Bakery Equipment Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Bakery Equipment Market is projected to expand from USD 16.67 Billion in 2025 to USD 24.21 Billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.42%. This sector encompasses industrial machinery like commercial mixers, ovens, proofers, and dough processing systems designed for the high-volume manufacturing of baked products. The primary catalysts for this growth include the increasing worldwide consumption of convenience foods and the operational need to reduce labor costs via automation. Data from VDMA indicates that in 2024, exports of food processing and packaging machinery rose by 6 percent to 10.6 billion euros, highlighting robust international demand for these manufacturing technologies.

However, market expansion faces a substantial hurdle due to the high initial capital investment needed to modernize production facilities. The significant expenses involved in acquiring advanced machinery frequently discourage small and medium enterprises from upgrading their equipment. This financial constraint limits the widespread adoption of automated solutions, especially in developing regions where manufacturers often continue to depend on manual processes instead of investing in modern technology.

Market Drivers

The accelerated implementation of industrial automation and robotics has become a vital strategy to combat ongoing labor shortages within the bakery manufacturing industry. To sustain throughput amidst a lack of skilled labor, producers are increasingly incorporating automated dough processing and packaging systems. According to the American Bakers Association's 'Workforce Gap Study' from May 2025, 60% of bakers cited a high or severe shortage of maintenance and engineering staff, accelerating the move toward mechanized operations that demand less manual oversight. This shift enables facilities to maintain stable production schedules and product consistency despite workforce limitations.

Simultaneously, rising global demand for ready-to-eat and convenience bakery products is driving manufacturers to enhance their industrial capacities. With consumers favoring on-the-go options, bakeries are making significant investments in high-capacity machinery to satisfy these volume needs. This trend is evident in The Middleby Corporation's 'Third Quarter 2025 Earnings' report from November 2025, which noted a 13.2% year-over-year increase in sales for its Food Processing Equipment Group, totaling $201.3 million. Additionally, VDMA reported in June 2025 that exports of food processing and packaging machinery from Germany to the United States grew by 7 percent to 1.8 billion euros in 2024, confirming a continued growth trajectory fueled by evolving consumption habits.

Market Challenges

A major obstacle hindering the Global Bakery Equipment Market is the substantial initial capital investment needed to modernize production facilities. Acquiring advanced industrial machinery, such as high-capacity ovens and automated dough processing systems, involves significant upfront costs that cover not only the purchase price but also installation, facility retrofitting, and specialized training. This financial load is especially heavy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which frequently lack the liquidity to manage such expenses. As a result, these manufacturers often stick to labor-intensive, less efficient manual methods, thereby limiting the market's potential volume since a large portion of the industry cannot access the technology required to scale up.

Recent industry performance metrics provide evidence of this investment limitation. According to VDMA, production in the food processing and packaging machinery sector fell by nearly 2 percent to 16.1 billion euros in 2024, a decline linked to weaker-than-expected domestic investment activity. This contraction underscores how capital constraints and financial hesitancy directly impede market momentum, preventing the industry from fully leveraging global demand trends.

Market Trends

A key trend is the increasing adoption of energy-efficient ovens and heat recovery systems, driven by manufacturers' goals to reduce operating costs and achieve sustainability targets. Because industrial baking is energy-intensive, there is growing demand for machinery featuring waste heat recovery units that repurpose thermal energy to preheat combustion air or facility water. Simultaneously, producers are shifting toward electric tunnel ovens to enhance temperature precision and end reliance on fossil fuels. This commitment to eco-efficiency is supported by Buhler Group's 'Annual Report 2024' from February 2025, which states that their optimized process technologies enable a reduction of up to 10% in the CO2 equivalent impact of flour-to-biscuit production lines, highlighting the sector's drive for green modernization.

Furthermore, the incorporation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the market by creating smart manufacturing ecosystems centered on digital quality control and predictive maintenance. These technologies go beyond basic automation by allowing equipment to analyze performance data and predict component failures, thereby drastically cutting unplanned downtime. In addition, digitized recipe management systems use sensors to track dough properties and automatically fine-tune processing parameters for consistent results. This transition is confirmed by Rockwell Automation's '10th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report' from June 2025, which reveals that 95% of manufacturers are investing in AI to boost operational resilience, signaling a robust move toward data-driven bakery operations.

Key Players Profiled in the Bakery Equipment Market

• The Middleby Corporation
• JBT Corporation
• ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
• MARKEL CORPORATION
• Heat and Control, Inc.
• BUhler Group
• GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft
• Ali Group S.r.l. a Socio Unico
• RHEON Automatic Machinery Co., Ltd.
• Schenck Process Holding GmbH

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Bakery Equipment Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Bakery Equipment Market, by Product Type:

• Mixers
• Ovens & Proofers
• Sheeters & Molders
• Divider
• Others (Bread Slicers)

Bakery Equipment Market, by Application:

• Bread
• Cakes & Pastries
• Cookies & Biscuits
• Pizza Crust
• Others (Breadcrumbs)

Bakery Equipment Market, by Mode of Operation:

• Semi-Automatic
• Automatic

Bakery Equipment Market, by End-User:

• Bakery Processing Industry V/s Foodservice Industry

Bakery Equipment Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Bakery Equipment Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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