National supply chain management company Bettaway announced the opening of a new logistics management center to complement the recent construction of its 1.2 million square-foot AriZona Iced Tea production and distribution facility in Keasbey, New Jersey. The Keasbey campus is now the largest production and distribution center in AriZona Iced Tea’s network.
What is Bettaway’s role?
Bettaway is the third-party logistics provider for AriZona Iced Tea and handles virtually all aspects of the company’s supply chain, including receiving shipments of raw materials and packaging, product manufacturing and distribution operations such as carrier procurement and transportation of the product to AriZona’s distribution centers across the country. The Keasbey campus is one of 50 facilities that Bettaway manages for the beverage maker and is home to a new logistics operations management center, production and distribution facility, among a variety of other resources.
Bettaway has a hand in almost every stage of the product’s journey to the shelf; however, the company’s primary role is in operations management with a significant focus on transportation. The campus features amenities specifically for its contracted team of carriers including secure truck parking, on-site fueling, a maintenance and repairs shop, wash bay, weigh scale, snow scraper and a drivers lounge and rest area.
“We are committed to being a shipper of choice for our trucking providers and we believe this new facility is not only very welcoming to drivers but provides the range of services and convenience that set Bettaway, AriZona Iced Tea and Campbell Freightliner apart,” Bettaway President John Vaccaro said in a press release.
The Keasbey Campus
In addition to transportation, Bettaway manages the supply and manufacturing of AriZona’s beverages. The new logistics operations management center was launched to support operations at the recently opened production and distribution facility which features six production lines as well as a 400,000 square-foot mixing and distribution center. Bettaway produces the beverages and their packaging at the solar-powered facility which also features a bottle manufacturing line.
“We believe we have developed an unmatched portfolio of services and supply chain management experience for beverage, CPG and other businesses that manufacture and ship food-grade products,” Vaccaro emphasized in a press release. “We are very proud to have continued to earn the support and confidence of AriZona Iced Tea and we are committed to driving innovation that creates value from logistics on their behalf.”
Once the production center is fully operational it has the capacity to produce 50 million cases of AriZona beverages a year, according to the press release. In order to manage the large inventory produced at the facility, Bettaway has installed a fully automated ASRS high-density inventory storage system which operates autonomously to pick and position beverage loads at the loading dock. Bettaway’s hope with this new technology is to achieve its goal of loading the trucks within 18 minutes of the product reaching the dock.
The inventory storage system is only one aspect of the management center’s supply chain capabilities, which also includes warehouse management systems and transportation optimization processes. As the campus nears completion, this technology will be essential to streamlining operations and support the continued growth of AriZona Iced Tea, according to Vaccaro.
“This is a significant investment for Bettaway that enables us to efficiently support the continued growth of AriZona Iced Tea with state-of-the-art technology, resources and capabilities,” he said in the release.