ICS DELIVERS BETTER BAKERY FREEZING WITH DIRECTDRIVE STACKER

“On the third day of the project we were able to begin testing. Immediately after, we started our production runs, and experienced no problems at all. This system is a huge improvement!” H. Jaspers Fayer, MTK-Gruppe Technical Director

The coffee cake line at THOKS’s Waltershausen plant operates on a 24-hour production schedule. For three of those hours, the line stops so that the spiral freezer, a vital application, can defrost. In this area, the company had previously used a discontinued plastic stacker that never performed well. The plant’s maintenance team had tried implementing various fixes over the years, but even with extensive modifications and weekly scheduled maintenance, the system was prone to breakdowns and poor performance.

THOKS officials needed a self-stacking spiral freezer that would fit within their limited existing footprint and allow them to continue operating two freezers. Most of the available options would have required them to install a new freezer box, or undertake a plant expansion. Then ICS, an Intralox OEM partner presented a cutting-edge technology: the Intralox® DirectDrive™ Stacker.

An innovative extension of the Intralox DirectDrive™ System (DDS™), the DirectDrive Stacker is a lightweight modular plastic solution that combines the hygienic and space-saving benefits of stackers with the unique, simplified operating system advantages of the DDS.

ICS created a project plan that provided minimal downtime for THOKS. In three days, ICS removed the original equipment, installed the new stacker, and conducted system tests. Since installing the stacker in June 2016, THOKS has reduced its maintenance time to zero while gaining improved freezer performance and reliability.

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