1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a production system, program, a recording medium carrying the recorded program, a method for controlling the system in the production of just fresh-cooked food products and a method for producing just fresh-cooked food products.
2. Discussion of the Background
When it is intended to provide just fresh-cooked food products, the works in in-store kitchens are very labor-intensive. So as to provide a volume of a just fresh-cooked food product as just required on a needed basis, in particular, the food product is essentially prepared in a small portion at a high frequency; in case of a great number of bread types and daily dish types requiring complex cooking processes, the works therefor are so complicated and laborious that non-skillful workers can hardly perform such cooking processes. These products are so rapidly deteriorated or altered. Considerable times and labors are needed for such non-skillful workers to master the cooking and processing conditions therefor.
The time zone with a good product sale includes peaks at lunch time and dinner time, so that the kitchen works therefor correspondingly reach their peaks in such time zone. Thus, kitchen facilities are required to have capacities capable of simply coping with these peaks for cooking and processing in harmony with the time zone where consumers rush for such products. Additionally, the number of workers is also required to pass through the peaks.
Because the types and volumes of products to be sold differ, depending on each store and each store open day, furthermore, store managers have been likely to determine for example the types and numbers of products to be produced on the basis of their own unique judgment based on their experiences and instinct and to produce and process products by their own unique procedures and then arrange the resulting products on their store counters. Meanwhile, their kitchens are commonly apart from the stores. Hence, it is very difficult to catch what types of products consumers want to get on real-time basis.
Accordingly, products demanded from consumers are rarely arranged at needed volumes in store; additionally, the kitchen works are not leveled so the number of workers is more likely to be excess.
As the outcome thereof, each store is flooded with sale reduction and the increase of labor cost, so that the management of each store is under pressure.
The types of bakery products such as bread and doughnut and food products such as daily dishes are so numerous and are selected on dishes in an enjoyable manner.
It is well known that these bakery products comprising wheat flour as the principal ingredient and food products such as daily dishes are deteriorated or altered over time immediately after cooking, so that aging phenomena emerge therein. Although the deterioration of the quality is remarked, these products have been on market, despite the form of non-just fresh-cooked products regarded as preservable foods.
For producing just fresh-baked bread for example by scratch process comprising mixing wheat flour with other materials and baking bread dough through all the scratch steps, alternatively, the process requires 5 hours at minimum. Therefore, the preparing step should be in timing close to the time for meal as much as possible. For serving a wide variety of bread types and volumes just baked, the number of the individual steps such as preparing and baking and the timing thereof should be adjusted in a sophisticated fashion.
For the purpose of baking a wide variety of bread types in a simple and labor-saving manner, hence, a process using frozen dough has been proposed. In this case, a starting material frozen dough is thawed and taken out of final proofing chamber, which is then baked in oven.
For supplying genuinely fresh-cooked various bread types, however, complicated individual steps satisfying appropriate processing temperature and timing of each bread type are essentially demanded even in this case.
At baking step, for example, the oven preset temperature is generally changed depending on each bread type, because individual bread types traditionally require different baking temperature conditions. Due to the time required for temperature presetting, baking needs a longer time. For baking good bread, more specifically, the oven is already preset to given conditions just in timing for baking after the termination of bread dough proofing.
Meanwhile, bread dough should be placed in an oven after the dough is appropriately proofed and expanded at extents suitable for such bread type. Unless the state of dough taken out of final proofing chamber is satisfactory, high-quality bread can never be produced by baking. Nevertheless, proofing of bread dough so solely depends on yeast that bread dough is frequently at a state not appropriate for baking in oven just in needed timing. Thus, the preliminary step is to be on completion slightly before the needed timing; when the dough is satisfactorily proofed in final proofing chamber at a state suitable for baking, the dough is then placed in an oven for baking, even outside the time zone with a good bread sale. Because of such limitation from the respect of the processing steps, bread not just fresh-baked is actually in store, in spite of the label or advertisement xe2x80x9cjust fresh-bakedxe2x80x9d.
In case that a needed volume of a bread type is preliminarily determined, undoubtedly, the volume of the bread dough to be prepared is calculated on the basis of the needed volume. When the estimated volume happens to differ from the actually needed volume due to the long duration of the preliminary bakery steps, it is more difficult to supply just fresh-baked bread. Furthermore, the estimate sometimes varies, depending on the influence of weather and the variation in the number of customers. Consequently, a considerably larger estimate than actual demand has generally been established, also involving the occurrence of loss.
In such circumstances as described above, any method and supply system for producing genuinely just fresh-baked bread have scarcely been examined.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1991-241495 discloses an electric cash register apparatus which transmits a cooking instruction about a dish ordered by a guest to a cook in the food service industry. Its purpose is to make it possible to efficiently cook by controlling the timing of the cooking instruction. However, the request by the guest has to be first registered in the apparatus in each time. The cooking instruction actually means an instruction to the cook of the timing of starting the cooking, but no instruction with respect to the cooking processes thereafter will be especially made to the cook.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1992-77959 discloses an automatic cooking control system for automating a cooking instruction in a kitchen after a waiter has received an order in the food service industry. Its purpose is to make the control of the cooking instruction in the kitchen appropriate and efficient. The cooking instruction means an instruction with an information-judging gadget to the cook of the timing of starting the cooking based on the contents of cooking. No instruction with respect to the cooking processes thereafter will be especially made to the cook.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1994-139256 discloses an order control system for selecting a plural outputting apparatus installed in a kitchen on the basis of a time zone, the number of workers in the kitchen and the like and transmitting ordering data to the most appropriate apparatus. In the system, some conditions such as the numbers of the workers per business time have been preliminarily determined, and an apparatus to be used for outputting will be selected by judging to which condition the present condition shall belong.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1996-242779 discloses an invention whose purpose is to control progress in the preparation of a dish and to provide a function of informing the finishing time of each cooking process so that the cooking may be done easily, accurately and efficiently. The invention requires a timer means for measuring a period from the starting to the finishing of each cooking process as an essential constituent, and is characterized by measuring the time required for at least one step in each cooking process with the timer means. Thus, this invention just instructs a recipe of cooking and the finishing time of the processes.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1997-299017 discloses a vehicle for producing and selling breads in a mobile fashion, but the vehicle never overcomes the problems occurring due to the variation of the sale""s volume and consumption volume of bread types. The vehicle can reduce the time required for the transfer of bread types to places to be consumed, but the vehicle has to bake and keep breads at volumes more than the estimates for sale. When the estimates differ from the actual volumes of sold breads, the difference between the estimated volume and the actual volume simply corresponds to a loss.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1998-28563 discloses an apparatus for order-receiving, preparing and baking of hamburger, comprising a production-planning apparatus for calculating and instructing the number of patty and buns that are planned to be baked on the basis of actual order-receiving outcome data and estimation data in the future, an apparatus for baking patty and an apparatus for baking buns. The purpose of this invention is to rationalize a total working process from the receiving of the order of the hamburger to its finishing, and especially to shorten the time for waiting and to improve freshness of the products. The invention is characterized by that the patty and buns have been preliminarily baked and stored so as to shorten the waiting time of the hamburger. Since the actual order-receiving outcome data used in the above production-planning apparatus may be obtained by a direct order orally made by a customer, or outputted from an order-receiving apparatus on the basis of customer""s inputting operation (page 4, the left column, 18-20 lines), the customer""s inputting the data is definitely required. Since warming and combining of the patty and buns in the invention is a very simple and fixed working, it has not required any specialized technique or skill and any one can do it without difficulty.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1999-14065 discloses a cooking-supporting system for optionally providing in an easily accessible form the information about cooking including an operation program of a cooking apparatus in response to a request by a consumer, and a cooking apparatus which is compatible with the above system. The cooking-supporting system comprises an information-providing means for recording information of each cooking and a plural information-controlling means. The information of each cooking includes the kinds and amounts of materials, their nutrition values, a method in each cooking step, and programs for the operations of cooking apparatuses such as a microwave oven and an electric rice cooker. The system is characterized by that the program is transmitted from the information-controlling means to the cooking apparatuses. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1999-15893 discloses a system for controlling of stocks and cooking, and a method for controlling of stocks and cooking. Their purpose is to provide a rapid service so as not to have guests wait depending on the cooking time. It is characterized by that the number of stock and cooking time of each product are input in advance and that when the number of the stocks of a product is decreased to a predetermined level an alarm will be rung so that an additional cooking of the product is requested to keep a constant level of the number of the stock. Accordingly, the alarm will only promote an addition of cooking, and the system can be effective only in a case where the cooking time is short and supplement of the stock will be easily made in response to an instruction of the addition of cooking.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1999-187824 discloses a cooking-supporting system for controlling cooking operations by using the information about progress of cooking in accordance with an actual progress in the cooking, for outputting an appropriate cooking means in accordance with the progress of the cooking each time, and for effectively controlling various kinds of cooking apparatuses in connection with the cooking operations depending on various kinds of menus.
However, no prior art mentioned above describes a system or method for planning all of the operations in a kitchen on the basis of estimated sale data, actual sale outcome data (sale situation) and for providing workers with a detailed instruction of the information about each cooking operation such as its starting and finishing time.
It is a purpose of the invention to supply a just fresh-cooked food product of a needed type at a needed volume on a needed basis through works as simple as possible not by skillful experts but by general workers of a minimum number in a simple fashion, so as to satisfy the demand of customers or the demand for the product.
It is a purpose of the invention to elevate the frequency of baking bread dough or the frequency of oil cooking process of daily dishes for producing and supplying just fresh-baked bread and doughnuts or daily dishes, by simplifying the conventional complicated preliminary procedures of baking and/or oil cooking process and unifying such procedures concerning a diverse variety of products to simultaneously process them.
Additionally, it is a purpose of the invention to provide a system and method for producing just fresh-cooked food products.
Another purpose of the present invention is to a program for implementing or processing the above system with a computer, or to a program for making the computer operate or function as the above system, a recording medium that is readable or accessible for the computer, and use of the system in the method according to the present invention.
The invention relates to a method for producing and supplying just fresh-cooked food products, executing each process based on a job instruction describing the procedures of each process.
The method may be utilized for effectively applying a method for producing and supplying just fresh-baked bread and just fresh-fried doughnuts or just fresh-cooked daily dishes described in the present specification.
Particularly, the job instruction describes, for example, the contents of the works concerning the blending, baking and/or oil cooking of frozen dough, or the preliminary preparative process and other cooking process of daily dishes, which have been made on the basis of actual production (generation) outcome data, and estimated sale data designed based on the past actual sale outcome data and modified on request on the basis of a day""s actual sale outcome data with a computer at least once a day.
Additionally, a more simplified form of the method comprises using the estimated sale data designed based on the past sale outcome data as it is with no modification on the basis of the day""s actual sale outcome data with a computer on occasion.
The job instruction is prepared on request at least once a day, and may be outputted by an appropriate means for outputting such as a means for displaying on a computer display, or an appropriate means for outputting in the form of document or voice.
The job instruction may be prepared at an appropriate interval of time from the respects of the abilities and skills of workers. Thus, the interval of the preparation, display and/or output of such contents of the works is desirably as short as possible, so as to enable the production to more sufficiently cope with the demand. When the interval is too short, however, workers are then under too much of a load. Therefore, the actual interval of time may be optionally changed depending on the demand and the like, or alternatively may be the same (e.g., 30 min) throughout the working hours of the day.
The following examples depict examples of such system.
First, a sale estimation system is provided, comprising a means for inputting estimated sale data (sale plan number) designed based on the past actual sale outcome, a means for recording and/or controlling the estimated sale data. The sale estimation system may further comprise at least one of a means for inputting the actual sale outcome data, a means for recording the actual sale outcome data, a means for recording a given rule; and a means for reading the estimated sale data, the actual sale outcome data and the rule and modifying the estimated sale data under the rule on the basis of the actual sale outcome data The sale estimation system includes a means functioning as a central processing unit, which on instruction from a control program in a main memory may read the estimated sale data and the actual sale outcome data from each recording means, and modify on request the estimated sale data under the given rule on the basis of the actual sale outcome data at least once a day. The modified estimated sale data will be recorded again in the means for recording and/or controlling the estimated sale data.
The xe2x80x9crulexe2x80x9d means that based on the comparison between the accumulated number (actual sale outcome data) of each merchandise sold at each periodical point and the estimated sale data (in number) and the calculation of a progress ratio (sale ratio) of the sale of each merchandise based on the resulting ratio, the subsequent estimated sale data may be appropriately modified on request by multiplication of the estimated sale data thereafter with a coefficient corresponding to the progress ratio. The xe2x80x9crulexe2x80x9d may be also called xe2x80x9cstandard master for determining the increase or decrease.xe2x80x9d Herein, the coefficient may preliminarily be determined appropriately per each product or merchandise.
The estimated sale data include for example monthly sale or rough (gross) profit, weekly sale or rough (gross) profit, daily sale or rough (gross) profit, sale numbers of each product per unit-time period or in the course of time.
The estimated sale data may be also determined on the basis of the past actual sale outcome data. For example, those for the daily-sale or sale numbers of each product per unit-time period may be obtained by calculating them based on the ratio of an average sale numbers of each product pre unit-time period on the same day of a week during the past few months so that a target of a total sale amount of the day may be fulfilled.
An outcome control system is provided, comprising a least one of a means for inputting actual sale outcome data, a means for recording actual sale outcome data, a means for inputting actual production outcome data including the day""s production (generation) outcome as to the type and volume of each merchandise produced on the day, production loss, the number of testing, used amount, storing amount and the like, a means for accumulating and/or storing the actual sale outcome data, a processing means for reading the actual sale outcome data and the actual production outcome data and calculating the number of each product or merchandise arranged on a counter based on the difference in the number of each merchandise between the actual sale outcome data and the actual production outcome data, and a means for recording the number of each product or merchandise arranged on the counter.
The outcome control system includes a means functioning as a central processing unit, which on instruction from a control program in a main memory may read the actual sale outcome data and the actual production outcome data from each recording means, and calculate the number of each product or merchandise arranged on the counter based on the difference in the number of each merchandise on real time.
Further, a job instruction (production instruction) system is provided, comprising at least one of a means for preliminarily recording master data consisting of information concerning raw material conditions of the merchandises, processing and production conditions thereof and the working time required therefor, and operation and capacity conditions of individual production and cooking facilities (for example, dough conditioner and/or thawing chamber, final proofing chamber and refrigerating and storage chamber, and oven and/or fryer), etc., as well as given rules to be referred to in the determination of working contents (order, scheduling rule for production and/or cooking facilities, panning rule, rule for determining the merchandise on simultaneous operation, and rule for leveling necessary workers, etc.); a means for selecting the rules on the basis of the numbers of each merchandise arranged on a counter, the master data, the actual production outcome data, and/or the estimated sale data, which are read from each recording means; a means for applying the rules thus selected to the above data to prepare a job instruction describing the contents of the works regarding the blending and baking and/or oil cooking process of frozen bread dough or the preliminary preparative process of daily dishes and other cooking processes thereof; and a means for outputting the job instruction.
The means for outputting the job instruction may include a means for displaying on a computer display, or an appropriate means for outputting in the form of a document such as a printer and/or a means for outputting in the form of voice.
The job instruction system includes a means functioning as a central processing unit, which on instruction from a control program in a main memory may select the rules on the basis of the numbers of each merchandise arranged on the counter, the master data, the actual production outcome data, and/or the estimated sale data, which are read from each recording means, apply the rules thus selected to the above data to prepare a job instruction or schedule describing the contents of the works on request at least once a day.
Examples of the job instruction or schedule outputted from the job instruction system are shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIGS. 8-12.
Furthermore, in the central processing unit of the job instruction system, various kinds of store control data of individual stores may be obtained. Such store control data include for example simulation data of the operation status of each facility the day after tomorrow and thereafter and patterns of the number and type of necessary workers for the operation, baking loss ratio of each merchandise to be produced and a loss ratio due to remnants, graphs displaying the change of the sale numbers and baking numbers of each merchandise per unit-time period, the sales and crude profit of each merchandise or each category group, and amounts of raw materials used at each store. The store control data of individual stores may be outputted as an daily report by the means for outputting in the Job instruction system. An example is shown in FIG. 7.
In such manner, the number of workers required per unit-time period (zone) the day after tomorrow and thereafter can easily be grasped, while the part-time workers required therefor may readily be arranged. For the development of a new store, further, the ability thereof may be examined and checked while the equipment necessary therefor may be determined in a readily manner.
The amounts of raw materials used at each store may automatically be calculated as store control data, to automatically order raw materials required for the store through LAN system of the invention. In such manner, such complicated works for the order of raw materials may readily be performed by part-time workers.
The above-mentioned systems of the present invention may be connected with each other by radio or wire so that various data recorded in each system may be utilized. In the systems of the present invention, one means such as that for recording in one system may be so constructed that it can function also as another means for recording in the other system. Examples of the function of the present system are shown as in a flow chart in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14.
As one embodiment of the present invention, the sale estimation system, the outcome control system and the job instruction system may be independently constructed with an individual apparatus such as a computer. In such case, each apparatus may be connected through an appropriate electronic communication circuit which is well known in the art, constituting a network system such as in-store LAN (Local Area Network) constructed in each store or WAN.
In such case, the means for inputting the actual sale outcome data and/or the means for recording the actual sale outcome data are not installed in the system, but may be installed separately at a selling point (counter), so that the actual sale outcome data may be transmitted on real time through LAN to each system and processed there in various ways (POS (Point of Sales) system).
The means for recording the various data such as the estimated sale data and the actual sale outcome data may be constructed with a high-performance computer called xe2x80x9cstore server.xe2x80x9d In this case, the various data are transmitted first to the store server, and then transmitted from the server to each system to be recorded there in the recording means. One example of the network system is shown in FIG. 2.
As another embodiment of the present invention, two or more systems selected from the sale estimation system, the outcome control system and the job instruction system may be integrated into an apparatus such as a computer to constitute an integrated system for the production of just fresh-cooked food products. Alternatively, all of the above systems may be integrated into an apparatus such as a computer to constitute an integrated system for the production of just fresh-cooked food products. In such case, a plural number of the means for inputting the actual sale outcome data, the means for recording the actual sale outcome data, central processing units and/or the main memories of each system may be independently comprised in the integrated system, or alternatively each kind of means may be integrated as a single means in the integrated system. Even in such case, the actual sale outcome data can be inputted on real time and processed on real time in each system.
In the integrated system of the present invention, the means for inputting the actual sale outcome data and/or the means for recording the actual sale outcome data are not installed in the system, but may be installed separately at a selling point (counter), so that the actual sale outcome data may be transmitted on real time through LAN to each system and processed there in various ways (POS (Point of Sales) system). An example of the above system is shown in FIG. 15.
As mentioned before, a more simplified form of the system comprises using the estimated sale data designed based on the past actual sale outcome data as it is with no modification on the basis of the day""s actual sale outcome data with a computer on occasion.
Accordingly, the system of the present invention may be constructed as a simplified system which do not comprise the means for inputting the actual sale outcome data, and the means for recording the actual sale outcome data.
In this system, since the day""s actual sale outcome data are not transmitted from the means for inputting the same data to each of the present system or the store server, the estimated sale data will not modified on the basis of the actual sale outcome data under the given rule at a given interval of time in the sale estimation system.
However, based on the estimated sale data designed on the basis of the past actual sale outcome recorded and controlled in the means for recording the estimated sale data, the job instruction data and the store control data may be output by the aforementioned procedures, to achieve the same effects.
After daily closing of the store or during intermediate store opening hours, for example, the actual sale outcome data may be collectively input into the store server, to modify and update appropriately the estimated sale data on occasion.
Each system of the present invention may be connected through an appropriate electronic communication line which is well known in the art such as ISDN circuit, Internet using optical fibers, or an exclusive circuit, to a host computer located outside the stores, for example that in a central office. In such case, the system of the present invention may be constructed as a production system consisting of the host computer and a plural system wherein the host computer collectively accumulates and controls the information from each store and transmits the master data to the system of each store.
Accordingly, the present invention is further related to a program for implementing or processing the sale estimation system, the outcome control system, the job instruction system, and/or their integrated system with a computer, or to a program for making a computer operate or function as the above system in the production and supply of just fresh-cooked food products, and to a recording medium recording the program and that is readable or accessible for the computer.
The program according to the present invention may be recorded on any appropriate recording media well known in the art, such as a hard disk, floppy disk (FD), CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic and optical (MO) disk, or magnetic tape.
The present invention is still further related to a method for a sale estimation in the production and supply of just fresh-cooked food products, comprising a step for inputting estimated sale data (sale plan number) designed based on the past actual sale outcome into a means for recording the estimated sale data, and a step for recording and/or controlling the estimated sale data; to said method, further comprising a step for inputting actual sale outcome data into a means for recording the actual sale outcome data, and a step for the central processing unit""s reading the estimated sale data, the actual sale outcome data and the rule from each recording means and modifying the estimated sale data under the rule on the basis of the actual sale outcome data at least once a day.
The present invention is related to a method for outcome control in the production and supply of just fresh-cooked food products, comprising a step for inputting actual sale outcome data into a means for inputting the actual sale outcome data, inputting actual production outcome data into a means for accumulating and/or storing the actual production outcome data, a step for the central processing unit""s reading the actual sale outcome data and the actual production outcome data from each recording means and calculating the number of each product or merchandise arranged on a counter based on the difference in the number of each merchandise in any time, and a step for recording the number of each product or merchandise arranged on the counter.
The present invention is related to a method for job instruction in the production and supply of just fresh-cooked food products, comprising a step for the central processing unit""s selecting the rules on the basis of the numbers of each merchandise arranged on a counter, the master data, the actual production outcome data, and/or the estimated sale data, a step for applying the rules thus selected to the above data read from each recording means, and a step for preparing a job instruction or schedule describing the contents of the works on request at least once a day.
The present invention is further related to a method for controlling the system in the production and supply of just fresh-cooked food products, which consists of a combination of two or more the above methods.
Orders described below are examples for use in using the preparation of the contents of works. An appropriate combination thereof enables the preparation of a job instruction.
1. Order following and coping with sale (production on order)
[Order Occurrence Condition]
Merchandise with the stock on counter below the base number.
[Production Volume]
Volume estimated to be sold within one hour from the current point.
[Remarks]
Generally, no order occurs unless counter stock is decreased due to the merchandise sale despite any plan. By presetting the store stock base number to a high level, the production according to the plan may be achieved.
2. Leveled order of operation and equipment capacity (minimum required workers)
[Order Occurrence Condition]
Based on the estimate 2 hours later at a 30-minute interval, the labor and equipment load should be calculated at the time. When the estimate over-flows from the respect of the labor and equipment capacity, the orders of merchandises occupying lower positions in an increasing order of a preferential degree for pre-planned production sequentially occur. The dough of a shorter usable time or occupying a lower position in an increasing order of a preferential fresh-baking degree occupies a lower position in the increasing order of the preferential degree of pre-planned production.
[Production Volume]
Volume to be produced two hours later under planning.
3. Production of half-finished product outside estimation
[Order occurrence condition]
Merchandises requiring several processes, which are retained at intermediately processed state and are close to the limit of the usable time. For example, frozen dough or fried products are thawed and are thereafter being charged in the next process or equipment.
[Production volume]
Preliminarily charged volume.
[Remarks]
Even with no production on order or leveled order, production order occurs on the basis of the estimation.
Merchandises half-finished will be a loss unless the merchandises are processed to the final stage. Therefore, production order occurs the last minute within the quality retention.
FIG. 5 shows the flow chart depicting a logic flow in the program used for determining the contents of actual job instruction (after store opening) for molded frozen bread dough, using the computer, as based on the above orders.
Additionally, the oven scheduling rule is for example as follows.
Because merchandises are taken out from the oven in various timings, it is substantially difficult to adjust the timings so as to avoid the overlapping of the taking-out timings. Further, instantaneous occurrence of any peak may be coped with human labors.
Oven scheduling should be focused on the timing of the pre-oven operation. By dividing then the operation works into patterns such as a pattern of diversified work load and a pattern of concentrated work load, oven scheduling is adjusted.
The scheduling rule is modified, depending on the bottom time zone and peak time zone. Because no customer comes to the store prior to store opening, for example, the works then are relatively less, so that the following xe2x80x9cbottom hour rulexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cpeak hour rule Ixe2x80x9d are preferably applied. After store opening, then, xe2x80x9cpeak hour rule 2xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpeak hour rule 3xe2x80x9d is preferably applied.
[Bottom Hour Rule]
The decrease of the peak of the number of workers involves the decrease of the equipment operation ratio instead.
The pre-oven works never overlap with other pre-oven works and post-oven works.
[Peak Hour Rule 1]
A partial overlap of the pre-oven works with the post-oven works is approved.
With a slight time space after the termination of the post-oven works, the next batch can be started. In that case, the overlap of the post-oven works with the pre-oven works is permissible.
[Peak hour rule 2]
No problem is involved in the overlap of the pre-oven operation with the post-oven works at each step. Immediately after the termination of the post-oven works, the pre-oven works start.
[Peak hour rule 3]
So as to attain only the equipment operation ratio at 100% in the true sense, the pre-oven and post-oven works are permitted to almost overlap to each other and be started (but with a space hour enough for the time required for the charging and taking out of the BS).
One example of the rule to be obeyed for panning frozen bread dough in a dough conditioner is the following method.
The state of a final proofing chamber is checked at a 30-minute interval. In case that the progress of the proofing of the dough in the final proofing chamber is poor, then, baking order for leveling occurs. Therefore, the timing of an actual panning is determined by the following two points, namely the time when the final proofing chamber is vacant or the time when it is needed to charge dough on time schedule.
Because the dough to be panned in the final proofing chamber is based on the sale estimate, it is necessary to again examine and check when the dough preliminarily panned is to be baked as dough on the basis of the current estimate in case that the sale estimate is to be modified (be estimated again) from time to time.
In case the sale estimate has been modified, the subject time of each final proofing is to be modified, also involving the adjustment of the subject time and merchandises of each final proofing and BS numbers for the next time.
In that case, the following conception is to be obeyed. xe2x80x9cConceptionxe2x80x9d
Within the range of dough usable hours (usable time), the preliminarily charged dough is allocated. Thus, the numbers of charged merchandises and BSs/usable time are never changed.
Regarding dough newly required from sale estimation but not yet charged in the final proofing chamber during retention hours, the dough is regarded as estimate loss.
Based on the rule for determining the panning timing as described above, FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of the logic flow in the program for the determination of the contents of job instruction for panning, using the computer.
The store pre-closing work (final baking work) is carried out for all of the bread doughs resting in the standby mode after the final proofing, which are baked according to the logic of xe2x80x9cbaking order for leveling retention in final proofing chamberxe2x80x9d in case that xe2x80x9cpanning is not yet requiredxe2x80x9d as shown in FIG. 6.
For the method for constantly supplying just fresh-baked bread, how to supply bread dough sufficiently proofed in a final proofing chamber to a state enough for immediate baking is the most essential.
From the aforementioned respect, the present inventors have found a method for constantly supplying bread dough sufficiently proofed in a final proofing chamber and thereby constantly supplying just fresh-baked bread, comprising a cycle system in a predetermined time duration unit of about one hour to 4 hours, wherein the cycle system comprises repeating thawing and proofing of the frozen dough type of each bread type or doughnut type necessary per unit-time period, resting of the doughs taken out of the final proofing chamber and baking of the doughs in ovens under fixed preset conditions.
More specifically, the invention relates to a method for producing and supplying just fresh-baked bread using frozen bread dough, comprising simultaneously subjecting the frozen bread doughs necessary for the bread types and numbers to be supplied per unit-time period under planning to a thawing and final proofing process, resting the bread doughs in a standby mode under a constant condition, and baking at least a part of the bread doughs rested in the standby mode in ovens under fixed baking conditions.
The present invention relates to a method for producing and supplying just fresh-baked bread using frozen bread dough, comprising simultaneously subjecting the frozen bread doughs necessary for the bread types and numbers to be supplied per unit-time period under planning to a thawing process, resting the bread doughs in a standby mode under a constant condition, and baking at least a part of the bread doughs rested in the standby mode in ovens under fixed baking conditions.
Further, the present invention relates to a method for producing and supplying just fresh-fried doughnuts using frozen bread dough, comprising simultaneously subjecting the frozen bread dough necessary for the doughnut types and numbers to be supplied per unit-time period under planning to a thawing and final proofing process, resting the bread doughs in a standby mode under a constant condition, and baking in ovens under fixed baking conditions and/or cooking with an oil fryer at least a part of the bread doughs rested in the standby mode.
Still further, the present invention relates to a method for producing and supplying just fresh-fried doughnuts using frozen bread dough, comprising simultaneously subjecting the frozen bread dough necessary for the doughnut types and numbers to be supplied per unit-time period under planning to a thawing process, resting the bread doughs in a standby mode under a constant condition, and baking in ovens under fixed baking conditions and/or cooking with an oil fryer at least a part of the bread doughs rested in the standby mode.
The unit-time period may appropriately be predetermined by a person with an ordinary skill in the art, depending on the product type, the store scale, the product number to be supplied, the type, scale and capacity of kitchen equipment. The unit-time period is generally one to 4 hours. Furthermore, the unit-time period may appropriately be modified within the daily supply time zone at each store, on a needed basis.
The unit-time period may be determined on the basis of the duration of resting in the standby mode of dough after final proofing. A time zone with a large variation of sale and a time zone with almost no variation of sale are present daily. Because the processing capacity of apparatuses for use in thawing and final proofing is generally limited, the unit-time period is shortened in the time zone with a large variation of sale, while in the remaining time zone, the unit-time period is preset longer. In such manner, products are preferably supplied at a baking velocity, depending on the sale""s variation.