Automation + Sustainability = A Killer Combination
Anthony Martin loves that every day brings new challenges. Most of those challenges fall neatly into two categories. “Good bread depends on time and temperature,马丁说. As Plant Manager for Lynchburg Organic Baking Company, 鲜花食品面包店, Martin says environmental conditions can trigger process adjustments—”especially when you’re working with organic ingredients.”
最近, fewer of those adjustments are required, thanks to an expansion and facilities adjustment three years ago that automated a significant number of the bakery’s processes. “It makes our employees’ jobs easier,马丁说. “The less manual labor, the likelier they are to stay—and to stay committed. It also allows for a more efficient process because it takes human error out of the equation.”
可持续发展的一部分
Flowers Foods produces beloved brands, 就像大自然一样, 想知道, Tastykake, 阳光, Merita, 和兔子. 但在林奇堡有机烘焙公司.,重点是戴夫的杀手面包. Their products include 21 Whole Grains and Seeds, 好种子, 做得好的白面包, 力量的种子, 100%全麦.
Sustainability is a huge focus for the bakery, which has been recognized by the EPA with Energy Star certification. 换句话说, they rank in the top 25 percent of similar facilities across the nation for energy efficiency.
“Each week at the bakery’s staff meetings, we get an ESS (Environmental, Safety & 可持续性)更新,”马丁说. “在升级了整个面包店之后, we achieved a 64 percent water reduction and 22 percent drop of energy overall.”
A new oven oxidizer paired with a glycol loop contributed toward the energy advancements. “In the past, you’d have to operate the boiler to generate the steam for the proof box. 氧化剂减少了热量, 乙二醇循环回收废热, 不需要锅炉,他解释道.
The old 300 horsepower fixed-speed air compressor was replaced with a high-efficiency 150 variable speed air compressor— “which runs on average at about 40 percent capacity,马丁说。.
最后, 他们加了鼓风机来清洗锅, which eliminated the use of compressed air and made for a more efficient refrigeration system.
“Throughout the entire expansion and facilities adjustment, the plant was designed with sustainability in mind,马丁说.
事业建设者
When Flowers Foods acquired Dave’s Killer Bread in 2015, the Second Chance program was an integral part of the brand’s hiring strategy. Second Chance employment gives applicants with a criminal record access to a broader network of opportunities. Managers hire the best candidate, regardless of their criminal background. “With many jobs Flowers offers, it’s not about your history. It’s about what you can do here, inside these four walls,马丁说. “I’ve had the privilege of working with a few Second Chance hires—some of the most respectable and dedicated employees I’ve worked with. 因为他们得到了第二次机会, they had an opportunity to come in and achieve their goals and advance in the company. 每个人都应该有第二次机会.”
Martin has been with Lynchburg Organic Baking Co. 15年来. 在那个时候, he’s risen through the ranks from Production Supervisor to Quality Manager to Production Superintendent. Later, he traveled from bakery to bakery helping plants’ Manufacturing Support team. “During this time, I gained a lot of insights on how other processes and operations run.”
Martin appreciates Flowers’ commitment to automation and facilities enhancements—benefits that have a direct pay-off.
Rather than playing a tactical role, for example, employees have the bandwidth to be strategic. The Lynchburg bakery has implemented Flowers’ Bakery of the Future initiative, which tracks the entire baking process from start to finish. “We can look at a lot of data and use it to work toward better efficiency, 更少的废品, 更好的产品,马丁说.
Good bread may depend on time and temperature, but the secret ingredient? Martin’s happy to fill us in: “The people on the floor baking each loaf with 100-percent Lynchburg Pride—in each and every loaf.”
Robin Sutton Anders is a Greensboro, N.C.-based writer and the managing editor of 绿字通讯.