Bamberg – On 21st November 2016, KASPAR SCHULZ Brauereimaschinenfabrik & Apparatebauanstalt e.K., a Bamberg-based company with a long tradition, was awarded the Bavarian Innovation Prize 2016 in a ceremony held in the Ehrensaal ballroom of the Deutsche Museum in Munich.

The prize, which was launched as a joint initiative of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Bavarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the working community of the Bavarian Chamber of Craftsmen, is awarded for outstanding achievements in innovation. Prizes are awarded for innovation in products and/or processes and innovative technology-based services that have already experienced an initial success on the market or whose market success is predicted in the foreseeable future. The six award winners were honoured for their outstanding innovations by Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner, the President of the Bavarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Dr Eberhard Sasse, and the President of the working community of the Bavarian Chamber of Craftsmen, Franz Xaver Peteranderl.

The third main prize was awarded specifically for the SCHULZ malting system. Catering to the continuing rise in demand for regional products, this system is intended to produce malt in small batches. The high level of automation and simple cleaning procedure mean that the system requires only little effort to operate. The apparatus itself consists of a steeping vessel and a germinating-kilning drum. Further features include the exceedingly gentle treatment of the grain during processing. Homogenization of the mash occurs naturally through the rotation of the drum itself, making the need for a corkscrew mixing apparatus obsolete. The high flexibility of the system mean that it can produce a wide range of malt varieties.

Led by its tenth generation of family owners, KASPAR SCHULZ manufactures technologies such as turnkey brewing and malting plants, which have now been installed in over 63 countries. As the oldest existing industrial enterprise in Bamberg, the company has expanded its workforce by 63 members in the last five years alone, totalling 161 employees today. In order to meet the high demand of craft beer breweries, SCHULZ expanded its production capacity by acquiring Hinke Tankbau GmbH in January 2016, despite recently moving into a new building in late 2014. Production of the award-winning SCHULZ malting systems started several months ago at the new location in northern Austria's Vöcklamarkt region.

The successful growth of the company can be attributed mainly to the development of new markets and the innovative strength of the company, which has already been named among BAVARIA’S BEST 50 and TOP 100 companies. “As an entrepreneur”, explains owner and CEO Johannes Schulz-Hess, “I am only responsible for creating the external framework. I consider this award above all to be a recognition of the outstanding achievements of my employees. As a company that has grown over the centuries, we are very proud to have developed this innovative power through our forward-looking strategic planning”, says owner and CEO Johannes Schulz-Hess.