Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Glauner GmbH & Co. KG

High quality products made from natural ingredients are the result of the successful family brewery, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu. High quality data material for corporate management is provided by its controlling staff – assisted by the software of Corporate Planning.

Rolling hills, lush forests, clear water – pristine nature. For centuries at Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Glauner GmbH & Co. KG, beer has been brewed “with the famous brewing water from the Black Forest”. Like in Wilhelmine times, the brewing water still comes to the brew house untreated, directly from its own sources in the nearby Glaswiesen nature reserve. The quality of the main raw materials, hops, malt, yeast and water, is the basis for the various brewing specialties. Thus, a cornerstone of the Glauner family corporate philosophy is: no economy without ecology. This principle is now being successfully practised in the fourth generation.

As for the economy, the family company focuses on quality to the same degree. For three years now, Corporate Planner has been supporting the Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu family brewery in the management of the company. The controlling software is used across the areas of finance, cost accounting and sales.

Entered once, used many times

In the controlling of the family business, not only the personnel costs and cost reports of the sales staff are depicted in Corporate Planner, but also the contribution margin analyses.

Due to the versatile analysis and simulation functions, the entire budgeting process is much easier and can be performed more precisely.

Katrin S. Glauner, Managing Director of Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu, works with the CP-Software daily and enters the relevant data. These days, the software is used actively throughout the company for evaluations, such as by the HR department and the distribution and service departments.

“Corporate Planner is versatile and also relatively cost-effective in acquisition. The system is easy to handle for all users. Another plus: there are no interface problems.” That’s how Katrin Glauner reaffirms the decision taken three years ago to replace Excel. Corporate Planner interacts directly with the Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu accounting system, an AS400 based industry-specific software program. The short implementation and training period of three weeks quickly established confidence in the new corporate performance management tool.

“Tested and approved” – that is the principle the Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu family brewery sets as the standard for their products. At the annual quality competition of the German Agricultural Society, the brands of beer from the Black Forest have satisfied the auditors‘ taste one hundred per cent and passed the rigorous testing with the highest distinction.

Data at your fingertips

At the Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu brewery, the fast availability of data is highly valued. Due to the flexibility of Corporate Planner, plans can be adapted and translated into action without delay. The time savings pay off in the truest sense of the word. In addition to these advantages in carrying out daily corporate performance management tasks, there is another important effect: the individual custom reports in a professional layout attract much praise from banks and other business partners. In return, the company benefits in terms of investment projects.

Katrin Glauner sums up: “What I appreciate most are the fast availability of the data and the meaningful variance analysis. The knowledge gained from these findings is a reliable basis for me to make decisions. Budgets and targets can be checked and actively controlled at any time.” The presentation of data in the clearly arranged Corporate Planner tree structure proves to be especially helpful when eliminating unnecessary data, according to the Managing Director. To get the most out of the software for the family brewery, Katrin Glauner has gained extensive knowledge by participating in CP training courses (basic and advanced courses and training in integrated financial planning) to become an expert in working with Corporate Planner.

Hence, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu invests for a sustainable future, not only in nature conservation and the careful utilisation of natural resources, but also in its busi- ness management – and this guarantees customers the consistent quality of its products.

About Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu

For over a hundred years, the Glauner family has been running the brewery with passion. The former Benedictine monastery of Alpirsbach, founded in 1095, is located in the midst of the northern Black Forest.

Carl Glauner bought the brewery in 1877 and brought it back into business three years later. He advanced the modernisation of the brewing operation and introduced steam power in 1893. His son, Carl Hermann Glauner, took over the company in 1930. As a brewer, trained in Weihenstephan, he laid the foundation for their own water supply to the brewery by buying up the surrounding water sources and forest. He wanted to be sure of having absolutely pure water flowing directly from source to brew house.

In what is now the fourth generation under Carl Wilfried Glauner, the Alpirsbach World of Brewing has been set up, which is a visitor centre concerning all aspects relating to beer with a brewery museum, glass blowing and the gallery for contemporary art established by his father, as well as the Alpirsbach nature project.

Today, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu has nearly 80 employees who produce beer for every taste: from pils through a range of wheat beers to specialities and seasonal varieties such as bock beer and Christmas beer.