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Unlocking Efficiency and Sustainability: New Belgium Brewing’s Success with WEIMA

Founded in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colorado, New Belgium Brewing emerged as a pioneer in the craft beer industry, with a commitment to inspire social and environmental change embedded in their core values from the beginning. New Belgium consistently seeks out partners that prioritize good stewardship of the planet and found WEIMA, a leading manufacturer of shredding and compressing machinery, as one of those partners.

Recognizing the need for a solution that could efficiently manage their increasing waste production, New Belgium invested in the WEIMA G.200 Drainage Press. This cutting-edge machine, equipped with stainless steel components, offered a significant improvement over their previous equipment.

The WEIMA G.200 Drainage Press

The WEIMA G.200 drainage press is a modern, high-performance machine engineered to compress a variety of materials including beverages, food, packaging, and containers. With its ability to produce 200 mm diameter discs, this machine excels in size reduction, facilitating transportation efficiency and streamlining waste management processes.

WEIMA G.200 drainage press

The G.200 drainage press at New Belgium Brewery.

Close up shot of drainage press with WEIMA logo.

WEIMA G.200 drainage press with crushed cans

Drained and compressed beer cans coming from a drainage press.

Crafted from stainless steel, it is equipped to handle liquids and messes with ease, ensuring hassle-free cleanup and maintenance. Additionally, WEIMA drainage presses can be customized with a liquid discharge drain pan, providing an extra layer of convenience and cleanliness to production operations.

G.200 Drainage Press

Draining and Compressing of Reject Beer Cans at New Belgium Brewing Company with a WEIMA G.200

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About New Belgium Brewing

01
33
years of experience
02
4k
lbs. of recycled aluminum per month
03
30+
flavors

The Beginning of New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium was founded in 1991 by Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan. A bike trip through Belgium originally gave Jeff the inspiration to bring Belgian brewing traditions to their hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado. And Kim, a social worker, influenced the company the only way a social worker would: People first.

Since then, New Belgium has carried a human-powered philosophy into all that they do, which has contributed to their success in becoming the largest craft brewer in the nation and expanded across the country from their original site in Fort Collins, Colorado, to Asheville, North Carolina and most recently, Daleville, Virginia.

The main entrance to New Belgium Brewing.

Additionally, in 2021, New Belgium acquired Bell’s Brewery in Comstock, Michigan. New Belgium has an extensive portfolio of iconic brands, including America’s biggest IPA Voodoo Ranger, Fat Tire, Two Hearted IPA, and Oberon Ale.

New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger drink in production.

Line of cans

Voodoo Ranger drinks in canning line.

Did you know? New Belgium recycles approximately two tons of aluminum per month from their Fort Collins location!

Prioritizing Sustainability

As the company grew, so did its commitment to social and environmental responsibility. In 2003, New Belgium became a B-certified corporation, harnessing the power of business to address pressing global challenges. This milestone marked a new chapter in its journey, solidifying its position as a leader in sustainable brewing practices.

WEIMA G.200 drainage press with crushed cans

“Since our earliest days, New Belgium has been committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our operations. Effective recycling systems are the foundation of this commitment and the WEIMA drainage press has become a valuable and efficient addition to our recycling program."

– Caitlyn Wouters, Sustainability Specialist

Did you know? Fat Tire Ale is one of New Belgium's iconic brands, and it has been around since the beginning. In 2020, after nearly 30 iconic years, Fat Tire became America’s first certified carbon neutral beer. About Fat Tire Ale

The WEIMA Way: Efficiency

New Belgium experienced a significant surge in productivity after adding a second canning line to its packaging facility. This necessitated a more effective waste management solution to keep up with their increased production. In response to that demand, the brewery installed the WEIMA G.200 Drainage Press in June 2023. This state-of-the-art drainage press, equipped with a powerful 5.5 kW motor and a 200 mm disc size, has proven to be a gamechanger. Capable of processing an impressive 12,000 to 20,000 cans in a 12-hour shift, the WEIMA G.200 has seamlessly integrated into their operations, offering enhanced efficiency and waste diversion.

"Our previous press was not made for liquid and beer spills. With the G.200, we have a stainless-steel system that we can hit with caustic foam and water, without worrying about rust or paint issues."

– Soren Daugaard, Manufacturing Excellence Site Lead

Danny Banister, Packaging Manager, highlighted the ergonomic and efficiency gains facilitated by the WEIMA machine.

"Operators can now use equipment instead of hand-loading into our crusher, resulting in significant time savings and improved efficiency,"

he remarked. Additionally, the increased capacity of the WEIMA G.200 allowed the brewery to crush anywhere from 5 to 15 hoppers of cans per day, driving operational efficiency.

"So really the key takeaways for WEIMA are -- it’s faster, it’s safer, and it’s cleaner,"

affirmed Daugaard, encapsulating the brewery's experience with the innovative machinery. With the support of WEIMA, New Belgium continues to lead the charge towards a more sustainable and efficient future, embodying their commitment to inspire social and environmental change, one can at a time.

An employee holding two discs of compressed cans.

Crushed cans in a bin

Crushed and compressed beer cans.

Contact

Marketing

WEIMA America, Inc.

3678 Centre Circle

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Tel. +1 (803)-802-7170

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Additional Information
About WEIMA

More than 40,000 machines sold worldwide! WEIMA has been manufacturing robust shredders, briquetting and drainage presses for the disposal and processing of all types of waste for more than four decades. Our machines include single-shaft shredders, four-shaft shredders, cutting mills, briquette presses, packaging and drainage presses. The popular orange machines are used in the wood, plastics, paper, metal and waste-to-energy industries.

Made in Germany. Built for the world.

Shredders, briquette and drainage presses from WEIMA are exclusively made in Germany and come from production plants in Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Wuerttemberg. Every year, more than 300 employees work on around 1,200 customer solutions from around the globe. We have long-standing sales and service locations in the USA, Poland, India and China. More than 80 representatives supplement this global presence.

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