It must yield added value

Marcus Gansloser is the CEO of Wiesheu GmbH in Grossbottwar, Germany. baking+biscuit international asked him about lines of development for in-store ovens, and the consequences arising from shifts in the market.

bbi: Which are the important topics for Wiesheu’s oven development work at present?

+ Gansloser: In our view, the drivers are in the areas of personnel, space and the subject of central information compilation. New developments must simplify working with the oven at a consistent high level of quality. Customers should no longer need to think about cleaning or checking an oven; the oven does this itself while not in use. For example, if employees don’t all speak the same language, systems that think for themselves can ensure it all functions perfectly nevertheless. These systems ensure consistent quality over time, as well as across entire shop chains, because constant reliable quality is the only factor that defines the brand.

+ bbi: Will the simple, robust oven without any high-tech features die out?

+ Gansloser: Not at all; we certainly have them among our products, because of course a “top of the range full system” also needs a corresponding service infrastructure, e.g. for its software, and that doesn’t exist everywhere. Wiesheu offers a reliable, easy-to-operate oven as an entry-level variant, then there are “add-ons”: cleaning systems, networking and automatic loading systems. Even ovens that have been in the product range for several years can be retrofitted with networking or fully automatic cleaning systems. “Quality made in Germany” is our philosophy. We develop here, our suppliers are largely in Europe, and we can rely on whole system. We live by being seen as an innovative supplier of ovens and systems that help our customers to develop their business. bbi: Both techniques point to the argument of speed ... Gansloser: Of course time is a topic, as I see in our cooperation with Atollspeed, whose oven sales in Europe have developed very well in recent years. But the natural question is how much faster, and at what extra cost or expense? That man can fly to Mars may be quite exciting, but how many want to go there? We are open to innovations that help to better organize the business. However, companies that invest also want to see concrete benefits. New technologies must also be reproducible and scalable. We have one of the biggest development departments, and we observe the direction of market trends and which technologies will be in demand, e.g. in the extremely rapid global development of the out-ofhouse market. bbi: Baked goods markets are shifting, but competition is also becoming tougher. Positive for Wiesheu, or not?

+ bbi: Your clientele in Europe is trending away from the classical bakery where bread rolls are baked in the early morning, and towards catering on the one hand and baking stations in the food retail on the other. There were some new offerings at the iba trade fair specifically for this clientele, e.g. infrared ovens or vacuum ovens, which dominate bakingoff rather than the entire baking process. What does that mean for Wiesheu? Will you get on board with the new technologies?

+ Gansloser: A significant proportion of our customers “bake off”, as you call it. Their product ranges are very complex, and so are their needs. The crucial difference is not the question of how long baking takes, but the level of quality that the customer aims to derive from the products. We have a team of staff who look at novel or rediscovered technologies and examine what advantages they can offer. For example, we already integrated infrared into our multi-deck ovens years ago. Vacuum cooling technology is now widespread. Vacuum ovens are interesting, but I believe we have not yet reached the end of developments in that area. Energy and space requirement are important topics, especially in the snack business. Refreshing bread is possibly an attractive idea. Naturally, that’s also why we pay careful attention to the future products being developed by food manufacturers, and to the requirements that arise along the supply chain.

Gansloser: We are well aware of concentration in the baking sector, which today is already similar to the concentration in the hospitality industry. Ever more systems are emerging and many small businesses are disappearing, not

Marcus Gansloser (4 1) took over the management of Wiesheu GmbH early in 2018. He is a qualified businessman, business economist and Master of Business Administration, and previously worked for the WMF Group for 22 years, most recently as head of their subsidiary in Great Britain. © always just for financial reasons. The range of products on offer in the retail, whether at a baking station or as a catering offering, will also play an increasingly important role for us as suppliers.

+ bbi: How far has Wiesheu progressed on the subject of networking?

+ Gansloser: Today we have already networked thousands of ovens. The technology is available and is undergoing further development. The way information is handled in the future is an interesting aspect. On the one hand it’s a very sensitive topic, because we are talking about data. On the other hand we know our products best, of course, and the question that arises is how can we use this information generated on a daily basis in such a way that it yields added value for customers? How can we help them to save energy and avoid errors in operational application, and how can we aim our service proactively in such a way that the end result is a win-win situation?

Service is an essential component in our customers’ value creation chain. In this situation, we want to ensure that we guarantee a permanently functioning system. Networking helps to support a customer to eliminate disruptive factors in his operation, and to supply him with information that provides benefits.

+ bbi: In fact, the idea behind it is to network the whole bakery system including production and sales, not just to network the ovens. The first thing required for that is a generally valid standard, and over-arching systems into which the information can be brought together. What is the situation in Wiesheu on the subject of standardization?

+ Gansloser: There are initiatives in the sector to reach a certain level of standardization, but these standards are not yet available comprehensively. The other approach is aimed at allowing all data processing to take place in the customer’s operation. As Wiesheu, we can put our entire system into our customers’ hands on request today. In that case we install into the customer’s IT infrastructure, and he thereby gains full access and data sovereignty, not just access to data we communicate via an interface.

+ bbi: Do you believe in overarching networking through open interfaces?

+ Gansloser: I assume open interfaces will become the standard sooner or later, the only question being when?

+ bbi: That means large-scale networking leading to fully automatic operation is still in the future, so where are there already concrete benefits today?

+ Gansloser: Certain information about the oven’s condition can already be retrieved today, or baking recipes can be loaded remotely. There are rapid further developments in the possibilities in this area, and new functionalities are constantly being added.

+ bbi: What is the software development situation in Wiesheu?

+ Gansloser: We develop partly ourselves and partly with development partners, because the subject is simply too complex. Among other things, our competence is in introducing a decisive definition of the environment, and in finding out which systems in our ovens give customers the greatest added value.

+ bbi: Digitizing was one of the buzzwords most often used at the iba trade fair, albeit not always with much background. How do you view the development?

+ Gansloser: Our work is long-term and sustained. We are not interested in short-term sales, but in holding our long-term course and continually improving ourselves.

+ bbi: Thank you Mister Gansloser. +++