Balancing Tradition and Automation in the UK Baking Industry
Tunnock's in Glasgow processes about 20 tonnes of caramel daily, producing weekly around seven million wafer bars and 4.5 million tea cakes. Although much of the production line is automated, tasks such as spreading caramel remain labor-intensive, managed by 12 staff members. The traditional wrapping method involves folding rather than sealing at the ends, with sealing potentially speeding up production but altering the product.
To enhance automation in decoration, Tunnock's is exploring a new robot arm called HIRO, developed by Unifiller (Coperion) with Stäubli components. The system is designed to handle toppings including caramel and is built with hygiene and ease of disassembly as core priorities, ensuring cleanability and safe operation. However, robot systems must accommodate variability in cakes, such as centering, shape, and doming, so automation complements rather than disrupts baking processes.
In London, The Bread Factory (Gail's) bakes up to 40,000 sourdough loaves daily using about 16 tonnes of flour. Machines mix and divide dough, but skilled staff remain crucial for shaping loaves to handle delicate dough and maintain flexibility. A hybrid automation approach is advocated across the industry: to automate where it adds consistency, speed, and volume, while preserving the value of handcrafting and maintaining the 'soul' of products.
Forrester’s Craig Le Clair emphasizes that transformation should retain human elements, applying automation with gatekeeping to safeguard the baking process. Despite plans to upgrade with an investment of around £2.5 million, Tunnock's has delayed this due to volatile cocoa prices and uncertain financial conditions. This scenario highlights a broader tension in the baking industry between maintaining traditional methods and increasing output through automation.
