Freshness and natural preservation through scalding.
Today’s consumers are interested in breads without additives. The scalding method, which is little known in Finland, produces a bread which remains as soft as when freshly-baked and which can be stored longer. The front runner in the Russian bread market, Fazer Hlebnyi Dom, has invested in scalded bread by using automation from Dosetec.
Fazer’s best-known bakery brand name in Russia, Hlebnyi Dom, is in many ways a pioneer in the country’s bread market. Among other things, it was the fi rst to produce packaged, sliced bread and has launched many new products in the market throughout the years.
Now “the home of bread” (hlebnyi = bread, dom = home) has automated its production of scalded bread due to the rapidly increasing demands for this additive-free bread. Manual production was not able to keep up with the market demand.
More production capacity for scalded bread
In the scalding method, boiling water is mixed with part of the fl our and the mixture is allowed to set before the dough is mixed. As a result, the dough absorbs more water and the higher moisture content results in a softer bread which can be kept fresh longer without additives. Scalding also promotes the natural fl avor of bread and makes it easy to slice. Scalding is a popular bread making method not only in Russia but also in the Baltic countries and in Sweden.
– The popularity of Fazer’s scalded bread has increased in Saint Petersburg and we needed to increase the production. Dosetec’s automatic dosing system helped us to respond to the increased demand, states Mr. Anton Samoylov, Technical Director of Fazer Russia.
Long lasting partnership, new work associate
Dosetec is a new system supplier to Hlebnyi Dom. In the bidding process, the versatile specialist in dosing automation turned out to be a natural and most of all a reliable choice as Dosetec’s know-how has been demonstrated in other system deliveries to the Fazer Corporation. Our long time partnership in the bakery industry has yielded results.
Signifi cant increase in production capacity
Using Dosetec’s customised system, the bakery was able to thoroughly automate the production of its scalded bread.
– With the addition of three fl our cooking tanks, our production capacity increased signifi cantly, Mr. Samoylov relates.
The process is continuous: when one tank becomes empty, the dosing continues automatically from another tank and simultaneously a new batch is fed into the empty tank.
Seamless dosing process
For the purpose of dosing fl our, Dosetec connected the fl our supply hopper to an existing receiving hopper. From the supply hopper, a pressurised transfer conveys fl our to a hopper scale. The hopper scale is precise, with three load cells and a weighing capacity of 800 kilograms. From the hopper scale the fl our is measured out to three mixing tanks.
The automation in the mixing tanks was designed completely according to the customer’s criteria. Water is dosed by weighing the mixing tanks. After the scalding process is complete, the dosing into the dough bowl is controlled by a platform scale.
Customised control logic
Only one control system is used for the complete scalding process and it was customised, including the software, to suit the customer’s needs. The Siemens S7 -based programmable control logic, which was offered by Dosetec, and Siemens Siwarex weighing electronics were seamlessly connected to various other control systems. The new production is conveniently operated with a touch screen, which was placed next to the scalding dosing point to facilitate the process. Ordering batches of fl our and emptying tanks are done simply with the push of a button.
A remote connection through the Internet safeguards the proper functioning of the Dosetec systems, ensures the service and maintenance of the equipment and makes them faster.
The best service from start to finish
The new production at Hlebnyi Dom was started at full speed in April.
– The whole automation project went well from start to fi nish despite the fact that Dosetec was unfamiliar with the operations at Fazer’s Saint Petersburg location. Dosetec was able to customise solutions suited for our needs and the project was managed confi dently and professionally, Mr. Samoylov says gratefully.
Bread which does not need preservatives or additives will have a guaranteed market share with today’s consumers. With Dosetec’s help, Hlebnyi Dom is investing far in the future.