Independent UK-based brewers, The Wild Beer Co, sought to optimise its brewing processes and stock and warehousing capabilities to meet increasing demand for its beers and commissioned Smart IT to design an end-to-end, IT led brewing software system using Odoo open source ERP technology.

Integrated IT service allows full automation

The fully integrated service allows The Wild Beer Co to use automated facilities to manage every step of the production process, including mixing recipes; scheduled adding of ingredients; as well as handling the scheduling of customer orders so that the fermenting, brewing and delivery processes are fully synchronised.

Mike McAlea from Smart IT explains: “As far as we are aware, there is nothing else on the market quite as integrated as this – an all-in-one, end-to-end IT software solution which serves the craft beer industry and allows a brewer to manage an automated production line from start to finish.”

Software testing challenges

Jacqueline Bullen from Smart IT’s Testing Department added: “One of the main challenges we had to overcome was to quickly develop a depth of understanding of the brewing industry and its processes. This meant fully immersing ourselves in the client’s business and making the necessary adjustments to ensure that the system was fit for purpose. This applied from the mixing of recipes right through to warehousing, bottling and stock requirements for the distribution of the end product.”

Stock management and audit trail

The brewing system also integrates live stock management information, warehousing capacity, packaging, ecommerce, finance and CRM capability for order scheduling and sales.

“We put the quality of our beers at the heart of everything we do,” adds Brett Ellis from The Wild Beer Co. “Anything which gives us an edge or point of difference is worth exploring. With clever use of technology and software development support from Smart IT, we can improve the consistency and quality of our product. That means drinkers of our beers get a more enjoyable experience.”

The new technology has a positive effect on The Wild Beer Co’s bottom line too, as it accurately calculates losses in batches during the brewing process. These can be closely monitored and submitted as an audit trail for HMRC purposes and accurate VAT and duty calculations.

Edited from press release by Cecilia Rehn.