In Belgium transporting huge quantities of beer is a problem, which is why one Bruges-based brewery is looking to build an underground beer pipeline.
Located in the center of the historic city (an official UNESCO World Heritage Site) is De Halve Maan brewery, established in 1856. Currently it uses a truck fleet to move its stock 2 miles outside of the town to a bottling plant -- which is far from ideal given the cobble stone streets and traffic. The brewery recently acquired permission to build a 1.8 mile beer pipeline underneath Bruges to solve this problem.
Once complete, the plastic drink duct will be able to bridge the distance in 15 minutes, moving 1585 gallons of beer every hour, or 600 to 700 cases.
Underground Drink Ducts
This Brewery is Building a Beer Pipeline to Preserve Bruges's Authenticity
Trend Themes
1. Underground Logistics - Adopting an infrastructure with underground pipelines would minimize traffic congestion and carbon emissions
2. Sustainable Transportation - Breweries could adopt this innovate solution in order to cut down on fuel usage and reduce carbon footprints
3. Smart City Infrastructure - Cities can become more sustainable and efficient by adopting underground pipelines for transportation of goods
Industry Implications
1. Brewing - Breweries can invest in underground pipeline infrastructure to move beer more efficiently and rapidly without logistical hurdles.
2. Smart City Solutions - Designing underground infrastructure systems can fast track effective use of clean energy solutions and reduce carbon footprints for cities
3. Transportation and Logistics - Adopting pipeline infrastructure is an innovative step towards sustainable and efficient solutions for transportation and logistics.