Converging technologies create new efficiency gains

At Lantmännen Unibake, they think green and focus on reusing and upgrading existing production machines when renovating and improving energy efficiency. With CesTek and Siemens, they achieved more than a 10% increase in efficiency, reduced waste and less wear on production machinery. The solution was CAM operation and testing in SIMIT simulation software.

Lantmännen Unibake produces and delivers frozen bread to most of the world. With bakeries in Hatting, Holstebro, and Hasselager, the company employs more than 350 people in Denmark.

At the bakery in Hatting near Horsens, they faced challenges with a production machine where much of the technology was outdated, leading to more waste and few opportunities for efficiency improvements.

The machine performs a simple task. It serves two parallel lines of dough for cinnamon rolls, first collecting them into long rolls that are then cut into equally sized pieces using rotating blades—a guillotine.

The cinnamon rolls are conveyed via a placing arm, which subsequently arranges them in straight rows. The advanced part of the machine lies in the speed, the texture of the dough, and the precision with which the cinnamon rolls are cut and handled.

Lantmännen Unibake struggled with the old machine, which could not run faster and had difficult troubleshooting due to an outdated PC-based control system.

"It was challenging to troubleshoot because there were almost no error messages. This meant we depended on employees having extensive experience with the production machine to resolve issues," says Factory Manager, Jørgen Rahbek, at Lantmännen Unibake in Hatting and Hasselager, and continues:

"The old solution also had two placing arms, which could not run synchronously. This caused a number of adjustment problems that couldn't be optimized, also leading to increased waste."

Uptime is crucial

For Lantmännen Unibake, it is absolutely essential that the production machine keeps running when there is baked goods on the line.

"We work with living products, so if, for example, the conveyor stops for an hour with bread containing yeast on it, it will rise too much to continue through the other machines. That means costs can quickly add up to unexpected expenditures in raw materials of many thousands of kroner and waste in the CO2 accounts when a batch must be discarded. Therefore, uptime is crucial for us," says PTA Manager, Martin Nedergaard, at Lantmännen Unibake.

Increased production by more than 10%

The new approach controlling the machine's movements was achieved using CAM operation. This allowed them to retain the robust mechanics of the old machine, but optimize it by installing more advanced technology than before.

"The previous solution resulted in jerky movements of the guillotines and placing arms. Now, they move smoothly. It is a huge leap to go from something that jerks and jumps to something that dances. At the same time, the arms now place the rolls very precisely, which is important for the packaging process further down the line," says Programmer and partner at CesTek, Brian Villekjær.

"With CAM movements, we can optimize even further. We have increased both speed and production by more than 10%. Similarly, startup time is greatly reduced because much of the parameters and settings in the old machine are made redundant—thus, we avoid much of the manual adjustment. We have made a quantum leap with the same machine," says Jørgen Rahbek.

"With the new machine, there is also much less maintenance. Partly because the technology is better and thus less taxing on the mechanics, and partly because there are precise error codes indicating exactly where there are problems. With precise error reports, we are no longer dependent on employees' experience with the production machine to fix faults. Now, we get a precise message, which we can solve quickly and easily," says Martin Nedergaard.

The new solution also allows for a quicker startup, reducing waste because adjustments are not necessary in the start-up phase.

Fast implementation and trouble-free operation

"To make sure everyone felt comfortable with the new concept, where 75% of the parameters were removed in the setup, and given the high demands for a short ramp-up time, we chose to run a test in Siemens’ simulation tool SIMIT. Here, the new setup was tested and tried digitally, so we were well-prepared for implementation in the real world," says sales specialist, Jakob Nordtorp, at Siemens and continues:

"With the tool, we could simulate the various processes and see how well we delivered the rolls onto the conveyor in four precise rows to avoid production stops and unnecessary waste. And the solution demonstrated that they were in the specified places."

"The actual startup costs were relatively small because the whole implementation went as planned. If we experience problems, expenses can run up to several thousand kroner," says Martin Nedergaard and continues:

"The whole concept supports our many green initiatives. Reusing the mechanical part, less waste and less resource consumption aligns well with our ambitious goals for CO2 reduction. We want to lead by example, but we also face increasing demands from our customers that must be considered."

From left: Jakob Nordtorp, Sales Specialist, and Henrik Vagn Jensen, Account Manager, at Siemens. Martin Nedergaard, PTA Manager, and Jørgen Rahbek, Factory Manager, at Lantmännen Unibake. Brian Villekjær, Programmer and partner, Henrik Lorentzen, Automation Engineer, and Thomas Jansen, CEO and partner, at CesTek.

Strong partners provide effective solutions

"In choosing partners, it is important that they understand our business, are familiar with our production technologies and can quickly step in and help. We have achieved this with the combination of CesTek and Siemens," says Martin Nedergaard and continues:

"We have a really good collaboration with CesTek, who are upgrading our machines and also deliver good service after 4 PM."

CesTek is Lantmännen Unibake’s partner in areas such as PLC and Motion Control and has worked with Lantmännen over several years. CesTek is a Siemens Solution Partner, meaning they are certified in Siemens products. They can draw on Siemens’ competency development and up-to-date knowledge. Furthermore, the solution is based on Siemens components.

Investment paid off in one year

Lantmännen Unibake is in the process of replacing controls in other departments because it pays off in both higher efficiency and reduced waste. The investment in Horsens has already paid for itself within a year.

"We see great potential in this approach for our entire production system. We are already replacing our equipment in Holstebro and will continue to leverage the knowledge and good results we have achieved here in our other bakeries," concludes Martin Nedergaard.