There’s this wonderful quality about America – it is the heartland of innovation. If you think a product should exist, it probably does or will soon be developed in American laboratories, factories or even garages. One of the things that people admire about America is that you can find practically anything here. If you have a need or requirement, there is an American company developing a solution to meet that very need. No matter how unique or specific that need may be, an American is creating that special product to meet that need.
It is with that very concept of innovation, industrialism, capitalism and the economic laws of supply and demand that drives Bluff Manufacturing. When Bluff sees a need in the material handling industry, we create a custom solution to meet that unique need, resulting in time and cost efficiencies for our customers.
Case-in-point: Craft beers are one of the fastest growing segments in the beer industry. A typical craft beer drinker really likes his/her beer “on tap” (draft). With over 13,000 brands of beer in the U.S., craft beers come in multiple flavors and are normally sold in “sixers” (5 gallon kegs). These are typically smaller kegs so that bars can offer more brands and different flavors of these high-end beers. Handling numerous brands and flavors in these “sixers” was proving to be a real challenge for beer distributors.
Bluff brought to life a design that allows distributors faster and easier handling of these kegs. Dan Seago, Vice President of North American Material Handling envisioned this system and brought the initial idea to Bluff. Our engineering department and technical sales team actively worked with Dan to fine tune this product. The Keg Flow Racks simplify the entire handling of these kegs. Our Flow Racks reside in large storage structures (pallet racks). The Flow Racks are positioned at an angle – an elevated rear (with a downward sloping front). Operators stow from the rear and pick-up from the front. The gravity feed system keeps the sixers always at the front of the rack for optimal stock rotation and easy picking and handling.
The Keg Racks are a great example of what comes out of a great working partnership. Come visit us at the NBWA’s 76th Annual Convention & Trade Show (September 29 – October 2, 2013) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada where Bluff Manufacturing and North American Material Handling will jointly showcase these innovative keg flow racks. The National Beer Wholesalers Association represents 3300 independent beer distributors and draws a large number of brewers, suppliers, and distributors. This show provides attendees ample opportunities to meet industry leaders and thought experts, and to learn about the latest developments and products in the beer industry. We are proud to bring this unique product to market to enable a more efficient craft beer industry – because what could be more American than beer and innovation?
