Following its acquisition by Heineken International, Żywiec Brewery expanded and modernized its production. Its portfolio grew to more than 100 beer and beer-based product varieties. However, different naming and numbering systems were used during filtration, bright beer tank storage, and filling. This made it difficult to standardize process control. Older fillers could not manage the growing range of products, and replacing or upgrading them would have required substantial investment.

The brewery needed a scalable monitoring solution that could maintain consistent product identification and control parameters from filtration through packaging. It also had to work with the existing filling lines. Each filler needed to identify the product in production and apply the correct control limits without requiring operators to manage the process manually.

Automated production monitoring

Żywiec implemented Anton Paar Beer Monitor systems, supported by Oxy 5100 oxygen sensors where required. The systems continuously measure alcohol, extract, CO2, and oxygen during filtration, bright beer tank storage, and filling.

At the start of production, product-specific control parameters are retrieved from a central data source in the Brewmaxx brewing process control system. PLC systems transfer these parameters to the fillers and inline analyzers. The fillers then supervise production continuously and can stop the process automatically when a measured value moves outside its specified limit. 

Centralized control with Davis 5

Davis 5 data acquisition and visualization software connects the inline analyzers in a single platform. It provides centralized instrument management, process visualization across multiple client stations, and reliable archiving of production and calibration data. The custom installation integrates 17 Anton Paar Beer Monitor units into one Davis 5 platform. The network architecture was also optimized to support reliable communication and efficient data transfer between systems.

Improved reliability and proactive support

The automated inline quality-control system improved process consistency, traceability, and operational reliability. Żywiec gained reliable real-time control over production and packaging, and much of the system complexity now operates automatically in the background. The brewery also standardized quality control across its broad product portfolio without rebuilding its filling lines.

Anton Paar Poland supported the brewery throughout implementation and beyond. According to Żywiec, the service team’s proactive approach, professional support, and availability outside regular working hours were decisive factors in the successful completion of the project.