PDF (10.0 MB) - GEA Group

One-stop shop for the brewing industry
GEA Brewery Systems will be spearheading
the group’s global beer offering – designing,
manufacturing, supplying and installing state of the
art brewing technology. But GEA Brewery Systems will
also team up with selected GEA companies to supply
equipment and systems for the brewing process:
GEA Tuchenhagen GmbH for flow components,
GEA Westfalia Separator Process GmbH supplying
separators and decanters, GEA Diessel GmbH for
measuring systems and in-line analyzing technology
and GEA Ecoflex for plate heat exchangers.
n many ways, GEA’s decision to strengthen
two of its group companies by merging
them into a new business unit mirrors
what’s been happening across the sector in
recent years. The global superbrewers have
been getting bigger. They have acquired
stakes in other brewers, building new
breweries in the emerging markets in Russia,
China and the Far East. Or they have teamed
up with their rivals on new ventures,
for example SABMiller and Coors combining
their US operations to create MillerCoors.
Or by taking over their rivals altogether –
for example InBev’s audacious takeover of
US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch in 2008.
The aims of all these consolidations and
new ventures have been to give them more
strength in depth, increase their ‘share of
throat’, boost profitability by making cost
savings and ensure that they have a major
presence in the growth markets.
As the brewers grow their operations –
Russia, for example, has been showing
double-digit growth figures for years – they
need reliable business partners to help them
make the quality beer on which their
reputation is based. And this is where
brewing technology comes in. Experience
counts for a lot in brewing and Huppmann’s
and Tuchenhagen’s track record, allied with
Germany’s proud heritage of making great
beer, makes them the supplier of choice for
many of the world’s brewers.
Huppmann are specialists in building
and supplying brewhouse equipment and
technology (the hot process). Founded in
1874 as a family-run business, Huppmann
is established as one of the world’s top three
brewhouse suppliers. Huppmann’s
280 employees have helped maintain the
company’s reputation for excellence and its
engineers and fitters are among the most
knowledgeable and skilled in the industry.
It became part of GEA in 2006 and since then
has been working closely with Tuchenhagen
Brewery Systems and other GEA companies
on brewery-related projects.
Tuchenhagen is a well-known supplier
of process components to the brewery,
beverage, dairy and food industries.
Tuchenhagen’s brewery systems business
was set up in 1998 to focus specifically on
this sector and it is an expert in brewing’s
cold process (fermentation onwards).
This combination of expertise in both the
cold and hot processes of beer production
represented a joined-up offer for the market
when Huppmann and Tuchenhagen Brewery
Systems were operating as separate
companies within the same group. That offer
will be even stronger now that they have
merged to form GEA Brewery Systems. The
business will supply everything from
individual units and systems engineering, hot
and cold process area technology, process
automation and utilities to training and
consulting and, where required, complete
greenfield projects. The business unit also
has the expertise to advise customers on
potential designs, environmentally sound
processes and innovative solutions. It has a
strength in depth in the brewing industry that
few can match.
As Heinz-Jürgen Kroner, the Managing
Director of GEA Brewery Systems, puts it:
“Together we are a more powerful partner
for our customers. If you want to win and
retain demanding customers in the highly
competitive brewery market, you have to
convince them with excellent service and
performance.”
The Huppmann and Tuchenhagen names
won’t disappear from the business as they
are still strong calling cards in the brewing
world. They will remain as brand names
under the GEA Brewery Systems banner.
GEA Brewery Systems will continue to invest
in research and development to ensure it
remains competitive and can keep producing
innovative and high-quality products. Its
Power Upgrade program for instance has
improved the possibilities for upgrades of
existing equipment. Working closely with
customers, upgrade projects have
significantly increased the economic
efficiency of existing plants. And on a host
of projects, GEA Brewery Systems is setting
new benchmarks in terms of cost efficiency
and environmental benefits.
With this merger, the GEA Group now has
a distinct business unit dedicated to the
brewery industry. The business unit’s mission
statement is ‘The competence center for
breweries all over the world’, summing up
what GEA Brewery Systems is all about. It’s
staffed by experts in brewing technology and
the business has a global presence.
International customers are served directly
or in cooperation with one of the local GEA
process engineering centers. The sheer
range of services and depth of experience it
can offer the industry give it a distinct
competitive advantage. And customers know
their projects are in safe hands. It is
estimated that half of all the world’s beer is
manufactured using GEA technology, and the
creation of GEA Brewery Systems means
its leading presence in the market looks set
to continue.
Great beer
Countries across the world are rightly proud
of their beers, many of which have distinctive
characteristics and taste. But whether it’s Pilsner
beer, wheat beer or a chocolate ale, the odds are
that it will have been produced using GEA brewing
equipment and technology. GEA is certainly playing
its role in preserving countries’ brewing cultures.
GENERATE MAGAZINE ISSUE 08 25