Scenario summary
You operate a continuous-line bread factory: white loaf, sandwich bread, multigrain, hot dog and burger buns. Daily output: 18,000–25,000 loaves on 1,200–1,800 trays per shift, three shifts per day. Standard 18×26 inch (457×660 mm) sheet pans or 600×400 mm European bread trays on bakery rack trolleys. Manual wash bay currently consumes 3 dedicated workers per shift × 3 shifts = 9 FTE annual labour just on tray cleaning.
The cleaning challenge
Bread trays return from the cooling rack coated with proofer condensation residue, baked-on dough scraps, and (on coated pans) accumulated release-oil film. The cleaning must remove this residue without damaging the silicone or Teflon release coating, and must achieve 82°C sanitization documented per HACCP plan. Three workers cannot consistently hit this spec across three shifts; one bad cycle becomes a microbiological reset on the next bread batch.
Recommended PTW-1900 setup
Chamber: Standard 750 × 1000 × 1900 mm. Holds one standard bakery rack trolley with 10–12 levels of 18×26 or 600×400 trays — up to 45 trays per cycle.
Heating: Electric 70 kW. Bread factories typically lack steam infrastructure; electric heating delivers documented 82°C with no boiler dependency.
PLC profiles:
- Standard 6-min — daily proofed-dough residue
- Heavy 9-min — heavy butterfat lines (croissant, brioche if running on same factory)
- Sanitization Only 8-min — allergen reset for gluten-free changeover (if applicable)
Detergent: Food-grade alkaline pH 11.5–12.0, dosed at 1.5–2.0 g/L by PLC.
Accessories: Heat-recovery preheater (cuts electric ~15%), integrated detergent + rinse-aid dispensers, USB cycle-log export.
Throughput: 45 trays × 10 cycles/hour = 450 trays/hour. One PTW-1900 covers 1,800 trays in a 4-hour wash window — comfortable for single bread factory.
Expected ROI with concrete numbers
- Labour savings: 3 workers × $30,000 annual × 3 shifts = $270,000 → reduces to 1 part-time operator × 0.25 FTE × 3 shifts = ~$22,500 annual
- Net annual labour saving: ~$247,500
- Annual electricity cost: 30 kW avg × 4 hr/day × 300 days × $0.15/kWh = $5,400
- Annual detergent + maintenance: ~$3,000
- Net annual savings: ~$239,000
- PTW-1900 cost: ~$52,000 FOB delivered
- Payback period: ~11 weeks
Bread factory FAQ
Q: Will the wash damage our siliconized release-coated pans? A: No — coating damage in bread plants is caused by scotch-brite hand scrubbing, not by mechanical washing.
Q: How is cycle log integrated with our HACCP plan? A: PLC CSV log exports to USB or networked share. The CSV becomes the sanitization evidence in your HACCP plan section on tray cleaning.
Q: Lead time? A: Standard configuration ships 4–6 weeks FOB Shenzhen. Custom chamber dimensions add 4 weeks.