Where can brewery manufacturers turn for industry-leading centrifugal pump solutions? Phil Spivey, owner of Bru Gear, turned to Finish Thompson Inc. and has been reaping the benefits ever since.

Bru Gear designs world-class craft brewery vessels and systems in Tempe, AZ. The company’s microbrewery market includes a high demand for FDA-friendly keg washers. For optimal results, these machines must do more than simply clean and sanitize kegs. The equipment must allow micro- brewers to easily disconnect the system, comply with FDA material requirements, and do all of this economically.

Spivey discovered Finish Thompson to be the perfect partner to meet each of these demands. He explains, “We’ve worked with several manufacturers over the years, and what we were looking for was a reliable partner who was going to help us go to market. Since our keg washers are 100% made in the USA, we also wanted to work with a trusted domestic brand. We met with Richard McDevitt of Finish Thompson and discovered they could offer us great support.”

McDevitt, Regional Manager, notes, “Our competition offered a similar pump, but they didn’t have the same options we offer for FDA compliance. By choosing our AP series centrifugal pump, Bru Gear was able to equip their product with a stainless-steel pump that features the connections they needed and the compliance they needed. We were also able to make their production more economical, which effectively boosts their bottom line.”

Streamlined Solution

“The brewery industry has needs for sanitary solutions when handling products,” Spivey notes. “They’ve largely standardized on the tri-clamp, so this is a standard sanitary fitting for us. The Finish Thompson FDA compliant pump has this as an option, where a lot of pump manufacturers don’t have them. Some try to get around it by supplying a standard fitting that you can thread onto, but this doesn’t give you a true sanitary connection. The fact that Finish Thompson has gone to the effort to make their housings FDA compatible makes it a much more streamlined solution. It’s much easier for us to integrate into our system.”

Brand Recognition

Cost and compliance were not the only factors Spivey considered as he chose a pump manufacturer. Finish Thompson’s reputation heightened the appeal of their products.

Spivey explains, “Finish Thompson is a market leader in the brewing industry. For us, working with them brings the benefits of networking. Being able to say ‘our keg washers integrate Finish Thompson pumps’ is a positive. Finish Thompson has a reputation for reliability, so when we present our keg washer with their pump in it, it underscores our reliability as far as our customers are concerned. They’ve seen and used Finish Thompson pumps in other equipment, so it offers immediate brand recognition and trust.”

Spivey now installs Finish Thompson pumps into every washer he sells.

Versatile Application

What’s it been like to work with Finish Thompson? “It’s been a straightforward process,” says Spivey, “which is what we like. We’ve been working with them for a while, now, and we’ll definitely be using Finish Thompson pumps for future products. In fact, we’ve started installing their pumps in other parts of breweries. We can mount the same series of pumps with different flow rates to allow brewers to pump liquids. The equipment can facilitate moving beer as well as well as cleaning processes. In short, working with Finish Thompson is a win-win.”