FROMM HELPS OLDEST OPERATING BREWERY IN U.S. QUICKLY GET BACK UP AND RUNNING AFTER BOTTLE LABELER FAILURE

“When we order machines, we make sure to get machines with parts we can obtain from Fromm. We’d rather work locally with Fromm than direct from the manufacturer.”  - Dan Holmes, Technical Services Manager

Founded in 1829, D.G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the U.S. and produces 2.8 million barrels of beer annually.

Fromm is proud to provide industrial automation parts and services to Yuengling’s Pottsville breweries. Over the years, Yuengling has come to count on Fromm for reliable service and exemplary communication—especially when time is of the essence.

Problem

Yuengling’s production lines churn out 900 bottles of beer every minute, so when a line goes down, every second counts. One particularly busy day, the processor went down on the bottle labeler. This line moves fast, so an unscheduled stop meant two things: a lot of glass and beer spilled, and lost revenue for every second the line remained down.

Solution

After some diagnostics, Yuengling realized it would have to flash upgrade their firmware. Usually this means implementing a spare PLC in order to limit the downtime while the upgrade is made. However, this time Yuengling’s electrician ran into a problem: the spare PLC didn’t utilize the same firmware as the one that failed. Without the correct PLC, the electrician wasn’t able to proceed and the line remained down.

Yuengling decided to call a Fromm industrial automation specialist. A Fromm associate quickly arrived onsite and worked with Yuengling’s electrician to modify the firmware and get it upgraded quickly and effectively and get the labeler—and the line—back up.

Result

Five to six hours had elapsed from the time the line went down to the time Fromm was able to step in and help. The downtime equated to 13,500 cases of lost beer production, but it could have been much worse if Fromm hadn’t been so responsive. It’s one of the many reasons Yuengling’s Technical Services Manager, Dan Holmes, enjoys working with Fromm: our excellent communication and product knowledge reassure our customers that when they experience a stoppage, Fromm will be ready to help them get back up and running.

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