Pumps help take beer production to higher level

But what really sets Meura apart in the market is how it keeps pushing the boundaries technically with innovations that other manufacturers are also only too happy to integrate into their brew houses. The company does not compromise on quality when choosing its components. When the application calls for an eccentric screw pump, Meura resolutely chooses Netzsch. A partner that shares the same dna in terms of service and support.

Text Valérie Couplez |  Image Meura and Netzsch

A quarter of the beer produced worldwide does so with Meura technology. The legacy left by founder Jean-Baptiste -Meura is not minus, so the company headquartered in Peruwelz can justifiably call itself a jewel in the crown of Belgian machine builders. "Our focus is mainly on that part of the brewing process before yeast is added. With the introduction of the Meura 2001 corn filter in 1987, for example, we won a lot of praise. It is still one of our most important products, because it can provide such an excellent yield," opens CTO Michel Thirot. Because the added value of Meura's brewing technology is always in its technical ingenuity. To continue pioneering, it installed its R&D department in 1997 in the heart of the University Louvain-La-Neuve. 

Working with reliable partners

Today, the company is about 130 employees strong. The original location in Tournai was exchanged for a new headquarters in Peruwelz where it has a 2,000 m² workshop to prepare its installations to perfection. "Because we want to make the difference just technically, we invariably choose the right component for the right application. Price is certainly not the main criterion with us. It is more important to create a partnership, so that if a problem does arise, it is solved immediately," explains Sébastien Moons, head of purchasing at Meura. Since the turn of the century, Netzsch has become one such reliable partner. "We had seen their eccentric worm pump at work on a yard in Madagascar. A different technology we were used to, but one that would make the transfer of cornsch even better than with centrifugal pumps," Thirot recalls.

Constant flow rate with Nemo eccentric screw pumps

Since then, the Nemo eccentric screw pumps have been welcome guests in Meura's installations. "What we appreciate about this pump is first of all the constant flow rate that we can achieve with it, without damaging the product. Because of this constant flow, the pump is easy to fine-tune by means of a variable speed drive," Christophe Delis, head of engineering, summarizes the main assets. "In addition, Netzsch made a number of adjustments on the inlet side for us so that we can properly guide the product through the pump. We also find that their pumps continue to evolve and improve. That's also important for Meura to stay on top technically. And when we develop new projects ourselves, they are happy to take up the gauntlet to assist us in them." 

Customer-oriented support

Finally, Netzsch's service does not disappoint either. Meura Maintenance Engineer François Deroubaix: "Actually, we rarely need to contact them for problems. Netzch's pumps do what they have to do. But we can always count on fast service to help safeguard the continuity of production at our customers. Or a quick response to technical questions." That customer focus is certainly a trait both companies share and want to continue in the future. "By switching to continuous rather than batch production, we can support customers to bring down their TCO through much lower water and energy consumption. This is an evolution that we are happy to participate in and to which Netzsch's products also contribute," Moons adds. "And why not in the future outside the beer world? We have already realized some great projects at distilleries. But our technology can also be interesting for non-alcoholic beverages."