Yummy Bakery Seasonal Pancake Shapes at Scale

Long story short

Yummy Bakery wanted to bring more creativity into its pancake portfolio by introducing seasonal and themed shapes, without sacrificing the efficiency of its automated production line.

CTRL Engineering made this possible by extending the existing automated pancake line with interchangeable, food-grade dosing heads, allowing themed pancakes such as Christmas trees, Halloween figures and Valentine hearts to be produced reliably at industrial scale.

“Thanks to CTRL Engineering, we gained the flexibility to launch new pancake shapes while keeping our production efficient and stable. 🥞😋”
Sara Geldhof – CEO of Yummy Bakery

The challenge: Production line blocks product creativity

Yummy Bakery positions itself as a modern and agile food producer that continuously adapts to consumer trends. Seasonal products play an important role in its commercial strategy, but producing themed pancake shapes requires a level of flexibility that traditional dosing systems often lack.

While the pancake line was already servo-controlled and digitally optimized, it was designed around a limited number of shapes. Introducing new products would normally require dedicated tooling or extensive mechanical changes, increasing costs and lead times. Yummy Bakery needed a solution that enabled innovation while keeping production efficient and predictable.

The solution: Modular dosing heads

CTRL Engineering approached the challenge by designing a family of custom dosing heads that could be mounted directly onto the existing dosing line. Additive manufacturing was used to rapidly prototype and iterate different geometries, allowing precise control over batter flow and shape definition.

Once the designs were validated, the dosing heads were upscaled to series production using food-grade materials suitable for continuous industrial use. The solution was engineered to integrate seamlessly with the existing servo control and digital recipe management system, ensuring that new shapes could be introduced without changing the overall production logic.

The result: A flexible line ready for seasonal products

Yummy Bakery now operates a pancake production line that supports a wide range of seasonal shapes, such as Christmas trees, Halloween figures and Valentine hearts. Shape changes can be implemented quickly and reliably, while throughput and product consistency remain high.

The production line has evolved from a fixed shape setup into a flexible platform. Changeovers are straightforward, production efficiency remains high and product quality is consistently maintained across different designs.

This flexibility allows Yummy Bakery to align production more closely with marketing campaigns and retail demand, reinforcing its position as an innovative food producer.

Why it matters to you?

This project shows how targeted engineering upgrades can unlock new business opportunities. By enhancing specific functionalities instead of replacing complete machines, manufacturers can innovate faster while keeping investments under control.

With a proven track record of optimizing operations and facilitating scalable growth, we’re ready to help you modernize your production lines and uphold the highest quality standards.