Production Technology: Depositors
Banking a Deposit: Depositors must be dependable,
precise and versatile, and bakers demand all of this
plus high speeds and few changeovers, without breaking
the bank.
By Lauren R. Hartman,
Editor-in-Chief
Even in these uncertain economic
times, bakers are searching for equipment they can count
on, and they won’t make an investment until they are
absolutely convinced it will be worth it. They seek
equipment that’s flexible, accurate and fast, and can
handle several new product types, textures, viscosities
and configurations, without missing a beat...
Sanitation ranks high
From where Lance Aasness sits, hygienic designs are an
emerging trend in depositing equipment. The company
produces servo-pump fillers designed with sanitation in
mind, says Aasness, vice president of sales and
marketing at Hinds-Bock Corp. All flat surfaces
are angled. Round tubing replaces square, and all
overlapping or recessed surfaces have been redesigned,
eliminating the pooling of water. “Our sanitary pumps
are clean-in-place (CIP) and sanitize themselves,” he
points out. “There are fewer parts to clean, and the
front cover plates are hinged for rapid sanitation swab
testing. The servo-pump fillers are the only machines on
the market that offers CIP with hinged front cover
plates.”
The Bothell, Wash., company’s equipment can
be customized to meet specific hygienic and CIP needs.
Its top-selling machines produce mini or
portion-controlled products, such as mini-muffins and
cupcakes, snack cakes and brownies. The 10-piston
Hinds-Bock 10P-01 high-speed mini-products depositor
has a compact construction and runs up to 1,000 units
per minute. The Hinds-Bock 12P-06 high-speed
depositor allows bakers to produce products for the
portion-control and mini markets, while achieving yields
typically associated with producing standard-size |
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 products.
The machines can reduce costs with accurate filling and
portion control and can improve payback with
versatility, ease of maintenance and operation, easy
sanitation and rapid flavor changeover, says Aasness.
“It’s important to consider speed, accuracy
and machines that are easy to clean,” he says. “They
improve payback with versatility, ease of maintenance
and operation and rapid flavor changeover. Yet some of
the challenges in this market are to design in
versatility that’s user-friendly. The versatility to run
different products with the same machine and the ability
to change the flow and size of the deposit from product
to product is important.”
Aasness agrees that another critical factor
is ROI. “How quickly the return is of the customer’s
investment is achieved through labor savings and
increased yield,” he says. “The equipment produces
product quicker and with features like CIP and rapid
changeovers, customers are on to the next product.
Accuracy also yields a savings by reducing ingredient
waste.”
Hinds-Bock also witnessed a shift in
what customers purchase. “They are interested in
automation to reduce waste and costs associated with
labor.” Aasness says. “Automation reduces costs and
waste, yielding higher profits. Our customers are
result-focused, so they leave the design and technology
to us.”
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