Ingredient Batch Weighing

‘Always Bagel’ implements V5 Ingredient Batch Weighing System by SG Systems Global. For ‘Always Bagels’, it began in 1985 with one retail bakery in New York, accompanied by three other bakeries in years to follow. Their commitment to excellence has allowed ‘Always Bagels’ to provide customers with the finest boiled bagels possible.

Today Always Bagels has grown into two state-of-the-art production facilities. The facilities enable ‘Always Bagels’ to deliver excellence in quality and value consistently.

To complement their New York & New Jersey bakeries, and introduce batch control for bulk and minor ingredients, Always Bagels made contact with SG systems. They made a well-informed choice and purchased the latest V5 Traceability System from SG Systems Global, managing all aspects of Ingredient Batch Weighing.

Ingredient Batch Weighing in the Food Industry

With recent traceability scares affecting thousands of food companies (all food processing facilities) – food companies like ‘Always Bagels’ need to decide how to comply. Product recalls can be an expensive and brand-damaging problem if companies take the traditional and inadequate paper-trail route.

The Ingredient Batch Weighing combines hardware and software – bridging the gap between the production and  management team. All incoming raw materials are booked in at Goods Inwards and allocated to a bin, based on the system put away rules.

With the daily production requirements finalized, the inventory pick list is generated and communicated with the V5 Ingredient Batch Weighing system. The Ingredient Batch Weighing schedule provides the system with information relating to production orders.

Improved Ingredient Weighing Accuracy

When operators select the relevant production order from the industrial touch screen display, the system details the scheduled production. Each formula is then weighed to a target weight (forcing the operator to work accurately to tight tolerances set by management). The system ensures each element of the formula is precisely within the management set weighing tolerances. This process allows the operator to progress to the next ingredient with accuracy.

All ingredient lot codes are validated and recorded for full traceability. Many formulations have ‘blends within blends’; the system utilizes a multi-level recipe structure. The hierarchical Ingredient Batch Weighing structure provides traceability across all formulations, which are combined to form the finished product.

After the mixing, batching, and baking process, the product is either frozen or sold fresh. Always Bagels has dozens of finished products each with a specific label format. Formats contain descriptions, the latest Barcode Symbology, Ingredient Declaration, and a Finished Batch Number which is fully traceable.

Finished products are scanned at the shipping dock using wireless tablet PCs (Running SG Systems WMS Software). This process allows the picking and shipping process to take place in a very efficient manner. FEFO management creates automatic inventory rotation, ensuring auto allocation of scanned products to correct orders.

The Tightest Possible Batch Control & Traceability

The Ingredient Batch Weighing pinpoints which Lot Numbers have shipped to customers and when. Generating an Ingredient Traceability Report provides shipping details in the event of a product recall.

President & CEO, Anthony Pariti comments, “A great system to gain full insight of your business and make decisions promptly.”

The reports package enables visibility of operator production & yields while reducing workload for the site staff. The Ingredient Batch Weighing complies with food safety legislation. The system allows for our process to score highly with the retailers requiring traceability.

For more information on Always Bagels visit www.alwaysbagels.com