Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s largest wine companies, selling its wines in more than 70 countries and employing more than 2600 people across nine locations around the world. The company operates wineries not only in South Australia, but also in New Zealand, the USA, France and Italy.
In 2022, TWE unveiled its new winemaking facility in the Barossa Valley, which has the capacity to produce more than 100 million litres of wine and package up to 216 million bottles per year.
When TWE was beginning to design its winery expansion back in 2019, it was seeking an automation system that would improve on the cumbersome maintenance and inflexibility of the traditional hard-wired valves and sensors that had been used on previous sites. As a completely new greenfield installation, this was an opportunity to embrace new technology across the whole winemaking operation, improving efficiency and safety for workers.
Bürkert presented TWE with an opportunity to digitally transform its network for the new tank farm and bring its infrastructure in line with Industry 4.0 and modern digitalisation trends using IO-Link capabilities. Bürkert Type 8801 – ELEMENT On/Off Valve Systems were chosen for fermentation, glycol and must delivery (heating and cooling) applications across a tank farm of over 400 tanks. The fully integrated valve and automation system has an IP65/67/NEMA 4X protection class and good chemical resistance, suitable for the environmental demands of an outside tank farm.
Today, digitalisation is the fastest moving automation requirement for food and beverage producers across the world. Ensuring simplicity in installation and management, reducing maintenance and improving environmental footprint are also part of this modern automation infrastructure. By using smart valves and sensors and the right fieldbus technology, wineries can embrace automation for now and into the future while saving on implementation costs.
“Working closely within this industry and hand in hand with Australian winemakers, we are ensuring that Australian produces are at the forefront of this movement,” said Bürkert Australia’s General Manager, Chris Hoey. “In the implementation of digitalisation across a winery, we can begin assessing and improving wastage, blending errors, burdensome maintenance, long wait times for upgrades and installations, whilst improving energy efficiency, hitting sustainability targets and reducing bottom line expenditure.”
The automation infrastructure proposed by Bürkert offered the opportunity of moving to best practice with smart equipment and connectivity that could improve overall control and management of the winery. Bürkert offered valve systems with IO-Link capability, due to IO-Link’s seamless integration capabilities as well as its standardisation as an independent fieldbus network.
Over the next two years, the project got underway and collaboration between partners, including Chris Hoey and National Engineering Manager Nelson Chymiak, ensured the tank farm was up and ready to go in no time.
“The most noticeable positive impact of this solution was the diagnostic information provided from the network connected field devices,” said Harry Robinson, Project Engineer for Treasury Wine Estates.
He also received positive feedback from the electrical contractor that the single cable installation for each device was a welcome change from legacy systems.
Not only do the new valves supplied by Bürkert enable efficient error-free activation of valves on wine tanks through QR-coded operation, they also improve safety in a number of ways.
Firstly, they can automatically prevent tank collapse by the automated activation of tank vent valves and remove the need for costly catwalks and access stairways to the tops of tanks. There is also a reduced safety risk associated with working at heights.
With traceability and transparency direct from the valves themselves, management and maintenance of the entire site can be controlled from one central point. Smart valve actions and alerts ensure reduced risk of wastage and faster reaction times if things go wrong, and having that peace of mind has made an incredible difference to the team and how the winery undergoes managing the winemaking process.
Although the site itself is still evolving and growing with further installation and upgrades, the bulk of the work is done and the foundations for a futureproof winery are in place. With IO-Link capabilities, flexibility of connectivity across the site means that the sensor and actuator network could be customised to TWE’s requirements.
All manufacturers must thoroughly clean their tanks to meet health standards. While a…
Passionfruit peels have potential for an edible food coating, which could help to reduce spoilage…
Remo Carbone, CEO of MEQ Probe, discusses how Australia can get back on track as a manufacturing…
Cryogenic freezing and chilling: an agile solution to improve quality and productivity
Establishing and Implementing an Effective Food Safety Management System in 2023
What does it take to ensure proper warehousing conditions?
Leuze DRT25C — dynamic reference diffuse sensor
The optimum plant-based taste experience
Testing food textural properties with Lloyd TA1
MET0003C – X12 Global Teaser
Density and mass flow measurement with the Type 8098 FLOWave multiparameter measuring device
Good energy management with SICK's new flow sensor for leakage detection
Mixing or diluting gases for multipoint calibrations
CSIRO program makes R&D more accessible for SMEs in mining sector
Robotics research: How Asia, Europe and America invest
SafeWork NSW launches electrical safety blitz
SA Government to act on SafeWork SA review
Company fined after worker fatally struck by pressurised pipe
Truck driver fined $50K for workers compensation fraud
icare, Motor Traders' Association of NSW renew partnership
Radio telescopes reveal Milky Way's supernova remnants
Smart mask tracks respiratory sounds for disease identification
Rare childhood cancer genes revealed
Labguard products now available on MySirius cloud
Radioactive capsule remains lost in Western Australia
Westwick-Farrow Media
Locked Bag 2226
North Ryde BC NSW 1670
ABN: 22 152 305 336
www.wfmedia.com.au
Email Us
Our food industry media channels – What’s New in Food Technology & Manufacturing magazine and the Food Processing website – provide busy food manufacturing, packaging and design professionals with an easy-to-use, readily available source of information that is crucial to gaining valuable industry insight. Members have access to thousands of informative items across a range of media channels.
SUBSCRIBE
Membership is FREE to qualified industry professionals across Australia.
02 8005 6525
info@aktengineering.com.au
Recent Comments