As the world’s largest supplier of solutions for industrial bakeries, AMF is equipping all its machines with Siemens technology as standard.
AMF Bakery Systems supplies complete solutions for industrial bakeries. Since the 1970s, AMF’s customers have included fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King and KFC. For Totally Integrated Automation, AMF uses Siemens PLC and HMI automation, motion control, servo drives, frequency controllers and associated components from the Siemens portfolio.
The AMF innovation center has a production line for artisan bread, fully automated by Siemens. Siemens tech enables data to be sent from mixers to the cloud to analyze batches and predict the quality of the dough.
With Siemens, AMF machines keep up with the times so that customers can continue to produce the most diverse products efficiently, while meeting the highest standards of safety and hygiene.
AMF’s award-winning modular oven runs on electricity, hydrogen and gas. AMF also designed a sustainable machine equipped with Siemens PLC and servo drives that dispenses tomato sauce onto pizzas.
Sustainability and innovative technology go hand in hand at AMF. For instance, a new AMF Tromp pizza topping line dispenses exactly the right amount of cheese onto pizzas with the help of edge technology. Peter van Zessen: “Along with gas to fire the ovens, material waste is also a major expense for customers. Dough is not expensive but cheese is. We help our customers run a more efficient bakery every day with state-of-the-art technology. We monitor their systems and give them tips on how to make improvements. We have already reduced various customers’ energy consumption by doing this. It promotes lasting relationships with customers.”
Siemens is also involved in product development as part of the technological partnership. “Our work is industry-related," explains Raimondo Hooft, sales professional Digital Industries OEM at Siemens. “AMF comes under the packing industry which uses the same technology as industrial bakeries. Our Food & Beverage specialists speak the language of the dough machine and we are at home in the world of baking. In Erlangen, we have our own application center for the Food & Beverage sector. We offer innovative engineering and local support worldwide. Together with our partners, we are working towards creating the bakery of the future and our work is data-driven.”
What does the industrial bakery of the future look like according to Edward Tromp and Peter van Zessen? “The Holy Grail is a fully automated, climate-neutral bakery. But the journey to get there will be one of somersaults and loopings. It’s all about the market’s willingness to invest in future-proof, smart technology.”
“Digital transformation is also a strategic pillar for us. With Siemens as a partner, we can make our machines even more efficient, safe, economically viable and reliable. It’s pie in the sky to think that you can do that on your own.”