Bakery Automation & Digitalisation

As a leading provider of automation solutions to the bakery sector, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities you face. Our state-of-the-art technologies, extensive experience, and a customer-focused approach have helped streamline processes, optimise efficiency, and enhance product quality. Discover the benefits of our bakery automation solutions, learn about our tried-and-tested approach, and explore our success stories.

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Trends in the Bakery Industry

The bakery industry is continually evolving, and staying ahead of emerging trends is crucial for businesses seeking to remain competitive. Here are three key trends shaping the sector:

  1. Increasing demand for high-quality artisan and speciality products: As consumer preferences shift towards artisan and speciality baked goods, bakeries must adapt their processes to accommodate a wider range of products while maintaining quality and consistency.

  2. Waste reduction and sustainability. Bakeries are facing growing pressure to adopt sustainable practices and reduce waste throughout their operations, driving the need for more efficient and eco-friendly production methods.

  3. Digitalisation and data-driven decision-making: The adoption of digital technologies and data analytics is transforming the bakery industry, enabling businesses to make more informed decisions and optimise their operations.

Opportunities

By leveraging automation in the bakery industry, you can unlock a myriad of advantages for your business, including:

  1. Increased efficiency: Automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks, allowing your team to focus on more strategic and value-added activities.

  2. Enhanced product quality: Consistent handling and integration of AI-based vision inspection can improve quality standards and reduce spoilage.

  3. Improved labour productivity: Lower dependency on manual labour, mitigating labour shortages and decreasing operational expenses.

  4. Improved traceability: Gain better visibility into your supply chain, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations and enabling quick responses to potential issues.

  5. Scalability: Effortlessly scale your operations to meet growing demands or seasonal fluctuations.

“The entire project has been brilliant, quick and effective. Fantastic work to you and your team. ”
— Mike Hewson, ADM (Arthur-Daniel-Midlands Company))

Solutions

Our bakery automation solutions focus on integrating your machines to create a single source of truth:

  1. Label and date code verification: Ensure accurate labelling to comply with regulations and prevent costly errors.

  2. Downtime and pack count tracking: Identify and address the root causes of unplanned downtime to minimise its impact on your operations. Accurately track the number of packs produced and maintain consistency across your production lines.

  3. Productivity tracking: Monitor and analyse performance metrics to optimise workflows and boost overall productivity.

  4. Recipe management and traceability: Use digital platforms to manage recipes, track ingredients, and ensure traceability throughout production.

  5. ERP & Reporting integration: Seamlessly integrate our automation solutions with your existing ERP system for streamlined data management. Leverage advanced analytics and reporting tools like Power BI to gain valuable insights and make data-driven decisions.

  6. Pre-weigh automation: Automate the dosing of minor and micro powders (and seeds) with robotics to improve line efficiency and quality.

Case Studies

Explore our success stories in bakery automation through these real-life case studies.

Case Studies
SCADA replacement improves data visibility at leading UK bakeries
SCADA replacement improves data visibility at leading UK bakeries

OAL has replaced an existing SCADA and recipe tracking system across 6 bakery sites improving resilience and providing the tools and date visibility to grow and improve operational efficiency.

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Dry materials handling project increases production capacity at large doughnut manufacturer
Dry materials handling project increases production capacity at large doughnut manufacturer

OAL designed, installed and automated a new dry material handling system comprising silos and big bags to increase doughnut production to 50,000 per hour at market leading food manufacturer.

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Our Approach & Experience - The OAL Way

We pride ourselves on our extensive experience providing tailored automation solutions to the bakery industry. Our experts, with backgrounds in baking, engineering, and technology, work closely with our clients to understand their unique needs and design solutions that deliver results.

We work closely with our customers guided by the following principles:

  1. We start with the end in mind: We define clear objectives, analyse current processes, and prioritise automation initiatives to align with your overall business goals. From the initial stages of a project, we collaborate closely with our clients and offer expert advice to build a specification that ensures the solution is both effective and easy to use.

  2. We collaborate to build your internal capability: We invest in your team's knowledge and capabilities, fostering a learning culture to promote the smooth integration of new technologies. We partner and build your solution on leading industrial platforms utilising best-in-class technology from global technology vendors.

  3. We make it easy: We design our solutions to make the adoption and training process as simple as possible, so our customers can get the most out of their automation investment. We value feedback and strive to maintain our high standards by requesting it after every project and support ticket.