Advanced Automation, LLC, in Riverdale, New Jersey, is an automation systems manufacturing company specializing in creating solutions for companies in need of more efficient automated processes.
One such need is in the baking industry. Food associations, such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Safe Quality Food (SQF) and the American Institute of Baking (AIB), are setting stricter regulations on tracking ingredients from their origin, to the warehouse, to the manufacturer, and ultimately to the retailer. With these increasing regulations and food safety requirements, many bakeries find it difficult to efficiently produce quality baked goods that are still affordable to consumers.
Batch Process Analysis System
In late 2008, Advanced Automation developed the Batch Process Analysis system (BPA©) geared specifically toward the baking industry to substantially improve the production process. BPA assists users in following common regulatory requirements and food safety practices, as well as automatically aid in analysis of inventory and product expenditures.
BPA is a minor-ingredient batching system with a very small footprint; taking no more room inside a bakery than work benches regularly used today. The modular system is designed to not only save space but also be time and cost-efficient.
The expandable system is equipped with stainless steel ingredient hoppers which are mainly controlled by two DirectLOGIC D2-260 PLCs and an industrial PC. User-friendly SCADA software tracks and records the activities of daily production runs, allowing bakeries to adhere 
to the very strict standards set forth by the food associations. This SCADA technology also enables users to trace individual recipe batches back to unique lot numbers.
By integrating major ingredients, such as flour, oil, and water, along with the minor ingredients, bakeries can easily repeat the desired outcome every time. The software also allows users to easily set production schedules as well as create new recipes with a few simple keystrokes.
Due to the precision of BPA, many bakeries using this system have been pleased with increased productivity and efficiency. They are assured that information being conveyed to the end user is accurate at all times. The SCADA software populates all production activity which can then be easily sorted to answer various queries, allowing information to be traced from the manufacturer to the retailer.
Recently, Advanced Automation demonstrated BPA at the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas. Companies of all sizes showed great interest in how BPA allows 
for batching and mixing of minor ingredients. Until now, it has been cost-prohibitive to replace manpower with automation; therefore, many facilities still perform much of the micro batching by hand. With BPA, human hands are virtually no longer required to complete recipes.
Companies were further impressed that the entirely automated micro batching system, integrated with major ingredients, has the ability to track all ingredients and activities from the individual ingredients’ lot numbers to the end user.
Marcelo Tise, president of Advanced Automation, stated, “We at Advanced Automation believe in the philosophy of ‘Eating with a small spoon.’ We are able to offer this to our customers because AutomationDirect offers good products at fair prices along with superior technical support, which we pass on to our customers.”
To learn more about Advanced Automation, LLC, visit:
www.advancedautomation1.com or call 973-831-2059.
To learn more about programmable control, click here.
Disclaimer: AutomationDirect does not guarantee the products described in this article are suitable for your particular application, nor do we assume any responsibility for your product/system design, installation, or operation.
Originally Published: Dec 1, 2011