Baking & Snack - October 2006 - 48

clearance allowed production of 1-lb rye.
As of August 1, rye production was back in full operations on line No. 3. "Bottom heat is very important when
baking dense breads, and the stone plates offer the steady
heat needed to produce premium-quality products," Mr.
Gaches noted.
At the front of line No. 4 is a Rheon system to make
up the ciabatta and other high-moisture doughs. A thick
sheet of dough is extruded then cut by rolling knives and
a guillotine. Lines No. 3 and No. 4 both use integrated final proofers with automatic scoring systems. The cutting
action of the scoring system is controlled by a laser beam,
which detects the location of the loaf as it passes on the
belt between proofer and oven.
CHILLED AND READY. Because product styles vary from
small rolls to large loaves, items cool at varying rates. The
bakery uses three ambient spiral-cooling systems, which
have different configurations that allow the plant to give
longer cooling times to larger, heavier products. After
traversing the cooler, par-baked products are deposited
onto wire-mesh freezer trays and move through one of
three inline, tunnel blast freezers. Dwell time averages 90
minutes, but conveyor speeds can be adjusted to accommodate different freezing times.
All products pass through a metal detector after leaving the freezer. Frozen par-baked items are counted and
dropped into waiting polybag-lined shipping cases. Products are stored in the 5-story, narrow-aisle AS/RS freezer
inherited from the existing ice cream plant that closed in
1998. After a period of stabilization in the storage freezer,
pallets of product are withdrawn and assembled into or-

ᮡ A look at the line No. 3 makeup area and oven entrance reveals no sign of
the devastation caused by a 3-alarm fire last November.
ders for shipping.
There's plenty of room for growth at the Woodbridge
site. It not only encompasses a 3,100-pallet, high-rise
freezer but contains more than 80,000 sq ft of plant space
and room already set up for two additional production
lines. The plant currently runs two crews on one shift.
"We are only running at 12% of capacity," Mr. Tredici
noted, "so potential at this facility is tremendous."
Perhaps more than anyone, Mr. Gaches and Mr. Milner are ready for the future. "We have gone through more
changes, trials and tribulations in the past two years than
most companies experience in two decades," Mr. Gaches
said. "But we are ready. We have the right people, processes
and products, know the trends and believe in ourselves.
We've proved there is nothing we can't resolve."
Ⅲ

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