WINELAND MAGAZINE – BEVERATECH FEATURE

Beveratech Projects – Turnkey Solutions

Considering the cost, logistics and paperwork involved, expanding your winery’s operation can be an arduous affair. Beveratech Projects has the necessary know-how to manage the complexities of a winery’s expansion. Its team of engineers have cultivated a reputation for ensuring every aspect of the project is managed and completed without a hitch.

By Anton Pretorius

Beveratech Projects is a newly established division of Beveratech, a leading supplier of wine and fruit processing equipment and services in the Cape Winelands. Based in Wellington, Beveratech offers a range of innovative technologies and solutions to clients whose business is linked to the land, including farmers, fresh produce storage facilities, wineries, fruit processing factories and universities involved in research and development. New business unit Beveratech Projects provides turnkey project solutions for South Africa’s food and beverage industries.

Beveratech Projects originated from Beveratech’s Engineering division to understand the in-depth engineering principles and requirements to achieve a high standard, whether it’s manufacturing, construction or installation.

Beveratech Projects is headed by project engineer Stiaan Hugo and mechanical engineer Francois van Zyl, both highly skilled engineers and industry experts with in-depth knowledge and experience in various food and beverage applications. The division was founded following the passing of industry legend Christie van Zyl, a shareholder of Beveratech and a specialist in winery-based projects.

Says Stiaan, “When Christie passed away in 2018, it left a big gap in the market for specialised project management services in the wine space. We not only lost a shareholder, but a prominent figure and larger-than-life-character in the industry. Christie left big shoes to fill and we felt it our duty and responsibility to carry on his legacy.”

Big projects put Beveratech projects on the map

Because of Beveratech’s sound reputation for large-scale wine equipment installations, the engineering team was approached by Breedekloof producer cellar Slanghoek to head up a project with the installation of an additional 11.4-million-litre bulk wine storage and fermentation facility.

Says Stiaan, “Slanghoek required a solution to address the issues around insufficient fermentation capacity and the storage of excess wine at a location that was a fair distance from the cellar. In addition to the complex logistics of monitoring and transporting wine to the location, the expense involved in hiring these facilities was substantial.”

Stiaan and Francois set to work, designing and overseeing the construction of an onsite storage and fermentation facility with easy access from the cellar and accessible loading facilities. Says Francois, “The facility houses 80 tanks with a total capacity of 11.4 million litres and all the necessary services to pump to and from the cellar. The tank temperatures are controlled with an automated system for cost-effective and precision cooling for each step of the winemaking process.”

The project included architectural design, process layout design, catwalk and pipeline design, civil and structural design and construction, rigging and installation of all applicable heavy equipment. “Despite the challenges of delays during Covid-19, we managed to successfully complete the project and within a fraction of a percentage under budget,” says Stiaan.

Beveratech Projects has cultivated a reputation for trust and reliability, says Stiaan. “Whether it’s sourcing a competent professional team, managing budgets or logistics, designing cellar and process flow layouts or cooling storage facilities and bulk storage, the team is well versed in every aspect of any engineering project, no matter the size.”

Pieter Carstens, cellar master at Slanghoek, says he was impressed with the continuous commitment and dedication shown by the Beveratech Projects team during the project’s implementation and execution. “We really value their contribution and the way they took ownership of the project, even after it had been completed,” he says. “It was an especially challenging time to tackle a project of this magnitude, considering the pandemic and global surplus stock situation, but Francois and Stiaan never hesitated to find viable solutions to any problem thrown at them. It says a lot about their dedication, passion and thoroughness.”

Full bouquet of services

Beveratech Projects provides cellar concept layout designs including feasibility and cost-effective studies with phased rollouts and optimal process flows. “We facilitate all tender-applicable processes and documentation, including the administration of all contracts and appointments of principle and subcontractors,” says Francois. “We also manage project budgets, deadlines, municipal submissions and approvals, payments and facilitating the process of obtaining occupation certificates. We offer a holistic turnkey solution.”

The dynamic team from Beveratech Projects is proficient in providing professional services which include architectural, quantity surveying, civil, structural, mechanical, fire, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and process designs. It also offers contractual-related expenditure, environmental impact assessment, health and safety consultation services. “We pride ourselves on being efficient, timeline-driven and budget conscious, with no compromise when it comes to quality and client satisfaction,” says Stiaan.

The team is involved in every step of the project, from site surveying to determining client requirements and design limitations with a thorough feasibility study. Using established procurement procedures, continuous project monitoring and dedication, Beveratech Projects delivers successful projects within budget and on time.

Building on success

After the success of Slanghoek, Beveratech Projects was commissioned by De Wet Cellar to implement a 1.4-million-litre tank storage expansion project. The winery required additional wine storage capacity to replace concrete and mild steel tanks which had become obsolete and wasteful. The expansion replaced existing capacity and made provision for additional capacity for surplus wine storage.

The project involved civil construction with structural elements, including four 350 000-litre stainless steel tanks, a tank cooling system for wine temperature regulation and catwalks with stairs to gain access to the 14.5-m-high tanks. “The cost-effective design of the tank bases resulted in substantial savings while still being able to support the heavy load with ease,” says Francois.

At Botha Cellar in the Breedekloof, Beveratech Projects completed the design and construction of an onsite storage facility. The facility consists of 30 tanks with a 6.2-million-litre capacity. Due to the high price of steel at the time, the professional team designed an economical solution for the customer. The final saving was more than 35% of a conventional structure of similar design.

Click here to see the feature as published in the September issue of Wineland Magazine.