Case Study: Replacing Two Cookers With One Multi-Product Line in Istanbul
Turkish confectionery buyers are demanding — and rightly so. Nougat and swiss candy sit at the top of the local product pyramid, and a factory that scorches a batch loses both material and reputation. This project shows how a single machine change removed a chronic quality problem and unlocked a new product category.
The starting situation
The factory ran two single-function cookers side by side: one dedicated to nougat, one to swiss candy. Each had its own operator, its own cleaning routine and its own steam demand. Output was acceptable, but three problems kept recurring:
- Scorched sugar paste on high-temperature boiling, causing batch losses and cleaning downtime
- Inconsistent texture between shifts, which customers noticed in the finished product
- No way to add a third product (sugar-free nougat) without buying a third machine and hiring another operator
What we proposed
Instead of a third machine, we proposed consolidating everything into one low-temp double vacuum aerating cooking mixer with a 300 L pot. Low-temperature vacuum boiling removes the scorching mechanism entirely, while the double aeration system produces a stable, uniform foam structure for all three recipes.
| Stage | Equipment | Key specification |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking | Low-temp double vacuum aerating mixer | 300 L pot · −0.09 MPa vacuum · ±1 °C control |
| Feeding | Automatic feeding & orientation system | Single-row feed, product-size changeover by parameter |
| Packing | Three-servo pillow packing machine | Up to 650 pcs/min for this product size |
| Utilities | Steam + electric hybrid heating | Fitted to existing boiler capacity, no new boiler |
Results after commissioning
| Measure | Before (2 cookers) | After (1 vacuum pot) |
|---|---|---|
| Product categories | 2 | 3 (incl. sugar-free nougat) |
| Scorched batches per month | 4–6 | 0 since commissioning |
| Recipe changeover time | 2–3 hours | Under 30 minutes |
| Energy cost per kg finished product | Baseline | −30% |
| On-site commissioning duration | — | 7 days |
Note — The energy reduction came from two sources: lower boiling temperature, and running one machine instead of two. Buyers often assume vacuum equipment costs more to run — on this line the opposite was true.
Scorched sugar batches were our biggest loss before. Since switching to the vacuum cooker we haven’t had a single burnt batch, and the texture is identical from morning shift to night shift.
Production Director, nougat & swiss candy factory — Istanbul, Turkey
What this means for buyers planning a similar change
- Count the cost of your current quality losses first — scorched batches and changeover downtime usually fund the upgrade
- Size the pot for your largest batch, not your average one, or you will still need a second machine
- Insist on a trial with your own recipe before shipment; recipe behaviour under vacuum differs from atmospheric cooking
- Plan the layout so feeding and packing can be added later without moving the cooker
If you are running two or more single-function cookers, the consolidation case is usually stronger than it first appears. Send us your product list and batch sizes and we will model it for your factory.