Vending Machines

Vending Machines: Overview

Vending machine technology has advanced dramatically over the past ten years. Traditionally, vending machines have been used to vend soft and hot drinks, snacks and food and are common in transport hubs (e.g. airports and railway stations), or anywhere that attracts large gatherings of people (e.g. shopping malls, or entertainment centres). Most washrooms in public places also have vending machines selling personal items such as sanitary products or condoms etc.

The use of change machines and ATMs to provide withdrawal facilities from personal bank accounts has also grown dramatically in recent years and now such machines are a common sight, even in relatively small retail outlets. Likewise, the growing demand for quality bean to cup or fresh brew coffee has led not only to rapid expansion of cafe outlets on every high street, but also the development of vending machines that produce comparable quality to that which is 'hand-made' by the Barista.

There is now a vast range of vending machines for sale to meet every need, from selling gold bars and jewellery, or perfumes in airports, to the vending of stationery products and ink cartridges in schools and universities, through to the controlled delivery of tools, personal protective equipment (PPE), or industrial goods e.g. adhesive tapes and engineering components, in factories and on construction sites.

Developments in the vending industry

Modern vending offers the same benefits as it always has. Vending machines can offer exceptional service to staff and visitors 24 hours a day and 7 days per week, even when normal retail outlets are closed. For businesses, vending also offers a way to extend opening hours, and generate additional profits; they are also an excellent means of providing refreshments for staff and, if pricing is effective, a tangible reflection that management values its workforce.

Vending machines can also save down time by avoiding the need for staff to travel off site at lunch time, or visit other parts of the factory to replenish stock or components for production processes.

In commercial and industrial settings, vending machines are also increasingly being used to control the allocation of products for cost/regulatory purposes, or to reduce pilfering and on site wastage. To support such activity, machine control systems have become very sophisticated and are now able to remotely stock-take, monitor usage, or prevent unauthorised access.

Sophisticated payment and operating systems are increasingly being incorporated into vending machines. Note and card payment systems are now fairly common, and the current move is towards contactless and NFC (Near Field Communication) payment systems using a mobile phone or card to allow payment by merely 'swiping or waving' in front of the reader on the vending machine. Touch screen and intelligent technology are also becoming available. These elements can expand vending machines beyond simple selling to advertising, brand promotion, and more 'interactive' engagement of the purchaser with the machine. Some vending machines are so smart they even recognise the characteristics of the person in front of the machine, e.g. gender, to determine what information/advertising is presented on the display screen to them.

All of the above coming soon to a vending machine near you - some exciting times ahead with Intelligent Vending Ltd!!

Our Vending Machine Provision

Intelligent Vending Ltd is an energetic and dynamic vending machine supplier that is able to provide you with traditional and mainstream vending at market leading prices, as well as advise you regarding the latest technology and how this might work for you. The company is well established in its field and has gained a strong reputation with its customers for delivering a flexible and responsive service that covers from determining suitability, to supply and maintenance.

Typically, customers tell us about their vending needs and we identify the machine or product that most closely matches their requirements. Because we are not tied to any particular machine or manufacturer, we are able to provide sound, 'intelligent' and well balanced advice. Although Intelligent Vending Ltd is based in the UK we are also experienced exporters of vending machines and components, including currency setup for a wide range of international markets. We have shipped our machines to countries as diverse as Australia, Azerbaijan, Dubai, Ethiopia, Russia, Canada, Hong Kong and Greenland, as well as to mainland countries of the EU. We are becoming experts at finding our way through export bureaucracy and red tape, so if you want a vending machine delivering to a little beach cafe on a far flung island paradise then that's no problem for us!

Intelligent Vending Ltd is fast becoming the first choice vending company for customers with both mainstream and more challenging vending machine requirements. With a wide range of vending machines and substantial knowledge of the industry, plus enthusiasm for what we do that you would find hard to match (really true!), this has to be the place to meet all your vending requirements.

Our Customers

Our site primarily caters to meet the wholesale needs of clients within a 'business to business' (B2B) environment, but we are also happy to meet the needs of end-users who want to purchase single vending machines to locate in a workplace or other environment. As an alternative to setting up an account, further flexibility is provided through the availability of an on-line shop and use of both purchase and lease carts (the first of its type in the industry so far as we are aware!).

Leasing vending machines and catering equipment can be an economic and tax efficient way to acquire higher value products and spread out the cost, and you can use the site in the full knowledge that the legal lease rental arrangement itself will be through a bank with great expertise in this field. You can also be assured that using this facility will not lead you to unwittingly sign up to a legal commitment through inadvertently pressing a button!

Customised and Bespoke Vending Machine Solutions

Intelligent Vending Ltd specialises in translating vending ideas into practical solutions that are marketable in the real world. As a provider of turnkey solutions within the vending industry we see ourselves as market leaders. Whereas many vending companies concentrate on a few static products, and operate to traditional industry conventions, Intelligent Vending Ltd loves nothing better than to tackle new challenges presented by its customers and bring imagination and innovation to problem solving. Overall, we prefer long term and sustainable relationships with our clients and customers because that usually means a win-win for both parties.

Turnkey Vending Machine Solutions Some of our recent customised vending machine solutions include stationery vending machines to dispense: pens, pencils, rubbers, calculators, printer cartridges, USB memory sticks, batteries, CD-Rs, writing sets, highlighters, staplers, hole-punches, Pritsticks and many more; personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering components with stock control and management systems; industrial vending; cosmetics, sun creams, moisturisers and perfumes; a wide range of novelty products (for bar and nightclub environments); sports and nutritional products such as protein shakes and energy bars; plus many more.

We typically work with a close and trusted network of specialist vending machine and system development partners who bring the widest range of knowledge and experience to the table. This has particular benefits when we are tackling complex vending machine design projects or wanting to incorporate the latest technology. Since we are often working at the cutting edge of new ideas and applications we understand the need for utmost confidentiality Vending Machine Contract Agreement with our clients, and we frequently (and happily) work within the protections provided by a non-disclose agreement (NDA). This again benefits all parties, and inspires mutual trust within the development relationship.

Notwithstanding the confidence that lies behind the above, we are always honest with our customers. If it's simply not possible to achieve the desired vending machine solution for an economic and viable price, we will say so at the earliest stage. Customers should realise, however, that developing bespoke vending solutions is not normally cheap or straightforward, particularly when small numbers of vending machines are required. However, the potential rewards can be enormous.

More about Intelligent Vending Ltd

Intelligent Vending Ltd is a UK based vending company, located on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire, within the East Midlands. We primarily supply vending machines, catering equipment, machine components, vending ingredients and consumables to a wide range of commercial and industrial clients, small, large, and multi-national. The company also has established trading relationships with the public sector, including the armed forces, and we often supply to domestic home users. In addition, we supply services to the vending, catering and hygiene trades and a number our customers are themselves vending machine or hygiene service providers.

Most of our business is conducted over the internet, but we pride ourselves on the high level of personal contact we have with our customers. We have found this to be the best way of understanding our customers' particular needs, and ensuring that their individual and specialist vending machine requirements are fully met. Pricing is transparent, because we display this on our site - this avoids the need for unnecessary and protracted negotiations because everything we sell is already at a very competitive price. For large and significant orders, however, we are happy to offer even better value (if that is possible!).

Enjoy shopping at Intelligent Vending Ltd!

Vending Machine Business Network - International Vending Machine Company

For more information on our vending machines or vending machine services, please do not hesitate to call us on +44 (0)1629 825555 or email us at info@intelligentvending.co.uk. For alternative communication methods, please view our contact page.