A better brew with local stainless
For Sangen, a cutting-edge beverage company located in Northern Finland, brewing beer goes beyond business; it’s also a science and a passion. The company has a dedicated approach to creating new alcoholic beverages, focusing on innovative design all the way from its own research laboratory to the finished beers and spirits.
In 2016, Sangen decided to tap into the global craft beer trend and bring back to life a Tornio-based brewery with historic traditions. For the modernization of the brewing equipment, Outokumpu was a natural choice of stainless steel supplier.
“Our brewery is based in Tornio, and it is only logical to buy from Outokumpu, who has a world-class stainless steel plant in town. Local production is something that our customers also value,” says Mikko Ahokas, Chairman of the Board at Sangen.
Beautiful and easy-to-clean surface
Thanks to the long lifespan of stainless steel, the existing brewery equipment was in good shape and required a mere modernization process to bring it up-to-date. The brewing tanks were coated with fresh sheets of Outokumpu stainless steel, giving them a visually impeccable finish and easy-to-clean surface.
Traditional solutions in the food and beverage industries have favored austenitic stainless grades. However, for the Sangen brewery modernization, Outokumpu’s locally developed and produced new high-chromium ferritic stainless grade Outokumpu Core 4622 provided the same attractive finish, durability and maintenance characteristics while also bringing substantial cost benefits.
”Core 4622 is ferritic stainless steel for the 21st century containing 21% chromium, offering a modern, competitive and nickel-free alternative for traditional austenitic stainless steels, with same hygienic and easy-to-maintain features,” explains Juha Kela, Product Manager from Outokumpu.
Local, low-carbon solution
Going with a locally-produced, fresh solution like Outokumpu Core 4622, officially launched in October 2013, also brings down the carbon footprint of the modernization process.
“This is also an ecological choice: Outokumpu stainless is long-lasting, recyclable and the chromium ore is mined and processed locally, which reduces the environmental impacts of transportation,” Kela says.
Finding a forward-looking, local material supplier for the modernization process made the decision-making process easy for Sangen.
“Outokumpu experts were able to present the benefits of the proposed solution very well. I believe this grade of stainless will become a future trend in the food and beverage industry,” says Ahokas.
The first craft beers from Sangen’s Tornio brewery will be available in the summer of 2016.
Published mai 25, 2017