The modern and advanced industrial bakery looks much different from its early predecessors There have been many technological advancements that have led to increased production capacity, lower operating costs, and expanded markets. One of these innovations that has become a staple of bread, pastries, and flat dough is industrial dough sheeting equipment.
What is dough sheeting? Dough sheeting first came to market from Rademaker in the 1970s and has matured in the decades since and continues to progress. Dough sheeting is a process that creates a continuous, consistent layer of dough that can be accurately manipulated by the make-up line. The dough sheet is made by feeding dough blocks onto a conveyor belt that forces the dough in between two rollers. There may be a sequence of rollers or the dough may be fed through the rollers multiple times, which all result in a sheet of dough with constant thickness and characteristics. What are the advantages of dough sheeting? Dough sheeting provides several advantages over other dough preparation methods. The process of rolling the dough not only creates a consistent thickness but can also laminate layers together, for example in puff pastry, and reliably provide gluten network development. With these features, dough sheeting provides consistency to both the shape and internal structure of the dough. Another major benefit of dough sheeting is that it can produce a high volume of dough with accuracy. This minimizes production errors and waste and can improve reliability in the final product. Improvements in dough sheeting technology Newer dough sheeting technology incorporates more sensors and automation than previous generations. For example, the roller gap that determines the size of the dough sheet and how much the dough itself is worked is fully automated in some designs, resulting in extremely high precision in meeting the prescribed dough sheet characteristics. This keeps the dough at a constant thickness and improves the uniformity of the products. In the Fritsch Rollfix 600, their innovative roller gap continuously measures the dough sheet width and adjusts the roller gap until the final width is reached. Another benefit of automation is the ability to optimize production rates while minimizing errors. The Rollfix 600 can reach a sheeting speed of 56 m/min, handling dough blocks up to 15 kg. Together, this automation benefits bakeries with faster operation and improved efficiency. About Artisan Capital Partners: Artisan Capital Partners tailors bakery solutions and services designed to create liquidity from industrial bakery assets while consistently managing transaction risk. Artisan Capital Partners helps bakeries manage assessing equipment, dismantling, and transportation, as well as design, installation, and testing to provide bakeries with a liquidity event that meets their goals. Pies and quiches are both built from a pastry crust base, with quiches having a filling thickened with eggs and pies having a variety of fillings as well as a top crust or “lid.” Between these two products, there is a wide number of filling options that create a large market for industrially produced pies and quiches. Industrial baking production lines for pies and quiches encompass ingredients, technologies, and processes that support rapid and economical production while leveraging different fillings. For example, the Rademaker Pie & Quiche production line can produce up to 20,000 pieces an hour.
Product Base Pies and quiches can be produced at different sizes, generally between 80mm and 250mm. The crust base can be placed in different containers which can, like foil or paper trays, be shipped with the product. Other potential containers include various platens. The production line starts with the conveyor, which begins by ensuring that the indented foil tray is accurately placed. Dough Placement Pies may be produced in two different ways, from a (laminated) dough sheet or from a dough puck. Dough sheeting equipment requires the crust to be cut out and the dough scraps to be recycled in the production line. Dough pucks are placed into indented trays and are then pressed to form the crust, resulting in minimal, if any, scrap dough. Filling Depositing The next step in the process is to deposit the filling into each piece. There are a range of depositors for pies and quiches depending on the type of filling being used. Depositor categories include liquid, semi-liquid, or viscous fillings, each with or without chunks or other ingredients mixed in. These added materials can be fruit, meat, or vegetables. Dough lid In pies, if a top crust is included, there are several methods to create the lid depending on the type of lid desired. This can range from a flat dough lid, to a decorative lid, to a lattice cover, and everything in between. Equipment options include lids placed by an extruder, rotary moulders for decorative lids, or lattice units. The lid is then sealed to the pie base by crimping. This process can also be customized to create a decorative pattern or a simple crimp. Outfeed Processes The completed pieces are then fed into different systems depending on how the final product is delivered to customers. Pies and quiches can be frozen for consumers to bake at home or the product can be baked onsite. Artisan Capital Partners tailors bakery solutions and services designed to create liquidity from industrial bakery assets while consistently managing transaction risk. Artisan Capital Partners helps bakeries manage assessing equipment, dismantling, and transportation, as well as design, installation, and testing to provide bakeries with a liquidity event that meets their goals. There are many reasons that you may be ready to sell one of your business’s industrial baking products. Your business may be scaling up to a new production line; you may have changed bakery products or recipes and the equipment is now idle; or you may be downsizing production to meet current market demand. Regardless of the context, the overall process for re-selling your used industrial bakery equipment is the same.
Define Business Objectives The first step is to identify your objectives for selling your used industrial baking equipment. Begin by identifying the timeframe that you have to sell and remove the equipment from your bakery. This can be informed by the timing of business events that are already in place; for example, if you are purchasing new equipment, you will need to have your existing equipment out of your bakery before the delivery date of the new equipment. Next, determine if you want to sell or exchange your equipment. If you need a different piece of equipment in your bakery, trading equipment can minimize complexity by combining both steps into one transaction. If you prefer to sell your equipment, you can determine the general price for your bakery equipment that you will be looking for. Sales Process Overview Start by connecting with a used industrial baking equipment seller. Initially, you will provide them an overview of your equipment including photos, the brand, production year, and the technical information you have available. If the vendor is interested, they will visit your bakery, inspect the equipment, and collect product specifications. They will then value the equipment and formalize the terms of sale. Depending on the reseller, they may purchase and collect your equipment on the spot, or they may market your equipment and once a potential buyer is found, they will negotiate a price. Once the equipment is purchased, they will then schedule a time to collect the equipment from you and transfer payment. Readying For Collection To prepare for the equipment collection, you need to manage the schedule of the equipment removal. This includes identifying how to minimize production downtime by scheduling the collection time around your business’s production line shifts, or by altering shift times to produce additional product before your buyer is scheduled to collect the equipment. It may also be helpful to clear the floor and entryways in order to facilitate an easier collection process, as well as disconnecting the equipment from any utilities such as electricity and water. Artisan Capital Partners tailors bakery solutions and services designed to create liquidity from industrial bakery assets while consistently managing transaction risk. Artisan Capital Partners helps bakeries manage assessing equipment, dismantling, and transportation, as well as design, installation, and testing to provide bakeries with a liquidity event that meets their goals. |
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