Freshly Baked Cakes with Maître Paul - Consistent Quality, Day in Day out
The production process is characterized by extremes, such as dusty, humid, hot and cold environments. Quality issues that affect production can arise at any stage, right through from preparing the mixture and baking the base to filling, making up and deep freezing of the end product. The only way to meet these challenges is to work with the very best equipment and tools.
Baking a cake may not be that difficult, but baking large identical batches of cakes is! This is a favourite saying of Engineering Manager Louis Van den Broek of Maître Paul, one of the largest bakeries in the Netherlands.
Maître Paul has been preparing freshly baked cakes and pastries at the company’s own bakery for 25 years. Every day 15 to 20 tons of produced pastries leave the factory; around half are destined for export. The bakery produces cakes, flans, cream slices and other confectionery, all baked using traditional methods and only natural ingredients. After cooling down from the oven the cakes and products are immediately frozen to retain their freshness and to guarantee premium quality at any times.
Maintaining Quality Standards
It became immediately clear with Mr. Van den Broek, that whilst a great deal has changed since then, there are some key things that don’t change. “The Maître Paul product range is always changing in line with the consumer’s preferences and tastes”, explained Van den Broek. “Not only that, the production process is constantly being updated to incorporate new technologies, so as to increase efficiency and ensure quality standards are maintained.” In addition, new marketing and distribution concepts have been developed, such as the ‘bakery to bakery’ principle for make-off (semi-finished) cakes. This concept provides a comprehensive list of high quality semi-finished cakes that bakeries can then fill and decorate in the way they choose to create a personalized end product for the display cabinet.
“The constant in all this”, continues Van den Broek, “is our continued drive for product quality.” The production process is characterized by extremes, such as dusty, humid, hot and cold environments. Quality issues that affect production can arise at any stage, right through from preparing the mixture and baking the base to filling, making up and deep freezing of the end product. The only way to meet these challenges is to work with the very best equipment and tools. For reliability and peace of mind, Maître Paul has opted to install METTLER TOLEDO weighing and metal detection equipment at strategic points along the production line.
Rigorous Checking at Every Process Step
Static check scales are sited at strategic points along each production line. Random samples are taken at set intervals to monitor the actual stage of the process. For example, the cake base baking process is checked before and after the oven and relevant data is recorded.
Quality is assured by weighing at each stage in which a filling, cream or decoration is added. In the past, many of the inline check scales were on a turntable on a stand. This was to ensure ease of cleaning and access for the line operator. The BA449check+ weighing scales now used by Maître Paul are made entirely of stainless steel and meet the IP69k standard for protection from the ingress of dust and water. The scales are easy to use: when the current product is entered, the check scales are automatically set to the correct target weight and the associated upper and lower tolerances. The weighing platform and terminal with integrated stand are the result of consequent hygienic design implementation and make the earlier turntable design redundant.
Fast Manual Checks
The innovative ColorWeight® display on the BBA449check+ weighing scales provides line operators with clear data on quality, and the production process can be adjusted accordingly. The bright red, yellow or green background clearly shows whether the product is above, within or below the target weight. The controls are intuitive and easy to operate and the same type of weighing scales is always used for this task, which means that staff on the line can be deployed flexibly. Van den Broek continues: “The industrial, yet easy-to-clean design enables us to meet our own hygiene requirements for weighing scales as well as those of our customers.”
The BBA4x9 weighing scales can be used when operating under a HACCP, BRC or IFS regimen. To 100% check of final product quality for the consumer, METTLER TOLEDO Garvens in-line checkweighers and Safeline metal detectors have been integrated into the packaging lines. They check all prepared products for the correct net weight and for the presence of metal particles. Pushers eject any products that do not fulfil the quality requirements into bins. “This 100% check minimizes the risk of costly recalls and protects our brand name from negative publicity”, concludes Van den Broek. To achieve this, we rely on the industrial-scale quality, speed and accuracy of METTLER TOLEDO solutions.
The long working relationship between METTLER TOLEDO and Maître Paul is founded on our common goal of achieving the very best quality. Another key factor from our point of view is the fast, professional technical service. “If we have a problem, they provide rapid, accurate and intelligent service and always send the same technician, helping us to control our risks”, says Van den Broek in conclusion.
Source: Mettler Toledo
