6 ways to optimise your commercial ice cream operations
When it comes to ice cream manufacturing solutions and expertise, Tetra Pak has got you covered. Here are six of the many ways we can help you optimise your operations and support the growth of your ice cream business.
1. Upgrades for existing ice cream lines
To quickly keep up with growing demand or expand your offering, we can help with pre-defined upgrades of your ice cream manufacturing equipment. Upgrades improve cost competitiveness and operational performance by boosting equipment capability, efficiency, sustainability and safety.
For example, the Tetra Pak® Decoration Depositing unit is an upgrade that enables you to create precise and exciting decorations on the surface of ice cream products and bring a large variety of new exciting products to market – without the need to invest heavily.
We also offer retrofittable upgrade kits that can strengthen your existing solution with performance enhancements; protecting your original investment, including replacing equipment that is no longer available or has become obsolete.
2. Robust, easy-to-operate and maintain equipment
We offer a complete portfolio of equipment for ice cream production – both standalone components and lines. They are designed and constructed to the highest standards for quality, durability, performance and hygiene, with special attention to safe and easy operation and maintenance.
Our standalone components will optimise your existing ice cream production line. For example, the patented start-up sequence of our market-leading Tetra Pak® Continuous Freezers helps you minimise waste, while the design of the dasher and beater gives your ice cream the best possible mouthfeel.
Tetra Pak® Ingredient Dosers, meanwhile, gently handle inclusions such as fruit pieces, nuts, candies – and even sticky jam and cookie dough. The specially designed hopper and auger and patented star-shaped outlet prevent lumping, assure even distribution and consistent product quality.
Our best-practice lines – for filling, moulding or extrusion – are standardised and based on the best proven solutions in the ice cream industry. Reliable and proven, they are highly flexible and upgradable and offer you high yield and uptime, with low total cost of ownership.
Learn more about our ice cream line solutions
3. Digitalisation and automation solutions for ice cream production
Whatever your starting point or your goals, we can help you take your operation to the next level through our long-established expertise in ice cream production and proven world-class, future-ready solutions.
Digital connectivity and data open up new opportunities and can provide the insights you need to move your business forward. Our experienced experts will build a digitalisation roadmap for you. Based on your corporate strategy, your technology and the systems you have in place, we perform an analysis to identify our common starting point, the gaps and the opportunities we have ahead of us. This approach helps us understand which areas of your ice cream manufacturing should be prioritised.
Tetra Pak® PlantMaster is an automation and information solution for your entire commercial ice cream manufacturing operation. The solution, which has been installed 1,250 times around the world, is flexible, scalable and customisable thereby making it future proof.
4. Tools to optimise output, reduce waste and enhance efficiency
For the specialised production of ice cream and all its complexities, we provide cutting-edge digital tools and solutions that reduce waste, minimise unplanned downtime and improve line efficiency – while making sure your ice cream products both look and taste delicious.
- Ice Cream Video Care enhances troubleshooting with 16 cameras positioned along the line, including behind safety covers and inside the hardening tunnel, where visibility normally is limited.
- Ice Cream Data Gateway lets you collect relevant standardised data easy by connecting the machines in your line to a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which enables deeper production insights and improved machine control.
- Ice Cream Position Assist is a solution for extruded stick products. Laser sensors measure the position of products and sticks, and operators are alerted if there are any issues. Early error detection means that potential problems are identified before products enter the hardening tunnel.
- Ice Cream Centre Filling Assist helps produce precision-perfect ice cream cones, sandwiches and similar products on extrusion lines. Sensors measure the distance between the conveyor belt’s chain pins and automatically adjust for any deviations. This ensures that the ice cream always ends up exactly where it belongs: in the centre of the cone or wafer.
Learn more about our Digital solutions for ice cream
5. The ingredients you need
- Wooden sticks and spoons in different sizes, designs, grades, and materials; bundled or loose and hot-stamped with your logo.
- A variety of different flavoured biscuits, including crunchy or soft brownies featuring customer logos.
- Coatings and centre fillings in a range of flavours and types for dipping, enrobing, spray coating and pencil filling.
- Cones and sleeves, shaped to customer needs, with or without inclusions and in the right packaging.
Learn more about our ice cream ingredients and consumables
6. Guaranteed performance
Optimising operations can mean many different things, but if you are looking to improve your output, quality or the sustainability of your manufacturing operations, we can support your efforts. Starting with an opportunity analysis and benchmarking against your industry peers, we set tangible goals and then work together to reach them. With Tetra Pak® Plant Perform we offer an outcome-based pricing model, and performance is guaranteed.
