A Major Crouton Producer Set Up a New Workshop in Novosibirsk at 2 Tonnes per Hour

August 02, 2023

NOTIS manufactured a set of equipment for coating croutons with flavourings, and an automated product distribution system for 10 form-fill-seal machines.

This solution allowed the customer to increase production at their Novosibirsk facility. In a relatively compact production area, a shop was launched delivering fifty thousand packages per hour.

New Project Composition

• 4 OPP-NOTIS coaters with two sequential drums. In the first, croutons are sprayed with oil; in the second, they are evenly coated with fine-particle flavourings (salt, spices).
• An intelligent conveyor system that distributes the finished croutons from the 4 coaters to 10 form-fill-seal machines located on the floor below.

Crouton Production Stages

Special bread for croutons

To illustrate the full picture, here is the complete crouton production chain — showing the role of the NOTIS equipment manufactured for this project, as well as machines we supplied earlier.

1. Baking loaves and cutting into slices in the shape of cubes, sticks, or slabs

   At this stage we offer highly efficient bread slicing machines MNKh-01-NOTIS

2. Sieving bread pieces to remove crumbs after cutting

   Our vibratory screen SV-NOTIS handles this best

3. Baking

   We do not manufacture ovens

4. Oil spraying and seasoning application

   Handled by OPP-NOTIS coaters — the stars of this case study

5. Distributing finished croutons to form-fill-seal machines

   We offer custom conveyor systems depending on the layout of the premises, required output, and specific tasks

6. Portioning croutons into bags formed from a film roll

   Packaging equipment is our core specialisation. We are ready to offer a range of options with output from 20 to 80 bags per minute.

7. Packing bags into corrugated boxes for transport, palletising, and stretch-wrapping.

Our customer continuously upgrades equipment and expands capacity. The opening of the new production shop in Novosibirsk required automating stages 4 and 5.

The equipment has now been manufactured and successfully tested. 4 coaters produce 2 tonnes of croutons every hour, and the conveyor system distributes them to 10 form-fill-seal machines each running at approximately 80 packages per minute.

Why Crouton Producers Choose OPP-NOTIS Coaters

Watch the testing of all 4 coaters from this very project in the video below.

NOTIS coaters solve the main challenge for snack producers. Product quality consistency is the key factor determining success in the food business. It is essential that croutons with a given flavour taste the same at any point in the production run. A bag of croutons made today must be identical in taste and quality to what the consumer tried a month ago.

Humidity can change during production, and even a small shift in humidity can alter the product composition — the ratio of seasoning to product. NOTIS coaters solve the consistency problem by ensuring exceptional uniformity of the continuous feed of croutons and spices in the special mixing drum. This is achieved through the thoughtful design of the machine and NOTIS's know-how — unique algorithms for continuous mixing component feed.

With no re-adjustment or manual tweaking, the machine reliably delivers the same croutons to the same recipe. Snack producers using the OPP-NOTIS coater get an exemplary and predictable result day after day — from the start of the shift to the end.

What Problem the NOTIS Conveyor System Solved in This Project

Conveyor system at the assembly shop

Our solution automated the distribution of finished croutons from all four coaters directly to 10 form-fill-seal machines. The intelligent system can reroute the flow if one packaging machine stops. Numerous sensors on the conveyors and in the doser hoppers keep the entire complex running correctly.

Without the conveyor system, croutons would have had to be collected in a large central container and then distributed to the 10 machines from there. This would have required additional floor space and a more elaborate conveyor network. Our solution fully automated the process and eliminated the human factor.

NOTIS — Expert in Crouton Production and Packaging

Also crisps, sunflower seeds, nuts, corn sticks, and other snacks

Bread cut on MNKh-NOTIS-01

Many well-known crouton brands in Russia and abroad have been using NOTIS solutions for 25 years. In the late 1990s, the flavoured crouton market emerged in Russia, and NOTIS equipment played an active role in its development. We have supplied crouton producers with several hundred form-fill-seal machines and continue manufacturing to this day.

In the early 2000s we developed the OPP-NOTIS coaters and continuously improved them based on input from leading market players and regional customers. Even then, our OPP-NOTIS machines matched the specifications of the renowned American counterparts — On-Machine Seasoning Systems. Most importantly, they cost our customers several times less, with user-friendly controls, simple maintenance, and responsive support in the same language.

To date, 170 coaters have been manufactured, each capable of processing up to 1,000 litres of product per hour. The equipment operates at snack businesses across Russia, as well as in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Use NOTIS's innovative solutions for crouton production and packaging. Contact us right now and get a consultation with options tailored for your business.

Are You in Snack Production?

Let us show you the advantages of NOTIS equipment. Contact us at market@notis.ru, by phone: +7 383 292-60-06 or by messenger +7-913-916-60-06 WhatsApp