Customer story
Bavaria
From grain field to glass
A nice glass of beer
Behind a good glass of beer lies a world. From grain fields and mineral water to brewing secrets and bottling.
At Bavaria in Lieshout, part of Royal Swinkels Family Brewers, we manage the entire brewing process ourselves – and you can taste it.
Ralph Carpay heads the technical team. “We make sure everything works – from malt intake to clear beer at the bottling line.”
The process
Malt, water, hops and barley are brewed into wort, fermented into beer and then stored, filtered and bottled.
In Lieshout we brew more than fifty beers, largely demand-driven. Non-alcoholic beer is popular. We also make lemonade on integrated lines. About 70% of the beer goes into cans, in addition to cellar beer and private label production.
Brewing beer for centuries
Malt, water, hops and barley are brewed into wort, fermented into beer and then stored, filtered and bottled.
In Lieshout we brew more than fifty beers, largely demand-driven. Non-alcoholic beer is popular. We also make lemonade on integrated lines. About 70% of the beer goes into cans, in addition to cellar beer and private label production.
Bavaria & Inventflow
Collaboration Swinkels Family Brewers & Inventflow
Richard Holsink of Inventflow has been visiting Lieshout for over 25 years. “Bavaria looks for solutions, keeps its promises and looks beyond the purchase price; sustainability and lifespan are just as important.”
Collaborate with trust
Ten years ago, Swinkels opted for permanent partners instead of hundreds of individual suppliers. Carpay: “That provides efficiency and structural quality improvement. Inventflow suits us: accessible, cooperative, responsible. We work together on improvement and cost reduction.”
Both parties appreciate the open communication. “We speak to each other to become better together, that makes us both stronger.”
Smart maintenance with visible results
profit to be made
The technical team consists of specialists in electrical, mechanical and automation. Carpay: “We plan ourselves, switch quickly with production and know our systems inside and out.”
Holsink: “Downtimes used to be a regular occurrence, but now they are almost non-existent. Thanks to numbered pumps, our own stock at Bavaria and our back-up function. We continue to invest in knowledge, such as with the pump course on 24 January.”
Preventive, corrective and predictive maintenance
The technical team consists of specialists in electrical engineering, mechanics and automation. Carpay: “We plan work orders ourselves, switch flexibly with production and know exactly where our bypasses are.”
Holsink: “We used to have unplanned downtime six times a year, now that’s almost none. All pumps are numbered, Bavaria keeps spare parts in stock and we provide support where necessary. We continue to invest in knowledge, such as through the pump course on 24 January.”
Smart and sustainable maintenance
Circular brewing
Swinkels Family Brewers strives for 50% circular brewing, among other things by paying attention to the service life of seals and pumps and saving energy. Inventflow supports this with initiatives such as energy checks and life extension of components.
Ralph Carpay: “As a maintenance team, we work closely with production, among other things to save energy. We look at sustainable solutions with a view to the long term – not every investment has to pay for itself immediately.”
Mapping assets
Inventflow first mapped the brewery, then the bottling plant. Carpay: “We thought we had 200 pumps, but it turned out to be 550. Thanks to this inventory, we can apply preventive and predictive maintenance and we know exactly where potential risks lie.”
Holsink adds: “By making timely decisions about replacing wearable parts, we prevent malfunctions. The wear is remarkably low here – a sign that the process is under control.”
Knowledge is power
The technical team consists of specialists in electrical engineering, mechanics and automation. Carpay: “We plan work orders ourselves and can switch flexibly with production. We know exactly where our bypasses are.”
Holsink: “Unexpected downtime used to occur six times a year, now it hardly ever does. All pumps are numbered, Bavaria has spare parts in stock and we are ready. We also invest in knowledge, such as with the pump course on 24 January.”