To increase storage density, UNEX Manufacturing Inc. developed UNEX SpeedCell, a high-density storage solution that increases storage density by as much as 60 percent, the company says.

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.

Growth and change in the beverage market has created trends that impact not only new product development and packaging design, but also extend into warehouse and distribution centers.

Home improvement shows have put a spotlight on the benefits of customized closet organizing systems. Yet, when it comes to warehouse operations, it’s going to take more than a visit from “The Property Brothers” to accommodate the expansive needs of a beverage manufacturers and distributors.

From an operations perspective, a warehouse is more than just bricks and mortar or metal siding; it’s a day-to-day activity that handles zillions of beverage cases. But what does it cost to do that?

Chicago-based Mintel’s Global New Products Database shows that between January 2015 and January 2016, 5,226 new beverages were launched in North America.

As summer draws closer, many consumers daydream of sitting by the pool with a drink in hand, and that's exactly what those in the beverage industry are daydreaming of too.

“SKU proliferation is the largest change the industry has seen in the last decade,” says Aaron Corcoran, account executive for Westfalia Technologies Inc., York, Pa.

Although SKU proliferation is nothing new to the beverage industry, the phenomenon still is causing many warehouses to explore different ways to accommodate these growing product lines.

 As many have said during tough times, “There’s nowhere else to go but up.”