Draught beer, a premium product in the beverage alcohol industry, faces unique challenges compared to bottled beer. Maintaining the quality of draught beer from the keg to the glass involves various factors, including temperature control, equipment maintenance, and cleanliness of the lines.
As Sanjay Roy, Trade, Marketing and Exports Head at United Breweries Ltd. (UBL), says: “The quality of the first glass of beer determines whether a customer will order a second. Therefore, ensuring a consistently excellent draft beer experience is paramount for customer retention and brand reputation.”
UBL has embarked on an innovative journey to revolutionise the draft beer market in India. Partnering with Draught Guardian, a leading software platform for draft beer monitoring, the company aims to enhance product quality, optimise operations, and deliver superior user experience (UX).
This collaboration exemplifies the potential of leveraging advanced technology and data analytics to address industry-specific challenges and drive business growth.
Historically, managing the draft beer ecosystem has been a manual and fragmented process, prone to errors and inefficiencies. UBL’s partnership with Draught Guardian represents a strategic move to digitise and streamline this process, utilising technology to gain real-time insights and improve operational efficiency.
Draught Guardian, founded in Cape Town (South Africa) by a group of engineers, was initially developed to monitor draft beer flow. Over the years, the platform has evolved to address broader challenges in the draft beer supply chain, including flow monitoring, asset management and service tracking.
Flow monitoring: Draught Guardian’s advanced flow meters provide real-time data on beer volume, temperature and pour quality. This information is crucial for UBL to ensure that each glass of draft beer meets its high standards.
By tracking these metrics, UBL can identify and address any issues promptly, preventing poor-quality pours that could deter customers.
Asset management: The platform enables UBL to maintain a detailed inventory of its assets, including kegs, taps and dispensing equipment. With each asset geo-located and tagged with unique serial numbers, UBL can monitor usage patterns, service history and maintenance needs.
This visibility helps in proactive maintenance, reducing downtime, and ensuring that equipment is always in optimal condition.
Service tracking: Draught Guardian facilitates efficient service management by integrating with UBL’s third-party service providers. The platform records every service action, providing transparency and accountability.
This feature ensures that all equipment is regularly cleaned and maintained, which is critical for preserving the quality of draft beer.
Benefits and Future Prospects
The implementation of Draught Guardian has brought several immediate benefits to UBL. Firstly, it has enhanced the quality control of draft beer, ensuring that customers consistently receive a high-quality product.
Secondly, it has improved asset management, allowing UBL to optimise its equipment lifecycle and reduce unnecessary costs. Thirdly, the platform’s real-time data analytics offer valuable insights into market trends, helping UBL to make informed decisions and tailor their marketing strategies effectively.
Draught Guardian's data visualisation tools, such as heat maps, provide a clear picture of market penetration and performance across different regions. This granular level of detail helps UBL to identify areas with growth potential and address underperforming segments.
Looking ahead, UBL plans to further integrate Draught Guardian’s capabilities into its operations. By combining field data with internal accounting data, the company aims to uncover deeper insights and drive more precise business strategies.
This holistic approach will not only enhance operational efficiency but also strengthen UBL’s competitive edge in the rapidly evolving draft beer market.
As the industry continues to evolve, such innovations will be crucial for meeting customer expectations, optimising operations, and driving sustainable growth. UBL is not only enhancing its operations but also paving the way for a more advanced and customer-centric approach to draught beer in India.
