Speeding Up Manufacturing

Should You Switch Your Craft Brewery From Bottles To Cans?

Starting production at a small brewery, whether you are making beer or soda, requires working out a few details ahead of time. The most major decision may be between whether you should can or bottle your product. While bottles have long been the standard for craft breweries, cans are an option that shouldn't be overlooked. The following guide will explain why.

Cans or Bottles?

Bottles have long been a standard for craft breweries, but cans are another option and there are many good reasons to go with this option:

  • Cans can be more cost effective than bottles, since aluminum is usually cheaper than glass.

  • Cans stack, which can give your product more visual space on a the store shelf.

  • Glass bottles aren't allowed in many locations, such as parks and at sporting events, which means a canned beverage can enter into more markets.

  • Cans are easy to recycle – a bonus to the environment. Not every location offers glass recycling.

Production Needs With Cans

When it comes to bottling, you need a lot more production level equipment. At the very least you need a machine to label the bottles and another to fill and cap. As for outsourcing, you will likely be outsourcing the printing of the labels, 6-pack and case boxes, and the printing of the bottle caps. For a slightly larger operation, you may also do this printing yourself.

For a canning operation, you will only need a can seamer. This is the device that places the top of the can on after it is filled and seams it permanently into place. Your outsourced jobs will likely be printing the can blanks, 6-pack boxes, and case boxes. If production quantities necessitate the investment, you can purchase the equipment to print directly to your can blanks, as well. These are usually available from the suppliers that provide the can seamers.

Manpower Savings

Cans can also save you in general employee overhead. Since the seamer is the main production level machinery being used, you will need less employees than if you were running the several different lines of production for the bottling option. Cans are also less prone to production line breakage or damage. This means you can keep your filling and seaming line running smoothly and efficiently, with less need to stop production to clean up glass. The added benefit? Less loss of product due to safety issues due to broken glass, as well.

Contact a company that specializes in can seamers and production quality canning products to learn more about switching over to cans.


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