Marc Watkiss, NPI production leader, with business development manager Matthew HeatherThe West Yorkshire company behind the fastest-growing automated self-serve drink solutions in the UK is ramping up production after extending its manufacturing partnership with
PP Control & Automation (PP C&A).
EBar, which has developed patented pour technology capable of delivering 200 pints per hour, has sealed a number of new contracts with sporting venues for its Beerwall technology and this will see the number of units in operation rise to 100 by the end of 2025.
To cope with this increase in volumes it has pressed the ‘scale-up’ button with manufacturing outsourcing specialist PP C&A, who took over the complete electronics and mechanical build and full assembly earlier this year. A dedicated team of eight engineers at its West Midlands factory has created a specialist production cell that has the potential to build up to five units every week, a 200% increase on the previous capacity.
Nick Beeson, founder of EBar, said: “The best inventions are often born out of necessity and that is certainly true of EBar, which is transforming bar service at live venues and sporting events across the UK. My co-founder missed a vital try at a Rugby international while queuing for a half-time pint. This got us both thinking that there must be a better option and that is exactly what we have developed – first with our mobile technology and now with our built-in Beerwall solution.”
He continued: “Our simple three-step ‘order, pay, pour’ interface is proving a major hit not only with event goers, music lovers and sports fans, but also with venue operators keen to improve service and maximise revenue. This has led to a massive surge in orders, and we will have Beerwalls installed in five Premier League football stadiums, including Brighton Hove Albion, by the start of next season. We wanted to source a manufacturing partner that offered us repeatable quality and, importantly, the ability to scale-up quickly and that is where PP C&A has really come into its own.”
‘Outsourcing partnership’Two units per week were built by PP C&A during the initial production phase but six months into the ‘outsourcing partnership’, with systems and processes in place, production of the Beerwall is hitting the target of producing five units per week.
Build time has been cut in half and right first-time rates have improved significantly meaning EBar has full confidence in the performance of its technology when it is installed in a commercial setting. Supply chain management concerns have been minimised by giving full responsibility to PP C&A, with new components identified for future builds that could save time and money.
Engineers from both teams continue to work with full transparency to identify other assembly improvements and to explore how the latest technology addition - the automatic cup feeder for example - can be integrated into future builds.
Mr Beeson added: “The last 12 months have been transformational for EBar. We have proven that our automated drink dispensing technology works at major live events, and we are now ready to capitalise on a significant increase in orders for our Beerwall range. Our outsourcing relationship gives us the manufacturing confidence that we will meet current order times, as well as having the scale-up capability to ramp production to hundreds of Beerwall units each year.”
Matt Heather, business and development manager at PP C&A, said: “Outsourcing is about understanding the bigger picture - the pain points, the end goal and what looks like success — these are all conversations we had with Nick and his engineering team before we started. This led to a strong partnership that we hope will be in place for many years to come.”
He concluded: “EBar is delivering one of the biggest hospitality innovations in decades and we are giving it the production capability to maximise its first-to-market opportunity. It’s fantastic to see two domestic innovators commercialising the technology in the UK.”