Long-standing proven partnership Kuchenmeister implements latest solution Kuchenmeister GmbH has been producing delicious baked goods and confectionery specialities for over 130 years. The medium-sized, family-owned company with its headquarters in Soest is the market leader for ready-to-serve cakes in Germany as well as the international market leader for the German specialities, Baumkuchen and Christmas Stollen. For more than 20 years, the industrial bakery has relied on product inspection solutions from METTLER TOLEDO. Bakery solution ‘Baking is our passion’ is the motto used by Kuchenmeister with its 1000 or so employees, who produce more than 90,000 tonnes of cakes a year, which are distributed worldwide both under the company’s own brand ‘Kuchenmeister’ as well as food retailer brands. The company, which is certified at IFS Higher Level, maintains ten production lines in three-shift operation at it’s main factory in Soest. METTLER TOLEDO’s product inspection equipment is used for foreign body detection and product conformity along the entire production line, from incoming goods through processing to checking packaged products. A modern food manufacturer In-line checkweighing X-ray inspection Metal detection In this way it is possible to effectively avoid costly product waste caused by overfilling as well as ensure compliance with regulations by eliminating underfill. Seamless final inspection X-ray inspection systems and metal detectors at critical control points (CCPs) carry out critial checks for foreign objects before the baked goods are shipped. The individual product and its ingredients as well as the type of packaging determine Bakery solution which technologies will be used. Loading round baking tins onto the baking line in front of the cascaded weighing units For homogeneous products such as pastry cases or croissants, the company relies on metal detection technology. This detects foreign bodies from ferrous metals such X-ray inspection for incoming resulting in downtime further down as chromium, non-ferrous metals goods the line,” explains Thomas Engel, such as brass and aluminium but Kuchenmeister is committed to Head of Quality Management at also magnetic and non-magnetic minimising any risk in terms of Kuchenmeister. stainless steel. consumer and product safety and, when in doubt, always errs on Feedback control ensures product In the case of croissants, foreign the side of caution. Example of quality bodies are detected by means of a Christmas Stollen: The company The ingredients inspected in free-fall metal detector integrated always sources prewashed raisins the incoming goods are then into the vertical packaging line. for its ingredients, but subjects processed into various products The freshly baked goods fall from these to cleaning again prior such as stollen, croissants or above, through the metal detector, to processing and then checks pound cakes and baked. Dynamic are checked and land directly in the them for foreign bodies using checkweighers check whether the sales packaging. Foreign bodies x-ray inspection. This is because, cake moulds are filled with the in products such as the traditional with natural products, there is intended amount of batter. Thomas German ring cake, Gugelhupf, as sometimes a great danger that Engel explains, “The right amount well as most pound cakes, are foreign objects, such as small of batter is not only an important detected using x-ray inspection stones, can get into the crop during factor in achieving the correct systems with a horizontal conveyor the harvesting process and cannot final weight. It is also a central belt at a throughput of up to be completely removed with 100% quality parameter for ensuring 3000 units/hour (50 per minute) certainty during the washing the optimum level of cooking and, in the case of contamination, processes. and browning.” these are removed from the production or packaging line by X-ray inspection is the method of Dynamic checkweighers therefore means of a pusher. choice here for reliably detecting continuously optimise the filling foreign bodies such as stones, process by means of fully “In order to best ensure product glass, rubber, metal and high- automated feedback control. In safety for our customers, we density plastics. “By checking other words: if the checkweighers use x-ray inspection systems incoming goods for foreign detect a tendency to overfill or on the lines where the product bodies, we simultaneously underfill, they automatically or packaging variant requires minimise the risk of small stones trigger a reduction or increase it,” says Engel. Foil packaging or metal parts causing damage in the volume of batter at the containing aluminium has become to production machines and filling station. 2 significantly more important in baked goods in recent years. It is well suited to baked goods such as pound cakes, as hardly any moisture is able to escape. The cake does not dry out, is longer lasting and protected from aroma exchange in virtually airtight packaging. For foreign body detection, however, this presents new challenges: metal detectors are pushed to their limits when it comes to distinguishing metallic foreign bodies from the metal- containing packaging. Unlike x-ray inspection systems as aluminium- containing packaging does not affect the accuracy of detection, these systems can practically look through the aluminium foil and detect foreign bodies with a high density difference to the product. Top priority: line availability On seven of the ten production lines at the main factory in Soest, there are no product changes. Fail- safe operation and availability are Outfeed side of the metal detector on the packaging line for cakes top priorities for the company in ensuring it is able both to produce its own-branded products and deliver its food retailer branded products. Thomas Engel refers measures as well as functional schedule.” In addition to its own to the production of croissants tests including, in particular, the technicians and the Comprehensive as an example. “We bake about exact scheduling of maintenance Care Contract, Kuchenmeister also 33,000 croissants per hour. It is measures. The service intervals maintains its own spare parts easy to see roughly what damage agreed in the Comprehensive Care warehouse, which ensures fast can be caused by several hours Service mean that the baked goods in-house repair times in the case of downtime on a production line. manufacturer is able to avoid of line failures. Toothed belts, drive Not to mention possible penalties maintenance-related production and guide rollers as well as infeed if we are unable to deliver our food losses. and outfeed belts are stored at the retailer brands on time. To put it Kuchenmeister site. Operators, bluntly, we cannot afford downtime Thomas Engel explains, “If a service and maintenance staff of the production line due to a seasonal product changes, for as well as quality managers are defective inspection device. That example our Christmas stollen, trained regularly by METTLER is why we have a Comprehensive this means that the line must be TOLEDO to ensure they are able Care Service Contract in place with customised and adapted to suit the to optimally operate and maintain METTLER TOLEDO. new product. As the production line the equipment. In this way, already has to be at a standstill Kuchenmeister has been able This covers not only the costs for this to occur, we use this to increase its overall system associated with labour and spare opportunity to have the necessary effectiveness and simplify the parts, but also includes regular service and maintenance work provision of evidence as part of its maintenance and cleaning carried out in accordance with the auditing procedures. 3 advances and developments in product inspection technology over the past two decades. Thomas Engel summarises this, “Much has happened, not only in terms of detection accuracy. This is reflected, for example, in the higher energy yield of today’s x-ray generators, the increasingly optimised hygienic design and their compact construction, requiring less floor space or in the 5-year warranty that METTLER TOLEDO gives on new x-ray generators,“ summarizes Thomas Engel Dynamic checkweigher and x-ray inspection system ensure product safety and provides an example: “We recently placed a new combination device, consisting of a dynamic checkweigher and a metal detector, Long-established single-source of the equipment: “The oldest in the packaging line for children’s strategy METTLER TOLEDO product croissants. With this, we combine Kuchenmeister has been putting inspection device that we use here, foreign body detection and weight it’s trust in METTLER TOLEDO’s a dynamic GARVENS checkweigher, checking in one compact, space production inspection technology has been running for 20 years. saving device. Coupled with the for more than two decades. “Our However, our goal is not to achieve easy to use touchscreen, the philosophy is to rely on a single- the record for age or endurance. process security offering protection source strategy,” says Thomas So far, we have had no reason us from operating errors, the Engel. “We have one contact to replace the device at this quality of the documentation for person for our product inspection station. Normally, we will replace inspection results and the ease of technology and can coordinate and modernise our inventory of analysing these, I believe we have everything – be it service and inspection equipment whenever found an optimal solution on this maintenance appointments or it requires additional functionality line with METTLER TOLEDO and I modernisation measures – via that or when an increase of the overall could even extend the list to include one contact person. Since we are equipment effectiveness of the all the advancements which have completely satisfied with how this line is required,” says Engel. come about over the past twenty cooperation has worked until now, Kuchenmeister always combines years,” concludes Thomas Engel. we see no reason to deviate from the installation of new inspection this philosophy.