From Partnerships to Breakthroughs: Titan Enterprises and RWC Launch Groundbreaking Beer Dispense Solution

After creating their first beverage flowmeter back in the early 1990s, UK-based Titan Enterprises, a leading technology company specializing in liquid flow measurement, has enjoyed a long-term supply arrangement with John Guest, which is one of the RWC family brands.

Founded in 1949 as Reliance Manufacturing Company Pty Ltd (RMC), RWC was established out of a need to defy the norm and accelerate industrial revolution. One of the highlights of the group's history was the acquisition of John Guest in 2018, which is renowned worldwide for its innovative push-fit connection systems.

The NSF-certified 800-series turbine flowmeters and Atrato® ultrasonic flowmeters of Titan today are built with John Guest connectors, an omnipresent selection within the food and beverage industry because of their specialist push-to-connect fittings.

A Partnership Based on Flow Technology and Accuracy Engineering
In 2023, after decades of design development since 2010 when John Guest launched JG PolarClean, RWC and Titan Enterprises partnered to provide a combined dispense system tailored specifically for the soft drinks market.

Spurred by a common customer conversation, the partnership came together when users indicated that Titan's drink meters and RWC's PolarClean push-fit fittings were already being combined in beer dispense applications. Yet, combining the two products required further changes, adding cost and complexity. The two firms embarked on removing these obstacles.

By combining Titan's turbine flow technology expertise and RWC's precision tools and push-fit expertise, it was envisioned that the objective would be to deliver an all-inclusive integrated solution – offering a smooth and efficient installation system for beverage systems.

Phil Lacey, RWC’s Global Fluid Tech Business Development Director, commented:
“When we knew we needed a flowmeter for our PolarClean system, Titan made absolute sense as they are the market leader in the space. They have been an absolute pleasure to develop this product with and we look forward to seeing how the wider market receives this new innovation.”

Engineering Innovation Through Collaboration
The main technical challenge was to accommodate the turbine mechanism into the PolarClean connector without jeopardising the integrity of either system. Through the execution of frequent design workshops and quick prototyping using SLA 3D-printed models, the teams designed an adapted form of the PolarClean straight union. Titan then performed extensive testing and calibration prior to live customer trials.

Neil Hannay, Senior R&D Engineer at Titan Enterprises, noted:
“Working with RWC was refreshing. Their expertise in toolmaking made the development and prototyping process a smooth journey. Open, frank, and realistic discussions, along with regular meetings, kept the project on track.”

Josh Smith, Project Manager at RWC, added:
“By combining Titan’s expertise in flowmeters and our own expertise in push-fit technology, this new product has represented a shared commitment to quality, innovation and delivering value to our customers.”

A Solution that Transformed the Beverage Business
After design verification, RWC produced the injection moulding tooling for the PolarClean body, and Titan developed sensors and turbines. After final trimming, first production units were shipped for performance verification.

The result is a trim solution: the JG PolarClean Coaxial Flow Meter, which uses tube-in-tube cooling to maintain optimal beer temperature from keg to tap – even without cellar cooling. Its integrated 3-wire connector makes installation simple, and its precise flow measurement offers effective consumption monitoring in beer dispense systems.

A Co-Branded Collaborative Innovation
The partnership extends all the way to commercialization. RWC handles PolarClean and connector, packaging, and labelling, and Titan handles flow measurement components, testing, and last assembly. RWC has initial assembly, which Titan finishes and ships to the final-user as JG PolarClean.

This co-branded product represents the combined technical documentation and installation instructions, which mirror the combined engineering expertise of the two brands. The partnership shows how bringing skills and technology together can bring innovation, make installation easier and enhance system performance throughout the beverage sector.

For OEM flow measurement queries, call Titan Enterprises on +44 (0)1935 812790 or email sales@flowmeters.co.uk.

To learn more about RWC's JG PolarClean Coaxial Flow Meter, see the RWC/John Guest website.