HISTORY / CHALLENGE

Founded in 2000, Insitu began with a mission to bring artisan bread production into retail environments through full automation. Over the past 25 years, the
company has expanded into restaurant equipment manufacturing, designing and implementing production equipment that delivers simplicity, precision, and
efficiency.

InSitu Foods exists to elevate the quality of food choices that consumers have without compromising on value. Starting with the belief that freshness is key
to quality food products, InSitu develops technology solutions that promote dis-economies of scale – ie. that food is made fresh “in place” as close to the
consumer as possible. Barriers to local production of food products have come down to economics and process control. Centralized production of foodstuffs have delivered more affordable products with exacting process control for generations – but at the expense of human health and choice.

From our early work automating every step of artisan breadmaking to our latest modular dough processing and water dispensing systems, we’ve remained
committed to helping customers achieve consistency and efficiency at scale. Our earlier systems, such as the original Insitu Bread Machine and standalone
Dough Processor, used a variety of control solutions sourced from multiple vendors. These systems presented a range of challenges: limited integration capabilities, inconsistent reliability across components, and increasing complexitywhen scaling or updating equipment. As we continued iterating on modular
solutions starting in 2017, it became clear we needed a more unified, robust, and scalable control platform to support our growing product line.

SOLUTION

The switch to the Horner Automation X2A Micro OCS, was driven by the need for an all-in-one controller that could seamlessly manage complex I/O requirements, streamline integration, and support rapid deployment across multiple sites. The X2 serves as the central controller and user interface for both the Dough Processor and the Water Dispenser, which are used in restaurant environments for batch processing.

For both systems, the operator selects a recipe on the X2’s screen display and presses ‘Start’ to begin the automated process. If an unexpected issue arises,
the X2 provides a plain text alarm, allowing the operator to quickly resolve the issue and minimize downtime. Simplicity and clarity are critical in these fast-paced kitchen environments, and the flexibility of the X2 allows us to design with that in mind.

For the Dough Processor, dough is loaded into a hopper then latched closed. After a brief pressurization cycle, the system then starts delivering perfectly proportioned and rounded dough balls one at a time to the operator to be trayed. Monitoring of pressures, position sensors and timings are all handled via the X2 based on the recipe selection.

The Water Dispenser delivers on-demand, recipe driven volume and temperature, matching water batches for various needsthroughout the kitchen. It utilizes existing ‘Hot Water’ and ‘Cooling’ capacity to reduce complexity, space requirements and cost, while saving time and improving consistency. With optional add on features, the final volume and temperature of the water can be automatically adjusted to compensate for variable inputs like ambient air temperature. This will create consistent outcomes for products in ever-changing environments. The X2 is monitoring temperature and flow of the water to control various water valves so that the final mix is at the correct temperature and volume.

Horner’s flexible, compact, and cost-effective solutions enable us to enhance equipment reliability, simplify maintenance, and future- proof our automation systems. This partnership has been instrumental in the launch and continued success of key innovations like our automated Water Dispenser, ensuring precise temperature and quantity control critical to dough consistency.

For us, the most important quality Horner brings to the table is the balance of flexibility and long-term reliability, a combination that’s critical for our business. Our equipment must perform in demanding, high volume environments every day, often in busy commercial kitchens with minimal technical oversight. The X2 controller has been a standout in this regard, providing the versatility needed for rapid prototyping across diverse projects, while delivering the robustness to ensure our systems perform consistently in the field for years. The Horner X2 also has UL certification which allows our equipment to be UL listed and NSF approved.

CONCLUSION / TESTIMONIAL

What sets Horner apart is their all-in-one design philosophy. Integrating I/O, control, HMI, and networking into a single compact device allows us to streamline our designs, reduce wiring and complexity, and accelerate both development and deployment. This has been especially valuable as we’ve scaled modular solutions across multiple product lines, each with unique requirements but unified under a common, reliable control platform.

“Horner made it incredibly easy to get up and running with their products thanks to training provided by their support team when getting started. Their extensive library of technical videos has been an invaluable resource, helping our team quickly learn, troubleshoot, and optimize our systems. It’s clear they’re as invested in our success as we are.”
~ John Michael, Radco Industries, (Insitu) Toledo, Ohio