The two new fermenter tanks are 25m high and have a capacity of 300,000 litres, about double the size of the brewery’s next-largest tanks.
The brewery already has several tanks on site with capacity to hold millions of litres of product before it progresses to filtration and eventually bottling.
Once the brewed product reaches bottling, it will move into an upgraded line, which can now fill about 30,000 bottles per hour, 30% more than before the upgrade.
Upgraded packers have been installed on the can side of the business to provide more flexibility across can formats and pack configurations, supporting four, six, eight and 10-pack formats more efficiently.
DB Breweries supply chain director Darron Curphey told the Herald the packing team previously completed some formats by hand, and said the upgraded lines would have a significant impact on productivity.
DB Breweries managing director Peter Hart (left) with Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer, who officially opened the new facility today.
The process to install the new technologies took about six to seven weeks and shut down the business’ manufacturing capability.
A specialised team from Europe was sent to New Zealand to help install the new lines, with almost everything except electrical functions completed by overseas experts.
Hart said the business had to increase production for months before to ensure it could meet demand while the brewery was essentially shut down.
DB Breweries confirmed the investment totalled more than $30m, with funding for the upgrades from DB Breweries’ parent company Heineken International.
Hart said it was a show of intent from the parent company to back New Zealand production, given many other international peers were also asking for new equipment, and he was confident the investment would be earned back in the near term.
The upgrades are expected to increase capability in growing market segments, particularly low-carb beer and different can formats, with low-carb products remaining the fastest-growing beer segment in New Zealand.
DB Breweries recently shared its plans to install zero-alcohol beer on tap at more than 300 of its hospitality venues nationwide before the end of the year.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
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