Newly opened gin distillery on the path to digitalization

Melbourne, Australia: Brogan’s Way, a newly opened artisan gin distillery in Richmond/Melbourne, produces premium gins. To maintain quality and consistency in the distilling process, the artisan gin distillery runs on

automation technology from Siemens. The Siemens solution enables Brogan’s Way for example to access

the control data for this chiller remotely in real time to ensure each batch is at the perfect temperature.

With the craft brewing and distilling industry growing at an unprecedented rate, efficient and scalable automation

has become an essential part of the industry. Digitalization makes the flood of data in breweries and distilleries transparent and easy to follow: from stock receipt to shipping, from the brewing vat to management, and from product development to the glass. The original equipment manufacturer, Deacam, enables Brogan’s Way to control the variables in the distilling process to ensure quality and consistency in every batch. Siemens technology at Brogan’s Way automates the Fermecraft solution which was designed and engineered by Deacam.

The modular automation solution helps craft brewers and distillers to regulate and automate processes including

fermentation vessel control functions such as manufacturing process, cooling and heating, packing, pump control and trade waste.

The key technologies used at the distillery include Simatic S7-1200 Programmable Logic Controller, Simatic Comfort Panel HMI, Sinamics G120 Modular Drives and Scalance M876 Router which automates the Fermecraft

system to maintain the controller of the chiller. This is crucial as the distilling process typically takes two to six weeks and throughout this period the temperature must stay within a strict bandwidth to ensure the quality of the

product. The Siemens solution enables Brogan’s Way to access the control data for this chiller remotely in real time to ensure each batch is at the perfect temperature.

Brogan’s Way founder and co-owner Simon Carr said that these automation solutions are crucial to the success

of small distillers like Brogan’s Way as it gives them increased visibility of the process, which allows them to respond quickly, flexibly and cost-efficiently to current market demands, with no loss of quality.

– Technology is very important in the craft brewing and distilling market place, particularly when you don’t

have enough staff or time which are your most precious resources. Technology is like having another member of the team, said Carr.