Measure - IoT systems within Heineken's production process

Heineken’s brewing process is a combination of traditional craftsmanship and advanced technologies, with a strong emphasis on quality, efficiency, and sustainability. The process consists of various steps that are carefully monitored and optimized, and the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) plays an increasingly important role.

In general, Heineken’s production process is as follows:

1. Malting: The process begins with soaking and germinating barley to produce malt. This is a crucial ingredient for brewing beer.
2. Mashing: The ground malt is mixed with water and heated, activating enzymes to convert the starches into sugars.
3. Brewing: The liquid, known as wort, is then boiled, with hops added for flavor and preservation.
4. 
   Fermentation: After cooling, yeast is added to the wort, converting the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This is one of the most important steps, as it determines the taste and quality of the beer.
5. Lagering and maturing: After fermentation, the beer is cooled and stored to mature. During this stage, the beer develops its final flavor profile.
6. Packaging: Finally, the beer is filtered, packaged in bottles, cans, or kegs, and is ready for distribution. (heinekennederland)

Some ways in which Heineken applies IoT within this process include:

1. Real-time monitoring of the brewing process: Heineken uses IoT sensors at various stages of the process to measure critical factors such as temperature, pressure, and humidity.
2. Optimization of energy consumption: Heineken strives for a sustainable production process and uses IoT to monitor energy consumption in its breweries. Sensors track the use of water, gas, and electricity at different stages of production. The collected data helps identify inefficiencies, enabling Heineken to reduce energy consumption and improve environmental performance.
3. Predictive maintenance of machinery: IoT sensors are also used to monitor the status of machinery, including pumps, cooling systems, and tanks. The collected data provides insights into wear and potential failures. This allows for preventive maintenance to be scheduled before issues arise, minimizing downtime and keeping the production line running smoothly.
4. Automated quality control: During the brewing process, the quality of the beer is continuously monitored through IoT technology. Sensors analyze the composition of the beer (such as sugars and hops), and if the parameters deviate, the process can be automatically adjusted. This prevents human errors and ensures consistent product quality.
5. Transparency and traceability: Through the integration of IoT across the entire production chain, Heineken can accurately track every part of the brewing process. This ensures better traceability of raw materials and processes, which is important for both internal quality control and external regulations. (Forbes)

Real-time monitoring of brewing parameters will be discussed in more detail in another blog.