In its July 2015 report titled “Beverage Containers,” The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, forecasted that plastic beverage container demands will account for 148.8 billion units by 2019 in comparison to the 124.9 billion units in 2014, which equates to a 3.6 percent annual growth rate from 2014 to 2019.

Trends come and go, a fact that many beverage manufacturers know all too well. Determining which trends will stick can be difficult — especially when it comes to trends within operations. Historically, ink jet coding technology has been the top solution in coding, however, the beverage industry increasingly is embracing laser technology, recognizing that the technology is more than a passing trend, experts say.

PMMI, the Reston, Va.-based Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and owner and producer of the Pack Expo Portfolio of Trade Shows, is gearing up for Pack Expo International 2016, which will take place Nov. 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event will be co-located with Pharma Expo, a joint venture with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE).

An increasing number of SKUs, changing packaging formats and sizes, and a growing interest in personalization are driving a constant need for faster production. Labeling equipment is one area that has felt the pressure from these trends, and the industry continues to innovate to provide beverage manufacturers with the fastest, most flexible machinery, experts say.

Packaging experts note that advancements in optical technology, software algorithms that are effective at high line speeds and the ability to inspect materials across the bottling process are essential for today’s modern bottling facilities.

Suppliers throughout the material handling supply chain descended upon Atlanta for MHI’s Modex 2016 tradeshow, which took place April 4-7 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Attendees from various industries, including food and beverage, also were present to learn about the latest trends and innovations that are shaping the supply chain.

Like the steady drops of rain drumming on a windowpane, the filling of beverages also dictates a steady pace to keep the production line running smoothly. However, it is imperative that the correct filler is used.

After being carefully set in a line, when a single domino is knocked over into the next, the entire line will fall. Similar to the cascading effect of falling dominos, changes within the front-end of beverage operations often will cascade through the manufacturing facility all the way to the end-of-line operations, even to case packing and wrapping.

Thirty-eight percent of consumers prefer aluminum cans when tailgating versus 26 percent who prefer plastic bottles. Thirty-six percent of consumers prefer cans at barbecues or picnics, compared with 30 percent who prefer plastic bottles.

In this video, Tree Top, an agricultural cooperative with eight processing facilities, installed robotics to its packaging line. Director of Engineering Andy Juarez discusses how robotics helped improve the packaging lines and what challenges come with adding automation to their facilities.