The pandemic certainly makes a huge impact on how each distinct industry heads in the consumer market, and certainly make the RTD alcoholic beverage market the star in 2020.  The trend capitalizes its customer sector from the beer and wine consumers.  Many major brewers have sought the possibility to extend the RTD segment and offer their customers an extensive range of flavors and choices. There are six components contributing to the uprising RTD alcoholic beverage market.

Health Conscious
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RTD beverages are aiming for lighter tastes, lower carbs, and low ABV compared to the other categories. In the current market, consumers are constantly looking for alternatives suited for more sophisticated recipes to enjoy without hesitation.

Tequila Makes Headlines

With the RTD alcoholic beverage growing twice the sales in the last five years, tequila spirit has become the fastest-growing sector in the market. The year 2020 is showing promising figures on the global scale that it will not be a surprise tequila will be expanding its varieties continuously in the future.

Exciting Choices

With the diversity in food culture, the RTD industry will be deemed to create more complex flavors and varieties of choices to accustom customer’s high expectations. The competition is fierce to be creative in taste, ingredient, pairing, and alcohol content level.

Diverse Flavors

Global trade opens a new marketing paradigm for every culture in business. Ingredient contribution cross multi-regions and multichannel to bring maximum availability. Especially nowadays consumers have specifications on personal preferences such as GMO-free, gluten-free, organic, and such. Alternative sources may be the distinction businesses promote for uniqueness amongst the industry.

Audacious Packaging  
  
RDT beverage manufacturers focus more on the marketing for this new rising industry and alleviate the design on labeling, packing, logo, and the overall visual effects. The first impression on the shelf to be appealing to the customer is the first step of success to sell the product to the general public.

Target Audience and Preference

Manufacturers produce products and marketing strategies based on the age group and their interests. Each generation gap means different lifestyles and socializing patterns which will lead to different advertising approaches. For example, Millennials value more on originality and uniqueness when considering a new product. Manufacturers will consider the general behavior and establish the strategic advertising media based on the target audience.
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RDT beverage market raises bold and adventurous culture for the consumers. The leading charges drive the drinkers to be wild on their imaginations to mix up new fashion on cocktails. What 2021 holds for RTD alcoholic beverage industry is truly intriguing. 

​The alcoholic beverage trend certainly shifts significantly in recent years, including the preferences of each individual market in Canada. Two university undergrads discover their ways into alcohol entrepreneurship, fascinated by the brewing industry during their first employment at a local craft cidery.

Being in the mid-20s, Christian Karayannides and Dylan Corson launch their newly established brand – Good Sunday amidst the pandemic, driven by the means to create a product fitting for their similar age congregation. The product consists of low alcohol, low sugar, and diverse flavor, centering the idea to have a good Sunday albeit enjoy the product on Saturday night.

The partners pair up after working at the local cidery and are mentored by its owner upon the finding of local sources of their raw ingredients. While tampering with a chemistry set bought on Amazon, the partners start their journeys in the beverage industry. The promising growth trend in RTD drinks certainly boosts their confidence after a year of preparing for their own company.

After intensively tracking the aboard markets of RTD drinks in the UK and the US, the young entrepreneurs determine that their launching to Canada’s low to no alcoholic drink market carries a perfect opportunity. The room to grow in the Canadian RTD drink market is tangible and conventional in the North American region.

Aiming for the pandemic effects on the “new normal” lifestyle, potential consumers tend to enjoy alcoholic drinks throughout the day more freely. this makes Good Sunday stands out as its products’ sugar content ranges from 5%+ ABV to no ABV, the goal is to see growth in the next few years. To launch at the beginning of a global pandemic is not easy when all the campaigns must be canceled and pivoted completely.
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Amongst all the excitements and challenges, the paired entrepreneurs aim for a brighter future in 2021. Many may say they are inexperienced or too young, but the fact shows that being in the mid-20s flock may be the largest advantage, accountable in the largest section of consumers in the RTD market now. 

Statistics are showing a whopping forty-three percent increase this year in global RTD alcohol growth when market research expressed a depreciation in the prior year. The leading brand Brown-Forman records its Jack Daniel category has exceeded expectation significantly. The company has been doing exceptionally well that it has acquired Part Tim Rangers, a newly established New Zealand company to expand its spirit-based division.

RTD Jack Daniel category is launched initially twenty-five years ago. The sector shows its increment over the years in the global market, especially in the UK, Australia, and Germany.  Acquiring Part Time Rangers will stimulate the Australian and New Zealand markets for the renowned Brown-Forman Corporation.

The discussion comes to whether this achievement is under the influence of the novel coronavirus, or it is a steady trend to better suit the future lifestyle? It is undoubtedly the lockdowns around the globe that has its certain effect to boost the trend. The auspicious growth is showing promising sale volume in the market of the US, and the corporation is confident of the trendy direction in the future.

The recognizable growth is recorded by the RTD market in the USA, which happens to be the biggest RTD market in the world. The numbers certainly impress the industry as the volume grows double-digit for the Brown-Forman Corporation. By the end of 2020, it is foreseeable that it will eventually exceed the beer sector. 

​In the cold supply chain, it means involving cold storage applications to one or multiple parts of logistics operation in order to maintain the whole shipment within the acceptable temperature. In Vancouver, British Columbia, there are not many third-party logistics suppliers that carry cold storage as one of the services. Mostly, the business set up the cold applications within the establishment for smoother operation. However, there are exceptions and advantages when a business outsourcing its cold storage demand.

There are several types of cold storage, considering the volume usage and facilitation.

1. Refrigerated containers – for individual items that can be carried around easily.
2. Blast chillers – the refrigeration-type of storage that can fit in a room.
3. Cold rooms – the build by custom to a section of a premise that is as big a bedroom.
4. Plant – attached cold storage – the infrastructure is larger than a premise as a building-type but connecting to an existing facility.
5. Custom cold storage – the whole system can be built as big as requested in different shapes and different sizes.

Also, the types can be differentiated by the consumer products or pharmaceutical graded products depending on the nature of the business. It is crucial to establish what kind of cold storage the business needs because setting up the equipment can be costly.

18 Wheels Logistics is your number one 3PL provider that provides the best outsourcing services in warehousing, labeling, copacking, and logistics. Reach out to us today to find out what we can do for your and your team. 

A new year has arrived, and many people wish that the new year would bring new energy, however, the sign of coronavirus spreading does not seem to slow down. However, after more than 12 months of facing an unprecedented challenge, every industry seems to be recovered in some ways to survive in the current state.

The logistics and transportation industry has seemed to be alleviated the overall bearings for the consumer market. Most of the transportation and supply chain operations are allegedly moving the products at a demand level. All supermarkets maintain the level of supply at full strength and good deficiency has not occurred except the first stage of panic buys.

Unfortunately, not all industries in Vancouver, British Columbia have been blessed by the prosperous comeback. The food industry has been hit hard the most among the heavy government protocol as it is categorized as non-essential. Especially government suppress the industry more often than others, hopefully, to mitigate the spread.
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18 Wheels Logistics partners with an array of collective industries in the communities. We provide quality services in trucking, copacking, warehousing, and logistics. We will do our best to support our partners to operate through the pandemic. If you think we can help, call us today at 604-439-8938. 

Today, everyone's world revolves around one simple word; efficiency. That is what drives businesses forward, saves people's time, and improves the quality of life. With that in mind, let's try to be efficient today. Here are six ways to improve your fleet efficiency and help your drivers and your company.

The dangers of idle time

Idle time of the vehicle is becoming more and more common. When the motor is running but the vehicle is not moving, it poses a serious issue with gasoline consumption. About 2 minutes of idle time is equal to almost a 1 mile of driving. The best way to tackle this issue is to look for ways to reduce idle time as much as possible. That means:

• instruct the drivers to reduce the time spent warming up the engine;
• anytime they wait for the traffic light or stop to make a delivery, they should turn off their truck;
• they shouldn't keep the engine running just so they could use the radio and other equipment;

Introduce fuel cards

Fuel cards are a good way of tracking how much money the drivers spend on fuel. That is a great money-saving strategy to reduce company costs and increase fleet efficiency. You will ensure they purchase the fuel at the best prices, and in return, get data about their spending fuel habits.

Reduce delays in the time schedule

Time delays are probably the number one issue in the logistics industry. Whether it is because of the mistakes in inventory tracking, organizational issues, or any other reason, it seriously affects fleet efficiency.
An excellent way to tackle this issue is to implement fleet management software. A telematics system will provide an array of useful data that will help increase your fleet efficiency in all sectors.

Route planning

Another strategy to reduce fuel consumption and deal with delivery delays is to plan more efficient routes. As mentioned earlier, any time you start the engine, stop, or maintain idle time, it uses up the fuel. Frequent stops throughout the day are not a good thing. With a more efficient route, the drivers will operate more efficiently and get the job done faster.

Driving behavior changes that will improve your fleet efficiency

It is a fact that drivers face many difficulties on the road. Whether it is because of the road or weather conditions, traffic jams, or any other unpredicted situations, the way of driving affects fleet efficiency.

One of the goals should be to go easy on the brakes. Hard stops use more fuel and affect the brakes over time. It will lead to more frequent maintenance, and consequently, more expenses.

To fix this issue, you need to apply a proactive strategy and anticipate potential problems on the road. Furthermore, all drivers need to be more conscientious and resort to hard braking only when necessary.

Another way to improve driving behavior is to be mindful of the speed limit. As an example, a driver might have fallen behind schedule. To make the delivery on time, he or she increases the speed of the vehicle above the limit. They reach the destination on time, or even earlier, but spend additional money on the fuel. Furthermore, they put other drivers at risk and potentially risk being stopped by the police due to speeding.

Regular vehicle maintenance

An effective supply chain management requires vehicles to operate without any problems. Any issue with the vehicle will result in unscheduled stops and create massive delays, consequently reducing the overall fleet efficiency. Furthermore, it poses a danger for the driver and other people on the road.

With that said, always replace fuel filters on time, use recommended grades of motor oil, repair any damage or replace parts, and keep everything functional at all times.
Key takeaways

Let's do a quick summary of the way to help your fleet in operating better:

• reduce idle time
• use fuel cards
• cut schedule delays
• plan more efficient routes
• improve driving behavior
• do regular vehicle maintenance

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By following these strategies, you will improve your fleet efficiency and help the business move forward.

​Port congestions are like water pipes. You do not turn the faucet on for a long time, and after a while, when it is turned on again, the water would burst out of the pipe. When the containers are transported by one large ship, the volume is improbable large. But when you have ten large ships, the quantity of containers is unimaginable.

With the worker shortage at the port, the first congestion is causing a significant delay. With the limited drivers, the drayage process is even longer. Moreover, the container arrives at its destination with significantly reduced warehouse workers, the entire operation has already had a preposterous setback.

Unfortunately, the delay is inevitably in the face of a pandemic. However, there are some preliminaries that can be implemented to rectify the downtime.

• Communicate with your logistics partner. They should be aware of the most current situation in each port. Staying well in communication can avoid more delay.
• Chassis rental. The chassis shortage is commonly the issue when the container is offshoring but there is none available for your carrier. Make sure you arrange with a partner comes with resources.
• Free flow program. Utilize the free-flow program offers by each port. It may be varying from different ports, but it may save you charge when the driver or equipment is not available for the pickup.
• Pre-arranging a possible delay with your logistics partner for drayage in a convenient location in case there is not enough time to reach a destination.

18 Wheels Logistics offers top-notch customer services in copacking, logistics, trucking, and warehousing, to deal with all the challenges through the pandemic. Contact us today to see what our top team can do for you during this unprecedented time. 

With the daunting effects around the world by COVID-19, the logistics industry of North American has endured immense impacts like never. Not even the massive LA ports strike in 2002 can be compared to the level of repercussion all industries strain from since last year.

Navigating challenges with shipments at ports are extremely perplexing to the existing system. The operation, application, and development are all altered to hopefully catch on to the speed for remedies. With an immediate stop upon the COVID-19 inauguration, when the cargos begin to flow in mid-summer, both LA ports set the highest record in history until now.

When the number of ships comes flooding through the ports with more than the normal volume, it creates an immediate compress on the port operation. Moreover, with the presence of worker shortage, there are not enough drivers to transport the containers. The long wait it is, the more congested the ports become.  

18 Wheels Logistics operates out of all coastlines on the West Coast. Our experienced team members will coordinate your containers from ports to destinations whether they are in Vancouver or LA. We will get it done for you. 

​Each year, breweries and distilleries are gathering to announce their proudest creation. Over forty-five countries compete in the fiercest competition in USA spirits and with no surprise, the USA, Mexico, and the UK are the top countries, along with Whiskey, Gin, and Vodka being the top categories.

Above all, The Gin Black Pig Costa Alentejana is awarded ninety-nine points with the best spirit by value and package together, becoming the star at 2020 award. Competition is judged by three major components: quality, value, and packaging.

The USA Spirits Ratings is a marketing system to create a communication bridge between the brands and the tasters. With the three components in evaluation, consumers can identify the desirable products with distinct flavours and eye-catching packaging.

The competition concludes with 201 gold medals, 305 silver, and 80 bronze.

The breweries and distilleries around the world dedicate their team effort to create the most favorable spirits for the global consumers. 18 Wheels Logistics is pleased to be partnering copacking and labeling with our alcohol beverage customers and provide warehousing and trucking. 

Withholding the strict health protocol from the Government of Canada, Vancouver cold storage providers have provided more services to the crossdocking customers while their perishable goods are in the adequate temperature range to prevent spoilage.

The cold storages are often used for products that are prone to lose significant shelf lives such as:

• Perishable food and products.
• Pharmaceutical products.
• Plants and flowers.

During transportation, especially in cross-docking and distribution stage, products that are requiring to be in colder temperature or frozen state are extremely sensitive to heat. The value depreciates quicker if not stored properly.

Outsourcing cold storage to 3PL providers may be a better choice because the larger cold storage is, the higher the maintenance cost is. Especially when the 3PL partner can provide transportation, crossdocking, and inventory management, then this opportune shakeout may put your mind at better ease.

18 Wheels Logistics partners with local industry to provide the absolute best logistics solution for you and your business in warehousing, trucking, crossdocking, copacking, and labeling. Call us today to find out more.