Managing costs remains paramount. Equipment and ingredient suppliers share some important ways that retail bakers can improve their current situation.

Carolyn Bilger, director of marketing, Hobart Food Prep Equipment, points out that while it may seem counterintuitive to managing costs, investing in new equipment can help bakeries save money in the long term.

Consider mixers. Older mixers typically require more frequent service and repairs, which increase as the mixer ages, she says. This causes a financial strain on bakeries, not only in terms of the cost for that service and repairs, but also for downtime and increased labor. If a mixer is down for a period of time while bakery owners are waiting for parts, employees may need to mix by hand.

“This is a costly use of labor considering how much longer a manual process will take and the output will be lower so there will be less product to sell. Older mixers also tend to lose RPMs as they age, due to gear or belt wear,” Bilger says. “That can negatively affect mixing times and change the consistency and quality of the product being mixed. This leads to waste of product and more labor to mix new batches, plus higher operating costs.”

New equipment, like a Hobart® Legacy+ ® maximum heavy-duty mixer, provides consistent performance, minimizes downtime and offers technologies that improve production. In the long run, a mixer like this provides a solid return on investment due to improved quality and a reduction in service and repairs, so it can help bakeries manage costs.

New equipment

Equipment plays a major role, and bakeries should be seeking out new options and equipment available from leading suppliers.

To manage costs, bakery owners and operators should look for mixer features that support consistency, quality and productivity, Bilger points out. The Legacy+ mixers, for example, drive more power to the bowl due to the VFDadvantage technology and can mix up to 30% more capacity, depending on the application. They can also mix continuous batches back-to-back for greater output. That means more bakery items to sell. This mixer model includes time-saving features like a swing-out bowl that makes it easy to remove the bowl, place it on a bowl truck and move it to a bench. This also reduces operator fatigue associated with lifting and repetitive motion, which could lead to downtime and costs for workman’s compensation.

The Quick-Release™ agitators on Legacy+ mixers are locked in place and ensure the bowl-to-agitator ratio is consistent, so there is better incorporation of ingredients and better overall results, especially for developing gluten in dough, Bilger says.

A soft start function protects the motor by delivering electricity to the motor slowly until it reaches speed, which also prevents ingredient splash-out. Both functions mean less waste and greater savings. To further protect the motor and eliminate costly repairs, the Shift-on-the-Fly™ features allows operators to change speeds while the mixer is operating, so there is no risk of damaging the motor.

Investing in new equipment, like a Legacy+ mixer, can help bakeries better manage costs by reducing service and repair frequency, Bilger says.

“Beyond that, new mixers provide technologies that make bakeries more efficient. The Legacy+ mixers, for example, provide consistent, continuous mixing and high-quality output, which leads to less downtime and more bakery goods available for sale,” she adds.

Whole-grain options

Available from Malt Products Corporation, MaltRite Cocoa is a whole-grain malted barley that is minimally processed to create a nutritional ready-to-eat powder. Bakers can replace up to 50% cocoa powder.

MaltRite Cocoa offers extended benefits of substituting for cocoa powder, presenting a natural way to blend flavor, savings, and quality.

Made from whole-grain malted barley, MaltRite Cocoa is easy to swap out in any formulation using cocoa powder, up to a 50/50 split.

The culinary team at Malt Products Corporation can customize the perfect blend for your application. Product applications include brownies, chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, and chocolate fillings.

MaltRite Cocoa can be used as a 1-to-1 functional replacement for up to 50% of the cocoa’s weight, yielding the same finished product as when 100% cocoa is used.

MaltRite Cocoa enhances chocolate flavor for increased sensory appeal. It increases moisture retention, extending shelf life as well as improving texture and mouth feel.

Malt Products Corporation features extensive production capabilities. Its Dayton, Ohio, manufacturing facility boasts a $15 million state-of-the-art drying plant with a high-tech vacuum belt dryer. Fulfilling its commitment to industry-leading innovation, it offers complete in-house control and improved flavor, aroma, and nutrient preservation when compared to spray driers.

The vacuum belt dryer is the latest enhancement to result from the company’s five-year, 50-million investment in the extension of its brew house, which includes a new mash filter, expanded laboratory, research and development, and customer application capabilities.

The security and reliability of domestic production ensures the uniformity of all malt products. Malt Products Corporation maintains an ongoing quality control program.

Must-have equipment

Hobart, the premium commercial food equipment manufacturer known for designing and building some of the industry’s most reliable retail equipment, has introduced new GT Series scales. Engineered with advanced features to deliver cutting-edge performance, efficiency and ease of use year after year, GT Series scales can help retail grocery operations reduce downtime and waste.

The scales feature an industry-leading user interface that delivers ultimate ease of use, providing the enhanced productivity and efficiency users want. Operations can choose from various display sizes to better customize the scale to their needs. Each option displays crisp, clear text and images and puts core functions at the operator’s fingertips for fast, efficient operation. Unique five-screen swipe technology provides even more access to applications and is customizable to work with each department’s important processes.

The intuitive interface design—with fast navigation to key functions, simplified menu options, universal icons and enhanced search functionality—reduces training time and speeds up transactions. In addition, the screen offers more than twice the hardness of other designs to resist scratches and damage and provide long life and durability.

The scales provide fast, powerful data handling. A quad-core processor delivers the speed operators need to work efficiently, allowing firmware upgrades and communications to be completed faster. Ample system memory will seamlessly run even the most demanding applications, while the large data storage capacity handles ever-growing data requirements to ensure optimal performance now and in the future.

GT Series scales are network-ready with built-in wired and wireless networking options, and they’re protected with the latest security protocols for added peace of mind. The scales can be connected and integrated with whole-store applications, providing operations with easy access to diagnostic data. In addition, tracking data within the scale, like printhead changes, number of labels printed and a visual “health agent”—allows more informed decisions about equipment and operations. This data can be managed at the scale or remotely through the Hobart HTe Enterprise Asset Management software application.

Deli, bakery and meat departments depend on quick, trouble-free label printing. GT Series scales include innovative technologies to print labels faster and reduce downtime and expenses. The print width of up to 3 inches means that more information fits on the label, including enhanced graphics and nutritional information. And the scales have a print speed of up to 8 inches per second, allowing fast-paced environments like bakeries to keep up with demand and fill shelves faster.

Innovative built-in software and applications make GT Series scales the most versatile scales for retail operations. Integrated instructional videos about core functions give operators step-by-step guidance to reduce training time. GT scales offer multi-department functionality by letting users quickly switch departments as needed for increased flexibility. Unique software features customize functionality for each department, further increasing operational efficiency.