Engineering

Briggs’ Engineering Director features in podcast

Briggs of Burton’s Engineering Director, George Crombie recently joined Thinking it Better’s ‘One Thought at a Time’ podcast.

George began his journey surrounded by engineering and crafting from a young age. Taking his passion of understanding how things are put together, he joined Briggs on a summer internship which led to his current role of managing large global engineering projects and overseeing all engineering activities for the group. You can read his profile here – https://www.briggsplc.com/leadership/george-crombie/ 

George highlighted Briggs’ growth over the last 5 years, delivering projects in the Brewing, Distilling, Pharmaceutical and Food industries. George spoke passionately about the Briggs team taking pride in supporting the creation of so many household brands. From breaking ground at a plant, to seeing a tangible product and being able to share it with family and friends is satisfying.

He continued to say:

“We can have the toughest day on the plant, but also be able to step away from that. With those same colleagues, friends and socialise with them. Have a sense of fun, look back at what you’ve done”.

Briggs always strives to encourage their team to separate the serious from the fun which helps them to deliver what we promise.

George adds that the team are always interested in the job they’re performing, which leads to a sense of pride. The team are eager to follow Briggs on a journey to deliver exciting projects. George, as an Engineering Director foresees a continuous plan to grow the company across sectors and bringing the team along on that journey.

To listen to the full podcast, follow this link: George Crombie | One Thought at a Time #10 – YouTube

 

Posted in Engineering, General

Briggs of Burton forms strategic partnership to explore new carbon reducing technologies

Ardgowan Distillery announced the appointment of Briggs of Burton in October 2021 last year to lead the design, build and engineering of their carbon negative distillery. Now, both Ardgowan and Briggs have joined forces with Heriot Watt University’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) exploring new carbon reducing technologies.

Close to 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced by Scottish malt and grain distilleries and breweries every year. Whisky washbacks, used in distilleries as fermentation vessels, are generally fitted with CO2 extractors but this CO2 is rarely collected. The North British Distillery is one of the notable exceptions, producing CO2 for the beverage industry. However, the high costs and multiple challenges involved in using the existing technology makes it difficult for smaller companies to use.

Ardgowan produces 755,000 kg of CO2 every year from fermentation processes. However plans are in place to use Briggs’ proven technologies to drive down carbon emissions. This includes the use of high temperature heat pumps.

Heriot-Watt University’s expertise across engineering and distilled spirits, will be able to explore and validate a wider range of carbon reduction technologies. The Ardgowan project is also designed to overlap with MSc Brewing and Distilling projects at the University.  Regardless of scale, this will expand the range of strategies explored and provide some facts about the various routes the industry could take.

Scott Davies, Head of Marketing commented:

“Both Ardgowan and Briggs of Burton will greatly benefit from research conducted by Heriot-Watt University, providing an independent perspective and broader scope when identifying opportunities across the overall malt whisky production process and its supply chain. The Ardgowan Distillery is being designed to accept process developments through its modular construction. This means research conducted through this partnership can be directly adopted at the distillery, enabling Ardgowan to continuously assess and seek to reduce its carbon impact from the outset. As a Heriot-Watt alumni, it’s a great opportunity to help give back to the next generation of brewing and distilling engineers and scientists.”

The project will be based at the ICBD at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus. The ICBD has access to its own pilot brewing, fermentation, and distillation facilities with labs for all aspects of brewing and distilling research including analytical capabilities.

The research is funded through the Food and Drink Net Zero Challenge fund, which was set up by Interface and the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership to support Scotland’s food and drink businesses as part of the Recovery Plan funded by the Scottish Government.

Each funded project is designed to accelerate businesses on the journey towards net zero and improve their environmental sustainability, utilising the world class knowledge base and facilities across Scottish universities, research institutes and colleges. The collaboration will update the academic community and wider industry on findings to encourage widespread adoption and impact.

Posted in Distilling, Engineering

Triple accreditation for Briggs sees scheme expand to create next generation of innovative engineers

Briggs of Burton have created a dedicated training centre at their headquarters to support the next generation of innovative engineers.

The Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme, which has now been recognised by all three of the industry’s leading professional bodies, aims to make a career in engineering accessible to all as it looks to recruit more young people into the industry.

This month the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) joined the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) in accrediting the Briggs scheme which provides graduates with the opportunity to gain Chartered status while working on leading engineering projects around the globe.

The training centre is a unique opportunity for graduates and apprentices to be involved in global turnkey projects, which create bespoke engineering solutions from initial concept and design to build and final completion. The team are involved in some of the world’s largest engineering projects from  brewing and distilling through to pharmaceuticals, food, and biotech, creating a varied experience.

Rob Davis, Project Engineering Manager at Briggs and lead on the IMechE Accreditation scheme, said it was a unique opportunity to help nurture and grow the next generation of leading engineers.

He said; “Having the opportunity to mentor, lead and succeed in getting the accreditation from the IMechE has been extremely rewarding and a positive way to start the year.

“Briggs’ core focus is to give our young engineers a well-rounded experience putting theory into practice. Training and development are at the heart of the scheme, and we hope to help more graduates in the future preparing them to deliver multi-discipline projects around the world.”

The new accreditations mean that the scheme is now supported by all three of the leading engineering bodies in helping graduates to achieve their formal Chartered status and provide the necessary training to support young engineers into the industry.

Molly Adey, Project Engineer, at Briggs of Burton is one of the graduates to have benefited from the scheme said it was a fantastic opportunity to be involved in turnkey engineering projects at such a young age in her career. Turnkey engineering refers to the creation of complete bespoke solutions for projects right from initial concept and design to build and final completion.

She said: “The Briggs Engineering Graduate Training Scheme has been invaluable to my early career development. I have always viewed Chartership as the next step in my ongoing education, and during the past year I have been working my way towards this goal. I have found the support and continued guidance from my mentors and colleagues at Briggs beyond helpful. I’ve been able to work within different industries both in the office and on site and be involved in the various phases of projects from initial design to completion.

“Currently I am working on a large pharmaceutical project in the UK and have been responsible for leading project engineering activities on site. I have been given a large amount of responsibility working on fast paced projects which has not only challenged me but prepared me to develop skills across a variety of areas.”

John Hancock, who was the company’s first process engineer in 1989 before going on to become Technical Director, said it was a momentous day for the company who continues to work towards supporting future growth in the industry.

Now a Technical Consultant, John, lay the foundation to the initiative which is designed to make a career in engineering accessible to all.

He said:” Nationally there is a shortage of engineers coming into the Food and Beverages industry as most are drawn to petrochemical and other sectors. Through our graduate training scheme, we seek to empower the next generation of engineers to support the largest UK Manufacturing sector to thrive. It’s an exciting time to join the industry and here at Briggs we want to do our bit to help the younger generation get excited about engineering a sustainable future.

“I am proud to be at the forefront of Briggs’ Accredited Training Centre in Burton on Trent, at the heart of the UK’s Brewing industry.”

The dedicated training centre aims to offer ongoing graduate and apprenticeship opportunities to help develop the next generation of workers across all sectors of the business and is currently recruiting in engineering, sales, automation and manufacturing.

Briggs of Burton, has six sites across the world including its headquarters in Derby Street, Burton on Trent, has already supported 20 UK graduates in the last year and is looking to take on more young people as it plans to double its turnover in the next 3 years.

Last year, Briggs unveiled a new multi-million-pound investment in the UK after transforming their Midlands headquarters into a brand new Global Technical Centre. The move followed continued successes in the Brewing and Distilling industries but also advances into growing Food and Pharmaceutical sectors.

More information on apprenticeship and graduate opportunities is available at https://www.briggsplc.com/graduate-recruitment.

Posted in Engineering, Graduates