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Back when side-load equipment ruled the beverage industry, refrigeration generally was an afterthought, with just a few refrigerated trucks dedicated to delivering dairy products and limited varieties of draft beer. But as product mixes have expanded, a paradigm shift is taking place in the equipment world.

Earlier this year, Beverage Industry conducted its third annual Fleet Study to offer a snapshot of the size and makeup of today’s delivery fleets, as well as an understanding of the operational concerns and strategies that beverage fleets face every day.

With the exception of the Ford Super Duty launch coming later in the year, new truck model news will be comparatively thin for 2016, but that’s not to say that all is quiet. Most truck manufacturers have announced at least one or two refinements for 2016, while others have been more prolific.

A common expression in marketing is “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Although the consumer might need food for sustenance, it’s the sound of the sizzle that makes them want a steak instead of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Forklifts are reaching new heights of functionality. The demand for vehicles that are efficient, safe and have the flexibility to operate effectively in a host of environments is leading to the development of models with enhanced designs and features.

Not all that long ago, fleet software defined a relatively narrow range of products that primarily were designed to track maintenance schedules and the related costs of vehicle operation/ownership.

In 1976, the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association agreed to a merger, and the CN Tower was built in Toronto, making it the tallest free-standing land structure at the time.

Despite increasing awareness, milk crates, plastic pallets, bakery trays, beverage shells and other containers made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) are disappearing at a rate that costs retailers and CPG businesses $500 million per year. Ultimately, consumers end up paying this $500 million annual expense in the costs of goods purchased.

At the end of April, MarketsandMarkets published a report titled “Automated Guided Vehicle Market by Type (Unity Load Carrier, Tow Vehicle, Pallet Truck, Assembly Line Vehicle), Industry Verticle (Automotive and others), Application (Transportation, Distribution and others), and Geography — Global Forecast to 2020,” which stated the automated guided vehicle (AGV) market is expected to reach $2.2 million by 2020, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.8 percent between 2014 and 2020.

As the beverage industry continues to experience significant levels of consolidation, distributors on the local, national and global level are being affected.