Retrofit for the future

When tried and tested technology is getting on in years, it's time for an upgrade. This is exactly what Backaldrin International The Kornspitz Company decided to do with a palletizing robot solution that was more than 30 years old, which has now been brought up to the state of the art with a retrofit from Kuka. This not only ensures the long-term availability of spare parts, but thanks to the modernization, the Upper Austrian company can also act much more flexibly when required.

The success story of Backaldrin began in Vienna in 1964; today, the headquarters of the internationally active family business is in Asten near Linz. The company employs around 380 people there and produces high-quality baking ingredients that are used all over the world.

Over the course of its more than 60-year history, the company has continued to expand. In addition to the production site in Austria, there are now seven more. With around 1,000 employees worldwide, the company supplies the bakery and confectionery industry in over 100 countries. The range includes more than 800 products, which are processed into bread, cookies and pastries all over the world. These are made from regional raw materials and with the utmost care, many of which are also organic.

Where the original Kornspitz was invented in 1984, the experts are now working on the bread and baked goods of tomorrow. "We not only see ourselves as a manufacturer of high-quality baking ingredients, but also develop new types of bread and baked goods for our customers," says Managing Director Wolfgang Mayer. This is based, among other things, on social changes and nutritional trends, to which the bakery trade must also find answers. In addition to variety, enjoyment and quality, the focus is also on dough management and modern production methods. New ideas and products are constantly being developed, into which the master bakers and confectioners at Backaldrin put their expertise.

Why retrofit?

Since 1995, a Kuka robot had been used in the plant to palletize canisters that had previously been filled with batter in a filling line. However, after almost 30 years of operation, the availability of spare parts was becoming increasingly critical. "The robot technology used had simply exceeded its service life. However, it was important to us to retain both the system concept and the space selected for it, so we decided to retrofit the robot cell," explains Daniel Hager, MBA, Head of Technology at Backaldrin. The advantages were obvious: only minor changes to the existing layout, shorter downtimes and lower costs compared to a completely new purchase.

Once again, Kuka was chosen as the solution: "On the one hand, our employees were already familiar with Kuka's technology, and on the other hand, we have come to appreciate the local proximity to the Kuka site in Steyregg near Linz over the years, for example for servicing the old system," explains Hager.