PROJECTS

Kaak Group: "from silo to crate"
Kaak Group, with its main office in Terborg, is a worldwide player in total concepts for industrial bread and pastry bakeries and related food sectors. Kaak Group's motto, appropriately, is "from silo to crate". The group consists of six operating companies:

• Kaak Food Production Systems b.v. in Terborg
• Kaak Bakery Supplies b.v. in Terborg
• Benier Nederland b.v. in ‘s Hertogenbosch
• Daub Backtechnik GmbH in Hamburg, Germany
• MCS Srl. in Ala, Italy
• Lhotellier R2A in Contres, Spain
• Multiparts in Terborg

Kaak Group is a family-owned company with its own market position in various markets, regions and countries. Kaak's products and services are designed as a contemporary and quick response to complex sales markets of bread and other baked food. Highly qualified expert in six sites and eight divisions continually work on Kaak's new developments and custom solutions. The result for the manufacturer: unique products manufactured with thoughtfully automated production lines that fully comply with the latest market requirements and economical and ecological requirements.

Diverse product range
Kaak Group's product range is extensive, ranging from baking ovens to dosage machines, from conveyor belts to machines for dough preparation, from baking moulds to complete pizza lines. Kaak Software Worldwide delivers complete automation solutions for recipe management, process monitoring and production control, amongst others.

Kaak and Timmerije: partners in business for more than 35 years
Kaak and Timmerije have enjoyed a very long relationship. Mattie Heutinck has been an account manager with Timmerije for 32 years. He remembers Kaak from way back: "When I joined the company, there were Kaak moulds here. So I think the first moulds are about 35 years old". Cor Vredegoor, Kaak's Purchasing Manager, says that the first mould was made in 1971. "And unbelievably, that very mould is still in use and was recently revised after 37 years of service", says Vredegoor, a veteran himself with 24 years at Kaak.

Trade fair
The first contact with Kaak was made between the brothers Timmerije, who still ran the company at that time, and former director Mulders of Kaak, at a trade fair, knows Cor Vredegoor. "Subsequently, the first moulds were manufactured. That was a fearsomely large investment in these days - a full 100,000 guilders. However, this formed the basis of our longterm relationship that has continued in spite of personnel changes on both sides".

Conveyor belts
For Kaak, in particular for Kaak Food Production Systems b.v. in Terborg, Timmerije manufactures parts for conveyor belts. This does not only concern the surface elements of the conveyor belts, but also components such as plastic driving wheels, bearing bushes and blocks, swivels, supports etc. A number of projects with injection moulded product carriers were also completed.

Kaak does the entire assembly of the conveyor belts inhouse. That makes sense as each Multiway conveyor belt is fully customised. Both length and with as well as the trajectory of the conveyor belt (straight ahead, curves, up and down) are different for each order. Mattie Heutinck: "What we do for Kaak sounds like relatively straight-forward mass injection moulding. However, this is not possible with simple moulds. Many variations in width would normally require individual moulds. But for Kaak, we developed a single mother mould for a certain type of conveyor belt. This mother mould serves to manufacture spare parts and modular head and tail links in different widths and lengths".

Curves and hygiene
Heutinck also explains a number of other aspects that play a role. Conveyor belts used to just run straight. But in modern, industrial bakeries, that has changed. The belt paths need to go in curves as well as up and down. Of course, you don't want to use all sorts of different moulds for the various transport routes. That requires ingenious solutions, such as 'carriers' on the conveyor belt preventing products from sliding up or down in the course of the circuit. Also, the same parts must be able to go straight as well as turn.

Cor Vredegoor of Kaak adds: "Additionally, hygiene is a key factor as some products are in direct contact with the conveyor belt. And issues such as temperature variation play a role too. Moving a product from a hot oven to a cooling tower sets high requirements to the conveyor belt material, as well as to the stainless steel pins connecting the links. There are also customers requesting a customised version of a conveyor belt tailored to and assembled at the individual customer. International pressure on energy consumption and the conveyor belt noise level are issues too. We have to take everything into account."

Innovative developments
Industrial mass production of bread and pastry is constantly on the move. Bread factories as well as, for example, pizza producers, continually look for more efficiency and speed in order to achieve cost savings. Further automation, more compact machines and ovens, more effective and space-saving plant lay-outs are elements to accomplish just that. "That is exactly why Kaak is always working on innovation and anticipating market requirements", states Cor Vredegoor. "Together with Timmerije, we also look at new possibilities for conveyor belts. For example, by applying a dual component injection moulding technology, you could add a non-skid layer to conveyor belts. That would render the carriers superfluous. However, such a layer must of course be in compliance with international hygiene requirements".

Secret of long-term cooperation
Certainly in our days, a 35-year business relationship can be called rather unique. What is the secret of Timmerije and Kaak? Cor Vredegoor of Kaak explains: "Trust in each other and the way you mesh and work together are key ingredients. Other key factors certainly include Timmerije's know-how and their inhouse toolmaking workshop, as well as their continuity in production. Naturally, Kaak regularly checks the market for price levels and technologies to be applied. Timmerije is not an automatic choice and will have to stay focused on those factors in order to prove why it is and remains the partner of choice for Kaak". Mattie Heutinck of Timmerije supplements this summary on a more personal note. "There is just really good chemistry between Kaak and Timmerije. And I also think we share the same attitude common to this region. And if necessary, I can be at Kaak's doorstep within an hour. That's also proved to be beneficial".