Process auditing in support of continuous improvement.

Christiansen, K.J.

Abstract
A process auditing procedure adopted by the Miller Brewing Company, under which production facilities and methods are evaluated in order to measure their performance in objective terms, monitor compliance with established standards and procedures, identify opportunities for process improvements (product quality, cost effectiveness, etc.) and set benchmarks by which changes can be measured, is described. A number of improvements in economic efficiency, environmental compatibility and product quality are stated to have been achieved through this procedure, including improvements in milling, lautering, recovery of beer from yeast, environmental and economic aspects of CIP (reducing caustic usage by adoption of acidic detergent for certain applications, among other measures) and better control of carbon dioxide levels in maturing beer.
Keywords : efficiency management production quality