Industrial performance and sustainability: key challenges for prepared foods and snacking products

For manufacturers in the prepared foods and snacking sectors, producing egg-based products, puff pastry items, tarts, pies, dairy desserts or plant‑based alternatives comes with demanding requirements. They must deliver consistent product quality while managing an expanding range of recipes and increasingly diverse product formats.

In this context, manufacturers face several key challenges:optimizing recipe changeovers, maintaining high production rates, reducing product losses, securing operations, and sustainably integrating energy and environmental constraints. Achieving these objectives requires reliable, fully controlled equipment and processes.

MECATHERM’s pan-based lines and equipment are designed to meet these challenges. Their flexibility supports production pace while contributing to manufacturers’ industrial performance and sustainability goals in a market undergoing continuous transformation.

Industrial performance: flexibility and optimized production 

To support recipe diversity and the pace of innovation, equipment must be highly flexible. The M-DAN oven stands out thanks to its rapid thermal reactivity: 

• +100°C/ 210°F in 20 minutes 
• –100°C/ 210°F in 30 minutes 

This capability is enhanced by continuous, in masked time cleaning of the trays, which significantly reduces changeover times and ensures precise baking for every recipe, without slowing down production. 

The M-UB vertical mechanization system also offers strong flexibility through its by-passable modules, which allow process times to be adjusted while maintaining consistent throughput. 

The latest MECATHERM equipment can even be connected to the MyMecatherm digital platform. This system provides real-time monitoring of line and equipment performance. The platform also provides visual alerts to help operators anticipate and plan predictive maintenance with confidence and ultimately maximize uptime. 

In addition, the ControlHub offers reinforced support. MECATHERM teams perform remote monitoring for greater responsiveness and continuous oversight. This collaboration facilitates faster, better coordinated decisions for enhanced operational efficiency. 

Transitioning from a semiautomatic process to a fully automatic line ensures consistent process times and stable production. Automated pan handling, which is compatible with all types of supports (flat trays, indented trays, molds, etc.), further boosts efficiency. 

Sustainable solutions: reducing carbon footprint and product losses 

The design of MECATHERM’s equipment fully accounts for today’s environmental challenges. The M-DAN oven optimizes energy consumption through its built-in energy management system and can also be powered by a green energy source since it is compatible with electric heating. 

For manufacturers, reducing product losses and waste is a key priority to boost performance and support sustainability goals. The M-DAN oven’s ability to quickly adapt to load variations helps limit flash-heat effects, thereby reducing product losses. 

The ABI EYE-Q quality control system, which combines vision technology with artificial intelligence, enables early detection of quality deviations and rapid process correction to further reduce scrap and waste. 

For semi industrial producers using tray racks, automated line solutions reduce physical strain, eliminate manual cart handling, and improve working conditions, all while enhancing operational safety and preserving flexibility. 

For manufacturers faced with the complexity of prepared-food products and a rapidly evolving market, lines and equipment need to ensure consistent quality and sustainable production. MECATHERM’s industrial solutions deliver a comprehensive answer to meet these challenges. 

Discover how to optimize your product quality:

Egg-based products