Bichot rejuvenates its storage and packaging facilities to pamper its Burgundy Crus, and attract manpower

rom the outside, the new ‘Albert Bichot Technical Division’ south of Beaune, looks more like the head office of a start-up company than facilities for storing and packaging wine. Over its 17,000 m2 footprint, wines are matured, packaged, stored and then shipped by the company, which both produces and trades in wine, selling 5 to 6 million bottles annually. “The aim was to bring together all the ‘downstream’ aspects of our production under one roof, while retaining our dedicated wineries in the wine villages”, explains technical director Matthieu Mangenot.

The shiny new tanks will house nearly two thirds of the company’s wines as they finish their maturation phase. The facilities also boast three bottling lines where each section is controlled by an automated, digitalised panel. The eight robots embody the same technological spirit, handling packing, unpacking, crate filling and palletisation so that the most physical tasks can be done away with.

Each machine is interconnected via a computer network to identify which part can slow down the entire process in real time, and troubleshoot before incidents occur. The company prefers not to disclose the precise sum invested in the new facilities, but says it represents “approximately 40% of annual turnover”.  To ensure a return on its investment, it is relying on faster production rates, flow optimisation and added benefits. The design aims for energy savings, and production: “The roof is equipped with a 2,300 m2 photovoltaic power plant producing 500 kW-peak, which covers the site’s requirements and also those of another remote site through a collective self-consumption contract”. This is probably a first in the Burgundy wine region.