Blog - Case Study

Situation and Challenges

An industrial bakery located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was looking to increase its production capacity while stabilizing bread temperature before the bagging stage.

The challenges faced by this client:

• Excessively high and variable ambient temperatures in the plant, especially during summer, rendering the existing ambient spiral cooling system ineffective
• Variable and difficult-to-control humidity levels impacting final product quality
• Irregular spacing between loaves on the conveyors, reducing cooling efficiency
• A need for flexibility to minimize production downtime during installation

Storcan Solutions

Storcan proposed and integrated a comprehensive turnkey solution that included:

A CO₂ Cooling System

Designed by our partner ZeroC, an expert in industrial refrigeration, the cooling solution features a high-performance CO₂ chiller using high-temperature transcritical compressors (35°F SST). The system ensures optimal energy efficiency and stable temperature control year-round, supported by an adiabatic gas cooler and centralized control system.

A Washdown Air Treatment Unit (ATU)

The ATU enables precise control of both temperature and humidity inside the insulated enclosure. It removes between 0.75% and 2% of moisture from the loaves to enhance texture and shelf life, while maintaining a stable ambient temperature between 21°C and 22°C.

A Custom Insulated Enclosure

The existing spirals were fully encapsulated within a custom-built insulated enclosure, which includes an insulated floor, three access doors, and a mezzanine extension to house the ATU.

A Stainless Steel Smart-Belt Conveyor System

Installed between the oven and the spiral, the custom-made conveyors, manufactured in our Châteauguay factory, allow us to control loaf spacing. The oven mold simultaneously releases trains of 20 stuck loaves. Our system ensures their spacing before placing them at an angle of more than 10 degrees in the spiral, thus reducing efficiency losses. The space is maintained until bagging. Thanks to this regulation, the spiral speed could be increased, thus reducing transit time and increasing production efficiency.

Final Results

Extensive pre-installation testing was conducted on both 500g and 900g loaves. The results confirmed that with the new solution:

• 900g loaves can be cooled below 40°C in 63 minutes at 4000 UPH (compared to 47°C in 75 minutes previously)
• 500g loaves reach 34.5°C in 63 minutes at 5000 UPH
• Ambient temperature in the production area is now better controlled, even in summer
• Bagging occurs at ideal temperature, reducing risks of condensation and mold

Storcan supported Natural Bakery at every stage of the project:

• On-site thermal data analysis
• Mechanical and electrical engineering
• In-house manufacturing and testing
• Multi-phase installation and integration during planned production shutdowns.
• Programming, commissioning, and team training

Thanks to its Spintech division, Storcan delivers fully integrated cooling or freezing solutions that combine spiral systems and CO₂ refrigeration—completely tailored to the customer’s needs. Learn more about our industrial spiral expertise.

Do you want to improve the performance of your production line and the quality of your products?

Contact our experts to discuss your needs and find out how we can help you design a tailor-made solution.