Selecting Packaging Line Technology for Better Production Flexibility: Q&A with Gavin Millar, Senior Director, Global Packaging and Warehouse Design, Molson Coors

When operating at full capacity, the newest canning lines available to beer brewers are capable of producing over 2,000 cans per minute or about 2.5 to 3 million cans a day. Warehouses can also be fitted with cloud-based systems, which help ensure product is stored and accessible for distribution with extreme ease. Packagers know that having fast bottling equipment and more automated warehouses are all part of what drives down operating costs while increasing efficiency. However, beer markets are much more complex than 5-10 years ago when more volume was the norm.

Today’s beer brewers are dealing with 10x the amnumberf product SKUs, less volume, and more diversity of products, not to mention a crowded marketplace with both large and craft brewers competing for attention on the shelf. The greater selection and small batches of craft beer appeal to today’s consumers and are challenging traditional ways of thinking about packaging lines. The need to improve flexibility and accuracy is key.

Gavin Millar, Senior Director, Global Packaging and Warehouse Design at Molson Coors, is constantly reviewing production line costs, suppliers, and performance for areas of improvement. This role fits into a much larger World Class Supply Chain continuous improvement program at Molson Coors, in which one of the key pillars is the adoption of best-available technology and measurement and tracking of energy use.

We spoke with Gavin Millar to understand how to select the best-available technology and achieve packaging production and warehouse efficiency.

Questions answered:

• How have changing consumer behaviors shaped Molson Coors’ packaging and warehouse strategy?
• What are the greatest changes you’ve seen to packaging operations in the last decade?
• What are the best ways to equip packaging and warehouse operations for the future?
• How is Molson Coors re-organizing to become more agile?
• What are the goals of Molson Coors’ World Class Supply Chain continuous improvement program? Where do packaging and production lines fit in with this?
• What is an example of innovating at scale to meet customer needs?
• What have been some of the most beneficial new packaging or warehouse technologies to your operations?

Click through to read the entire interview with Gavin Millar.