Brewmaxx

Lore & Background

The predecessor systems of brewmaxx already provided technological functions for brewery-specific requirements. The system is the brewery-focused sibling of Plant iT, an industry-independent process control system from ProLeiT AG that includes an ISA 88 compliant batch system. Brewmaxx has been distributed and continuously developed under that name since 1997. The system is used as a teaching system for process control technology at the Technical University of Munich, and various university projects employ it as a process controlling system.

Reader's Guide

Brewmaxx is significant for its modular, client-server architecture based on standard Microsoft software, allowing modules to be used individually or combined for process control, data acquisition, process management, production management, and enterprise resource planning integration. It supports multilingual interfaces and communicates via Ethernet TCP/IP and OPC, with driver-based interfaces for non-OPC systems, enabling integration with control units from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi Electric, Allen-Bradley, Siemens, and VIPA. The system includes modules like brewmaxx material for process-oriented material management with per-transaction online views, brewmaxx integrate for cross-division information management with web-based reporting, and brewmaxx connect for universal data exchange with third-party systems including ERP, LIMS, and intelligent instruments. Production data acquisition via brewmaxx Acquis iT follows the Weihenstephan Standards, developed by the Technical University of Munich in cooperation with industry representatives. The system is used for automating new plants and for migrating existing outdated control systems via conversion tools. Its installation base includes German breweries Erdinger, Köstritzer, Oettinger, and Warsteiner, as well as international brewers Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, Heineken, Carlsberg Group, and Tsingtao Brewery.

Did You Know?

• The brewmaxx compact version, for individual production areas and small to medium breweries, became available in the middle of 2010.
• The system can automate all production areas of a brewery from raw material intake to filling, as implemented at Warsteiner Beer and Brewery.