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Improving efficiency in food production

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Food production

Upgrade of production machine at Lantmännen Unibake

Lantmännen Unibake produces and supplies frozen bread worldwide. At the bakery in Hatting near Horsens, the company faced a challenge with a production machine where a large part of the technology was outdated.

The machine could not increase production speed, and troubleshooting was difficult due to the existing control system. At the same time, the solution led to more waste and limited opportunities for optimization.

Instead of replacing the entire machine, Lantmännen Unibake chose to upgrade the technology around the existing mechanics.

Upgrade of existing machinery

In collaboration with CESTEK and Siemens, control of the machine’s movements was modernized by synchronizing the movements with a CAM-based control system.

By retaining the robust mechanical design and instead upgrading the control technology, it became possible to significantly optimize the machine’s performance.

The previous movements, which were uneven and jerky, were replaced by precise and synchronized movements. Guillotines and discharge arms now operate more stably and with far higher precision, which is crucial for the subsequent packaging on the production line.

Before implementation, the solution was tested in Siemens SIMIT simulation software, ensuring a fast and stable start-up.

Results and benefits:

The upgrade has had a significant impact on production at Lantmännen Unibake.

The company has achieved:

More than 10% higher productivity
Reduced waste in production
Less wear on the machines
Shorter start-up time after production stoppages

For a production environment that works with living products such as bread dough, stable operation is crucial. Even short stoppages can lead to large amounts of waste. Therefore, improved uptime has been of great importance for both financial performance and sustainability.

At the same time, the solution supports Lantmännen Unibake’s strategy to reduce its CO₂ footprint by reusing and optimizing existing production equipment.