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Covington, Ky.-based Braxton Brewing Co. announced plans to expand its presence to Fort Mitchell, Ky., with the opening of a new barrel-aging brewery and taproom. Expected to open this fall, the Braxton Barrel House will offer a unique experience for patrons by giving them the opportunity to create custom private-barrel picks of the company’s barrel-aged brews, it says.

More than 950 exhibitors, nearly 150 on-floor informational seminars and a host of materials handling technologies, supply chain solutions and automation innovations were displayed in 420,000-square-feet of exhibits across two halls at ProMat 2019, which took place April 8-11, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Visits through beverage facilities, studies of distribution systems, acknowledgements of beverage marketplace changes and observations of work activity throughout the beverage supply chain are constant reminders of the detailed tasks involved in creating a massive array of packaged beverages for the consumer.

Consumers’ acceptance of purchasing consumer packaged goods (CPGs) from a variety of retail outlets as well as their desire for more choice is not just impacting retailers but the entire distribution network as it looks to accommodate a much more diverse shopping universe.

Because processing is the first step in the supply chain, it is important to assess how various stages have evolved — from manual batch type operations to automated, computerized and in-line processing.

Due to expanding varieties of new products, flavors and dietary requirements, product development is changing at faster rates.

Every segment of the beverage industry is a capital intensive operation. The facility, machinery, equipment and processes required to build a carbonated soft drink (CSD) plant, brewery, winery or distillery creates assets from which a return would be expected. With such important investments, the created assets must be protected to ensure maximized utilization and efficiency, as well as minimized downtime and damage.

An event for beverage warehousing and distribution professionals, the BevOps Fleet Summit will take place March 19-21 at the M Resort Spa & Casino in Henderson, Nev. The three-day conference will address the business challenges and industry trends of today’s beverage marketplace and how operators can prepare for what’s next.

To keep up with burgeoning stock, warehouse experts are “looking up” and strategizing storage solutions that deal with decreased high-moving SKUs and the challenges of “long tail” slow-moving products.

Throughout the beverage supply chain, manufacturers and distributors have found that the SKU explosion has created impacts resulting in constantly changing operating conditions, making maintenance a necessity for a flexible manufacturing infrastructure.