Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6844 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS Meeting the challenge of creating, managing and optimising production schedules By David Maskrey (Managing Director, Proximity Enterprise Solutions) By its very nature, the beverage industry is driven by innovation – new products, flavours, packaging, markets and sales channels. Having the right brewery management systems and IT strategy in place to support this innovation should be one of your first ingredients for growth. Driven by UK consumers who are turning their backs on the ‘big brands’ and seeking out niche and artisan beers, wines and spirits there is a definite boom in British brewing and distilling. Recent analysis by the UK government suggests that three new breweries open in Britain every week, with the latest statistics from the British Beer and Pub Association reporting in excess of 1,400 breweries in the UK and Northern Ireland. But while innovative craft breweries and distillers, the next generation of brew pubs and regional breweries are all benefiting from this trend, it does mean that these businesses are also under pressure to produce an ever more diverse range of products and supply smaller, more frequent orders with less lead time and greater shelf-life. Critical to the success of any operation, regardless of its size, is ensuring that tanks are scheduled efficiently. Every stage in the process is time-sensitive and needs to be managed effectively to ensure that multiple product recipes are maintained and orders are fulfilled on time. Large-scale brewers, who might be producing millions of hectolitres per year, may use dedicated tanks for maturation, storage and filtration. Micro or craft breweries in contrast may only have one or two tanks for their entire operation. In a challenging manufacturing environment such as brewing, where everything from flow rates and floating bottlenecks to constraints around fermentation, maturation, filtration and filling need to be taken into account it becomes impossible to optimise tank schedules using only manual methods. Your ERP (enterprise resource planning) and associated scheduling software needs to have the functionality to automatically create the best possible production schedule in the most efficient, timely and profitable manner to keep your operations free from bottlenecks. The majority of generic ERP software systems on the market are not designed and built for scheduling fluids through tanks. If you are auditing your existing systems, consider the following: Optimising tank schedules Is it possible to adjust your tank schedules at short notice? Can you create schedules that automatically take into account minimum and maximum standing times to ensure that the right tanks are replenished or depleted on schedule? Accounting for different sized tanks Can you ensure that the right product is stored in the correct-sized tank? Can you automatically allocate a 700hL batch of one beer that needs 200hL of head space is stored in the right tank, while another beer that only needs 50hL of head space is stored in another? Scheduling inter-tank flows In a distillery or brewery, not every tank is physically connected to every other asset. Routing, plumbing and pipes all have their own constraints – certain products might only be able to be transferred through specific pipes for example. Can you automatically configure product flow across your entire manufacturing plant? Synchronised brewing processes To ensure maximise available shelf life and reduce temporary tank storage, is it possible to schedule tanks so that they are ready for bottling or kegging exactly when production is finished? Co-products and by-products Is it possible to manage product interde- pendencies of products for mix, blend, brew, cook, react, or yeast management processes that are completed in tanks? Clean in place (CIP) planning Can your brewery management software automatically schedule the best possible CIP processes that do not significantly impact production and make sure that schedules can be met? Collaboration across the entire operation Can specific production unites in your operation create personalised views of tank schedules to improve communica- tions and collaboration? User experience Are tank schedules displayed in a graphical format so that schedules are easy to visualise? Does the graphical interface also include ‘drag and drop’ capabilities? Showcase IT & BUSINESS SYSTEMS 44_Layout 1 30/10/2016 15:26 Page 1