Process Improvement & Cost Savings Example

I looked at a process that was being used to rework a caramel filled chocolate bar into itself. The bars were mixed with cocoa butter and then processed using a very old small-scale batch vacuum cooking system to remove the moisture from the caramel in the bars. The process was labour intensive requiring constant attention of an operator. The cooker system took up a lot of space and required significant maintenance.

When I asked why the process was used, I was told that the rework mixture had to be dry and this process had been in place for a long time.

However, when I compared the moisture content of the mixture going into the cooker with that of the material coming out, two facts jumped out at me.

Firstly, the moisture reduction was minimal through the process. This was due to the fat, coating the material, was preventing moisture removal and, also, the old vacuum cooker did not hold its vacuum properly.

Secondly, the initial moisture content of the rework mix was low enough to justify leaving the cooking stage out altogether.

No one had ever looked scientifically at the process before!

A new efficient mixer was purchased to increase the batch size, reduce the manpower, free up precious floor space and save significant processing costs.