At a baker from Lower Franconia, an AI system reports when the bread roll shelf needs replenishment. The trade hopes that such technical innovations will also alleviate the shortage of personnel.
It’s a mixture of technical innovation and economic will to survive: Master baker Axel Schmitt from Frankenwinheim in the Kitzingen district has recently started relying on artificial intelligence – due to the lack of employees.
The fact that Schmitt has no fear of contact with the digital world is demonstrated by his permanent presence on social networks. The heavy metal fan is causing a stir nationwide under the slogan “Baking for Wacken”. His fan base on Instagram now numbers 120,000 followers. Baking shows on private television channels do the rest. In short: Schmitt is passionate about the bakery trade.
The quantity has to be right – even in the evening
Early in the morning, the displays at the Schmitt bakery in Frankenwinheim are always well stocked. If possible, this should no longer be the case in the evening. Because then a lot of high-quality baked goods would no longer be for sale. People behind the counters of the six branches around Volkach ensure that the quantity is right – with their natural intelligence.
But you have to find staff first. That’s why Schmitt also sells bread, rolls and sweet pastries through half a dozen self-service shelves. A regional software developer has now breathed artificial intelligence into the first of these.
Hidden computers in the shelf base
The goods are placed on a normal display shelf, the flaps of which you open by hand and then place the contents into the bag using metal tongs. However, there are computers hidden in the base that constantly monitor the shelf – which the customer neither sees nor notices in any way.
AI as a virtual bakery salesperson: Schmitt thinks it works surprisingly well. “There is a scale installed under every floor and under every tray here. It constantly weighs the pastries and knows exactly when one comes out.” The system records how heavy a roll is. This way you know exactly how much is in it.
Schmitt can follow everything that happens on the Volkacher self-service shelf on the computer from his office eight kilometers away and deliver supplies if necessary. “The advantages are obvious,” says the master baker. “We save food – so no food waste.” The technology also relieves the burden on office staff and allows them to use their workforce for other tasks. And: “We can bring the best offer to the customer at any time of the day.”
Weather report is being evaluated
A company from the Schweinfurt area designed the software according to the baker’s wishes. In addition to the amount of baked goods, the AI also keeps an eye on other data. Is the weekend coming up or a holiday? The time of day and even weather data also allow conclusions to be drawn about how customers are likely to behave that day.
Schmitt sees a curve on the screen for each individual product on the self-service shelf. When things get urgent, he gets a wake-up call on his cell phone. There have been repeated alarms like this in the past few weeks. This means, for example: “We’re buying more baguettes today because it’s grilling weather.”
“Size Possible uses”
Not all craft businesses show this much enthusiasm for innovation, says Constantin Terton from the Central Association of German Crafts based in Berlin. Basically, there is huge potential when it comes to AI in crafts. “To what extent AI will really replace or facilitate the craft, i.e. the actual baking of bread rolls or laying the roof, remains to be seen. That is not yet foreseeable today,” says Terton. “But we see great potential for everything that is supporting activities.”
This applies, for example, to the calculation of offers. Another example is chatbots that ensure customers can be reached when everyone is on the construction site. AI is also playing an increasing role in the intelligent control of machines. The umbrella organization sees a lot of openness to digitalization in German trades – not least due to a lack of personnel.
Compare handwork instead of Excel tables
Master baker Schmitt from Frankenwinheim also has this problem. He has recently started recruiting trainees for sales and the bakery with double the tuition fee. And thanks to the thoughtful bakery software on the self-service shelf, they should then be able to concentrate on the essentials, Schmitt hopes.
“That’s the important thing: where manual work is needed,” he says. “But the unimportant work like planning brain teasers or comparing Excel spreadsheets – that’s what the shelf does and gives us the time to concentrate on the craft.”