Food and Drink Business Europe - Top 100 24th Edition 2019

Top 100 – 24th Edition

2019 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

Food & Drink Business Website:

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C o n t e n t s

- 45 M ARKET F OCUS

- 3 C OVER S TORY

Dried fruit and nuts show healthy growth.

The Top 100 food and drink manufacturers in the UK and Ireland.

- 49 D AIRY

PAGE 5

- 13 B EVERAGES Coca-Cola European Partners to invest over €500 million in 2019 as it focuses on driving profitable revenue growth.

Alistair Darby, CEO, SA Brain & Co.

€48 million investment programme to facilitate further expansion at Aurivo.

- 51 P ROCESSING & PACKAGING PPMA Total Show 2019 to showcase the latest developments in packaging and processing.

- 21 P OTATOES Sustained growth in the European potato processing industry.

P AGE 36

Paula Lindenberg, President, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I.

R EGULARS PAGE 9

Alex Whitehouse, CEO, Premier Foods.

PAGE 41

Conor McQuaid, CEO, Irish Distillers.

Bottling & Packaging . . . . . . . . . 16-19 & 52 Processing & Manufacturing20, 25, 26, 32, 37, 47 & 50 Storage & Logistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

- 29-31 M EAT & P OULTRY Challenging times for European meat and poultry processors.

Energy & Environment. . . . . . . . . . . 33 & 34

PAGE 49

Materials & Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . 43 & 46

Aaron Forde, CEO, Aurivo.

Top 100 Players in the European Processed Meat Market.

Managing Director: Colin Murphy Editor: Mike Rohan

- 35 B REWING

PAGE 10

Group Operations Manager: Sylvia McCarthy

Tom Atherton, President, Saputo Dairy UK.

Advertising: Ian Stewart, Rachel Howard

British and European beer revival.

Production Manager: Sylvia McCarthy

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- 39-42 D ISTILLING

€370 million investment to sustain Irish whiskey renaissance.

Irish Distillers investing €150 million in sites at Cork and Dublin as Jameson reaches new heights.

PAGE 13

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COVER STORY

The Top 100 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland Food & Drink Business Europe presents its 24th and, depending on the outcome of Brexit, perhaps last annual ranking of the top one hundred food and drink manufacturers in the UK and Ireland, while assessing some of the key corporate developments within the industry during the past year.

R

anked according to their most recently available annual turnover figures, the 2019 Top 100 incorporates companies ranging in scale from the £116.9 million turnover Welsh brewer and hospitality company, SA Brain & Co, upward to Unilever’s foods and refreshment business, which achieved global sales Eur20.2 billion (£17.78 billion) in 2018. Third ranked Diageo, with revenue of £12.87 billion, is the largest alcoholic beverages group in the Top 100.

The biggest players in the meat, dairy and soft drinks sectors are respectively ABP Food Group (ranked 8th), Arla Foods UK (ranked 9th) and Coca-Cola European Partners GB (ranked 17th). Kerry Group (ranked 4th), the global taste, nutrition and consumer foods business, is the leading food ingredients manufacturer and also the largest Irish company.

Companies with annual turnovers in

Associated British Foods is ranked 2nd in the Top 100.

excess of £1 billion occupy the top 37 places within the 2019 league table. Despite the uncertainty in the market-place, a number of Top 100 companies have recently reported record annual turnovers. Marston’s (ranked 33rd), the UK pub operator and brewer, has achieved record revenue of £1.14 billion. Greggs (ranked 36th), the leading bakery and food-on-the-go retailer in the UK, has now broken through the £1 billion sales barrier, while Arla Foods UK has passed the £2 billion milestone.

Unilever’s foods and refreshment business heads the Top 100.

Biggest Acquisition Deals The biggest acquisition deal involving a Top 100 company in the past year was Unilever’s purchase of the Health Food Drinks portfolio (GSK HFD) of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in India, Bangladesh and 20 other predominantly Asian markets for Eur3.3 billion in a combination of cash and shares. In 2018, the GSK HFD portfolio delivered total

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acquisition of Dairy Crest – has seen Canada-based Saputo Group enter the UK dairy market. Saputo is one of the top ten dairy processors in the world. Dairy Crest manufactures and markets a portfolio of market-leading brands including Cathedral City cheese, Clover dairy spread, Country Life butter and Frylight cooking spray. It also produces ingredients for the high growth global infant formula market.

Ivan Menezes, chief executive of Diageo (ranked 3rd).

turnover of about Eur550 million, primarily through the Horlicks and Boost brands.

Almost 90% of the turnover is in India.

The transaction reflects Unilever’s strategy of increasing its presence in health-food categories and in high-growth emerging markets. Unilever has since acquired graze, the UK’s leading healthy snacking brand, for an undisclosed sum.

The second biggest deal is the pending £2.7 billion sale of Greene King (ranked 11th) to CK Asset, which is one of the largest property developers in Hong Kong and an international investment group.

Greene King is the UK’s leading integrated brewer and pub retailer operating over 2,700 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland. Including debt, the enterprise value of the proposed transaction is approximately £4.6 billion.

New Entrant Another mega deal – the £975 million

Under chief executive Mark Allen, Dairy Crest has transformed itself in recent years from a supply-driven commoditised business to a leading UK manufacturer of foods and added-value ingredients. Mark Allen has now stepped down to be replaced by Tom Atherton, who has worked for Dairy Crest since 2005 and has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Saputo Dairy UK (ranked

TOP 100 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

Company 1 (1) Unilever (Foods & Refreshment) 2 (2) Associated British Foods 3 (3) Diageo 4 (4) Kerry Group 5 (5) Total Produce 6 (6) Boparan Holdings

Turnover

Ownership/Status

£17.78b £15.57b £12.87b £5.81b £4.44b £3.34b

7 (7) Tate & Lyle 8 (8) ABP Food Group 9 (9) Arla Foods UK

£2.76b £2.55bE £2.54b

10 (-) Froneri Ltd

£2.28b

plc plc plc Irish co-op/plc Irish plc Incorporating 2 Sisters Food Products – Independent plc Irish independent Arla Foods, Denmark/Sweden PAI Partners, France & Nestle CK Asset, Hong Kong Alois Muller, Germany Irish co-op/plc Nomad Foods Independent

11 (11) Greene King £2.22b 12 (13) Muller UK & Ireland Group £2.10b 13(12) Glanbia £2.09b 14 (17) Nomad Foods £1.91b 15 (15) Bakkavor Group £1.86b 16 (14) Ornua (formerly Irish Dairy Board) £1.83b 17 (16) Coca-Cola European Partners GB £1.83b 18 (33) Dawn Meats Group 19 (18) Mondelez UK

£1.76bE £1.66b

20 (24) Hilton Food Group

£1.65b

Irish dairy co-ops Coca-Cola European Partners Irish independent Mondelez International, US plc

Alistair Darby, chief executive of SA Brain & Co, the Welsh brewer and hospitality company, which is the smallest company in the Top 100.

Source: Company accounts, DueDil, Irish Times. Eur = £0.88. Figures in brackets indicate previous year’s rankings.

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including sandwiches, sushi, salads, chilled ready meals, chilled soups and sauces, chilled quiche, ambient sauces and pickles, and frozen Yorkshire puddings.

Greencore’s turnover from continuing operations was £1.49 billion in 2018 compared to £2.32 billion for the full group in the previous year. Consequently, Greencore, which had risen to 10th in the 2018 Top 100, following acquisitions in the US, is now down in 26th position.

By contract, acquisitions have helped C&C Group, the British and Irish drinks production and distribution business, to increase its turnover by 187% to Eur1.57 billion in 2018 and climb from 50th to 29th place in the Top 100. C&C Group, which is headquartered in Dublin and listRoger Whiteside, chief executive of Greggs (ranked 36th), which is the leading bakery and food-on-the-go retailer in the UK and recently broke through the £1 billion turnover barrier.

51st) -the new name for Dairy Crest.

Consolidation US-based Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, which already owns Moy Park (ranked 23rd), a leading poultry and prepared foods processor in the UK and Continental Europe, is acquiring Tulip (ranked 35th) for £290 million from Danish Crown, which is Europe’s largest pork processor.

Tulip is the largest pig producer in the UK with 12 fresh and value-added operations and annual sales of nearly £1 billion. The pending acquisition following the $1.3 billion purchase of Moy Park in 2017, will consolidate the Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation’s position in the UK and Europe.

Transformational Deals During the year, Greencore completed the sale of its entire US business for $1.075 billion (£817 million) to focus on the UK convenience food market. Greencore holds strong market positions in many categories

Ash Amirahmadi, managing director of Arla Foods UK (ranked 9th), which has now passed the £2 billion turnover milestone.

Ibrahim Najafi, chief executive of Froneri (ranked 10th).

TOP 100 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

Company 21 (21) Princes 22 (20) Nestle UK 23 (23) Moy Park 24 (19) Britvic plc 25 (27) Budweiser Brewing GroupUK&I (formerly AB InBev UK)

Turnover £1.62b £1.58b £1.51b £1.50b

Ownership/Status Mitsubishi, Japan Nestle, Switzerland Pilgrim’s Pride, US plc

£1.50b

26 (10) Greencore 27 (22) Cranswick 28 (25) MolsonCoors Brewing Company (UK) 29 (50) C&C Group 30 (30) William Grant & Sons 31 (29) Chivas Brothers 32 (-) Pladis Foods 33 (32) Marston’s 34 (28) Heineken UK 35 (31) Tulip

£1.49b £1.44b

Anheuser-Busch InBev, Belgium plc plc

36 (35) Greggs 37 (34) Samworth Bros 38 (38) Dairygold Co-op 39 (36) Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK 40 (39) Premier Foods

£1.42b £1.39b £1.19b £1.16b £1.15b £1.14b £1.13b £1.06b £1.03b £1.02b £873.8m

Molson Coors Brewing, US Irish plc Independent Pernod Ricard, France Yildiz Holding, Turkey plc Heineken, Netherlands Danish Crown, Denmark plc Independent Irish co-op

£842.1m £824.3m

Mars, US plc

Source: Company accounts, DueDil, Irish Times. Eur = £0.88. Figures in brackets indicate previous year’s rankings.

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alcoholic beverages company, and Glanbia’s purchase of SlimFast and other brands for $350 million in the US.

Nick Mackenzie, new chief executive of Greene King (ranked 11th).

ed on the Irish and London Stock Exchanges, bought Matthew Clark and Bibendum from the administrators of Conviviality Group in April 2018. In aggregate, Matthew Clark and Bibendum form the UK’s leading distribution business to the UK licensed on-trade.

Fuller, Smith & Turner, the UK brewing, pub and hotel group, has agreed to sell its entire beer business to Asahi Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Group Holdings, for an enterprise value of £250 million on a debt free, cash free basis.

Fuller’s is now a focused, premium pub and hotel operator.

In dairy, Irish co-operatives Lakeland Dairies (ranked 43rd) and LacPatrick are being merged. The combined business – Lakeland Dairies Co-Operative Society – will be the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland with a cross-border milk pool of 1.8 billion litres, produced by 3,200 farms from 15 counties. The new co-op will have a combined annual turnover in excess of Eur1 billion, creating internationally competitive scale while ensuring efficient costs of operation.

Other major deals by Top 100 companies during the past twelve months include Diageo’s $550 million sale of a portfolio of nineteen brands to Sazerac, the US-based

Alex Whitehouse, new chief executive of Premier

Streamlining at 2 Sisters 2 Sisters Food Group, Britain’s biggest food manufacturer and one of Europe’s largest poultry processors, has been involved in a number of recent deals. Part of Boparan Holdings (ranked 6th), 2 Sisters has been accelerating its transformation strategy to turnaround the business.

As part of its streamlining, 2 Sisters has disposed of its UK red meat business for an undisclosed sum to Kepak Group (ranked 41st), which already operates 16 meat processing plants in Ireland and the UK. Boparan Holdings has also sold its Goodfella’s Pizza business to Nomad Foods (ranked 14th), Europe’s largest frozen food producer, for approximately

Eur225 million Boparan Holdings reported revenue of £3.34 billion in its last financial year but, reflecting the disposal of the red meat and pizza businesses for an enterprise value of £370 million, like-for-like revenue was £2.80 billion.

2 Sisters Food Group has since completed the sale of its sandwich business to Samworth Brothers (ranked 37th), the UK-based family owned group that produces chilled and ambient foods, both own label and branded. 2 Sisters is also at the early stages of a sale process for its Matthew Walker Christmas pudding business.

Overall M&A Activity Merger and acquisition activity within the overall UK and Irish food and drinks industry remained strong in 2018 as the

TOP 100 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

Company 41 (41) Kepak 42 (45) Edrington Group 43 (46) Lakeland Dairies 44 (48) Karro Food Group 45 (44) Valeo Food Group 46 (47) Warburtons 1876 47 (43) Young’s Seafood 48 (53) McCain Foods GB 49 (60) Dale Farm

Turnover £756mE £739.3m £713.2m £585.2m £558.4m £551.8m £523.3m £511.6m £509.4m

50 (52) Heineken Ireland 51 (55) Saputo Dairy UK (formerly Dairy Crest) 52 (51) Carlsberg UK 53 (-) Meadow Foods 54 (56) Lucozade Ribena Suntory 55 (57) Irish Distillers Group 56 (-) Aurivo 57 (69) Ferrero UK 58 (59) Carbery Group 59 (67) Foyle Food Group 60 (61) JW Galloway (Scotbeef)

£470.8m

Ownership/Status Irish independent Independent Irish co-op CapVest, UK CapVest, UK Independent Karro Food Group McCain Foods, Canada United Dairy Farmers Group Heineken, Holland

£456.8m £456.2m £427.2m £418.4m £413.6mE £390.5m £383.5m £372.7m £352.0m £349.5m

Saputo, Canada Carlsberg, Denmark.

Independent Suntory, Japan Pernod Ricard, France Irish co-operative Ferrero, Italy Irish co-operative Independent Independent

Source: Company accounts, DueDil, Irish Times. Eur = £0.88. Figures in brackets indicate previous year’s rankings.

Foods (ranked 40th).

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than 5,000 people. Karro Food Group (ranked 44th) and Young’s Seafood (ranked 47th) will be run separately.

CapVest also owns Dublin-based Valeo Food Group (ranked 45th), which it established in 2010 and has since grown through a series of acquisitions across Ireland, the UK and Continental Europe. Valeo Food Group recently purchased Tangerine Confectionery of the UK for £100 million and has just agreed to acquire Campbell Soup Company’s European Chips Business, including UK-based Kettle Foods and Netherlands-based Yellow Chips, for £66 million. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020. With sales in approximately 90 countries, Valeo Foods is one of the fastest growing international ambient foods producers and distributors Inbound and Outbound A number of overseas companies have used

Scott McCroskie, chief executive of Edrington Group (ranked 42nd).

sector continued to attract interest from private equity buyers and cross border deal activity (both inbound and outbound) increased, according to business and financial advisory firm Grant Thornton UK LLP. Indeed, the appetite for cross border deals has continued into the first quarter of 2019 with Brexit serving as a catalyst.

CapVest, the London-based private equity company, has been very active. Karro Food Group, the UK pork processor which has been owned by CapVest since 2017, recently acquired Young’s Seafood, the British seafood processor, for an undisclosed price. The deal has created a £1.2 billion turnover business, employing more

Seamus Kearney, chief executive of Valeo Food

Tom Atherton, president of Saputo Dairy UK (formerly Dairy Crest), which is ranked 51st.

TOP 100 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

Company 61 (64) KP Snacks 62 (68) Baxters Food Group 63 (-) Refresco Beverages UK 64 (-) Asahi UK 65 (66) Noble Foods Group 66 (73) Innocent 67 (63) Finsbury Food Group 68 (70) Yeo Valley Group 69 (-) Fullers Foods International 70 (71) AG Barr 71 (72) Addo Food Group 72 (62) William Jackson & Son 73 (80) Volac International 74 (74) Seachill 75 (77) Walkers Snack Foods 76 (81) First Milk 77 (78) McCormick UK 78 (65) Weetabix Ltd 79 (-) Fever-Tree 80 (76) Burton’s Foods

Turnover £345.7m £337.9m £336.3m £335.6m £328.5m £325.6m £303.6m £294.6m 285.2m £279.0m £277.9m £270.7m £268.7m £261.3m £256.0m £252.7m £249.8m £241.8m £237.4m £232.8m

Source: Company accounts, DueDil, Irish Times. Eur = £0.88. Figures in brackets indicate previous year’s rankings.

Group (ranked 45th).

10

Ownership/Status Intersnack, Germany Independent Refresco, Netherlands Asahi Group, Japan Independent Coca-Cola, US plc Independent Plc plc LDC, UK Independent Independent Hilton Food Group PepsiCo, US Co-operative McCormick, US Post Holdings, US Independent Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

mergers and acquisitions to establish or strengthen their UK footprint prior to Brexit. For instance, Agrial, the French farming, food and beverage co-operative, has acquired Aston Manor Cider (ranked 99th), the largest independent cider producer and the second leading player in the British cider market, for around £100 million. Agrial is the largest cider producer in France and also has a presence in the US. Outbound merger and acquisition activity has also accelerated as UK companies seek to increase their routes to market, whilst developing export channels. A recent

deal of this type is the acquisition of Tip Top, the New Zealand ice cream business,

by Froneri (ranked 10th) for NZ$380 million (US$250.2 million). Created in 2016 as a joint-venture between PAI Partners and Nestlé, UK-based Froneri is the second largest manufacturer of ice cream in Europe, the third largest worldwide and the number one private label producer globally.

Brexit Whilst the threat of a no-deal Brexit has been postponed until October 31st at the earliest, food and drink businesses continue

TOP 100 Food and Drink Manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

Company 81 (-) Country Style Foods 82 (87) Marlow Foods (Quorn Foods)

Turnover £209.8m

Ownership/Status Independent

£204.6m

83 (-) Scottish Sea Farms 84 (89) Lactalis McLelland 85 (84) Linden Foods

£200.1m £199.9m £199.3m

86 (90) Whyte & Mackay Group 87 (86) Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland 88 (88) Manderley Food Group (Tayto) 89 (85) Zetar 90 (93) Alpro UK 91 (91) Natures Way Foods 92 (92) Halewood International 93 (95) St Austell Brewery 94 (94) Shepherd Neame 95 (97) Walkers Shortbread 96 (100) Nichols 97 (98) Lantmannen Unibake UK 98 (-) Branston Group 99 (-) Aston Manor 100 (99) SA Brain & Co

£192.7m

Monde Nissin Corporation, Philippines Independent Lactalis, France Fane Valley Co-operative & ABP Food Group Emperador, Phillipines

£189.2m

Coca-Cola HBC, Greece

£185.3m £184.4m £183.4m £182.5m £181.7m £169.3m £156.6m £143.1m £142.0m £139.8m £133.5m £133.3m £116.9m

Independent Zertus, Germany Danone, France Independent Independent Independent plc independent Plc Lantmannen, Sweden Independent Agrial, France Independent

Source: Company accounts, DueDil, Irish Times. Eur = £0.88. Figures in brackets indicate previous year’s rankings.

Shelagh Hancock, chief executive of First Milk (ranked 76th).

to operate in a highly uncertain environment. Trefor Griffith, partner and head of food and beverage at Grant Thornton UK LLP, comments: “We have seen several potential overseas buyers pull out of sales processes to acquire UK assets, citing Brexit as the reason. Anecdotally, we have seen a significant increase in the number of business owners seeking partial exits or cash out deals. This is reflective of the ongoing Brexit uncertainty, but more so of the increasingly volatile political environment, which could have impact on capital gains tax as well as the general business environment.”

Trefor Griffith elaborates: “Despite the significant pressures on the industry, companies are continuing to innovate and develop new products and routes to market. Hopefully, when there is more clarity and less volatility in the market, operators will be able to thrive in a less constrained environment and we will see a more significant upturn in M&A activity.” J

Gordon Johncox, chief executive of Aston Manor Cider (ranked 99th).

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I BEVERAGES

Coca-Cola European Partners to Invest Over €500 Million in 2019 as it Focuses on Driving Profitable Revenue Growth Having achieved a 4.0% increase in revenue to €11.5 billion for 2018 - its fifth consecutive quarter of revenue growth – and a 7.0% rise in comparable operating profit to €1.6 billion, Coca-Cola European Partners plans to invest over €500 million in 2019 in new technology, supply chain capabilities and coolers. he capital expenditure is part of an ongoing multi-year Eur1.5 billion investment programme running from 2017 to 2019 that focuses on delivering world class customer service, as the soft drinks giant focuses on driving profitable revenue growth. With operations in 13 countries, Coca-Cola European Partners

T

“We’re investing in key areas of the business to make it easier for customers to do business with us, and to offer consumers a wider range of great products. Last year our targeted investment programme helped to create Eur8.7 billion in value for customers - nearly Eur600 million more than 2017.”

The investment programme will also focus on boosting capabilities across Coca-Cola European Partners’ supply chain in order to service customers quickly and easily, and to support the company’s growing portfolio of drinks sustainably. €500 Million Investment The 2019 expenditure programme includes the installation of new manufacturing lines at the company’s plants at Halle, Mannheim, Barcelona, Seville, Ghent and Wakefield to provide consumers with a greater choice of products and packs.

“We’re investing in can, glass and aseptic lines at these sites to support our expanding

portfolio and to give consumers a greater range of product options. For example, this includes a Eur27.9 million investment in a new can line at our site in Ghent, Belgium.

The new line will run at a speed of 120,000 cans per hour and produce different can sizes, including the narrower and smaller cans, which enable us to continue to adapt to the evolving market and demand from customers and consumers,” Damian Gammell points out.

Recycling Another central element of the investment programme will focus on increasing the amount of recycled plastic in products, increasing capacity for refillable glass bottles and trialling new routes to market.

“We’re determined to use our brands to encourage people to recycle and enjoy our products in a sustainable way. It’s why we recently joined Loop – a new innovative shopping system which provides an alterna-

Damian Gammell, chief executive of Coca-Cola European Partners.

serves a consumer population of over 300 million across Western Europe, including Andorra, Belgium, continental France, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

The world’s largest Coca-Cola bottler is developing and investing in new digital solutions such as mobile sales tools, which improve the customer experience while also increasing productivity and optimising sell time; new business analytics capabilities to improve promotions and forecasting with customers; and expanding digital services for customers.

Damian Gammell, chief executive of Coca-Cola European Partners, explains:

The 2019 expenditure programme includes the installation of new manufacturing lines at the company’s plants at Halle, Mannheim, Barcelona, Seville, Ghent and Wakefield to provide consumers with a greater choice of products and packs.

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we operate in the large and growing Western European non-alcoholic ready to drink market, where we have a leading position with the world’s best brands.”

Nik Jhangiani, chief finance officer at Coca-Cola European Partners.

tive to single-use packaging,” he says. “We’re supporting the initiative through our partnership with Carrefour in France, which will enable us to offer consumers some of our best loved drinks - Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar - in refillable glass bottles.”

Damian Gammell elaborates: “Starting with a trial with 5,000 consumers in the Paris area before being rolled out as part of the Carrefour home delivery platform, it’s a revolutionary circular shopping format which will ensure that our iconic glass bottles can be collected, cleaned, refilled and reused alongside other durable packaging.”

Coca-Cola European Partners is also investing Eur19 million in a new refillable glass bottle line at Socx in France, to support the company’s commitment of ensuring that 100% of its packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2025 as part of its sustainability action plan ‘This is Forward’.

Coca-Cola European Partners also plans to increase product availability by expanding its cold drink equipment, making it easier for consumers to find the company’s drinks on the go. This aspect of the investment programme will include placing 69,000 more coolers in customers’ outlets in 2019 Bigger and Bolder Vision Coca-Cola European Partners was created in 2016 following the merger of three beverage companies - Coca-Cola Enterprises, the leading Coca-Cola bottler in Western Europe serving markets in Great Britain, continental France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden; CocaCola Iberian Partners, the bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company for Spain, Portugal and Andorra; and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetranke, the largest German beverage company.

“The formation of CCEP was always about a bigger and bolder vision beyond the merger. Three years on, we are building a sustainable company on three pillars: great beverages, great service and great people,” he remarks. “We have a solid track record and

Portfolio Expansion Coca-Cola European Partners is continuing to expand and diversify its total beverage portfolio. “We’re always looking at evolving our portfolio to deliver what consumers want, whether that is drinks with less sugar, new flavours or more convenient packaging.

As part of this strategy, we’re expanding into new categories like organic, ready-to-drink coffee with Honest and plant-based drinks with Adez, as well as continuing to focus on growing our energy portfolio with brands like Monster,” comments the Coca-Cola European Partners head. “We’re also looking at growing our premium offering in both our packaging and across our sparkling and water categories. For example, investing in small and premium priority packs and new flavours for brands like VIO in Germany, to which we recently added a premium range of organic sparkling lemonade.”

Coca-Cola Great European Partners recently expanded its portfolio with the launch of Coca-Cola Energy, the first energy drink released under the Coca-Cola brand.

Coca-Cola Energy features caffeine from naturally-derived sources, guarana extracts, B vitamins and no taurine.

Changing Consumer Demands Indeed, changes in consumer tastes and shopping behaviour are having a profound impact on the business. “We’re finding that consumers are more demanding in terms of choice, availability and quality, so we are evolving our portfolio and growing our share in the away-from-home market,” he says.

“We’re also seeing that consumers increasingly prefer premium packaging, small packs and smaller portions, with more consumers choosing to enjoy a Coke or Coke Zero in a small glass bottle or can. Our focus is therefore on growing our small and premium packaging to respond to this trend.”

Enhanced Liquidity Already listed on Euronext Amsterdam, the New York Stock Exchange and on the Spanish stock exchanges, Coca-Cola European Partners has now commenced trading on the London Stock Exchange to make it easier for European investors to deal in the group’s shares.

Nik Jhangiani, chief finance officer at Coca-Cola European Partners, says: “We believe we have an attractive and exciting investment story, as we continue to expand our total beverage portfolio while strengthening core capabilities that will drive sustainable success. By joining Europe’s leading stock exchange, we seek to increase visibility of our story alongside improving market access for investors, thereby enhancing liquidity.”

Continued Progress Coca-Cola European Partners is continuing to make strong progress towards its goals in the current year, recently reporting a 7% increase in revenue to Eur5.80 billion for the six months ended 28 June 2019 as comparable volume growth of 3.0% was partly offset by the impact of last year’s soft drinks tax changes. Comparable operating profit at Eur770 million, rose by 10.5% and by 20% on a reported basis, reflecting revenue growth and merger synergies of Eur55 million during the period as the drinks group focused on driving profitable revenue growth through price and mix realisation and solid in market execution.

Damian Gammell comments: “We are one of the world’s largest beverage companies with both a solid track record of performance as well as an exciting future, supported by a 24,000 strong team of talented and engaged people. We are fortunate to have the world’s best non-alcoholic readyto-drink brands where we have a leading position within our dynamic and growing market. We are taking the decisions today to invest in the capabilities that we know we will need to win tomorrow. All underpinned by an aligned relationship with The Coca-Cola Company and a strong sustainability agenda, particularly around packaging, where we are taking action and leading innovation.”

Coca-Cola European Partners has reaffirmed its full-year guidance for 2019 of revenue growth in the low single-digit range excluding the impact of incremental soft drinks taxes of approximately 1.0%, operating profit growth between 6-7%, capital expenditures of approximately Eur525-575 million and return on invested capital (ROIC) to improve by approximately 40 basis points. J

Coca-Cola Great European Partners has expanded its portfolio with the launch of Coca-Cola Energy, the first energy drink released under the CocaCola brand.

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I REPACKING

ACMI Opens New Possibilities For Repacking! epacking is certainly not a new concept, but the technical innoR vations introduced by ACMI have opened new possibilities for repackaging, especially for soft drink makers. The line that ACMI will introduce, and which is actually in operation at one of the most important European Plants of the Coca-Cola European Partners group, features high automation and greater flexibility both in the depalletising and repackaging phases, thus offering interesting solutions to the large international bottling groups.

Concept This innovative repacking line allows many repackaging options ranging from three types of product: can packs, bottle packs, bulky PET bottles on shaped trays, bulky PET bottles on cardboard trays and bulky cans on cardboard trays. The main constraints to be met include the inability to simultaneously handle the three types of product listed above and the inability to change the original packaging with which the product enters the line (it is therefore not possible to extract the cans from the cans pack or repackage it passing, for example, from a 6x4 configuration to a 2x2 configuration).

Since it is a so called “off-line system”, the production speed is lower than that of a traditional bottling line as speed is not the main element to assess this type of plant, but rather the flexibility in repacking combinations.

Being equipped with three inbound loading stations, the line can mix up to three different flavours, palletising directly on pallets or on a tray.

The Line Moving on to the description of the line from a technical point of view, it has an infeed system consisting of three independent loading staType of pallets. tions. These stations consist of conveyor belts that transport the product pallets to the two depalletising robots equipped with special gripping heads. The gripping heads represent the focus of the entire depalletisation system which is able, on the one hand, to depallitise can packs and bottles by taking them “by row” and, on the other, by means of an automatic exchange system from the head itself, to pick-up the bottles from the shaped plastic trays. The pick-up head is equipped with a camera system to correct any tray imperfections and always ensure perfect centring during the product pickup phase. Once 16

Depalletising area.

depalletised, the two types of product, packs (of bottles or cans) and bulky bottles, follow two different paths, to meet again at the palletisation area.

Twisterbox and Traymax The bottle or can packs coming from the three depalletisation lines, once depalletised, they proceed to the Twisterbox® layer formation system that, in addition to forming the layer, also mixes the flavours so as to deliver to the palletiser one layer of product with mixed flavours. However the Twisterbox can also handle only one flavour type when the purpose of the repacking line is to change the final pallet size moving for example, from a Europallet to one quarter tray. Not only, as the system is not only able to reduce the pallet size, but it can also insert the product layer into cardboard half and quarter trays, and then palletise them on pallets. In the case of tray package insertion, the Traymax tray former comes into

Twisterbox & Traymax.

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

play, another key element of this central part of the line which, logistically positioned alongside the Twisterbox, performs two functions: on the one hand it has the task of repacking bulky bottles (and also to mix their flavours, three at most) when the line is set up with this type of program and from the top it has the task of producing empty trays for palletising layers composed of packs (cans or PET bottles) produced by the Twisterbox.

Palletisation The palletisation phase is entrusted to three Condor robots with specific gripping heads: the first, located at Twisterbox and Traymax outfeed, is equipped with a pick-up head with perimetric pads and inserts the product layer inside the trays produced by the Traymax (in this case the line can generate trays of the same flavour or with mixed flavours); the second, equipped with an openable platform head, palletises shrinkwrapped pack layers prepared by the Twisterbox, and the trays with bulk bottles prepared

by Traymax tray former; the third robot, equipped with a special gripping head, manages and supplies pallets and interlayers that feed the palletising process.

Pallet Stretch Wrapping The line ends with a wrapping system consisting of three pallet stretch wrappers, capable of handling numerous combinations.

The first two pallet stretch wrappers, positioned close to the palletisation area, are two Vortex 1000 fixed-pallet systems, whilst the third wrapper is a rotating table pallet stretch wrapper Rocket model. All three pallet stretch wrappers mount a one meter reel and are equipped with the ACMI patented electronic pre-stretch-

Pallet stretch wrappers.

ing system (film pre-stretching value is above 400%) and the automatic change over system of the entire pre-stretching unit. The most complex configuration is that where the first Vortex pallet stretch wrapper wraps the pallet quarters, the second Vortex pallet stretch wrapper wraps the pallet quarters two by two thus generating a half pallet and the third and last pallet stretch wrapper wraps the two half pallets together once these have been placed on a “mother” pallet, generating a whole pallet. This is not a compulsory wrapping combination, but it is the one in which each machine wraps a different pallet size: quarter, half, full - if this is not flexibility! J

I PACKAGING

Tetra Pak Introduces Connected Packaging Platform etra Pak has launched its connected packaging platform, which will transform milk and juice cartons into interactive informaT tion channels, full-scale data carriers and digital tools. Driven by the trends behind Industry 4.0, and with code generation, digital printing and data management at its core, the connected packaging platform will bring new benefits to food producers, retailers and shoppers.

For producers, the new packaging platform will offer end-to-end traceability to improve the production of the product, quality control and supply chain transparency. It will have the ability to track and trace the history or location of any product, making it possible to monitor for market performance and any potential issues.

For retailers, it will offer greater supply chain visibility and realtime insights, enabling distributors to track stock movements, be alerted when issues occur, and monitor for delivery performance.

For shoppers, it will mean the ability to access vast amounts of information such as where the product was made, the farm that the ingredients came from and where the package can be recycled.

Ivan Nesterenko, Vice President, Cross Portfolio at Tetra Pak, says: “We are unlocking new opportunities for our customers to get more value from packaging than even before. No longer is it only about product protection and functionality, it is about connectivity. The future of packaging is undoubtedly digital: this launch is a step towards a truly intelligent package, and we are excited to collaborate with our customers on this journey.”

Tetra Pak has successfully completed pilots with its customers to test the new connected package and its performance in retail in Spain, Russia China, the Dominican Republic and India, working with beverage, juice and milk producers. In Spain a customer increased their sales by 16% through the scan and win campaign. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

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I INNOVATION

Ready For Industry 4.0 – New Rotary Vane Vacuum Pump With Pressure Control usch has introduced the new R 5 B PLUS, a pioneering vacuum pump for food packaging. It can run

proven rotary vane vacuum technology. Thanks to its stable volume flow curve, this vacuum pump can with pressure control or at a constill reach 70 percent of its pumpstant speed, making it exceptionally ing speed at atmospheric pressure, energy-efficient. Acting either as the even at a vacuum level of just 5 milsole vacuum pump in a packaging libar machine or as a vacuum module in a One of the fundamental benefits central vacuum supply, the R 5 of rotary vane vacuum pumps is PLUS makes sure a specified pumpthat power consumption drops as ing speed is maintained. It can also the pressure starts to fall. The accurately sustain the required vacurotary vane vacuum pump conum level, regardless of how the packsumes the most power between the aging volume changes. moment it is restarted and when it Thanks to its variable speed drive, reaches a level of around 300 milthe vacuum pump covers a pumping libar. Within the working range speed range from 440 to 760 cubic between 10 millibar and the ultimeters per hour and reaches an ultimate pressure of 0.1 millibar, the mate pressure of 0.1 millibar. All vacuum pump consumes a mere 40 The new R 5 PLUS rotary vane vacuum pump from Busch is operating data is recorded and saved to 60 percent of the specified rated exceptionally energy-efficient, while its connectivity features on a permanent basis. This data can power. make it ready for Industry 4.0. be accessed directly on the built-in This feature alone makes the R 5 display or transferred via a Modbus the display allows it to be adapted to cur- PLUS the most powerful and effective vacTCP/IP client/server protocol. A remote rent demand without having a negative uum pump in its performance class. And control of the vacuum pump via a com- impact on packaging quality or cycle the R 5 PLUS can save even more energy puter is possible. Busch's new vacuum times. This means that the pumping speed thanks to the two freely selectable operatpump is thus ready for Industry 4.0. can be kept at a constant level somewhere ing modes and demand-driven power between 440 and 760 cubic meters per adjustment.

Two Modes of Operation hour.

A standard built-in PLC records and The R 5 PLUS can be operated in two When working with longer packaging stores all operating data on a permanent modes. Following an intuitive menu struc- cycles or when the vacuum pump is oper- basis. This enables not only complete, ture on the display, users can choose ated in a central vacuum supply, speed uninterrupted data recording, but also between the constant speed mode or pres- control is the more suitable option. In this warning and alarm functions, among othsure control mode. The most suitable case, the vacuum pump maintains the pre- ers. Using the self-explanatory menu strucoperating mode depends on the type of selected vacuum level, regardless of how ture on the display, operators can decide packaging. If you are packaging smaller the pumping speed changes. Once the when these warnings and alarms are disunits at high cycle times with just a few required vacuum level is in place, the R 5 played and/or trigger an action. All data seconds between evacuation cycles, it PLUS continues to run at a minimum recorded by the PLC can be transferred to makes sense to leave the vacuum pump speed of 35 hertz, enabling it to respond to other PLCs, computers or SMS control running. Adjusting the speed directly on a sudden need for increased pumping units in either analog or digital form, speed by increasing the meaning that the R 5 PLUS rotary vane rotational speed. In the vacuum pump has full connectivity. J event of extended breaks, the vacuum pump can also switch on and off automatiThe R 5 PLUS vacuum cally thanks to Ecomode.

Rotary Vane Vacuum Technology The R 5 PLUS vacuum pump is based on Busch's FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

pump is based on Busch's proven rotary vane vacuum technology

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I PLANNING & SCHEDULING

Challenges Faced in the Food & Beverage Industry Require a Specific Planning & Scheduling Tool

By Filip Schiettecat, Senior Director Industry Management at Siemens PLM Software he food and beverage industry faces a set T of unique demands that, when combined together, result in an environment that is particularly challenging for planning and scheduling.

Challenges

* Variation in raw materials and demand – Seasonality and reliance on crop yields means that the quantity and quality of raw materials and demand can fluctuate a lot. The planner needs to be in a position to plan for many eventualities and respond easily to the current situation. * Short shelf life – Perishable materials and produce mean that it is essential to optimize the timing of production to avoid wastage. * Strong price pressure from customers – In order to remain profitable in the face of pressure to reduce prices, it is necessary to ensure that the production process is running as efficiently as possible. * Complex quality and packaging requirements – It is often the case that there are complex relationships between the grade of the goods and their suitability for particular customers or product lines. * Complexity of production process – A mixture of discrete and process production modes can result in complex planning and scheduling requirements, often with contradicting goals for different parts of the process.

The Siemens solution for Planning and Scheduling is Preactor APS, a collection of software offerings comprising Advanced Planning (AP) and Advanced Scheduling (AS) products.

For companies who are in a volatile, make to stock environment and require a more dependable method to plan capacity and stock, Preactor AP offers a planning tool that has the convenience of spreadsheets but with interactive graphs to give the user full control over the results.

Preactor AS allows you to gain greater visibility and understanding of your manufacturing processes, and with it greater control of those processes, allowing better machine utilization, ontime delivery, impact analysis of 'what if' scenarios and identification of bottlenecks to give a few examples. Preactor AS is also suited to non-manufacturing environments, given that the principles of resources constraints are applicable across many industry sectors.

Unlike spreadsheets and other applications that are relied upon to produce long term MPS data that in turn dictates purchasing decisions, Preactor is suitable for working with large amounts of data, supports both constrained and unconstrained production, and provides a tool to perform 'what if' calculations with alternative scenarios that can deliver true cost reductions where it matters.

Focus on a Leader in Chocolates Challenges

* Capture shop floor data in real time * Improve transparency and communication among Departments * Make decisions in a more flexible, accurate and efficient way * Improve visibility across the whole supply chain * Optimize manufacturing processes.

Results

Filip Schiettecat, Senior Director Industry Management at Siemens PLM Software.

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* Faster sequencing of production orders * More accurate production planning * Improvement of production master plans update * Enhanced communications among

departments * Saved 16 hours of planner resources each week * Increase contribution to service level from 97.8 to 98.5 percent.

Focus on Worldwide Cognac Producer Challenges

* Plan the year-round work of all teams * Organize the arrivals and exits of barrels * Streamline scheduling for efficient barrelto-shelf process.

Results

* Realized a 12 percent increase in productivity * Eliminated late deliveries of eau de vie to assembly sites * Decreased amount of travel from storage sites * Automatically generated reports.

Siemens Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) software offers a holistic solution that enables you to implement your strategy for the complete digitalization of manufacturing operations. Our portfolio provides end-to-end visibility into production allowing decision makers to readily identify areas to be improved within both the product design and associated manufacturing processes, and make the necessary operational adjustments for smoother and more efficient production.

Our products provide solutions for: * Advanced Planning and Scheduling * Manufacturing Execution * Quality Management * Manufacturing Intelligence * Formulated Product Design. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I POTATOES

Sustained Growth in the European Potato Processing Industry Despite a historically poor growing season last year, the €10 billion European potato processing industry continues to exhibit buoyant growth, fuelled by rising domestic consumption and exports to other international regions. urope is the second largest region in the world for growing potatoes, with Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK being the largest producing countries within the EU. Employing over 23,000 people and

E

facilities, at its ambient potato business at Kruiningen, also in the Netherlands, as part of its strategy to become industry leader in sustainable development within its markets by 2020.

“We believe that sustainability is a license

European potato processors produce a wide range of products, including frozen and chilled fries and other shaped potato specialities such as hash browns, potato croquettes, dehydrated potato products and sliced potato crisps.

using 19 million tonnes of potatoes as raw material annually, European potato processors produce a wide range of products, including frozen and chilled fries and other shaped potato specialities such as hash browns, potato croquettes, dehydrated potato products and sliced potato crisps, according to EUPPA – the European Potato Processors’ Association.

The European industry is characterised by a high level of reinvestment in new product development and measures to improve efficiency and sustainability.

Indeed, EUPPA members have committed to significantly reducing their environmental impact by 2030.

Sustainability For example, having recently invested Eur120 million at its factory at Bergen op Zoom, Lamb Weston/Meijer plans to construct a new Eur50 million dehydrated potato products factory, including processing, mixing, packaging and warehousing

to operate a process of continuous improvement. This has been our belief since we initiated our Sustainability Programme in 2011, and it is a view that continues to drive us forward,” explains Bas Alblas, chief

executive of Lamb Weston/Meijer.

Lamb Weston/Meijer recently added ‘sustainable agriculture’ to its existing six focus areas for sustainability, and the company is collaborating closely with its growers. The plan has been rolled out to 200 growers in the Netherlands and Lamb Weston/Meijer is currently involving its other 400 growers in the UK, Belgium, France, Germany and Austria.

“When we began the Sustainability Programme our aim was to look at the entire supply chain, while focusing primarily on those areas where we had a direct impact. We are now ready to broaden our scope and target those areas where we can have an impact on the supply side. The logical area is in potato production. And the biggest impact we can have is by working more closely with our farmers,” says Bas Alblas. “Our prime focus is to create measurable impact, specifically in those areas where we have the most influence. Today, declining soil health is a major global issue, it is absolutely vital that we tackle this with enough resources and focus.”

Lamb Weston/Meijer’s focus on sustainability will continue beyond 2020. “It is important to understand that while 2020 is an important milestone, it is not the end of our journey. It will be a moment where we reappraise where we are going, and set new goals for 2030. We will raise the bar again,

Belgium is home of the world’s largest fully integrated potato processing plant following the recent inauguration of Lutosa’s new facility – ‘fries line 4’ - at Leuze-en-Hainaut.

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

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trade and processing industry association.

Agristo has been at the forefront of this expansion, having recently invested over Eur200 million in a new, highly automated French fries factory at Wielsbeke in Belgium, as the family owned company seeks to double its annual turnover to over Eur650 million by 2023.

Described by Filip Wallays, chief executive of Agristo, as “the most innovative French fry plant in the world,” the new facility has the capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes of frozen product. Agristo’s other plants at Harelbeke and Nazareth in Belgium and Tilburg in the Netherlands manufacture 500,000 tonnes of products including French fries, mashed potato, croquettes and other frozen potato specialties.

Lamb Weston/Meijer plans to construct a new Eur50 million dehydrated potato products factory at its ambient potato business at Kruiningen in the Netherlands.

and we will continue to focus on creating impact and making a difference,” he adds.

Record Investment in Belgium Over 90% of the potatoes used for processing in Europe are grown in the North-West with Belgium, which produces an average yield of about 45 tonnes per hectare, at its core. Around 7,000 potato growers supply the expanding Belgian processing industry, which following heavy investment in addi-

22

tional capacity has become the largest exporter of frozen potatoes in the world, selling to over 150 countries.

Record investment of Eur311 million was made by the Belgian potato processing sector in 2018 to maintain this international expansion. This was in addition to investment of over Eur305 million by Belgian processors in 2017, almost equal to the previous record level achieved in 2016, according to Belgapom, the Belgian potato

Dr Rob Clayton, strategy director at AHDB Potatoes in the UK.

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

Already one of the top ten French fry manufacturers in the world, Agristo’s ambition is to increase its market share from 4% to 7% and to become a top five player.

chilled potato plant at Airdrie in Scotland.

The new facility can process 50,000 tonnes of potatoes annually, with about 90% sourced in Scotland. Operating four production sites, Albert Bartlett supplies over 20% of the fresh potatoes in the UK. It has also been producing frozen French fries since 2015 and added a range of chilled potatoes last year.

World’s Largest Fully Integrated Potato Processing Plant Belgium is also the home of the world’s largest fully integrated potato processing plant following the recent inauguration of Lutosa’s new facility – ‘fries line 4’ - at its site at Leuze-en-Hainaut. “Founded forty years ago, Lutosa benefits with this new tool from a production line with a capacity of 25 tons of finished products per hour,” points out Alain Duranleau, managing director of Lutosa. About 80% of the potatoes used by Lutosa are sourced in Belgium.

Lutosa has been part of Canada-based McCain Foods, the world's largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, since 2013. During the interim, McCain Foods has invested about Eur185 million in Lutosa with a particular focus on developing the Leuze-en-Hainaut site.

UK Developments McCain Foods is also investing £100 million to renew its production facility at Scarborough in England, where the company is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. However, McCain Foods is facing increasing market competition from rivals such as Nomad Foods, the largest frozen foods company in Western Europe, after its Eur240 million acquisition of Aunt Bessie’s, a leading frozen food business in the UK. “Aunt Bessie’s iconic brand, positive values and strong product credentials align well with our existing portfolio,” explains

Stefan Descheemaeker, chief executive of Nomad Foods. “Aunt Bessie’s represents another step toward our goal of transforming the frozen food category and building a portfolio of best-in-class food brands.

Aunt Bessie’s significantly expands our presence within potatoes, one of the largest categories in frozen food, while adding another dimension to our growing portfolio in the United Kingdom.”

Potatoes are the most consumed frozen food in the UK. Elsewhere in the UK, Albert Bartlett, Britain’s leading grower and packer of potatoes, recently opened a new £17.7 million

Rising Sales Potato consumption, including fresh and frozen, is rising in the UK with shoppers buying 3% more last year than in 2015.

The period coincides with the execution of a three-year marketing campaign – ‘Potatoes: More than a bit on the side’ funded by the EU and run jointly by AHDB Potatoes in the UK and Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) in Ireland. AHDB is a statutory levy board, funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain.

“These retail figures will be welcome news to farmers who have long been worried about falling sales,” points out Dr Rob Clayton, strategy director at AHDB Potatoes in the UK. “We hope they show that the work we have put into spreading all the good nutritional news about potatoes – like the fact that they are fat free, gluten free and low in sugar – is beginning to take hold.”

Dr Rob Clayton elaborates: “We have also invested in social media influencers, so that shoppers can see their peers cooking with potatoes in ways that fit their lifestyle.

Health is important, but enjoyment is the main reason that we buy food. Potatoes are tasty, convenient and affordable so it’s no surprise we’ve had a good reaction to the campaign.” J

I TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Kloosterboer Offers Complete and Tailor-made Solutions ver the years, Kloosterboer has estab- state-of-the-art, multi-user, high-bay cold tory at a superb logistic location for distribO lished a significant number of long- store In the Dutch town of Lelystad. ution in Harnes, in the Northern part of term relationships with the biggest tempera- Kloosterboer took care of the design, build France. J ture-controlled food producers, which is a testament to the quality and unrivalled service Kloosterboer provides.

In close co-operation with these companies, Kloosterboer offers complete and tailor-made solutions for warehousing and transport, based on specified logistic parameters. Kloosterboer prefers to design, build and operate high-bay cold stores in close co-operation with clients to develop sustainable, innovative and efficient solutions to meet their exact needs and specification.

Kloosterboer recently opened its newest

and operation for launching customer McCain. The cold store has a storage capacity of 40,000 pallets and is located near the factory.

Centralizing the stock for Northern Europe, which was previously stored at four different locations, offers them a total solution and a significant reduction of CO2 per year.

The new cold store in Lelystad is the second project of Kloosterboer for McCain. In 2010, Kloosterboer developed a high-bay cold store of 70,000 pallet places next to the fac-

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

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I MIXING & BLENDING

Admix Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation and Excellence ince 1989, Admix has designed and manufactured high perforS mance, high efficiency sanitary mixing equipment. With locations in Denmark and the US, they are widely recognised for their mixing technologies and commitment to innovation and high quality.

Admix serves a wide range of industries and has decades of application and ingredient expertise. Over the years, their innovative products have resolved many a processor’s most challenging mixing, blending and milling issues, often taking their total mixing time down to minutes from what took them hours to mix previously. And that’s because their products are designed to dramatically improve productivity, lower operating costs, improve end-product quality and consistency, and ensure operator safety as well.

Built to the highest quality standards, Admix offers a full range of equipment for high-shear and low-shear in-tank batch mixing, high-shear inline mixing and milling, powder induction and dispersion, bottom mount dispersing and emulsifying, static blending and lab-scale mixing.

Mixing is at the heart of the food and beverage industries and is crucial to every production facility. There’s hardly a product on a grocer’s shelf that didn’t require mixing, whether it’s blending fruit into yogurt, mixing vitamins into a cereal coating, thickeners for a fruit filling, or health additives and flavorings into an iced tea or sports drink, and so on. Many of the ingredients involved are powders and processors are continually looking for new ways to incorporate and mix these powders into their food and beverage products.

Mixing powders into liquids is essentially what Admix is so well known for in addition to reducing particle size. With so many years in the business, they’ve seen a massive variety of mixing applications. But whether it’s an entirely new application or one they’ve tested over a thousand times, they’ll test your unique formula to ensure you get the intended results or better before recommending which type of equipment would work best for your specific application.

With so much competition, food and beverage processors need to produce large volumes as economically as possible and that can be difficult with conventional and outdated mixing equipment. That’s where Admix can help. It is their mission to improve your production capabilities with more effective mixing, reduced energy reliance, and optimized capital costs.

Admix strives to provide all customers with a payback of one year or less through the use of new technologies designed to outperform conventional equipment.

Two such technologies include: the Rotosolver High Shear Mixer and the DynaShear in-line high shear disperser/emulsifier.

age processing plants because in minutes it delivers 100% wetting out of powders and fully homogenous mixtures free of lumps and agglomerates. In addition, it incorporates an easy to clean and low maintenance design that outperforms competitors in key performance areas delivering higher overall shear rates, improved dispersion, and reduced energy consumption for volumes up to 10,000 gallons.

DynaShear in-line high shear disperser/emulsifier

For continuous processing applications, the DynaShear offers instant wetting out of powders and will mix, hydrate, disperse, emulsify, puree & deagglomerate better than any comparable product.

Constructed completely of 316 SS (internals, housing, shafting, and base), the DynaShear’s unique dual stage axial and radial heads provide optimal throughput and flow. The shear rates generated ensure droplet and particle size reduction down to 3-5 microns with excellent distribution.

The two-stage rotor/stator configuration delivers 100% utilization of functional ingredients so there’s no need for an inline strainer or filter for undispersed gums, stabilizers, proteins and sweeteners.

Some processors use DynaShear for a single pass continuous mix after powder addition upstream, while others recirculate product back through a batch reactor for a 3-5 minute total blend time.

The system is easy-to-install, cost effective, and low-maintenance.

Rotosolver High Shear Mixer

The patented Rotosolver high shear intank (top-mounted) mixer has thousands of global installations at food and beverFOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

Employee Owned, Customer Focused

Admix is proud to be 100% owned by its employees. Built on a foundation of product innovation and superior engineering, there is a strong culture at Admix that promotes teamwork, accountability and always providing world class service to its growing base of loyal customers. The employee owners are committed to ensuring every experience with Admix is positive and truly beyond expectations.

For further information contact Admix, Inc. – Europe - Hejrevang 21A, 3450 Allerod, Denmark, Tel +45 3213 8743, Email europesales@admix.com or visit www.admix.com. J 25

I MIXING & BLENDING

Baxters Adds ABB Drive to the Mix axters Food Group is using an ABB B variable speed drive (VSD) to help ensure consistent mixing of its range of sauces, dressing and marinades. The drive is used to adjust the mixer motor’s speed based on requirements for a particular product.

Installed on a 750 kg capacity holding vessel, the VSD is used to mix sauces and other products at an elevated temperature – a process known as hot fill. This process pasteurises the product, preventing spoilage and prolonging shelf life.

Baxters Food Group produces a wide range of soups, sauces, condiments, dressings, preserves, pies and meal accompaniments in the UK and Poland. Previously, it had only produced cold fill products at its Colchester site, but wanted to expand production by manufacturing hot fill sauces and marinades.

The tank, which had not been used for several years, was re-located to Colchester from one of the other manufacturing sites in the group. It featured a steam-heated jacket that made it suitable for the hot fill process, but had no controls or electrical supply.

Baxters needed a power and control solution that would turn the vessel into a fully usable

asset and contacted ABB authorised value provider, Gibbons Engineering Group, for advice.

“The holding vessel is vital to the production of our hot fill sauces. Without its agitation and heating capability, we would struggle to meet the required levels of product consistency and thermal process. This would

potentially compromise the high-quality standards of the product range,” says Tony Bellian, European Technical Director for Baxters.

Gibbons designed, built and installed a stainless steel-enclosed control panel, which incorporates a 4 kilowatt ABB micro drive to control the speed of the holding vessel’s agitator via a door mounted potentiometer. The VSD enables the speed of the mixer to be adjusted from 30 to 80 rpm, ensuring the hot fill sauces are agitated at a consistently controlled speed to give the correct end product quality.

The control panel also controls the temperature of the steam. This is adjusted to suit different product recipes. The project involved fitting associated cabling, along with setting up and testing the panel. The control panel took four weeks to fabricate and a day to install on site.

“We had a tight deadline of two months to produce, install and test the solution.

Gibbons was ready to conform to all of the working requirements associated with a food production environment. In addition, they were very cost competitive,” Tony Bellian adds. J

Daniatech Sets New Standards aniatech is continuing the development of quality mixers after being acquired D

by SiccaDania. With a portfolio already encompassing multinational customers, the acquisition provides further international demand for Daniatech mixers.

Daniatech, in co-operation with Packo Pumps, Belgium,recently developed an energy optimised High Shear Vacuum Mixer. This complements the customer’s increasing demand for reduced Total Cost Ownership (TCO).

“By using Computer Fluid Dynamic (CFD), we have been able to optimise the energy consumption of our High Shear, thereby reducing the customer’s energy consumption by 20-30 %. Even with an intern recirculation flow in the mixer of 70-1100 m3/t, our solution is so silent that the mixer can be installed into the production line without the need for further casing. The products we deliver are energy efficient and have a reduced footprint of approximately 30%,” explains Claus Patsheider, Key Account Director at Daniatech by SiccaDania.

“Our solutions are adapted to the customer’s applications and integratable in existing product lines. Compared to the traditional High Shear Mixers, the solution from Daniatech gives customers a simple and robust technology with a focus on reducing wear and tear parts. The technology is constructed with the intention of using standard spare parts, which the end-user, in theory, can purchase.” J 26

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Froneri Launches Nuii Premium Ice Cream Stick in the UK and Europe eading ice cream company Froneri has L launched Nuii – a brand new premium ice cream stick – in key markets across Europe, including the UK. Created from high quality, exotic ingredients – and with a tantalising taste to match – Nuii reflects the booming indulgent and adult ice cream market. Research by Kantar Worldpanel shows the luxury ice cream category growing by 8.2% last year by value, and 3.9%

by volume, meanwhile sales of adult lollies grew by 17.1%.

Froneri has invested significantly in Nuii’s development and launch, installing new state-of-the-art production facilities.

As a result, there is nothing like Nuii currently on the market, offering a high quality, indulgent experience.

Froneri CEO Ibrahim Najafi explains: ““Froneri is the second largest ice cream company in Europe, and the third largest worldwide. Our vision is to build the world’s best ice cream company, and part of our strategy is to develop local market successes and roll them out across our other markets.

“The market for indulgent, adult ice cream is growing. Nuii, is offering a new experience in this category, building on the success of our Connoisseur brand in Australia – and we are confident that European consumers will love it.”

The Nuii brand is intended to grow the

luxury category, appealing to those who can’t currently find a premium stick that reflects their values and taste preferences.

Nuii comes in a range of favours including Salted Caramel & Australian Macadamia; Dark Chocolate & Nordic Berries; Cookies & Idaho Valley Mint; and Almond & Java Vanilla, White Chocolate & Scandinavian Mountain Cranberries, and Peanut Butter & Canadian Maple Syrup and is available in Germany, Austria, France Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK. J

I CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Food Companies – Are You Ready to Communicate in a Crisis?

Partners is launching Iily’nstinctif CrisisCommsOptic – the latest in its ‘famof online diagnostic tools – alongside CrisisOptic and RecallOptic.

“As social media becomes more and more embedded in our lives it is now often usergenerated content which drives the pace of a crisis,” explains Victoria Cross, Head of Instinctif Partners’ Business Resilience Practice. “This is why we are launching CrisisCommsOptic. A reputation that has taken years to build can be destroyed in a matter of clicks, if you are not prepared.”

CrisisCommsOptic is a unique and powerful online benchmarking tool that quickly and effectively allows you to quantify your crisis communications readiness, asking a range of questions in six key areas, including: * Resource – Do you have a dedicated 24/7 press office media function to manage external communications? * Monitoring – Do you have a process/service for media/social media monitoring? * Stakeholders – Do you have a process to help you identify all potential internal and external stakeholders with

whom you may need to communicate? * Spokespeople – Do you have trained and approved crisis media spokespeople? * Templates – Do you have an approved holding statement on file to fill in the blanks during a crisis? * Training & review – Do you have a process identified for the review and continuous improvement of the press office / media and digital media function after a crisis?

The CrisisCommsOptic dashboard will then provide an accurate indicator of strengths and weaknesses in crisis communications. A tailored report on recommended activity is also produced – enabling resources to be focused on the most relevant areas.

“Traditionally in crisis communications there was the idea of the golden hour, the time within which an organisation had the opportunity to define a story before misinformation and speculation filled the void. This then moved on to become the platinum five minutes.

“However social media and the 24/7 global news cycle means that an organisation could have just a few seconds before public scrutiny comes to bear. Anyone with a smartphone is now a citizen journalist – and the impact on crisis management is immediate and profound. Being prepared for communication in a crisis has never been more vital,” concludes Victoria Cross.

CrisisCommsOptic is free for a limited period.

Register now at www.optic.instinctif.com/registration. J

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I MEAT & POULTRY

Challenging Times For European Meat and Poultry Processors As the European meat and poultry industry becomes increasingly consolidated and global in nature, the major processors continue to invest in improving efficiency and sustainability throughout their supply chains, as they adapt to changing consumer concerns and intensifying competition. early a third of EU meat production by volume is now controlled by the top 15 European meat processors – Vion Food, Danish Crown, Tonnies, Bigard Group, Westfleisch, LDC, HKScan, Veronesi Group, Cooperi, Doux Group, Plukon Food Group, Terrena, ABP Food Group, Moy Park (now owned by US-based Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation) and 2 Sisters Food Group (Boparan Holdings).

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Ronald Lotgerink, the new chief executive of Vion Food Group.

Europe’s biggest processors have been investing to enhance productivity and efficiency while also securing more integrated and transparent supply chains, especially in the light of the increasing focus on food safety standards in meat and poultry processing.

Major Investment Projects For example, Vion Food Group plans to invest Eur35 million to modernise its pork production site at Boxtel in the Netherlands to further increase its competitiveness on the national and international meat markets. Some of the activities that currently take place at Vion’s plant at Scherpenzeel will be integrated into the Boxtel site. With the investment, Vion aims to achieve a shorter supply chain, improve efficiency and introduce a more sustainable way of working by consolidat-

ing at a single location.

In 2018, Vion finalised its four year business plan to invest in and modernise its production footprint in its home markets of Germany and the Netherlands. During last year, Vion invested Eur61.2 million on improving its competitive base, including opening one of the most technically advanced cattle slaughterhouses in Europe at Waldkraiburg in Germany at a cost of Eur23 million.

“The initiatives included in our strategic plan to modernise our production footprint will provide Vion with a strong competitive base for our future growth,” points out Ronald Lotgerink, the new chief executive of Vion Food Group. “By building on this solid foundation, Vion will initiate a new strategic plan with a focus on building balanced chains (BBC) in close co-operation with our supply chain partners, thus ensuring a sustainable future for our suppliers, our customers and ourselves.”

HKScan, the Nordic meat and meals company, has just opened its modernised plant at Kristianstad, which is the largest pig slaughterhouse in Sweden, and also produces more than 250 different meat and deli products. About Eur7 million has been invested in upgrading the site and achieving important energy savings, enhanced food safety and increased production efficiency.

Smaller Processors Smaller processors - over half of EU meat production by volume is now generated by 100 companies - are also investing heavily to improve their performance and competitiveness. In the UK, Cranswick, the meat, poultry and convenience food processor, is building a new £75 million poultry processing facility at Eye in Suffolk. Designed to more than double existing capacity, the new operation is the first new primary poultry plant to be constructed in the UK for almost 30 years. When fully commissioned, it will be the most technologically advanced and efficient facility in the UK industry incorporating the highest animal welfare standards, according to Cranswick.

Cranswick is continuing to invest at record levels across its asset base to increase capacity, add new capability and drive further operating efficiencies, whilst maintaining industry leading standards at all its facilities. Net capital expenditure is expected to rise to £160 million over the next two years.

“Chicken, followed by pork, is the fastest growing, most competitively priced and environmentally sustainable meat protein and so is a strategically attractive category on which to focus,” says Adam Couch, chief executive of Cranswick.

Elsewhere in the UK, Cargill, the USbased agri-food giant, is expanding its

Danish Crown is planning to position itself as the world’s leading producer of sustainable meat.

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European poultry business after recently announcing a £35 million investment to extend its factory in Wolverhampton in England.

Sustainability Reflecting growing consumer concern, sustainability is now high on the agenda for the European meat and poultry processing industry. Danish Crown, Europe’s largest pork processor and a significant player in beef, is planning to position itself as the world’s leading producer of sustainable meat.

“We believe that we’re going to see a huge market for sustainable meat in future. We want to capture this market and create a brand as the most sustainable producer of meat-based food products,” explains Jais Valeur, group chief executive of Danish Crown. “We have a strong starting point, as our Danish owners are already leading the way on very many parameters, and this is something that we must now build on.”

By 2030, Danish Crown expects to have reduced its emissions of greenhouse gases for each kilogramme of pork it produces from farm to fork by at least 50% compared to 2005. Even before the end of 2019, 90% of the pigs supplied to Danish Crown’s Danish abattoirs will come from sustainability-certified farmers, and the vision is for all meat from Danish Crown to be climate-neutral by 2050, all the way from farm to fork.

Environmental Impact Dawn Meats, one of Ireland’s leading meat processors, has cut its CO2 emissions by 33% just four years into a ten-year strategy to reduce the company’s environmental impact. Publishing its second Group CSR report, Dawn Meats provided a progress update on its ambitious targets to reduce water and energy intensity by 40% and CO2 emission intensity by 50% by 2025. As of the end of 2018, water intensity across the group had reduced by 23%, energy intensity by 18% and C02 emissions by 33%, as part of its on-going ambition to become Europe’s most sustainable meat company.

Since the company’s first CSR report was published in 2017, Dawn Meats has doubled in size following the strategic partnership

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tute 65.4% of the European market. The remaining 34.6% of sales is spread across 18 countries. FFT expects the European processed meat market to grow annually by 2.7% to reach a value of Eur173 billion by 2020.

The UK and European meat industries face major disruption from the impending Brexit, especially under a ‘no deal’ scenario.

and joint venture with Dunbia in the UK and the acquisition of the former Dunbia facilities in the Republic of Ireland.

Sustainability targets now apply across the entire group of over 7,000 staff, operating across locations in 12 countries. €153 Billion European Processed Meat Market Like the fresh meat and poultry industry, the Eur153 billion European processed meat market is also becoming increasingly consolidated. The top ten companies supplied 25% of the market in 2018 and the leading 100 players account for 62% of the total. The Top 100 companies (based on market share) within the European processed meat market are listed in the Table (source: FFT - the international food and drink consultancy).

The retail channel generated 76.8% of the Eur153 billion sales in 2018 with the balance from food service. Bacon and ham is the largest product category (36% of sales), followed by cured meat and delicatessen products (both at 34%).

The five largest country markets – Russia, Germany, France, Italy and the UK - consti-

Brexit The UK and European meat industries face major disruption from the impending Brexit, especially under a ‘no deal’ scenario. A ‘hard’ Brexit will have a ‘catastrophic impact’ on the European meat industry, according to a stark report published by UECBV (European Livestock and Meat Trades Union).

The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), the leading trade association for the meat and meat products industry in the UK, has warned that the Government’s uncompromising threats of a no-deal Brexit are frightening continental buyers, who are refusing to agree long term supply contracts with British meat exporters. A continuation of this situation could herald the start of a structural and long-term decline in the UK’s farming capacity and heritage.

“Reduced orders from the UK’s biggest and closest trading partner (which are not easily and quickly replicated elsewhere) will filter all the way back to UK farmers who will bear the brunt of this loss of trade. It will put many out of business and, once they’re gone, it won’t be easy to re-establish those farm businesses,” the BMPA cautions.

Ireland’s beef and veal industry, which is dependent on exports with five of every six tonnes of beef produced exported and almost 50% going to the UK, is also suffering badly due to the unprecedented downward pressure on prices caused by market uncertainty.

Margins have fallen by an estimated 11% to 19% in the past year resulting in beef farmers losing just over Eur100 million. EU Member States have responded by agreeing to a proposal from the European Commission to make Eur50 million available to Irish beef farmers, which can be matched by national funds to reach a maximum of Eur100 million.

Of course, another existential threat to the meat industry in Europe is declining consumption as interest in plant-base proteins continues to grow. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

The Top 100 Players in the European Processed Meat Market

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I INNOVATION

Creating High Quality, Home-style and Flatbed Coated Products –The Dual-mode RevoBreader arel’s new RevoBreader is a flexible M machine that offers flatbed and drum modes in one enclosure. This dual-mode configurability is the ultimate solution for applying high-quality coating, both to home-style and flatbed coated products.

position, RevoBreader guides product through a bottom bed of crumb, while covering the top layer with crumb, which falls gently on the product. This results in high quality, uniformly coated products.

Minimum Crumb Breakdown

Thanks to the large drum size, changing between flatbed and drum position doesn’t require the removal of any machine parts.

Changeover from one mode to the other takes less than two minutes.

In the drum position, the breading procedure guarantees a high pickup of crumb and optimum home-style coverage all over the product, as well as high retention of crumb to the product during the frying process. This is ideal for coating bone-in products. In flatbed

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Once products have been coated, excess crumb is removed in two steps; firstly by a vibrating mechanism and secondly by air knives. Excess crumb is carefully transported back into the machine for reuse. RevoBreader is equipped with a water wheel that gently handles the crumb, guaranteeing minimum crumb breakdown.

Software and Traceability

New Innova Food Processing Software for further processing benefits RevoBreader too.

It includes several useful tools for convenience lines, such as Quality Control and Line Profiler (to create the required line set-up).

Innova’s full traceability program provides an overview of the raw materials' journey. The

traceability engine records every process step in the convenience line, and tracks systematically what has been made, when, where and by whom.

‘QSR Home Style’

The Marel RevoBreader is the perfect solution for achieving the typical ‘QSR home style’ coating. After a predust coating in the Active Flour Applicator, a tempura wet coating is applied in the Active Tempura Applicator to ensure that breading adheres properly. The drum of the RevoBreader completes the coating process, giving product a ‘handmade’ look. The result is a home-style crumb, a breading with a highly attractive appearance, perfectly suited for sale in QSR restaurants.

For more information visit www.marel.com/poultry. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

ENERGY

ENVIRONMENT

I WASTE WATER SOLUTIONS

Heineken Ledbury Case Study UBER Technology recently completed a screenings compaction H project at the Heineken site in Ledbury. The equipment provides a reduction in disposal volumes by removing excess water and compacting the loose screenings removed from the existing screens.

In the UK, 45% of all apples harvested are for use in cider. The harvesting process sweeps the apples off the ground, often bringing with the apples dirt, sticks and leaves. With the season spanning from September to November, there can be particularly large amounts of debris towards the end of the season and all of this ends up at the milling plant.

Apples delivered to site are tipped into large pits and floated into production using transport water. This transport water quickly becomes dirty and a large amount of material is screened out of the water to allow the water to be reused. These wet screenings were dropped into a trailer and the client had water draining from the trailer across the yard in large volumes. Screenings which dropped into the trailer were loose and even after draining, were still very wet. This resulted in much higher disposal weights and volumes, along with the associated increase in vehicle movements.

milling season. The machine provides a significant reduction in disposal volumes by removing water and compacting the loose material. It also keeps the site clean and tidy, containing all of the separated water. By using an inclined conveyor, compacted material is elevated and dropped directly into the trailer. With the HUBER WAP® L 6 and Ro8T installed, there are no more trailers leaking across the yard and reduced vehicle movements, providing Heineken with significant cost savings.

Objective HUBER were approached for a solution to remove the excess water from the screenings and compact the remaining material. By using equipment from the HUBER hire fleet, site were able to witness the benefits before committing to a capital spend.

Wet material in.

HUBER WAP® L 6 compactor and Ro8T conveyor.

Solution HUBER Technology Supplied: * 1 No HUBER Screenings Wash Press WAP® L 6 -screenings compaction unit with: - Inlet hopper to accept wet screenings - Ultrasonic level control - Frost protected wash water system - Drain line for disposal of separated water. * 1 No HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8T conveyor - to elevate the compacted material into a trailer for removal from site. * 1 No Control panel to automate operation of the plant.

The HUBER WAP® L screenings compactor and Ro8T conveyor were commissioned at the apple milling plant ahead of the

Dry material out.

James Tucker, HUBER’s Industrial Business Development Manager comments: “This was a really interesting project to work on and the end result is a very tidy solution for Heineken. We have provided over 500 WAP® units for the UK alone and are seeing increasing demand, as customers across various industries see the benefit of reduced disposal volumes.”

For more information please contact James Tucker 07720 086808, email James.Tucker@huber.co.uk or visit www.huber.co.uk. J

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ENERGY

ENVIRONMENT

I WASTE WATER SOLUTIONS

Magmex® – The Environmentally Friendly Answer to the Neutralisation of Acidic Waste Water naerobic digestion is one of the princiA pal methods used by the water industry to treat primary sewage sludge. It is a preferred process in that it produces methane as a usable by-product, reduces sludge volumes, and creates a digested sludge that is both readily dewaterable and relatively inoffensive in nature.

Efficient breakdown of sludge relies on different groups of bacteria, all of which operate in conjunction, but within a defined range of parameters, eg pH, tem-

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perature, feed rate, nutrients and trace elements. Periodically however digestion failures occur. This can be due to the presence of inhibitory substances such as high metals concentrations, organic solvents or detergents, or simply from overloading. The result is a failure in part by some of the anaerobic bacteria and a drop in pH. Digester failure may require the digester to be reseeded and more importantly for the pH to be adjusted.

Traditionally lime or sodium carbonate is used for this purpose, but they are powders and can be difficult to apply. Overdosing can often result in the pH increasing to above 12, which will inhibit digester recovery.

OMEX Environmental Ltd has created Magmex® to combat this issue. Magmex® is a stable suspension which can be easily pumped into a system. More importantly for a biological system Magmex® naturally

buffers out so that the maximum pH achievable is around 9.5; consequently, there is no danger of overdosing.

As well as Magmex®, OMEX provides a wide range of nutrients and neutralisers for biological wastewater treatment and biogas plants. This range of products are designed to overcome potential problems that can occur with modern effluent and septicity treatment, including odour control, filamentous bulking, and COD removal.

Contact OMEX for further information on +44 (0)1553 770092 or visit www.omex.com. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I BREWING

British and European Beer Revival British beer sales in 2018 registered their biggest year-on-year growth in 45 years, while the latest figures show that Europe’s beer production reached an eight-year high, bolstered by record exports, an increase in micro-breweries and a rise in low-alcohol products. ales of beer in Britain were up 2.6% last year on 2017, according to Beer Barometer data from the British Beer & Pub Association. Beer sales increased in both the off-trade and on-trade by 4.7% and by 0.1% respectively in 2018.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, says: “2018 has been a good year for beer and pubs.

Considering the heavy cost burdens the industry faces from high beer duty, business rates and rising costs in general, it’s great to see beer sales doing the best they have for some years.”

Although the growth in beer sales in 2018 was boosted by the England team’s performance at the soccer World Cup and the good summer weather, the decision by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to freeze beer tax in the Autumn Budget also had an instant effect, with sales of beer in pubs growing in the last quarter of 2018 by 2.2%.

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After 10 years as chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, Brigid Simmonds has decided to step down in October.

Changing Landscape The British brewing landscape has changed significantly since the start of 2019 with two major acquisition deals. Asahi Group Holdings of Japan is expanding its growth platform within the British and European beer markets by acquiring the entire beer business of Fuller, Smith & Turner, the UK brewing, pub and hotel group, for £250 million on a debt free, cash free basis.

Asahi Group only became a major player in Europe after its Eur2.55 billion acquisition of the Italian, Dutch and British businesses, which were formerly part of SABMiller in 2016. The Japanese group subsequently purchased the former SABMiller beer business in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Both deals, to acquire practically all of SABMiller’s entire beer business in Europe, were completed in order to remove EU competition concerns following the £71 billion acquisition of SABMiller by AB InBev. The disposal of its brewing business leaves Fuller, Smith & Turner focused on its premium pub and hotel operations. The deal expands Asahi’s brewing operations in Britain and also expands its brands portfolio which includes Asahi Super Dry, Peroni, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell, Kozel and Tyskie.

Greene King, which is the UK’s leading integrated brewer and pub retailer, is the subject of recommended £2.7 billion cash offer from Hong Kong-based CK Asset.

Another famous British beer business, Greene King, is also about to change hands. Greene King, which is the UK’s leading integrated brewer and pub retailer operating over 2,700 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, is the subject of recommended £2.7 billion cash offer from CK Asset, which is one of the largest property developers in Hong Kong and an international investment group. Including debt, the enterprise value of the proposed transaction is approximately £4.6 billion.

New Name Meanwhile, AB InBev has changed the name of its UK and Irish business to Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I and opened a new London headquarters. Formerly known as AB InBev UK & Ireland, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I employs 1,000 people at its three breweries in Magor, South Wales, Samlesbury, Lancashire, and Enfield, North London. In addition to Budweiser, the brands portfolio includes Stella Artois, Corona, Michelob Ultra, Bud Light, Beck’s, Bass and Boddingtons. The business has been growing by double-digits in the UK in recent years.

“We are a fast-paced, ambitious group that dreams big, and we have exciting plans ahead for the UK and Ireland,” says Paula Lindenberg, president of Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I. “We are looking forward to making a big impact in the year ahead, working towards brewing our beers with 100% renewable electricity and accelerating our progress towards 20% of our global products being no or low alcohol.”

Fundamental Change The British and European beer industries are undergoing fundamental change to adjust to the major shift in market trends, which has given rise to the rapid expansion of the craft brewing sector and the growth of low or no alcohol beer.

Brewing capital investment is becoming increasingly focused on reducing costs and improving efficiency, innovation and sustainability. For example, Carlsberg Group’s Kronenbourg site at Obernai in France - the Danish company’s largest brewery in Europe - has reduced its carbon emissions by 50% since 2007 and runs on 100% renewable electricity. Furthermore, it generates part

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of its own energy from an on-site biogas retrieval plant. Carlsberg Group is investing up to Eur100 million at the Kronenbourg brewery, which is at the forefront of implementing the global brewer’s Together Towards ZERO sustainability programme, whereby Carlsberg aims for zero carbon emissions and zero water waste at all its breweries.

In the UK, Budweiser, the world’s most valuable beer brand, will be brewed with renewable electricity as AB InBev has signed a deal with Europe’s largest solar energy company, Lightsource BP, to purchase 100% renewable electricity for its British operations.

European Brewing Resurgence According to the Brewers of Europe’s latest report on Europe’s beer sector, annual production increased by 2 million HL to 39.6 billion litres, and exports have reached an all-time high, with one in five beers shipped abroad and a third of that to outside the EU. With a production of 9.3 billion litres Germany was the top producer - one in every five beers produced in the EU originates from Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and Poland (both at 4 billion litres produced, each representing 10% of the total).

Germany and Belgium exported the most beer outside their countries - 1.5 billion litres each.

Changing Consumer Demands Although still well short of the levels prior to the global economic crisis in 2008, the increase in beer consumption over the last four years has coincided with a decline in overall alcohol consumption, binge drinking and adolescent drinking, according to the Brewers of Europe. This shift towards beer, a typically low alcohol beverage, coupled with the increased availability of even lower alcohol and non-alcoholic beers, is in line with the increasing health-consciousness of European consumers.

European brewers have responded to these changes and by the end of 2019, twothirds of Europe’s beer will be labelling ingredients and over half will be voluntarily labelling calories in the same way that other food and drink Paula Lindenberg, president of Budweiser Brewing products are doing.

The EU is currently Group UK&I. produces nearly 900 million litres of non-alcoholic beer, equivalent to 2% of all output, each year, according to the data collected by Eurostat, whilst production of lower alcohol beers is also growing.

In addition to the growing popularity of low and no-alcohol beers, European consumers are also showing a preference for craft products, as reflected in the continuing rise in the number of microbrewers and SMEs. About 75% of the 9,500 breweries in Europe are SMEs, with the UK alone now accounting for 2,430 breweries, many of which are smaller producers.

Heineken 0.0, which was first launched in 2017, is now available in 51 markets.

UK, Spain, Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

Low and No-alcohol Beers Heineken and Carlsberg Group, the two largest players within the Eur125 billion European beer market, have been at the forefront of developing low and no-alcohol beers. Heineken’s low and no-alcohol beer volumes increased by mid-single digit to reach 13.1 million hectolitres in 2018. Growth in Europe was in the high-single digits due to the continued success of Heineken 0.0 and Radler.

Heineken 0.0, which was first launched in 2017, is now available in 51 markets and further roll-out is planned.

According to a new study by Carlsberg UK, consumers across the UK believe that low or no alcohol beer is becoming more socially acceptable. The study found 59% of respondents had tried a low or no alcohol drink, while 28% would consider drinking an alcoholfree beer as an alternative to alcohol and 26% would consider it over an alternative soft drink. J

European Craft Brewing Sector Reflecting this continuing growth in craft brewing, a new organisation - the Independent Brewers of Europe (IBE) – has been recently established by the associations of nine European countries with the aim of working together to promote and advance the mutual interests of their members with the European institutions and media on issues of concern, such as regulation, taxation and access to market. IBE will represent almost 2,000 smaller, independent craft breweries in France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, the 36

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I CASE STUDY

Carlsberg Relies on Eilersen orld-class beer has been brewed on W Valby Bakke in Copenhagen since 1847. The Carlsberg specialty brewhouse Jacobsen is located in the historical, listed buildings, which poses challenges when it comes to efficient production.

However, Eilersen weighing systems that monitor and control the content of the brewery’s storage vessels and fermentation tanks help solve this problem. The installed weighing systems consist of both ultramodern digital solutions and old versions from the 1980s.

Common to the weighing systems is the fact that they are used to monitor and register the content of the brewery’s storage and fermentation tanks. Some of the weighing systems feature local read-outs on weighing displays that also transfer weigh-

Eilersen hygienic load cells.

Eilersen’s load cells are very reliable and therefore still work impeccably.

Jan Juul, production manager with Jacobsen, explains the reason for the longlived partnership with Eilersen: “Eilersen supplies reliable weighing systems that fit well with our needs and applications. This makes the entire installation process and maintenance smooth and easy for us as customers. Eilersen provides good service and expert advice when new projects are being launched, so I’m sure Eilersen will remain our preferred supplier of weighing systems also in future.”

Benefits of Gravimetric Level Measurement

Weighing terminal with in-built digital interface to PLC.

ing data to PLC while other weighing systems transmit the weighing data directly to PLC via a digital interface.

Reliable Weighing Solutions

All load cells from Eilersen are based on patented capacitive technology and made from laser welded stainless steel, which ensures both high accuracy and robustness, and the ability to withstand heavy overloading. Despite the benefits of upgrading to a more recent weighing solution Jacobsen still uses Eilersen load cells that were installed in the 1980s in that

Generally, the utilisation of load cells for level measurement – so-called gravimetric level measurement – offers a wide range of benefits in terms of hygiene, reliability and accuracy compared to other measuring principles for level measurement.

One of the greatest challenges during the manufacturing process of food and pharmaceutical products is the risk of contaminating the products. Load cells are at no point in contact with the product during the process, which is why a genuine hygienic solution is achieved. Thereby the risk of contamination is minimised, which means that consequent complaints and product recalls can be avoided and that the fantastic Jacobsen beer is bottled and enjoyed by consumers.

There is constant overpressure in the storage tanks in the House Brewery Jacobsen, which may pose a challenge to other level measurement principles because it results in imprecise and unreliable measurements. Eilersen’s load cells only measure the load to which the storage tank is subjected and are therefore not influenced

by neither the pressure in the tank nor the product’s conductivity. Even when changes occur to consistency or agitation speed, the load cells can continuously register the content with a precision of more than 99.9%.

In practice this means measurements with an accuracy of only a few litres – even when it comes to storage tanks with a content of several tonnes.

Michael Martinussen, sales manager with Eilersen, agrees: “It’s important to us that all of our customers are provided a solution that fits perfectly with their applications.

And we’re able to provide this by means of our unique products, great experience and expertise in weighing.” For further information visit www.eilersen.com. J

The Jacobsen House Brewery.

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I DISTILLING

€370 Million Investment to Sustain Irish Whiskey Renaissance Irish whiskey is now the fastest growing premium spirit in the world with sales of 10.5 million cases in 2018 and is expected to exceed 11 million cases this year, as distillers continue to invest heavily in new capacity to support anticipated future growth and in visitor centres to capitalise on the rising popularity of whiskey tourism.

Tullamore DEW Distillery in County Offaly.

The Old Bushmills Distillery, which is the oldest working distillery in Ireland, has been granted planning permission for a £30 million expansion of its site in County Antrim.

ccording to William Lavelle, head of the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA), 2018 was another period of exceptional sales growth for Irish whiskey, and marked the first year that Irish whiskey sales have broken the 10 million case barrier since before Prohibition in the United States in the 1920s. “The United States continued to deliver strong growth in 2018 while major markets including Germany, Australia and Canada are performing very well for the category,” he says. “It’s a very exciting time and we look forward to seeing further industry growth, fuelled by the ambition, innovation and hard work of our Irish whiskey producers.”

Since 2014, the number of operational Irish whiskey distilleries has grown from four (Cooley Distillery, Kilbeggan Distillery, New Midleton Distillery and Old Bushmills Distillery) to 25, with nine more planned. Some of the key distilleries to come on stream in the past four years include the Eur35 million Great Northern Distillery at Dundalk in County Louth, the Eur25 million Walsh Whiskey Distillery in County Carlow and the Eur10 million Connacht Whiskey Distillery in County Mayo.

The most recent openings are the Dublin Liberties Distillery, following investment of Eur18 million by Quintessential Brands, the Eur10 million Clonakilty Distillery in County Cork, and the Eur20 million Powerscourt Distillery in County Wicklow.

The continuing and rapid growth in Irish whiskey has attracted the attention of international drinks groups. For example, Brown-Forman has invested Eur44 million in the Slane Castle Distillery in County Meath – the first distillery to be built by Brown-Forman outside the US - and Scottish distiller William Grant & Sons has invested Eur35 million to open the

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Record Year 2019 is set to be a record year for the opening of new Irish whiskey distilleries, with at least ten distilleries scheduled to commence operations. Irish Distillers, the largest producer of Irish whiskey and the company that has spearheaded the Irish whiskey renaissance, is currently investing over Eur150 million at its sites in Cork and Dublin to meet growing global demand for its products and has just spent Eur11 million to redevelop the Jameson Distillery in Dublin to become a top visitor attraction.

Conor McQuaid, chairman and chief executive of Irish Distillers, comments: “Irish whiskey is the fastest growing premium spirit in the world, with sales now accounting for more than one third of all Irish beverage exports. This investment will help to allow this growth to continue for years to come. The company is proud to play its role in the Irish drinks industry, which is a hugely important part of the Irish economy.” Irish Distillers has already invested over Eur400 million since 2012 to double its production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for its products.

Diageo, the world’s largest Scotch whisky producer, has reentered the Irish whiskey category and has invested Eur25 million to open a distillery and visitor centre in the old Power Station building at its famous St James’s Gate Brewery site in Dublin. Diageo’s new Roe & Co distillery will distil 14,000 litres of whiskey in every run, with an annual maximum capacity of approximately 500,000 litres of alcohol.

In Northern Ireland, a new £12 million whiskey distillery and

William Lavelle, head of the Irish Whiskey Association( IWA), with David Stapleton (right), managing director of the Connacht Whiskey Company and chairman of the IWA.

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on 2017 – and eight new venues are scheduled to open in 2019 to bring the total number of visitor centres to 21.

“Irish whiskey exports are booming and the number of tourists visiting our Irish whiskey distilleries across the country is similarly booming,” remarks William Lavelle. “We don’t expect this interest in Irish whiskey to slow down any time soon, and we anticipate that Irish whiskey sales will break the 11 million case barrier this year.”

Another major project, which was recently granted planning permission, is the Eur138 million development of twelve Irish whiskey maturation warehouses at Moyvore in County Westmeath by Vault Storage. An artist’s impression of the filling hall.

visitor centre is planned for Derry, while a £7.3 million project to revive the Matt D'Arcy & Company whiskey distillery in Newry is underway. Elsewhere, the Old Bushmills Distillery, which is the oldest working distillery in Ireland, has been granted planning permission for a £30 million expansion of its site in County Antrim.

Founded in 1608 and believed to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world, the Old Bushmills Distillery has been part of Mexico-based Jose Cuervo since being sold by Diageo in 2014. The distillery is also planning to build 29 warehouses to support its long-term growth. “Our plans for building additional distilling capacity is part of our £60 million plan to double production capacity over the next five years to meet the increasing demand for our portfolio of single malt and premium blended Irish whiskeys,” explains Colum Egan, master distiller at Old Bushmills Distillery.

Whiskey Maturation Another major project, which was recently granted planning permission, is the Eur138 million development of twelve Irish whiskey maturation warehouses at Moyvore in County Westmeath by Vault Storage. The twelve whiskey maturation warehouses will have the capacity to hold 16,500 casks each.

When completed, the Moyvore facility will be the largest, independent whiskey storage unit in Ireland, according to Vault Storage.

Alan Wright, chief executive of Vault Storage, comments: “The Irish whiskey industry is world-class and continues to go from strength to strength. Maturation and storage are an essential part of the business and our facility, Moyvore, County Westmeath, will serve as the ideal location in terms of accessibility, safety and space.”

“We are determined to be in a position to cater for domestic and international whiskey producers by 2021,” Alan Wright adds. “Once open, our facility will provide a full-service operation for the industry with offerings such as: cask storage; whiskey cask storing; filling; degourging; product registration; product management as well as all administrative duties.”

William Lavelle points out: “There can be no Irish whiskey without maturation on the island of Ireland. Earlier this year, we were looking at a potential future shortage of maturation warehouse capacity.” However, following recent planning permissions for facilities in Counties Westmeath, Cavan and Antrim, “the Irish whiskey industry can be assured that this threatened bottleneck in the production process will be avoided.”

Tourism Booming Irish whiskey tourism is also expanding rapidly. There were 923,000 visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries in 2018 - up 13.4% 40

New Breed Teeling Whiskey Distillery, which became the first new distillery in Dublin for over 125 years when it commenced operation in 2015, is one of the new whiskey producers to emerge in recent times. In the past four years, over 425,000 people have visited the modern Irish whiskey distillery in the heart of Dublin city. Indeed, this revenue stream has generated close to Eur13 million for the company, which has established a present in more than 60 export markets. At the recent World Whiskies Awards, Teeling Whiskey became the first Irish whiskey brand to win the World’s Best Single Malt award, winning the prize for its 24-Year-Old Single Malt.

Jack Teeling, founder and chief executive of Teeling Whiskey, comments: “Ireland’s whiskey category continues to shine brightly with a new generation of whiskey drinkers discovering the full breadth and choice that the sector has to offer. We will continue to do what we do best and ensure we represent the new breed of Irish whiskey distillers through high quality whiskeys and by evolving the distillery experience.”

Pictured (left to right): Jack Teeling, founder and chief executive of Teeling Whiskey, and Stephen Teeling, sales and marketing director of Teeling Whiskey.

Ensuring Best Practice To encourage the continued growth of the Irish whiskey industry and to support best practice, the IWA has developed ‘The Knowledge Still’ programme, which incorporates regular workshops, seminars and one-to-one support, delivered by experienced distillers and industry experts on a range of topics. A key aspect of the knowledge-transfer programme is an annual introductory workshop, where start-up companies entering the Irish whiskey industry can gain access to information and learning on key issues affecting the industry. The 2019 introductory workshop was attended by 23 companies including 12 new or planned Irish whiskey distilleries.

“Protecting the high standards of the Irish whiskey industry and promoting innovation is key to the future success of the category. Our main goal is to protect and pass on the high-quality standards which have become a hallmark for Irish whiskey,” says William Lavelle. “Our growing global consumer base can be assured of more exciting developments in the Irish whiskey category for years to come.” J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I DISTILLING

Irish Distillers Investing €150 Million in Sites at Cork and Dublin as Jameson Reaches New Heights With its flagship Jameson brand having recently become one of the Top 10 Premium Spirits Brands Worldwide after increasing sales by 10% to a record 7.5 million nine-litre cases in 2018, Irish Distillers, part of the Pernod Ricard Group, is continuing to invest in future growth as it spearheads the Irish whiskey renaissance. he company is currently investing Eur150 million at its sites in Cork and Dublin to meet growing demand for its products, including Jameson which is now achieving double or triple-digit growth in more than 80 markets across the world. Nearly Eur130 million is to be spent expanding and upgrading the distillery in Midleton and the nearby maturation site in Dungourney, County Cork, while over Eur20 million is being invested in the development of the bottling plant at Fox and Geese in Dublin.

Since 2012, the leading Irish whiskey producer has doubled its production and bottling capacity to meet growing global demand and has just spent Eur11 million to redevelop the Jameson Distillery in Dublin to become a top visitor attraction.

T

€150 Million Investment “The expansion of our maturation site in

The Jameson brand is now one of the Top 10 Premium Spirits Brands Worldwide after increasing sales by 10% to a record 7.5 million cases in 2018.

Conor McQuaid, chairman and chief executive of Irish Distillers.

Dungourney and the upgrades to our facilities in Midleton and Fox & Geese are progressing as planned. This Eur150 million investment reflects the growing international success of Irish Distillers and our objective to drive the growth of our portfolio of premium Irish whiskey brands,” explains Conor McQuaid, chairman and chief executive of Irish Distillers. “In order to achieve this, we have invested almost Eur400 million since 2012 in our Midleton Distillery, Dungourney maturation site and Fox & Geese bottling facility in Dublin to facilitate the global growth of the full portfolio including Jameson, Redbreast, Powers, The Spot Range, Method and Madness and Midleton.”

He adds: “We also continue to invest in our two visitor centres in Dublin and Midleton, County Cork, to bring the brand homes and consumer experience to life.

This is a considerable commitment and ‘vote of confidence’ by Pernod Ricard in the category and the long-term sustainable growth of our brands.”

Irish Distillers Group was formed in 1966 following the merger of three of the major Irish whiskey distillers - John Jameson & Sons, established in Dublin in 1780; Powers & Sons, founded in Dublin in 1791; and the Cork Distillery, which dates back to 1825.

Global Distribution Irish Distillers has been part of Pernod Ricard since 1988, following one of the most protracted takeover battles in Irish corporate history. Pernod Ricard was successful in acquiring Irish Distillers against a rival bid from GrandMet, Allied-Lyons and Guinness. Being part of an expanding

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Irish Distillers has invested almost Eur400 million since 2012 in its Midleton Distillery (pictured), its Dungourney maturation site and the Fox & Geese bottling facility in Dublin.

international drinks group has provided Irish Distillers with access to Pernod Ricard’s extensive global distribution network and resources.

Following its acquisition of Irish Distillers, Pernod Ricard was quick to identify the massive potential for Jameson in international markets and made it a flagship brand. Jameson has subsequently received consistent marketing investment to stress the brand’s unique qualities.

Under the ownership of Pernod Ricard, Irish Distillers has been at the vanguard of the rapid rise in popularity of Irish whiskey in global markets. “As the category leader, one of the ongoing challenges for Irish Distillers is to ensure that we have the capacity to keep pace with the growth of our portfolio. In order to sustain this growth, we are constantly investing in our capacity to meet demand for our products,” Conor McQuaid points out. “More than 30 years ago, our predecessors had the foresight to lay down single pot still stocks to secure the future of the quintessential style of Irish whiskey at a time when sales were languishing. We are reaping the benefit of the foresight of those generations who have gone before us in this fantastic industry.”

He continues: “Our ongoing investment allows for that ambition to be a realised today as we continue to lay down stock for our family of whiskeys from blends that require four to seven years to mature all the way up to whiskeys that mature for over 30 years. It will also allow us to innovate, as we always have, on new whiskey styles as well as our marketing approach, led by a desire to share new experiences that bring people together.”

Development Strategy Irish Distillers is focused on sustaining the rapid growth of Irish whiskey, which has become the fastest growing spirit globally, as the Jameson brand continues to drive catego42

ry growth. Indeed, Irish whiskey is enjoyed more widely today than at any stage since its heydays in the 19th century.

“Building the equity of Jameson continues to be a priority. Jameson is one of Ireland’s most recognised brands worldwide, with 7.3 million cases sold in 2017/18, up from 500,000 cases during the mid-90s, and is in double or triple-digit growth in more than 80 markets,” he remarks. “Our global aspirations require that we keep momentum in the USA, as we expect the American demand for alternatives to Bourbon and Scotch to continue to evolve. There is no doubt that the unique taste of Jameson and Irish whiskey in general appeals to today’s consumer and has been a cornerstone of our success.”

Further Potential Conor McQuaid also identifies extra growth potential within the company’s traditional ‘heartland’ markets in Europe. Furthermore, the rise in millennials choosing dark spirits over white in, for example, Russia and neighbouring countries also represents a key opportunity for Jameson now and in the future. Travel retail is another key channel for Irish Distillers. Globally, travel retail is the second biggest market for premium spirits and whiskey.

“Further afield we are focused on building the brand globally in markets not traditionally associated with Irish whiskey,” he explains. “For example, building on the success of the Jameson brand in South Africa, we are very positive about the opportunity across the African continent as a whole. The rise of the middle-classes in India has led to increased demand for authentic, imported brands and China and the other key Asian markets represent another great opportunity for the Jameson and Prestige Irish whiskey portfolio.”

leries in operation compared to only four in 2014.The Irish Whiskey Association predicts exports will double to 12 million cases by 2020, and again to 24 million cases by 2030.

“New distilleries can help to drive the sector forward offering even more choice to consumers, but above all maintaining quality will be a pre-requisite to sustaining this growth. Our challenge is to ensure that our superlative portfolio remains at the forefront of the category renaissance,” says Conor McQuaid.

Irish Distillers is not only leading the Irish whiskey renaissance by developing international markets but has also been instrumental in helping smaller, emerging distilleries and so promoting the growth of the category as a whole. “There has never been a more exciting time for Irish whiskey, with sales accounting for more than one third of all Irish beverage exports. Opening our doors and sharing our love for what we do is in our DNA and something we will continue to invest in for the future. We are founder members of The Irish Whiskey Association (IWA).”

Continued Category Growth The chairman and chief executive of Irish Distillers elaborates: “The IWA mentoring programme is a world first which sees longestablished whiskey players pass on the lessons and experiences that have shaped their whiskey to the growing crop of new whiskey distillers popping up across Ireland.

Since Irish Distillers helped to establish the mentoring programme with the IWA, we continue to work with new brands and distillers entering the market to ensure that the category continues to grow long into the future.”

However, given the plethora of new distilleries established in the past five years and with more planned, does he envisage industry consolidation in the future in order to attain economies of scale?

“These are exciting times for the category, which it must be remembered remains relatively small in the global whiskey world. It is too early to say whether consolidation in the number of distilleries and brands will be a dynamic we will see in the immediate future,” he replies. “Personally, I am just delighted to be part of this exciting time for Irish whiskey and the new and interesting opportunities we are all collectively, as an industry, seeking to capture.” J

New Irish Whiskey Distilleries There are currently 25 Irish whiskey distil-

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I COATINGS & FILLINGS

Cargill Launches World's First Coatings and Fillings Using Sustainably Sourced Coconut Oil argill’s cocoa and chocolate business is the first company to C use Rainforest Alliance Certified coconut oil sourced through a mass balance model as an ingredient in its coatings and fillings – responding to consumers’ growing demands for sustainably sourced ingredients.

Inge Demeyere, managing director of Cargill’s chocolate activities in Europe explains the thinking behind this development: “The demand from consumers for sustainably sourced ingredients is well established. Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business is already a leader in implementing standards for cocoa sustainability supporting farmers and their communities through training and expertise with the Cargill Cocoa Promise – so the move to offering coatings and fillings using sustainably sourced coconut oil was a good next step.”

Cargill’s broad food knowledge and direct involvement in various agricultural supply chains means it is in a unique position to source coconut grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that are required to meet comprehensive criteria for sustainable agriculture. Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business is now the first to apply the Rainforest Alliance Certified mass balance program for coconut oil in coatings and fillings. Inge Demeyere continues: “We use it to replace conventional coconut oil in the current coatings and fillings part of ice cream, bakery and confectionery applications, providing the same great sensory impression and quality as ever, while adding value to our customers’ recipes.”

Cargill together with BASF, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have joined forces in development of a partnership as part of the develoPPP.de program of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Working together to address the challenges facing the coconut supply chain, in 2015 the joint project reached a milestone by pioneering sustainability standards for coconut – producing among the world’s first Rainforest Alliance Certified copra, or

dried coconut flesh.

Results for 300 coconut producers on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in the Philippines participating in the first wave of the project (2011-2015) have been impressive – with a 15 percent increase in their incomes. Cargill and their partners have also set further targets to train approximately 3,300 smallholder farmers and get at least 825 farmers to produce coconuts in the Philippines and Indonesia following the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agricultural Standard, with the aim of increasing their net incomes by 5-10% by the end of 2019.

Inge Demeyere concludes: “Ethical brand positioning is an increasingly important driver for our customers’ products and brand enhancement. By providing our customers with supply chain integrity and certified ingredients via products such as our coatings and fillings including coconut oil sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms on a mass balance basis, they can position their products to appeal to the growing number of ethically aware consumers.”

To find out more, visit www.cargill.com/food-bev/emea/cocoachocolate/sustainable-coconut-oil-coatings-and-fillings. J

Microwaveable Crumb-coated Snacks With Perfect Crunch risp Sensation, a global food coating C system expert, has developed snack coatings that promise perfect, crispy results. With its latest innovation, the company will soon enable manufacturers to develop microwaveable crumb-coated snacks.

The technical breakthrough, which has been highly anticipated by the market, all comes down to moisture control. Even if the product is kept in a freezer for up to six months, it will still retain a crispy coating and succulent core when cooked in the microwave. As with all Crisp Sensation coatings, they are also suitable for other preparation methods such as oven, airfryer, Merrychef and Turbochef.

Addressing fast-paced consumers who

are always on the go and demand quick and tasty snack options, products with Crisp Sensation coatings fit the bill perfectly. The coating system is suitable for a large variety of products that can be crumb coated, including chicken, cheese and even sweet fillings.

The patent-pending technology will enable snack manufacturers to create a wide array of imaginative snacking options, all of which can be microwaved without a crisping or grill function, and are ready to eat in just 1-2 minutes. Suitable not only for households, but also for the out-ofhome market – including kiosks, food trucks and service stations – snack manufacturers can appeal to completely new markets with products that are perfect in both taste and texture.

Crisp Sensation has a long history of filing patents on coating systems, with multiple patents already granted. Some of the most important developments have been innovative moisture barriers and water binding technologies. J

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I MARKET FOCUS

Dried Fruit and Nuts Show Healthy Growth urope is the world’s largest market for dried fruit and nuts.

Rising consumer concerns about healthy eating and a growing interest in plant-based diets are driving consumption levels even higher.

Although it accounts for only about 8% of dried fruit production globally and 10% of tree nuts, Europeans are responsible for roughly 25% of total consumption worldwide in both categories.

Prunes and dried grapes are the most consumed dried fruits in Europe, while almonds, followed by walnuts and hazelnuts are the most popular nuts.

Worth over Eur11 billion annually, imports of dried fruit and nuts across Europe are continuing to rise in both value and volume.

The UK is the largest importer of edible nuts in Europe, while the largest importer of dried fruit is Germany.

E

Europe is also a producer and exporter of edible nuts and dried fruit. The region produces more edible nuts, chiefly hazelnuts and almonds, than dried fruit. Dried figs and prunes are the most produced dried fruit in Europe.

The largest European primary producers are Spain (led by almonds), Italy (hazelnuts), France (prunes) and Greece (dried grapes). Spain, the Netherlands, the UK and Italy are major producers of processed edible nuts and dried fruits. Processing includes mixing, roasting, coating and repacking of imported products.

Rising Consumption Dried fruit and nuts are used as ingredients by the confectionery, bakery, snacks and desserts industries in Europe. The rapid growth in snacking and confectionery products with a health or nutritious claim is driving the usage of dried fruit and nuts for processing.

So called ‘healthy’ products with ‘sugar free’, ‘low sugar’ or ‘no added sugar’ claims often use fruit and dried fruit as natural sweeteners. Nuts are well-established, popular ingredients in snacks and confectionery, and manufacturers are now experimenting with smoky, spicy and caramelised nut variations.

Advantages of Dried Fruit In the UK, which is the world’s largest importer of dried fruit, the National Dried Fruit Trade Association is encouraging manufacturers and processors to use more dried fruits and to ensure dried fruits play a wider role in general nutrition, in response to the growing health consciousness of consumers. Dried fruit offers many advantages over fresh fruit. In addition to having a longer shelf life and being a healthier alternative to refined sugars for sweetening foods, dried fruit generally contains more fibre than the same size serving of their fresh counterparts, according to the National Dried Fruit Trade Association. Furthermore, 30g of dried fruit counts one portion of the World Health Organization’s 5-A-

Day recommendation, compared with 80g of fresh fruit.

Because most of the water is extracted from dried fruits, their nutrients are concentrated as are some vitamins and minerals.

Dried fruits like apricots, raisins, prunes and figs are good sources of minerals such as iron, potassium and copper.

The UK’s leading dried fruit businesses recently joined together in a bid to dispel consumer misconceptions around dried fruit. The Dried Fruit Alliance, consisting of Whitworths, Sun Maid, Californian Raisin Administrative Committee, the California Prune Board and the National Dried Fruit Trade Association, aims to re-educate consumers about the negative, and incorrect, perceptions of the category, such as dried fruit being bad for dental health, even though there is no medical evidence to suggest this.

With a combined market value of £277 million, The Dried Fruit Alliance is working with a host of healthcare professionals to raise awareness of the health benefits of dried fruit. A paper covering key findings from scientific research studies in relation to dried fruit, titled ‘Dried Fruit and public health: what the evidence tells us’, has been published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, and an integrated marketing campaign has been launched to present this evidence to print and broadcast media.

Phil Gowland, marketing director at Whitworths, says: “With scientific backing and consumer research to corroborate, the Dried Fruit Alliance is letting consumers know that they can enjoy dried fruit as part of a balanced diet and it has a place in their healthy lifestyles, in turn reviving a declining category. We want to encourage not discourage the consumption of dried fruit as it is a source of nutrients, high in fibre and is a convenient snacking option for consumers.”

Almonds on Top According to Innova Market Research’s latest Global New Product Introductions Report, almonds retain the number one spot for nut introductions in Europe. Almond introductions in the snacking and bars categories are on the rise, with growth in the snacking category up by 32%, and the bars sector up by 53%. The demand for almonds can be attributed to their role as natural, nutrient-rich ingredients with appealing taste and crunch and extensive versatility as well as their consistently safe, stable supply.

“With free-from and clean label products now so mainstream, we frequently see almonds’ attributes named on packaging,” explains Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation, Innova Market Insights.

“For example, we see a high use of gluten-free claims on almond bar products when compared to the general product category. In fact, over 56 percent of almond bars feature gluten-free positioning, compared with less than 46 percent for the category as a whole.” J

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I COCOA

Cargill Introduces New Gerkens® CT70 Cocoa Powder – The Latest Addition to its Extensive Range of Cocoa Powders argill has launched its new Gerkens® CT70 cocoa powder C from the world’s leading cocoa powder brand Gerkens®, aimed at creating consumer preferred bakery products by exceeding their expectations in aroma and chocolate taste.

Dick Brinkman, technical service manager, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, explains: “When we decided to develop our latest cocoa powder specifically designed for baked goods, we conducted multiple tasting sessions with our expert tasting panel. These continued until every panel member was convinced that Gerkens® CT70 would help our customers’ products stand out by delivering a true chocolate experience beyond colour, in both taste and smell.”

Working in partnership with leading market research organization Ipsos, baked goods made with Gerkens® CT70 were assessed in blind tests. The research showed a significant consumer preference, in direct comparison with goods baked with some of the industry’s other best-selling cocoa powders. Baked goods prepared with Gerkens® CT70 were chosen as the preferred product by the majority (54%) of consumers, with the overall preference for other products far behind at 24% and 21% respectively. Consumers especially preferred the product made with Gerkens® CT70 for its taste (51%) and the best chocolaty smell (41%).

For baked goods food manufacturers Gerkens® CT70 provides: * Outstanding genuine chocolate aroma and taste in baked products – as confirmed by consumers; * An appealing red-brown colour that reflects the sensory profile of

the powder; * Less complexity when baking – Gerkens® CT70 can be used for both the body of chocolate cakes as well as the coating and/or filling, giving a great taste and aroma to both.

Ilco Kwast, marketing director Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, concludes: “Ultimately it’s all about the taste – and we were delighted at the consumer response to baked goods made with CT70.

Gerkens® CT70 cocoa powder gives bakery products the chocolate taste and smell that consumers prefer, making baked goods stand out from the competition by bringing a unique chocolate experience to consumers.”

For more information visit www.cargill.com/CT70. J

I FATS

AAK’s Flaked Fats to Deliver the Perfect Pizza Experience AK is ready to help manufacturers A create pizzas with an innovative range of flaked fats that enhance crust quality, taste and texture, as well as offering easy handling during the production process. Crust type, quality and mouthfeel are a big part of what consumers are looking for when choosing pizza. AAK’s flaked fats are a solution for companies wanting to respond to this trend, providing a simple way to improve the texture and mouthfeel of crusts in both thin and deep-pan pizzas.

The sensory experience delivered by the first bite of pizza is key to how consumers judge quality. With AAK flaked fats, food producers can achieve optimum crispiness in thin-crust pizzas and an indulgent, moist crust in deep-pan recipes.

Visual appeal is also improved, since flaked fats create clear air-pockets in the pizza and a more open dough structure that results in a pizza that looks more artisanal and deliv46

ers an artisan-style experience.

When producing pizza, the extensibility and elasticity of the dough are important factors. AAK’s flaked fats make it easy to achieve the ideal dough consistency. They can also help maintain the shape of the dough on the production line and reduce

shrinkage after baking.If using flavored flakes, the taste is encapsulated in the flake until the product is baked and the fat starts to melt. This means that less of the aroma is released during the production process, and the flavor of the end product is enhanced.

Pizza companies will also appreciate the easy handling of AAK’s flaked fats.

Traditional blocks of hard fat can be difficult to deal with and may need extra processing to break into the right size for production. By contrast, AAK’s flaked fats are free-flowing and easy to handle. Additionally, they can be used in automatic lines, enabling a seamless production process. In most doughbased applications flaked fats are incorporated directly into the dough towards the end of the mixing process, which maintains the structural integrity of the flake. In addition, AAK’s flaked fats reduce oiling out – the oil migration from the crust that can make home-delivery boxes soggy. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I PRODUCT FORMULATION

When Choosing a Mixer, the Proof is in the Pudding ith over 30 years in the mixing equipW ment business, the experts at Admix are often asked to help bring a product formulation concept to the next level of smallscale manufacturing. Some manufacturers have a solid formula for their products, some are still formulating, but regardless of that, they all have the same valid concerns when it comes to manufacturing their product. Will they: • make quality product consistently?

• produce product that doesn't separate?

• create stable emulsions?

• fail on any of the above & lose money?

Try It at Your Facility Before You Buy It

One manufacturer that was developing a new product, contacted Admix for a sani-

tary mixer that would be appropriate for their application and they had the same questions. Having worked with other manufacturers developing similar products or using some of the same ingredients, Admix recommend a specific mixer to accomplish their goals. But some manufacturers prefer to see it with their own eyes and the best way for them to know for sure is to “Try It Before They Buy It.” An equipment trial program enables manufacturers to try a mixer at their own facility, using their own formulations and their own operators. Admix equipment trials are initially set for a period of two weeks or more if necessary. This manufacturer took advantage of the trial program and tried both a low shear and high shear mixing head on the Benchmix lab mixer so they could witness firsthand exactly what effect each head had on ingredients.

In under an hour of product testing, a batch was created, and every requirement was met or exceeded expectations. The test was successful and backed with guaranteed scalability, they purchased the Benchmix before trial period concluded. These inplant trials are not limited to just lab scale equipment – Admix in-tank batch mixers, inline emulsifiers, wet mills and powder induction and dispersion systems can also be trialed.

Test Lab Convenience

Another option is to send ingredients to the Admix lab for mix-testing where it can be witnessed in person or conveniently videotaped by request. A large beverage manufacturer who came to Admix looking for a smarter way to mix, decided on a lab test.

They were using a 400-gallon liquefier to make a fruit drink base but even after mixing for long periods of time, the xanthan gum never adequately dispersed. It was clear that in order to make higher quality bases and reduce mixing time, the liquefier had to go.

From experience, Admix knew their Rotosolver high shear batch mixer was capable of out-performing any other mixer on the market, even for those difficult-todisperse xanthan gum brands. Even so, the manufacturer was encouraged to send their ingredients to the lab for testing dispersion using the Rotosolver.

The results? The first phase of testing (xanthan into water phase) with the Rotosolver resulted in complete 100% dispersion in 1 minute, down from 30 minutes with the liquefier! The second phase (adding the balance of ingredients i.e. syrups, citric acid powder, flavors and colors) was also successful – all were incorporated and dispersed quickly and efficiently.

The proof was in the pudding as the saying goes and the Rotosolver was purchased.

The drink manufacturer combined both mixing phases into one with excellent and fast results. Lumps and agglomerates were no longer a problem and total mixing time were drastically reduced!

Process Assurance Warranty and Guaranteed Scalability

As part of their goal to fulfill customer process expectations and assure performance results, Admix offers a Process Assurance Program in addition to a standard mechanical performance warranty.

The program is based on a performance evaluation and thorough analysis of the customer’s product as it relates to Admix mixing equipment. Based on the analysis, Admix guarantees that their equipment will do the job for which they recommended it.

Admix can help you on your path to manufacturing, too. Contact them to to learn about testing your ingredients in their lab for free, or about setting up an equipment trial at your own facility.

More information on the company’s wide range of mixers or programs noted in this article can be obtained from www.admix.com. J

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I DAIRY

€48 Million Investment Programme to Facilitate Further Expansion at Aurivo Aurivo, which is one of Ireland’s leading dairy and agribusinesses, has opened a new dryer at its site in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, as part of a €48 million investment programme as the co-operative seeks to grow by 25% over the next three years. eadquartered in the North West of Ireland, Auriva encompasses operations in Consumer Foods, Dairy Ingredients, Retail Stores, Animal Feeds and Livestock Trading. Employing 700 people directly, Aurivo (formerly Connacht Gold) was created following consolidation in the Irish dairy industry.

Connacht Gold was established in 2000 following the merger of the North Connacht Farmers’ Co-operative Society (NCF) and Kiltoghert Co-operative Agricultural & Dairy Society. In 2012, Connacht Gold acquired the milk and agristore businesses of Donegal Creameries to increase its milk pool by 30% to 350 million litres and its turnover to over Eur400 million. This move firmly established Connacht Gold as the largest milk processor and co-operative in the West of Ireland.

The business was re-launched under its new identity – Aurivo – in 2013.

H

New Dryer The new dryer at Ballaghaderreen will boost Aurivo’s dairy ingredients capacity by 55%, and allow it to produce over 60,000t

Aaron Forde, chief executive of Aurivo.

of milk powders for international markets, and 15,000t of butter annually. The new facility is highly energy efficient and uses liquefied natural gas as its heat energy source. Aurivo Dairy Ingredients produces enriched powdered milk and bulk butter that are exported to over 50 countries globally.

The investment will enable Aurivo to drive its innovation for customers and consequently continue to return a leading milk price to its 1000 dairy farmers across 14 counties including Northern Ireland.

Pat Duffy, chairman of Aurivo, says: “This investment would not be possible without the support of Aurivo’s milk suppliers, who continue to supply premium quality milk as well as continued financial support through share standard. The new dryer will ensure that the future generations of farming families’ suppliers and employees are in a safe, well-governed co-op and that all milk produced in this region will be processed to the highest standards for our numerous markets around the globe.”

In addition to allowing Aurivo to offer enhanced services to existing customers, the

Aurivo Dairy Ingredients produces enriched powdered milk and bulk butter that are exported to over 50 countries globally.

new dryer will also enable the co-operative to access new international markets.

Growth Strategy Aaron Forde, chief executive of Aurivo, comments: “This is an example of our growth strategy in action and plays an important role in achieving our goal to grow Aurivo by 25% to a 500 million litre milk business over the next three years.

This is well on track. The opening, aligned with other investments, are a central part of growth plans for the business, ensuring that we continue to be well positioned to effectively leverage international market expansion potential.”

Aaron Forde continues: “As one of the most carbon efficient milk production regions of the world, we believe the opportunities are great for dairy in global markets. All our efforts are directed to doing the best job we can in maximising the return to our member owners per litre of milk while maintaining a strong sustainable business.”

Aurivo has invested Eur26 million in expanding its dairy ingredients plant at Ballaghaderreen as part of a wider Eur48 million investment plan, incorporating a range of projects across the Irish co-operative’s Dairy Ingredients, Consumer Foods and Agri businesses. The expansion programme is scheduled for completion by the

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end of 2022 and is designed to ensure that Aurivo is well-positioned to take advantage of future market opportunities.

Financial Performance Aurivo processed a record 439 million litres of milk in 2018 - up 7.8% on 2017.

Turnover for the year rose by 4% to Eur443.8 million and despite global market volatility and commencing its largest investment programme, Aurivo reported group operating profit (before exceptional items) of Eur3.0 million compared to Eur3.9 million in 2017.

The Dairy Ingredients business had a strong year with turnover growing by Eur9.9 million to Eur153.4 million as 327 million litres were processed into milk powders and butter. This was an increase of eight million litres processed in 2018, equating to 7.8% growth on 2017. Aurivo is continuing to expand its global export dairy ingredients operation and customer base in the Middle East and Africa. The new dryer will allow Aurivo to maintain is international expansion by focusing on for-

mulating products suitable for the evolving needs of its customers.

Aurivo’s Consumer Foods business, which produces a range of well-known milk, butter and nutrition brands, such as Connacht Gold, Organic For Us, Donegal Creameries and For Goodness Shakes, processed 112 million litres of milk in 2018. Turnover remained steady at Eur98.8 million.

Challenges 2018 was a difficult year for the Irish dairy industry, and market conditions remain unsettled. “The uncertainties and implications of Brexit pose significant challenges to the sector,” Aaron Forde points out.

“Within that environment, our focus as a diverse co-operative will continue to be on growing a sustainable business that will not only create value for our members but will ensure a certain future for our farms, and our communities for generations to come.”

The Aurivo chief executive elaborates: “The bedrock of Aurivo’s value generation is grounded on a philosophy of operational

Aurivo’s Consumer Foods business produces a range of well-known milk, butter and nutrition brands.

excellence and continuous improvement that takes precedence in all operations and business functions throughout the co-op.

Our Eur48 million planned investment programme aims to ensure we become a sustainable partner of choice for our customers, both nationally and internationally, with the facilities and capabilities to produce the best possible products.” J

Understanding, Innovation, Support – SPX FLOW and the Irish Dairy Industry ith local site engineers and offices, supW ported by global specialists and state-ofthe-art Innovation Centres located in Europe, SPX® FLOW in Ireland has a detailed understanding of the dairy processing market. Its solutions are designed based on specific customer needs and KPIs to deliver superb performance and reliability while optimising the use of vital resources including raw materials, energy and water.

SPX FLOW offers one of the widest ranges of dairy processing technologies and, through continued research, development and close customer relationships, has developed some highly innovative and ground-breaking solutions. Its Anhydro® spray dryer technology, for example, produces consistent, uniform results while offering the potential to reduce processing costs and increase yield. The technology has the flexibility to be used across different applications, can quickly achieve full production capacity, and offers tight controls to meet specific processing KPIs. SPX FLOW Innovation Centres are core to its support of the dairy industry.

Customers return time and again to these facilities to test new recipes and processes and optimise results prior to full scale processing. The centres incorporate advanced technology for dairy processes including 50

evaporation and spray drying; membrane filtration; thermal treatment solutions, including direct and indirect UHT; mixing; homogenisation; dispersion, and a range of leading butter production equipment and solutions. These technologies are supported by leading food scientists and processing experts at the centres to help customers achieve their goals in the shortest possible time, reducing time to market and increasing return on investment.

Overall, SPX FLOW is more than a sup-

plier to the Irish dairy industry; it is a strategic partner. Keeping pace and even setting the benchmark for dairy processing, it works hard to deliver the best support for their customers today and into the future. Through innovation and collaboration, it helps customers quickly adapt to market trends; get exciting new products to market; ensure reliable, sustainable production, and, with comprehensive service support, helps processes continue to run smoothly throughout their lifetime. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE

I PROCESSING & PACKAGING

PPMA Total Show 2019 to Showcase the Latest Developments in Packaging and Processing Staged every three years, PPMA Total Show – 1-3 October 2019, National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham – is the UK’s largest processing and packaging machinery exhibition. ith over 400 exhibitors and 1,600 brands, PPMA Total Show 2019 encompasses the breadth of the packaging and processing industry, including food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, household products and toiletries, building materials and supplies, pet care, micro-brewery and distilleries, FMCG, and contract packers.

Exhibitors will showcase the very latest products and solutions in processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision systems. Leading companies already confirmed include: Karmelle, Polar Systems, Krones, Sidel, Evolution Bottling & Packaging, Ishida, Mariani, Herma, Selo, Holmach, and Cox & Plant.

lence in processing and packaging production, aiming to motivate and inspire visitors to improve their businesses. Full details of the conference programme will be announced shortly.

W

Add to this the free to attend, industryresponsive conference programme and firstclass speaker line-up tackling key industry issues, and this years’ event will offer a practical, informative and value-added visitor experience – and on an even larger scale than before.

David Harrison, Acting Chief Operating Officer of PPMA Group of Associations, says: “Over the past five years, our shows have grown by 70% due to market demand. This means that visitors to this year’s PPMA Total Show will be able to see even more demonstrations of working

equipment. There is no better forum in the UK that offers a greater number of experts, engineers, designers under one roof. It’s an opportunity for exhibitors to talk to end users to discuss their business challenges and provide working solutions.”

The Enterprise Zone PPMA Total Show 2019 will offer visitors a focal point for networking, discovery and live debate via its Enterprise Zone. Alongside holding dedicated meeting areas and activities, there will be a full conference programme across all three days of the show, which will include insightful keynotes courtesy of high profile and respected industry experts.

Collectively, they will provide information on the latest challenges facing the packaging and processing industry.

Case studies, panel discussions and presentations will provide visitors with real examples of best practice manufacturing and excel-

PPMA Group Industry Awards 2019 The PPMA Group Industry Awards 2019 will be held at the National Conference Centre (NCC) in Birmingham. Now in its eighth year, the Awards ceremony brings together more than 300 industry professionals and stakeholders from the world of processing and packaging machinery and celebrates the finest examples of innovation, smart manufacturing and entrepreneurship.

Entries will be judged by a panel of eight independent industry experts, including academia, end-users and engineers.

Featuring a three-course gala dinner, the PPMA Group Industry Awards will be hosted by UK television presenter and magician, Stephen Mulhern, who has appeared as host on Britain’s Got Talent, Catchphrase and Big Star’s Little Star. For further information on the Awards and details on how to enter, visit www.ppmatotalshow.co.uk/awards/ppma-group-industry-awards.

Visitor registration for the PPMA Total Show 2019 is now open. To register and attend the show for free, visit the PPMA Total Show website at www.ppmatotal-

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I PPMA TOTAL SHOW PREVIEWS

PFM Launches New Bagger at PPMA Show FM Packaging Machinery’s latest bagP ging system will be the star attraction among the company’s range of automated solutions for the food and non-food sectors on display at this year’s PPMA Show in the NEC, Birmingham.

Leading the impressive technology lineup on Stand C20, the new Azimuth EVO

follows the same design concept as the revolutionary R Series bagging machine, offering reduced downtime for reel changes, automatic film web tracking and a spacesaving footprint.

Azimuth EVO’s automated film reel setup eliminates one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks for operators, cutting changeover time substantially and virtually eliminating film wastage as operators get film edges into alignment, particularly important for standup, four-side-seal bags which are becoming increasingly popular for a wide range of applications.

Also being promoted at the show is the latest version of the flexible Pearl flowrapper, designed in stainless steel for hygiene benefits, making it suitable for food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, durables

and houseware items.

High speed, versatile and capable of up to 120 cycles/min, the Pearl is outstanding packaging technology developed by PFM to provide all the efficiency advantages of multi-axis servo drive, but at an entry level cost Additional exhibits include the ever-popular PFM Scirocco, an inverted web MAP flowrapper for a wide range of products from milk and cheese to wet wipes, which can produce up to 200 hermetically sealed bags per minute. Last but not least is the latest generation PFM C2 Multi-head weigher, specifically designed for highspeed and precision weighing of granules, pellets and similar products.

Visitors are urged to visit Stand C20 at PPMA to see why PFM has the reputation for being a great automation partner. Both the UK and Irish Republic are covered from its Leeds headquarters with sales and servicing of a variety of equipment and parts for automating lines that can help manufacturers cut costs and reduce pack wastage. For more information visit www.pfmuk.com. J

AutoCoding Systems to Demonstrate 4Sight Automatic Print Inspection Solution ollowing the global partnership between AutoCoding Systems F and SICK, the recently launched automatic print inspection solution, 4Sight, will be demonstrated on the SICK stand at the forthcoming PPMA Total Show.

The 4Sight solution has already been shortlisted in the PPMA Awards for the most Innovative Vision Solution.

Visitors to the show, which is taking place at the NEC between 1st and 3rd October, will be able to see how the 4Sight application communicates directly with any brand of printer, with no requirement to “teach” the camera what to look for. Unlike more traditional vision inspection techniques, no fixturing, such as an edge or logo, is needed; the software can automatically cope with variations in artwork, background and text location. The versatility of the solution means it can be set for varying levels of inspection, from print presence through to full OCR. The application offers full flexibility allowing users to determine acceptable print quality tolerances and define what is considered a good read, bad read or no read on a per product basis.

As all processing is undertaken onboard the SICK camera where the 4Sight software resides, no line-side PC is needed.

There is a simple set-up process for camera position, set-up, focus, illumination and exposure time, with no requirement for operators to configure features or regions of interest. The software automatically adjusts to accommodate real-time message changes, such as date code and clock time. In addition, there are 52

a number of configurable features to allow the solution to be easily optimised for fast processing time, making it an ideal print inspection solution for high speed applications, such as bottling and canning lines.

PPMA visitors will also be able to see demonstrations of AutoCoding's world class code deployment and packaging verification solution which is already being used on over 1000 packaging lines throughout the UK, US and Australia to reduce the risk of coding and packaging errors. J

FOOD & DRINK BUSINESS EUROPE, TOP 100 2019 ISSUE