Conditorei Weber
One person. 100 kilos. Zero strain.
At Conditorei Weber, moving and lifting heavy stirrer vessels used to require multiple employees and cause serious back strain. Now, with a custom INOX 200 solution, even the heaviest doughs are handled effortlessly – by one person alone.
The challenge
Lifting 100 kg vessels without straining staff
The solution
INOX 200 with custom-made vessel attachment for ergonomic lifting
The result
More efficient, back-friendly workflows with fewer sick days
The company
Conditorei Weber was founded in 1979 by Brunhilde and Rudi Weber as a small family business with just three employees. With a growing product range and a focus on customer orientation, tradition and quality, the company has expanded steadily ever since.
Today, the business employs around 40 people in production. Since 2014, René Weber and his wife Sonja have been running the company founded by René’s parents.
The company supplies cafés, bakeries, importers, wholesalers, and retailers within a 250 km radius. Its product range includes everyday baked goods, seasonal pastries, wedding cakes, chocolates, and ice sculptures.
“We only have to recharge the device every two or three days, and since the battery is integrated, there is no extension cable to get in the way of our day-to-day operations.”
– René Weber, master confectioner and proprietor
The challenge – Lifting 100 kg vessels without straining staff
Conditorei Weber uses stirrer vessels that can weigh up to 100 kilograms. These have to be lifted, taken to their destination and emptied. In the production of curd balls, for example, the dough has to be transferred from the stirrer vessel to the deep-fry pastry machine at a height of 1.30 to 1.40 metres – and this happens 10 to 15 times per shift.
Generally speaking, two to three people were required to lift the vessel to this height and tilt it. However, only one person usually works at the dosing unit, so other employees had to interrupt their work and help with each filling process – as many as two or three people were required to lift the vessel, which is heavy and unwieldy.
In addition, the dough contained in the mixing vessel often has to be removed from the vessel in portions and processed further in the course of everyday work. The mixing vessel and work surface were at different heights, so employees had to keep bending over and stretching to remove the dough. This imposed considerable physical strain on employees at Conditorei Weber – they often suffered from back pain, especially those working at the deep-fry pastry machine.
The solution – INOX 200 with custom-made vessel attachment for ergonomic lifting
“We were looking for a solution that would relieve our employees at the deep-fry pastry machine in particular so as to make their day-to-day work routine more ergonomic overall,” says René Weber, master confectioner and owner of Conditorei Weber.
The problem was that most lifting solutions are equipped with a compressed air cable, which would have to be continuously cleared out of the way in the course of everyday work.
At FachPack, Mr. Weber discovered Hovmand's mobile and battery-powered load lifters and opted to purchase an INOX 200. One important purchase criterion – apart from battery operation – was suitability for use in food production due to the stainless steel design and protection class IP 66.
“Splash water protection is very important for us because we need to be able to clean the lifter easily with the steam jet,” says Mr. Weber.
Using the custom-made vessel attachment for the INOX 200, the heavy stirrer vessels can be lifted, transported, and raised to an ergonomic working height. This allows the dough to be removed in stages and processed further without strenuous bending – because the vessel contents and working surface are now at the same height.
The INOX 200 helps with the deep-fry pastry machine, too: one person can lift the stirrercvessel to 1.30 to 1.40 metres and empty it into the dosing unit without physical exertion.
The INOX 200 can also be used on the pastry line with an additional table attachment (50 × 60 cm), which functions as a height-adjustable work surface – allowing the pastry to be shaped and filled, then placed directly on the baking tray at the same height, without employees needing to bend or stretch.
The result – More efficient, back-friendly workflows with fewer sick days
As a result of purchasing the INOX 200, the number of sick days has decreased significantly, and employees’ day-to-day work routine has become generally more back friendly.
Every individual – male or female, tall or short – can now effortlessly fill the dosing system without requiring another person’s help, so the work process is much more efficient.
