Through ergonomically designed carts and hand trucks, suppliers are helping to make DSD safer and more efficient.

Among the new technological advances is RepairEngine, an online maintenance management tool, which allows users the ability to start and track repairs 24/7 and provides insight into the health and status of their hardware deployment.

S&D Coffee & Tea, a brand of Cott Corp., introduced its new line of ready-to-serve cold-brew coffee. 

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.

Carts and hand trucks are helping to reduce delivery personnel’s body stress in store, while powered liftgates are supporting these concerns among fleet operations.

Distributors rely on mobile apps and wireless direct-store-delivery (DSD) hardware and software solutions in order to provide the best customer service, ensure accuracy and boost efficiency.

Increased SKU counts, tight warehouse and retail spaces, and delivery personnel who manage heavy cases and kegs are driving the proliferation of new mobile carts and hand trucks designed to improve ergonomics and enable warehouse staff to safely stack, retrieve and deliver products.

When hurricane season arrives, meteorologists and those living along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts rely on sophisticated data tracking and expert monitoring to stay informed and keep safe. To keep pace with an explosive number of SKUs, the beverage industry avoids the “eye of the storm” by equipping field staff with handheld technology and streamlined direct store delivery (DSD) solutions to capture data, track vehicle locations and improve productivity.

In 2007, Coca-Cola’s bottling operations in Germany were consolidated from eight bottlers into one: Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke AG (CCEAG).

A plethora of market trends continue to impact the global supply chain including automation. In PwC’s “Global Supply Chain Survey 2013,” the market research firm found that 54 percent of companies surveyed in the retail and consumer goods industries listed automation as high importance with an additional 5 percent listing it as high importance by 2015.