Declining beer sales and changes in consumer habits are demanding a strategic realignment of the industry worldwide. The KHS Group will be demonstrating how beverage producers can successfully shape this transition at this year’s BrauBeviale in Nuremberg. From November 10 to 12, under the trade show theme of ‘All Beverages. One Future. Our Solutions.’ the systems supplier will focus on its future-proof turnkey plant engineering from a single source – from the initial concept and system planning to flexible line concepts and consistent life cycle support.
A look at the figures highlights the dynamics in the market: whereas beer sales are declining worldwide, new growth opportunities are arising away from this classic area of the beverage industry. In Germany alone, beer sales in 2025 fell below the 80-million-hectoliter mark for the first time. This development is prompting an increasing number of traditional breweries to expand their portfolio. Companies striving for long-term future growth are expanding their portfolios to include new categories such as alcohol-free beers, flavored water, soft drinks or ready-to-drink products. “The change in our industry won’t just happen at some point – it’s already in full swing,” confirms Tobias Wetzel, CSO of the KHS Group. “Changing consumer habits demand maximum flexibility. Today, what matters is no longer the performance of individual machines, but that of the entire production line. This is increasingly becoming a strategic success factor for beverage producers.”
Flexibility meets resource efficiency
This is where KHS comes in: as a long-term partner, the systems supplier uses its holistic system expertise to help beverage producers transform established production structures into highly flexible production environments – across all beverage and container segments. At its trade show booth, KHS will demonstrate how this transformation works in practice, for example based on its highperformance glass line for the growing water market. One key aspect is to use state-of-the-art machines as components that are seamlessly integrated into a perfectly aligned complete system that minimizes unplanned downtime and improves overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
The Innoclean Cascade D bottle washing machine is a prime example in this regard. The new double-end generation was developed with a focus on resource efficiency and features modern ECO carrier 2.0 bottle pockets, enhanced label discharge and a smaller bath volume coupled with the highest standard of hygiene. The optimized heating concept impresses with simplified maintenance and cleaning as well as better accessibility. The compact machine also has a footprint that is around ten percent smaller than comparable systems.
