GEA Bakery Plug And Play ovens.
Efficient installation and improved lead time to production: the advantages of GEA Bakery Plug&Play ovens.
In the dynamic landscape of the bakery industry efficiency and speed represent a fundamental shift in how bakers approach their production process. To assist customers in overcoming complexities in the installation process, hence reducing downtime, GEA Bakery has been offering the possibility of preassembling modules at the production facility in Verona.
A time-efficient solution.
“The aim of plug & play ovens is to speed up the installation process, in order to reduce production downtime at the customer facility” says Massimiliano Annoni - Site Manager (Colognola ai Colli - VR, Italy). “Pre-assembled ovens are a great way to ensure a high-quality installation phase of our ovens, given that it is mainly carried out at our own facility” he continues.
To better understand the advantages of pre-assembled oven modules, let us consider the installation of a 65 m long oven with a width of 1.2 m. For a conventional disassembled oven, and taking into account factors such as conveyor belts, heating systems, and fuel type, the estimated installation time is approximately 45 days. With the Plug-and-Play solution, installation time can be reduced to about 20 days, corresponding to a reduction of approximately 56%.
When it comes to electric ovens, installation time can be reduced by up to 70%, based on a reference 90-meter-long electric oven with seven baking zones.
This example refers to mechanical assembly and electrical connections only; the commissioning phase is not included in the calculation.
Samuele Dal Ben - Director Installation & Commissioning - gives some insights on what the advantages in terms of time management are with a recent oversea customer case: “We shipped a 124 m long oven to Indonesia with a width of 1.6 m. All 58 modules were positioned in just five days, allowing electricians to work simultaneously with the mechanical team on the oven. This represented a major advantage, ensuring a significantly faster installation process”.
Advantages.
Less costs, bigger profits.
The preassembled modules not only streamline the installation process but also substantially reduce production downtime for customers. The time-efficient nature of Plug&Play ovens is exemplified by the remarkable reduction in installation time, as illustrated by the example of a 65-meter oven installation decreasing from an estimated 45 days to just 20 days. This time-saving advantage extends to electrical operations, as demonstrated by the rapid assembly of a 124-meter oven in Indonesia in just five days.
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Reduced cost for the baker.
With plug & play ovens, the cost of manpower is significantly reduced: the total number of people that work on the line is reduced, both for mechanics and electricians, but most importantly the need of highly specialized personnel is not fundamental anymore, because the most complex operations are carried out during the in-house pre-assembly of the modules.
Increased safety standards.
By installing Plug-and-Play ovens, the baker does not manage rock wool to insulate the baking chamber anymore. This is a very important aspect in terms of safety for the operators, but it also guarantees less costs for the producers because the workers need less personal protection equipment. In addition, the lack of rock wool management allows not to partition the production environment to avoid the risk of contamination with other production lines that are running during the installation process.
Key advantages at a glance.
With reduced installation time, lower manpower requirements and a safer on‑site process, Plug‑and‑Play ovens deliver measurable benefits for bakery operations. Below is a quick overview of the key advantages.
| Advantages | Key features |
|---|---|
| Rapid installation | Plug-and-Play modular design reduces installation time by up to 70% |
| Reduced production downtime | Faster installation enables quicker restart of production and reduced intervention cost |
| Lower manpower costs | Reduced number of mechanics and electricians required on-site |
| Reduced need for specialized staff | Complex operations completed during in-house pre-assembly |
| Improved safety standards | No handling of rock wool insulation on-site for safer, cleaner installation |
“Every project has its own story, but the common trait is that plug and play ovens allow to anticipate the electrical operations, which is very important to save time in the installation process”.
Samuele Dal Ben
Director Installation & Commissioning
Ask the GEA Expert
We are close to our customers. If you want to discover the full potential of the new Plug&Play system and understand how this new solution can fit into your project, GEA experts will always be at your side to design the winning solution together with you.
