At südback 2019, Bakery 4.0 digitalisation is changing the bakery industry / The “analogue” craft of baking will become a thing of the past. (video: Messe Stuttgart)
Bakery 4.0 is for many people, “Industry 4.0”, the interactive communication between semi-autonomous machines, still sounds like the “Orion Spacecraft” – akin to science fiction.
In reality this electronic “bright new dawn” has well and truly arrived in industry, however there’s still room for improvement in the skilled trade sector.
Evolution in networking of production
According to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, a third of production is fully networked, a third partially networked and a third not yet networked in mid-sized companies. It is hindered, at times, by adverse circumstances that obstruct the digitalisation of operational workflows.
Admittedly urban areas benefit from a stable high-performance wireless network that permits uninterrupted communication online.
By contrast, there are still a number of “white spots” in rural areas when it comes to network coverage, so that companies with branches far apart (still) cannot meaningfully make use of the benefits of modern technologies.
südback 2019 (Stuttgart, from 21 to 24 September), is proof that the skilled food trade is open to digitalisation.
Suedback 2019, digital solutions from exhibitors
Exhibitors will be showcasing interesting digital solutions in all relevant application areas – for large companies as well as for small and mid-sized bakeries and confectioneries.
Almost all areas of work in bakeries can be automated and networked, from recipes to refrigeration control and the baking process itself.
In sales, by way of example, quantities can be controlled in line with demand resulting in rates of return falling in the long term, or special offers can be adapted by an internet connection from head office, even several times a day.
Reducing the workload with digitalisation
Digitalisation really makes sense when it reduces a high workload, which has been carried out to date in analogue form.
Hygiene management is a classic example of this. The large number of lists to be managed, documentation showing progress and results, initial and refresher training – all this can now be produced, dealt with and managed in an app.
The cloud-based application was developed specifically for bakeries and confectioneries and enables analogue processes to be digitally transformed.
This app won the developers, Munich-based Renosan Chemie & Technik GmbH, the südback Trend Award 2019.
Renosan’s CEO Florian Schmid described the long-term value of digitalisation: “Businesses stand to benefit which can gain tangible benefits from technologies without making the business more complex.”
Under this premise, online services are also being used more widely in other areas of business, for instance in oven design and with refrigeration systems.
Remote maintenance for Bakery 4.0
Wired remote maintenance is already standard in many cases. Reading operating and consumption data in real time now enables bakery companies to obtain more precise analysis, for instance on energy efficiency, control, maintenance or troubleshooting, the import of software updates and even the networking of ovens – all this will become everyday in the “Bakery 4.0” in future.
IT specialists in the age of digital solutions
Overall, many südback exhibitors have considered comprehensive data analysis by linking different applications.
The three IT specialists CompData, KMZ and OptimoBercher will be showcasing in a joint competence forum how data from cash desks, branches, merchandise management, time management, personnel management and accounting can be analysed and recommended actions derived from this.
They are convinced that the age of digital island solutions is now very much in the past. CompData CEO Reiner Veit, spokesperson for the Competence Forum, explains: “There is a rising demand for mobile applications which make everyday working easier.”
And Martin Reinhardt, State Guild Master of the Wuerttemberg Bakery Trade, the ideal partner of südback, has been witnessing a positive trend towards digitalisation in the bakery trade for some years now. Interest in the industry was rising constantly.
He has not yet identified a correlation to the size of the business. “Colleagues accept state-of-the-art technology at the very latest when new investment is called for in the bakery, in sales or in the office,” explains Reinhardt.
