When you’re making around 14.5 million Cheez-It crackers an hour in Kellanova’s Cary, NC, plant, ensuring that each one turns out perfect is no small feat. For plant director, Steve Surovec, and his more than 700-person team, even the slightest variations in the speed of the baking, the oven temperature, or variation in ingredients can yield an imperfect product. But with sustained investments in new and cutting-edge technologies, Cary is inching closer consistently baking the perfect  Cheez-It cracker.

“If our moistures are out of spec, my phone will ring,” said Surovec. “It’s that quick, and we can start working to fix the problem just as fast.”

The bakery’s latest line is equipped with tools that give operators real-time data about every step of the process, including helping them predict when equipment needs maintenance or repair. This additional data helps us to avoid unplanned downtime and prevent expensive and unexpected breakdowns.

“You name it, we’re measuring it,” explained Tim Yost, engineering manager at Cary. “We’ve made significant investments in technology that gives us a view into the process that we never had before.”

As new digital tools are adopted, the roles of operators and technicians have changed, too. Instead of a shift that involves repetitive tasks, our team are using real time data to make decisions about the equipment they oversee.

“Being able to find things that are wrong with the machines and knowing the ins and the outs of the equipment, I am the owner of my line,” explained Shirley Moore, a line coordinator who started working in Cary packing boxes of crackers 37 years ago. She is proud that over the course of her career, she’s been able to continue learning and to stay updated on technology, growing her skills.

“It’s a lot more fun to work here these days,” Surovec concluded. “That’s a testament to our people. Support your team, make sure they have what they need, and you’ve earned the right to grow the business.”

Kellanova’s Cary, NC, bakery produces Cheez-It crackers, and Austin and Keebler sandwich crackers. It originally opened in 1988 and was acquired by Kellanova in 2001.