On 18 October, a group of 18 Durban branch members escaped early from their workplaces to attend a tour of SA Breweries in Prospecton. It was good to have people coming from as far afield as Pietermaritzburg, we hope to see more of them in future.
The afternoon began with a video presentation which outlined key aspects of the brewing process, and then everyone was equipped with audio headsets to allow the well-informed guides to explain the process as the walk through of the plant progressed. Fortunately one of our guides was an instrument supervisor who was able to respond to all kinds of detailed questions about the measurements and controls. For those of us coming from environments like petrochemical, metal refining and even sugar mills, the cleanliness and spaciousness of the plant made it tempting to ask if there were any vacancies. Even the air was, in several places, intoxicating.
Some of the Durban committee members sampling the beer.
Perhaps the highlight of the visit was the massive area in which bottles were being stripped of old labels, cleaned thoroughly, dried, filled, capped, labelled and crated ready for dispatch. The rate at which this happens is amazing and at every stage of the process the bottles are inspected before being allowed on to the next stage. To see the end result of a high-speed batching control system was really impressive, particularly to those present who have experienced the intricacies of programming all the safety interlocks.
The sight of all the full bottles encouraged us to adjourn to the bar where we were treated to some excellent snacks, while of course sampling the end product. The Durban branch extends thanks to SAB for providing a most informative tour and for the hospitality enjoyed by us all.
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