Transatlantic Alliance

The American Markel Group combines its Tromp Group subsidiary in the Netherlands and the AMF subsidiary in den USA. Both supply industrial bakery lines for fresh and frozen baked products. We talked to Hans Herman Doude , Vice President of Marketing & Sales for AMF Bakery Systems Europe.

+baking+biscuit: Mr. Doude, Tromp and Den Boer will put the abbreviation AMF in front of their company names in future. What does that mean in concrete terms? Will both companies lose their freedom to operate in the market as independent European suppliers?

+ Doude: Already 6 years ago, AMF took over Tromp and Den Boer. What has really changed, is the market. AMF customers were AMF customers, Tromp/Den Boer customers were Tromp/Den Boer customers. We see that typical bread and bun bakers need to diversify. This is where Tromp and Den Boer have great solutions for Cake/pies, pizza and pizza-like products, pastry and specialty bread. The opposite is also true. Typical Tromp/Den Boer customers are more and more looking for integrated solutions, where we can implement AMF equipment. It makes sense to make clear in the naming of the companies, that AMF, Tromp and Den Boer is one. AMF will benefit from the sales and service organization in Europe, Tromp and Den Boer can benefit from the sales and service organization of AMF in the Americas and Asia.

Markel Food Group

The Markel Food Group is part of Markel Ventures, into which the American insurance group Markel Corp. combines its widely scattered industrial interests. The list includes financial and consultancy services for various sectors, together with housebuilding, floor and panel manufacturers, a handbag producer and a plant breeder. The Markel Food Group comprises Markel’s investments in AMF, Tromp, Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) and Solbern. Solbern manufactures various kinds of filling machines that are also used in the food industry. RBS is a traditional supplier of snack systems, as well as cookie and cracker lines. Reading also offers five versions of the Exact family of continuous dough mixers for bread, rolls, crackers, baked chips, pizza, pretzels, pet treats, etc. +++

We will remain however the competence center for sheeting, depositing, handling and ovens, with all operating freedom as we have always had.

+ baking+biscuit: Which competences, which responsibilities, which decisionmaking authorities and which mechanical engineering departments will remain in the Netherlands?

+ Doude: All. Maybe this answer is a little short so let me explain a little. AMF and Tromp/Den Boer are truly additional to each other. The legacy AMF technologies are totally different from Tromp/Den Boer, and that makes that we have our engineering and manufacturing as independent entity. Sales in the Americas however will be lead by AMF in the USA, but of course we are strongly involved.

+ baking+biscuit: So as an existing customer of Tromp and Den Boer, my contact partner will still be in Gorinchem, The Netherlands. What benefits might I have from the collaboration with AMF?

+ Doude: We are the world strongest supplier of bakery equipment. We will bring our service to our customers to an even higher level. Also we can offer a much wider range of solutions to our existing customers.

+ baking+biscuit: Gorinchem will also look after the markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for AMF in the future. Conversely, are there markets in which AMF will offer Tromp and Den Boer plants in future?

+ Doude: AMF in the Americas will sell Tromp/Den Boer through their organization, with local project management and service. In Asia, AMF has local offices and production and service facilities. Tromp/Den Boer will benefit from that, and so our customers.

+ baking+biscuit: Synergies are expected mainly in the service area. AMF has a very large service network that operates worldwide. Are Tromp and Den Boer intending to participate in it, as well as or instead of their own service workforce? How quickly can all these AMF technicians be trained in the corresponding systems?

+ Doude: That is always a challenge. Let`s be honest, it will not be in place tomorrow. But all cross trainings are planned already. Additionally, we will have intensive trainings based on the type of equipment installed in that part of the world.

+ baking+biscuit: What does the situation look like regarding integration into the remote maintenance of the systems? + Doude: News is to follow soon! Just to give a little insight, we are working on a centralized service, with really great solutions for our customers.

+ baking+biscuit: Although Reading Bakery Systems is not owned by AMF, all the companies share a common parent company, the Markel Food Group. Reading has a data base system through which a customer can not only look at information about his plant, but can also order spare parts.

Continuous dough production

The new structure consisting of AMF, Tromp and Den Boer has also yielded new tasks for the Group’s innovation center in Gorinchem, the Netherlands. The mixing technology of AMF and Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) is new. There is an AMF Sigma Mixer with a transverse mixing tool to produce bun doughs. On the other hand, Reading Bakery Systems’ Exact Mixing System is more versatile to produce a wide variety of doughs. Exact has more than 300 continuous mixing plants operating worldwide. RBS builds 5 different mixers depending on the required dough and development stage. 3 of these mixers are available at the Innovation Center.

The MX Mixer can be supplemented with Hydrobond Technology, anattachment in which dry materials are wetted before entering the mixer. Rotating at a speed of 2000 rpm, it turns inflowing water into a disk through which the flour or other dry ingredients fall and are wetted. The flowrate of the incoming water controls the degree of wetting, and depending on the dough or batter, 40, 60 or even 100% of the liquid can be added. Hydrobond Technology speeds up the continuous process.

RBS also offers an HDX Continuous Mixer with a two-part design for doughs that require high development, which of course is also available with Hydrobond Technology on request. The HDX consists of a first stage in which two powerful shafts mix the raw materials and a second in which shafts specific to the dough knead the resulting mixture and supply energy to it. A dough resting belt can also be implemented between the two stages if required.

At the Innovation Center, Exact also offers cookie producers is the LDX Mixer, which begins by beating together fats and liquid ingredients, and then adds solids, e.g. flour. +++

Will there also be such a facility for AMF, Tromp and Den Boer?

+ Doude: Again, news will follow soon!

+ baking+biscuit: Tromp currently employs four bakers and two food technologists who commission plants, act as customer contact points etc. Will any of that change?

+ Doude: Our customers struggle with finding bakers and operators with a feel for the products. Our team of bakers and food technologists are able to train our customers in all aspects, like running and cleaning a line, but also to understand the process. It is not the only responsibility for our team of bakers and food technologists. They are involved in product tests and product development, together with our customers. They play an important role in the development of our machines as well. It is a team that is much more likely to be extended.

+ baking+biscuit: Both AMF and Tromp sell make-up lines, but with entirely different technologies. Will further process technology development be on a shared basis in future?

+ Doude: There is a huge potential in this. For example, we integrated an extruder from the US, for a European Pizza Line. We see many opportunities for combining the different technologies we have, in order to come to the best solutions for our customers.

AMF, Tromp, Den Boer

AMF ’s production program covers the entire universe of Anglo-American bakery technology. It starts with typical American mixers with a transverse mixing tool, and extends to dough dividers, make-up plants for bread, buns, tortillas and English muffins, molds and tray handling, transport systems, continuous proofers, baking and cooling systems, tunnel ovens and finally bread and bun slicers, packing & palleting plants, crate transport systems and complete lines assembled from them.

AMF Tromp ’s machine portfolio comprises lines to make up pizza, bread and bread rolls from a dough sheet, laminating plants to produce croissants, Danish pastry and other fine pastries, special pie lines for filled pies with and without a dough top, and the whole technology for making up and pre-portioning cake doughs or cake batters, regardless of whether they are cut, pre-portioned, punched out or molded. This special AMF Tromp segment also includes waffle plants for classic Dutch stroopwaffel (syrup waffles) (previously sold under the VanderPol brand) together with fun-cakes, which are small filled cakes that are baked in closed molds and can thus be made in the shape of a Teddy bear for example.

The third member of the Alliance is the traditional AMF Den Boer company in Dalfsen, the Netherlands, which builds cyclotherm tunnel ovens under the MultiBake name, of which there are four different variants. +++

+ baking+biscuit: AMF owns a production facility of its own in China – is it possible that this will also work for Tromp and Den Boer in future?

+ Doude: We are of course looking into this opportunity. Especially for the Chinese market.

+ baking+biscuit: Mr. Doude, thank you very much for the interview. +++

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