Engineering firm manufactures high-speed cider kegging facility

Birmingham based adi Group has supported the successful growth of the Somerset cidermaking industry by designing, manufacturing and installing a state of the art kegging facility, which sees 454 kegs filled in an hour.

Paul Hart, Operations and Group Engineering drector for the adi Group, said: “With ground broken on the project back in 2014, we are now in our fifth year as a strategic partner with a permanent presence onsite providing Thatchers with a full range of engineering services.

“It is a real pleasure to support and facilitate the growth ambitions of a market-leading cidermaker and help them ensure the thirst of British cider lovers is quenched.”

As part of the five-year strategic investment made by Thatchers in their Sandford production facility, aimed at doubling its output, adi Group established itself as the partner of choice thanks to its extensive knowledge and experience of long term manufacturing infrastructure process development work.

The project has further demonstrated adi has the expertise to meet the diverse needs of the booming UK distillery, brewing and microbrewing industries.

Unique delivery mechanism 

With a structure and delivery mechanism unique in UK engineering, and with the oversight of its adi Process Pipework division, the Group was able to deploy a team of over 30 subject area specialists from adi Electrical, adi Projects, adi Mechanical, adi Climate Systems and adi Automation to support the team from its nearby Frome base.

The outcome was the self-delivery of real time control system solutions, all electrical design, manufacture, installation and testing, mechanical and process pipework design, fabrication and installation, valves, machine moves, associated services, storage tanks, major plant and equipment access facilities, HVAC system, CDM duties, along with the writing and integrating of the control valve system software and panel design and build.

adi also used its core skills to design, develop and build a Clean In Place (CIP) cleaning system, which was critical in ensuring Thatchers fulfil the requirements of its cleaning and hygiene diligence regimes, and to undertake the two phased installation of all 36 x 125,000 litre vessels in the new tank farm.