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Del Papa Distributing, Victoria, Texas, can teach other wholesalers a thing or two about weathering the storm — literally and figuratively — including the challenges wrought by both Mother Nature and the nature of the rapidly evolving beer distribution landscape.

Here’s a look at what you can expect from some of the biggest names in fleet equipment manufacturing.

Recruiting and retaining qualified delivery teams has been one of the biggest challenges for beverage distributors of all sizes in recent years and it’s something that Atlas Distributing, Auburn, Mass., has been proactive in addressing.

As the beverage industry continues to see an influx of SKUs, manufacturers and distributors must stay up-to-date with the latest software in order to keep up with demand. As warehouses look to enhance their operations, the implementation of warehouse execution systems (WES) seem to be the golden ticket to getting the job done.

Now in operation for nearly 70 years, the Hand Family Companies, Clarksville, Tenn., has grown from humble beginnings to becoming a multi-state beer and beverage distributor operating seven plants in three states, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois.

To better handle today’s SKU proliferation, warehouse distributors that implement warehouse management systems (WMS) and solutions like voice picking technologies, can save time, money and valuable resources to allocate to other parts of the business, experts say.

The results of Beverage Industry’s annual Fleet Study are in and they reflect the increasing diversification of fleet equipment, fuel and the best day-to-day practices in modern delivery operations.

Whether it’s the repeal of Prohibition, legalization of cannabis and its impact on the alcohol industry, or the ways in which eCommerce is impacting the sale and distribution of beer, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) has been on the pulse of many hot-button topics during the past 81 years.

As equipment manufacturers get ready to reveal their 2019 product plans, we expect to see many more companies plugging in to the future of beverage distribution.