These Agriflex solutions minimise human errors in the ingredients and dough cooling activities.
Controlling the dough’s temperature has always been a key factor in achieving optimal and consistent quality of the finished product. Stable and controllable parameters lead to a reduction in time and costs.
Agriflex product cooling machinery uses an innovative technology – patented by Agriflex – that makes it possible to decrease the dough’s temperature by as much as 20°C, ensuring a constant and homogeneous temperature through self-regulation.
The air cooling and dehumidification consists of two units: a shell and tube air cooling unit and a handling unit. In the cooling and dehumidification system, the pressurised air is channelled through the heat exchanger, where it meets a circuit in which the refrigerant circulates. The air then undergoes the progressive condensation of the humid part along the path inside the exchanger. Subsequently, the appropriately structured air handling unit separates and drains all residual condensate. At the outset of this system, the operator can obtain completely dried cold air.
The advantages that our cooling solutions offer are many:
- No mixing
Thanks to the closed circuit, the raw materials are not mixed with ice or other cooling elements, thus being fully compliant with the recipe and meeting health and hygiene regulations.
- No thermal stress
With this automated system, temperatures are always constant and controlled. As a result, the system does not cause risky and detrimental thermal stress to the flour and – consequently – to the dough.
- Simplicity and efficiency
The system is extremely economical in energy consumption, and thanks to its ease of use, it does not require skilled labour.
The product cooling and dehumidification system can be combined and fully customised as well as automated along with dosing, storage, and fermentation solutions.
Agriflex automated systems are also designed according to eco-compatibility principles. They guarantee a decidedly lower energy consumption compared to traditional systems, thanks to:
- Use of engines with a high energy class.
- Insertion of the inverters to manage each motor (excluding those with negligible electrical consumption) to manage the starting ramp and make the motor work in torque
- Insertion of the inverters on the volumetric dosers with the feeding of the flours on the pneumatic transport system for a correct and optimal calibration of the equipment.
- Automation systems designed to regulate the no-load start of motors with high energy consumption.
- Systems to alert sub-optimal working conditions, to recall restoration actions or efficiency maintenance.
This solution eliminates the waste of raw materials and energy to produce non-compliant products for disposal, which has a significant impact on production costs.
They are equipped with:
- Redundant control systems for alarm interaction due to functional discrepancies between the progressive phases to complete our process (we alert discrepancies before reaching the end of our process)
- Automated implementations for production process variables reduction of our customers.
In addition to the above, if we want to talk about innovation, their patented dough cooling system is gigantic (a very common need for yeast and sourdough producers).
It replaces less advanced systems that are much less energy efficient and have much lower yields.
This is because Agriflex’s technology does not cool at the storage level, but we cool the raw material immediately before its immediate use by the customer. Therefore, compared to the solutions proposed by our competitors, we do not use, as mentioned above, daily storage to be cooled and kept cold with the consequent and additional energy consumption. Finally, the competition uses lamellar air jet cooling systems, which are less energy efficient than our fluid cooling system.
The result is significant economies of scale, both in terms of reducing energy and raw material waste, to optimise the entire production line.
According to one of their customers who adopted this solution, once are cooled, the raw materials reach the dosing points on the kneading machines. Everything is fully automated, thanks to our systems, with a significant reduction in labour costs, cooling aids such as ice, and at least 70000 boxes and packaging material, with a positive impact on costs and the environment never seen before.
They would use in summer approx. 10,000 kg of ice per week. With the constant delivery of flour to our mixers at 12 degrees C we only need to manage our water temperature. Thanks to this they have eliminated the need to use ice.
They have also eliminated the cost of producing, handling, and cleaning associated with ice and experienced an immediate improvement in the quality and consistency of our doughs.
The workload for their staff at the mixing stations has been significantly reduced. This has resulted in an increase in hourly throughput.
Agriflex’s customers, as always, positioned innovation and new product development as key components of its overall strategy. Partnering with Agriflex for their material handling gives them complete confidence that we can maintain a competitive advantage in this area. Agriflex’s modular systems mean they can respond to emerging trends with high levels of efficiency and in a timely manner, whilst reducing our environmental impact.
They also aim to be the leading supplier of brioche burgers, buns, rolls, soft breads and pastries on the island of Ireland and beyond.
Producing a superior quality product at a large volume is extremely challenging. Agriflex material handling systems and flour cooling have allowed them to not only improve the overall quality of the products produced but have helped achieve significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact, thereby making a vital contribution towards us achieving our goals.
Agriflex have been designing, manufacturing, and installing systems for storing, transporting, dosing and automating raw materials for food, pet food, plastics, and other industries.
Founded in 1975 in Forlì, Agriflex now has 12,000 sqm of indoor surface area in two national hubs: the Forlì headquarters with production and assembly, plant engineering and warehouse areas – which also includes a branch office where iron components are machined separately – and the production hub in Riva del Po, in the Ferrara area, dedicated to the specialised production of steel components.
Over the years, Agriflex has developed a significant international presence, thanks to its solid industrial and commercial network in several countries worldwide and its widespread participation in major international trade fairs.
Their method goes from idea to design, realisation to installation, testing and after-sales support: Agriflex carefully follows each project, creating tailor-made solutions alongside customers. Made in fundamental steps:
Analysis: They delve into their customers’ needs and strengths, identifying the best solutions to achieve their goals with constant support, from analysis to implementation and after-sales.
Solutions: Every need has its solution. they follow the project from conception to delivery, coordinating the actors involved and responding promptly to customer requests.
Production: They stand out for high-quality, cutting-edge technology and compliance with safety standards. All their equipment is ATEX, CE2023/06 and CE1935/04 compliant, concerning the manufacture of equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres and for contact with foodstuffs.
Thanks to a wide range of solutions and our cross-market experience gained over the years, they are able to store, manage and handle all ingredients – in powder, liquid, fat and granule form – required for the production of recipes.
Especially:
bakery products
- Biscuits and wafers
• Bread and leavened products
• Large leavened goods (panettone, colomba cakes…)
• Pastries (croissants, madeleines…)
• Savoury snacks (crackers, breadsticks…)
• Ready fried products (donuts, empanadas, krapfen…)
• Pizzas and pinzas
Pasta and grains
- Fresh pasta
• Dry pasta
• Cous cous
• Rice and grains
• Brisée pastry, puff pastry and filo pastry
Confectionery
- Cakes
• Chocolates
• Ice Creams
• Glazes
• Candies
• Chewing gum
Creams
- Spreadable creams
• Jams
• Liquid mixtures (pancake, muffin mixes, etc.)
Premixes
- Flour (wheat, wholemeal, maize, rice)
• Cake mixes
• Additives, yeasts and flavourings
Allergies, intolerances and functional
- Gluten free
• Protein-free
• Sugar free
• Protein
Beverages
- Carbonated drinks
- Energy drinks
- Colonials in powder and grain form, fresh and roasted (tea, coffee, hibiscus tea, chamomile, infusions…)
- Soluble drinks
- Alcoholic drinks
Feed and petfood
- Feed
• Kibble
• Biscuits
Non-food
- Polymers in flakes, powder or grains
• Powders and liquids for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic use
