Blog - Intelligent Vending Ltd

Eco Vending on a Roll

Ever thought about throwing your work down the toilet? Well now you can, and save the planet at the same time!

As you may already know, the Japanese are infamous for their strange and unusual vending machines, but this may raise the bar to new levels.

A new type of vending machine was unveiled a number of weeks ago at Tokyo’s Eco Products trade fair which feeds on waste office paper and outputs rolls of toilet paper! It is said that 40 sheets of A4 office paper is the amount required for a roll, and takes around 30 minutes from beginning to end (this process comprises of: shredding, mixing with water, pulping, flattening, drying and rolling).

Contrary to many gadgets born in Japan, this machine is far from compact – standing proud at 6ft tall and weighing just under 600 Kg – so don’t expect to tuck it away nicely in the corner of the bathroom!

Apparently, the White Goat, as the machine is named, costs about 6 pence to create a roll. Comparing this with the typical 40p per roll for a premium brand, it seems a substantial saving; but unfortunately the quality leaves a little to be desired when compared to its luxury brothers.

However, the factor most likely to hinder wide-spread adoption of this machine is probably its price. At a whopping $100,000 (around the £65,000 mark), toilet paper would need to be in extremely high demand in the office for this expense to be a viable purchase and realise any savings.

Posted in: Vending Machine News
Tags: toilet roll vending, vending, Vending Machine News, washroom vending

New Vending Machines for Sale

Recently, we added a number of new vending machines to our website. Our range of snack vending machines, food vending machines, drinks vending machines (hot and cold), plus combination vending machines have all been updated. These machines are all top quality and produced by leading, well-known vending manufacturers, but provided at unbeatable prices by Intelligent Vending.

We have made the decision to add these vending machines to our online catalogue to offer our customers even more choice. Many of the new machines have been well received by the market and we are sure our buyers will feel the same.

While you are browsing our site, make sure you don’t forget to take a look at our special offers page as well; full of great deals and promotions, this can be a great place to pick up a bargain and save money on some excellent products. The list of offers is frequently updated as new items become available.

Not only can great offers be found here for vending machines, promotions can also often be found for many of our other products, such as; washroom/condom vending machines, fly killers, air sterilisers, coffee machines and much more (offers on all these items available at time of writing).

Choosing the right vending machine can sometimes seem like a difficult decision, especially when faced with a large selection. If you have any questions or are unsure which vending machine would be best for your situation, we are always happy to help.

Posted in: Intelligent Vending Ltd
Tags: Intelligent Vending, offers/promotions

Cigarette Vending Machine Ban

Cigarette vending machines in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are close to being banned, following recent legislation changes approved by MPs. While Scotland has their own bill regarding this situation, both systems share similarities in their details.

If passed, both intend to first remove cigarette machines from larger stores in 2011, while smaller shops will have until 2013; the decision to implement the changes so far in the future is a result of the current economic climate.

Although welcomed by many, this plan has faced opposition from the tobacco industry and some retailers, who deny the validity of the arguments against them and protest that it will result in substantial loss of sales.

Proposed by Ian McCartney, the former Labour minister, the ban on cigarette vending machines is largely a consequence of suggestions that they are partly responsible for the uptake of smoking by new generations. It is thought cigarette vending machines are too appealing and accessible for children and also help to normalise attitudes towards cigarettes and smoking through brand familiarity.

Posted in: Vending Machine News
Tags: cigarette vending machines, vending machine information, Vending Machine News

US Beverage Industry to Include Calorie Information on Vending Machines

The subject of our last article was Barack Obama’s plans to attempt to reduce childhood obesity by removing sugary snack and drink vending machines from America’s schools. In a related effort, First Lady Michelle Obama has called for action from the beverage industry to help with her healthy families campaign.

It seems this call may now have been answered by the non-alcoholic beverage companies which are members of the American Beverage Association (including The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Red Bull North America, Inc. and many other major brands). The ABA has volunteered a new initiative which intends to present calorie information on their products in a more clear and useable manner.

Vending machines and product labels are two main areas which will be focussed on by this initiative. Vending machine beverage selection buttons are set to contain details of product calorie counts, while information on products themselves will be improved by additions such as per-serving calorie totals on the labels of items with higher volumes.

Only vending machines controlled by respective beverage companies will be affected by these changes, but perhaps it may prompt other operators to follow suit if the idea is welcomed by consumers.

Posted in: Vending Machine News, Vending Overseas
Tags: drink vending, Vending Machine News

Obama for Healthy Vending Machines

Last week the Obama administration announced plans to set new legislation in place to remove sugary snacks and drinks from school vending machines. The motivation behind the campaign has arisen from America’s increasing levels of child obesity and diabetes.

Barack is not alone in this war on weight, either. Last month, the first lady, Michelle Obama, also declared plans to lead an initiative aimed at reducing obesity levels amongst their younger population. The ‘Let’s Move’ campaign has been created to try and encourage healthier and more active lifestyles.

The response to this initiative has been generally positive and has received a great deal of support. However, for many American citizens, Obama’s plans to regulate vending machines in schools have not been met with such enthusiasm.

It won’t really come as a surprise to anyone that the food industry is particularly unhappy about this idea, some retaliating with counter-campaigns to try and keep the junk food in the vending machines.

Some other people argue that it will be too expensive and also that the majority will be unfairly disadvantaged as a result of problems among the minority.

Results from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted in 1971-1974 showed obesity levels among school-aged adolescents, aged 12-19 years was at 6.1%. The latest figures from the 2003-2006 data set showed this figure had increased to 17.6%.

Read More …

Posted in: Vending Machine News
Tags: healthy vending, snack vending machines, Vending Machine News