We find ourselves as brewers racing through the 20s, and just as a century before, we notice that technology and automation is constantly changing and evolving, as is the brewing industry. V-Brew have written many articles on technology and automation as such is the nature in an ever shifting industry.
Continuing that theme, this article is focusing on automation, and we begin with the all important question: what is automation? Simply put, it is a group of technologies that aim to reduce human intervention in a process by using predetermined decision criteria to complete objectives.
Always Moving Forwards
For you as a brewer you might be aware that we are transitioning to Industry 4.0, which for the brewing industry means new machines and new ways of working. Technologies are driving the cost of automation down, and where certain processes could previously only be automated by the larger breweries, it is now cost-effective and beneficial for small and medium breweries to invest in automating processes.
V-Brew has teamed up with Fermecraft to bring the best Industry 4.0 automated solutions to UK brewers. Automating processes makes the brewing process easier, more time-efficient and cost-effective. Fermecraft have employed intelligent automated systems to integrate everything into a user-friendly interface that shows a live digital dashboard of everything you want to know as a brewer.
Fermecraft uses a central control panel which is connected to all aspects of your brewery, and can control the process and display information from the sensors on tanks and machines. What’s more is you can access your brewery remotely, freeing up your time to catch up on your email box or take the afternoon off whilst remaining in control of your brew.
Increasing reliance on technology comes with a string of benefits, but none more so than better beer. The Fermecraft solutions allow you to produce with more consistency, ensuring you can repeat every batch so that they are of the same quality every time.
Many breweries that have grown in production have developed pinch points in their production where they have reached capacity. This is common and a healthy sign, but action does need to be taken to mitigate stagnation in growth. From our years in the industry, we find the most common reasons for this are:
- Labour intensive processes
- Outdated equipment
- Time consumption
Preparing for growth is never easy, but investing in automation systems is one of the best ways to step up your capacity. It has the following benefits:
- Decreasing the unit cost and increases the profit margins available
- Decrease your energy requirements
- Respond to variation in production and seasonal demand
- Reduce the lead times and implement a demand driven model
Installation
V-Brew has a rich history of working with the latest technologies and bringing them to the brewing industry, and we are experienced at installing brewing equipment big and small. Whether it’s our in-house designed pasteurisers or one-off brewing solutions, we can always be relied upon to assist with the challenges that face brewers.
Our installation services include installation of any brewing equipment and training on how to use it. We believe the client should be as involved as they want, but encourage them to know their equipment, and we always take the time to explain and work through any issues or requests.
We have many happy customers from our years of experience. You can read some testimonials on our website here.
Get in touch
Want to talk more about our Fermecraft automation solutions? V-brew has dedicated experts to discuss your needs and requiremets and help you invest your money to bring the optimum outputs. You can reach our dedicated team on (+44) 01395 233031 or drop us an email at info@v-brew.co.uk.
