Dosetec automates the “pen-and-paper” method at Vaasan & Vaasan bakery in Lithuania

In autumn 2007, Dosetec delivered an automatic flour dosing system for soft bread production to UAB Vilniaus Duona Panevézys bakery.

Flour, measuring and dosing, which was traditionally handled using pen, paper and lots of work time, were fully automated. Mr. Marko Levola, Project Manager at Vaasan & Vaasan, was very satisfied with the cooperation with Dosetec during the project. “A professionally designed system was completed according to the specified timetable. And cooperation, including after-care, has been smooth and productive”, Levola praises.

The hygiene and working conditions at the bakery were significantly improved: flour is transferred inside pipes, and dust collection system keeps the dosing points dustless. And thanks to ATEX compliant Dosetec devices, fire hazard caused by flour dust is now history. Material inventories and bookkeeping are now easier, as the old pen-and-paper method has been replaced by the new system.

Project Manager Levola lists some additional benefits:

  • minimal occurrence of errors
  • decreased waste
  • effective and fast flour conveying
  • less physical work to the bakers
  • improved productivity and total quality

Change from a manual operation to automation gave a challenge both to Dosetec and UAB Vilniaus Duona bakery. The new automation is now making the bakery more comfortable and efficient ensuring a more uniform bread quality for consumers.

In the new automation dry ingredients are dosed from silos to hopper scales in production area by pressure conveying. A total of ten silos are used in two dosing lines. The lines are interconnected by valves, so the operator can order a specified amount of flour from any silo.

The operation is fully automated: the dough maker only needs to order the required amount of flour, and the system delivers it to the right place. The dosing system includes dust collection in each dosing point. The system was connected to existing flour silos, and parts of the old technology could be reused in the new system.

Reliable Siemens control

The control system is implemented using touch screen based Siemens S7 logics. The system creates a batch report about the automatically measured and manually added materials and stores it in PC memory for later use. Vilniaus Duona installed a modem connection enabling versatile remote maintenance.