Blog - Vending Machine News

The SiriuS™ Website

Our new SiriuS™ platform has been designed in-house by Intelligent Vending to resolve inherent issues in standard vending technology.  Using SiriuS™ opens up a number of possibilities for our clients that all add value and increase ROI and efficiency, rather than the traditional approach which concentrates purely on the cash in, product out, retail ‘vend’ aspect.

SiriuS™, with its large 46″ HD touchscreen and powerful software platform VendHook™, create a dynamic and interactive retail platform with significant potential for advertising, marketing, and raising brand awareness.  The machine’s ability to interact both physically and virtually with customers via social media further enhances its commercial potential for operators. For many IV clients, the on-board vending function will be a secondary attraction behind other more commercially significant features.

The complete platform comprising VendHook™ (our core PC control software platform), VendHive™ (our bi-directional cloud control and communication system), and Vendmesh™ (our own design next generation PCB controller), allow connectivity with a wide range of external components and peripherals.  Together, these elements add impressive versatility to a machine while offering commercial add-on value in their own right. Equally, we are confident in the sophistication, robustness and technological advantages of our system compared with any others available in the market.  While some producers have pursued a retro-fit or workaround route (the way we historically supplied non-standard machines), we have consciously developed our system from first principles.  This approach has ensured maximum flexibility in operation and a significant degree of future-proofing.

We have also designed our SiriuS™ platform to be user friendly for third party development via the comprehensive API (Application Programming Interface) and SDK (Software Development Kit).  We want to give our clients scope to extend their own commercial horizons and innovate without the need to be reliant on Intelligent Vending software development services.

For more details, please click the following link to visit our Intelligent Vending SiriuS™ website.

Posted in: Customised Vending, Intelligent Vending, Intelligent Vending Ltd, Next Generation Vending Machines, PC Controlled Vending Machines, Product Help & Advice, Product News, SiriuS, VendHive, VendHook, Vending Help & Advice, Vending Machine News, VendMesh

Updating Your Vending Machine for the New GBP 1 Coin

The new GBP £1 coin is nearly upon us and will be released in March 2017.  It’s now time for UK vending machine operators to start thinking about updating their coin changers to avoid last minute chaos and lost revenue.

In order to support our customers in re-configuring their machines we have three options available:

Option 1:

We can visit site and reconfigure your vending machine coin mech to accept the new £1 coin. This will involve an engineer coming to site to update the coin mechanism on your machine. The cost of doing this, is £260.00 + VAT and £165.00 + VAT for any additional machines on the same site (UK mainland only).

This applies to most models of coin changers including MEI.  If you have any queries if your coin changer model is supported, please email sales@intelligentvending.co.uk for confirmation.

Option 2:

We can supply a brand new C2 Currenza coin mechanism (Dual MDB/Exec) which can be configured to your set up (***) and accept the new £1 coin.  The price of these units are £268.00 + VAT each plus shipping. Please see the following link to the mechanism on our website:  www.intelligentvending.co.uk/C2BLUEMDBEXEC

Please note this is a direct replacement for your existing coin changer and will require you to re-float the new coin mech once fitted as per day to day operation, and as you were trained by the engineer when your machine was delivered.

Option 3:

For machines where a C2 Currenza Coin Mechanism is already in use (this is a blue and grey coin changer), we can supply a HENRI service module and an unlimited use SIM level 2 with datablock GBP_0_002_F02_12 for the new £1 coin. This option is extremely economical if you have a number of machines, but it only works with C2 Currenza coin changers (N.B. it will not work for other brands of coin mechs such as MEI).

The price of this package is £165.00 + VAT plus shipping and can be found on our website using the following link: www.intelligentvending.co.uk/C2UPDATEGBP1.  Please note that this option does not include an engineer call out and will be the responsibility of the client to update their Currenza C2 coin changer in house.  However, it’s a straightforward process that literally only takes a few seconds to complete.   A crib sheet is also available on request.

The HENRI module is a useful item and can also be used for updating your coin mechanisms in the future (only an updated SIM would be required).  If you have any doubts if your machine is fitted with a C2 Currenza coin mechanism, please send a photo of your coin changer in advance of ordering so we can confirm.  N.B. We will not be responsible for returns if clients order this kit in error.

(***) N.B. We will require your coin values for the tubes on your current cassette, or model number (i.e. GBP1, GBP22 etc), so that we can provide you with a direct replacement.  If a none standard cassette type is required, the lead time is currently 3 weeks as your device would be made to order.

Posted in: Intelligent Vending, Intelligent Vending Ltd, Product Help & Advice, Uncategorized, Vending Help & Advice, Vending Machine News, Vending Service

Intelligent Vending & SiriuS™ at AVEX 2015…

SiriuS™, the latest ‘all-in-one’ solution from Intelligent Vending Ltd, was given its first public outing in the vending arena at AVEX 2015, in Manchester. Partnering with Ingenico the international leader in provision of cashless payment systems, IV offered its new advanced SiriuS™ vending machine to show off their cashless hardware while providing attendees with a glimpse of what it believes is the future for the unattended automated retail market.

As an industry, vending has been stagnant or in decline throughout most of Europe for the past few years and it is desperate, Intelligent Vending believes, for a fresh impetus that will lead to reversal of this trend. While degrees of innovation are undoubtedly evident across the board in vending, this has been mostly small scale and incremental, and there has been no major development with the explosive energy to bring about the much needed revolution of the industry. Put simply, vending has made virtually little use of the advances in technology that are now standard across all sectors of retail, advertising, and social media. SiriuS™ incorporates the power and imagination to change all that!

The bespoke UI (User Interface) designed for Ingenico offered visitors of the show the ability to enter a competition to win prizes from triggering the vend process in three different ways:

1) Via the Ingenico card payment terminals (Contactless and NFC, plus Chip & PIN)
2) Via our in-house Twitter promo VendHook™ plugin
3) Via email address entry and a virtual keyboard

An Ingenico corporate video and other promotional information was also displayed on the machine’s different vend process screens, carrying a key underlying message to promote the new iUC280 payment terminals that are aimed primarily for the standard vending ‘mainstream’ market.

Also, on show was a premium vinyl wrap designed to showcase Intelligent Vending’s commitment to push visual branding boundaries. Using a newly unveiled printable and wrap conformable reflective material, all the visible panels of the machine were fully SiriuS™ branded. The three elements that define SiriuS™; VendHook™, VendHive™, and VendMesh™, were highlighted in the design. The revolutionary material used for the wrap gives an added, almost 3D effect, that is dramatically revealed across a range of different lighting conditions and changes based on the installation environment (see photos below).

No Direct Light (Black)

With Some Direct Light (Gold Elements & Binary Code In The Base Vinyl Design Showing)

As the first in a new generation of automated retail options by Intelligent Vending Ltd, this new self-service SiriuS™ solution offers a core software platform called VendHook™ designed from first principles, and eliminating the drawbacks experienced with traditional vending machine systems and protocols. The machines are fully modular and packed with functionality. Just a few of the features include large 46” touch screen and HD display, advanced product management, digital signage, social media integration, telemetry and the facility to remotely manage all machine functions & diagnostics in real time via Intelligent Vending’s fully bi-directional VendHive™ ‘Internet of Things’ cloud platform.

A key strategy underpinning the design process of Intelligent Vending’s new products was the need to provide a payment option that supported the high value transactions specified by many Intelligent Vending clients. While some card payment systems are available for the ‘mainstream’ sector, they have some limitations in terms of transaction value, and they do not provide VAT receipts, another feature often requested by customers. For its new system, Intelligent Vending has been able to incorporate a full Chip & PIN, Contactless and NFC solution into its machines, fully accredited to the latest Visa and Mastercard standards in the UK and with no cap on transaction values.  Our VendHook™ in-house receipt printer design suite also enables our clients’ to customise this ‘print-out’ experience for consumers with a few simple clicks (or touches!) including dynamic QR codes for cross selling or promotions where applicable.

Sam Roe, Managing Director at Intelligent Vending, said: “Projects such as this highlight the versatility of the SiriuS™ system, which is ideally suited to a range of challenging environments. We are looking forward to bringing our powerful Intelligent Vending technology to the widest range of clients, whether in high-end retail or the mainstream ‘plus’ market and increasing their ROI in the unattended space. Our vision is for all sectors to benefit from the sophisticated functionality we now provide as standard – Intelligent Vending by Intelligent Vending.”

More info available here (PDF): SiriuS Intelligent Vending Taster Flyer

Posted in: AVEX 2015, Customised Vending, Intelligent Vending, Intelligent Vending Ltd, Next Generation Vending Machines, PC Controlled Vending Machines, Product Help & Advice, Product News, SiriuS, Uncategorized, VendHive, VendHook, Vending Machine News, Vending Service, VendMesh

Intelligent Vending® Next Generation Automated Retail Solutions…

The vending industry has been in a state of inertia for many years, and while there has been a recognition of the need to change, vending technology remains largely based on that which existed in the 20th Century. The pace of development and the introduction of innovation compare very unfavourably to what has happened in the gaming and kiosk industries, where advances in technology are pounced upon quickly and incorporated into new machines.

A typical example is the recent introduction of credit/debit card & NFC mobile payment solutions which are just breaking though into our market, but are well established elsewhere. With only a very limited number of off-the-shelf solutions currently available for standard vending applications, it is extremely difficult to benchmark products and ensure hardware has the appropriate certification and approvals – even for the largest multi-nationals. Adverse factors (from a vending perspective!) such as the move towards healthy eating and the global recession have created massive financial pressures for traditional vending companies.

There is acceptance that vending needs to progress in order to meet the requirements of the times – in terms of interactivity with the customer and changing the vend activity from functional to rewarding. One of our corporate customers summed this up brilliantly by describing what was traditionally on offer from mainstream vending as ‘boring, dull & outdated’.

As a company, we have always innovated and looked into the future. In terms of products, we have regularly configured vending machines to dispense items that were not thought possible, and we have installed systems into machines that are way beyond what conventional machines were designed to do. On many occasions, however, the limitations of existing vending technology have proved a barrier to delivering exactly to the specification that our clients have required without significant R&D investment and major adaptation to current systems, protocols, and mechanical design. Our expert specialists in the field of software development, SolidWorks, high-end fabrication, electronics, and system architecture are here to help and can resolve many headaches, but they are still invariably frustrated by the inherent limitations of traditional vending platforms.

For example; the advanced hotel system such as Max-eBar® is already replacing traditional minibar provision in hotels, and saving our clients’ money while increasing revenue. This is a very creative solution to a thorny practical problem, but development of innovative systems such as this are often influenced by the inflexibility and limitations of existing vending machines and technology.

Significantly, and very positively, we are now moving to a position where the barriers described above are being overcome, with new system alternatives gradually entering the market, most commonly to date in the premium hot drinks vending arena.

Intelligent Vending intends to be a major contributor to this transformation, and together with our close technology and supply chain partners, we are looking forward to bringing new opportunities and revenue streams to our customers.

We’re sure to be communicating further information regarding this shortly…

Posted in: Customised Vending, Intelligent Vending Ltd, Product Help & Advice, Product News, Vending Help & Advice, Vending Machine News, Vending Service
Tags: card payments, Intelligent Vending, interactive vending machines, next generation vending machines, NFC, touch screen vending, touch screen vending machines, vending machine development

Max-eBar® Your Key to Smart 24/7 Hospitality!

The Max-eBar® system is designed to provide hotel guests 24/7 access to goods using their room key. Products are dispensed by the Max-eBar® automated retail centre and charged directly to the guests hotel room bill. This provides a convenient, streamlined, reliable, and easy to operate service.

The Max-eBar® automated retail centre is usually sited on the guest bedroom corridor or in a central location like the reception area allowing guests to simply swipe their room key, make a purchase and have it charged directly to their room account. No credit cards or cash are required. In effect, this is a ‘max’ version of the traditional ‘mini’ bar with one cabinet able to provide service to many rooms.

Max-eBar® provides many benefits including:

* Reduced stockholding
* Faster stock turnover
* 24/7 unmanned service
* An alternative to visiting the bar or restaurant for those in a hurry and particularly for those travelling alone
* Safe, secure delivery, no possibility of contamination
* Impulse purchases with ‘no money’ required
* Opportunity to provide unattended serving of alcohol
* Wide range of goods available
* Available in Hostel or Hotel mode
* Accurate billing avoids disputes at Reception

Also, for added impact, we can provide a fully branded machine by a leading design agency using high-end 3M materials. The Max-eBar® can be free standing or incorporated into a custom built enclosure, depending on the needs to of your organisation and/or budget requirements.

Working in collaboration with one of our close development partners Quintus Systems (the originator and inventor of the Max-eBar® system), this reliable & high-end solution now becomes reality and a standard offering for our global hotel clients.

Let us integrate the Max-eBar® seamlessly with your hotel PMS and door key system. This is a perfect addition to any hotel environment and we can tailor our solutions to meet your needs with minimal downtime to guest services.

Hospitality is just one sector where we can add value, so let us unlock the potential of cashless interfacing within your organisation, whatever your business focus.

Intelligent Vending and Quintus Systems have packages to suit small niche hotels to large international chains, so please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us on +44 (0) 1629 825555 or email: sales@intelligentvending.co.uk for more information.

Posted in: Customised Vending, Intelligent Vending Ltd, Product News, Vending Machine News, Vending Overseas, Vending Service
Tags: alcohol vending machines, food and beverage hospitality services, hospitality vending services, hotel vending machines, Max-eBar

Promoting Sexual Health in Africa

Intelligent Vending followers will know that our company has always had an interest in promoting sexual health, and we’ve tried to make a contribution where we can across the world. It’s great therefore to hear from Christopher Wells regarding the work he’s undertaken in Southern Ethiopia. Chris has kindly provided a link to findings from the research work titled Prophylactic Procurement of University Students in Southern Ethiopia: Stigma and the Value of Condom Machines on Campus that he and colleagues have conducted. Some of it’s a bit technical, but the messages come through very strong. We’re really pleased to have to have provided the condom vending machines for this research (Twist2Vend – B5m and B5m2 models), and it’s good to know that such simple, low cost (and British made) machines could stand up so well to the rigours of a tropical environment, and make a positive contribution to improving sexual health in the African continent.

Posted in: Product Help & Advice, Sexual Health Vending, Vending Help & Advice, Vending Machine News, Vending Overseas
Tags: condom vending in Africa, condom vending machines, sexual health vending

Transparent Touch Screen Vending Machines

We would like to introduce a new concept – transparent touch screen display vending machines. Transparent touchscreen displays are an impressive and exciting new technology with thousands of potential applications. Combine a sleek transparent display with touchscreen interactivity and the result is technology so impressive it could have been pulled straight out of a science fiction film.

For vending machines, the integration of transparent touch displays offers numerous advantages. Not only can customers see the actual products in the machines – just as with traditional glass-fronted machines – all the enhancements a high definition digital display can provide are also at the operators disposal. This could include video promotions of products and services; providing highly detailed information about the products for sale; or perhaps even a novel game to help attract and entice passers-by to the machine.

Although still very much in its infancy, this is a technology you can expect to see a lot more of in the near future. A video of a transparent touchscreen vending machine in action can be seen on our website at the following link:

www.intelligentvending.co.uk/transparent-touchscreen-vending-machines.htm

If you have a few moments, we would very much like to hear your thoughts and opinions on this new technology. You can give us your feedback by submitting the form found at the bottom of the link provided above. There are only a few simple questions, and your answers may help us to learn of key ideas and features which would improve the functionality of these machines. It is entirely possible that your ideas could find their way in to the next incarnation of these machines!

Posted in: Customised Vending, Intelligent Vending Ltd, Product News, Vending Machine News
Tags: touchscreen, transparent, vending machines, vending news

Safety First!

Students at MIT have designed a particularly innovative machine for the vending of bicycle helmets, to wok in conjunction with Boston’s “Hubway” bicycle sharing scheme.

Research into the Hubway scheme showed that only around 30% of the users wore helmets, which obviously is not very safety conscious! Despite local retailers selling heavily discounted helmets, users did not seem to embrace them. Enter 12 undergraduates of MIT Mechanical Engineering 2.009 class…Students at the Institute are renowned for innovative design and successfully designed the prototype for the “HelmetHub.” This vending machine is half the size of a regular snack or drinks machine and features a touch screen in line with the design of the Hubway along with solar panels for power. The machine dispenses adjustable helmets for $8 which users can either keep and re-use or return for a partial refund, as helmets are then taken to be inspected and cleaned.

Currently this is a prototype machine, but the students are in talks to build a Beta version which could be put to the test by the summer.

Have you ever used a bike-share scheme, such as Hubway or the so called “Boris Bikes” in London? Of all the bike-shares, only Melbourne, Australia has a helmet vending machine but it is far bulkier than the tight space saving option offered by Hubway. If you use a bike share programme, would you be tempted by the shared helmet as well? Do you ride your own bike with a helmet? Let us know in the comments below!

Posted in: Customised Vending, Public Vending, Vending Machine News, Vending Overseas
Tags: bicycle, helmets, safety

Free Wi-Fi

Everyone loves free things, no matter what they are, and most people if they can get something for free, they will.

Now a Japanese (of course) Vending Machines company has come into there own by offering free Wi-Fi for using the machine. Users then must stay within a 50 meter radius of this machine to have access to wi-fi internet on any wi-fi enabled device, for 30 minutes before you get logged out and have to log back in again (and you don’t have to buy another drink!)

As we all know, Japan is crazy for vending machines, and the more technologically advanced the better. Free Wi-fi perks up everyone’s day, especially as data plans get squeezed and more expensive, this coupled with the interesting and unusual drinks options is sure to make these machines a hit across Japan. Manufacturer Asahi Beverages hope to roll out 1,000 machines during 2012, and up to 10,000 over the next five years., which not only shows the extent of the popularity of vending machines across Japan but also the faith Asahi has in these machines that having a Wi-fi enabled machines will not only draw customers to the machine in the first place but the 30 minutes (extendable) window could mean that the customer will buy their drink, have a poke around on the Internet, realise their drink is finished and buy another (and hopefully repeat this several times!)

As we are seeing more and more, Japan is taking interactive vending machines to another level, the introduction of QR codes on Coca-Cola machines, and face recognition technology to suggest drinks to the customer, and I for one can’t wait to see what impact this Wi-Fi machine has on the Japanese market and how this will develop and transform the market!

Posted in: Intelligent Vending Ltd, Product News, Vending Machine News, Vending Overseas
Tags: japan, vending macines, wi fi

Ohhhh…Japan

Yet again, Japan have made technological advances in the vending world the rest of us can but dream of.

Intel, Snaken and Okaya Electronics have taken the next step in touch screen vending machines. This latest incarnation boasts a 65-inch HD screen (!) and understated graphics so as to drawn people in with out being garish and obnoxious.

GizModo called it the “vending machine of tomorrow” thanks to the 65″ screen, which like its predecessors features a transparent screen so consumers can still see the product inside, whilst being entertained by a touch screen – similar to that on a smart phone – but with subtle animations of birds  that do not distract from he transparency of the machines touch controlled window.

To make this even more exciting and intuitive, the machine has an inbuilt camera to identify customers based on age and gender to therefore generate demographic appropriate adverts. What makes this machine extra special, is, should there be an emergency, it will display evacuation routes.

Although currently vending snacks and drinks, this machine could open up to a potential market including cosmetics and wine.

What do you think to this? Can you see super intuitive vending machines working over here England? Would you like to see adverts based on your gender or age? As ever, leave a comment below and let us know how you feel!!

Posted in: Intelligent Vending Ltd, Vending Machine News, Vending Overseas
Tags: cool, japan, touchscreen, vending machines