Marion Tanis-Kooistra added, “The equipment is innovative but also very solid as many of our clients require 24/7 production. And while our machines are ‘heavy-duty’ proof, the product made on them is consistent hour after hour, day after day. But where people work hard, naturally problems with the production can arise, so our engineers travel the world constantly to assist our clients to start up production again as soon as possible.”    

 

 TFT operates in a niche market. There is just a handful (about 4 or 5) of serious suppliers of this type of equipment globally. To keep its competitive edge, it values personal contact with its clients. As Peter Tanis said, “We try to get a good idea of what goes on inside a bakery manufacturer’s head. Our client will not be investing in a new machine just to have more stainless steel. That piece of equipment serves a specific goal: making a better product, a new product, a cheaper product, that they will be able to bake more rapidly and in larger quantities.”   

 

 The company stresses that its client’s production operations can be made more cost-effective by installing their continuous equipment, making production simpler and faster.   

 

 It is also crucial to keep informed of the latest trends in the consumer’s markets such as trans fats issues, ‘light’ and wellness trends, taste developments etc. TFT’s engineers in the field also pick up a lot of what is going on at the work floor level.   

 

 In this sector, it is essential to try to anticipate customers’ needs. Manufacturers need to renew their consumer’s interest frequently while making a nice profit too. As a result, TFT has chosen to develop new end products or product applications that can be made with their equipment, thus inspiring their clients to expand or change their production range.   

 

 At Pro Sweets, the company brought three end products to the attention of potential customers including soft marshmallow balls with jam fillings in different tastes, which are a big hit in Japan. For wafer manufacturers, TFT developed novelty fillings, such as a big bubble chocolate variety. Its crispy structure works wonders with the wafer. “With wafers, you can go a long way, if you renew what’s in between them! With these new fillings, our clients can distinguish their wafers from their competitors,” said Marion Tanis-Kooistra. Possibilities abound for clients who wish to expand.   

 Big bubble chocolate can be made in different shapes (seasonal shapes or funny shapes like letters or numbers) and sizes. It can be used as a filling for pralines or bars.   

 

 TFT also added that it is happy to respond to customers’ demands and that it very much supports their product development by executing product trials in its test facility in Lelystad. The company’s marketing department has often researched ideas about a new combination of ingredients for a client, for example. Then it is up to the company’s engineers and TFT’s engineers to put it into practice and achieve the best result. Sometimes, this requires a bit of work on the recipe, other times a real fine tuning or even made-to-measure adaptation of the equipment, or changing a certain step in the process, for example adjusting the exact duration of the tempering to get a final product right. Peter Tanis said, “It is always an exciting few days in our lab to try and create what the client has in mind. However, besides the hard work and long days, we enjoy ourselves hugely; you can see us all covered in chocolate or cream, both our customers and ourselves and, afterwards, we’ll celebrate with a Dutch beer.”