Configuring Production Equipment and Staff

Configuring Production Equipment and Staff

• Add and configure your ovens, mixers, and decorating stations with their specific capabilities
• Set up your production team with skill levels and specialties so BakeOnyx can assign the right person to the right task
• Enable the AI scheduler to create realistic production plans based on your actual equipment and staff

BakeOnyx's scheduler works best when it knows exactly what equipment you have, how it operates, and who's on your team. This guide walks you through setting up your production environment so the system can create smart, efficient schedules.

Access Production Settings

1. Log in to BakeOnyx and go to your Dashboard
2. Click Settings in the left sidebar
3. Select Production from the settings menu

Setting Up Your Ovens and Proofers

1. Go to Settings → Production. In the Ovens card, click Add oven.
2. Enter a name (for example "Deck oven") and the trays per load — how many trays, shelves or deck sections go in at once.
3. Enter the lowest and highest temperature the oven bakes at. Leave a field empty for no limit. For an oven you always keep at one temperature, enter the same value in both.
4. Enter the heat-up time from cold, and the minutes the oven needs to go up and down by 10°. Empty fields use a typical value.
5. Choose Celsius or Fahrenheit at the top of the card.
6. In Proofers and bakers, click Add proofer and enter how many trays it holds. Enter the number of bakers on shift — if you add production staff with shift times (below), BakeOnyx uses them instead.
7. Click Save Equipment Settings.

Adding Your Production Staff

Next, add each team member and define their skills. This helps BakeOnyx assign tasks to the right person.

1. In the Staff section, click Add Staff Member
2. Enter the person's Name
3. Select their Skill Level:
   • Apprentice — learning; can handle simple tasks under supervision
   • Baker — experienced; can work independently on most items
   • Senior — highly skilled; can handle complex recipes and troubleshoot
   • Head — lead baker; can oversee production and manage quality
4. Check the Specialties that match their expertise (Bread, Pastry, Cakes, Decorating, etc.)
5. Set their Shift Times — when they typically work (for example, 5:00 AM to 2:00 PM)
6. Make sure the Active toggle is on if they're currently working
7. Click Save Staff Member

How the Scheduler Uses This Information

Once you've configured your equipment and staff, BakeOnyx's AI scheduler uses these details to create production plans that actually work:

• Equipment capacity — Groups similar tasks (like bread baking) by oven temperature so it doesn't exceed capacity
• Staff skills — Assigns complex items (decorated cakes, laminated pastry) to bakers with the right specialty and skill level
• Shift times — Schedules tasks only when the right equipment and staff are available
• Specialties — Prioritizes assigning pastry work to your pastry specialist, bread work to your bread baker, etc.

Updating Equipment and Staff

As your bakery changes, keep your setup current:

• If you buy a new oven, add it to your equipment list
• If a staff member goes on leave, toggle their Active status to off
• If someone learns a new specialty, update their profile
• If shift times change seasonally, update them in your staff records

Regular updates ensure your schedules stay accurate and achievable.

Next Steps

• From Forecast to Production — Learn how to turn your sales forecast into a production schedule
• Creating a Recipe — Set up recipes with equipment and skill requirements so the scheduler knows what each item needs
• Using the Calendar — View and adjust your production schedule once it's generated

Delivery trips

In Settings → Production → Delivery trips, tick Use delivery trip times to make the Bake Sheet have each delivery ready before its van leaves (from Deliveries → Route planner). Ready before the van leaves (minutes) is the time to pack and load the van (default 15). This is off until you turn it on. See Plan Oven Loads on the Bake Sheet.