A good pick

Quality has its price. In return age does not show, like our second hand machines prove. We owe a spontaneous business to our good organisation and a bit of luck from which not only we benefited but above all the traditional Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg.

Second hand machines are not as good as new ones? This is not always correct since everybody can afford quality even without a well-filled wallet. This demonstrates the Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg in Austria. For more than 200 years the brewery has been owned by only one family and has been brewing its beer since the 14th century. The castles first documented historical reference dates about 1000 years back. Until 1681 only the citizens in the surrounding benefited from their beer. But nowadays the various types of beer are purchasable for everybody. Additionally they have been selling 5 gallon water bottles with adequate dispenser systems for the past few years under the company name . (The water from the Salzkammergut – editor’s note: Salzkammergut is a region in Austria).

Blessing in disguise

But also a traditional company needs cutting-edge equipment in order to keep their output stable. As an old 5 gallon bottle system had to be returned an urgent replacement was needed. The problem: It should not be expensive but nevertheless first-class. Why not go for a second hand machine? As luck would have it we had just offered a second hand cleaning and filling machine of type VARIANT which was available ex stock to another Austrian client. The master brewer from this brewery forwarded the information to Schloss Eggenberg. Everything was quickly agreed on and arranged. Due to the urgency of this venture we carried out a complete general overhaul within the shortest time possible and delivered the 5 gallon bottle system in less than six weeks after order placement, which corresponds to about one third of the delivery time for a new machine.

High quality for less

The 5 gallon bottle system with an output of 125 bottles per hour consists of a cleaning machine with caustic and hot water cleaning, a turner, a filling element and a capper. The complete process from cleaning up to the closing of the bottles is fully automated. Thus it is just the right machine for the Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg.

Quality-conscious master brewer

For the responsible master brewer from Schloss Eggenberg, Thomas Lugmayr, this business was a real stroke of luck. “The machine had been required very urgently and we bought it so to speak from the catalogue without seeing it in advance”, said the master brewer who is working with this machine for more than one month now. He did not regret this decision. “Even though it is 10 years old, it is still in a top condition. After the general overhaul it is as good as new”. This is not the same with all second hand machines. “Many machines are coming from abroad, from Italy etc. These machines have a far lower quality than this one.“

German workmanship

He does not have an idea what might cause this. “As the expression goes – German workmanship”, there might be some truth to it after all. Anyway Lugmayr is looking forward to a long liaison with his new, old machine. “Oh, we will certainly keep it for the next 15 years”, he said laughing. A quite unusual faith in a used machine, isn’t it?