Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) looks into disappearing beer casks problem

The East Midlands microbrewery industry is feeling the cost, as thousands of pounds worth of beer casks go missing every year. Nationally, the British Beer and Pub Association estimates the problem costs the UK brewing industry £50 million annually.

Now researchers at The University of Nottingham are stepping in to help microbrewers in the region by trying to discover the best way to keep track of the casks after being invited to study the problem by the Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network).

The university’s Food and Biofuel Innovation Centre has been commissioned by the iNet to team up with the Derbyshire Brewers’ Collective under the iNet’s Collaborate to Innovate project, which brings together academic experts and industry to solve specific challenges in the food sector.

The university will liaise with the collective in a bid to pinpoint the best approaches for tracking devices for the casks and ways of raising awareness about the problem in the hope that it will save the microbrewery industry thousands of pounds in the future.

Breweries are believed to lose up to 10% of casks per year.

“Some casks can be stolen but more than likely they are lost – just left in yards, pubs and units, and not returned to their rightful owners. They could be there for ages,” said John Baldock, chairman of the Derbyshire Brewers’ Collective and a director at Derventio Brewery near Ashbourne.

“If you pay £74 to buy a cask and it gets left in someone’s back yard, you can’t use. It’s dead money. It’s not working for your brewery. A lot of breweries rent casks, but if these casks go missing then we are paying rent per month for casks that we can’t use. The upshot is that there are a lot of disgruntled small brewers who haven’t got their own casks in their own yards. A lot of it is down to the fact that many wholesalers, landlords and draymen just aren’t aware of the cost to a brewery of not returning casks.”

The major breweries barcode their casks to keep track of them. But even then, a proportion goes missing.

The University of Nottingham will be working with the Derbyshire Brewers’ Collective – made up of 16 breweries in the county - to come up with cost-effective ideas to help solve the problem.

Food and Drink iNet director, Richard Worrall, said: “The iNet is committed to bringing academics and businesses together so that they can work collectively to solve common problems. When we heard how much money was being lost as a result of disappearing beer casks we wanted to do something to help find a solution which will benefit the microbrewery industry.”

The commission by the iNet is one of the first pieces of research work gained by the new Food and Biofuel Innovation Centre, based at The University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington site. The centre is a combination of three interconnected areas – one for brewing science, one for food processing and one for bioenergy production. Each area has the plant and equipment to carry out research, development and teaching.

“We are hoping to provide a range of solutions that will help microbrewers increase their profitability because the loss of casks, whether they are rented or owned by the microbrewers, does represent a loss of profit,” said Dr Jerry Avis, project manager at the Food and Biofuel Innovation Centre.

“A small brewer has to have roughly five times the number of casks he’s going to fill at any one time. If we can help reduce that ratio it’s a big improvement.”

The Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is one of four regional iNets developed to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

For more information please contact the Food and Drink iNet on info@foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

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New IT for commercial laundry paves way for 24/7 customer service

 

A commercial laundry which cleans workwear for companies throughout the East Midlands, serving the food and drink industry, is taking a major leap forward in customer service with the introduction of an innovative IT project.

Derbyshire-based Giltbrook Cleaners is able to bring in the new technology thanks to a support package from the Food and Drink iNet, worth nearly £5,500. The company will match this with its own funding, valuing the project at nearly £11,000.

The new IT will create a customer portal on the Giltbook company website, at http://www.giltbrookworkwear.co.uk/. This discreet area of the site will enable clients to log in and track their garments in real time.

Chris Jackson, CEO at the Ilkeston-based laundry, said the new customer relationship management system represented a huge leap in customer service.

“Many of our clients are in the food and drink sector, often accredited with the likes of BRC (British Retail Consortium) regulations, so they have to show due diligence in all areas, including that of cleaning their workforce’s garments,” he said. “Our new system means that at a moment’s notice they can check what stage any garment is at and gather all the necessary information.”

Mr Jackson said the customer portal would also be of use to those working out of hours. “For example, there may be a hygiene manager running a number of sites who is on a nightshift, who wants to track down and check up on the cleaning process. We are not here 24 hours a day but, thanks to the customer portal, the information will be.”

He added that the system would enable clients to set targets and, crucially, would show up any discrepancies. “As with many systems, it will be particularly good at showing anomalies. For example, if work garments haven’t been sent to us for cleaning and should have been, this information and evidence will be on hand.”

The new customer portal is currently being developed and is due to go live in February. Mr Jackson said the Food and Drink iNet award had made the project possible. “Without the financial award it would have been a far lesser project. Moreover, the support and advice we have had from the iNet has been absolutely crucial.”

Giltbrook Cleaners is a family-run business, which has been operating for more than 60 years and employs 45 people. Its clients include a number of companies from the East Midland Food and Drink Forum, who in turn supply big name food retailers, such as Tesco.

“We know this new customer portal is something our clients will welcome. All this information has always been available to them, but this way it will be there 24/7 in the format they require,” he added.

Andrew Butterwick, Food and Drink iNet director, said: “This IT project represents a big move forward in customer relations which I hope will make Giltbrook Cleaners an even more attractive proposition for potential new clients. As a company that has been running for more than 60 years, the firm recognises the importance of innovation which is what the Food and Drink iNet is all about.”

The iNet helps food and drink firms engage expertise from academia, research institutions and specialist business advice for innovation projects to develop new ideas, new products, new processes and to help companies grow.  50% of the equivalent cash value of the support must be contributed by the company.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four regional iNets, it has developed an effective network to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet also aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

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Grant-funded graduate recruitment for the East Midlands food and drink sector evolves

East Midlands food and drink firms with hard-to-fill vacancies are being advised to explore a new technical recruitment opportunity.

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum has teamed up with graduate recruitment experts HotProspects on a two-year project to offer small and medium-sized food and drink companies grants towards the cost of recruiting a graduate, either for specific projects or for permanent placements.

Now HotProspects has launched a new technical recruitment arm to address the needs of those in the sector with a more technically demanding focus.

With some of the most important technical abilities being learned after university, HotProspects² specialises in finding those graduates with specific skills and up to five years industry experience. At the same time, HotProspects continues to focus on the retention of fresh graduates, providing grant funded graduate recruitment through till 2011.

HotProspects² project manager Elizabeth Andrzejewski-Wilson said: “Since the launch of HotProspects back in 2006, the brand and the team has evolved, and it soon became clear that our strength lay in our ability to source those technically focused graduates with niche skill sets.

“Specific or rare skills sets can be very hard to find, especially in the food and drink sector where skills shortages have long held back business growth. Hence, HotProspects² was born.”

The new service allows businesses to pick and choose the elements they require, from a targeted marketing campaign through to full service graduate recruitment.

“We have taken what we believe are some of the strongest elements of the original service and developed them for a targeted market, allowing us to ensure we are best placed to meet their needs. Our fees are still fixed and agreed at the start, based on time expended, not a percentage of salary,” said Elizabeth.

“The HotProspects service continues to provide small business in the food and drink sector with grant-funded graduate recruitment within the East Midlands, meaning the standard recruitment process can be accessed at no cost to the business. Whilst HotProspects² allows those with more complex requirements to access the support they need.”

Grant funding of £1,000 per business is available for a limited period, thanks to funding that has been made available in partnership from East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

This can be put towards the cost of the HotProspects² service, as well as being used for HotProspects’ graduate recruitment.

For more information, contact Gemma Baguley at The Food and Drink Forum on 0115 9758810.

Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards 2010 launched

Last year's Innovation Champion Dr Fengge Gao, from Nottingham Trent University's School of Science and Technology, with Fiona Anderson, MD of award sponsors The Food and Drink Forum

The search for the most exciting developments in the East Midlands food and drink sector has begun with the launch of the 2010 Food and Drink innovation Network (iNet) Innovation Awards.

The awards aim to recognise and reward the use of innovation in the food and drink sector in the region as a way of boosting development, profitability or growth.

Being held for the third year, the awards will turn the spotlight on outstanding inventions or products, exceptional creativity, and innovative working practices in the industry across the East Midlands.

Last year’s Food and Drink iNet Innovation Champion was Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology who took the title for the development of an exciting new material for food and drink packaging.

Experts at the university successfully solved the problem of leaching in bottles and have taken the technology a step further to add antimicrobial properties which kill or lessen micro-organisms.

Dr Fengge Gao, from Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology, said: “The benefits of winning the award have gone far beyond our original expectations. The recognition for our technology opened the door to the outside world and the publicity reached every continent. We are now in a much better position with regards to technology transfer, attracting external funding and collaborating with leading industry institutions across the globe.”

Now the hunt has begun for this year’s worthy winners across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

Food and Drink iNet director Andrew Butterwick said: “The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have become an important date on the calendar for recognizing and celebrating the innovation that is going on in the East Midlands’ food and drink sector. In previous years we have seen some truly exciting developments in the industry and I am delighted to announce that the awards will be held again this year.”

The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards will have a number of categories open to firms, organisations and individuals working across the food and drink sector, with entries being invited now. The Innovation Awards will culminate in a glittering ceremony in November, where the winners will be crowned in front of their industry peers.

Forms are available to download from the Food and Drink iNet website www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

Mike Carr, emda’s Executive Director of Business Services, said: “The food and drink industry is very important to the East Midlands and the iNet is playing a significant role in supporting innovation in this sector. These awards recognise and celebrate exciting innovations that have serious market potential, stimulating East Midlands firms and research centres to explore and develop new ideas, technologies and products.”

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four iNets, it strives to develop an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food