New Technologies Address Key Baking Challenges

A range of new technologies can help overcome some of the wholesale baking industry’s biggest challenges, including on the manufacturing side, as long as strategies are based on informed decisions.

That is the take from two experts on this topic — Dan van der Have, Managing Director, Accenture, and Akeem Babatunde, Director of Continuous Improvement Manufacturing, Kroger.

Those executives — who spoke on American Bakers Association’s podcast Bake to the Future — said the importance of making smart decisions is even greater in the wake of the pandemic, as more companies consider investing in emerging technologies. Key use cases range from food safety to equipment maintenance.

“You really need to know the problem that you're trying to address first,” said van der Have. “It's not just a matter of pursuing a shiny new object.”

The executives were interviewed by Katie Juhl, ABA’s Director of Marketing and Communications, and Hailey Blumenreich, Marketing and Communications Manager.

Technology in the Wake of COVID-19

Many companies found that pre-pandemic technology investments paid off during the crisis.

“I'm sure if we didn't have the technology, our ability to respond to that challenge might have been hampered,” said Babatunde. “We had to respond quickly to make sure we had product on the shelf in the grocery stores.”

Meanwhile, technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) can help by leveraging aggregate data for better insights, such as to enhance baking facility safety efforts during a crisis, said van der Have.

TechCon to Spotlight Latest Trends

Technology will be in the spotlight during ABA’s 2020 TechCon Beyond, a virtual experience, scheduled for October 27. Sessions will explore topics including artificial intelligence, food safety technologies, and breakthrough concepts on process and plant improvements.

TechCon Beyond will feature a presentation by van der Have called “AI 101: Beyond Buzzwords and into the Bakery.” It will focus on AI’s relevance for this industry’s day-to-day operations.

Baking and Artificial Intelligence

AI has a lot of potential for the baking industry, and a case in point is predictive maintenance. Babatunde cited the importance of being able to predict when equipment needs to be repaired before it fails. How does AI play a role in this effort?

“Imagine a scenario where you have a connected plant, a connected facility, and data that's being provided, and you can actually leverage automation or artificial intelligence insights and recommendations for what to do next,” van der Have said. Among the questions that can be answered are “when should I be replacing certain parts and certain equipment, and can I automate decision-making to get the procurement process started in advance?”

Technology and Workforce Needs

Technology has an important role to play in helping to smooth transitions during periods of turnover in baking workforces, such as when industry veterans retire, Babatunde said.

“By digitizing processes and protocols, we can make sure we don’t lose that knowledge,” he said. “This will shorten the time for new associates in our facilities to be trained and become experts on these processes.”

Getting Organizations Engaged with Technology

While emerging technology such as AI can bring great benefits to baking organizations, the big capital investments typically required tend to hold up progress, said Babatunde.

“First and foremost in importance is getting your senior management group to become excited about this,” he said. “The other thing I would suggest is making sure your culture is ready to take this on.”

This process is supported by shifting an organization’s focus from proof of concept to proof of value, said van der Have.

“This means having a business case for an investment and deliberately tracking progress against that business case and demonstrating value to the business,” he said.

Taking the Longer View

The podcast also touched on additional technology strategies, from robotic process automation to Blockchain, all geared to improving the industry’s performance.

Companies have the opportunity to create innovative cultures that benefit from technology investments, emphasized van der Have.

“That means you become a digitized organization with buy-in from the top down, and you're thinking about what are you going to be doing five to 10 years from now.”