Meens Brouwerij

The beer with the beautiful, short-lived bitter taste that the Meens Brouwerij brews for many “fraternity festivals” is also the most popular beer in Limburg. It is now being produced by the fourth generation in the idyllic land- scaped park of “De Graven” to a secret recipe using 6,000 year-old, naturally filtered spring water.

REDESIGN WITH EMBOSSED BOTTLE

With a new embossed bottle, the family-run brewery is emphasising the high quality standard of their beers. Instead of the large body label, the imprinted  Alfa lo- go with Harry Meens’ signature is particularly striking. The narrow label strip underneath indicates the beer type – Edel Pils, Krachtig Dort, Herfstbock, Lentebok or Donker Bruin. There is also a back and an enclosing neck label with a seal strip.

CUTTING-EDGE LABELLING WITH HIGH POTENTIAL

To be able to align and label the new bottle precisely with a 40% increase in output, Meens replaced the old labelling machine with a RENNER S Syncro with a camera system and servo-driven bottle pads. If necessary, it will be possible to convert the solution in future into a modular machine – for example, to dock supplementary self-adhesive dispensers.

SIMPLE CLEANING AND OPERATION

The machine front table in a hygienic design of the RENNER S1200 Syncro selectively drains liquids to the ground and speeds up cleaning. The simple operation with the freely swivelling one-touch panel also helps to improve efficiency. Harry Meens is delighted: “The most critical machine now needs the least attention. Because everyone in the bottling  hall can operate it, the more highly qualified personnel can focus more intensively on optimising production.”

MONITORING AND REMOTE MAINTENANCE

To ensure the OPC-UA communications with the existing monitoring system, the new labelling machine provides an IP-based interface. “We currently register about 200 parameters from the brew house through to the end product and so we can assess specific situations or night shifts regardless of the location,” explained Harry Meens. “This information is prepared graphically as a set of traffic lights or can be sent as

a warning message to a smartphone. By logging and saving this operational data, we ensure traceability over a period of two years.” If necessary, the family-run brewery can also benefit from the efficient remote maintenance provided by RENNER Service.

SUMMARY

“In our project, RENNER showed their total dedication and worked brilliantly together with us,” explained a delighted Harry Meens. “The new bottle appearance has noticeably improved our image, sales and profit. We are absolutely delighted with the result and we are confident that we will be able to increase our sales to 200,000 hl in the coming years.” In that case, people of different nationalities will be able to meet over an Alfa Pils far beyond this particular region.