Burg Azijn safeguards the expertise of master brewers and standardizes natural vinegar production
The refined production process of natural vinegar at Burg Azijn (part of the Burg Group) used to exist mainly in the minds of a small group of master brewers. With the help of ELICIT, they reduce their dependence on specialists and achieve consistent top quality through a standardized approach.
© Header photo: Niels Brokaar
The unique vinegar process of Burg Azijn
Burg Azijn produces natural vinegar through a natural process in which alcohol is converted into vinegar by the acetic acid bacterium Acetobacter in a fermentor. It is a delicate process where precise control of temperature and concentrations is essential.
“A temperature that’s too high can kill the bacteria”, says Technology Manager Inge Mewe. “So it’s important that the settings are exactly right. That way, we prevent downtime and unnecessarily long production times.”
“We’re creating a standardized working method that allows every brewer to work independently while maintaining stable, top-level performance across the board.”
Inge Mewe, Technology Manager Burg Group
A small group of specialists in charge
The settings for this ‘perfect process’ largely resided in the minds of a small group of experienced vinegar brewers. “We have a few master brewers who know the installations inside out”, says Production Manager Viljo Pos.
Brewer Willem Wit is a perfect example. Viljo: “He’s even featured on the label of our own vinegar brand Tromp & Rueb– that says it all. Master brewers like Willem are available 24/7 as a source of knowledge for others. They can be reached by phone and can monitor issues remotely from home. This makes the process dependent on a small group of people. Now that this group is approaching retirement age, we want to make sure that knowledge doesn’t get lost.”
Securing knowledge with ELICIT
Technology Manager Inge Mewe had good experiences with ELICIT in the past and reached out again. “ELICIT helps to extract implicit knowledge from experts’ minds and makes it accessible to other operators.”
In this case, knowledge analyst Milou interviewed brewer Willem Wit and other experienced employees about the brewing process. “Milou carefully broke down Willem’s working method step by step. She showed great respect for his expertise, and it was clear that Willem really enjoyed sharing his knowledge. That was wonderful to see.”
A structured working method for everyone
The interviews resulted in a knowledge file that made the expertise of experienced specialists accessible to other colleagues. Using ELICIT’s user-friendly software, operators can now, with just a few clicks, see possible causes of deviations or malfunctions, what to check, and which settings can solve the problem.
“What used to be intuitive now follows a logical structure. Complex relationships within the process suddenly became understandable. We gained insight into which aspects were self-evident for experienced operators but unclear to others”, says Viljo Pos. “It gave us visibility into the underlying logic behind their decisions.”
“We’re seeing faster response times to process deviations, and operators have more tools to handle malfunctions. It also brings calm and clarity to the workflow.”
Viljo Pos, Production Manager Burg Group
The first results
What has Burg Azijn gained from it? “The ELICIT software documents the optimal brewing processes based on the experience of our most skilled experts”, says Inge. “It also provides the best approach for dealing with malfunctions or deviations. This allows every brewer to work independently while ensuring we all operate consistently at the highest level.”
What does that mean in practice? Inge: “Our factory Burg Vinegar Belgium, for example, noticed that a setting in the fermentors at Burg Azijn was different, leading to more efficient use. They immediately implemented the change.”
Viljo adds: “We’re seeing faster response times to process deviations, and operators have more tools to handle issues. It also brings calm and overview to the operation.”
Burg Azijn can continuously add new knowledge to the software. Viljo: “It functions as a living document where operators share experiences and improve procedures. This ensures continuous development and up-to-date information.”
The next steps
The success of the first ELICIT experience has already led to expansion into other production departments at Burg Azijn. A similar project is starting in the blow molding facility to safeguard knowledge about optimal bottle production.
“We now have a proven method for securing knowledge”, says Inge. “This is valuable for our complex processes and for onboarding new employees.”
But it’s also useful for sharing knowledge across sites. In addition to the Netherlands and Belgium, the Burg Group also has vinegar factories in France, the Czech Republic, Germany, and the USA. With uniform knowledge files for similar processes, the ultimate dream — a standardized workflow across all locations — is becoming increasingly real.
Inge: “We’ve laid the foundation for safeguarding, future growth, and knowledge transfer. Now it’s important to add international knowledge and learn from each other. That way, we can work as efficiently as possible at all our locations and continuously produce at a high level with a stable process.”
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Sharing knowledge is in our DNA
