Benchmark Quality Speculoos with 50% Lower Energy Using a Data-Driven Hybrid Steel Belt Oven
Client
Vermeiren
Country
Belgium
Vermeiren is a legacy Belgian biscuit brand, internationally recognized for its artisanal speculoos, a crisp, caramelized biscuit delicately spiced and golden baked. With a strong presence in Europe and beyond, Vermeiren maintains rigid product standards across all baking lines, especially in terms of texture, flavor, color, and consistency.
The Challenge
Vermeiren needed to install a new baking oven on their expanded production line, but with a clear condition
Vermeiren needed to install a new baking oven on their expanded production line, but with a clear condition: “The new oven must replicate the exact baking performance of our traditional ovens. We cannot compromise the speculoos product quality under any circumstances.” Their key objectives are
- Preserve the unique bake profile of speculoos
- Achieve perfect consistency in caramelization and color
- Lower energy consumption
- Avoid long tuning periods during startup
- Maintain the signature surface and bite achieved using steel belt baking
Our Engineering Approach
Data Before Design
Rather than rely on assumptions, New Era deployed a specialized Data Logger inside Vermeiren’s existing ovens to scientifically capture the baking conditions responsible for the perfect speculoos outcome.
We Recorded and analyzed
Zone-wise temperatures
Heat flux and distribution patterns
Moisture release rate and drying curve
Product core temperature and timing
Airflow, exhaust, and humidity control
This allowed us to map the exact thermal fingerprint of there speculoos production process.
The Solution
A Custom Hybrid Steel Belt Oven
Zonal control of top and
bottom heat
Hybrid heating flexibility:
enabled radiation & convection
Intelligent PLC system for precise,
repeatable control
Balanced airflow and exhaust
system for moisture control
Product-specific oven length
and bake zone configuration
Hygienic design for easy cleaning
and low downtime
Commissioning
First Results After Fine-Tuning
Once the oven was installed and fine-tuned to match the data profile
- The first production batches delivered benchmark quality speculoos
- Color, texture, and flavor matched and exceeded the output of legacy ovens
- No additional rework or hardware changes were needed post commissioning
The client declared:
“This is the highest quality speculoos we have ever produced.”
Energy Savings
A Massive Operational Gain
Beyond quality, the new oven delivered impressive energy efficiency:
50% lower gas
consumption compared to
traditional ovens
Reduced carbon footprint
and energy cost per kg
of biscuit
Stable baking
with minimal manual
adjustment
Performance Overview
| Feature | Legacy Oven | New Era Hybrid Oven |
|---|---|---|
| Product Quality | Consistent | Benchmark Output Achieved |
| Energy Usage | 100% baseline | -50% |
| Steel Belt Baking | Yes | Yes |
| Commissioning Time | Long manual tuning | Ready post initial settings |
| Zonal Control | Manual | Dynamic & independent |
| Automation | Limited | Fully integrated SCADA/PLC |
After initial settings, we reached benchmark product quality. This oven produces the best speculoos we’ve ever baked and it consumes half the energy of our previous lines.