To consistently produce high-quality pizza, especially at high speeds in industrial environments, all types of equipment on the production line must contribute at the right time, with the exact process they are programmed to perform.
From the drawing board
The Verhoeven Bakery Equipment Family (BVT Dough Process Solutions, NewCap Industrial Handling Solutions, Vacuum Cooling & Baking Solutions and Bakepack End of Line Solutions) is known for its custom-made designs as a turnkey solution provider. To design solutions for pizza manufacturing, the specialists begin by understanding precisely what the manufacturer is looking for, starting with the desired capacity, followed by the correct end product(s), shapes, fillings, toppings, etc. The necessary process parameters are then analyzed, including those of the dough itself, dough handling, pre-proofing and proofing, cooling & baking, up to freezing and packaging. “When all details are clear, we will look at the available space in the factory. That’s when we start developing customized turn-key solutions,” Maarten van der Coer, Sales Director at the Verhoeven Bakery Equipment Family explains.
To optimize preparation, “Manufacturing times are determined based on the desired capacity and quality, divided by the output per hour,” he adds. With quality becoming more important, longer proofing times are considered, as well as the use of pre-dough and sourdough. Regarding the line’s capacity, everything can be achieved (at a cost): “Automation has a price and the added value should be in balance with the total investment,” explains van der Coer.
Once the design phase has begun, many aspects influence what its final aspect will be. The company determines the design of the line to the wishes of the customer regarding capacity, process and the final product. These parameters finally lead to a custom-made line configuration. “As a turnkey supplier, there are multiple options we can provide, for pizza dough slices or pizza dough slices rolled on paper, pizzas with just sauce or pizzas with sauce and different toppings, fresh or frozen. There are no limits,” he emphasizes, as he shares a recent installation example – the design of a make-up line that allows their customer to produce pizza as well as baguettes.
To the future
Future changes in product variety and capacity are also considered when customizing a pizza line, as the company aims to provide as much equipment flexibility as possible. “We always discuss the expectations/predictions for the future in order to offer/think about solutions to produce higher capacities or different products on the same line, for example,” van der Coer says. Capacities the company provides start from approximately 800kg dough per hour, with its biggest custom-made line for pizzas going up to 12,000 kg of dough per hour.
The company observes a trend for quite a traditional way of making pizza in the market. In response, its latest innovations are mainly based on hygiene optimization and system cleaning. “Time is key regarding cleaning and machine changeover,” the specialist stresses.
To improve manufacturing efficiency, the company recommends using a sheeting line for the production of pizza. “In addition, it is more efficient to use a dough sheet in the pre-proofing process; it is quite thick at that stage, which takes care of a smaller footprint for the proofing systems,” he explains.
Innovation also targets certain varieties – such is the case for Turkish pizza, for which the company developed a dedicated depositing and flattening system. These pizzas were topped with a combination of tomato sauce, herbs and minced meat. No matter what the (current and potential) production range is, a solution can be found to match it exactly.
