Boulevard Brewing Co. needed to increase production capacity and efficiency. They installed a new bottling line and an Alvey 780 palletizer from Intelligrated. The palletizer increased palletizing rates by 100%, allowing Boulevard to quadruple production capacity while gently handling glass bottles. The compact palletizer also fit the space constraints of Boulevard's facility. The automated system improved safety and reduced labor costs.

1. CASE STUDY
BOULEVARD
BREWING CO.

2. Boulevard Brewing Co. Taps
into Automation with an Alvey
Palletizer from Intelligrated
Automated end-of-line process delivers 100 percent efficiency gains for Kansas City, Mo. brewer
The Company: A Homebrewed The line would also handle a packaging challenge:
Beginning automation of the closing of its signature closed-style
cartons. Closing the cartons reduces light exposure,
John McDonald, founder of Boulevard Brewing Co., extending the shelf life of the product and allowing
started his brewery business with a humble five-gallon for increased distribution, while also addressing safety
kettle in a converted railroad building on Southwest concerns with tamper evident packaging.
Boulevard in Kansas City, Mo. Soon, McDonald’s home
brewing operation grew into a more serious business. Significant upgrades were also planned for the end-of-
With an entrepreneurial mindset, McDonald secured line process in the new building. Boulevard needed to
capital investment, purchased a vintage Bavarian relieve the bottleneck created by manually palletizing
brewhouse and launched his company. Over the cases of beer. With 11 workers on the floor, the
next 20 years, Boulevard Brewing Co. expanded its facility produced about 300 bottles per minute. Three
distribution from across town to across the country, workers alternated the manual end-of-line palletizing,
delivering its beer, distinctive for its Midwest flavor stacking cases weighing up to 30 pounds each at a rate
profile, to 19 states. of 12 cases per minute. It was clear that the existing
backbreaking, repetitive labor process would not be
able to keep up with the efficiency gains of the rest of
The Challenge: A Microbrew with Major
the line.
Appeal Outgrows its Equipment
Boulevard planned to install a state-of-the-art,
Although Boulevard’s product range, distribution $6-million bottling line in 2008. The project’s budget
and legacy has grown since the 1989 founding of was calculated based on payback for the increased
the company, the used equipment that started the efficiency and throughput rate of the new line. “While
company remained largely unchanged until recently. we knew what we would gain from the automation of
the process, we viewed this project more in terms of
“We had taken the vintage equipment that started how we are investing in our future,” said Utz.
the company as far as it could go,” said Mike Utz,
plant engineer, Boulevard Brewing. “The entire line
needed to be revamped, and we knew that a proactive
investment in our line was necessary to keep us
competitive.”
In 2006, the company determined that they had
outgrown their existing facility and infrastructure and
began planning a new three-story building adjacent to
the original building. The new, 150-barrel brewhouse
would increase production while retaining the
company’s legacy of quality, taste and craftsmanship. Boulevard Brewing Co. addressed its expanded distribution
with a new, three-story brewhouse featuring automated
bottling and end-of-line processes.
www.intelligrated.com 2

3. Finding a Palletizing Partner with Another concern the brewery had was space
a Robust Reputation constraints within the facility. Located in an urban,
completely developed area just south of downtown,
Utz began his search for a palletizer by looking at the the new facility had a limited footprint to build on,
premium standard for the brewing industry, a machine and every piece of equipment needed to be compact,
that would stand up to the brewery use and abuse. functional and efficient in both its use of space and
He only had to look across the state to Intelligrated, process.
located in nearby St. Louis, Mo., the manufacturer and
integrator of Alvey® palletizers. With a 60-year legacy Intelligrated recommended the Alvey 780 mid-
in palletizing and deep roots in the brewing industry, speed palletizer for maximizing space efficiency and
the Alvey brand name was recommended to Utz for gentle product handling. Particularly suited for
during his research. single-line applications in the beverage industry and
capable of rates of 50 cases per minute, the Alvey 780
“It’s well known in our industry that Alvey machines provided the mid-speed rates that Boulevard needed.
are stout,” said Utz. “They are rugged machines, and Additionally, with a 90-degree angle of the infeed
the fact that they are manufactured in America, right conveyor, the Alvey 780 ensured the most compact
here in Missouri, was a big plus. We didn’t want to footprint for the tight configuration of the facility.
import something from halfway around the world.” Intelligrated also designed the palletizing cell to
The project was put on a fast-paced schedule for take advantage of dual-purpose functionality, where
an August 2009 completion, before fall store only one operator manages all functions of both the
deliveries began. palletizing and depalletizing process.
The Solution: Gentle Handling with a
Compact Footprint
The most prominent concern when palletizing cases
of glass bottles is the machine’s ability to move and
configure cases without shattering the product.
Compounding this issue is the trend of bottle thinning,
where glass thickness is decreased for both cost and
environmental issues. With no corrugated partitions and
The fully automated end-of-line process from Intelligrated
progressively weaker glass, Boulevard knew that gentle has the ability to quadruple current operational capacity.
manipulation of product would be a top priority. Above, full pallets are conveyed from the Alvey 780 to a
turntable and stretchwrapper.
Cases containing glass bottles in six-pack, 12-pack
and 20-pack configurations, as well as a 24-pack case
of aluminum bottles, are conveyed to the high-level
infeed of the Alvey 780 palletizer. After each layer
of cases is placed on the pallet, the pallet lowers one
layer. When the pallet is filled, it discharges from
the machine at floor level via a full pallet conveyor
provided by Intelligrated. Full pallets are conveyed
along Intelligrated chain-driven live roller full pallet
conveyor to a Lantech Q-series semi-automatic
The Alvey 780 series mid-speed case palletizer gently turntable and stretchwrapper, also provided by
manipulates full cases containing aluminum and glass
bottles onto the layer deposit. Intelligrated.
www.intelligrated.com 3

4. Results: A 100% Increase in Palletized
Cases and Reliable Handling Recycled Amber is the New Green
Since coming online, the palletizer has surpassed Without any glass recycling facilities in Kansas
expectations. The entire operation has moved from 11 City, the people of the city threw away 150 million
workers running a maximum of 300 bottles per minute pounds of glass in 2009. To the dismay of the
to five workers bottling 500 bottles per minute. A people at Boulevard Brewing Co., this number
total of 25 to 30 cases are palletized by the Alvey 780 included about 10 million empty Boulevard bottles.
per minute, a 100 percent increase over Boulevard’s
previous manual palletizing methods. Recognizing a need for local glass recycling, the
people at Boulevard came up with a solution with
The line is capable of brewery growth, with the the same entrepreneurial spirit that has come to
capacity to quadruple the current operational capacity. define the company. With the support of local
It can also provide Boulevard with the ability to add businesses and community organizations, they
second or third shifts if needed, or new patterns for started a local recycling company called Ripple
future products. With a changeover rate of 15 minutes Glass.
or less, the Alvey 780 is ready for new product before
the brewing line has been rinsed and converted over, a The company constructed a state-of-the-art
process that can take over two hours. processing plant and placed dedicated glass
recycling containers throughout the metro area.
“The benefits we’ve received from the new Alvey Ripple Glass partnered with a local customer
palletizer have been remarkable,” concluded Utz. that will convert the recycled glass into fiberglass
“Intelligrated’s Alvey palletizer truly is a stout machine insulation, saving enormous amounts of energy
that will carry Boulevard into the next 20 years of our and dramatically lowering emissions while
business, and beyond.” producing a product that saves still more energy.
Boulevard is just months away from separating
out the amber glass from the collection bins and
already has an agreement in place with their bottle
supplier to directly use this locally-sourced recycled
glass to produce Boulevard bottles.
Although recycled glass presents significant
material handling considerations, Boulevard’s
end-of-line equipment is ready to undertake the
challenge. The Alvey 780 installed at the facility
Mike Utz, plant engineer, Boulevard Brewing Co., says that has handled bottles from a variety of materials
Boulevard’s Alvey palletizing line has been reliable, running since the installation in 2008, including aluminum
for nearly two and a half years without a hiccup.
bottles and progressively thinner-walled glass
bottles with no cardboard partitions. The brewery
is confident that its Alvey 780 can meet the gentle
handling requirements associated with handling
recycled glass-enabling the company to lessen its
environmental impact without impacting their
bottom line.
www.intelligrated.com 4

5. About Intelligrated Intelligrated Support
Intelligrated is a leading North American-owned, The in-house Customer Service and Support (CSS) program
single-point provider of automated material handling offered by Intelligrated backs all of our products. Services
solutions with operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. available include:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Intelligrated designs, • IN-24X7® technical support
manufactures and installs complete material handling
• Replacement parts logistics
automation solutions, including conveyor systems,
• Field service
IntelliSort® sortation systems, Alvey® palletizers and
robotics, Real Time Solutions® order fulfillment systems, • Equipment and system audits
warehouse control software and advanced machine • Upgrades and modifications
control—all supported by 24x7 Customer Service • Full service and maintenance contracts
and Support.
• Preventive maintenance
• Customer training and documentation
Serving the warehousing, distribution, consumer product
CSS is available 24x7 to provide all of the services needed
manufacturing, postal and parcel markets, Intelligrated
to keep your equipment running at peak efficiency.
collaborates closely with its clients to develop productivity
Whether it’s on-site support or troubleshooting via
solutions and support their needs throughout the life of
our hotline, Intelligrated has the most comprehensive
their material handling systems.
customer support program in the industry.
Intelligrated Products
and Services Service and Parts Hotline
Phone + 1 877.315.3400
• Systems Integration www.ontimeparts.com
• Sortation Systems
• Conveyor Systems
• Palletizing Solutions
• Software & Controls
• Order Fulfillment Systems
• 24x7 Technical Support
• Design & Build
Headquarters in Mason, Ohio
For more information, contact:
7901 Innovation Way, Mason, Ohio 45040 + 1 866.936.7300
info@intelligrated.com www.intelligrated.com
CSBB01 10.10 © 2010 Intelligrated. All rights reserved. Alvey ® is a registered trademark of Intelligrated Inc.