Automation solutions for wholesale bakeries from Güdel

11 Aug 2015

At the iBA, the leading trade fair for bakeries, pastry shops and snacks, Güdel is presenting their accumulated expertise in logistics solutions for bakery products businesses. The German company Güdel Intralogistics produces and installs washing, conveying, storage and automation plants for reusable transport containers, primarily in the food-processing industry.

Those responsible for planning modern production plants are first and foremost concerned with baking goods. There are always new trends and new product ideas. Emphasis on internal logistics can easily slip into the background. But the goods pass through here every day and transporting the goods seamlessly is absolutely essential for successful marketing. The solutions from Güdel offer support, meeting the increasing demands for quality and hygiene, easing the competitive pressure, ensuring sustainable quality and providing long-lasting cost savings.

Güdel automates the processes along the entire transport route. After receiving the used crates, the Güdel plants take over all the steps such as separating the delivered stack of soiled crates, from cleaning to automatic order picking, so that in the end they are in perfect hygienic condition and ready for fresh baking goods.

As soon as the used crates come back stacked on the buffer belt from the production plant, a destacker places them one at a time on the belt conveyor. Then the fully automated process begins. First the containers are turned so that opening is facing downwards. The serves as preparation for the washing cycle and at the same time guarantees they are completely emptied. On the belt conveyors, the crates are sent through a special washing system and afterwards return directly to production for filling or are placed in an empty crate buffer. This can be individually adjusted according to the desired capacity and the customer's local facilities.

The customer can choose between three types of empty crate buffers: Block, gantry or stack storage. In block storage, the crates can be stacked up to seven meters high. A sliding carriage that moves under the frame and which can hold a maximum of ten crates takes care of placing the containers into and removing them from the storage. Up to 1,000 crates can be accommodated by the sliding carriage per hour. Up to 40 frames can be placed one after another to expand the buffer capacity modularly. The crate transport requires only three motors, making the Güdel plant especially low-maintenance and energy-saving.

In gantry storage, the height can be a maximum of four to five meters. The width however can cover up to twelve meters of working space. With a conveyance capacity of 2,000 crates per hour, the output for storage placement and removal is twice as high as that of the block storage.

Stack storage is best-suited for very low-ceilinged rooms. Crates are stored on a buffer belt and are unstacked as needed. The loaded crates can be sorted and commissioned automatically by means of a modular gantry robot. Depending on the requirements of the customer, the combinable single-drive or multi-drive modules are employed. The load capacity of the modules ranges from a few kilograms to several tons. Stacks with goods for individual customers are made, vastly speeding up removal from storage.

At this year's iBA, Güdel is demonstrating examples of their expertise in the areas of washing, storage and transport. This is why three ambitious exhibits are mirroring the motto of the trade fair stand: Logistics and hygiene expertise.