[05/19/09]
New Belgium Brewing recently implemented the browser-based Fluensee AssetTrack application and passive RFID technology to provide better visibility to its keg fleet. On its fill line New Belgium installed passive RFID readers that capture data on all tagged beer kegs, sending RFID data to Fluensee AssetTrack.
Fluensee's AssetTrack solution and RFID provide the brewer with up-to-date information about which kegs are being filled most often and with what brand of beer. This information will help New Belgium to increase the utilization of its existing kegs through improved visibility throughout the fill-to-fill process.
Ultimately, New Belgium predicts that when fully adopted, it will use this RFID-enabled keg management system to know:
Current keg location and status
Fill-to-fill cycle time for each keg
Length of time at distributor
Keg turn rates by distributor
"New Belgium prides itself on offering world-class beer while implementing business processes that reduce costs, labor and impact on the environment," said Brendan Beers, Packaging Materials Purchaser for New Belgium Brewing. "Using Fluensee's AssetTrack solution and RFID technology help us automate our keg management process so that we know where our kegs are, how frequently they're being used and how quickly they are being returned. Our vision is that RFID will streamline keg movement to our customer sites and throughout our supply chain."
Today most brewers use manual systems or barcodes to track their beer kegs. With both methods it is difficult to tell which customer has which keg and who is responsible for damaged kegs when they are returned to the brewers. When applied to the right business processes, RFID will tell brewers with absolute certainty where and when their kegs were delivered and who has kegs that are available to be returned to the brewery to be refilled.
With very detailed asset status and movement history information, Fluensee's RFID-enabled AssetTrack solution will also help New Belgium by providing accurate turn and loss data, which allows them to better understand the "as is" state of its keg fleet. Using process improvement tools such as Six Sigma, the data from AssetTrack will help drive improvement projects focused on optimizing the efficiency of the fleet.
"As a leader in the brewing industry, New Belgium recognizes how RFID can help provide better information about kegs and their contents, which in turn leads to better control over the entire keg fleet and supply chain costs," said Tim Harvie, president and chief executive officer of Fluensee. "We look forward to helping New Belgium find many new ways to use RFID throughout its distribution network to help them achieve significant time, labor and cost savings."
About New Belgium Brewing Company
The New Belgium Brewing Company traces its origin to a bike ride through Europe that inspired the company's founder, Jeff Lebesch. That jaunt is commemorated with the company's Fat Tire ale. The regional brewery's other beers go by names such as Sunshine Wheat, Trippel, and Blue Paddle. New Belgium brews are distributed in twenty-one US states. New Belgium's brews some 500,000 barrels of beer each year and is the third largest craft brewer in the nation. www.newbelgium.com.
About Fluensee
Fluensee's RFID-enabled asset tracking and management solutions improve the visibility, accuracy, security and utilization of a company's mobile and fixed assets. Its end-to-end solutions combine highly configurable and patented software and implementation services with hardware from leading RFID, barcode, GPS and sensor technology providers. Fluensee offers its browser-based, enterprise-class AssetTrack solution that tracks IT assets, pallets, tools, equipment and all types of other high-value assets, along with its Yard application that is designed to efficiently manage assets in transportation and distribution environments. All of Fluensee's solutions are platform- and hardware-agnostic. Fluensee is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. For more information, visit www.fluensee.com.
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