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Siemens automates Bell's Brewery to improve fermentation

  • October 26, 2007
  • SIEMENS
  • Siemens
  • News

Summary

ATLANTA, Oct.26, 2007 - Bell's Brewery, Galesburg, Mich., installed the Braumat Compact brewery control system from Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. The process control system maintains tight temperature control on Bell's 45 fermentation tanks. Siemens Braumat Compact is a new brewery control system that enables small and mid-sized brewers to cost-effectively use the proven Braumat package, originally designed for high volume applications, by combining it with the automation technology platform of SIMATIC PCS 7 Box. "We have considerably reduced our labor-hours, while increasing efficiency and eliminating variability and repetition with the new system," says John Mallett, production manager at Bell's. "On our old manual system we had two or three people doing manual checks and logging information every day. Now, this is all controlled from one central location and can be done in a fraction of the time, which frees us up to do other activities in the brewery." The Braumat library is pre-integrated into the system and provides all the functions needed for automation, monitoring and control, and engineering of a brewery. The fully scalable Braumat Compact may be integrated into existing PCS 7 environments. "The Braumat Compact system gives craft brewers a look and feel similar to a full scale brewery while maintaining the 'craft' experience," says Ed Montgomery, Siemens brewing industry manager. "Bell's had heard of Braumat, but always thought that it was only for the big breweries. We proved to them that the Braumat Compact was cost effective for the small brewer." About Bell's Brewery: Bell's Brewery, Inc., located in Galesburg, Mich., is a privately held company founded by Larry Bell in 1983. Last year Bell's produced about 74,000 barrels of beer, ale, porter and stout in 26 different brand varieties. The majority of its production is ale, with brands like Bell's Oberon Ale, Bell's Winter White Ale, Bell's Amber Ale, Bell's Sparkling Ale, and Bell's Eccentric Ale. Bell's ranks as the 26th largest brewery in the U.S., out of a total of 1,400 brew houses, and the 15th largest craft brewery (based on 2006 sales, compiled by Information Resources (IRI) 2007, and released by the Brewers Association). Bell's currently distributes its products in 12 states. About Siemens: Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens' operating companies in the U.S. Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world's broadest ranges of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems. Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $107.4 billion in fiscal 2006. Founded nearly 160 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $21.4 billion and employs approximately 67,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 475,000 people in 190 countries. Learn More

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