Will tech trump tradition at bakers and biscuit makers?

21 hours agoShareSaveBen MorrisTechnology of Business EditorShareSaveTunnock's robot packaging

A stream of hot caramel runs through the Thomas Tunnock factory just outside Glasgow.

From the second floor where it is made, it runs along conveyor belts down to the first floor, bringing a a sweet, warm aroma to the building.

But working with caramel is not easy. Experienced workers have to check that it is at the right consistency, and it takes a team of 12 to spread the caramel in five layers that make up the Tunnock's wafer biscuit.

"We're making roughly 20 tonnes of caramel a day," says Stuart Louden, the firm's engineering and transport manager, and the fifth generation of the Tunnock family to work at the business.

"Operators do a lot of caramel testing, just on sight and on feel. So basically, they walk up to the caramel and just give it a squeeze."

Once made, a conveyor belt takes the caramel down to the floor below, where the spreading team works.

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"Spreading caramel onto wafers is very, very difficult because it's so sticky," says Mr Louden.

Stuart Louden balances tradition and efficiency at Tunnock's

While this is a labour intensive part of the Tunnock's operation, most of the rest of the factory is automated.

The company has always tried to use the latest technology to help keep up with the competition. Compared with the snack giants like McVitie's or Fox's, Tunnock's is a small player.

"We are a small fish in a big pond, and to try and keep up with some of these bigger companies that we are competing against, you've got to have the good machines there to

Original aticle here: BBC