Fritsch Launched Two New Bread Lines at iba
“Hygienic, compact, flexible”. This was the motto for FRITSCH’s exhibition at iba 2023. The stand in Munich featured two new bread lines as well as the newly developed vacuum cooling system.
Also new this year was that it was the first iba joint appearance as the MULTIVAC Group in the new corporate design. Tobias Richter, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) of the MULTIVAC Group and Andreas Eyd, Managing Director of FRITSCH, kicked off the exhibition in a press conference, where they explained the corporate strategy and how it represents an added value for the customer.
“MULTIVAC is a group of individual companies and specialized business units. We are a strong and reliable partner to our customers, able to offer consulting expertise in a very wide range of industries. Our processing and packaging solutions from one source guarantee a high level of operating security, process reliability and best possible performance,” said Dr. Tobias Richter, detailing the customer benefits at the press conference.
“Our broad knowledge of the technologies and applications in the various industries is
combined with the portfolio and engineering know-how of MULTIVAC – and that presents a real added value for our customers, especially when it comes to fully integrated production lines. By bringing our corporate design under one umbrella, we make this advantage even clearer.”
With a turnover of around EUR1.5bn in 2022, an increase of 8.7%, MULTIVAC is maintaining its growth course. The company has also invested in establishing local FRITSCH application centers, with the consistent aim of being close to the customer. As an example, they have launched World of Bakery centers locally in both Canada and Japan.
Another project in the pipeline is the construction of a completely new company headquarters for FRITSCH. It will be home to Administration, Production, Assembly and the World of Bakery. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025.
New production line IMPRESSA bread: space-saving and hygienic
In the second part of the press conference at the trade fair, FRITSCH Managing Director Andreas Eyd explained the innovations. Two bread lines – the PROGRESSA and the IMPRESSA bread – were exhibited at this year’s iba. “The compact production line PROGRESSA bread was already presented last year in its new hygienic design. With a new round molder, the line now offers even more possibilities than before. The new controller makes the line easy and intuitive to operate. The IMPRESSA bread is a paragon of consistent advancement and the implementation of hygiene standards to meet industrial requirements,” Andreas Eyd explained.
With an open design and removable modules, the IMPRESSA bread is readily accessible, making it quick and easy to clean. Important components such as the conveyor belt table of the Soft Dough Sheeter and the Soft Dough Roller have been made mobile and can be cleaned in the washing area. The modular design of the IMPRESSA bread also means it can be made ready for new products fast and without tools.
On top of all this, the IMPRESSA bread is extremely space-saving. “The new IMPRESSA saves nearly five meters in length. This makes the line much more compact and is an enormous advantage for bakeries, where space is usually a scarce commodity,” emphasized FRITSCH Managing Director Andreas Eyd.
One of the things making the line shorter is new rolling technology, which produces a highly uniform dough sheet with extremely defined edges without shearing forces or the use of separating agents. This reduces scrap dough to a minimum throughout the rest of the process.
The use of Smart Services for preventing unplanned line downtimes rounds off the new, highly efficient bread line.
Vacuum cooling: packaging immediately after baking
Two packaging machines were presented at the FRITSCH stand. One was the R 085 e-concept thermoforming packaging machine, a solution for the efficient packaging of bakery products in small batches. This proven entry-level model can process not only conventional flexible and rigid films but also sustainable materials. Another advantage: the compact all-rounder requires only a small footprint, is exclusively electric and has no need for compressed air or cooling water. This makes it highly versatile in the production area.
Also demonstrated in Munich was MULTIVAC Cooling@Packing, a vacuum system for cooling bakery products, which enables sensitive bakery products to be packed without compromising on quality. Packing the products immediately after baking achieves greater freshness and longer shelf life. It also saves energy costs for cooling the products and increases production capacity thanks to shorter baking times. Last but not least, the solution takes up much less space in the bakery.
The Flowpacker W 510, a universal flowpacking solution, was also exhibited. It is the first in its class with a complete wash-down design. In the bakery sector, the W 510 is ideal for flowpacking products such as dough, convenience foods with strict hygiene requirements, airline meals or gluten-free products.