May 25, 2006 11:48 am US/Mountain
New Belgium Planning Big Expansion, New Plant
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) ―
New Belgium Brewing Co., the maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale and other microbrews, said it is planning a $21.5 million capital expansion after a 12 percent increase in sales last year.
The plan includes a new, 55,000-square-foot bottling and packaging facility, said Bryan Simpson, New Belgium spokesman.
New Belgium will spend $11.5 million on the building and the remaining $10 million on new equipment, said Jim Spencer, director of engineering for New Belgium.
"As we continue to grow, the only bottleneck we have for expansion is in our bottling capacity," he said this week.
By May 2007, the microbrewery will put out 700 bottles a minute, compared to the current 300 bottles per minute, Spencer said. The brewery is on track for an estimated 400,000 barrels this year. With the expansion, the microbrewery could eventually reach up to 800,000 barrels.
No new employees will be needed on the bottling line, but no layoffs are planned, the company said. More than 30 new positions have been created in the past couple years, primarily in sales offices.
New Belgium said it plans to use environmentally conscious construction techniques. Recycled steel components and recycled concrete will be used. A recycle program will funnel some construction waste away from the landfill.
Natural lighting will be built into the building. The heating-ventilation-cooling system will not use Freon, Spencer said.
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