In-store ovens: Technical development priorities, control & cleaning systems

Technical development priorities,

control & cleaning systems Part 2

After the first part of our survey of in-store oven manufacturers focused mainly on the impact of the pandemic, this second part is about control and cleaning systems and technical development priorities that suppliers are setting.

© Wiesheu © MIWE © DEBAG

WIESHEU Dibas blue S/Ebo 64 L MIWE backcombi

How dependent is the in-store oven operation on the skills of the operator?

1

DEBAG Deutsche Backofenbau GmbH, www.debag.de

For foolproof oven operation, DEBAG offers, amongst other things, the One-Touch control – with innovative split-screen display – for even greater ease of use. The 7-inch graphic display allows the DECON baking station to be operated easily and intuitively by 'touch’, just as on a smartphone. In addition, the new one-touch control allows both ovens of the baking station to be controlled from one display. This results in numerous advantages for the user: • Faster overview of the baking processes in both ovens • Ease of operation is significantly increased • Lower acquisition costs (only one control display, instead of two) We have been thinking about this even before the shortage of skilled workers became a buzzword here – after all, the employees of our customers around the world have very different backgrounds. Our operating logic is well thought out, stringent, and above all, developed from practical experience together with customers, and you can feel it! Our MIWE go! user interface is available in dozens of languages (including Finnish and Chinese) and we have been working with pictograms and images for a long time, which makes the steps universally understandable. The concept, which is clearly designed for user-friendliness, also includes different modes, so that each user group is always only assigned the rights and options that are necessary for this particular group. In easy-mode, for example, even non-specialist personnel can find their way around very quickly and there is no danger of accidentally adjusting important parameters. The operation of our high-tech IQ TOUCH control is reminiscent of a smartphone, intuitive, fast and user-friendly. A high-resolution, large color screen shows everything that is important at a glance: Set and actual temperature as well as programs and baking times. In addition, baking programs can be set in advance so that only the 'start button’ needs to be tapped. Pictures of the baked goods are displayed in the control unit, making it easy to see which products need to be baked with which of the 99 baking programs. In addition, the IQ TOUCH offers a wide selection of freely selectable signal tones for program-specific, acoustic recognition signals for when the baking time ends. Programs can be managed, written and changed centrally via WACHTEL REMOTE and accordingly imported by remote assignment to each in-store baking oven in the branch. This means the same baking results will be achieved in every store with the simplest handling.

MIWE Michael Wenz GmbH, www.miwe.de DEBAG DECON

Wachtel GmbH, www.wachtel.de

© Welbilt WACHTEL © © Wachtel

Welbilt, www.welbilt.com WACHTEL PICCOLO PRO Welbilt Convot herm 4 B A K E

Werner & Pfleiderer Bakery Technologies, wwww.wp-l.de

All our units are designed to be used by non-specialist or frequently changing personnel. The Merrychef eikon® e2s and the Convotherm 4 BAKE and mini units feature the easyTouch® touchscreen for simple intuitive screen operation. The Convotherm 4 BAKE also allows immediate start-up with ‘Press&Go’ for all product categories. Preheating, compensation of heat losses, e.g. when opening the door or with different loading quantities, and the selection of baking and cooking modes all take place completely automatically. The symbol-based, programmable and customizable operation of the Convotherm 4 BAKE offers a high level of operating convenience and process reliability. This means that every team member can carry out routine processes independently after a brief introduction. It is even easier with Convotherm 4 BAKE units equipped with the modern ConvoSense technology. Artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art sensor technology recognize the products and automatically set the correct cooking program. The heart of a baking oven is always its control system. Depending on the product, many parameters have to be set or regulated here, which normally only a trained baker can do. The baker must store his knowledge in the various baking programs once, so that the same baked products can always be baked with the same baking program and the same quality. In most cases, stores do not employ skilled bakers. Therefore, all that is needed for baking is to start a particular baking program, and the oven does the rest. The display of the control system can be set to a simple mode, in which only one baking program can be selected – if necessary also by icon. As soon as the oven is ready for baking, a traffic light indication appears and the products can be placed in and the baking process started. When developing the user interface, we use – through smartphone technology or other industries – learned standards and familiar symbols. However, in the specific application area ‚’oven’, it is still the case today that we do not yet want to completely dispense with texts due to a reliable and simple operator concept. WIESHEU equips prototypes with assistance systems at a very early stage and we see support from optical sensors as an important topic for the in-store baking of tomorrow. We are currently focusing on the process-safe automation of loading and unloading the in-store baking oven with our ’TrayMotion’ system, which ensures the perfect baking result by removing the baked goods with pinpoint accuracy at the end of the program – without any operator interaction.

© WP © MIWE

Werner & Pf eiderer Matador Store

WIESHEU GmbH, www.wiesheu.de

What cleaning systems are offered? How do they work?

2

DEBAG Deutsche Backofenbau GmbH, www.debag.de

DEBAG offers various cleaning systems:

e.CLEAN SYSTEM® The e.CLEAN SYSTEM® is a highly efficient cleaning system. It convinces with its very low water and energy consumption. The cleaning agent is refilled by the staff in the store.

e.CLEAN 500 The first automatic oven cleaning with 500-day refill cycle. Once filled, the cleaning agent supply lasts for at least 500 days. Refilling is carried out by DEBAG customer service. There are two different cleaning systems for our convection ovens: the semi-automatic program MIWE easy clean, in which users must complete a few steps themselves (e.g., spray the cleaner into the baking chamber at the beginning), and the fully automatic cleaning system MIWE cleaning control with four cleaning levels, depending on the degree of soiling. In this case, cleaning is completely automatic, and it can even be postponed to night and the residual heat can be used for the first heating process on baking day. The large tank can be filled with the ecologically degradable cleaning agent without touching it and is sufficient for up to 30 cycles. For even more convenience, MIWE Service fills the large-volume tank as part of the annual maintenance of MIWE everclean. This means that customers no longer have to refill the tank themselves, store containers, or think about reordering. To make cleaning particularly thorough and effective, our baking stations are always designed from the outset with hygiene aspects in mind (e.g. rounded corners, easy-to-remove tray supports, etc.). The PICCOLO PRO is equipped as standard with W-HYGIENIC, i.e. the simplest disc installation and removal technology. The discs can be removed without tools in a matter of seconds by means of a simple tilting movement without the need for tedious screwing.

The CLEAN WASH self-cleaning system integrated as standard in the THERMICO PLUS convection oven ensures uncompromising cleanliness right into the farthest corner of the baking chamber. Water flows into the baking chamber and thus cleans itself. No more than 35 liters of water are used. After drying, the oven switches itself off independently. With baking standby activated, the oven is ready for the first shot the next day, fully heated.

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

What is the average lifespan of in-store ovens in chain stores, foodservice and retail today? On average 8 years. In general, this depends on the load and utilization and, depending on the customer, in-store ovens are replaced for various reasons even though they are still fully functional (for example, in order to be able to use newer generation functions or when the store’s concept is changed). For chain stores, the usual lifespan is between 8 and 20 years - this is possible because MIWE keeps spare parts available for up to 10 years after a series is discontinued. In retail, the systems are usually replaced after 6-8 years – depending on the depreciation models. In the foodservice sector, we are talking about 5-6 years (but also longer) – because here, there is a higher utilization rate due to very long opening hours and also a faster change in terms of concepts and trends. The service life depends on many factors: • In-store ovens are equipment dependent on maintenance, at least once a year • With regular maintenance and with 6 days of weekly usage, 12 hours a day, the oven will have a life span on average of 13-15 years • Amongst other things, the water quality is also an important prerequisite

3

Welbilt, www.welbilt.com

Welbilt focuses fully on safety, economy and environmental friendliness in its cleaning systems. The fully automatic ConvoClean+ cleaning program ensures effortless cleanliness of the Convotherm 4 BAKE with maximum flexibility and minimum consumption. The safety plus: no contact with the cleaner when starting the cleaning process. In addition, the units are certified for unattended cleaning. Once cleaning is complete, work can continue immediately without a follow-up check. With up to 19% less water in hot air mode and 44% less energy consumption in cleaning mode, the Convotherm 4 BAKE is efficient in terms of energy and water consumption. In addition, the waste water is environmentally friendly thanks to biodegradable cleaning liquids. Werner & Pfleiderer Bakery Technologies, wwww.wp-l.de

We only offer an electrically heated deck oven with stone plate as a store-baking oven. Therefore, automatic baking chamber cleaning – as with a dishwasher – is not possible. However, it is possible to remove the glass door panel for easy cleaning without tools. Short videos on cleaning and care of the oven are stored in the controls. WIESHEU GmbH, www.wiesheu.de

ProClean – Our proven cleaning system comes with cleaning cartridges consisting of detergent and rinse aid, which are introduced into the baking chamber before cleaning. The rest is done automatically by a combination of temperature, airflow and the introduction of water, which is distributed through a special nozzle on the ceiling of the baking chamber.

ProClean365 goes one step further. It eliminates the need to stock liquid cleaner, cleaning tablets or cartridges, as well as the associated logistical effort and inconvenient handling in everyday store operations. The compact cleaning unit is connected to the back of the oven and is designed so that the cleaning agent only needs to be refilled once a year during maintenance.

The average service life of our devices is around 10 years. Depending on use, devices can also perform well for over 20 years. But, the average is around the 10 years mark. The service life of a baking oven always depends very much on its care, and this applies in particular to in-store baking ovens. With annual maintenance, daily care after baking and special attention to water quality (calcification), in-store ovens can easily last for well over 10 years. 7-10 years, depending on the time of use and care of the equipment.

What are your current technical and technological development priorities? DEBAG Deutsche Backofenbau GmbH, www.debag.de

– Digitization is certainly a focal point from the perspective of the entire process landscape - always with the aim of making processes (both in the bakery and in the stores) simpler and clearer. But, we are also bringing more and more intelligence into the systems themselves, for example in the area of sensor technology, in order to keep the system operational in an even better and more predictive way. Important key points here are again the reports, but also predictive maintenance and AI. However, it is very important to us that we offer our customers an attractive price-performance ratio. In other words, our main focus is on user-oriented development. After all, no one is helped by over-engineering. To this end, we are in close dialog and maintain a very fruitful exchange with our customers (open innovation). Development focuses on saving energy and resources so that bakers can save costs and electricity. WACHTEL can implement this with the ENERGY MANAGER tool. It includes intelligent load optimization. The system remembers the user's baking behavior. It knows when baking actually took place after baking readiness was reached and suggests optimized injection times. Eligibility: The standard water and energy recording is continuous. In this way, the ENERGY MANAGER ensures DIN EN ISO 50001-compliant data quality. The system is one of the solutions that have been declared eligible for funding under the directive of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

4

Please give us your current oven or oven system recommendation for the following: a) Baking bread and bread rolls only b) Baking bread, bread rolls and pastries c) Baking bread, bread rolls, pastries and snack products (pizza, gratin) a) MONSUN deck oven/rack oven b) HELIOS deck oven c) DECON in-store oven a) Depending on the desired pastry characteristics: MIWE condo deck oven, MIWE aero or MIWE econo convection oven. For all those who want different characteristics depending on the baked goods: MIWE backcombi, a combination of these two systems. b) The deck oven MIWE condo or the convection ovens MIWE aero or MIWE econo c) The MIWE condo or MIWE aero is also recommended for this purpose – or the MIWE gusto if space is limited. If the proportion of snacks is high and they may need to be heated shortly before consumption, the MIWE gusto:snack is the best choice.

However, the choice of system depends not only on the type of product, but also on the convenience level (for baking from frozen, a convection oven is the better choice), the desired baking characteristics (e.g., rustic, strong crust vs. soft, tender-split crust), handling simplicity requirements (e.g., baking on trays or directly on stone), baking quantity, assortment variety, process reliability, and available space. Therefore, we always advise our customers in detail. a) PICCOLO PRO b) PICCOLO PRO c) THERMICO PLUS, MINI COMET PLUS, PICCOLO PRO (Here, usage is not necessarily realized with just one device in each case; a variant for small, medium or large sites can also be offered for each case. )

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

5

Welbilt, www.welbilt.com

Automation: Automated baking and cooking are the magic words here. With ConvoSense, Welbilt offers technology for fully-automated baking and cooking that can be used in the Convotherm 4 BAKE. ConvoSense recognizes food and baked goods independently and reliably and selects the appropriate cooking and baking process for the respective products. It is also easy to operate. By means of automated processes, ConvoSense largely eliminates the need for time-consuming training for frequently changing personnel. Digitalization: kitchenconnect® is a milestone towards the kitchen of the future and the networked kitchen. Appliances can be controlled, updated and monitored through cloud-based technology and in real time from anywhere, and processes can be analyzed, evaluated and planned. Small flexible concepts: The Merrychef rapid cooking systems and the Convotherm minis units were developed for this segment. Werner & Pfleiderer Bakery Technologies, wwww.wp-l.de

The focus of development is – always – even simpler operation and compliance with hygiene guidelines. Here, for example, we recently introduced a proofing chamber made of plastic with rounded corners and sheet metal supports that can be removed without tools, making it particularly easy to clean. WIESHEU GmbH, www.wiesheu.de

Our in-store ovens help our customers to offer and sell fresh baked goods. Our goal is to design our solutions and services in such a way that they are problem solvers in our customers' stores and integrate seamlessly into the store processes and, in the best case scenario, also optimize them by reducing the amount of work, staff time or, for example, energy consumption.

The Convotherm 4 BAKE (a combination of hot air and steam) is suitable for all the products listed (a to c). If only snacking is required, the Merrychef eikon e1s and Merrychef eikon e2s quick cooking systems are the ideal support. Our in-store baking ovens are electrically heated deck ovens with stone plate, heavy-duty steamers and universal computer control. They are made for premium baking. Therefore, they are suitable for the entire above-mentioned spectrum as standard. Even high-quality bread and pastries can be baked. With the optionally available pizza function, perfect pizzas can be made to Italian standards. You can achieve very good baking results for all the products listed under a to c with both the convection oven and the deck oven.

Certainly, for bundt pastries, bread, pizza or tarte flambée, the deck oven with its dormant baking atmosphere is at an advantage.

In the case of rolls, we get the slight Berlin edge in the middle, and if baked directly on the plate, the hole pattern on the bottom falls away.

The deck oven also does not dry out baked goods as much as the convection oven. This is particularly important for pretzel baked goods.

Snacks that require a crust, such as pizza tarte flambée, can be baked at high heat ideally in our deck oven Ebo (available in various combinations, designs, sizes and baking chamber heights).

Alternatively, toasted dough pieces such as Danish pastry, croissants or puff pastry get slightly more shine and volume in the convection oven. For pre-baked products, there is no difference in the quality of the baking result when comparing the two systems (Dibas blue, E3, Minimat, Ebo).

For casseroles, it is the programming setting that gets an optimal cooking result from both baking systems (Dibas blue, E3, Minimat, Ebo).

The combination of convection oven and deck oven is also possible and a frequently chosen variant in order to have the ideal system for every application (Dibas blue hot-air oven, with Ebo deck oven).