Case Study: Phillips Brewing and Malting Company achieves rapid custom equipment design and streamlined automated brewhouse installation with SOLIDWORKS

Engineering a Craft Beer Revolution with Phillips Brewing

Phillips Brewing and Malting Company, a fast-growing small-batch craft brewery in Victoria, BC, faced the challenge of maintaining and upgrading a mix of new and old, highly automated brewing and packaging equipment while scaling production. To ensure precise control, avoid costly part delays, and properly lay out a new brewhouse, the team turned to SolidWorks 3D CAD to design custom parts, equipment frames and piping specific to their processes.

Using SolidWorks, maintenance engineer David Gilmour created detailed 3D models to lay out vessels, plumbing and a new mash filter assembly (including a 12‑ft high press frame, drag conveyor and 200‑ft piping run to a grain silo), designed sheet‑metal and weldment parts for local fabrication, and validated assemblies to prevent collisions and reduce cost. The SolidWorks-driven designs streamlined installation of the new brewhouse, enabled rapid replacement of obsolete parts, improved line efficiency and allowed spent grain to be conveyed and reused — delivering faster, less costly maintenance and more reliable production.

Phillips Brewing and Malting Company

David Gilmour

Phillips Brewing and Malting Company