Bernie Joubert, Customer Relations Manager for Technical Systems, discusses how steel engineering expertise is driving performance, reliability and innovation in industrial bakeware
Technical Systems has deep roots in poultry conveying. Which engineering principles from that sector have been most valuable when developing products for the bakeware industry?
With more than 30 years as a global market leader in poultry feeding equipment, Technical Systems has developed strong expertise in steel engineering, precision manufacturing, and high-performance product design. These engineering principles have been highly valuable in the development of our bakeware solutions.
Our global infrastructure, including strategically located warehouses in the USA, Europe, and China, allows us to maintain stock on hand and provide customers with efficient supply and short lead times.
In addition, our team brings together more than 2,000 years of combined experience in steel manufacturing and innovation. This enables us to offer a wide range of bakeware wire solutions, including round and flat wire in various sizes, edging options, bent frames, welded frames, and reinforced frame designs.
Technical Systems also has dedicated engineering teams, each specialising in different areas of product development. Their focus is on continuously improving working systems, manufacturing processes, and product durability to ensure optimal performance and longevity across our product ranges.
Our reputation in the poultry conveying industry forms the foundation of our capabilities, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions and support growth opportunities within the bakeware industry.
When specifying steel flat wire for industrial bakeware, which factors most influence performance, durability and baking consistency?
Material Uniformity:
Consistent chemical composition of the steel ensures predictable and uniform heat transfer.
Tensile Strength and Elongation:
This is to ensure that the flat wire maintains its shape through heat cycles and prevents sagging or deformation.
How do wire profile, edge finishing and coiling affect heat transfer and product release in high-volume baking environments?
Wire Profile:
Flat wire provides a greater surface-area-to-mass ratio than round wire, facilitating faster conductive heat transfer.
Edge finish:
Smooth deburred edges are essential in high-volume environments to prevent edge micro tears and ensure the safety and reliability of automated production in handling systems.
Precision coiling of the flat wire ensures the safe and effective continuous production of the required frames.
What role does customised wire and frame design play in improving oven efficiency and reducing downtime for industrial bakers?
As a market leader in steel innovation, Technical Systems provides agile and customised solutions tailored to the specific needs of our customers. This includes specialised packaging, customised wire sizes, cut-to-length specifications, and unique profile designs.
By working closely with customers to define these requirements, we ensure that the bakeware wire and frames are optimised for their production processes. Supporting documentation can also be provided to meet customer requirements and assist with import licensing where necessary.
Our manufacturing processes are specifically designed to produce high-performance bakeware wire that contributes to improve unnecessary weight that optimise the thermal mass of a frame which means the oven spends less energy heating the equipment and more time on baking products.
While certain aspects of our production process form part of our confidential intellectual property, we are confident in the quality and reliability of our products and provide a 10-year guarantee across our range.
How should industrial bakers decide between carbon steel and stainless-steel bakeware for different production needs?
The decision should be based on the specific operational requirements of the bakery, as both materials offer distinct advantages and disadvantages. Carbon steel provides superior thermal conductivity and is more cost-effective; however, it is susceptible to corrosion. Stainless steel, on the other hand, offers greater durability and resistance when working with acidic ingredients and under intensive cleaning protocols, but it is significantly more expensive. Therefore, factors such as cost, cleaning procedures, and the types of ingredients used should be carefully considered to make an informed decision.
Consistency is critical at scale. How does Technical Systems ensure reliable quality across large production runs of bakeware components?
Over the years, Technical Systems has developed a robust quality control system with well-defined procedures and protocols to ensure consistent product specifications across all production runs.
During production, all products are inspected against the required specifications. If a product falls outside the specified tolerances, it is immediately documented as a non-conformance and transferred to the relevant department for further evaluation. A corrective inspection process is then implemented to ensure that the correct wire specifications are applied to the specific job card before production continues.
Once production is completed, finished goods undergo a final quality inspection. Only products that meet all specification requirements are cleared and transferred to the finished goods warehouse for dispatch.
Quality remains a top priority for Technical Systems. Our customer complaint database shows that over the past 10 years, only 0.05% of our total products have been reported as non-conforming where Technical Systems was responsible for the claim. This reflects our strong commitment to maintaining high-quality standards and consistent product performance.
