As a producer of well-known brands such as Carling, Cobra and Coors Light, Molson Coors UK have four brewing facilities, including its Maltings site in Shobnall, Burton-upon-Trent. The company’s Maltings Tower stands around 230ft high and houses germination vessels used in the brewing process. The site, however, was seeing downtime costs rising over the years, so began a major refurbishment programme that included the upgrade of component parts.

The site runs 24/7 so component reliability is essential. The failure of a germination vessel would not only cost the company a batch of malted barley, but also the cost to remove wastage from site, disposal and replacement – costing tens of £1000s.

When it came to sourcing gearboxes to power the rotating floors of four of the germination vessels, there were a number of requirements. They needed to be durable, reliable, and able to withstand the extreme conditions of the germination vessels, similar to that of 100% humidity.

Having worked with our team for many years, the project sub-contractor recommended planetary gearboxes, manufactured by Comer Industries. For this application, 20 of the Comer gearboxes were supplied. Renowned for their strength and reliability, these more than met the client’s stringent requirements.

The solution was to install 16 Comer gearboxes, with four being held as spares. Each vessel floor works independently, with each gearbox driven through an electric motor. The motors are driven using variable speed drives (VSDs) which not only allows for a more accurate speed change but helps to reduce the output of the gearbox, minimising unnecessary wear and tear.  Mounted onto its own frame, the electric motor then powered the rack and pinion mechanism that runs the outer circumference of the floor, powering the rotation.

All the vessels had been refurbished, with the entire project delivered a week ahead of schedule, leaving the customer very satisfied with the outcome.

He commented, “The installation of new technology can improve both the operation and engineering of a plant as well as giving us the reassurance that if things go wrong we can react efficiently with immediate access to spares.”