Aug. 25, 2025
A pandemic has hit, your business is forced to close, and the need to pivot to to-go packaging becomes essential. At the same time, in some areas, small business loans are being granted and unforeseen opportunities to expand are presented. Regardless of the exact scenario, many brewers have found themselves in new territory navigating the world of can packaging. The question of where to begin is common, but the answers are not always easily found.
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As a mobile canning company, supply distributor, and machine manufacturer, American Canning is uniquely positioned to help brewers understand and evaluate all facets of a value-driven canning operation. They specialize in the craft beverage space and are equipped to address customer needs, from planning to supply procurement and production execution.
Based on their expertise, here is a guide to entering and expanding your canning operation.
Prior to purchasing a canning line, it is important to outline your canning needs and goals, as well as document any space, labor and/or financial constraints that exist.
Start by asking two essential questions, what is the total volume and type of can-packaged product I want to be producing within the next one to three years? And how do I plan to package it? From there, calculate the minimum throughput and required machine adaptability to achieve your goals.
Small-batch packaging of one beverage type for on-premise service may best be accomplished with a compact and cost-effective countertop filler/seamer, whereas larger-scale distribution of numerous products in multiple can styles will require a more robust, flexible, and/or higher-speed canning solution.
As production requirements begin to take shape, ask yourself who will be responsible for delivering on your packaging goals as well. Do you have the time, space, and technical and financial resources to establish a canning operation in-house? Or is a mobile canning operation best suited to provide the necessary equipment, expertise, and supply inventory? Facility constraints, staffing abilities, capital investment, access to quality control equipment, operating costs/margins, schedule flexibility/adaptability, and storage and sourcing of supplies are all essential components of this decision.
For in-house production, the final step of a quality packaging plan is thorough consideration and prioritization of equipment needs. The primary focus of any canning line should be the filler/seamer, but it is important to understand and outline the available resources/requirements for all systems, because some components are more easily incorporated at onset versus after initial install. For example, out-feed can handle application can be accomplished by hand, with an automated applicator added later. In comparison, a de-palletizer is much more easily incorporated from the beginning.
It’s easy to say that planning is key. However for a brewer new to the canning space, what does that actually mean? At American Canning, we recommend focusing on five key areas in your evaluation of any machine:
Consider the number of canning sessions per week as well as the length of each canning shift. In addition, consider variations in speed per can size/fill volume.
It is important to keep in mind what equipment will interface with your product (filler/seamer, a robust CO2 system and pumps) and what equipment is simply to measure and verify various quality metrics (carbonation level, DO pickup, can seams, and date coders). The first should be addressed with any initial purchase and fully compatible with all projected needs. As budget allows, adding secondary equipment to ensure each process and machine is performing as expected will greatly increase overall can quality and packaging efficiency.
Because canning lines require a wide variety of repairs over time, choosing equipment that is easy to understand and work on is essential. The quantity of custom components incorporated into a machine may cause sourcing replacement parts to be inordinately costly and/or time consuming. For this reason, breweries should always stock spare parts for critical components such as sensors and bearings. Performing routine preventative maintenance is key to keeping any line running smoothly, especially filler/seamers. If you don’t take care of your equipment, issues tend to compound, and you may experience a series of cascading failures and unnecessary costs.
From our experience in mobile canning and machine building, we have found that counterpressure systems allow for a shorter learning curve for operators and a higher tolerance for beverage products that may normally be considered too warm or carbonated for traditional atmospheric-filled cans. With so many companies looking to move into new beverage categories and can-body diameters or fill volumes, versatility of equipment (without an increased learning curve) is essential. Equipment that is flexible and easy to maintain will allow for much easier adaptation to changing market conditions and/or unexpected labor and supply constraints.
Nothing is worse than finally getting your equipment set and not having the necessary supplies to complete a packaging shift. As plans for production and machine acquisition are underway, it is important to begin understanding the supply chain and product availability.
First, know your product and any associated packaging regulations associated with its type. Depending on alcohol content and/or distribution, there may be limitations on the size of packaging you can source, the liner it is produced with, and/or the deposit labeling that is needed on the can end.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of canning line machine manufacturer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Second, know the core components of a can package. This begins with the fundamental understanding that a can is shipped empty and separate from its lid, and that not all cans and ends are compatible. There are varying can styles, as defined by can body-diameter, and each as has a corresponding lid. Be sure to order compatible products in equivalent quantities of each item with plenty of lead time. It is important to note, not all supplies are manufactured on a consistent basis; some are considered campaign items and are only produced a few times per year. If purchasing direct from manufacturer, be cognizant of production schedules as they relate to your projected volumes, and order early in consideration of peak demand season; just-in-time inventory is nearly impossible and allows little flexibility in allocations. Purchasing from a distributor like American Canning often provides bundled savings, e-commerce accessibility, lower lead times, assurance of equivalent supply quantities, and consistent product availability.
Finally, be sure to order supplies that align with your brand goals. For on-site packaging, a Brite (blank) can with applied pressure sensitive label may provide the most flexibility coupled with minimal storage requirement. Meanwhile, shrink-sleeve cans with brightly colored can handles or custom printed boxes may be more appealing on retail shelves. The options for design and brand representation are essentially endless—know your plan and purchase accordingly.
Canning day has finally arrived! You’ve planned, prepared, and purchased with purpose, now it’s time to finally see your brand(s) in cans. While there is nothing more exciting than getting to this point, it is important to realize a large learning curve still lies ahead. As new machines are deployed, there will be waste time and product at first. Plan to operate at reduced speeds until staff are fully trained and all machines are completely calibrated for your beverage type(s) and can size(s). Allow yourself time to learn; do not set a distributor pickup immediately following a new product launch or machine installation. Most importantly, if the learning curve ever seems too steep, take a deep breath and remember that it’s craft—there is a strong community of experienced can suppliers and packaging operators who are ready and willing to help. Create a network with access to these resources, and troubleshoot support.
With the demand for retail and to-go packaging continuing to soar, we hope these tips are helpful to consider in terms of establishing expanding your can packaging operation.
In this ever-changing landscape, canning is more important than ever. There is a lot to consider before canning your beer, and at times brewers are overwhelmed by the number of variables they need to consider to make the best decision for their business.
Here are a few things you should make sure you are thinking about:
Cans, cans, cans. What size? Who are you sourcing them from? What lid type? Can you get the desired size easily? Should you label or shrink-sleeve them? These are all the questions you should have answers to, at a minimum, before looking for a canning system.
There are so many questions about when is the correct time to investigate cans. The answer is always, "sooner rather than later." When we are looking to configure a canning system, we design the system based on the can and lid specification. Small differences in lid choices can mean configuring the canning system with different parts. It is important to know that before purchase, as it can drastically affect lead time if changes need to be made afterward. Most canning companies have lists of canning suppliers that can help breweries source the cans they need.
Should a brewery always start with mobile canning? Mobile canning often is the soft entry for brewers into the canning process. While it can be cost-intensive at times, it offers a low-risk trial to see if canning is a worthwhile investment for the brewery. The added benefit is that if a brewer decides to purchase a system of their own, they often already know what cans, lids, and labeling they will be using for their product. This information is crucial to have before committing to a canning system. Having this information ready greatly reduces the stress of the process for most canning.
What is throughput, and why does it matter? Throughput is the amount of material passing through a system. In the canning industry, it is most often quantified as cans per minute, or CPM. Knowing what throughput you want on the machine is key to making sure you get a machine that will meet your needs. A simple way to assess this is how many barrels per batch you plan to can, and how many barrels per hour a particular machine can handle. For example, our Gunnison model cans three barrels per hour. If you are planning on canning seven barrels at a time, you would have 2.5 hours of canning plus and hour for setup and an hour for cleanup at the end. All together, you would be looking at a 4.5-hour day of canning. Even if you plan to can more of your product due to COVID-19, you would have room for six to nine more barrels per day, for an eight- to nine-hour canning day. Most brewers find it helpful to put the throughput needs into this sort of equation.
Set a budget. Budget is often the deciding factor in a decision on a canning system. It is important to have an idea of what the cost difference is between the base model of a machine and the total cost with add-on features, shipping, crating, and service. If you are planning to rely on financing, they sometimes require a quote for lease/financing approval. Also, it is helpful to know that most finance companies take from a few days to a week to submit a down payment, which can affect lead times.
Consider the space available. This is one of the factors that tends to get overshadowed by the exciting features of a new canning system. However, it is a big deal. It is important to have a general idea of the size of the space that you plan to can your beer in. If you can supply that to Twin Monkeys, we will even provide a CAD drawing to enable the brewer to get a visual idea of the scale of the canning equipment in the available space.
Purchasing a canning system is a large investment for most breweries, and at Twin Monkeys we understand the care that goes into that decision. We are happy to help get you the information you need to make the best decision for your business. There are a lot of factors to consider, and it is our business model—now more than ever—to be the partner you need on making a decision that will get your business on its way to packaging your product.
As the landscape changes for the brewing industry, and packaging takes center stage, we are committed to helping craft breweries make the most of this new world.
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