Rademaker rolls out new flexible ovens

Jos Eijsink, Rademaker sales manager, said the new range of three different ovens plus a hybrid version, all under the brand Multibake, could save bakers anything up to 40 per cent on the cost of a new oven depending on their specifications.

A large part of this saving will come from the ovens' modular design which enables Rademaker to assemble the oven using around a quarter of the manpower and a fraction of the time needed to build a conventional system. Eijsink said he expected it to take about one week instead of the usual six weeks for the company to construct one of its new ovens, due to be more than 42 metres long, in the UK.

He said Rademaker would be able to pass on some of its labour cost saving to customers through prices, but he also believes that the "state of the art technology"​ used in the ovens, including touch screen controls and using modems to link the ovens to the Rademaker Service Department, will improve production and maintenance efficiency.

Each of the three oven varieties uses a different heating system and consists of module compartments: type D uses direct heating from natural gas or propane; type R supplies so-called radiant heat all around the product rather like a domestic fan oven; and type I, also known as impingement, pumps hot air along the top and bottom of the oven at high speeds.

The modular technique has also allowed Rademaker to offer a hybrid version, known as type H, where customers can choose a combination of different heating systems to suit their product needs. "We can install standard modules with different heating types into the main body. Imagine if you wanted the first three-quarters of the product to be baked with direct heat, but for finishing off it is better to use impingement,"​ said Eijsink.

The modular idea, which essentially breaks the oven down into self-containing 'Lego'-type bricks that can be put together to customers' specifications, has become popular in recent years with Rademaker's rivals, such as Britain's Spooner Vicars and APV Baker, already on the market.

But Rademaker hopes it can take a competitive advantage by providing greater consumer choice, and Eijsink believes the group can also do well from the simple fact that its designs offer strong flexibility and use the most modern technology available.

Rademaker will send the first of its new Multibake ovens, a type D version, to its test bakery in the Netherlands later this month, and the company already has an order from customers in Belgium and Britain. For more information see Rademaker​.