Cleaning & maintenance records (CIP)

Creating cleaning and maintenance processes and schedules in Breww enhances your traceability and allows you to record when cleaning and maintenance procedures occur accurately. You can even add readings taken during a process, such as an ATP reading on a fermentation vessel, and any stock items used in a process, such as any cleaning detergents, to help log all the necessary data to make sure your records are up to date, and procedures are being followed.

Cleaning & maintenance processes

Cleaning and maintenance processes refer to the primary procedure surrounding the activity. For example, a process on a fermentation vessel could be 'FV CIP'. This process can then be applied to multiple fermentation vessels.

To add a cleaning and maintenance process, head to Production->View->Cleaning & maintenance->Add process. The same list is also available from Settings -> Production settings -> Cleaning and maintenance processes.

Give the process a name that describes the job rather than one particular machine, e.g. "Fermenter CIP" rather than "FV1 CIP", as a single process can then be scheduled against all of your fermenters.

You can then give the process a name, a process 'type' and process instructions. There are also two checkboxes: one that enables the process to require a sign-off from another Breww user to ensure work is getting double-checked and an option to block equipment from being used if a process has not been completed.

You will now be able to add your required stock items for the process and any readings and measurements that need to take place during the process. You can also select if these are required before completing the process.

Cleaning & maintenance schedules

By selecting the Add schedule button, you will be able to add a schedule for a specific piece of equipment that uses this process, and select from the following fields. For this example, I have created a CIP schedule for FV7 to be cleaned every time it is used, with the next one due after the next time it is used.

Choosing a schedule type

Breww first asks which equipment the schedule applies to - you can pick several pieces at once and they'll each get their own schedule - and then which type of schedule to use:

• Time based - the process becomes due on a repeating interval, for example every 2 weeks, or on the first Monday of each month. You also choose the date the first one is due, which can be today but can't be in the past.

• Usage based - the process becomes due after a set number of uses. How many times can this equipment be used between each cleaning/maintenance process? sets the interval (1 means after every use, 2 means every other use, and so on), and With the first one in how many uses from now? decides where the count starts.

You can only have one schedule per process per piece of equipment. If a piece of equipment needs the same job done on two different cycles, create a second process for it.

What counts as a "use"

A usage-based schedule counts down when:

• a vessel is emptied,
• a brewing system is emptied into a vessel, or
• another piece of equipment is recorded as having been used on a transfer or a packaging.

When the count reaches zero, Breww creates the record and resets the counter ready for the next cycle. Time-based schedules work in the same way: once the due date arrives, the record is created and the next due date is worked out from your repeating interval.

Each schedule is summarised in plain English wherever it's shown, for example "Do every 2 weeks, with the next one due tomorrow", or "Do every 6 times that it is used, with the next one due in 2 uses".

Triggering a record outside the schedule

If something needs doing that the schedule wasn't expecting, open the piece of equipment and use the Manually trigger C&M record button. This creates a record straight away without disturbing the schedule.

On completion of this, your cleaning and maintenance schedules for different items of equipment will be listed in the process.

Completing your cleaning and maintenance records and unblocking equipment

Any cleaning and maintenance records that are due will show at the bottom of the main batch screen, where you can view the cleaning record via the view record button (alternatively, you can select to view a vessel to view any records due).

Any equipment where the process requires it to get blocked will now be prevented from being used and marked with a cleaning and maintenance vessel icon.

When on the cleaning record, you will see the option to Mark as in progress, allowing the rest of your team to see that this has been started. You can also add your stock item that is required for this process; in this example, it is caustic.

Once this has been marked as in progress and your stock items have been added, the cleaning record will be marked with key information regarding the stock item used, including when it was used and by whom.

Any readings & measurements can then be entered, for example, an ATP reading, which again will mark this onto your cleaning record. You can also add any files, photos and attachments related to the record.

Once all the required actions in the process are completed, you will see your Record log & notes automatically populated with the relevant data. You will then be able to fill in the Add notes to record box to add any additional comments to the record.

Sign-off requirements

Multi-user breweries

If you have the sign-off requirement enabled for a process and your brewery has multiple active users, the person who completed the C&M work cannot sign off their own record. When they attempt to mark it as complete, they will see the message: "You cannot sign off your own work. Another user must complete the sign-off."

Another Breww user from your brewery must then:

1. Navigate to the C&M record
2. Review the completed work
3. Click Sign off as complete to approve and finalize the record

This dual-control system ensures proper oversight and verification of critical cleaning and maintenance procedures.

Single-user breweries

Special exception for single-user accounts: If your business account has only one active user, Breww allows that user to both complete and sign off their own C&M records, even when the sign-off requirement is enabled for the process.

When you are the only user and need to sign off your own work:

1. Complete all required readings and measurements
2. Click Sign off as complete
3. You will see a warning message explaining: "This record normally requires sign-off by a different user, but as you are the only active user on this brewery, you are permitted to sign off your own work."
4. The record will be marked as completed

This exception ensures that single-person operations can still benefit from C&M record tracking and completion workflows without being blocked by the sign-off requirement.

Note: This exception only applies when your brewery has exactly one active user. As soon as a second user is added to your brewery account, the standard sign-off rules will apply, requiring a different user to approve completed C&M work.

Viewing your historical cleaning and maintenance records

Upon completing your cleaning and maintenance record, the equipment will be unblocked and ready for use! You will then be able to view your record history by viewing a vessel and then Cleaning and maintenance records, alternatively you could head to View->Cleaning & maintenance->Manage equipment, and select to view the equipment. You will then have your historical cleaning & maintenance records for the piece of equipment listed. Below is an example of the vessel 'FV7'.

You can also access a full record history by selecting View->Cleaning & maintenance->View records->View record history, where you will be able to filter your records by using the Breww QL filter.