Budweiser Budvar switches to Krones for bottles and cans

“The line’s efficiency is key for us”

To monitor their efficiency, the machines are integrated into the SitePilot Line Diagnostics system as well as SitePilot Line Management, the order and material management system. “The line’s efficiency is key for us. So we want to know exactly whether something is missing, whether we have enough of the product that’s being filled and enough packaging material, whether the fill date is printed clearly, and so on. The line management system tells us all of that,” explains Dalibor Čáp.

The brewery’s management also places a lot of importance on traceability. To that end, the pallets are marked with EAN codes, so they can each be assigned to a precise location in the high-bay warehouse. The brewery also uses the SitePilot Line Management material management system from Krones for the returnable-glass line that was put into operation in 2020 – and has been highly satisfied with it. This positive experience now has Budweiser Budvar aiming for an integrated concept in the form of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for the entire brewery.

In early 2020, the brewery put its first Krones line into operation: a turnkey returnable-glass line...
…rated at 50,000 bottles per hour.

“Outstanding results”

The line primarily fills 0.5-liter cans, but other sizes are also possible, including 0.33, 0.44, and 0.568-liter (pint) cans. The filled cans are packed into 24-packs, some of which are made up of 2 x 2 and 2 x 6 units. “The acceptance testing yielded efficiencies of 97.68 percent in the first and 98.34 percent in the second test, which we consider outstanding results. The technologies are all high quality. The machines got to work right after installation, and minor issues were resolved over the course of the subsequent two months,” says Dalibor Čáp.

The new canning line is now running in three shifts five days a week. The higher speed combined with excellent performance saves the brewery and its operating personnel having to work weekends, an advantage that’s not to be underestimated.

The decision to use Krones followed an official tender process. “As a state-owned brewery, we had to adhere strictly to the rules when choosing a supplier. Krones offered the most favorable terms and the better layout. And of course, we had already had a good experience with Krones and the returnable-glass line in 2020. That’s why we chose Krones again,” explains Dalibor Čáp. “We can give high marks to the service provided by both Krones’ Czech team and Krones AG in Germany. Throughout the implementation, our collaboration was close and friendly,” he says.

Throughout the implementation, our collaboration was close and friendly. Erwin Hächl Dalibor ČápCapex manager for Budweiser Budvar

Expansion planned – to 3.6 million hectoliters

What’s next for Budweiser Budvar? “Our big task right now is to further upsize the brewery, to a capacity of 2.7 million hectoliters per year. We’ve already started planning work on this and are preparing to build a new brewhouse with three brewing lines. We intend to use coppers once again,” says Dalibor Čáp. “Right now, the brewhouse is at a bottleneck: It’s operating at 100 percent capacity, presumably in part because we have focused on expanding our fermentation, maturation, and filling capacities in recent years.” The brewery also intends to replace the two older glass filling lines with one or two new lines in the foreseeable future. “It’s true: We’ve been building non-stop. And we have set our sights even higher,” says Dalibor Čáp, who has been in management roles with the brewery for more than 20 years. “Parallel to all of that, we’re thinking about how we can bring our capacity up to 3.6 million hectoliters per year. But that will be the most we can fit on this brewery site.”

Traditional brewing

Budweiser Budvar was established in 1895, is entirely state-owned, and employs more than 650 people. The brewery site, which covers an area of around 120,000 square meters, is located at the northern edge of the city of České Budějovice, a popular tourist destination in South Bohemia. The brewery itself draws beer afficionados from around the world. Some 60,000 guests visit it each year, largely because of the excellent reputation of its lagers and its classic approach to brewing, which adheres mostly to traditional methods.

The brewhouse features two copper brewing lines, each of which has a lauter tun with an exceptionally large diameter of seven meters.
Budweiser also brews in accordance with Germany’s Purity Law, using only malt, hops, yeast, and water. More precisely, the hops used are exclusively Saaz hops from Bohemia, and not only that but the whole cone. In fact, it may well be the only large-scale brewery in the world to use the not-inexpensive whole-cone hops.
Budweiser Budvar lets its lagers mature for a very long time – over 90 days, at cold temperatures of around two degrees Celsius in the deep, spacious cellars on the brewery property. “That’s especially great for developing its flavor, richness, and character,” explains Dalibor Čáp.

Budweiser Budvar’s flagship brand is Original Premium Lager. Other products include a bitter pale lager dubbed “Budvar 33”, Budvar dark lager, a low-gravity beer, and non-alcoholic beer. I What’s new in the portfolio are the Birgo-brand shandy, which comes in three flavor varieties and was developed in collaboration with the Czech-Italian mineral water bottler Mattoni, and the craft beer Bohemian Idols, which was developed in partnership with a small brewery.

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#Beer #Can #Filling #Europe

Manfred Kaiser

18. August 2022

5:55 min.

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