Tunnock's and Baking Industry Embrace Hybrid Automation to Balance Tradition and Efficiency
Tunnock's factory near Glasgow produces approximately 7 million wafer bars and 4.5 million tea cakes annually, with about 20 tonnes of caramel produced each day. Although much of the factory is automated to maintain competitiveness and increase output, traditional production steps such as caramel spreading—done by a 12-person team spreading caramel in five layers—and wafer wrapping by folding rather than sealing are still managed by humans to preserve product texture and quality.
The introduction of advanced robotics like the HIRO cake-decorating robot arm from Unifiller, supplied via Coperion, demonstrates innovation aimed at managing toppings including caramel. This robot emphasizes hygiene with a design that allows easy disassembly for cleaning and adaptability to irregular cake shapes, thus aiding efficiency while respecting artisanal techniques.
Similarly, the Bread Factory in northwest London, which supplies Gail's, bakes up to 40,000 sourdough loaves daily using 16 tonnes of flour. The baking operation runs continuously, with dough machine-mixed but hand shaping remaining essential to ensure gentle handling and maintain the bread's quality.
Industry experts advocate a hybrid automation approach where automation delivers consistency, speed, and volume, while preserving the human touch on core value-added steps that contribute the ‘soul’ of handcrafted products. Derek Lanoville from Coperion highlights plans to enhance robotic systems with improved scanning, vision, and safety features so they can be integrated seamlessly into customer workflows without being intrusive.
However, investment decisions face challenges such as cocoa price volatility, which has caused Tunnock's to consider delaying a planned £2.5 million equipment upgrade amid the current financial climate.
