With nearly 150 years of brewing tradition, Damm is one of Spain’s most iconic breweries. Based in Barcelona, it ranks as the country’s second-largest brewer, with a strong export presence in Portugal and the UK. At their spacious and modern production site, a large part of all beverages are filled into cans of various sizes. To ensure those cans are free from damage or contaminants, product matches the printing oft he can, and display a complete and legible best-before date, Damm relies on inspection technology from "BBull" Technology, based in Königsbach-Stein, Germany. Unlike many German breweries, space is not an issue at Damm. The production site is exceptionally spacious, housing four large bottle lines, two high-speed keg lines and three powerful can lines operating between 60,000 and 90,000 cans per hour. 

Almost everything runs automatically

One of the most striking features of the facility is its high level of automation. In the canning halls, you’ll hardly see any operators. Empty cans are retrieved from massive storage areas and transported by autonomous forklifts, which also feed the depalletizers. From there, aluminum cans rush along hundreds of meters of conveyors, weaving through the hall at incredible speeds. They’re cleaned with water, inspected for damage or foreign objects, and verified to match the correct product type.

Before filling, the cans are rinsed, then filled, seamed, pasteurized and finally palletized after a long journey through the facility. Notably, Damm has stopped using plastic shrink wrap for 6-, 8-, and 12-packs and now uses cardboard instead. “We were pioneers in Spain with this approach - now most others are doing it too,” says Javier Sanchez, project engineer and part of the brewery’s technical leadership team. After palletizing, pallets navigate autonomously through the facility to storage. “Of course, we still have operators who intervene during faults or emergencies, or to load labels and cartons - but otherwise, the canning process runs almost entirely without human involvement,” says Sanchez.

Can inspection: Contents must exactly match the printing of the can

With booming demand, Damm has been continuously expanding its production capacity. They recently acquired adjacent land and constructed a new hall to house a new can line. “We designed the line, and once the line was drawn, we started projecting the building”, explains Sanchez.

The new line fills up to 90,000 cans per hour - running around the clock during the summer. “We offer a wide variety of beers and can formats. It was essential to install a system that guarantees no damaged or deformed cans make it into the filler or seamer - that could cause serious issues,” Sanchez explains. He has been with the company for 17 years supporting technical projects at the different production plants oft he group in Spain, Portugal and UK. Another top priority: ensuring the can’s content matches the printing oft he can. “It would be a disaster if a can labeled alcohol-free contained regular beer, or if a ‘gluten-free’ label hid a product with gluten. That’s a health risk for people with celiac disease,” Sanchez emphasizes.

Each can features a unique barcode identifying the product. Every single barcode must be scanned and verified. “We also need to ensure every can has a correctly printed and fully legible best-before date. Any container with missing or defective print must be securely rejected.”
Currently, the codes are ink-printed using inkjet technology, but the line is already prepared for a future switch to laser printing. “We did extensive research into the best solution provider and ultimately chose 'BBull' Technology - and it was absolutely the right call,” says Sanchez.

Multi-camera system in can inspection checks for deformations, damage, and contamination

In partnership with 'BBull'’s Spanish distributor, Sicopack, Estrella Damm selected 'BBull' to supply the can inspection systems for Line 19. The solution includes a multi-camera setup with the Image ECI system for empty can inspection and "Image 360" for printing and label inspection. The goal of "Image ECI" is early detection of damage and contamination - minimizing waste and preventing costly issues with the filler, seamer, or worst-case scenario: a product recall. Using high-resolution cameras, tailored optics, and lighting, the system inspects all critical parts of the can, regardless of material (aluminum or steel). It checks the flange, top plate, roundness, dents, bottom cleanliness, and interior sidewalls. Diffuser panels ensure even lighting, and the system can inspect up to 140,000 cans per hour. Faulty containers are reliably rejected. Operation and visualization take place via a 21” color touchscreen.

Inspection solution checks label/print and best-before date

"Image 360" is "BBull"’s advanced solution for increasing filling efficiency. Even at the highest line speeds, its wraparound camera array ensures that each can has the correct label and content match - identified via barcode. Working with minimal spacing between cans, the system captures multiple images from different angles, merges them, and analyzes shape and color. It then compares the results to pre-defined standards to ensure label and product alignment. Finally, the system verifies that the best-before date is correctly printed on the bottom of the can. To guarantee maximum product quality, all cans flagged with defects are automatically rejected.

Conveyor specialist for can handling

A second partner in this project was German comany HF Meyer, based in Neustadt in Holstein. They are specialists in can handling solutions for the beverage market, with a lot of experience in can conveyors, vacuum bridges and can rinsers. At the Damm project it was supplied a set of conveyors to have a defined position of the cans under the inspection equipment and a vacuum tunnel to transport the empty cans from the top of the can to be coded with the best before date at the bottom of the can. The tunnel its already prepared to run inkjet coding equipment or with laser coding equipment.

High reliability in can inspection promised and delivered

“’BBull’ guaranteed us reliable identification even with minimal spacing between cans,” says Javier Sanchez. “That’s key for us - smaller spacing allows us to run the line more slowly, which lowers the risk of disruption. Higher speed always increases the chance of issues. ‘BBull’ promised us exceptional reliability - and they delivered.”

Catalonia’s favorite beer

In 1872, Alsatian brewmaster August Kuentzmann Damm moved to Catalonia and soon after founded his own brewery. He crafted a light beer tailored to the Mediterranean climate and local cuisine. He named the brand “Estrella”, the Spanish and Catalan word for “star,” which also became the brand’s logo. Today, Damm operates a cutting-ede brewing plant in Barcelona’s southern industrial zone.
The company produces a wide range of beers, including Voll Damm, the gluten-free Daura  and Inedit - a blend of lager and wheat beer with citrus and spices like orange peel, licorice, and coriander - created in collaboration with celebrity chef Ferran Adrià, among others. 

Estrella Damm, however, remains the flagship beer - Catalonia’s best-selling brew, made according to the original 1876 recipe using rice, malted barley, hops and yeast. In recent years, the brewery has also added numerous alcohol-free beverages to its lineup. Following the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, the brewery experienced significant growth. Today, it employs over 500 people in the El Prat district.

Specialist in comprehensive 360° can inspection

BBull Technology, based in Königsbach-Stein, has built a strong global reputation over the decades as a leader in inspection systems, sorting and distribution technology, and conveyor solutions for the beverage and food industries. The company designs and manufactures container and packaging inspection systems, as well as product-specific sorting, distribution, and rejection solutions - all developed in-house and made in Germany.