What happened
Up to 40 jobs are affected. Molson Coors says it invested more than £20m at the brewery after acquiring Sharp's in 2011. Heads of Terms have been agreed with Camerons Brewery to brew key Sharp's cask brands, while keg and packaged production will continue at Burton and Tadcaster.
Why it matters to food manufacturing engineers
Historic investment does not make an asset strategically viable indefinitely. Sunk capital and equipment condition still need assessment against changing volume, product mix, logistics and network capacity.
Operational impact
Transferring products between breweries requires management of process parameters, raw materials, water characteristics, fermentation, CIP regimes, quality standards, packaging and product validation.
AFME perspective — what to watch
Engineering asset strategy should distinguish between equipment that still works and whether a site remains the right place to manufacture a product.