Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has automated its barrel handling system at its winery in Barossa valley.
TWE's A$10m ($6.7m) investment included the installation and creation of a barrel management system, as well as automated washing and filling stations.
The “end-to-end” automated system includes nine driverless forklifts that rotate the barrels according to maturation stages. The group said the process runs for 24 hours, five days a week.
“We’ve seen improvements in safety, efficiency, and traceability in our barrel hall, with the team on site embracing the new way of working. The efficiency and precision of automated, sensor-based forklifts to transport the barrels lowers energy consumption compared to manual handling processes,” TWE director of supply technology Jodie Rowlands said.
The vintner said the automation will allow the winery to boost its red wine “handling capacity” to 125,000 barrels at the site. It handles 60,000 barrels of wine.
TWE opened its Barossa Valley facility in 2022, following a A$164m investment project.
The Melbourne-headquartered group rejigged its corporate structure last month, merging a team focused on revenue growth into its premium-brands division.
The Daou brand owner said the move would help “strengthen innovation” and deepen its engagement with customer partners and end consumers.
TWE has been reshaping its portfolio over the last year, as the company puts more emphasis on its “premium” and “luxury” ranges.
Last year, TWE announced plans to close its “commercial” wine operation in Victoria amid pressure on sales of more mainstream wine in the country. At the time, the company said the decision to close its Karadoc winery had been made in light of rising costs and a decline in consumption of wine sold at below A$10 (then $6.70) a bottle.
In October, TWE acquired California’s Daou Vineyards for $900m. The deal saw the company take on assets including three wineries and 389 acres of vineyards across Paso Robles, and a winery and 22 acres of vines in San Luis Obispo.
A month later, the group outlined plans to expand its footprint in New Zealand with its purchase of a vineyard in Marlborough.
For the opening six months of its fiscal 2024, TWE reported sales of A$1.313bn compared to A$1.308bn a year ago. Net income was A$166.7m, down 11.4%.
The group’s earnings before interest, tax, SGARA and material items (EBITS) dropped 5.8% to A$289.8m, driven by Treasury Americas and Treasury Premium Brands, which featured a 17.5% and 3.2% decline in EBITS respectively.
TWE slightly lowered its full-year guidance for its fiscal 2024, estimating mid-to-high single-digit growth from a previous estimate of high single-digit growth.
Pernod Ricard today announced a deal to offload a clutch of wine assets to Australian Wine Holdco, the owner of Australia-headquartered Accolade Wines.
The deal includes Pernod wine brands such as Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate and Campo Viejo, as well as seven wineries.
The Accolade portfolio includes Hardys, Echo Falls and Jam Shed.
