Dan Hart, owner and operator of Atlanta-based Southern Refreshments, has seen the future of vending. And it’s hiding inside his equipment, warehouse and trucks. The industry is caught in a time warp, lagging about two decades behind where it could be, he says. The wave of the future is technology, and Hart’s company is poised at the leading edge.
A Glimpse into the Future
Let’s imagine a day in the very near future of this FLO operator, a company established in 1979 by two guys making deliveries out of the back of a station wagon:
- As the day begins, real-time data from each piece of equipment in metro Atlanta feeds into a warehouse stocking system.
- LED displays indicate exactly how many units of each SKU to select from flow racks to fill each order.
- Items are packed in individual plastic bins destined to fill a particular customer’s machine.
- The system records how fast the order is prepared and prints a label, which attaches to the container before it’s loaded on the truck.
And there’s more:
- Money is handled in a similar fashion. The system knows precisely how many and which denomination of coins and bills are in each machine and what is needed to restock each of Southern Refreshments’ 5,000 venders.
- Credit card readers installed on key machines provide further enhancements.
- GPS units mounted on the truck fleet enable managers to track drivers’ progress on their routes.
- As employees arrive at customer locations, they use hand-held bar code devices to track interactions with each machine and money bag.
- The system meticulously records all transactions and exchanges.
- Back at the office, computer readouts indicate minute details, such as the moment a vender is opened for service.
- Service needs are monitored as well, informing the team if a unit is malfunctioning.
- Vender temperature is controlled remotely, programmed to produce maximum energy efficiency.
This tale is far from a work of fiction because Southern Refreshments possesses most of these capabilities today. The final piece of the puzzle, the warehouse inventory pick system, will be installed in 2011.
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