Allied Bakeries has reached an agreement with industrial equipment supplier APV Baker to cover equipment service and maintenance for more than 50 key processing units in five plants.
The group believes that this will result in better machine performance and will help ensure that production targets are met.
The APV Baker contract with Allied Bakeries covers dividing and moulding machinery at five bakeries over a three-year period, with an emphasis on preventative maintenance.
"This approach turns maintenance to keep a plant into production into an opportunity for improvement," said APV Baker customer services manager Kevin Wright.
"Customers have the option to achieve more than just effective preventative maintenance that identifies and cures potential problems before they can cause expensive down-time. They have the option to benefit from APV Baker's extensive experience as an equipment supplier to audit the process as well as the plant, and achieve real performance benefits."
Allied Bakeries engineering manager Peter Wallin said: "A key advantage is knowing exactly the cost of running a batch of machines at approved performance levels."
APV Baker believes that food companies are more aware now of the potential to improve plant performance and contain costs through undertaking preventative measures as opposed to the traditional 'repair as necessary' maintenance regime. The firm has developed a variety of service agreements, ranging from unit machine inspections to responsibility for complete process lines.
With more than 2000 large-scale installations in 50 countries worldwide, APV Baker is one of the largest global suppliers of industrial bakery equipment.