First H-Brake Hybrid proves itself in
practice
H-Brake Hybrid
Lute Brouwer has been active in the bakery oven sector since 1992. “We specialise in the field of rotating ovens for bakeries,” says Jeroen Brouwer, son of the founder. “We also carry out servicing and maintenance for ovens and burners.”
Brouwer started working in his father’s business in 2004. “He started out as a service engineer for bakery ovens. I, of course, would regularly lend a hand. I did metalworking and electrical training. As a lad I even went to work for a metalworker to gain experience. Later on, my father wanted to manufacture ovens himself. When he was looking for someone to do this, I joined the business. We bought our first press brake and got down to business. In 2010 we relocated to larger premises.”
Back to the overviewPrototype
The business actually started making bakery ovens 12 months later. “We started by building a prototype,” says Brouwer. “We gave an old-fashioned oven a new look with new technology,” says the entrepreneur. “It is an oven with six stone floors heated by a hot water system. What is unique is that the floors are spring-mounted. The baker puts the rack in the oven and when the door is closed, the baseplates drop down onto the stone floors. The direct heat transfer from the stone floor to the bread ensures the best baking result.” There are other benefits too: “No special oven rack is needed any more. And the hot water system is circular through which the hot water is constantly moving. This provides uniform heat all over, without a circulation fan. It also requires far less maintenance.”
Investment
Bakers like this concept and there are already more than 20 ovens in operation. Lute Brouwer is now producing 20 to 30 per year. The company currently employs eight people and a new welder will be joining them shortly. The company has also invested in a 3-metre H-Brake Hybrid 110T. “I saw it at the METAVAK trade fair. Two days later, I bought it. We can now produce all the parts for the ovens in-house. Our staff are very pleased with it. I like working with it myself,” he says enthusiastically.
Brouwer had some experience with another brand, “But SafanDarley offers a far better service than all the others. They make their own machines and know what they are talking about. This machine also looks good in its own colour. It was installed by two experts who really knew what they were doing. They explained things really well. Everything was done in less than two days and the machine ran perfectly from the start.”
The new H-Brake Hybrid is used on a daily basis, and we are completely satisfied. “It has a start-stop system on it. When you press the foot pedal, it starts up again straight away. In the intervening period the pump is stationary. The speed is far greater. We can work up to 30% faster than we could with the old press brake. The accuracy we achieve is another important benefit and the hydraulic tool clamping really does save time. In addition, we can now produce all the parts for the ovens in-house.”
Energy-efficient
Brouwer also notes that the H-Brake Hybrid is energy-efficient in practice. “Our old machine was always on, even when it was not being used. This is no longer the case. It makes a real difference to energy consumption. It is low-noise and easy to maintain. It has a closed system and uses just nine litres of oil. The old machine needed no less than 150 litres of oil. The service is good and fast, which suits us. We ourselves are available to our customers 24 hours per day.”
Brouwer is therefore very pleased with the new investment. “It was considered extremely carefully. You can see this in practice. It saves us very many operations. For SafanDarley this was the first machine of its kind to be installed, but it certainly won’t be the last. A colleague has already been to have a look and he has SafanDarley machines as well. He’s enthusiastic about it too.”
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