#Industry News
How Erdinger Boosted Its Bottling Line Performance with Automatic Centralized Lubrication
In a system with thousands of lubrication points, precision determines whether production stops or runs at peak performance.
Erdinger Weissbräu, Germany’s largest family‑owned wheat beer brewery, produces more than 1.8 million hectoliters of beer each year and exports to over 90 countries. As demand continued to rise, the brewery needed a more flexible and reliable production process. Manual lubrication was no longer an option — it required too much time, carried the risk of over‑ or under‑lubrication, and made it easy to overlook hard‑to‑reach lubrication points during operation.
Together with SKF, Erdinger modernized its bottling line with a fully automatic centralized lubrication system. The solution is based on the SKF EDL1, an electrically driven pressure‑booster pump capable of increasing low inlet pressure to as much as 280 bar. A large drum pump feeds the main line, while 90 lubrication zones and decentralized EDL1 units ensure that more than 3,000 lubrication points across two halls and a connecting tunnel are reliably supplied — even at the most distant locations.
The EDL1 offers multiple operating modes, integrated status monitoring, low energy consumption and virtually maintenance‑free operation. Existing lines could be reused, compressed air is no longer needed, and lubrication cycles can be adjusted quickly and centrally. The result: higher system availability, reduced lubricant consumption and significantly lower wear throughout the bottling line.
