Blog - SandenVendo Italy

August 15, 2019 – 3pm

The Vendo Company & The Sanden Corporation merger – Feature Article (3 of 3)

With the Oil Crisis in America hitting the people and businesses hard, it was a turbulent time for the United States. Having faced financial loses, The Vendo Company chose to streamline and concentrate solely on its drinks vending machine distribution division. This was one the most lucrative and sturdy pockets of business held by The Vendo Company and they had much previous success in the sector. Even though the site held in Kansas was closed, the company still kept plants functioning in Fresno, California and Corinth, Mississippi [1] In 1982, Elmer F Pierson, the founder of The Vendo Company, died aged 85. Elmer was praised for having been “One of the first business executives to express that there should be an interconnection between the corporate world and the art world” [2]

The 1980’s brought together two incredibly influential and successful companies that had mutually reflective qualities and had similar histories, despite being on different continents, with no relationship, and no affiliations to this point. Both had innovative ideas and developed iconic models that changed development, designs and productions within their fields, both made pursuits in varied areas of business and both made significant impact on the war effort for their alliance. These unique characteristics created a sort of symmetry and connection between the two companies even before their merger in 1988. Potentially, their relationship was laden with barriers such as, language, culture and social differences to name a few; but maybe all barriers are there to be overcome or perhaps they were never there to begin with; wherever the reality lies, the outcome was that the Japanese Sanden Corporation (who had experience of their own vending products, already released on the market) acquired the Vendo Company. The company received technical and financial support from its new parent company [3] and many saw The Vendo Company revitalised by the input and nurture that Sanden Corporation bestowed upon it. It wasn’t long before The Vendo Company began introducing innovations to the automated goods distribution market again. Showing that the support had truly helped rejuvenate the company.

In 1996 the Sanden Company was awarded an EPA prize (contribution to ozone layer preservation) by the US Environment Protection Agency. [4] The welfare of the environment became a pioneering drive behind The Sanden Corporation and Mr. Kaihei Ushikubo is reputable for being, amongst other things, environmentally conscious. This is still a core value in the company today. In 1999, Mr. Kaihei Ushikubo died aged 94. The Vendo Company continued to expand and in the early 2000’s moved its headquarters to Dallas, Texas and not long after changed its name, as a mark of thanks, loyalty and respect to its parent company. SandenVendo was born.

Today SandenVendo is a global enterprise that needs no introduction. It has, as a company, been integral in pushing the markets technology boundaries and in 2004 revealed the first vending machine equipped with C02. The company has flourished. The factory in Italy has expanded and there are now offices in Japan, Spain, Germany, France and Belgium. Keeping up with the rapidly growing market, SandenVendo have also started a Coffee sector of the business and in 2015 developed a new coffee machine; the company continues to advance the vending industry into a new era.

It seems lamentable, on reflection that neither the founder of The Vendo Company, Mr. Elmer F. Pierson, or the founder of The Sanden Corporation, Mr. Kaihei Ushikubo, would live to see their companies names stand side-by-side, as they sleekly merged and blossomed into the universal giant it is today; arguably, dominating the worlds vending stage. The consistent correlation and commonality between these two corporations seems, looking through their history, to have transcended any obstacles, barriers and complications with ease and with equal, mutual respect. Perhaps this relationship expertly highlights the Sanden company creed, bestowed upon the company by the late Mr. Kaihei Ushikubo,

“Let us Develop with Wisdom and Prosper in Harmony.”

With all the honour and respect that comes with a mission statement such as this, it seems that this is exactly how it was for both The Sanden Corporation and SandenVendo, and how it continues to be today.