Precision fluid control enhances Heineken SmartDispense system

Delivering a consistently high-quality pint depends on far more than the brewing process. Once beer leaves the brewery, maintaining the correct serving temperature and ensuring dispense lines are cleaned effectively become critical to preserving flavour, product quality, and consumer satisfaction.

For brewing giant Heineken, these challenges became even more significant with the continued growth of alcohol-free beer among consumers. Products containing little or no alcohol require tighter control of hygiene and temperature, as the absence of alcohol reduces the product's natural resistance to bacterial growth. At the same time, pub operators require dispensing systems that are reliable, energy-efficient, and simple to maintain.

Heineken's SmartDispense system was already delivering high standards of beer quality, but the company identified an opportunity to further improve temperature management and automate the daily cleaning process, particularly for its rapidly expanding 0.0% ABV product range.

The objective was clear: engineer a solution capable of maintaining precise low-temperature control while enabling a fast, repeatable, and fully automated cleaning cycle between the keg and the tap. The dispense system also needed to minimise energy consumption, reduce maintenance requirements, and operate reliably across demanding hospitality environments.

Having collaborated successfully for more than a decade, IMI understood both the technical requirements of beverage dispensing and the operational demands placed on pub landlords and venue operators. Working closely with Heineken's engineering team, IMI developed a customised valve and manifold assembly specifically designed to meet these new performance objectives.

Engineering the solution

Rather than adapting an off-the-shelf product, IMI engineered a bespoke solution based on its proven TruControl MS valve technology.

The engineering team modified its TruControl media-separated valves, replacing FKM diaphragms with EPDM materials to overcome issues associated with low-temperature rigidity while reducing the risk of beer leakage.

To further improve thermal performance, IMI also developed an innovative latching solenoid valve. Conventional solenoids generate heat while energised, potentially affecting temperature-sensitive applications during extended operating periods. The new latching design eliminates this issue by requiring power only during actuation. Once switched, the valve remains in position without consuming additional energy.

This innovation not only helps maintain tighter temperature control around the beer in the system but also reduces power consumption from nine watts to zero watts after actuation, delivering significant energy savings over the operational life of the system.

Equally important was the redesign of the cleaning process. IMI incorporated a unique zero dead-volume on/off cleaning valve mounted within a double-wall manifold. By eliminating areas where beer could remain trapped inside the valve, the design enables a rapid, repeatable, automated cleaning and flushing cycle from keg to tap. This improves hygiene, reduces contamination risk, and provides greater confidence that every dispense meets Heineken's quality standards.

Delivering measurable benefits

The enhanced SmartDispense system now combines precise temperature management with fully automated cleaning to help ensure every pint reaches consumers in optimum condition.

For Heineken, benefits are practical: improved temperature stability for consistently high product quality; enhanced hygiene performance, particularly for alcohol-free beers and ciders; automated cleaning of the valve that reduces manual intervention while improving repeatability; lower energy consumption through IMI's latching solenoid technology; and a robust, serviceable valve assembly designed for long-term reliability.

Brady Webb, Vertical Technical Specialist, Industrial Automation at IMI, comments: "Working alongside Heineken enabled us to fully understand the application and engineer a solution around their specific operational requirements rather than asking them to adapt to standard products. The result is a valve and manifold assembly that improves temperature control, enhances automated cleaning performance and delivers meaningful energy savings throughout the system's lifetime."

Stuart Briant, Senior Technical Manager from Heineken, adds: "Having been long-term collaborators, we are delighted with the work undertaken with IMI to support the SmartDispense system. They added real value by fully understanding what we wanted to achieve and developed the media-separated valve to meet our draught dispense requirements and the specific challenges associated with alcohol-free beer."

Supporting long-term performance

Beyond supplying the engineered solution, IMI continues to support the ongoing maintenance programme for the SmartDispense system. Valve servicing is typically carried out every two years, with IMI providing comprehensive maintenance guidance to ensure servicing can be completed efficiently and consistently.

Today, the SmartDispense system is installed across the UK, soon to expand across Global markets, helping Heineken maintain product quality while supporting landlords and venue operators with a reliable, easy-to-maintain dispensing solution.

Stuart concludes: "The Heineken SmartDispense system, supported by IMI's valve manifold technology, effectively controls both temperature and hygiene throughout the dispense system. This helps our customers serve consistently high-quality beer while giving consumers the drinking experience they expect every time."

By combining application knowledge with engineering innovation, the collaboration demonstrates how customised fluid control technology can solve complex operational challenges, improve efficiency, and deliver tangible value throughout the beverage dispensing process.