Bakery cuts maintenance time and saves £10k annually with HabasitLINK modular belting

When a hard‑to‑clean wire belt was draining labour hours and driving up maintenance costs, the HabasitLINK M1185 Flush Grid belt proved to be the solution - cutting sanitation time eight‑fold and saving the bakery £10k a year.

Replacing a legacy wire belt with HabasitLINK delivered faster cleaning, longer belt life, and measurable annual savings.

A UK bakery processor aimed to reduce the maintenance and sanitation time associated with a conveyor belt used on a savoury pastry line. In this process, raw pastry was carried along the conveyor, coated with egg glaze, and then transported to the ovens.

The existing wire belt presented several challenges. It could not be removed for deep cleaning, resulting in time-consuming and costly manual cleaning procedures carried out while the belt remained in place. Its design also made it vulnerable to damage during sanitation, leading to frequent and expensive repairs and replacements. Additionally, metal belts are widely recognised as a potential source of serious product contamination, making them a less suitable option for this type of application.

The Habasit solution:

The bakery required a belting solution that was robust, accessible, and easy to clean. Habasit met these requirements with the HabasitLINK M1185 Flush Grid belt.. It's open grid design proved ideal for the application, allowing excess egg glaze to pass over the product and drain efficiently through the belt. This significantly reduced product build-up and improved overall hygiene.

To further streamline sanitation, the belt was fitted with Habasit Saniclip, an easy-release rod retention system designed with a safe, non-slip surface suited to wet and greasy environments. This tool-free system enables the belt to be opened and removed in seconds, allowing for quick disassembly and reinstallation. As a result, cleaning processes became faster and more effective, making thorough deep cleaning achievable while significantly reducing maintenance downtime.

In addition, the plastic construction of the belt reduced the risk of product contamination associated with the previous metal design, improving food safety. The belt also supports mechanical repair, allowing individual sections to be replaced rather than the entire belt. This extends belt lifespan and reduces both maintenance effort and replacement costs.

Habasit M5015 belt poultry processing application

Measurable results:

The implementation delivered significant operational and financial benefits:

Belt replacements reduced three-fold, from 3 per year on each of the 6 lines to just 1 annually
Eight-fold reduction in maintenance and labour time, with belt refitting reduced from 2 hours to just 15 minutes

Customer Cost Savings Include::

£6,900 saved on belt costs
£3,150 saved on installation and labour
Total annual savings: £10,050
69 hours of labour saved per year

Designed for Performance in Bakery Applications:

This success demonstrates how transitioning from traditional wire belts to plastic modular belting can significantly improve efficiency, hygiene, and cost control in bakery processing. By enabling faster maintenance, reducing downtime, and extending belt life, Habasit helps manufacturers maximise productivity while lowering total cost of ownership.

What production challenges are holding you back? Habasit can help.

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