Manchester-based Wong Wong Bakery has seen investment in new equipment enhance production of its signature Chinese buns.
A two-pocket Koenig Mini Rex dough divider and rounder, supplied and installed by European Process Plant Ltd (EPP), is helping the family-run business simplify processes, improve speed and quality, and refocus staff duties to other areas of the bakery.
Located in the heart of Manchester’s Chinatown, Wong Wong Bakery has been in operation for over 20 years, serving much of the city’s Chinese community either at its onsite retail shop or via wholesale.
Its range includes an assortment of sweet and savoury buns as well as decorative cakes. The buns are baked following a traditional Chinese recipe, which provides a light, soft texture, and come in authentic flavours such as roast pork and black sesame.
Manager Lin Chan revealed the bakery had previously used an older piece of equipment from a Taiwanese manufacturer but said it hadn’t been producing the correct size of dough needed nor making neat, round individual pieces. “We were aware of the benefits of a Koenig Mini Rex and since its installation, have been extremely impressed by the consistency in product sizing, ease of use, and increased productivity which the machinery has contributed to,” she commented.
Chan also appreciated the day-long training organised by EPP following installation of the new equipment. “Due to the support from the EPP team, we all felt so confident using the machinery that we were in production the next day,” she added.
EPP area sales manager Ged McBride called the Koenig Mini Rex the perfect solution for Wong Wong Bakery’s requirements, noting that it provided “gentle handling for the soft and light dough without harming its texture”.
Manchester is home to the UK’s second largest Chinatown after London. Back in March, British Baker caught up with one of the capital’s fastest rising Chinese brands, Chinatown Bakery, to find out what laid ahead for the business in the Year of the Dragon and beyond.
EPP is the exclusive UK distributor of Koenig. The supplier recently unveiled the Koenig Artisan SFE EC dough sheeting line for bakers in the UK and Ireland.
Described as ergonomically designed with efficiency in mind, it provides flexible and economical production of bread rolls with throughput of up to 9,000 pieces per hour. Compact enough to fit into a small footprint, the line also features an ‘Easy Clean’ design that affords quick cleaning and greater visibility of the production process.
It produces endless dough sheet generation – designed for doughs with a yield of 155 to 175 – with no edge section and no excess dough, and offers a wide range of stamping tools and an optional cup rounding station.
“Efficiency is king in our industry, so we’re excited to offer the latest innovation from our long-established partner and market leader Koenig, which introduces a range of benefits to save bakers time and money,” said Steve Merritt, EPP managing director.
“The Artisan SFE EC is an economical and versatile line able to produce a variety of dough shapes and sizes whilst conserving resources. Its ease of use allows for fast, tool-free product changes, making it a fantastic commercial workhorse for reliable, consistent and high-quality production at scale,” Merritt added.
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