Lateral thinking

Energy reduction has long been the poor relation when it comes to improving manufacturing processes. Relatively low energy costs have led to industry being fairly profligate with it — from lighting which stays on all the time to compressors running flat-out.

But as energy costs rise and emissions trading schemes become charges for excessive consumption, companies are seeking ways to slash energy usage and emissions profile. And lateral thinking is the order of the day.

, of Southwold, Suffolk, has recently embarked on a series of investments with an environmental slant, including a distribution centre using solar water heating and a grass-covered roof to improve insulation; a new bottle for its beers, designed to be the lightest on the market, and a major overhaul of the brewing process itself in a new brew hall.

'Some parts of the old brewhouse were over 100 years old,' explained chief engineer Bob Lee. 'and we required additional brewing volume to meet buoyant demand. We'd been working the brewhouse much harder than it had been designed for. We also wanted to reduce the amount of energy we were using, and improve the extraction from the hops and malt we use.'