drink technology India 2012

Many of the visitors and exhibitors have probably noticed: drink technology India (dti), which was held in conjunction with the International PackTech India from November 6th to 8th 2012 in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), “has come of age” so to speak. This was the description given by Petra Westphal, Exhibition Group Director for Messe München and MMI India Pvt. Ltd., as she shared her impressions of the trade fair. This may be due, in part, to the 42 percent increase in floor space required for dti, the larger exhibition hall and the greater number of exhibits, some with very elaborate stands. For example, at the Danfoss stand, copious amounts of water were used to illustrate the resistance of the VLT drives to water. The decision to add an additional day for exhibitors to set up their stands and the selection of another construction company for building stands at the exhibition proved to be well-founded. Everything was organized in a timely manner so that on the first day the hall was ready to receive visitors.

To maximize its coverage of the UK brewing market, Gea Brewery Systems is integrating the UK sales activity with Gea Process Engineering Ltd in Warrington with effect from 1st January 2013. John Aitken, Sales Manager for Gea Process Engineering Ltd, will assume responsibility for GEA Brewery Systems sales activities in the UK providing brewery technology from a single source. Developing innovative solutions that are specifically tailored to the customer’s economic and ecological requirements, the service offering includes individual units, complete brewhouses and cold process technology, process automation, utilities, training and consulting as well as greenfield projects.

John Middleton, after a long career in the industry, will retire from his position as Sales Manager of Gea Brewery Systems, but will continue to support the business with his knowledge, expertise and industry contacts.

The Board of Directors of Novozymes has appointed Peder Holk Nielsen as President and Chief Executive Officer with effect from April 1, 2013.

Invista has promoted Kevin Robles to senior vice president of global operations. In this role, Robles will assume operational responsibility for the company’s 34 manufacturing facilities in 20 countries.

Thomas Lehmann has been Managing Director of the Ziemann Group in Ludwigsburg since 2011 and will leave the company of his own accord at the end of 2012. His successor, Karl Butzmann, will be the new Managing Director for the Sales and Marketing divisions as of 1 January 2013. The company has been trading under a new company structure as Ziemann International GmbH since August 2012.

Albert Cramer, the owner of the Warsteiner Group, passed away on 20 November 2012, after a long Illness. He was 69 years old.

RMI Analytics AG is pleased to announce the appointment of Darren Smith as of 1st October 2012. Darren has over 20 years of experience in the global malt & beverage industry, having held a number of senior positions before joining RMI, most recently as Director of Sales with Canada Malting Company. He has a Food Science degree from the University of Alberta.

Barry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR) is pleased to announce the addition of Michael Mills to its CDT division, a Value Added Reseller (VAR) for PTC products. Mills joins BWIR/CDT as a National Account Manager for the PTC product suite of Windchill Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), focusing on the U.S. market. Mills is based out of Chicago, IL.

Kalsec, a privately held producer and marketer of natural extracts for use in food, beverage and pharmaceutical applications, has named two new sales executives to its Asian Commercial team for the development of advanced hop products in the China and Asia Pacific region.

Henry von Eichel, Chief Executive Officer of John I. Haas passed away mid August shortly after his 64th birthday at his home in Austria. In his obituary, Alexander Barth, President John I Haas, praised his valuable service to the company: “His presence inspired those around him and his vibrant personality created close relationships around the world.”

Stabifix Brauerei-Technik KG announced the appointment of Jan Mika Unting to the position of Managing Director for Sales & Technology. Mr Unting, who will join Stabifix on 1 November 2012, will replace Klaus Niemsch, who will retire in 2013.

Deschutes Brewery has promoted Sean Garvin and Tim Alexander to serve as assistant brewmasters for the company. Both have played vital roles in the brewery’s growth over the last several years, in such areas as operations, waste management, quality control and, of course, the brewing of damn tasty beers. Both were selected for the positions based on their diversity of experience in the brewing industry.

Controlled isomerisation – commercial brews using the hop yield enhancer

Yield of hop bitter substances in brewing is insufficient, to say the least. Only 30 to 35 percent of bitter substances added oftentimes end up in the finished beer. This is an unsatisfactory situation for breweries. For that reason, attempts were oftentimes made to find solutions that could increase hopping effectiveness. Hertel GmbH developed a process and designed the associated equipment by consistently using basic process operations: this resulted in the hop yield enhancer. It can significantly increase yield of bitter substances in brewing.

Dr. Kajetan Müller is scientist at Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising, Germany. He is working in the department material development and is responsible for the acquisition of projects and the mentoring of PhD students.