A major bakery in the Netherlands uses smart technology for food safety
A Dutch bakery has installed an advanced inspection system, developed by Fortress Technology and integrated by Jansen Control Systems, to improve food safety and efficiency. The custom twin-aperture metal detection system quickly detects and removes contaminants without disrupting production.
Custom Installation by Jansen Control Systems
Dutch manufacturer Jansen Control Systems provided the customized installation, integrating the twin-aperture metal detection system with a new, robust, and easy-to-clean conveyor and two innovative reject mechanisms, one for each production lane. Integrated with the bakery’s existing cooling tower, the new inspection system covers less than 1.7 meters in width and less than 5 meters in length. Within 12 hours of installation, the new factory was running at full capacity, accurately inspecting thousands of loaves per shift!
The Origin of the Twin-Lane Project
This twin-lane project originated when a major bakery in the Netherlands approached Jansen to discuss the feasibility of having a conveyor with individual reject systems for each production line. "Rather than having one metal detector head spanning both lanes, the bakery wanted the ability to measure whether there was a specific metal contamination issue in an individual line," explains Jansen Control Systems Managing Director Gerard Schuurman.
Seamless, Fully Automated Production and Inspection Process
Jansen, which produces approximately four kilometers of conveyor belts annually, designed a curved infeed conveyor to transport bread in two lines, creating a fully automated process within the existing factory footprint. Gerard explains: "Before this installation, operators had to manually remove the bread loaves from the cooling tower and load them onto a separate conveyor for inspection. With just one metal detector conducting inspections, the process was slower, leading to bottlenecks in packaging during peak production times." Thanks to the twin-lane system, the bakery can now inspect a significantly higher number of loaves per hour.
Independent Lane Operation and Product Continuity
To ensure that each inspection lane operates independently as the two bread lines pass through the Fortress inspection chambers, Jansen designed a bespoke conveyor system that splits into two infeed lanes. The two conveyor lanes gradually widen to transport the loaves through the metal detector, then merge back into a single conveyor that transports the bread to the packaging zone. This not only maintains production continuity but also allows the bakery to inspect different products within its range side by side. If the metal detector identifies a contaminated loaf, the conveyor on that lane dips, dropping the loaf into an individual, lockable BRC-approved reject bin for each lane.
The bakery’s twin-aperture metal detection system was fully operational within 12 hours, minimizing production disruptions. Designed for efficiency, it streamlines automated inspection to meet growing demand, proving to be both
