Reading Bakery Systems names Phillip Stringer Director of the Science and Innovation Center
Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of snack production systems, has named Phillip Stringer Director of the RBS Science and Innovation Center (S&IC). In his new role, Phillip will oversee all aspects of the Science & Innovation Center, ensuring effective and efficient use of facilities and staff.
“We are pleased to welcome Phillip Stringer to the RBS Family. His technical, operational, and process development background make him a great addition to the S&IC team to optimize and lead our innovation operations. I have no doubt he will build upon the S&IC’s performance record in quality, delivery, and customer experience excellence.” said Travis Getz Vice President, Operations.
Prior to joining Reading Bakery Systems, Stringer held positions in technical operations for Nature’s Bakery, process development at Pharmative, as well as a research associate for the U.S. Department of Energy.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama and an MBA from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri as well as certifications in pharmaceuticals and lean manufacturing.
For more information about Reading Bakery Systems market leading innovation or employment opportunities, please visit: readingbakery.com.
Reading Bakery Systems Announces Industry Veteran John Eshelman to Retire
Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of snack production systems has announced that after 30 years with the company, John Eshelman, director of pretzel & snack equipment sales, will retire on March 31st.
Since 1992, John has been an invaluable contributor to the company’s growth while enriching the lives of everyone he has worked with. John has held numerous employment positions during his tenure at RBS. Currently leading pretzel and snack machinery sales, John’s previous roles include Manager of Technical Service, Plant Manager, Director of the E.I. Groff Technical Center (the original RBS Science & Innovation Center), as well as Director of Technical Sales.
Because of his various experience noted above, John is not only an expert in pretzel and snack processes and equipment, but also has served as an exceptional resource for his customers and colleagues over the years.
“John is a true team player, said Joe Zaleski, President, RBS. Zaleski continued “We want to thank John for his many years of service, his many contributions to the company, and his commitment RBS and its customers. It is with many wonderful memories that we wish John all the best in a well-deserved retirement. Congratulations!”
RBS Continues Its Virtual Snack Seminar Series
RBS is excited to announce the start of our Virtual Snack Seminars for 2022.
Covid-19 has continued to cause the cancellation of trade shows and in-person events, but we will continue to bring our innovations to you virtually! The RBS Snack Seminar Series in 2022 will continue to feature innovations in processing technologies and new snack products. We have an exciting list of developments for this upcoming year. These virtual events allow you to see the latest from our team in the comfort and safety of your home or office. We hope to be back in person soon, but until then, we will see you on-screen!
We look forward to connecting with you… virtually!
Snack Innovation: A New System for Baked Pita Chips & More
- Date/Time: April 21, 2022 at 11 AM EST
- Presenters:
- Nico Roesler, North American Pretzel & Snack Equipment Sales Manager
- Ken Zvoncheck, Director of Process Technology
- Mike Kriegermeier, Senior Vice President of American Engraving
- Brian Clark, Regional Sales Manager of Urschel
Previous virtual seminars:
Sustainable Processes for Industrial Baking of Food Products
2021 Virtual Seminars:
- Improve Your Cookie Process with Continuous Mixing
- Solving Side-to-Side Variation in your Baking Process
- Better Baking Begins Here: Snack Oven Theory, Setup & Execution
- Validating Your Product Using the SCORPION®2 Profiling System
- See Snack Innovation In-Action: Gluten-Free High Protein Cracker Crisp and a High Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie with Superfood Quinoa
- Maximizing Product Throughput Using the SCORPION®2 System
- Understanding Rapid Hydration and How It Can Help Improve Your Mixing Process
2020 Virtual Seminars
- Innovations in Healthy Sheeted Snack Production
- New Emithermic Oven Zone for Better Baking of Biscuits and Cookies
- Continuous Mixing for Snack Foods: Why Continuous Mixing May be a Better Choice for Your Operation
- Continuous Mixing for Bread and Buns
- Automated Production Systems for Baked Pet Treats & Pet Food
- Popped Snack Production: Create Tasty, Healthy Snacks that Burst with Flavor
- Bake Perfect Product with the SCORPION 2 Profiling System
- RBS eZone: An Easier Way to Request Parts and Maintain Your Equipment
- See Snack Innovation In-Action: New Peanut Butter Filled Cheese Cracker and Gluten-Free Crisp developed at the RBS Innovation Center
New RBSConnect Platform Expands Capabilities and Service Level Offerings
Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of snack production systems, announced the expansion of capabilities and services offered by RBSConnect, their proprietary Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform.
RBSConnect from Reading Bakery Systems provides the latest in innovative, custom designed control systems. RBSConnect facilitates better communication, coordination of the operations and the ability to collect and analyze data. These systems allow you to monitor real-time information, as well as provide you with preventative maintenance information, key performance indicators, alarm history and trending. This information will help you replace parts and discover potential machine problems before they result in costly downtime.
“RBSConnect offers a full suite of innovative solutions to empower customers to maximize their system controls, optimization and management. It’s an exciting blend of manufacturing automation, intelligence and analytics. Resulting in customers achieving tomorrow’s baking systems performance goals, today.” said Shawn Moye Vice President of Sales, RBS.
RBSConnect offers two service levels designed for varying operational sizes and sophistication. The platform provides a full suite of IIoT capabilities “out of the box” for traditional baking requirements as well as RBSConnect 2.0 for companies with more advanced operational needs.
RBS assembles all control systems in-house and handles every phase of the project from architecture through installation and commissioning; a true IIoT turnkey solution.
RBS Announces New Virtual Innovation Center Trials For Product Development and Testing
Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of baked snack production systems, announces the expansion of their Science & Innovation Center’s product development and equipment testing capabilities by offering new Virtual Trials and hiring additional food technologists.
“While businesses are still being impacted by pandemic-related restrictions, consumer demand for new and healthier snack foods has accelerated. In so, we needed an efficient and effective way to serve our customer’s ever-changing product innovation and development efforts with the expertise they expect from RBS.” said Travis Getz, Vice President of Operations for RBS.
RBS Virtual Trials provide remote access to the Science & Innovation Center’s capabilities including product development, equipment testing and demonstration, and production of samples. Expanding our staff of experienced food technologists will help guide these Virtual Trials for customers and provide invaluable on-site expertise.
“Full access, multi-media content is shared in real-time, just as it would be if the customer were with us on-site, regardless of their physical location around the globe.” Getz continued. “There are multiple benefits of the virtual offerings, including no travel costs, and reduced coordination and time commitments.”
The RBS Virtual Trials result in a more efficient product trial, by simplifying communications, operations, and approval of the products and process. During the trial, participants communicate with the RBS team by video conference, view the production floor from wide-angle cameras, capture discrete video and still images, receive reports capturing process settings, and can have product samples shipped for analysis.
RBS is actively recruiting food technologists and any interested, experienced professionals are invited to apply.
The RBS Science & Innovation Center is currently open and available for in-person product testing as well. RBS complies with all state and local pandemic protocols for personnel safety.
RBS launches Online Portal for Improved Parts & Service Support
Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), a leading manufacturer of industrial baking systems for the production of baked snacks, launched the RBS eZone, an online portal for improved parts & service support.
The RBS eZone offers customers an easier way to request parts and maintain their equipment. The system gives you access to 3D models of your equipment to easily find parts and see how to disassemble and service the machines. This makes maintenance easier and parts ordering much more accurate.
The RBS eZone also gives customers access to digital copies of equipment manuals, schematics and maintenance videos.
“We are excited to offer our customers around the globe an easier and more accurate way to request parts, and access to critical information to maintain their equipment,” said Mark Priar, director of parts and service sales, RBS. “It was important for us to provide 24/7 online access so customers have information immediately when they need it.”
Exact Mixing Awarded Patent for Hydrobond Technology®
Exact Mixing, the leading supplier of innovative continuous mixing solutions, has been awarded patent protection for their Hydrobond Technology® by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Originally unveiled in 2017, Hydrobond Technology delivers instant, even hydration of a dry ingredient stream (typically flour) before it enters the mixer. This uniform hydration is accomplished without adding heat to the dough, and results in shorter mixing time, with less energy required.
“This patent represents a major breakthrough in dough mixing. Rapid hydration is advanced technology to make bakery doughs faster, with more uniform moisture distribution, and with less energy,” said Jim Warren, vice president of Exact Mixing at Reading Bakery Systems.
Hydrobond Technology mixes dough on a particle‐to‐particle basis. When used with a continuous mixer, Hydrobond Technology speeds up the continuous process allowing for the use of a shorter mixer, which means a smaller footprint as well as lower equipment costs, and lower energy costs. Hydrobond Technology can also be used with a pre‐hydration system to mix particles of flour, minors and water directly into a brew holding tank.
The Exact Mixing Hydrobond Technology can be retrofitted to existing batch mixing and continuous mixing systems.
RBS Introduces Its Virtual Snack Seminar Series
RBS is excited to announce our Virtual Snack Seminar Series.
We all know that trade shows have been cancelled, but our innovation hasn’t. While we can’t be together as an industry, we can get together ‘virtually’ and RBS has organized an online series to keep you current on industry trends and educate you on the latest snack solutions.
The RBS Snack Seminar Series will feature webinars highlighting innovations in processing technologies and snack products. These virtual events allow you to see the latest from our team in the comfort and safety of your home or office.
Please see the list below of upcoming webinars. We will update the list as new events are scheduled. If you can’t make the scheduled time, a link will be available to access a recording of the webinar.
We look forward to connecting with you…virtually!
Former Reading Bakery Systems president named to Circle of Honor
SNAC International kicked off SNAXPO, held March 31 – April 1 in Orlando, by announcing the recipient of the organization’s Circle of Honor Award, the highest recognition SNAC International bestows.
Terry Groff, former owner and president of Robesonia, Pa.-based Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), received the award for his outstanding contributions to the association and the snack food industry.
Mr. Groff joined Reading Pretzel Machinery in 1974 when his father purchased the company and asked him to leave his post as a banking officer in New York to assist in running the business. “When your dad calls,” Mr. Groff recalled, “you go.” Following his father’s failing health, Mr. Groff became the company president at age 33.
“Over the years, we have evolved into a systems supplier, where people come to us with their products not just interested in details of the machinery but also the process,” said Joe Zaleski, RBS president.
Mr. Groff’s passion for the industry and dedication to his company, customers and their products solidified RBS’ place in the industry. He accepted the recognition with his wife, children and grandchildren present, along with more than 30 RBS employees.
You can view the original article here.
Exact Mixing Offers Continuous Mixing Demonstrations and Testing at the AMF Tromp Innovation Center in The Netherlands
Exact Mixing by Reading Bakery Systems now offers a continuous mixing system for testing and demonstrations at the AMF Tromp Innovation Center in The Netherlands. The pilot system features a range of advanced mixing technologies, including the MX mixer with Hydrobond Technology™, HDX High Development Mixer, and LDX Multi-Stage Mixer. These mixers produce a wide range of dough for breads and buns, snacks, cookies, baked crisps, pet treats, pizza, pretzels, crackers and more.
“At the Innovation Center, we are able to duplicate full-scale production conditions on our pilot system to prove we can make their dough before customers make a purchase decision,” said Joe Pocevicius, Sales Manager, Reading Bakery Systems. “The testing and dough validation step is a critical part of our customers’ decision to choose continuous mixing over batch mixing.”
The equipment at the Innovation Center includes:
- MX Mixer with Hydrobond Technology: The Exact Mixing MX Continuous Mixer is the industry’s most versatile mixer and is well suited for a wide range of products including snacks, pizza, pretzels, batters, icings, and pastes. Hydrobond Technology offers instant, even hydration without adding excess heat to your dough. This action speeds up the mixing process allowing for the use of a shorter mixer, which means a smaller footprint, lower equipment costs, and lower energy costs.
- HDX Continuous Mixer: The HDX High Development Continuous Mixer is designed for high development mixing for ultra-high absorption doughs at low temperatures. This system is ideal for breads, buns, rolls, English muffins, and similar products.
- LDX Continuous Mixer: The LDX Multi-Stage Mixer mixes dry and liquid ingredients, solid fats and particulates in a multi-stage process. This mixer is ideal for most types of cookies or any application where ingredients are blended in stages.
The AMF Tromp Innovation Center helps customers optimize their products and process by applying technological innovation and expertise. It features a climate-controlled environment with equipment to make sheeted breads, pastries, laminated doughs, cakes, muffins, pies, and pizzas. State-of-the-art equipment and expert consultation guarantee the most optimal production solution.
The Innovation Center is located at Edisonweg 50, 4207 HG Gorinchem, The Netherlands. Companies wishing to utilize the Center to evaluate new processes using continuous mixing should contact: Joe Pocevicius, +31 615 510 789, joe.pocevicius@readingbakery.com.
Over the last 35 years, Exact Mixing has earned a reputation as the world’s most innovative developer of Continuous Mixing Systems. Exact joined Reading Bakery Systems in 2008, and together continue to bring improved mixing solutions to customers worldwide. Continuous Mixing is now a proven solution in the pretzel, chip, baked snack, pastry, sweet goods, cookie, cracker, bars, pizza, tortilla, pet treat, and bread and bun industries.
For more information concerning equipment and services provided by Exact Mixing, visit www.exactmixing.com.
Reading Bakery Systems Names Luis Montoya as Sales Manager for the Latin American Region
Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of baking and process systems, has announced the appointment of Luis Montoya as
Sales Manager for the Latin American Region, effective immediately. Reporting to Vice President of Sales, Shawn Moye, Montoya will be responsible for direct sales efforts and project support with existing and future RBS customers in Mexico, Central and South America.
Montoya joins RBS with over 12 years of sales, management and engineering experience. Prior to joining RBS, he worked for Rockwell Automation, Point Verde Columbia, and Melexa, S.A.
“Luis’s extensive sales and engineering background, particularly with regard to Latin American customers, is an excellent fit for this position,” said Moye. “We are excited to have him join our sales team.”
Montoya received his undergraduate degree in Electronic Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a Master in Business Administration from Universidatat Eafit.
Matt Risser Returns to Reading Bakery Systems as Senior Project Engineer
Reading Bakery Systems, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of snack production systems, has announced that Matt Risser has re-joined the company as a senior project engineer. In his new position, Risser will manage the successful delivery of project deliverables, with control over project scopes, budgets and schedules. He will report to Tremaine Hartranft, director of engineering for RBS.
Prior to joining RBS, Risser was a design engineer of pharmaceutical filling equipment with Automated Production Systems. He also worked as a lead engineer, and then project engineer, for Clayton H. Landis Co., a manufacturer of food handling and processing equipment, structural fabrications, and heavy industry equipment. Before joining Landis, Risser had been with RBS as a project engineer.
Risser graduated from Penn State University with a degree in mechanical engineering and has more than 20 years combined experience in mechanical design and project management.
“We’re happy to welcome Matt back to the Reading Bakery family,” said Hartranft. “His past experience, here and at several other manufacturing companies, will afford him the opportunities to be a strong leader in our Project Management Group.”
Exact Mixing Introduces New Hydrobond Technology™
Exact Mixing, a leading provider of innovative continuous mixing solutions, has introduced a new Hydrobond Technology™ that delivers instant, even hydration of a dry ingredient stream (typically flour) before it enters the continuous mixer. This uniform hydration is accomplished without adding heat to the dough, and results in shorter mixing time, with less energy required.
Hydrobond Technology mixes dough on a particle-to-particle basis. It is based on the principle that mixing smaller amounts of liquid and dry ingredients together at one time is easier and more efficient. Normally the hydration step is done inside the mixer, but that takes longer and the hydration isn’t as uniform. Without Hydrobond Technology, the mixer also needs to be larger, which adds to the equipment and operating costs. With Hydrobond Technology, a continuous mixer can produce significantly more dough using the same size mixer.
When used with a continuous mixer, Hydrobond Technology speeds up the continuous process allowing for the use of a shorter mixer, which means a smaller footprint, lower equipment costs, and lower energy costs. Hydrobond Technology can also be used with a pre-hydration system to mix particles of flour, minors and water directly into a brew holding tank.
The Exact Mixing Hydrobond Technology can be retrofitted to existing systems.
