AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE NORMALISATION OF WATER AND ENERGY USAGE IN THE BREWERY INDUSTRY

Authors

  • Johannes Christiaan Kirstein SABMiller PLC; Graduate School of Technology Management, University of Pretoria
  • Alan Colin Brent Department of Industrial Engineering, and the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University; Sustainable Energy Systems, Engineering and Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/28-4-1726

Keywords:

Operations, Drivers, Benchmarking, Efficiency, Normalization, Water, Energy

Abstract

Benchmarks are often used to assist brewers in identifying improvement opportunities; but a comparison of water and energy performances in breweries is deficient without normalising for differences between facilities. The normalisation of water and energy use was subsequently investigated, using SABMiller breweries as a case study. Drivers of water, electricity, and thermal energy usage obtained from the literature were selected, rationalised, and ranked in a Delphi survey of industry experts, and correlated with data from 64 SABMiller sites. The main drivers identified, and the data from 58 SABMiller sites, were then used to develop multi-variable linear regression (MVLR) models. The models, tested with data from six separate SABMiller sites, were able to predict water, electrical, and thermal energy usage to within a seven per cent error. By eliminating the variability in drivers within the control of brewery staff, the MVLR models were used to normalise the performance indices, and enabled direct comparisons between plants.

Author Biographies

Johannes Christiaan Kirstein, SABMiller PLC; Graduate School of Technology Management, University of Pretoria

Registered professional engineer (mechanical), with a Masters degree in Engineering Management, and over ten years of experience in the brewery industry; currently an engineering consultant with Engineering CoE at SABMiller PLC.

Alan Colin Brent, Department of Industrial Engineering, and the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University; Sustainable Energy Systems, Engineering and Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington

Professor of Engineering Management and Sustainable Systems in the Department of Industrial Engineering, and Associate Director of the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, at Stellenbosch University; and Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, at Victoria University of Wellington.

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Published

2017-12-13

How to Cite

Kirstein, J. C., & Brent, A. C. (2017). AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE NORMALISATION OF WATER AND ENERGY USAGE IN THE BREWERY INDUSTRY. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 28(4), 14–31. https://doi.org/10.7166/28-4-1726

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 4 (2017)

Section

General Articles

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