VERSAILLES, KY — Today, Daisy Manjarrez is VP of continuous improvement for Versailles, Ky-based More Than A Bakery, responsible for optimizing processes and operational efficiencies. With those processes, accountability and training, the baking company, even as part of Richmond Baking, can now say it’s out of startup mode.
The operation has grown into two shifts a day during the week and one shift on the weekend. The shifts accommodate the second line from Reading Bakery Systems (RBS): Line Lugar, named after cookie and cracker icon Tom Lugar, and dedicated to cracker production. It was moved over from the Richmond Baking plant in Georgia, whose operation was folded into More Than A Bakery’s in 2019.
Such a move needs a lot of planning, from moving the physical equipment to incorporating the product runs into the schedule. Accomplishing that while still in startup mode was a feat that required help.
“We worked closely with RBS on this,” said Ian Lady, assistant VP of operations. “They brought a tech down to Georgia and helped us work with contractors to disassemble and unwire the equipment, get it transported here and put back together, and started up again.”
With two lines running, having the AIM system from Shick Esteve has maintained consistency for all products — including ingredient quantities, mix times and lay time for the dough — further enabling that smooth transition from the Georgia facility.
“Since the beginning, the AIM system has been revolutionary,” Lady said. “Out of everything we’ve done, from a processing standpoint, this is one of the best because it ensures everything is done correctly, which is critical for our mixing consistency.”
AIM not only streamlines the operation but also shortens the learning curve for Family Members who might not have a background in baking.
“We don’t have the AIM system in our Indiana bakery, and I would say training takes about half the time here as it does there,” Lady suggested. “Without it, you have to go through every mixing sheet and figure out how everything works. But here, the mixer tells you what to put in and when.”
On Line Exact, the bakery’s original line, cookies and crackers are made on a hybrid Haas-Buhler makeup system that can run either product, working serendipitously with robotic packaging.
The baking industry is based on relationships, and it’s a core concept for More Than A Bakery.
A need for flexibility in packaging previously prevented automation; 10 years ago, packaging speed and flexibility were often inverse concepts.
“We would see so many technologies and say, ‘That would be so great to have, but it would only run one product or do this one thing,’” said Felicia Quigg, the company’s VP of family pride. “From a flexibility standpoint, the bang for the buck just wasn’t there for us.”
But today, robotic technology advances have enabled flexibility, and that hit More Than A Bakery’s radar. The company invested in a Schubert robotic packaging system that now does the work nearly 30 people previously did by hand.
“Schubert brings a unique method to its robotics that we hadn’t previously seen,” said Bill Quigg, president of More Than A Bakery and Richmond Baking. “That said, if it wasn’t for the core technology of robotics fundamentally improving to where it has, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
He sees automation as a flywheel in the bakery, from financial, cultural and engineering standpoints.
“We have this new process that can make us money, and that can help us return more capital back into the business,” he said. “Then that allows us to automate something else. That enables two flywheels, and we can automate in another area, and so on. Then things can just speed up from there.”
This is now Bill’s pivotal moment in the lineage.
The robots made life significantly easier, starting with the post-bake area’s sound level. It dropped by 20 decibels, and Family Members were relieved of doing manual repetitive tasks.
But there’s one thing the robots did not eliminate: jobs.
“Not only did we not cut any jobs, but we also increased retention by 20 percent,” Bill said. “Actually, some people have come to us asking when we’ll automate other areas.”
The baking industry is based on relationships, and it’s a core concept for More Than A Bakery. In fact, procuring the Schubert line started from a relationship with The Austin Co., the consulting firm More Than A Bakery hired for its original site selection. More than that, Dave Watson, food, bakery and snacks engineering SME at The Austin Co., was someone Bill and Felicia had known for years, dating back to Watson’s days at Pepperidge Farm.
“We called Dave and told him about this project,” Bill said. “And he told us about several vendors, some of which we’d never heard of, including Schubert.”
This story has been adapted from the October | Q4 2024 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
