Anheuser-Busch to invest $15M in Fort Collins production-line improvements

FORT COLLINS — Anheuser-Busch Cos. LLC plans to spend $15.5 million to upgrade its bottling lines at its Fort Collins brewery.

The investment will allow the beer giant to shift away from a packed-glass bottling process, which involves secondary packaging materials such as cardboard cases and partitions, toward a bulk-glass process in which bottles are stacked directly onto pallets.

The move “allows Fort Collins to streamline production in-house, strengthening its supply chain, reducing emissions and driving efficiencies across the business,” Anheuser-Busch said.

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The St. Louis, Missouri-based beer giant expects the new bulk-bottling lines to be installed and operational by this summer. 

“Transforming our bottling line from a packed glass to bulk glass system enables us to be more efficient with our brewery’s beer production,” Tim Seitz, general manager of the Anheuser-Busch Fort Collins brewery, said in a prepared statement. “Enhancing our brewery’s infrastructure also builds on our capabilities as a brewer and gives our employees the opportunity to develop new technical skill sets and personally contribute to the innovation and growth of the company.”  

Anheuser-Busch employs more than 1,000 workers in Colorado. 

“Investing in the communities where our people live and work is part of who we are,” A-B CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement. “This investment in our Fort Collins brewery not only drives efficiencies for our business and improves the capabilities of our facility, but it also puts Anheuser-Busch in a unique position to build on our industry-leading support for our employees with on-the-job education and growth opportunities for our frontline workers.”   

Anheuser-Busch narrowly avoided a work stoppage at breweries across the country, including at the Fort Collins facility, during a March labor dispute with employees who are members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.

The union, which represents about 5,000 Anheuser-Busch workers, said in February that a strike “appears unavoidable,” but the two sides were able to hammer out a five-year labor contract that kept the beer flowing and provided pay increases, more generous benefits and additional vacation time for union workers. 

“Anheuser-Busch is a long-standing community partner, and I’m pleased that it’s making this investment in its Fort Collins brewery,” Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Ardnt said in a prepared statement after A-B went public with its plans to upgrade the Northern Colorado operation. “In a state that values innovation and sustainability, we’re excited to see Anheuser-Busch improving its capabilities in a way that reinforces its commitment to leaving a positive impact on the community and operating sustainably.”