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State-of-the-art Coopers’ facility leads the way for local food manufacturing

Iconic Australian brewery, Coopers, have dramatically improved operational efficiencies thanks to Ahrens-built malting facility.

Food & beverage production is in the top three most valuable manufacturing sectors in Australia and this trend looks to continue as COVID-19 puts more of an emphasis on local production.

Making a great “Aussie” beer demands all the right ingredients and the winning recipe for Coopers Brewery’s $65 million state-of-the-art malting facility was Ahrens.

Ahrens, a national full-service construction, engineering, mining services and rural infrastructure company, are the most vertically integrated construction company in Australia.

The fifth generation family business offers clients a “one-stop shop” from concept to completion and it was this competitive advantage that was the key in the successful delivery of this project.

Ahrens’ experience in the design and construction of infrastructure for the food & beverage sector saw them apply unique in-house design features, which have allowed Coopers to reduce steeping times, water usage and kiln-gas during the malting process.

The extensive project saw the design and construct of the entire malting facility in Regency Park, South Australia at a value of $40 million, with the remainder of the $65 million facility consisting of specialised equipment imported from overseas partner, Buhler.

Works included 25 storage silos of varying sizes, a 65 metre conveyor gantry bridge, 400 metres, of conveyor gantries, processing buildings, germinating vessels and gas fired kiln used for drying geminating barley.

Ahrens’ in-house capabilities meant all 25 silos were fabricated at their local silo line just outside of Adelaide and 1,100 tonnes of structural steel was manufactured at their Kingsford manufacturing facility.

A key feature was linking the existing visitor experience area to a new visitor experience/showroom in the cleaning building via a 65 metre elevated conveyor gantry.

This was finished to a high level to ensure Coopers provided a first-class visitor experience during brewery tours.

Particular care and attention was also paid to the aesthetics of the building in fitting with Coopers design brief.

The expansive and complex project saw some 200 dedicated employees on site to complete works.

With Coopers a long term Ahrens client, the successful completion of this project has further strengthened the relationship between the two South Australian family-owned companies.

The facility has been received well, collecting many awards and accolades such as being named best Steel Clad Structure by the Australian Steel Institute in 2019, as well as being voted equal best malting facility in the world at the World Barley, Malt and Beer Conference in Warsaw during the same year.

Ahrens were proud to have partnered with a fellow iconic South Australian business to deliver excellent results, leaving a legacy of success that crosses both state and international borders.

Find out how Ahrens can add value to your next project here. 

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