Modelo mega-brewery: more details revealed

The industry has been given a glimpse into the future of bulk brewing with the release of further details about the Grupo Modelo mega-brewery currently under construction in Mexico.

When completed in 2013, the goliath plant in Piedras Negras will be the world’s largest, producing 30 million hectolitres of Corona, Modelo Light and Modelo Especial, primarily for the thirsty US market just north of the brewery.  

At last week’s Brau Beviale – the brewing industry’s annual trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany, which attracted an estimated 35,000 visitors – packaging supply specialist Sidel unveiled its role in this mammoth undertaking.   

The firm is supplying a 30-strong army of end-of-line robots, more than 20 laser-guided vehicles, automated warehouses, a canning line and three bottling lines, which Sidel claims set a new industry record.  

A Sidel spokesman said: “The can line will run at a rate of 66,000 12oz (about 33cl) containers per hour while each of the three glass lines will bottle 12oz containers at a record setting speed of 144,000 per hour.  

“Each line will have two or three fillers and a pasteuriser. The end-of-line equipment – palletisers, depalletisers, craters and decraters – will all be supplied by Sidel.” 

The firm claims the end-of-line equipment that will be in operation in the warehouse will be a model of efficiency in which robots communicate with laser-guided vehicles provided by Italy-based hi-tech supplier Elettric 80.  

Sidel says the equipment will be installed at the plant – a turnkey project by German supply giant Ziemann – throughout the course of next year in time for production to begin in 2010.  

Production at the plant – home to the world’s largest lauter tun, supplied by Ziemann - will be stepped up to 20 million hl by the end of 2011 before reaching its record-breaking target capacity of 30 million hl by the end of 2013.  

In September managing director for sales and marketing at Ziemann Joachim Gunkel told Brewers’ Guardian about the project. He said: “A concept of this kind does not develop over night.  We went through every possibility with our Mexican partners and when we were absolutely certain, Grupo Modelo made the decision: let’s do it.”