fully automated bakery production lines and equipment for manufacturing bread and bakery products. The company continues to develop ground-breaking automated ovens and baking equipment that increase efficiency and save energy. Philip Yorke reports.
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lthough founded in 1992, Gostol has a long tradition of machine building and casting which began back in 1947. Today the company designs and manufactures state-of-the-art equipment for the baking industry and is owned by the joint stock company Gopek d.d. The company’s headquarters and main production facilities are located in Slovenia with other bakery equipment components being produced at its plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company’s ‘long-lifespan’ industrial baking equipment is sold under the well-known brand name ‘Gostol’. It includes equipment for dough preparing, dough dividing, dough moulding and equipment for fermentation, baking, cooling and advanced robotic equipment that offers fully automated solutions. Today it offers complete turnkey solutions for producing bread and bread products in medium and large sized industrial bakeries.
Robotisation driving sales The Gostol Group’s core business comprises complete turnkey production lines for industrial bakeries including a wide range of bakery equipment for dough preparation, dough moulding, fermentation, baking and cooling. The company’s latest robotisation programme includes: a 2D ROBO VISION SYSTEM for detection of products; a family of robotic machines for delidding and depanning of the bread type DEP-DEL; a family of robotic arms for the handling of pans and lid used on ROBO MOVE automatic pan lines; and a robotised warehouse for the storage of two types of ROBO – SKLAD 1.050/2 pans.
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In addition, the company has developed a robotised composition product for dough preparation known as RoboMix, as well as robotised warehouse storage systems. Gostol’s RoboMix has become a flagship product as its flexibility allows the use of different mixing procedures for dough preparation. There are also other unique features such as automated regulation of temperature and the control of moisture during pre-dough and dough production. Easier maintenance of equipment is yet another product benefit. Automation and efficiency do not stop with robotisation at Gostol: the group has built several Cyclothermic tunnel baking ovens that are designed to optimise energy efficiency through the recuperation of electrical energy, steam and gas. The company works in close cooperation with its clients to ensure the best products and offers custom made turnkey solutions for its clients. More than 95 per cent of its revenue comes from the sale of highly specialised bakery lines, which are tailor-made to meet each customer’s specific needs. However, the company’s success is not simply based on its high quality, energy-saving products, but also its ability to build longlasting partnerships with its customers and key suppliers that include SKF, Danfoss, Lenze and Weishaupt.
Fully automatic lines The fully automated production lines designed and produced by Gostol give the operator easy and faultless control of the entire production process. Some of the company’s key European markets
