36% Fuel Savings & 20% Output Boost, know how a Leading Biscuit Maker Transformed Its Production Line with New Era

Client

Undisclosed

Country

India

A top-tier North Indian bakery group, known for its popular range of soft dough coconut biscuits, faced a pivotal challenge: their aging production line was no longer keeping pace with market demand, cost pressures, and product quality expectations. After struggling with high gas bills, downtime, and inconsistent output, they chose to invest in a new-generation line from New Era, a move that reshaped their operational efficiency and profitability.

THE CHALLENGE

When Growth Outpaces Infrastructure

Despite a strong brand and growing consumer demand, the client’s existing production line was dragging their operations down. Key concerns included are

  • High Fuel Costs
  • Their line consumed 44 SCM of natural gas per ton, which was no longer sustainable.
  • Downtime Disruption
  • Weekly downtime of 5–6 hours affected productivity and pushed maintenance into overtime.
  • Inconsistent Dough Feeding
  • With an offline dough feeding system, dough flow was erratic, leading to weight variation and uneven baking.
  • Poor Product Uniformity
  • Operators constantly struggled with dark edges, underbaked centers, and color variations—particularly on the first and last rows of the oven.
  • Gauge Inaccuracy
  • Inconsistent thickness caused high scrap rates and created problems in downstream packing operations.
  • Slow ROI on Capex
  • Past investments hadn’t paid back quickly enough, making stakeholders cautious about future expansion.

    The client was clear: any new investment had to deliver clear, measurable results from day one.

    THE SOLUTION

    A New Era in Performance

    New Era partnered closely with the client’s production, engineering, and commercial teams to custom- engineer a solution that addressed every pain point. The project resulted in the installation of a


    72-meter-long, 1.5-meter-wide biscuit
    production line
    Featuring a high-efficiency Hybrid Tunnel Oven designed for natural gas with zonal precision control
    Fully integrated
    online dough feeding system
    Advanced gauge control unit for uniform
    dough thickness
    Auto-cleaning, hygienic design for CIP-friendly maintenance
    Smart diagnostics and monitoring through
    PLC + SCADA interface

    Performance Overview

    Parameter
    Old Line
    New Era Line
    Production Capacity
    2.5 tons/hr
    3.0 tons/hr
    Fuel Consumption
    44 SCM/ton
    28 SCM/ton
    Weekly Downtime
    5-6 hrs
    Zero
    Dough Feeding
    Offline(irregular)
    Online(uniform)
    Color/Bake Consistency
    Variations & edge issues
    Perfect uniformity
    Gauge Accuracy
    High variation
    Controlled & consistent
    Scrap/Breakage
    Frequent
    Minimized
    Package Line Rejections
    High
    Significantly reduced
    ROI
    >4 years
    <2 years

    Results That Speak for Themselves

    36% Fuel Savings

    By reducing natural gas usage from 44 SCM/ton to 28 SCM/ton, the line delivered massive savings in energy cost, immediately visible in monthly P&L.

    20% More Output, Same Footprint

    Despite similar floor space, the client achieved a +20% increase in hourly output, going from 2.5 to 3.0 TPH, without requiring extra labor or infrastructure.

    Zero Downtime = More Throughput

    Automated cleaning, better build quality, and reduced manual interventions mean the line runs 24/7 without interruption, unlike the older system which lost 5–6 productive hours per week

    Superior Product Consistency

    No more batch rejections for color variation. The Hybrid Oven maintains even heat distribution across the full width — no underbaking in the center, no dark edges on the sides.

    Precision Feeding = No Waste

    The new online dough feeding system eliminated the inconsistencies caused by manual batch feeding, resulting in less variation, less scrap, and smoother automation downstream.

    Smoother Packing, Less Breakage

    Thanks to tight gauge control, the biscuits remain uniform in thickness and shape, allowing faster and smoother packing operations with fewer stoppages and reduced breakage.

    Fastest ROI Yet

    With the savings from gas, scrap, manpower, and improved output, the investment is projected to pay for itself in under 24 months — far faster than the client’s historical benchmarks

    Why This Matters

    In a competitive FMCG market, every gram of dough, every kilowatt of gas, and every minute of uptime counts. This project shows that with the right technology and engineering, legacy problems can be turned into competitive advantages

    Technical Highlights

    Icon 1

    Hybrid Tunnel Oven

    Natural gas zones with electric assist options

    Icon 2

    Online Dough Feeding

    Servo-driven, continuous, and weight-controlled

    Icon 3

    Zonal Heat Profiling

    Top & bottom independent control.

    Icon 4

    Auto-Cleaning System

    No manual scrubbing, reduced contamination risk

    Icon 5

    Gauge Calibration System

    Integrated into roller settings

    Icon 6

    SCADA Monitoring

    Remote access, alert triggers, batch traceability.

    Technical Highlights

    KPI
    Fuel Cost
    Savings
    Output
    Improvement
    Downtime
    Scrap
    Reduction
    ROI
    Key Takeaways
    36% ↓
    20% ↑
    100% Eliminated
    ~60 – 70% ↓
    < 2 Years

    New Era understood our problems and delivered a solution that exceeded expectations. We’re seeing real fuel savings, consistent quality, and no downtime. This line has completely changed the economics of our production.