20 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS Brewology, the Leeds-based manufacturer of cask and keg filling and cleaning systems for the brewing industry, is investing in new machining and production capacity to take advantage of the continuing boom in UK craft breweries. The company has invested £89,000 in the purchase of a new CNC machine and conveyors to speed up production and increase output with help from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which has provided a grant of £17,763 towards the new equipment. Further growth is now being targeted, following on from a year which saw turnover doubled from £664,000 in the year to July 2015 to £1.35 million in July 2016. Growth is being driven by small craft breweries as well as large drinks manufacturers such as Sharps, Heineken and Fullers. The new machinery will increase production capacity by 30% and is expected to create up to four new jobs at the company, which currently employs 15 full-time staff. Together with incoming orders, the investment is expect to see the business double its turnover again. David Grant, the company’s managing director, said: “The UK and the United States are in the middle of an explosion in craft brewing. “The new machine is now fully operational. We’ve already employed two new members of staff – a skilled machine operator and a fabricator – and this has allowed us to significantly reduce our machining times, which will be reduced even further when the new conveyors are installed. We’ve had straightforward support from the LEP which we’ve appreciated, and we’re continuing to work with our Growth Manager, Melanie Parker. That’s why we agreed to be in a video about the LEP’s #LetsTalkRealBusiness campaign.” Brewology specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of cask filling and cleaning equipment, together with the highly sophisticated computer programmes used to operate them. As well as keeping pace with rising demand, the additional capacity will enable the company to deliver a number of large turnkey projects. Roger Marsh, chair of the LEP said: “Our #LetsTalkRealBusiness campaign is all about getting to the heart of what matters to business owners. As David says, when you see export opportunity and want to grow and employ staff, investing in new equipment can make a significant difference in scaling up. The LEP can help in a practical, no-nonsense way and I encourage other SME owners to get in touch and talk about their real business needs.” Cllr Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council and chair of the LEP investment panel, said: “Leeds has a proud and successful history as a centre for the brewing industry and this continues today with the growth of small and medium size craft brewers such as North Brew, Northern Monk and Leeds Brewery. Many of these have received grant support through the LEP business Growth Programme and it’s fantastic that we can support investment to create new jobs within the wider supply chain for an industry that’s booming.” Boom drives growth for Leeds company Hygienic centrifugal pump selection In order to help brewers and other drinks producers overcome the barriers of high initial cost vs long term benefits associated with the use of a true hygienic pump, HpE Process has recently launched the Versaline VCP pump range which offers much lower installed costs, but without the sacrifice of lower hygiene. Hygiene in beer and soft drinks production is an absolute necessity and hygienic centrifugal pumps are the main prime mover in the industry. A hygienic pump needs to be of stainless construction, but it also needs to have mechanical seals and O-rings that are both food grade and easy to clean. The pump needs to be constructed such that a CIP (clean-in-place) flow can get to all surfaces. Many small brewers use industrial stainless pumps, which while offering a lower initial cost and in some cases better efficiencies often prove to be more costly in the longer term. Why is this? An industrial pump can be built with close internal tolerances that increase efficiency (impeller hubs, shaft sealing areas, closed spot welded fabricated impellers), but this makes it harder to clean effectively. For hygiene, shaft seals need to be in the main product flow, not set back out of the way where they cannot be effectively cleaned. Casing seals need to be in the product flow, not set back in a groove that can harbour bacteria. Impellers need large, open flow paths to avoid blockages with hop seeds/leaves. www.brewology.co.uk For more information visit: News PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT Brewology chairman and founding director David Midgley (left) and managing director David Grant www.hpeprocess.com For more information visit: 20_Layout 1 16/05/2017 13:55 Page 1