Oven manufacturers: Pandemic impact, technology advances

Part 1

Networked and increasingly smarter

baking+biscuit international asked manufacturer of in-store ovens how the pandemic is affecting their sales and what direction the technology is taking.

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WIESHEU Dibas blue S/Ebo 64 L

MIWE backcombi

+It is impossible to imagine bakery stores without in-store ovens. Without them, there would be no baking stations in food retail, and in general the foodservice industry with its wide variations needs these helpers. For manufacturers, this is a comfortable situation – individual market segments may weaken, but rarely all of them.

This is also shown by the survey of oven manufacturers conducted by the editors of baking+biscuit international. The impact of the pandemic on their sales figures depends on how strongly their business is shaped by bakers with and without catering, the retail trade or the various foodservice segments. The first lockdown initially gave everyone a shock in the spring, but once it became clear which stores would be allowed to open and what product lines could be sold, a willingness to invest returned for some customers. Because the pandemic made some people from outside the industry think about their future, one or two stove manufacturers also registered ‘career changer’ as a new customer group.

The requirements for in-store bakery ovens have not changed fundamentally, but the pandemic has brought individual trends and topics into focus and even put some on the priority list for the first time. These include thinking about the social distancing of employees and the reduction of contacts between operator, goods and oven through intelligent operator interaction and the automation of handling by loaders and unloaders.

Efficient work with fewer and less trained personnel is another common thread that has been gaining renewed importance for some time. On the one hand, this goal is followed by controls that bear the label ‘child's play’ and require little more from the staff than pressing a picture on the touchscreen.

DEBAG DECON

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Welbilt Convot herm 4 B A K E WACHTEL PICCOLO PRO

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Werner & Pf eiderer Matador Store

On the other hand, a much more important contribution to efficiency is made by the increased networking of in-store ovens with the entire infrastructure of the stores as well as with production, logistics and the further processing of freshly baked goods, wherever this takes place.

The use of sensors that are able to detect and assess the situation in the kiln and incorporate this information into the control system is becoming increasingly important. Artificial intelligence is a term that is appearing more and more, even if the definition is still inconsistent. It remains to be seen whether this will also lead to more flexible management of baking capacities on the sales front.

All manufacturers of in-store ovens now offer their own networking solutions. They are designed to increase the responsiveness of store management and provide various reports on capacity utilization, water and energy consumption, operating errors, etc. – in some cases more than customers had previously asked for. The pandemic has accelerated interest in remote diagnostics and maintenance across all market segments. No one wants to see out-of-house technicians scurrying around the stores at the moment; they would rather stock up on their range of spare parts and train the in-house technicians.

Of course, a number of issues that influenced purchasing decisions in the past, such as energy consumption, water management and ease of cleaning, are still relevant today. Increasingly, oven manufacturers are observing a growing demand for deck ovens, especially in those countries and distribution channels where ‘Artisan Bread’ is advertised, and which naturally should come fresh from the oven at all times. +++

Have you seen a change in demand for in-store ovens due to COVID-19 in 2020 compared to 2018 and 2019 a) in chain stores b) in supermarkets c) in foodservice? DEBAG Deutsche Backofenbau GmbH, www.debag.de

We are noticing a reluctance to invest, both among bakers and retailers. Many customers are waiting. Even under Corona conditions, we are not seeing a slump in demand for in-store ovens – on the contrary, demand remains high, both among chain stores and in supermarkets and foodservice. What we can also observe is a clear increase in inquiries from ‘career changer’. In other words, we are being approached by more and more young companies and start-ups that are new to the industry and want to establish themselves in the baking or snacking sector. WACHTEL is considered one of the founders of classic in-store baking, and so this always has been and still is a big issue for us. In-store baking is increasing sales in the stores, which is becoming more and more important especially in times of café closures.

MIWE Michael Wenz GmbH, www.miwe.de Wachtel GmbH, www.wachtel.de

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Are any changes mainly reflected in the number or volume of orders or has the requirement profile for the equipment also changed?

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We have not noticed any changes in the requirements profile. In terms of numbers, there has been a clear increase, but there is also a noticeable desire for digitization options – a trend that has been going on for some time and has certainly been reinforced by developments in 2020. The simplest possible end-to-end operating logic on all equipment and the ability to fully manage or even control all equipment remotely make work much easier for many operations particulaly in times like these, when staff are deployed flexibly and spontaneously and travel or contact restrictions apply. It also makes it much easier to adjust the product range, as many operations have done. In addition, the demand for deck ovens continues to rise – a trend going back to artisanal work even in the store environment that we have been observing for some time. The store oven PICCOLO has been further developed and adapted to the current needs of customers. Energy savings are the most important change, of which we are of course very aware of today; it's not only good for the environment, but it also enables huge cost savings.

What is the main issue for customers today? The price has become even more decisive, just as good quality, simple menu navigation, intuitively designed operation, the appropriate software, and the networkability of all of the ovens. In addition to the aspects already mentioned, there is certainly the issue of service. This is particulaly relevant in the production of baked goods, as any failures (whether in the area of oven or refrigeration technology), even if they are only of short duration, are fatal, as the goods can then no longer be sold. Therefore, great importance is attached to efficient, reliable service and robust technology that is less susceptible to failure. WACHTEL's customers are true artisan bakers who produce high-quality baked goods. This is both for the end customers and for our customers, the bakers, where the awareness of quality and regionality has gained great importance, especially in such challenging times as the Corona year 2020. We are noticing a renewed focus on classic bread ovens, such as our electrically powered INFRA or the gas or oil powered COLUMBUS. In-store baking increases in-store sales, which is becoming increasingly important, especially in times of café closures.

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Are there any country-specific differences? – The world of baked goods is diverse and regional differences are great – the same is true of the requirement profiles of our customers, who span all parts of the globe. The above-mentioned trend, back to deck ovens, is much more noticeable internationally: companies with a focus on artisan bread and sourdough bread (and indeed pure wheat sourdough) are much more strongly represented in the export market than in Germany, for example. But other types of dough management are accompanied by other demands on technology, such as the desire for shorter baking times and higher baking temperatures. We are therefore in close contact with our regional managers and representatives in order to be able to meet these requirements with high-performance solutions. However, what unites our customers worldwide is that they value quality and reliability. This means that we benefit from the fact that the total cost of ownership and long-term quality aspects are taken into account when purchasing.

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Welbilt, www.welbilt.com Werner & Pfleiderer Bakery Technologies, www.wp-l.de WIESHEU GmbH, www.wiesheu.de

What we have been able to see since spring 2020 is that, in general, major investments by companies are being postponed or canceled, so demand for high-quality kitchen and baking equipment has declined. However, certain trends and themes will become even more apparent in the industry due to the pandemic. These include, above all: more efficient work with fewer employees, the highest quality and best service, social distancing in professional kitchens, bakeries and sales, and maximum hygiene. This requires appropriate technologies and innovations. We can confirm the general market trends, which from case to case, may mean: a) Unchanged demand b) Somewhat reduced demand c) Rising demand Basically, even before Corona, the distribution of demand for in-store ovens is never constant and the proportion of different target customers varies from year to year. This year, however, there was a clear reluctance on the part of all of our customers in the spring, as we all didn't know what was coming. In the course of the year, this normalized to a large extent, especially among chain stores and in the retail sector, as these industries were classified as systemically relevant and were therefore allowed to keep their stores open. Of course, this is more difficult for chain stores with large café areas and in the food service sector due to the recently ordered closures. However, we are unable to assess the impact of the second lockdown at this stage.

These changes affect both the number and volume of orders and the requirements for the equipment. The changes are purely numerical. The requirements profile for the devices remains unchanged. From our point of view, the timing of orders was particularly affected. Many planned orders were postponed in the spring, presumably to wait and see what would happen. Some of these were then certainly made up for in the 'more relaxed’ summer months – compared to the previous year. Some orders however, have probably been postponed for a longer period of time.

The topics that are currently particularly in the foreground with our customers and the entire industry include the areas of digitization and automation. But small, flexible concepts that can be deployed quickly and take up little space are also in demand at this present time. The main focus is on the requirements for baking and bake-off of baked goods and snack products. The trend is towards networking/remote monitoring and simple operation. Process efficiency and quality, a high demand on the baking result and partly new, solutions that are suitable in reducing operator interactions and (touch) contacts.

In Germany, snacking is on the rise. In Eastern Europe, snacks and baked goods are in high demand. No significant country-specific differences can be identified. Manual control is desired in some countries. Baked goods are of course very different and there are also countries, such as France, where manual control of the oven is more associated with the baker's craft than in many other countries. However, from our point of view, the requirements mentioned under point 3) extends across national and industry boundaries.

How do in-store ovens today network with the customer's IT (cash registers, store control programs, energy optimization programs, automated ordering, etc.)? DEBAG Deutsche Backofenbau GmbH, www.debag.de

The future is digital. Many bakers are already using the corresponding software, such as our Filianet – software for networking and remote maintenance of the ovens. All-encompassing systems like Shop-IQ are clearly the future. This holistic thinking is becoming more and more prevalent, so we are glad that we laid the foundations for it early on. Our plants could be networked long before digitization was even a topic, and with our MIWE shop baking suite management system, we offer an extraordinary range of possibilities. But in order to be able to think about and implement networking across processes, customers have to accept a fundamental change. This requires the will to change and sometimes also the necessity for change, which may not always be given. In short, our technology can do much more than is currently required of it. Unlike most other remote access systems on the market, WACHTEL REMOTE offers the baker all-encompassing remote management for every piece of WACHTEL equipment across the business. This monitoring tool is also a pioneer when it comes to security, as it is based on the so-called ‘Store&Forward principle’. This means that potential interruptions in network connectivity (e.g., unstable WLAN conditions in branch offices) have no impact on functionality or performance. WACHTEL REMOTE is free of charge. The integrated ENERGY MANAGER provides compact, clear and daily updated cost reports for different time periods (day, week, month, year). This measures how much water, electricity, gas or oil is consumed and when, and the effectiveness of energy-saving measures can be checked. Accurate forecasts are derived from the precisely documented resource consumption. The overviews of the operating costs can be obtained directly from the IQ TOUCH control unit on the oven.

MIWE Michael Wenz GmbH, www.miwe.de

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Wachtel GmbH, www.wachtel.de

What possibilities do the in-store ovens that you supply offer in terms of data evaluation and reporting functionality? The FilialNet reporting module offers: • Individual report creation, e.g. baking behavior, used programs, baking quality, freshness, availability, utilization and energy consumption of the equipment – in the individual stores • Automatic report generation (e.g. monthly) • Comparison of daily data reports (e.g. operating hours, baking and heating time) – saved automatically • Target/actual comparisons • Data evaluation as a table, graph or diagram With this question, you address another important aspect of successful digitization: Capturing and collecting data alone is of little use. The true art – i.e., the greatest benefit for the customer – is when the data also speaks, i.e., when the system uses reports to process the flood of individual data in such a way that, for example, sources of error can be identified or recommendations for action can be derived. This is exactly where the reports in the MIWE shop baking suite come in: Utilization profiles show energy-saving potential and various reports on quality indicators show optimization potential in terms of quality – to name just two examples. Thanks to the close cooperation with our customers, new report functionalities are constantly being added - MIWE sbs is therefore a very practice-oriented system. The all-encompassing WACHTEL remote monitoring tool WACHTEL REMOTE enables seamless monitoring of baking operating times, manual interventions, idle times and active eco-functions. Baking program runs and histories are logged and graphically displayed. Library-based program management allows centralized administration and distribution of uniform programs across devices, branches and stores. Operating and consumption data (e.g., energy consumption) can be read out on an oven- or device-specific basis and used for quality and usage analysis. The tool thus supports the increase in energy efficiency of equipment and processes and, in its function as a quality management tool, reproducible product results. Quantifiable efficiency parameters are essential for traceable process optimization.

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How important is the capability for remote diagnostics and maintenance during the current pandemic situation? The possibility of remote diagnosis is always important, but especially in the current situation; the more that can be done remotely (reducing contacts), the better. It is becoming increasingly important. We are in the fortunate position of being able to draw on our many years of experience in the field of refrigeration technology – there, we have even been practicing remote monitoring 24/7 for many years with our MIWE remote service. The prerequisites for remote diagnostics are also fully given in the area of in-store baking – provided that the customers have the necessary infrastructure for this. Due to the current pandemic situation and the resulting reduction in contacts, remote diagnosis and remote maintenance in the event of error messages are of crucial importance. At WACHTEL, this has been the norm for years.

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Welbilt, www.welbilt.com Werner & Pfleiderer Bakery Technologies, www.wp-l.de WIESHEU GmbH, www.wiesheu.de

Many of the appliances from the Welbilt family can access important information via kitchenconnect®: Report management (consumption data, utilization rates, production cycles, etc.), quality management (HAACP data, recipes, cleaning cycles, quality measurements, etc.), service management (equipment diagnostics, maintenance programs, etc.), asset management (equipment and installation data, manuals, etc.), and menu management (recipe creation and modification, recipe library, assignment of daily segments, etc.). In principle, our in-store baking ovens can be networked and managed via a central control center. Baking programs can thus be created or changed centrally. Statistics on the baking programs carried out can also be called up. For energy optimization, the consumptions can be confirmed, but the actual energy optimization takes place directly via the baking oven control. Networking with the store control programs is already standard for many customers. There is usually an interface between the software for oven networking and the store control system. Connections to energy optimization programs or POS systems are possible via interfaces on the appliance, but this can only be implemented with new control systems.

Cafés/bakeries and bake stores require a continuously diverse range of baked goods and snacks with consistently high quality and the ability to measure customer satisfaction. Easy and straightforward access to data related to equipment operation and performance enables the fastest possible preparation of snacks and pastries of the highest quality. Welbilt's kitchenconnect® equipment networking puts this information at the operator's fingertips, allowing management of recipes and menu offerings, as well as updating equipment firmware at one or more locations with the touch of a button. As also described above, statistics show switch-on times, baking processes carried out, operating errors, error messages and energy consumption. Open interfaces enable all data evaluations required by the customer. The data provided can be exported and then evaluated and analyzed as desired. In addition, we offer various 'ready-made’ reports on energy and water consumption and baking and cleaning program selection or standby and preheating times.

During the ongoing pandemic and in the spirit of social distancing, remote data retrieval has become even more important. The desire of many operators is to optimize processes and results and improve customer satisfaction. In addition, the long-term goal is to create a platform that allows the company to adapt to the new market realities. Since there are usually no trained bakers or technicians working in the stores, remote maintenance and remote diagnosis are particularly important in this area, regardless of the current pandemic situation. However, troubleshooting always requires the deployment of a service technician, even in Corona times. Access to the branches for suppliers and partner companies has of course also been restricted in recent months and kept to a necessary minimum. For this reason, our first and second level support in our service department has been further developed this year to make use of all networking options or to be able to solve customer queries, without the need for a physical technician, by asking specific questions. Independent of Corona, this is a very important topic for WIESHEU, which forms the focus of further development.