On-Demand Webinar
Industrial AI: Practical Use Cases for Baked Goods Manufacturers
Discover how Food & Beverage manufacturers in the Baking Industry Segment can use AI to overcome business challenges.
Some challenges are baked-in
Industrial bakeries face a complex set of challenges that impact efficiency, cost and compliance. Balancing the need to increase yield while maintaining flexible production lines is a significant hurdle, as adaptability often conflicts with efficiency goals.
A lack of real-time insight into raw material usage can also lead to inefficiencies and waste, aggravating the impact of high raw material costs on profitability.
Compounding these issues are food-safety compliance risks stemming from insufficient visibility and real-time reporting during production processes, which can result in non-compliance and product losses.
Addressing these challenges requires integrated automation and information systems that enhance operational visibility, optimize resource utilization and deliver compliance with safety standards.
Rising to the challenge
Rockwell Automation offers a suite of proven industrial bakery automation and information systems. Our bakery automation solutions enable close monitoring and control of operations, processes and costs. Your facility gets actionable OEE information for improving your manufacturing operations, reducing variability in your bakery products, and gaining greater visibility into your operations with reduced effort.
Recipe Management
Rockwell Automation simplifies and streamlines recipe management for industrial bakeries by enabling automated, repeatable, and compliant processes. With FactoryTalk® Batch, bakeries digitize recipe execution and maintain consistency across product lines. Operators easily switch between recipes, make adjustments in real time, and verify ingredient sequencing and timing are followed precisely.
This leads to:
- Faster changeovers between products
- Reduced risk of human error
- Improved compliance with food safety and labeling standards
- Increased operational agility when responding to consumer demand
Rockwell Automation solutions help enable bakers to get a consistent product, no matter the batch size or product complexity.
Batch Optimization
Rockwell Automation gives bakeries deep visibility into how their batches are performing through historical analysis, real-time dashboards, and predictive insights. With tools like FactoryTalk® Historian, FactoryTalk® Analytics and MES integrations, operators and managers can monitor KPIs at the batch level.
Benefits include:
- Identifying underperforming batches and diagnosing root causes
- Benchmarking batch performance across shifts, lines, and plants
- Monitoring deviations in temperature, timing, ingredient use, and more
- Enabling continuous improvement through actionable data
These analytics help bakeries fine-tune processes, improve yields, and maintain consistent quality across every run.
Process and Oven Control
Precise temperature and time control are critical in baking. Rockwell Automation enables bakeries to monitor, control and optimize their ovens, mixers, proofers and conveyors through its PlantPAx® distributed control system and FactoryTalk® software suite.
These solutions provide:
- Real-time data on temperature, humidity, and bake times
- Advanced analytics to reduce energy usage and baking variability
- Automated alarm management to detect process deviations
- Integrated control of all process equipment for better synchronization
With Rockwell Automation technology, bakeries gain tighter process control, resulting in higher product quality, fewer rejects and more-efficient energy use across baking lines.
Moisture Control
Controlling moisture is essential for delivering the desired texture, shelf life, and taste of baked goods. Rockwell Automation enables bakeries to monitor and manage moisture content in real time through sensors, integrated control systems, and advanced analytics.
With Rockwell Automation solutions, bakeries:
- Use inline sensors to track product moisture continuously during baking or drying
- Integrate moisture data with oven and dryer controls to adjust conditions automatically
- Maintain target moisture levels for different product types and SKUs
- Reduce overbaking, energy waste, and product variability
These capabilities deliver consistently baked products, reduce giveaway, and improve yield without compromising quality.
In-line Quality Inspection
Rockwell Automation empowers bakeries to detect and correct quality issues on the line, before products reach packaging. Through the use of machine vision systems, smart sensors and real-time control, in-line inspection becomes fully automated and highly accurate.
Capabilities include:
- Detecting anomalies like color inconsistencies, shape irregularities, and topping distribution
- Rejecting off-spec products automatically, minimizing manual handling
- Providing analytics on anomaly trends to inform upstream process improvements
- Integrating inspection systems with control platforms like FactoryTalk® Analytics for continuous feedback
By embedding quality control into production, Rockwell helps bakeries reduce waste, maintain compliance, and defend brand reputation.
Integrated Closed-Loop Control
Rockwell Automation enables true closed-loop control by connecting production systems with real-time data analytics. Sensors, controllers and software work together to continuously monitor and adjust process parameters based on feedback, enabling optimal performance.
Benefits include:
- Automatic corrections for variability in raw materials or environmental conditions
- Consistent product quality, even under shifting production loads
- Fewer manual interventions by operators
- Enhanced traceability and real-time performance insights
By tightly integrating production controls with analytics and MES systems, Rockwell Automation helps bakeries operate smarter, reduce waste, and continuously improve output.
Packaging
Rockwell Automation packaging solutions help industrial bakers meet demand for a growing product mix while maintaining the productivity that is crucial to their bottom line.
Cybersecurity
Rockwell Automation cybersecurity solutions, enhanced by the Verve® Security Center platform, provide comprehensive protection for industrial bakeries by offering real-time asset visibility, vulnerability management and risk remediation, delivering resilient operations.
A Batch of Benefits
Industrial bakeries are embracing advanced technologies from Rockwell Automation to enhance operational visibility, reduce costs, improve product quality and consistency and swiftly adapt to evolving consumer preferences.
Increase visibility to plant OEE
Reduce production costs
Improve yield and reduce losses
Respond to changing consumer preferences
Improve quality and consistency
Improve manufacturing operations
Improve effectiveness and reduce variability of bakery product
Provide information visibility with reduced effort
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