An hb-technik ingredient management system can be revolutionary for a manufacturer. Doris Prodanovic talks to managing director Gerhard Langrieter. This article was first published in Food & Drink Business April 2021.
The automated hb-technik ingredient management system provides 100 per cent accuracy through its computerised quality ingredient management system.
Hb-technik Asia Pacific managing director Gerhard Langrieter says: “Hb-technik automatically weighs, dispenses, measures and deposits various ingredients for the selected recipes.
“Controlled by a touch screen recipe panel, it can dramatically increase your production while reducing running costs by minimising wastage, costs, automation and improved quality control.”
Manufactured in Austria and established 40 years ago, hb-technik technology has been popular in the US and European markets. Over the the last decade, it has taken off in the Asia-Pacific region. Installations across multiple production lines in Melbourne, Sydney and most recently, Brisbane, have catered for a number of customers, such as bakeries, a gluten-free cake manufacturer, and a protein powder producer for the fitness industry.
Langrieter says the technology is flexible for producers big or small.
“For a customer in Melbourne, we installed five silos, with each silo having 50 tonnes of flour. This was for a larger production site, but we can also help smaller operations who are working with one-tonne silos, or even 150-kilo silos, so the powders can be dispensed into the facility,” he says.
“A major advantage of installing the equipment is that there are no mistakes in the weighing, which means the product is always consistent. Occupational health and safety is also a consideration – bags are no longer taken back and forth on pallets, trolleys or carried manually – it’s all eliminated from the process thanks to the automation, meaning there are labour savings and the cost is no longer needed to be added to the end product.”
For Sean Garlick, managing director of Garlo’s Pies in Sydney, the system has changed his production beyond measure.
“When we built the unit, we built it for the future, giving us the ability to add items along the way. The first component was delivering flour from our silo.
“Consistency and accuracy are the foundations of everything we do, and hb-technik provides that as well as being easy to use for our team.”
Garlick says in the food industry recipes are the pinnacle of IP. Hb-technik lets users store recipes by number rather than by ingredients and name, letting businesses protect their biggest point of difference to competitors.
The unit can also deliver seasonings, thickeners, liquids with great accuracy. “We save so much labour by being able to press a button rather than opening bags and measuring,” Garlick says.
Langrieter says the difference between hb-technik and other ingredient management systems is its superior design and computerised user interface.
“It ensures your end product is produced with 100 per cent accuracy for bulk handling conveying and dosing. The automation of levels and line dimensions can be adapted to each customer’s request to suit the characteristics of the individual food manufacturing business,” he says.
“When we finished an installation for a customer in Melbourne, half of the warehouse changed from storage to manufacturing because of space freed up by installing the external silos. It means the business is now in a position to take on three more lines to cater for the supermarket demand. They couldn’t have done that otherwise because the space was being used for ingredient storage.”
Having the external silos also helps minimise waste, Langrieter says. Ingredients – for example, flour – can go straight from the truck and into the silo.
“There’s no need to remove the product from the packs for such large quantities. It can be directly transferred to the silo, reducing waste and making it more environmentally friendly,” he says.
Hb-technik delivers the correct amounts, dosages, and ingredients at the right temperature and precise timing. It is also purpose designed and built for each client, ensuring consistent quality time after time.
