Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has launched a $10m integrated automation and barrel handling system featuring nine driverless forklifts a custom barrel management software system, automated barrel washing and filling facilities, and individual barrel identification.
The new system is located in TWE’s Barossa Valley winery and is expected to boost the red wine handling capacity of the hall to 125,000 barrels, as it runs 24 hours a day, five days a week.
The new system will also expand the overall production capacity at the site by 60 per cent, reduce energy consumption and create a safer working environment as manual handling tasks are minimised.
Kerrin Petty, Chief Supply & Sustainability Officer, said: “Our Barossa Valley site is fast becoming an international hub of innovation in winemaking, sustainability and resilience. Introducing full automation in our barrel hall increases our luxury and premium winemaking capacity, so we can craft more of our renowned wines for wine lovers around the world while creating a safer working environment for our people.”
This automation optimises how team members are allocated in the barrel hall, and the site’s forklift operators have either been re-skilled to operate the digital barrel management system and manage the new automated vehicles, or moved on to other roles at the site.
The enhanced data and analytics in the automated end-to-end system create greater traceability and improved quality for the site’s 60,000 barrels of wine across brands including Penfolds, Pepperjack and Saltram.
Director of Supply Technology Jodie Rowlands added: “We’ve seen improvements in safety, efficiency, and traceability in our barrel hall, with the team on site embracing the new way of working. The efficiency and precision of automated, sensor-based forklifts to transport the barrels lowers energy consumption compared to manual handling processes.”
Project planning and trials started in late 2020, with the integrated system commissioned and fully operational in June 2024.