Grupo Petrópolis grows with Krones

As part of its rapid expansion, Grupo Petrópolis - Brazil’s second-largest brewing conglomerate - has built two new breweries, each with a capacity of six million hectolitres. Once these are complete, the company will operate a total of six breweries in Brazil.

Krones won the turnkey order for the two breweries, which are identical in construction and dimensioning. The first facility, in Alagoinhas near Salvador de Bahia, went into operation in late 2013 - just in time for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The second facility, located in Itapisuma near Recife in the state of Pernambuco, is set to start production in mid-2014.

Krones has supplied and installed the entire kit for both breweries, from the brewhouse, cellarage and filtration system to the filling kit, where each facility has a 62,000 bph returnable-glass line and a 128,000 cph canning line. Krones also built 18 combined fermentation and storage tanks and 12 bright-beer tanks for each brewery.

The process sections of the breweries were designed to incorporate Krones’ latest advances in beer production technology. These include the Variomill wet mill, which provides improved filterability; the ShakesBeer mash copper, which assures enhances taste stability; the Pegasus C lautering system, an intelligent solution for filtering beer wort to ensure high-quality levels with low solids contents; and the Stromboli wort boiling system, which consumes up to 40% less energy than comparative systems.

The cold section features the TFS Twin Flow System for filtration, using long filtration cycles for good beer stability, plus Evoguard valve technology for hygienic process applications.

Highlights of the returnable-glass line include the Lavatec bottle washer, which has a low consumption of water and chemicals, and the modularised Solomodule labeller, which can handle several different labelling modes. Rated at 128,000 cph, the breweries’ canning lines are reportedly Krones’ fastest and feature just one single volumetric filler.

In the packaging zone, Robobox layer preparation units are integrated to create layer formations to high standards of accuracy. In all the lines, a SHIELD tunnel pasteuriser ensures product quality and low water consumption.