Forklift truck scales iForks
iForks to weigh beer tanks
Heineken Event Services supplies events with equipment and beer. Return shipments of 1,000 liter beer tanks are weighed to determine the amount of beer left in the tanks, since customers are only invoiced for the amount of beer actually consumed.
Checking incoming goods
Beer tanks: 1,000 liters a serving
Heineken Event Services (HES) is a specialized activity that supports and supplies events, from parties to festivals. Depending on the scale of the event, HES can provide anything from beer tap installations to bar crews, or even the complete infrastructure for an event. And of course: beer. And at events, beer comes in 1,000 liter tanks.
Weighing beer tanks with iForks
At their facility in Oss, the Netherlands, Heineken Event Services receives return shipments of beer tanks. Rows of shining stainless steel tanks mounted in frames, are stacked two on top of each other. Forklifts offload the tanks from spotless white and green trailers and drive them inside, where the tanks are emptied of remaining beer, cleaned and refilled. Since customers are only invoiced for the amount of beer actually consumed, the amount of beer left in a tank needs to be determined. Heineken uses iForks on their forklifts to do this.
Nout van de Wiel, Warehouse Operator
”Before we started using the RAVAS iForks, determining the residual volumes in the tanks was an educated guess. It took a lot of time and we always stayed on the safe side, so we probably missed out on turnover. Now we weigh all tanks on the forklift truck that moves them around. It’s much quicker and we know exactly how much beer is returned. This saves us a lot of time, and we make more money. Next step will be to record the weight information more efficiently, for example on a PDA.”
About Heineken
Heineken NV is a Dutch multinational brewing company with global activities in 178 countries. With a yearly beer volume of 200 million hectoliters, produced and distributed under many local, premium and specialty brands, Heineken ranks as the third largest brewer worldwide. Employing 80,000 people, operating 165 breweries, and creating a yearly turnover of 20 billion Euro, Heineken truly serves the planet.