Personalized snacks cater to a greater diversity of nutrition priorities, lifestyles and diets, portion sizes and flavor combinations. Either wire-cut or molded, new and changing cookies are demanding flexible systems to support large-scale production.
Biscuits and cookies are a thriving market, estimated to grow from last year’s value of USD 135.21 billion to USD 181.83 billion by 2031 (Mordor Intelligence, Global Biscuits Market). Consumers increasingly favor indulgence in their snack time and better-for-you formulations, with premium and single-serve offerings. European consumers are particularly fond of biscuits, driving the continent’s market share to 27.55% in 2025. But they are popular around the world, with South America on track to become the fastest-growing market over the next five years, according to Mordor’s research. Coming in any type of flavor, filling, shape and size combinations, wheat-based biscuits make up for the vast majority of the market (84.74%); at the same time, free-from alternatives make an enticing, growing niche.
Traditional, dessert-flavored and festive concepts are an important trend in Europe: “30% of consumers in Europe say they choose indulgent food and drinks when they celebrate special occasions, and as a result, nostalgia is greatly linked to flavor and seasonal staples,” Innova Market Insights research highlights, while it anticipates cookies and sweet biscuits to also trend cocoa-free creations and products with health benefits such as collagen-enriched and probiotic biscuits.
RBS biscuit and cookie technology
This breadth in product options calls for a flexible manufacturing setup to accommodate experimentation, reformulation and an ever-growing diversity. Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) supports cookie and biscuit manufacturers with solutions optimizing production across the full line, designed for consistency, efficiency, and product versatility.
From mixing through forming and baking, each system is engineered for the best possible performance based on the specific product characteristics and capacity requirements of the operation.
“Exact Mixing continuous mixing technology provides a highly consistent dough with a fully automated process, eliminating batch variability and manual labor.”
Reading Bakery Systems specialists
RBS offers cookie and biscuit lines, including equipment for all process steps from mixing through baking. Dough preparation can be achieved using either batch or continuous mixing systems, depending on the production strategy and product formulation. Exact Mixing continuous mixing technology provides a highly consistent dough with a fully automated process, which eliminates batch variability and reduces the need for manual intervention. This level of consistency at the start of the process establishes a strong foundation for downstream forming and baking performance.
Following mixing, the dough is transferred to wire cutting or rotary molding systems, depending on the desired finished product. These forming technologies are designed to maintain dough integrity while delivering precise control over thickness, weight, and shape. “Integrated control systems provide operators with greater visibility and repeatability, ensuring consistent product quality and appearance at high production speeds,” the specialist emphasizes.
Flexible cookie equipment
Cookie forming technology is essential for manufacturers looking to expand product variety and respond to evolving consumer preferences. RBS offers a range of wirecut technologies, led by the WCX Wirecut Machine, which significantly expands the capabilities of traditional wirecut systems. The WCX enables the production of standard wirecut cookies, two-color cookies, bars, and filled products on a single platform, allowing manufacturers to diversify their product portfolios without adding additional equipment.
These systems deposit dough directly onto the baking band and can produce a wide variety of shapes and sizes with consistent accuracy. Advanced controls and depositor configurations enable precise portioning and placement, supporting both simple and highly complex product designs. Recipe-driven controls allow operators to quickly adjust parameters and maintain repeatability across product runs, reducing changeover time and improving overall line efficiency. This level of flexibility is particularly valuable for manufacturers producing multiple SKUs or responding to rapidly changing market demands.
For more complex doughs, particularly those containing large inclusions or requiring clean cuts, ultrasonic cutting technology can be integrated into the WCX system. The ultrasonic blade vibrates at high frequency, allowing it to cut through dense or inclusion-rich doughs without tearing or deforming the product. This capability ensures clean edges and consistent product geometry, even in challenging formulations.
In addition, ultrasonic cutting can be incorporated into the wirecut discharge conveyor, enabling manufacturers to cut and crimp bar products inline, further expanding product variety on a single system.
Emithermic oven platform
Oven technology remains one of the most critical factors in determining final product quality and overall line performance. RBS has focused significant development efforts on advancing its Emithermic oven platform to improve heat transfer, process control, and achieve more consistent baking results. For cookie applications, the Emithermic® oven design combines radiant and convective heat with a humidity-controlled product zone directly surrounding the product during baking. This approach provides bakers with greater control over product development and diversity. “By creating a more controlled baking environment around the product, the design enables improved consistency, more uniform color, and better overall product quality,” RBS explains.
The Emithermic cookie oven
In addition, the Emithermic Oven Zone incorporates Thermatec high-radiant panels to efficiently deliver radiant heat energy to the product. Combined with comprehensive airflow management, this results in a more balanced bake and more effective use of energy compared to traditional recirculating or cyclothermic oven zones.
Recipe-driven control systems further enhance performance by allowing operators to precisely manage baking parameters and quickly adjust between products. Automated startup and control functionality ensure repeatability, making it easier to maintain consistent product quality across multiple products running on the same line.
“The Emithermic Oven can ensure balanced heat transfer, which contributes to consistency in baking performance.”
Reading Bakery Systems specialists