Minch Malt Ltd. Athy, County Kildare, Ireland
The rich farmlands of the surrounding counties produce a huge volume of malting barley, and the demands of the market meant that the company’s existing facilities had to be supplemented with a major new plant. Bühler’s experience and expertise meant it was the obvious choice of partner, with the organizations collaborating closely for months to ensure the design and specifications were exactly right.
A successful family firm dating back to the 1840s, Minch Malt supplies high quality malt to a wide range of brewers through its global distribution network. The company is proud of its long history and has even recreated four varieties of Irish barley from a century ago, as well as specializing in products like organic malt.
The company prides itself on transparency and traceability, and Bühler Insights is a central feature of the state-of-the-art new facility. Valuable data is collected from control panels and machinery to create dashboards that allow staff to fully monitor what’s happening at all times – even on a batch-by-batch basis. “You can make instant decisions in real time, from process optimization to faster process diagnostics,” says Plant Performance Manager, Noel Gaffney. “It’s a game changer.”
Minch Malt is part of the Boortmalt Group, the 1st worldwide global maltster, leader in malt production with 3 million tonnes production capacity. The proximity with the group provides major benefits, particularly in terms of innovation and sustainable development, always with the strong support from our shareholders.
At Boortmalt, sustainable development is more than a duty. It is a passion. We are all very determined in making a difference. We have an ambitious group target to reduce emissions by 42% by 2031 – something that would be impossible without Bühler’s innovative technology. Adding the new plant to the existing facilities also ensured the project was as efficient and sustainable as possible, as well as providing a huge boost to the local economy.
It´s a phenomenal plant. I have never seen anything as clean, as silent. It´s a brilliant piece of engineering. We´re so proud to have it here in Ireland.
Tom Bryan, Chief Agronomist, Minch Malt
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
