An industrial oven lies at the heart of a large-scale baking operation and any issue with it can stall operations for hours and could even lead to a loss of almost 40% loss of business hours AND revenue. Industrial ovens are a huge investment and going by the “Prevention is better than cure” formula, industrial ovens must be taken care of by following guidelines that extend their performance and keep them going without breaking for hours.
In this blog, we at New Era Machines, as the leading baking oven manufacturers in India, bring our 6 decades of expertise to share some essential guidelines that every industrial oven owner must follow to achieve peak productivity without incurring losses and breakdowns.
8 Must-Follow Guidelines for Maintaining a Baking Industrial Oven
Having guidelines ensures that all your industrial baking equipment performs to its optimal capacity and doesn’t break down during critical hours. Eight of the best practices that must be followed for smooth baking oven operations are stated below.
1. Have Preventive Maintenance Procedures In Place
Preventive maintenance is an often overlooked aspect but a critical aspect. It involves regular inspections, maintenance and following some predefined maintenance work where all the oven equipment can be preemptively checked for any anomalies and repaired and any unexpected events can be stopped from happening. Adherence to preventive maintenance programs, proactive oven inspection routines, avoiding baking oven overheating issues, strict maintenance schedules, and regular inspections related to the replacement of components, cleaning, and testing must be carried out during maintenance schedules.
2. Follow Baking Industrial Oven Manuals
Each Industrial oven is different and the way they are installed and the way the parts need to be handled can be best understood through the OEM manual for the baking industrial oven, hence it is best to avoid voiding baking oven warranties. Additionally, the safety of all stakeholders lies in the correct installation, repair, and maintenance of these high-temperature baking ovens. Hence an important way to check the standard operating procedures and replacement guidelines. Professionals must follow these guidelines to avoid untoward incidents.
3. Keep A Maintenance Log
Each bakery oven must have a monthly, or quarterly maintenance schedule and all the work carried out on the Industrial oven must be maintained in a log file. This can include important aspects like the current operating conditions, date of purchase, history of maintenance, issues faced, comprehensive oven maintenance record templates, tracking past repairs and parts replacements, log system for heat distribution issues, etc. Additionally, this practice helps track the maintenance history and recurring problems and aids in taking proactive measures for efficiency.
4. Cleaning Schedules
Industrial baking ovens go through a lot of rigor and continuous operation and the ingredients used often spill out during operations. It is essential to deep-clean industrial oven grates, remove carbon deposits from oven interiors, and clean the oven regularly to remove any flour, debris, or other ingredients in the nook and corners of the oven. This is essential to keep the vents open and the oven working at optimum efficiency. A regular cleaning schedule of airflow vents, heating elements, seals, gaskets, and oven bodies using food-safe cleaning agents with safety precautions is an important way to ensure hassle-free oven operation.
5. Check Lubrication
Another important aspect that often goes overlooked is lubricating the moving part with high-temperature lubricants for baking ovens. The grease and flour can jam the moving parts like conveyors, and dampers, and they can get stuck in the middle of operation if they are continuously overlooked and not maintained, and it is important to avoid belt damage with proper lubrication. It’s important to include lubrication as a part of a monthly regime, according to the recommendation in the oven manufacturer’s manual. Include lubrication in industrial baking oven maintenance schedules to avoid friction and wear and tear between parts.
6. Temperature Calibration
Temperature precision is a key aspect of the bakery and baking business and knowledge of accurate heat calibration techniques is an important aspect. A slight temperature change can mean baker products getting overcooked or undercooked leading to a huge waste of raw material and losses. Additionally, if the temperature calibration is wrong, it can cause a lot of energy consumption and skyrocket our energy bills.
It is essential to check for temperature and calibrate them if required by adding temperature calibration in monthly checks. Professionals must pay special attention to insulations, cracks, or signs of physical deformities in the oven and take action to address and resolve the issue as it can lead to nonuniformity in internal temperature
7. Monitor Electrical Components
Baking Industrial ovens have sensors, heating elements, and switches that form the basic electrical components and it is imperative for trained professionals to test baking oven fuses and circuits, identify faulty relays in industrial ovens, voltage regulation for baking equipment, and perform safety checks for baking oven heating elements
These electrical parts must be checked for quality, wear and tear, and faults, as any damage to these can result in a hazardous situation and lead to serious damage to equipment and the workforce. Trained electrical professionals must check the connectivity, loose ends, wiring, sensors, and heating elements and repair/replace them if any issue is identified.
8. Recruit Personnel Trained In Baking Industrial Ovens
Industrial ovens differ from household ovens and require experience and expertise in handling them. Employ trained personnel who have advanced industrial oven operator certification, are trained in baking oven safety protocols, and know every aspect of Industrial ovens. Additionally, it is necessary to upskill staff for efficient baking oven handling and guide them on following SOPs and reading the OEM’s manuals.
Did You Know?Regular maintenance of industrial ovens can extend their lifespan by up to 50%. Get consistent product quality, reduce risks of abrupt breakdowns, and get more ROI on your industrial oven with regular maintenance. |
Wrapping Up
The critical bottlenecks in the baking business can be solved by following stringent safety, maintenance, and operating guidelines. Bakery manufacturers need to make SOPs and follow the above-stated guidelines to make the best use of their investments in baking ovens. Following these guidelines will not only cause minimal disruption to the operation of your bakery business but also prolong the life of your baking oven.
New Era Machines stands at the forefront as the best baking oven company in India, offering low-maintenance baking ovens that include gas-fired ovens, convection ovens, indirect radiant cyclotherm ovens & hybrid ovens.
Connect with us today to expedite your journey toward being the next big brand in the baking world.
