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The Winery Engineering Association proudly acknowledges the support of its
Patron Sponsor & Founding Sponsor
Now that the dust has settled on vintage it is now time to review our plans based on vintage outcomes, planning projections and just trying to keep things running effectively. This means starting the processes again regarding capital planning and implementation, and preventative and reactive maintenance activities. Please remember that whilst you plan these activities, there is a great opportunity at the WEA conference (6th & 7th September) to keep abreast of latest developments within our industry not only from suppliers, but from research bodies and experiences on site. So spread the word amongst your colleagues and lets ensure that we have another successful, informative and enjoyable conference with our peers. Good luck as we approach the end of the financial year with not only completing current works to plan and budget, but ensuring we have plans in place to continually make our industry a great place to work Cheers Ben. Ben McDonald – WEA President
www.wea.org.au
WineLines May 2017 Issue
Newsletter of the Winery Engineering Association
President Ben McDonald
Treasury Wine Estates [email protected]
Treasurer
Peter Stone Best Bottlers
Secretary Ray Pender
Australian Vintage Limited [email protected]
Postal Address
PO Box 433 BURONGA NSW 2739
Phone
03 5022 5100
Facsimile 03 5022 5135
Conference Organizer Trevor Leighton
PO Box 432 Buronga
NSW 2739 Ph. 03 5024 8611 Fx. 03 5024 8925 Mb. 0417 597 956
Speaker Coordinator & WineLines Editor
David Clark Ph. 03 5358 2059 Mb. 0412 518 685 [email protected]
In This Issue • Presidents Report – Ben McDonald • WEA 2017 National Conference • AS 1528 Review – WEA Participation • WEA Membership • Programmed Property Services – Going for Change • WISA – Wine Industry IMPACT Awards – WEA Participation • Winetitles – Grapegrower & Winemaker - Recovery Mode • Gordon Brothers Industries – Refrigeration Standards Update • Rockwell Automation – Bringing the Industrial IoT to Life
WEA Presidents Report
2
WineEng 2017
The National Conference and Exhibition of the WEA
Planning is well advanced for the WEA 2017 National Conference with the conference theme title, venue and dates being as follows:- Theme: PRODUCTION & APPLIED TECHNOLOGY Venue: Vine Inn, Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley, South Australia Dates: Wednesday 6th & Thursday 7th September As reported in the February edition of ‘WineLines’ ‘Production & Applied Technology’ will be the theme title for the 2017 National conference and in turn the conference will focus on how advanced technology can be applied to winemaking production in order to increase efficiency, improve product quality, reduce waste and reduce the cost of goods. The subject matter of this year’s presentations has been selected so that they will be of interest and benefit to wineries of all sizes and personnel from all operational /production areas including winemakers, owner operators, general production and asset management personnel. Keynote Address The 2017 keynote address will be delivered by Mr. Thomas Leclerc who is the Managing Director of Vivelys Asia Pacific. Thomas has been in the wine industry for 19 years, and has worked in almost all sides of the wine industry from wine sales in Brazil, International promotion management for Hennessy Cognac, Export manager for a global packaging company Sparflex and Business Development Director for Vivelys for 6 years in wine production strategy and management. This extensive experience gives Thomas a global understanding of all wine aspects from production to wine marketing and sales.
With his wide and versatile experience, Thomas has worked on global production projects with major wine groups in France, Spain, Portugal and Chile.
- 2017- WEA National Conference -
3 Vivelys are a global leading consulting and R&D company being located in five major wine countries around the world and in turn have a deep understanding of winemaking science, systems and processes along with expertise in solutions design and programming. The address to be given by Thomas will therefore give a global perspective on where the wine industry is at and the importance of adopting new technology.
……………………………………………………………………………………. Speaker Program Compiling of the speaker program is almost complete being made up of both technical and commercial presentations from Australian and International speakers plus in addition there will be an educational wine tasting session conducted by the AWRI. The following outlines presentations locked into the program at this point in time with a number of others as yet to be confirmed.
……………………………………………………………………………………….. 25 Min Technical Presentations
• AWRI – Mr. Tadro Abbott – Project Engineer – “Predicting Ferment Performance with the New
AWRI Ferment Simulator”
• AWRI – Dr Simon Nordestgaard – Senior Engineer – Grape crushing – history and recent developments
• AWRI - Mr. Neil Scrimgeour - Senior Scientist - Protecting Wine Integrity with Best Practice Bottling
• Blue H2O Filtration – Dr Paul Bower – Group Oenologist/Regional Manager SA – “Insights into Filtration and Filterability”
• Culturise - Ms. Jo Marshall - Chief Culturiser - The Difference Collective - Helping Your Community's Future
• K+H Process Tec GmbH - Dr Andreas Blank - Managing Director - Partial Dealcoholisation of Wine - Comparing Technologies and their Sensorial Impact
• ProVisual Publishing - Mr. John Hutchings – CEO - Wine Producers Guide to Safety
• Programmed – Mr. Malcolm Deery – Group General Manager – Health Safety & Environment – “Zero Harm – The Business Value of Good Work Place Safety”
• Rockwell Automation – Ms. Rosanne Sabiston – Business Manager, Power Control – “Information the Key to Unlocking Energy Savings”
• Schneider Electric – Mr. Colin Gudgeon – National Business Development Manager, F&B – Preparing for A Digital Future.
• 3M – Mr Brendan Rumbel – ANZ Business Development Manager – “Controlling CO2 & O2 in Wine”
………………………………………………………………………………….
4 10 Min Commercial Presentations
• AMS (Advanced Metallurgical Solutions) - Mr. Scott Russell - Director of Business & Finance – Transforming Wine Production.
• Byford Fluid Solutions - Mr. Nathan Rowbottom – Manager - Trelleborg Technologies & Selection
Perfection of Hoses
• Gordon Bros Refrigeration – Mrs. Jannie Howard – Marketing Manager – “Natural Refrigerant Chillers”
• IFM Efector - Mr. Darryl Blakeby - Product Manager - IO-Link and its Application in Wineries
• K+H - Mr. Jochen Druck - Global Export Manager - Membrane System for the Bubble Less Inline Adjustment of Carbon Dioxide & Oxygen
• NHP Electrical – Mr. Trent Reimers – Technology Specialist – Software – “Maximise Your Uptime –
High Availability Servers”
• Reekap – Mr. Andrew Byles – Consultant – “Reekap – New Innovative Replaceable Sparkling Wine Closure”
• STS (Separator Technology Services) – Mr. Ashley Whittington - CEO & Co-Founder - Towards DE Powder Free: Integrating Clarification Options
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Presentation abstracts and associated speaker professional biographies will be posted progressively on the WEA website www.wea.org.au however the following couple of examples will give you an idea of the caliber and informative nature of this year’s speaker program Technical Presentation Example
K+H Process Tec GmbH
Partial Dealcoholisation of Wine - Comparing Technologies and their Sensorial Impact Presenter: Dr Andreas Blank – Managing Director – K+H Process Tec
Dr. Andreas Blank is currently general manager of K+H Process Tec GmbH. A company focusing on process technologies for the wine and beverage industry.
5 Raised at a family winery Andreas pursued his academic career in the international wine universities: Geisenheim, Germany; Davis, California and Montpellier, France. His research focused on membrane technologies in wine. Important part of the research is the influence of the dissolved gases, carbon dioxide and oxygen and the technological management thereof. The sensorial and technological impact of alcohol reduction in wine was the topic of his PhD thesis. Transferring the academic experience to the industry is the key of the success of K+H. Presentation Abstract Experiments were performed for a technological alcohol reduction using the following techniques: Spinning Cone Column, reverse osmosis and membrane contactor. Target of these experiments was to determine the feasibility of these techniques for a partial alcohol reduction in wine. A perceivable change in the smell of the wines could not be identified. Wines reduced in alcohol were perceived to be lower in body; they appear to be less sweet and have a decreased level of alcohol hotness. Using alcohol reduction technologies is providing a tool to carefully adjust the mouthfeel balance of a wine, without detrimental effects on the aroma characteristics. All tested physical treatments with the objective of alcohol reduction have been shown to reduce the content of the analyzed flavor compounds. By means of mathematical modelling it is possible to predict this loss of flavor compounds. For the purpose of minimizing the loss of flavor compounds, with most technologies only a small portion of wine should be treated. Consecutive blending with untreated wine will efficiently minimize flavor loss. This two-step process can be efficiently improved by coupling different membrane systems. The technology of membrane coupling using reverse osmosis and membrane contactors was recently modified to perform an automated, inline alcohol adjustment with the best possible aroma protection. Commercial Presentation Example
IFM Efector
IO-Link and its Application in Wineries Presenter: Mr. Darryl Blackeby – Product Sales Manager
Darryl holds a diploma of electrical engineering plus an electrical trade qualification and has 20+ year’s experience with factory automation and process instrumentation. He has been 14+ year’s with ifm efector and prior to that 4 years with the previous ifm efector distributor – Sencon and therefore has a comprehensive knowledge of the complete ifm product range. Darryl has performed several roles with ifm efector including Product Manager for position sensors, safety products and industrial vision product ranges for a period of 8 years and currently performs the role of
6 Product Sales Manager with a focus on the industrial vision, identification systems and industrial communications product ranges. Presentation Abstract IO-Link is the interface to Industry 4.0, allowing additional data to be collected directly from your sensors. With many advantages over traditional wiring, IO-Link is easy to implement into traditional PLC architectures. ifm efector is a founding member of the IO-Link consortium, and the market leader with a comprehensive range of IO-Link sensors and master modules. Smart Observer software is also available for cost effective monitoring of IO-Link installations. This presentation will cover the basics of IO-Link and its role in Industry 4.0, and advantages including increased machine uptime and reduced system costs. We will also look at how wineries can benefit using this technology.
…………………………………………………………………………………… Exhibiting Regarding suppliers interested in exhibiting at the exhibition there are a couple of spots still available and companies interested in participating should contact Trevor Leighton at either [email protected] or 0417 597 956. Sponsorship We are once again pleased to be able to announce that our Patron Sponsor - Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation LISTEN. THINK. SOLVE
and Founding Sponsor – Programmed Property Services
will be major supporters of this year’s event as will Aggreko & Thermowrap
Opportunities are still available to sponsor this event and interested companies are encouraged to contact Trevor Leighton at either [email protected] or 0417 597 956.
7 Conference Registration Registration for the 2017 conference will be available via the WEA website www.wea.org.au as of June or alternatively via Trevor Leighton at either [email protected] or 0417 597 956. The cost of registration is as follows:- Members of the WEA Early Bird by July 10 . . . $295 After July 10 . . . $345 Non Members Early Bird by July 10 . . . $365 After July 10 . . . $395 Please note that the above registration fees include morning and afternoon tea plus lunches during the conference plus attendance at the conference dinner.
Following his nomination and acceptance to represent the WEA on a Standards Australia (SA) committee set up to review AS 1528 - 2001 being the National Standard covering stainless steel tube and tube fittings for the food industry, WEA member and engineer at Treasury Wine Estates Gavin McMillan attended the first meeting of the review committee in Sydney during the 18th May. Review Committee The review committee currently has 7 members made up from nominated organisations as follows:
• Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry – 2 representatives • Australian Food Engineering Association – 1 representative • Australian Stainless Steel Development Association – 2 representatives • Dairy Australia – 1 representative • Winery Engineering Association – 1 representative
The review committee may be increased to 9 if Standards NZ decide to make AS 1528 a joint standard. Timing It is expected that drafting of the new standard will be scheduled to take place 9 weeks before public comment is called for. Scope The scope of the review will cover the following:
• Addition of a consistent set of pressure ratings across all parts of AS 1528 – Useful for designers (Table 1).
• Correction of a fairly long list of typos and inconsistencies in dimensions. For example a 19.0mm tube is supposed to be used with a 19.1mm fitting; both should be 19.05mm. (Table 1)
• Modify the wall thickness for tube. Currently +0/-0.10mm for all size tube. This is very tight from a manufacturing point of view and widening it out to a proposed +/-10% brings it into line with most other tube specs, makes it more economical to manufacture without compromising product quality. It also then matches the tolerances of the fittings in AS 1528 (Section 6)
• Addition of sizes above 203.2mm (8”) should be considered. This would include both tube and fittings. (Table 1)
• Specify internal finish for hygiene and cleanability (Section 8.2) • Tube permitted to be made with an unpolished internal surface but certain fittings must be grit
polished. An unpolished finish has been demonstrated to be at least as hygienic and in many cases better.
- AS 1528 -
8
• Joint Standard (AS/NZS) (subject to SNZ confirmation). • Title of the Standard – AS 1528.1 – 2001 – Tubes (stainless steel) and tube fittings for the food
industry – Part 1: Tubes. • Any new items/issues.
1st Meeting Outcomes – Likely Changes
• Wine thread likely to be included under the screwed couplings (not suggested by WEA). • Tolerances for tube wall thickness proposed to increase in line with other tube standards. • Tube wall thickness up for conjecture, presently 1.6mmm or otherwise agreed by purchaser. NZ
presently make it to 1.5mm as they have metric coil stock sizes. If adopted 7% less material cost. • Pressure ratings to be implemented for unions, bends and fittings. • Larger tube sizes including 304.8mm and 254 to be added. • Tube weld tint standards to be introduced. • No proposed changes to Internal Surface finish or weld finish. Polishing by grinding was proposed to
not offer increased clean ability, and may be investigated further. As it is expected that the review will take a number of months to complete, should any of our members have any issues with the current standard that they would like raised at the review please convey your concerns/comments to Gavin direct via [email protected] Further progress of the review being undertaken will be covered in future editions of ‘WineLines’.
Just a reminder for those of you who have not renewed your WEA membership that renewal was due on April 1st, If you have not already renewed your membership we strongly recommend that you do ASAP in order to ensure that you are kept up to date with WEA events and news plus continued access to the members only section of the WEA website therefore allowing you to access presentation materials from previous WEA conferences. Membership renewals are now handled separately from the conference registrations with the objective being to try and ensure that your membership does not lapse and that in turn you are kept fully informed of all WEA events well in advance of them taking place. If you know of any colleagues who you believe would benefit by becoming a member of the WEA, application for membership can be made by either going to our website www.wea.org.au or contacting Trevor Leighton on 0417 597 956 / [email protected] The annual cost of being a member is currently only $65 which not only entitles members to receive the newsletter and other updates but also entitles them to reduced registration fees to our conferences which in itself can result in savings of at least $50 / year
- WEA Membership -
9
Programmed Property Services Article Improving gender equality in the workplace is a focus across nearly the entire economy. In financial services, an effort is underway to increase the number of women on superannuation boards. In the political class, the Labour Party aims to reach 50 per cent of women as MPs and Senators by 2025. But when it comes to the trade industries, female participation rates are so low that reaching gender equality ratios seems an impossible task. According to 2016 figures from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, women comprise less than 40 per cent of the workforce among trade industries like electricity, water and gas, agriculture, forestry and fishing. Figures from Women NSW in the last five years shows that in occupations such as gardening, telecommunications and electronic trades, female participation is as low as 14 per cent, 4.5 per cent, and 3.3 per cent respectively. Female participation rates among painters are too low to be recorded. In Western Australia, just 3 per cent of electrical apprenticeships are taken up by women. Yet one company, Programmed Property Services (Programmed), has taken on the challenging task of improving the rate of female participation within their trade workforce. The company, which specialises in property maintenance (grounds, signage and painting maintenance) as well as technology solutions (audio visual, sustainability and data communications), sees great opportunity in being able to facilitate change and raise the ratio of female employees in trades. Recently they spoke to three female employees in electrical, grounds and painting on their current careers. Each one pointed to their positive experiences working for Programmed as proof that women can have a flourishing career in trade industries.
- Going for Change -
10 Cherrie Benson
A unique theme amongst the three, Emily Mendoza, Korinda Riddington and Cherrie Benson, was the job satisfaction and welcoming environment they received as a female in a trade role with Programmed. All three women believed that there was a place for females in the trade industries, and the different strengths that women brought to the job. Particularly, in their time with the company, they noted the lack of gendered stereotypes. Despite each one of them being with a
different part of the business - Emily is an electrician, Korinda a gardener and Cherrie a painter – all agreed how tangible a feeling it was when a company was genuine in wanting to increase the numbers of women in such roles. Apprentices feel safe, operate in a professional environment, and have great job satisfaction from each day’s varied, challenging work, they said. Korinda, Cherrie and Emily also noted the opportunities they had to improve their training and skills. As part of their time with the company, Programmed had provided them pathways to achieve multiple licenses in their field of expertise. Barriers to improving female workforce participation occur before the applicant has even applied for the job. In male-dominated trade industries, job advertisements may be unconsciously skewed towards men through gendered, masculine language. Using language which emphasises strength, endurance, and ambition could attract more men to a role than women, even when a business is open to attracting women to a role. Using language which emphasises empathy, loyalty and sensitivity will have more of an impact attracting women to a role. Many businesses may struggle to hit targets to improve gender equality ratios, whether by a dearth of applicants, or because they lack clear strategies to lift female participation. Programmed works with businesses on this to engage female trade workers on customers’ properties, boosting the on-site gender equality ratios. In a field as traditionally male-oriented as the trade industries, Programmed is ideally placed to be an example for other companies grappling with this challenge. Join Programmed and lead your industry in improving gender equality ratios in the workplace. Cherrie Benson wanted more of a career. Now, she is painting the future with Programmed. (Please link to YouTube video - https://youtu.be/vjDuwBvahJM)
The Wine Industry Impact Awards aim to celebrate the impact of value chain partnerships on the capability and competitiveness of Australian Wine Producers. The awards will highlight proven practical and implementable concepts, technologies, services and solutions. The awards are based on presented nominations across seven categories including grape growing, wine making, engineering, packaging, distribution & logistics, marketing & communication and tourism.
- WISA – Wine Industry IMPACT Awards
11 This year Engineering has been introduced as a new category with the WEA being invited to participate in the judging of that particular category with WEA Deputy President Ross Wilkinson taking on the role The nominees are assessed on a criteria focusing on improvements and resulting impact in competitiveness & brand equity and capability of Australian wine producers. The gala awards evening will be held at the Adelaide Town Hall on the 19th October where key industry leaders will gather to create networks to enhance opportunities for a greater sharing of expertise in and between the various regions and business groups represented. The event will also play host to the main annual fundraising activities towards WISA’s official charity partner the Leukemia Foundation and all attendees are encouraged to support this worthy cause with the aim being to raise $5,000 for the Foundation’s important work in supporting those impacted by blood cancer. For more details concerning this event contact WISA Executive Officer, Matthew Moate via Email ([email protected]) or Phone (0409 783 221)
Article written by Nathan Gogoll – Grapegrower & Winemaker Editor
The following informative overview of the 2016 Australian vintage was published in the April 2017 edition of the Grapegrower & Winemaker and in turn provides an excellent range of statistical information including State based numbers, What was crushed, Vintage intake value, The current environment, Viticulture, Wine exports and Imports, all of which makes extremely interesting reading and clearly indicates that the Australian wine industry is well on the road to recovery
THE 2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAPE CRUSH soared above recent averages to reach an estimated 1.81 million tonnes. Not since 2008 has there been a larger national number. There didn’t seem to be many complaints – which probably had a lot to do with the average price per tonne of grapes rising 14% from 2015 levels.
- Recovery Mode -
12 The national crush was more than 100,000 tonnes above the previous year (a six per cent increase from the 2015 actual crush, as tallied by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources from levies paid). The estimate a value of the 2016 grape harvest was $951 million, up more than 20% from $788 million in 2015. This meant the 2016 crush was actually above the average across the previous five years – which was 1.70 million (2011-15). Anecdotally it was a year that kept both grapegrowers and winemakers happy (the growers were impressed with their yields and the makers pleased with the quality). But when you dig further into the statistics from the latest edition of The Australian & New Zealand Wine Industry Directory there was something that might come as a surprise… the larger crush wasn’t driven by the warm inland regions (Murray Darling/Swan Hill, Riverina, Riverland). Those inland regions actually posted a slight drop in production (but only 0.6% down from 2015), which meant the entire jump, plus some, came from the cool and temperate regions. Two South Australian regions posted big turnarounds from the low-yielding 2015 vintage and delivered 40,000 of the national 100,000 tonne increase between them – Langhorne Creek was up 57% from the previous year and McLaren Vale production increased by 47%. STATE-BASED NUMBERS: • SA’s crush lifted 16% and accounted for 51% of the national crush, up from 47% in the previous year; • In NSW, the overall crush was down by 5%, reflecting a difficult year in the Riverina; • Victoria was down by 9%; • WA increased by 16%, but still accounted for just 2% of the national crush; and • Both Tasmania (up 27%) and Queensland (up were up 212%) increased off low bases. WHAT WAS CRUSHED: • The 2016 red crush was estimated to be 935,000 tonnes, an increase of 83,000 tonnes or 10% compared to 2015; • The white crush was estimated at almost 872,000 tonnes, an increase of 21,000 tonnes or 2%; • Red varieties increased their share of the national crush from 50% to 52%; • Most of the major red varieties posted increases, with Cabernet Sauvignon up 20%, Pinot Noir up 9%, Shiraz up by 7% and Merlot up 3%. The top three red varieties by volume were Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, together accounting for 85% of the total red crush; • Shiraz continued to dominate with 46% of the total red crush, down slightly from 47% in 2015. Cabernet Sauvignon increased its share from 25% to 27%, while Merlot decreased from 13% to 12%; • Chardonnay increased its dominance over other white varieties, lifting from 45% to 47% of the overall crush, on the back of 6% tonnage increase; • Sauvignon Blanc cemented its position as Australia’s second-most popular white grape, also increasing its share of the crush, up from 11% to 12%; • However, a number of other varieties on the top 10 white list recorded production drops. Colombard was down by 17%, Semillon fell 6% and Pinot Gris/Grigio was down by 4%; VINTAGE INTAKE VALUE: The Winemakers Federation of Australia reported the total value of fruit purchased was estimated to be $646 million, a 15% increase from $564 million in 2015 (figures from the WFA’s 2016 Wine Sector Survey).
13 The WFA extrapolated this figure to estimate a value of $951 million for the 2016 national grape harvest, a 21% increase from $788 million in 2015. The total harvest value grew at a faster rate than grape purchases because of an increase in winery-owned vineyard yield – up from 28% to 32% of the national harvest. The WFA then calculated an average price per tonne purchased of $529, up 14% from $463 in 2015. This figure is the highest since 2009 and above the average price for the past five years of $477 per tonne. The average purchase value of red grapes increased by 13% from $575 per tonne to $651 per tonne, while the average value of white grapes increased by 12% from $356 per tonne to $398 per tonne. Chardonnay had the greatest increase (up 21%), followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (up 17%), while prices for Shiraz increased by 14%, slightly above the overall 13% rise for red grapes. While grapegrowers will no doubt welcome the increase, some will still remember back to the early 2000s when the five-year average price from 2001 to 2005 was $763 per tonne. THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT The data from the 2016 vintage contains signs that improved business conditions are being experienced across the grape and wine community. However, for some grapegrowing and winemaking businesses their contribution to the industry has reduced – or even ceased. The national vineyard area dropped to levels last seen in 2001 and more than 70 wineries were removed from the Wine Industry Directory listing in the past year. (The evidence of 2016 providing a bumper crop can be seen when comparing the 2016 intake with 2001, when there was a comparable national vineyard area but the vintage provided about 400,000 tonnes less.) Across the past three years a total of 179 winery businesses have closed, representing 7% of the industry total. The number of wineries reduced in all states in 2016, with the largest declines in Victoria (25) and NSW/ACT (22). The decline in numbers occurred exclusively among small producers with an annual crush of less than 250 tonnes. Victoria is bearing the brunt of this trend because it is home to one third of all Australian wineries of this size. By contrast, the number of producers around the country with a crush of more than 1000 tonnes actually increased, up from 114 to 120. These figures highlight that the wine industry in 2016 operated at two speeds: for medium and large wineries with exposure to surging export markets, the past year delivered good times; but small wineries that relied on domestic sales continued to be caught by low prices and came under even greater pressure. Less than half of Australian wine producers (48%) are exporting their products. There is no denying the industry still faces challenges, including a continuing grape oversupply in some regions. And the changes to the Wine Equalisation Tax in the 2016 budget are still to be played out. Rising costs of water and electricity are also increasingly pressing issues, and there it does not seem likely there will be relief offered by any increases in the domestic retail market – which is still largely a duopoly between Coles (Wesfarmers Limited – which owns Vintage Cellars, 1st Choice Liquor Superstore, Liquorland as well as about 100 hotels) and Woolworths (Endeavour Drinks Group – which owns BWS and Dan Murphy’s; more than 330 licensed venues across Australia under the Australian Leisure and Hospitality (ALH) Group; and Pinnacle Drinks, which partners with winemakers to deliver own-brand products exclusively BWS, Dan Murphy’s and the ALH group).
14 The Wine Industry Directory also revealed some interesting trends in business practices by wine companies – the number of companies with a cellar door outlet continued to fall in 2016, but the steep decline since 2011 appears to have bottomed out. Less than two thirds of all producers across the country now operate a cellar door, compared to almost 80% a decade ago. In other business trends, the percentage of wine companies making sparkling wines continues to grow and now stands at 42%, up from 29% five years ago; while those making fortified wine remained steady, at about 28%. VITICULTURE New figures on vineyard area were not available in 2016 as the Australian Bureau of Statistics has stopped data collection in this area (a new national data series on vineyard area is under development by Wine Australia). However, it is worth revisiting some of the data from the last report issued by the ABS for 2015. The total area of Australia’s vineyards continued to decline in 2015. Estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show total vineyard area (including not-yet-bearing areas) decreased by 9% from 148,500 ha in the previous survey in 2011-12, to 135,000 ha in 2014-15. Vineyard area has now declined by 22% from the record level of 2006-07, and is lower than any time since 1999. The contraction was evident in all states except Tasmania. New South Wales suffered the biggest decline, reducing by 5,073 ha or 13%, followed by South Australia, where vineyard area decreased by 4,398 ha or 6.2%. South Australia remained the leading vineyard state, with 66,912 ha. This represented 49.5% of national vineyard area and was almost double the next largest state, New South Wales, with 34,092 ha under vine. Victoria was the third largest State (23,088 ha), followed by Western Australia (9,013 ha). Tasmania defied the national trend to increase its area under vine by 14% to 1,505 ha, and slightly lifted its national share to 1.1%. Big Rivers in New South Wales and Lower Murray of South Australia were the largest zones. New plantings of vines increased in 2015 for the first time in at least a decade, up from 940 ha in 2012 to 1,235 ha in 2015. New plantings were heavily weighted towards red wine grapes, which accounted for 988 ha or 80% of the 2015 total. The national increase was driven by South Australia, where new plantings almost doubled from 435 ha to 825 ha. Activity also lifted in Victoria and Western Australia. New plantings of red wine grapes were dominated by Shiraz (462 ha) and Cabernet Sauvignon (295 ha). Among white varieties, Chardonnay accounted for 66 ha or almost 27% of total plantings of 247 ha. Pinot Gris was the second most popular among new white plantings (39 ha), followed by Riesling (33 ha). It is worth noting that vineyard data is still collected for South Australia by Vinehealth Australia (formerly the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia). Vinehealth Australia reported a decrease of 3.4% or 260 ha in the area planted to vines in South Australia in April 2016, compared to the previous year. Total vineyard area now stands at 75,858 ha after four consecutive years of decline. New plantings were also lower at 462 ha, down from 864 ha planted in the previous season. WINE EXPORTS The revival of the industry’s fortunes is being led by exports, which grew at the strongest rate since 2003 – with Treasury Wine Estates leading the way. International markets for Australian wine have been boosted by free trade agreements with China, Japan and South Korea. The exchange rate was also favourable for exports to the US – the Australian dollar averaged around $US0.75 in 2016.
15 The total value of Australian exports in the year to June jumped by 11% from $1.89 billion in 2015 to $2.11 billion in 2016. It was the second consecutive year of export growth, which, combined with positive outlook for 2017, suggests the industry has entered a new growth phase. The average value of Australian wine exports per litre also improved by 11%, up from $2.67 to $2.90, the highest level since 2009. A breakdown of total exports by destination country shows the strong 2016 result was largely driven by sales to China, which jumped by 50% to $419 million in the year to June. Updated figures for the year to September 2016 showed further growth in sales to $474 million, making China the number one export market for Australian wine for the first time. Demand from China soared thanks to a combination of the benefits flowing from the new China-Australia free trade agreement and a rapidly expanding Chinese middle class, which is consuming imported wines more often and in vastly increased numbers. Across the region, Hong Kong exports grew in value by 7% to $126 million in the year to September and recorded the highest average value for exports at $13.53 per litre. China overtook the US, despite 4% growth in US sales to $448 million. The average value of US exports hit its highest level since 2009, up 12% to $2.93 per litre. The UK remained Australia’s largest export market in volume terms, but with 83% of exports shipped in bulk, the UK ranks third in value. Exports were down 3% to $361 million as a result of an 11% decline in exports below $2.50 per litre. Australia’s top five export markets by value were China (up 51%), the US (up 4%), the UK (down 3%), Canada (up 1%) and Hong Kong (up 7%) While China led the surge in total exports, there was a broad-based increase in demand, with export value growing in 81 of the 122 destinations for Australian wine. A feature of the year was growth in premium price segments of $10 or more per litre, which increased by 28% to a record $547 million. This represented more half of the all the value growth in the year to September. Exports in these premium categories were up in all top five markets — mainland China up by 63%, the US up by 21%, the UK up 20%, Canada by 9% and Hong Kong by 7%. More than a third of Australian wine exports priced at $10 or more were destined for China, a 63% increase on the previous year. All premium price segments above $10 per litre recorded strong growth. Sales in the $20 to less than $30 segment jumped by 38% to $78 million, while sales in the $30 to less than $50 range soared by 55% to $50 million. Total bottled exports increased by 16% to $1,633 million in the year to June, driven by an 18% rise in red wine to $1,278 million. In contrast, bulk sales decreased by 0.5% to $392 million. Shiraz strengthened its position as the most favoured exported variety, with value increasing 20% to $488 million or almost one quarter of total exports by value. Cabernet Sauvignon exports rose almost as quickly, up 17% to $276 million, while Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blends rose 7% to $118 million and Merlot increased by 5% to %97 million. Chardonnay was the only white variety among the top five exports, and went against the trend by declining 1% to $164 million.
16 IMPORTS In welcome news for local producers, Australian wine imports decreased in volume terms in the year to June, 2016, down by 3.7%. However, in value terms imports increased for the fifth consecutive year, lifting by 5.6% to $731 million due to a decline in the proportion of lower value product. The average value per litre increased by 10% from $A7.61 to $A8.34 per litre, reversing the trend of the previous year. New Zealand remained the leading source of Australia’s wine imports, but there was a decline in NZ wine coming into the country compared to the previous year. NZ imports were down in both volume and value terms, falling by 10% and 4% respectively. By contrast, French imports increased significantly, rising by 14% in value to $285 million in 2016. This followed an 11% increase in the previous year and means French imports are rapidly closing in on NZ imports in terms of value, even though French volumes are less than one third of New Zealand’s. Italy and Spain also boosted their sales to Australians in 2016, with sales value rising by 14% and 19% respectively. This was achieved along with single digit growth in sales value per litre. Imports from Argentina jumped in value by 34% after producers managed to secure significantly higher prices from Australian consumers. US producers also managed to achieve sharply increased prices, with the average price per litre jumping by 53% from $A6.13 to $A9.39. Meanwhile, Portugal and Chile battled it out for the title of Australia’s leading source of low-cost imports. Acknowledgements Much of the statistical information for this overview was sourced from Wine Australia and the Winemaker’s Federation of Australia’s annual vintage summary. Winetitles acknowledges the assistance of Wine Australia’s Peter Bailey and Sandy Hathaway. The WEA also thanks Winetitles and in particular Nathan Gogoll, editor of the Grapegrower & Winemaker journal for their co-operation in allowing republication of this article in “WineLines”
Refrigeration Standards Update Article provided by Gordon Brothers Industries
During the latter part of 2016 Standards Australia released five new Standards relating to refrigeration systems and refrigerant designation which has superseded the equivalent existing standards AS/NZS 1677.1 Refrigerating systems, Part 1: Refrigerant classification and AS/NZS 1677.2 Refrigerating systems, Part 2: Safety requirements for fixed applications which have been in use since 1998.
- Refrigeration Standards Update -
17 The new standards are based on standards already published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and will be adopted with minor modifications in an Appendix ZZ. The publication of the ISO standards in 2014 has been driven by the gradual reduction of fluorocarbon refrigerants which in turn has accelerated the introduction of new and alternative refrigerants and blends. The adoption of the ISO standards in Australia and New Zealand will bring local refrigeration practice in-line with international practice. The new standards include: AS/NZS ISO 817:2016 Refrigerants – Designation and safety classification This has superseded AS 1677 Part 1 and introduce two new refrigerant safety classifications including A2L (non-toxic, lower flammability) and B2L (toxic, lower flammability) in addition to the existing five classifications A1, A2, A3, B1 and B2. The new ‘lower flammability’ classification will include the A2L refrigerants R32 and R1234 and also the B2L refrigerant R717.
* Refrigerant Classification per ISO 817:2014 and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-2013. A2L and B2L are lower flammability refrigerants with a maximum burning velocity of 10 cm/s. AS/NZS 5149 Refrigerating systems and heat pumps – Safety and environmental requirements, Part 1 to 4. This has superseded AS 1677 Part 2 and “specifies the requirements for the safety of persons and property, provides guidance for the protection of the environment, and establishes procedures for the operation, maintenance, and repair of refrigerating systems and the recovery of refrigerants”. The new standards relate to a wide range of installations from low charge systemsA to very large industrial refrigeration systems. The AS/NZS 5149 series, when introduced, will apply to: a. New refrigerating systems, extensions or modifications to already existing systems, and for used systems being transferred to and operated on another site; b. Fixed or mobile systems (excepting vehicle air conditioning systems) of all sizes including heat pumps; c. Secondary cooling or heating systems; d. Conversion of a system to another refrigerant; e. The location of the refrigeration systems; f. Replaced parts and added components if they are not identical in function and in capacity.
18 A. AS/NZS 60335-1:2011 covers the requirements for electrical appliances used for household and commercial purposes. Acknowledgement The WEA acknowledges the assistance of Gordon Brothers Industries in making this article available for the benefit of WEA members. For additional information regarding the updated Refrigeration Standards or any other refrigeration matter contact Jannie Howard at Gordon Brothers Industries via [email protected] or 0499 995 859
Get on board the journey to the Connected Enterprise for unprecedented productivity gains Rockwell Automation Article The digital transformation has taken the world by storm and is reshaping the interactions between people, processes and machines. With an estimated 200 billion Internet-connected things by 2030, the digital transformation will transform consumers, industry and governments alike. The industrial Internet of things is creating a new era for economic growth and competitiveness for industrial companies. Smart manufacturing is the gateway to digital transformation. Connected smart devices open new windows of visibility into processes. Data and analytics enable better and faster decision making. Smart operations require the use of new and disruptive technologies, from analytics and mobile to collaborative machines. These technologies communicate with each other and adapt to internal and external conditions. They also require new strategies that make the most of these technologies to create flexible, efficient, responsive and secure operations. Converged networks Technologies made possible as a result of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are already helping forward-thinking manufacturers reap the benefits of Smart Manufacturing. The Connected Enterprise securely connects people, processes, and technologies by converging plant-level and enterprise networks. Implementing the Connected Enterprise is a journey. The first step is to connect to the smart machines and devices that generate data. In the recent Internet of Things study by the MPI Group, network capabilities to handle the IoT has been named as one of the top five IoT capabilities that present the biggest challenges for manufacturers. However, with the right network infrastructure and the ability to integrate information across IT and control systems, industrial enterprises can coordinate operations and communications – facilitating a demand-driven supply chain. Converging networks creates a common production platform and new technologies including mobile devices, the cloud, and big data, can help securely connect plant information with enterprise systems. The Connected Enterprise brings information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) together into a robust, secure and collaborative architecture. Data is collected that provides operational insights. The next step in the journey is contextualising this data and transforming it into actionable information.
-Bringing the Industrial IoT to Life -
19 Data and visibility Technology is transforming industry and unlocking unprecedented quantities of data from intelligent ‘things’ embedded within industrial applications. The days of manually collecting data that may only provide a snapshot in time and are prone to human error are well and truly a thing of the past. With the proliferation of smart devices and sensors, information is readily available. As bigger data sets are aggregated, businesses get ‘smarter.’ The challenge is contextualizing the data to make it actionable and accessible to all parts of the organization, maximising efficiency and creating value. Real-time analytics software takes the data that is automatically and continually collected from several sources and contextualises it into meaningful information. These analytics create greater operational transparency and provides better visibility into complex production processes. This information can provide valuable insights into a number of parameters including quality, safety, compliance, energy-usage and productivity of the plant. Smart Manufacturing makes the best use of data, contextualising and transforming it into actionable information in real time. It also reconciles historical data to leverage insights in support of future planning. This gives decision-makers across the enterprise new visibility into their operations, as well as the ability to act on business insights, including real-time performance measures and costs. Productivity gains In the Connected Enterprise, equipment and devices are transformed into intelligent assets that can self-analyse, predict and adapt to change, providing the ability to monitor processes and equipment in real time to drive out inefficiencies and improve performance. The result is a more agile, integrated and autonomous operation. With the improved ability to respond to changing customer needs comes better workflow management for more demand driven production, and deeper insight into supplier deliveries that can help improve inventory costs. The Connected Enterprise enables faster and better business decisions that increase productivity, improve quality and help to meet demand more precisely and cost-effectively through faster time to market, lower total cost of ownership, improved asset utilisation, enterprise risk management and increased workforce efficiency. A real life example: Journey to a Connected Enterprise Being a global manufacturer, Rockwell Automation recently embarked on their own journey to the Connected Enterprise. Similar to other manufacturers with large product portfolios and a global manufacturing presence, Rockwell Automation used a range of manufacturing processes at its 20 different plants. Each plant ran its systems, with none of them talking to each other. The company developed a five-year plan for the complete restructuring of their facility and supplier networks. Rockwell Automation started the journey by establishing a single connected system across the globe utilising Ethernet/IP. In tandem, they rolled out a new, unified ERP and MES solutions across all of the production sites. The company has experienced an estimated 4-5 percent annual improvement in productivity. The Industrial Internet of Things era has arrived. This proliferation of connected smart devices can improve virtually every aspect of business performance with leading organisations taking advantage of its many benefits.
20 About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation Australia and Rockwell Automation New Zealand are subsidiaries of Rockwell Automation, Inc.—a leading global provider of industrial automation and information solutions that helps manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. The company brings together leading global brands in industrial automation which include Allen-Bradley® controls and services and Rockwell Software® factory management software. Its broad product mix includes control logic systems, sensors, human-machine interfaces, drive controllers, power devices, and software.
