Craft meets Code: How Harry Brot Brings Smart Software into the Bakery

The utmost care and state-of-the-art technology for the highest quality baking. Harry Brot capitalises on SYNAOS software and AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions hardware for its internal material flow.

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Text: SYNAOS

Since 1688, the Harry Brot brand has been the byword for top quality in baking. Supplying thousands of stores with a wide range of fresh products every day requires well-thought-out, automated intralogistics processes.

“We see a significant advantage in using AMRs to boost flexibility in production. In addition, it simplifies processes and renders intralogistics within the company more efficient,” says Gerhard Dirksen, Head of Bakery Plant Engineering at Harry Brot. “There is considerable potential in all areas of our production operations – from dough making and production to packaging and shipping. Intralogistics solutions offer significant advantages here.”

Tight Spaces, Multiple Routes, High Throughput

At Harry Brot’s Soltau facility, a new transport solution was needed to handle material flows between dough production, the main production lines, and the sheet pan storage area for more flexibility. Racks and containers filled with fresh dough were constantly on the move through a winding production environment.

Since autumn 2023, Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) have taken over these transports. They are coordinated by the SYNAOS Mobile Robot Fleet Management Software, which dynamically assigns every transport order. At the heart of the project is a fleet of AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions IL1200 robots, which automatically move dough containers and sheet pan racks from the mixers to the production lines, returning the empty containers back to storage.

Mobile Robots by AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions, Orchestrated by SYNAOS

The SYNAOS Intralogistics Platform handles not only task distribution and navigation, but also warehouse management and sheet-type mapping. SYNAOS acts as the central intelligence that connects software, hardware, and production processes.

“The food and beverage industry is an exciting space for mobile robotics. In Germany alone, it comprises over 5,000 companies – all with highly individual needs and growing demand for flexibility. That’s where mobile robotics shine,” explains Malte Kersten, Director at AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions.

“Transport requirements differ significantly from those in our core automotive market. Here at Harry Brot, for example, the dough continues to ferment during transport – so timing is critical. Transportation must therefore not only be successful, but also carried out on time—otherwise, the product will suffer. Add to that the industry’s strict hygiene standards and the variety of load carriers. We’re moving away from standardized pallets toward customized racks and containers that must be precisely positioned and seamlessly integrated into machinery.”

From Proof of Concept to Productive Operation

What began as a straightforward proof of concept quickly evolved into a fully operational automation system. The three partners worked closely together, focusing on the specific needs of food production.

“The collaboration with AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions went exceptionally well. From the start, everyone brought the right mindset and deep expertise to the table. There was clear ownership across teams, but also a shared goal: creating a reliable automation solution for the customer. The AUMOVIO AMRs proved to be robust and highly reliable. What we particularly appreciated was AUMOVIO’s clear go-to-market approach based on VDA 5050, the standardized interface between fleet management software and AMRs. That level of foresight and integration planning is far from common – and it made implementation fast and seamless from the start”, says Dr. Lennart Bochmann, CPO & Co-Founder of SYNAOS.

Beyond Automation: Efficiency, Sustainability, and Future Readiness

“One key takeaway from this project is that cleaning requirements in the food and beverage sector are far more extensive than in other industries. Due to flour dust, cleaning the vision sensors once a day simply isn’t enough – regular cleaning schedules need to be built into operations.

Beyond that, we see additional potential in load carrier handling, such as transporting bread crates, and even in facility cleaning through autonomous cleaning robots,” explains Christian Zils, Senior Deployment Engineer AMR at AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions.

“The biggest efficiency gains, however, come from increased flexibility. Operators no longer have to manually change baking trays during product changeovers. Instead, they trigger orders and the vehicles handle the swaps automatically. A single rack can weigh around 1.2 tons – moving that manually is physically demanding work.”

Setting an Example for the Food & Beverage Industry

With the project in Soltau, Harry Brot is sending a clear signal: even highly regulated industries with stringent hygiene and process requirements can benefit from flexible automation.

“I can only encourage others in the food sector to explore this technology. There’s enormous untapped potential to make production more flexible,” says Gerhard Dirksen of Harry Brot.

The partnership between Harry Brot, SYNAOS, and AUMOVIO Robotic Solutions goes far beyond automation. It stands as a forward-looking example of resilient intralogistics in an increasingly volatile world.

“What we’ve established here in Soltau is just the first step. How the site evolves over the next five to ten years remains to be seen – but we’ve now implemented a scalable use case that can be replicated on other lines and even factored into future site planning,” says Steffen Strickrodt, VP Customer Success at SYNAOS.

“The food and beverage industry is still at the beginning of its automation journey. Transformation and team building are key. My main lessons learned: talk early about acceptance criteria – and build a team that embraces the challenge together.”