Mondelez in Herentals, Belgium, has decided to use electric drives for a new system for mixing chocolate Easter eggs. The main reasons for this decision were lower energy consumption, improved safety and greater flexibility in controlling speeds and positions. An ingenious system of conveyor belts ensures that each pack of Easter chocolate eggs has a nice mix of flavours.
Mondelez is a major international player in the food industry that has many well-known brands such as Côte d'Or, Milka and Oreo in its portfolio. Both the biscuit and chocolate divisions of the business have a factory in Herentals. The biscuit factory is where Lu's biscuits are made, among other treats. Mondelez Chocolates produces Leo biscuits, Côte d'Or bars and Easter eggs.
The new Ergomix project supports the production of Easter eggs,a production process that runs practically all year round so that there is enough stock at Easter to meet the sudden demand for this seasonal product. The name of the project refers to its original aim of improving ergonomics for operators. In the past, the eggs were mixed by manually combining bowls with different flavours, which was a very labour-intensive process. This is now done fully automatically in the new system.