About this Research
Can bakeries become more efficient without losing what makes them artisanal?
This research explores how automation influences the baker’s craft, its social structures and the future of Basel’s small and medium-sized bakeries.
Machines and digital systems can improve efficiency, reduce physical strain and support increasingly complex bakery operations. At the same time, baking remains deeply connected to skill, knowledge, people and tradition.
This research looks beyond whether automation is simply positive or negative. Instead, it asks where technology can support the craft and where it may begin to transform what makes the craft valuable.
Ultimately, the aim of this project is to establish a framework for automation inline with tradition, employee welfare and efficiency challenges.
Why this matters
Automation is not a future question.
The Central Question
Under what conditions does ongoing automation in Basel’s SME bakeries support, transform or undermine social and artisanal integrity?
Three ideas at the centre of the study
Looking beyond the machine itself
Automation
Different levels of human decision-making and physical involvement.
Artisanal Integrity
How the relationship between artisan, material and process is preserved or transformed.
Social Integrity
Working conditions, workload, fairness, autonomy and worker agency.
The Aim
Not automation for automation’s sake.
While automation has been studied extensively in supply chain management, hospitality, business and engineering contexts, it is primarily approached from a perspective of productivity, cost reduction and technological viability. Similarly, in food and gastronomy research, aspects of authenticity, craft, artisanship and local production are broadly evident, often focusing on cultural and symbolic values. There is limited work on examining the holistic intersection between automation and artisanship within SME food productions, particularly in bakeries, where identity, authenticity and social values are embedded in industry practice. This research aims to provide a missing framework on how to innovate and gain efficiency while staying true to artisanal and social values within the contemporary SME bakery landscape. Ultimately, it seeks to ease the tension of the artisan baker as a custodian and innovator by suggesting conscious implementation of automated processes, towards a sustainable, resilient and human-centred industry 5.0 defined by the European Commission.
How the Research Works
Industry Experience
Semi-structured interviews explore decision-making, labour, skill and automation.
Consumer Perception
A consumer survey explores how automation influences perceptions of artisanship and value.