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Lots of fun, fascinating machines, and plenty of fine pastries were on the programme last Friday at the bakery machine manufacturer FrRITSCH. All employees and their families were invited to spend an exciting afternoon at the “World of Bakery” technology centre in Kitzingen.

“As a company, we feel it is very important to give our employees the opportunity to show their families where they spend so many hours, and to combine this with a festive get-together where we’ve got the chance to talk and simply to say thank you,” FRITSCH Managing Directors Andreas Eyd and Frank Gabriel emphasized in their welcoming speech. “We are very pleased that so many have come today.”

In addition to tours of the technology centre, the 400 or so visitors eagerly watched demonstrations of how the machines work. On the MULTITWIST machine, experts presented the fully automatic looping of braided lye breads, which were then baked and eaten hot and fresh. The kids’ programme was also all about baking. The young guests got to decorate heart-shaped gingerbread.

At the triennial general meeting the companies of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association elected on June the new board of directors for the individual divisions.

FRITSCH CEO Andreas Fyd was elected as a new member to the board for the bakery machinery division.

The MULTIVAC Group is a winner of the Best Managed Companies Award for 2023. Supported by the Federal Association for German Industry (BDI), the award is given by Deloitte Private and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to medium-sized companies in Germany, which are outstandingly well managed. Christian Traumann, Group President of the MULTIVAC Group, received the award in Düsseldorf.

Medium-sized companies are central to the German economy. The Best Managed Companies Award pays tribute to those family companies and medium-sized enterprises, which are based in Germany and are outstandingly well managed - and it is intended to act as a spur and an example for other companies to shape their own future with the same strategic vision, strength of innovation, sustainable culture and good management practice. During the application process the participating companies were judged for excellence in the following four core areas: Strategy, Productivity & Innovation, Culture & Commitment, as well as Finances & Governance. The precondition for the award is a high level of performance in all four areas. The prize winners were then selected by a jury, consisting of well-known representatives from commerce, science and the media.

“The features of a Best Managed Company, such as the MULTIVAC Group, are a forward-looking strategy, a high level of productivity, a distinctive culture of innovation, and a company management that is focused on values,” explains Dr Christine Wolter, Partner and Head of Deloitte Private. “Thanks to the combination of their appeal as an employer and  established commercial success, these Best Managed Companies have an important "beacon" function in their particular region.”

“We are highly delighted with the new Award, which recognizes our company strategy and the efforts of all our staff members,” says Christian Traumann, Group President of the MULTIVAC Group. “Suc-cess is not a one-way street, but rather it is based on responsible and trusting dialogue and cooperation with staff members, customers and suppliers. We are constantly striving to adapt our range of products and services to the changing requirements of our customers and the market. A significant factor in this success is certainly our wide product range.”

Another reason for the success of the company is its international fo-cus. More than 80 subsidiaries throughout the world are a testament to the company's closeness to its customers. “We are very conscious of the fact, that the world in which we live is facing great challenges. This is why as a leading company we want to make a major contribu-tion in our sector, as well as living our common values and leading the way in the conflicting priorities, which sometimes arise between the demands of the market and the responsibilities of companies for the environment and society,” says Christian Traumann in summary.

Proteins have succeeded in making the leap from niche products to the mainstream. But the entry into this growth market is challenging. What are the trends in products and the market? How do I produce a tasty and healthy product? And how can I design my production to be efficient, sustainable and safe? These and many other questions were addressed in the "Future Proteins" conference, which MULTIVAC and Handtmann held from 1 - 3 February 2023 in Wolfertschwenden.

More than 240 visitors from around the world convened on Wednesday at MULTIVAC headquarters to take part in the "Future Proteins" conference. They were all united in their interest in food products from alternative protein sources - for example Camembert alternatives made from cashew milk, shrimps made from soya, and cutlets made from chickpeas. Food products, which are often particularly delicate, and which consequently have to be processed and packaged in a very gentle way. “The event was a unique opportunity for the participants to learn not only about the current trends in alternative proteins, but also about the latest sustainable and efficient solutions for processing and packaging these products,”says Dr Tobias Richter, Director and CSO of the MULTIVAC Group. “I was very impressed to see the wealth of ideas, which inspire this forward-looking sector, as well as the range of products that arise from these alternative protein sources, and also how great the demand is for sustainable processing and packaging. In short: The "Future Proteins" conference has shown, that we are on the right path.”

Talks, podium discussions, networking - The participants developed solutions for the pressing questions of the future

Over three days the organisers, MULTIVAC and Handtmann, offered the visitors a full program, which was supported by the Industry Association of Alternative Protein Sources (BALPro). This included presentations by outside speakers from the spheres of science, research and industry, which were then followed by podium discussions - on subjects such as product trends, opportunities for market positioning, and ways of reducing the CO₂ footprint of packaging over the entire life cycle. Between the talks the conference visitors exchanged views over finger food and refreshments, while also making visits to the Market Place. There the organisers, together with various players - from ingredient suppliers to film manufacturers - along the entire added value chain, presented a wide range of solutions for the manufacture, processing and packaging of alternative proteins. Events in the evening provided opportunities for networking over communal meals, and these rounded off the daily program of sessions. “The feedback from the conference participants was outstanding,” said Harald Suchanka, CEO of Handtmann. “The visitors appreciated the opportunity to expand their horizons, to network with experts and like-minded people, as well as to develop solutions together for the pressing questions of the future in a relatively new growth market.” Also highly popular was the "Meet the Experts" format. Here more than 60 experts were available for half an hour of individual discussion with the conference participants.

Deep dive sessions: Demonstrations of real machine solutions for processing and packaging alternative solutions

It was the highly practical aspect above all, which made the conference unique. Deep dive sessions in MULTIVAC's Innovation Center offered the more than 240 visitors the opportunity to observe machines and lines at work. The demonstrations ranged from semi-automatic individual machines right up to fully automatic, industrial-scale line solutions from MULTIVAC and Handtmann, all of which featured the processing and packaging of sliced, minced and formed products, as well as other items such as convenience foods and spreads. “We have now completed more than 100 projects in the alternative proteins sector,” says Klaus Deniffel, Project Manager for Alternative Proteins at MULTIVAC. Experienced project managers accompany customers at every stage - from the first idea and design of the concept right up to the final efficiency adjustments by the digital MULTIVAC Smart Services. “Each individual solution is configured independently, so that every manufacturer is supported during the challenges in their transformation of proteins.”

Opening of the first local FRITSCH World of Bakery in Canada

May 20^th, 2022. FRITSCH Bakery Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, a member of the MULTIVAC Group for just under three years, has a worldwide sales and service network of over 85 MULTIVAC subsidiaries. This ensures constant proximity to customers as well as broad market coverage from artisan bakers to globally active industrial bakers.

The next step has now followed as part of the internationalization process. In April 2022, MULTIVAC Canada opened the first local FRITSCH World of Bakery in Brampton, Ontario, after a year of construction. This serves in particular as a technology and test centre for customers from the North and South American markets. The World of Bakery at the FRITSCH headquarters in Germany, which offers customers optimal practical conditions for testing FRITSCH lines, served as a model for this.

A ROLLFIX plus and a PROGRESSA prime (consisting of a DOUGHLINER 700 and a MULTIFLEX L 700) are located in a completely newly built space of 320 m² in Canada. In order to be able to demonstrate the FRITSCH machines in their versatility and the complete value-added process of a bakery under real production conditions, ovens, proofing cabinets as well as professional cooling facilities are available in addition to the FRITSCH machines.

FRITSCH presents the 3rd generation of ROLLFIX

May 2^nd, 2022. FRITSCH Bakery Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, a subsidiary of the MULTIVAC Group, relaunches the centrepiece processing line of its extensive portfolio, the ROLLFIX, now in its third generation. The engineers of FRITSCH have made the dough sheeter even easier to control and more user friendly than ever. The machine design has been updated to make the flour duster easier to remove and the line quicker to clean. “This is our response to the increasing quality requirements of bakers and what they expect from our machines,” says Fred Dorner, Head of Research & Development at FRITSCH.

Because customers’ performance requirements are very different in the artisanal and mid-sized sectors, FRITSCH offers the ROLLFIX in three models. The ROLLFIX basic is a manual dough sheeter that leaves most of the control to the operator. It can process dough portions of up to about 15 kilograms. The computer-controlled ROLLFIX plus offers numerous predefined programs with special rolling factors. This allows extremely gentle sheeting of the dough. The ROLLFIX prime, thanks to its powerful drive system, handles dough portions of up to about 20 kilograms. It gives the operator many intuitive control options, for example for producing thin dough. The dough sheets produced on a ROLLFIX can then be processed further into final products on the VARIOCUT, VARIOFLEX and MULTIFLEX.

FRITSCH presented its first ROLLFIX in 1956 – and thus helped significantly to make the traditionally strenuous trade easier for bakers. The dough sheeter enabled them to easily produce a uniform dough sheet, ready for further processing either manually or by machine. “The outstanding sales success of the ROLLFIX at the time laid the foundation for the company’s advancement, which is still characterised by numerous innovations today,” says Managing Director Andreas Eyd.

April 22nd, 2022. FRITSCH Bakery Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, which was taken over by the MULTIVAC Group nearly three years ago, accepted incoming orders amounting to more than 35 million euros in the first quarter of 2022. “That means we achieved the best quarterly result in the history of FRITSCH Bakery Technologies in terms of incoming orders,” says Managing Director Andreas Eyd. “This also came right on the heels of the extremely successful fourth quarter of 2021.”

One of the leading manufacturers of bakery machines and lines, the company from Markt Einersheim, Lower Franconia, owes the upswing to many factors. In addition to its broad market coverage, from small artisan bakers to globally operating industrial bakeries, it can rely on the extensive sales and service network of the parent group. “Thanks to the worldwide MULTIVAC network with more than 85 subsidiaries, we are always close to our customers,” explains Andreas Eyd. “This means we can provide quick help to each customer, individually.”

To strengthen this network, FRITSCH Bakery Technologies GmbH & Co. KG invited its international subsidiaries to a sales meeting at the World of Bakery (WoB) on 3 April 2022. Andreas Eyd first took the opportunity to thank the 76 participants from 48 countries and five continents for their commitment, without which the extremely positive upswing in business would not have been possible.

The meeting focused on the advantages of the newest lines from FRITSCH. This included the new bread line PROGRESSA bread, which was already sold to customers in and outside Europe immediately upon its market launch. A product demonstration on the MULTITWIST as well as training sessions about the FRITSCH brand and the market for bakery lines rounded off the programme. The knowledge transfer on the subject of dough was made especially entertaining, among other things, by a pretzel-twisting competition. The participants were challenged to twist as many delicious-looking pretzels as possible in one minute. A task that is easier said than done.

15th March 2022. FRITSCH Bakery Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, a subsidiary of the MULTIVAC Group, launches a new processing line: the PROGRESSA bread. Thanks to numerous innovations, it operates highly efficiently and allows great variability of products. It has been specially designed for the best possible processing of breads made from soft dough, a strong trend among consumers. “With this very compact machine, we close a gap in our portfolio and cater above all to artisanal and retail bakers,” says engineer Fred Dorner, Head of Research & Development at FRITSCH.

Depending on product size, the PROGRESSA bread can process between 800 kilograms and two tons of dough per hour – achieving a processing quality and product variety that was only seen before in the category of industrial systems. “With the PROGRESSA bread, you can produce a wide range of breads with extreme weight accuracy and gentleness on the dough. You can almost do without the use of separating agents like oil, which benefits the product quality and keeps the effort of cleaning the system low,” explains Dorner.

During the development of the PROGRESSA bread, the FRITSCH developers and dough technologists kept in close contact with their customers. This included working with those customers at the company’s technology centre, the FRITSCH World of Bakery in Kitzingen. Numerous lines are available at this centre for testing and experimenting with new recipes. “The design of a system decides how quickly and easily employees can remove or clean individual elements or parts,” says Michael Gier, Head of the FRITSCH World of Bakery. Great care was therefore taken to ensure the design would perform as many functions as possible with as few parts as possible, and that the parts can be easily accessed and removed.

“With the PROGRESSA bread, bakers can process pre-cooked doughs as well as doughs with a high rye or water content in the same quality as on a large-scale line,” Gier emphasises.  This makes the new system attractive not only for medium-sized businesses but also for industrial customers: being only five metres in length, it can be integrated effortlessly into almost any existing production hall.

February 9th, 2022

FRITSCH Bakery Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, which was taken over by the MULTIVAC Group two and a half years ago, was able to attract an inspiring increase in orders of approximately 40 percent in the previous fiscal year. One of the internationally leading manufacturers of bakery machines and lines, the company from Markt Einersheim, Lower Franconia, is profiting increasingly from the extensive sales and service network of the parent group, which has been working actively for FRITSCH since the takeover in 2019. Worldwide, MULTIVAC has more than 80 subsidiaries on all continents. “Thanks to the close cooperation based on partnership, we were able to gain a number of large orders despite the continued strain on the global economy following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Managing Director Frank Gabriel.

The global span of MULTIVAC’s sales and service network is reflected in FRITSCH’s order intake. In addition to Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and other neighbouring European countries, large orders were also received from producers in Asia and North America. “We are confident that the global economy will continue to recover from the setbacks caused by the pandemic and that we will continue our growth course under the MULTIVAC Group umbrella in 2022,” explains Managing Director Andreas Eyd. 

“We are delighted to see this absolutely fantastic trend in FRITSCH’s sales. Local and regional experts are already mobile in over 80 countries around the world. This lays the foundation for establishing the bakery segment as another solid pillar in the MULTIVAC Group,” says Christian Traumann, Group President of MULTIVAC.

Given the excellent sales trend, FRITSCH is currently looking for a new location in Lower Franconia in order to position itself optimally for further growth in the long term. Up to now, the company has its headquarters in Markt Einersheim and additionally has assembly halls in Kitzingen. The new building will serve to merge the two locations and create additional capacity. “We definitely want to stay in the region because of our employees, some of whom are highly specialised,” says Eyd. For the new location, the two managing directors are reckoning with a space requirement of 100,000 square metres. The move should take place within the next 3 years.